When OSCAR was launched into space on December 12, 1961, the opportunity for amateur satellite radio transmissions from space was achieved. The satellite belongs to the Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation which is an organization that is centered on educating the world about things that occur in space and the technology behind the satellite transmission unit's capabilities.

Many people had already been using amateur radio signals to talk to each other on Earth, but with the addition of radio frequencies from the high altitude offered by Space, the ability to communicate was easier and the quality of the transmissions were greatly enhanced. The network of amateur satellite radio enthusiasts are involved in developing communications technologies and in contributing to the research associated with outer space.

The Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation uses the time and efforts of volunteers who are devoted to developing amateur satellite radio technologies to report any observations that they have that come from space exploration. All of the hardware and software that is used in the amateur satellite radio network were created by volunteers.

The amateur satellite radio network provides a necessary service to the United States military through the radio centers when Navy ships are at sea. The American Red Cross uses the free services of Amateur Satellite Radio transmissions to deliver health and comfort messages to crewmembers, and the vessels are kept appraised of weather conditions through the weather satellites advisory messages that are transmitted through the amateur satellite radio network.

Unlike their satellite radio counterparts, the Amateur satellite radio network relies on the generosity of strangers to perform its mission of educating the world about space and the technology used to study anything related to space. The donated resources may come from any location in the world, and when help is needed, the people of the amateur satellite radio are more than willing to devote some time into figuring out a solution to a problem that deals with Space.

The first amateur radio satellite was placed in the Smithsonian to allow people to view the advancements of space technology firsthand. The satellites that are launched into space today for the amateur satellite radio network are by far, the most technologically advanced pieces of machinery in space today.

The amateur satellite radio satellite is capable of transmitting signals from space, and the amateur satellite radio transmitter will usually track objects and send scientific data back in the form of photographs. The latest mission by NASA to the International Space Station was observed by the amateur radio enthusiasts and photographs of Atlantis undocking from the International Space Station can be viewed on the Amateur Satellite Radio Corporate website.



By: James Brown

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I used to see one of the latest online fads, Twitter, as a super time waster. I didn't see any reason for it so it looked like a bunch of kids sharing useless and private information like bathroom trips and nose pickings. Now I see it as an extension of an older hobby, CB or ham radio. They both trapped nerdy kids into an isolated world they could be alone in. But both were a complex social network which proved to be beneficial to society.

While I'm not old enough to remember, the ham radio fad helped in both world wars and with people in a disaster situation.

My understanding is that every block had someone who monitored the CB for cutting news of the red invasion from Russia and twisters or hurricanes. Any well equipped bomb shelter or basement had a ham radio. Even if no one knew what to do with it, it was there.

Move forward a few decades when a natural disaster hit Southern California in 2008. I saw another side of Twitter. I noticed that many web sites about the fires referred to Twitter postings. So I started looking into it.

What I saw blew me away. People were using Twitter to plot escape routes and keep track of where the fire front currently was. I can only guess how many lives were saved by this "useless" fad. Another Internet fad was being used in ways I never thought of. Mashups of Google maps (a mixture of locations) were being used by the authorities to show the latest locations and statistics. Another marked the locations of refugee camps.

Then I noticed another use for Twitter. While not life saving, it was useful none the less. I went to a programmers convention in LA and was expecting the chaos these conventions brought 30 years ago.

However, the convention was less chaotic and people knew where to go and what to do because so many of the attendees were Twittering about last minute changes, which sessions were good, and where to eat lunch. The registration desk was less of a bottle neck since fewer people had a reason to hang around it.

Grandparents are another possible audience. Wouldn't many grandparents enjoy being able to keep track of their darlings life?

added: 5-5-2009





Yet another beneficial use I've seen for Twitter was when vandals or terrorists took a hack saw to AT&T's backbone. Not only did several server farms go done, but the phone service in the area did too. So AT&T communicated with their customers with Twitter. Ignoring the irony temporarily, once again Twitter proved itself to be a good media for humans with unusual needs like the one where ATT was victimized by either vandals or terrorists. If ATT didn't respond and left their customers hanging in the wind, it would have been a PR nightmare for them.



I still don't see Twitter's value for marketting a service, but if it exists I will learn.







Now I see Twitter as practical in some situations and a virtual life-saver in others. Of course some people take it too far and do end up wasting time. But isn't that a definition of a hobby?



By: Dave Keays

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