Making contact with the ISS

Jim K9BIG working with comm students

Production crew students check equipment

ISS Expedition 12 Commander
Bill McArthur, KC5ACR from NA1SS
at the International Space Station
[NASA Photo]

We would like to acknowledge
the hams that have contributed
to the success of this project:
ARISS Mentor:AJ9N Charlie Sufana
KARS Members:
AK9F Howard Dybedock
K9BIG Jim Schreiner
K9BYT John McGarey
K9CS Carl Schroeder
K9NR Don Kerouac
K9QT Billie Kerouac
K9WIZ Terry Wisniewski
KB9ZQU Duane Erwin
KC9DEP Jamie Formea
KC9FAV Brian Erwin
KE9MG Francis Giguere
N9FO Jim Creek
N9IO Clay Melhorn
N9QXZ Bill Dau
NI9H Pete Nikolic
W9IOU Crystal Melhorn
W9LIZ Christine Schroeder
W9YNI Ken Buser
WD9AYI John Arrington
WR9L Greg Hart

KARS streaming audio server had 150 connects while

Click Here for SPACE TV mp3 version,
3.59 mB, 48kbps,  audio sample rate 44 kHz, mono, duration 10:18
On top of all this, BBCHS built for this event a special
video server that had just over 1,000 hits to the live show,
nearing 1,700 hits to the recorded version at this time.
Click Here if you would like to watch the 55 minute
show from the BBCHS web site ARISS page now.
Members of the media including
WKAN 1320 AM (Kankakee),
WVLI 95.1 FM (Bourbonnais),
WGFA 94.1 FM (Watseka),
Kankakee Daily Journal Newspaper
and the Chicago Tribune Newspaper
graciously covered the historic event with our thanks.

Jim Schreiner a science teacher at BBCHS
has been working on this project three years.
His perseverance has certainly been rewarded today.

A special additional feature was added when Jim
invited Maury Shumaker W4HYB of Manassas,
Virginia as guest speaker at the event.
Maury, a past president of the Kankakee Area Radio
Society and 1953 graduate of BBCHS has driven in
from his home in Virginia to speak to the school.
Maury was the Vice-Director of the Space Shuttle
Challenger accident investigation committee.
Maury gave an excellent talk on growing up
in the Bradley - Bourbonnais school system, the
teachers at BBCHS back then that helped inspire
him as well as help him receive his ham radio license.
Maury gave insight into the space shuttle and his
involvement in many NASA projects over the years.

The membership of the Kankakee Area Radio Society
congratulates Jim on a job very well done.
We have remained totally committed to this project
and are pleased announce this ARISS contact
far exceeded anyone's expectations in this organization.
Jim, you and the KARS membership have helped bring
amateur radio into the spotlight today in such a
positive manner.
Words cannot express our gratitude for your dedication.

We would also like to acknowledge the talented skills
of the Communications Students of BBCHS.
This entire show was produced and recorded by the
able students of BBCHS's Communications Class.
We are very impressed with the professional attitude
and skill these students displayed during the making
of this super production. The archive they have
produced is in our opinion a precious record for the
people of the Bradley, Bourbonnais and Kankakee
area to enjoy for many years to come.

We sincerely hope you learned something new about
Amateur Radio in Kankakee County today.
Did you also know that the KARS club is an active
participant in regional storm / weather spotting?
The KARS repeater systems are wide area coverage
systems that facilitate weather spotting nicely.
Our sole source of operating funds to maintain these
fine systems come from our annual hamfest
"KARSFEST" (Electronics / Computer Show) held in
Peotone, IL at the Will County Fairgrounds in July.

KARS meetings are held the first Tuesday of
each month at Provena St Mary's Hospital.
The public is always welcome.

If you would like to know more about ham radio and
perhaps how to get involved in this fascinating hobby,
we refer you to the (Hello) page of the ARRL web site

<Hello>
ARRL is the national association for AMATEUR RADIO.

Our thanks to NASA, the ARISS program,
the American Radio Relay League,
ISS Commander Bill McArthur KC5ACR,
ARISS mentor Charlie Sufana AJ9N,
the Kankakee Area Radio Society,
the faculty, staff and students of
Bradley - Bourbonnais High School
for helping to make all of this possible.
  ARISS is an international educational outreach,
with US participation by ARRL, AMSAT and NASA.

Known links of the BBCHS contact outside KARS w9az.com web:
Chicago Tribune: BBCHS ARISS contact story
SPACE TV: BBCHS ARISS contact questions, mp3
ARRL WEB: BBCHS ARISS contact story
SOUTHGATE ARC WEB: BBCHS ARISS contact story