Images(2)

Patch, Insignia

Object number2018.27.87

MediumFabric

Credit LineGift of Jay Apt

DescriptionShield-shaped embroidered SAREX patch.DimensionsHeight x Width x Depth: 4.438 × 4 × 0.125 in. (11.3 × 10.2 × 0.3 cm)
InscriptionsWhite embroidered text along top "SAREX".

White embroidered text at left center "NASA".

Center diamond symbol on front has embroidered yellow text "A / R / R / L"; the stylized globe with an orbital symbol on the right is the logo of AMSAT, the Association of Amateur Radio Satellite Organizations.”
Historical NotesSAREX patch belonging to Jay Apt. SAREX is an acronym for Shuttle Amateur Radio Experiment. The ARRL insignia on the patch is the emblem of the American Radio Relay League, and the AMSAT (Association of Amateur Radio Satellite Organizations) logo is on the right of the patch. Jay Apt, amateur radio operator general class license N5QWL, operated ham radio equipment on each of his four space missions. On his first mission, STS-37, all five crew members were licensed amateur radio operators, primarily due to the efforts of STS-37 pilot Ken Cameron, KB5AWP. This mission was the first to receive uplink television, via the ham radio equipment onboard and the crew saw video of their launch the day after reaching orbit. Television personality Jay Leno sent a video clip to the crew via the amateur TV. This preceded by many years official uplink television to crews. Equipment on that flight included a 2 meter (144-146 Mhz) Motorola 2.3 watt output radio, Robot 1200C slow-scan TV converter, Heath HK-21 packet TNC, a 70cm fast-scan TV receiver and converter and a dual-port annular slot 2 meter/70 cm antenna that could be mounted in Shuttle windows W1 or W6. STS-37 was the fourth Shuttle mission to carry ham radio equipment (after STS-9, STS-51F, and STS-35). On his missions, Apt enjoyed chatting with amateur operators around the world and with scheduled school groups. On STS-79 he was able to speak with his parents via a “patch” made by an amateur radio operator. During one of his shifts on STS-59, Apt was faced with a communications blackout when NASA’s Tracking and Data Relay Satellite (TDRS) ground station failed to acquire the Shuttle signal over the Pacific Ocean. Apt used the SAREX radio to contact a ham station in Australia and have the operator relay the onboard status and communications configuration to the CapCom at Johnson Space Center via telephone. The ham station was then able to relay to Apt what the TDRS ground problem was and that they expected to reestablish radio contact in twenty minutes or so. This patch was given to Apt by Gil Carman W5NOM, Lou McFadin W5DID, Ken Nichols KD3VK, and Dale Martin KG5U of the Johnson Space Center SAREX team.

Previous owner Dr. Jerome Apt III

Related institution Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center

Related institution American Radio Relay League

Related person Gil Carman

Related person Lou McFadin

Related person Ken Nichols

Related person Dale Martin

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