Hey, Jim:
 JL> I, too, have heard MIR on the ham bands.  What I'd really like to hear 
 JL> is the "air-to-air" docking comms!
  Gotcha.  I began realizing that a couple days after I started sending you 
all the data I was gathering.  As you'll recall, I myself hadn't previous 
heard (or even tried to hear) any such comms, so I was kinda tickled to be 
hearing the astronauts, and wanted to pass the info along to anyone who might 
actually appreciate such things.  But, whether hearing Ham-band comms or 
air-to-air docking, I've discovered (as you probably already know far better 
than I) that a satellite-tracking program is pretty essential.  So, I 
continued posting on the thread, for the benefit of any other readers who 
(like me) found themselves unexpectedly intrigued by monitoring astronauts.
  (BTW, that satellite program I mentioned [STSORBIT, whose latest versions 
are called STSPLUS) just released an even newer and better version last week 
[version 9650, which means the 50th week of 1996].  The author also maintains 
a fantastic (and I mean *fantastic*) BBS that has thousands of files, 
programs and all kinds of related satellite/monitoring stuff, as well as 
frequent bulletins about what's happening in space.  RSVP if you'd like more 
info on the BBS [or just download the program on a local BBS and read the doc 
file]).
 JL> I understand there is a crew change coming up on one of the Shuttle-Mir
 JL> missions to be launched soon.  
  Yep.  Launch is scheduled for Jan 12, with Shuttle/Mir docking scheduled 
for the 18th.  My source?  Heard Astronaut Blaha say so himself, direct, 
right from Mir!  (Close enough to the horse's mouth, eh? :)
 JL> I'll have to start paying better attention to the news.
  There are some very useful news sources available right on Fido.  
Technically, they're "Echo's", except that they're "read-only", i.e., readers 
don't chat with each other, but simply read NASA and other bulletins, 
announcements, updates, etc.  Ask around re local BBS's that carry 
space/astronomy stuff.  If none do, RSVP to me and I'll ask my Sysop for 
exact name/backbone data, so you can ask your Sysop to add them to your BBS.
  Also, some of those AMSAT sources I mentioned a few messages ago provide 
news bulletin "subscription" (listserv) services, i.e., you ask to be added 
to their Internet e-mail mailing list, and they send you ongoing bulletins.
  Also, check with your local Ham types, since many groups hold local weekly 
VHF AMSAT Nets on 2 Meters, where all this kind of stuff is discussed.  Even 
if you're not a Ham, it doesn't cost anything to listen to the discussion of 
space and satellite (and related monitoring) news.
 JL> Happy holidays, Frank!  And thanks for all your hard work.
  As before, there's a method to my madness.  I still have this strong 
intuition that you're gonna hit the Lotto, so **now** is the best time for me 
to kiss up, no?  :)   :)
  And, my thanks to you as well, since your original inquiry prompted me to 
dig a little deeper into all this, and it's been educational and fun.
Cheers, Frank
... "God is dead."  -  Nietzche       "Nietzche is dead."  -  God
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