Background information
Here are some of the e-mails that I sent out since February 20, 1999 to try to get to the bottom of this whole Swatch thing. This was after visiting the URL on the Swatch site concerning the Beatnik project, http://www.swatch.com/beatnik/frameset.html which is also listed in a few of the messages below. Unfortunately, I didn't save any of the incoming messages, but I do have all my outgoing mails saved with some of the relevant quotes from other people attached.
February 20, 1999
Here is the letter that started the whole thing back on February 20, 1999.
Date: Sat, 20 Feb 1999 17:18:42 -0500 (EST)
From: Rob Carlson rcarls2@umbc.edu
To: eax@w3eax.umd.edu
cc: kb5mu@amsat.org, sarex@arrl.org
Subject: Swatch Beatnik satellite?
I was just over at http://www.swatch.com/beatnik/frameset.html.
Seems Swatch is advertising the release of "their" satellite up into space
where Swatch customers can record a voice or text message which the
satellite will then beam into space and back to Earth.
A page deeper into the site reads:
"The Beatnik will transmit the selected messages in the following bands:
145.800 to 146.000 MHz
Thus allowing radio-rads worldwide to listen to your voice. You will be
able to catch both voice and text messages (in the form of HTML pages) ;
but hey, if you are not a radio-freak, you do not have to worry. You will
be able to follow the Beatnik and its messages live right here on the
tracking section of the website."
Huh? So _Swatch_ is going to _broadcast_ people's voices over the ham
bands?
Anyone have any information on this to allay my fears that something is
very wrong with this whole picture?
Rob
--
Rob Carlson, KC2AEI | rcarls2@umbc.edu | http://rob.carlson.org
February 22, 1999
I got a couple of replies from people like Paul Williamson at AMSAT, but nothing concrete. Nbody could really figure out where this project was actually coming from. However, these replies left me largely unsatisfied.
Date: Sun, 21 Feb 1999 00:30:05 -0500 (EST)
From: Rob Carlson rcarls2@umbc.edu
To: Paul Williamson kb5mu@amsat.org
Subject: Re: Swatch Beatnik satellite?
On Sat, 20 Feb 1999, Paul Williamson wrote:
> This is the first I've heard of it. It sounds like another "Sputnik Junior"
> type satellite, but with commercial sponsorship. Doesn't seem like a
> very good precedent to me, either.
>
> If it's any consolation, these "Sputnik Junior" class satellites only last
> about a month, since they run on batteries (no solar cells).
Paul,
This concerns me. Is there anything we can do about it otherwise?
Rob
--
Rob Carlson, KC2AEI | rcarls2@umbc.edu | http://rob.carlson.org
March 12, 1999
March 12, 1999 rolls around, and still no answer. I try again, copying in some of the addresses that I've run into so far in my research.
Date: Fri, 12 Mar 1999 01:52:15 -0500 (EST)
From: Rob Carlson rcarls2@umbc.edu
To: david j wendland yad@wam.umd.edu
cc: KA1Lm@amsat.org, kb5mu@amsat.org, sarex@arrl.org, eax@w3eax.umd.edu
Subject: Anything re Swatch Beatnik satellite? (fwd)
Did anyone on the list or my carbon copies ever find out anything about
the Swatch Beatnik satellite on the 2 meter band? The general response to
this has either been silence or muted resignation that the R stations can
do whatever they want on VHF. Tell me it's not true!
Rob
--
Rob Carlson, KC2AEI | rcarls2@umbc.edu | http://rob.carlson.org
Finally on the same day I posted a copy of the original article to the Editors of the ARRL Hudson Division's newsletter, the Hudson Loop. That brought a number of interesting replies, including this one which I may investigate more fully.
On Mon, 29 Mar 1999, Anthony G. Catalano wrote:
> I could not find the exact page that referred to our 2 meter band's use.
> BTW: We use the 70 MHz band for a number of uses. This band is a ham band I
> believe in Europe.
> 1) Those swatches should not be allowed into the USA because of not meeting
> type acceptance.
> 2) A satellite transmitting commercial data in that range would most likely
> be violating ITU aggrements.
> If you have other information let me know but even more importantly notify
> AMSAT.
> - Maybe it is an early April Fools Joke? hi hi
> 73 Tony ww2w
>
March 29, 1999
Finally on March 29, 1999, Stephan Anderman comes back with some almost unquestionable information that ties together this Beatnik sat with the Sputnik-99.
Date: Mon, 29 Mar 1999 21:12:46 -0500 (EST)
From: Rob Carlson rcarls2@umbc.edu
To: "Stephan M. Anderman, K2SMA" anderman@warwick.net
Subject: Re: Regarding the Swatch Beatnik
Stephan,
Well, it certainly looks like a match to me. I'm a little perturbed that
I didn't put two and two together, but the hype that Swatch was pouring on
in their web site gave no indication at all that it was anything but
entirely created and funded by the Swatch company.
[...]
Rob
--
Rob Carlson, KC2AEI | rcarls2@umbc.edu | http://rob.carlson.org
Later that day I forwarded one of the more damning articles to the people I had bothered so far with my questions to let them know what was going on.
Date: Mon, 29 Mar 1999 22:12:32 -0500 (EST)
From: Rob Carlson rcarls2@umbc.edu
To: david j wendland yad@wam.umd.edu, W3EAX Club eax@w3eax.umd.edu,
KA1LM KA1LM@amsat.org, KB5MU kb5mu@amsat.org, N3FZX n3fzx@amsat.org,
SAREX sarex@arrl.org
cc: UMBC ARC hamradio@lists.umbc.edu
Subject: Resolution to the Swatch Beatnik satellite question
Some of you may remember the insistent Beatnik queries that I posted to
your e-mail addresses and this list. Seems that it's actually the Sputnik
99 satellite they were talking about on the Swatch web page, and Rick
Lindquist N1RL's guess was that they were simply a sponsor of the project
and got the privelege to choose a couple of the messages to add into the
digital memory. Thankfully, not as ominous as I had imagined.
See the article below for more information.
Rob
--
Rob Carlson, KC2AEI | rcarls2@umbc.edu | http://rob.carlson.org
---Forwarded message---
Re Sputnik 99--SpaceNews had this item, which you've probably seen:
* NEW MINI-SPUTNIK READY FOR LAUNCH *
=====================================
Miles Mann, WF1F, reports that a new mini-Sputnik satellite called RS-19
is on its way to Mir with the next Progress launch currently scheduled
for April 2, 1999. No word as to the date the satellite will be hand
launched from Mir is known at this time.
The latest mini-Sputnik will transmit stored voice messages in many
different languages on a frequency of 145.815 MHz (+/- Doppler)
with 200 milliwatts of power. Up to ten messages will be transmitted
by the tiny, battery powered satellite. Each message will be 7 seconds
long and include a 7 second pause. There is the ability to change the
message every 24 hours.
More information on this project is available on AMSAT-France's Web
page at:
http://www.ccr.jussieu.fr/physio/f6bvp/
[Info via Miles Mann, WF1F]
AMSAT-France says it's in Russia's hands now.
73, Rick
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Rick Lindquist, N1RL
Senior News Editor
ARRL HQ
860-594-0222
n1rl@arrl.org
Hear Amateur Radio News!
860-594-0384 or on the Web at
http://www.arrl.org/arrlletter/audio/
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Then with the release of the ARRL Letter on April 3, 1999 detailing how AMSAT France had been duped by the Russian space center and Swatch, I decided it was time to get more deeply involved in this matter as soon as possible.