Amateur Radio Satellite History: Project OSCAR and AMSAT by Jeffrey Pawlan, WA6KBL Life Sr Member of IEEE ComSoc

the Original Project OSCAR Booklet

where the name came from

Quoted from the Project OSCAR Booklet: OSCAR was born inadvertently by publication in 1959 of a radio "ham" article by Don Stoner, licensee of amateur station W6TNS. Stoner suggested that hams could build their own satellite "if someone only had a vehicle" to get it into space. He, along with F. H. Hicks, W6EJU, and other radio amateurs nursed the idea along and formed the Project OSCAR Association.

Quoted from the Project OSCAR Booklet: On October 18, 1960, the Articles of Association for Project OSCAR were formalized in Santa Clara County, California. The objects and purposes of Project OSCAR are: To inaugurate radio amateur space communication. To design and provide radio amateur satellite equipment and assist in its integration with space vehicles. continued on next slide

To compile and publish information which will encourage maximum use of such equipment. To receive, digest, and study data accumulated as a result of OSCAR launchings, and to provide this data in usable form to assist the National space effort. To embark upon a self-training program to introduce the radio amateur to the new field of space experimentation and communications. To lead in "state of the art" development of future OSCAR experiments.

Nickolas Marshall, W6OLO was the major designer of OSCAR 1, 2, and 3 Staff Scientist at Lockheed 1954 – 1962 moved to NY for a while (Nassau College) created Project Moonray came back to Lockheed and continued working on OSCAR and Moonray major designer of the fix for Hubble in 1991 inspired the creation of a VHF - microwave ham group in the Bay area.

Nick’s Project Moonray After successful completion of 25 space borne experiments that Nick proposed or designed, he decided to see whether a repeater could be put on the moon. In 1996 he proposed Project Moonray after becoming friends with astronaut Owen Garriott, W5LFL. Owen would have carried this on Apollo 18 or 19 but the space program to the moon was cancelled.

AMSAT Aerospace mostly moved to the Washington, D.C. area In early 1969, George Jacobs addressed the Communications Satellite Corporation (COMSAT) and proposed that a new group should continue Project OSCAR but on the East Coast. AMSAT incorporated in March 1969 Australian built OSCAR 5 launched in January 1970 Project OSCAR continued until the mid 1990s but basically focused on Project Moonray and on ground station design.

Formation of the 50MHz and Up Group of N. Calif, Inc. The OSCAR meetings were held in a building at De Anza College that was repurposed by the school so we had to leave. Nick and this author (Jeffrey, WA6KBL) planned the formation of a new VHF through microwave experimenters group. The first meeting was planned for Jan. 28, 1996 Nick passed away 3 days before the meeting but it still took place with almost 200 hams present.

This group was originally named the Northern California VHF, UHF and Microwave Experimenters’ Society. It was renamed to the 50MHz and Up Group of N. Calif before incorporation as a non-profit educational and public service group. The handwritten Minutes of the first meeting are provided as a PDF. Volume 1 Number 1 of the Newsletter, Dirty Dishes, was published in Oct. 1996.

Please look at our website and consider joining: 50mhzandup.org