  The UKIRT Infrared Deep Sky Survey (UKIDSS) is the first of a new generation
of hemispheric imaging projects to extend the work of the Two Micron All Sky
Survey (2MASS) by reaching three magnitudes deeper in YJHK imaging, to K=18.2
(5-sigma, Vega) over wide fields. Better complementing existing optical surveys
such as the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS), the resulting public imaging
catalogues provide new photometry of rare object samples too faint to be
reached previously. The first data release of UKIDSS has already surpassed
2MASS in terms of photons gathered, and using this new dataset we examine the
near-infrared properties of 2837 quasars found in the SDSS and newly catalogued
by the UKIDSS in ~189 square degrees. The matched quasars include the RA range
22hr to 4hr on the Southern Equatorial Stripe (SDSS Stripe 82), an area of
significant future followup possibilities with deeper surveys and pointed
observations. The sample covers the redshift and absolute magnitude ranges
0.08<z<5.03 and -29.5<M_i<-22.0, and 98 per cent of SDSS quasars have matching
UKIDSS data. We discuss the photometry, astrometry, and various colour
properties of the quasars. We also examine the effectiveness of quasar/star
separation using the near-infrared passbands. The combination of SDSS ugriz
photometry with the YJHK near-infrared photometry from UKIDSS over large areas
of sky has enormous potential for advancing our understanding of the quasar
population.
