Date: Sat, 14 Apr 2001 10:26:39 -0400 From: "Frank H. Bauer" Subject: [sarex] ISS Operations ISS Enthusiasts: It was six days ago when I sent out the e-mail stating that the ISS Packet System was turned on with NOCALL. Since then, I have gotten a FLOOD of e-mails. I am glad to see the interest and excitement in the ISS Amateur Radio system. A number of you are asking really good questions on the reflector. For those who do not know, we have a really great international Web page for ARISS with lots of good information on it. The ARISS web page is located at: http://ariss.gsfc.nasa.gov/ Please review these web pages. There are great pictures and written descriptions of the equipment on-board. There is a press briefing I gave last summer that describes where we are going with the program in the future. I think many of your questions will be answered by going through these pages. If they are not answered, then pose a question to the group. Now, I would like to answer a couple of the questions that have been brought up over the past few days. Why don't we change the NOCALL to the ISS Callsign? The ARISS Team would love to do this. As I stated previously, the battery in the TNC has died. Therefore all the parameters, including the callsign, were erased from the TNC RAM. We plan to install the callsign when the crew has the time to install a computer on our equipment and run the WINPAC program and the procedures we have given them. Both the Expedition 1 and Expedition 2 crews have not had the time to accomplish this task. To install a computer would require them uninstalling one from the on-board network. This is a big job for the crew since they have had some problems with the on-board computer network. As has been stated on this reflector, a satellite station does not have to ID, so we are not violating an international or national rule. We would, however, like to get this fixed ASAP. Our current stance is to leave the packet system on and let you digi through it instead of shutting it down. Why don't we fly a dedicated computer for the ISS Ham radio equipment? Prior to flight, we believed that we would have access to the ISS computers, similar to what occurred on the Shuttle and Mir. Once the issues are corrected on the ISS computers, we are sure that we will get some access. However, based on the problems we are seeing now, coupled with the fact that we will need a dedicated computer for SSTV ops, we are looking into getting our own dedicated flight computer. Our intent is to fly a computer that has already gone through flight certification. Otherwise it will take us 1-2 years to get one certified for use on the ISS. (I know it is hard to believe that this is how long it would take...but believe me, NASA and Energia want to be absolutely certain that we do not ruin ISS operations or impact crew safety ---that is why it takes so long). Can I get an ISS QSL for my unproto digi packets? Yes! All who digi through the ISS ham radio system can obtain 1 QSL card for packet on each Expedition flight. This includes the current operation with "mycall" set to nocall. What happened to the Cosmonautics Day voice operations? The only place we heard that voice operations occurred during the Cosmonautics Day event was in Russia. The crew had the times of the contacts on their daily timeline but must have been too busy to reach for the radio. We will continue to press the crew to do random voice contacts. If you have been keeping up with ISS ham radio operations, they have been so busy that they missed one of the school group contacts recently. Also, I saw a thread on the reflector that speculated that it was too hard for the crew to switch from packet to voice. This is not true. We have a "packet enable/disable" switch on the system. This, coupled with a frequency switch (a 10 second total job) was all that was needed. What's the ERP of my (KA3HDO's) system? I worked the ISS last night with 15 watts into a 14 element KLM Circular Polarized antenna. My antenna AZ/EL system is very sub-optimal (as many in my neighborhood can attest). It was set at about a 30 degree elevation for a 15 degree pass. Why can't I work the ISS Packet system? I really think it has to do with the many people that are trying to contact the ISS at the same time. There are several of you that are using the beacon capability in packet and are sending your packets automatically/unattended. I personally have heard this in my area. WE HIGHLY DISCOURAGE GROUND STATIONS ADOPTING THIS PRACTICE. Miles, WF1F said this the other day and I want to reinforce it. Look at it if you were the ISS Packet System. You can see a large portion of the US at the same time. If one person in each city of the US is sending beacons, then you have thousands of packets going to the ISS at the same time. Remember---this is an FM system, so the capture effect is "capturing" bits and pieces of a packet blurp and not the whole thing. Like a highway, at some point, the congestion seen at the station causes a packet "traffic jam" and no one gets through. MANUALLY SEND YOUR PACKETS. Do not send them automatically. Parting thoughts: Please remember that this is a volunteer activity. We have hundreds of people around the world supporting this, including the on-orbit crew. We want to keep this activity an active and vital part of amateur radio. Let's all keep a positive attitude about where we are and where we are going with ARISS. Everyone should remember that we were blessed to get the full support from NASA and Energia to fly this system and fly it as early as we did. Please remember that we were the FIRST payload to get approval to fly and operate on ISS. When you are the first, you are plowing new ground for those in the future. Please be patient. The ARISS team worked very hard for over 4 years to bring the initial hardware to fruition. We were patient and it paid off...we are flying the initial hardware. From an operations standpoint, it will take a while before things start to settle out on ISS. They are *very* busy up there. I think you see that. Over time, I am certain that we will ALL have some excellent opportunities to work the crew with all kinds of different modes of operation on ISS. Think of yourselves as pioneers. Remember that while we are quasi-operational, we, alongside the ISS crew are plowing new ground for ISS and amateur radio every day of the week. Thanks for your interest in Amateur Radio on the International Space Station. 73, Frank Bauer, KA3HDO ARISS Chairman AMSAT-NA V.P. for Human Spaceflight Programs - ---- Via the sarex mailing list at AMSAT.ORG courtesy of AMSAT-NA.