Category: Hamradio from ISS

Some ARISS news to share

Several upcoming ARISS events:

ARISS-Russia, in collaboration with the Southwest State University in Kursk, Russia, are developing a series of educational CubeSat satellites called Tanusha. Two Tanusha CubeSats were developed by students at Southwest State University and were hand-deployed by cosmonauts during an August 2017 extravehicular activity. These two CubeSats are performing cluster flight experiments through communications links. A second set of CubeSats, Tanusha 3 & 4 were launched earlier this year and are currently on-board ISS.  Tanusha 3 & 4 are planned to be hand deployed by Cosmonauts in August.  They will perform even more comprehensive cluster flight objectives than Tanusha 1 & 2.

On June 20, Tanusha 3 will be connected to one of the ARISS Service Module antennas and will transmit from 0730-1200 UTC on 437.05 MHz.  These FM transmissions will include greetings from students in several languages, including Russian, English, Spanish and Chinese.  On June 21, Tanusha 4 will be connected to one of the ARISS Service Module antennas and will transmit from 0730-1200 UTC on the same frequency:  437.05 MHz.  The ARISS-Russia team plan to also retransmit these signals on the standard ARISS 2-meter downlink, 145.80 MHz using the JVC Kenwood D700 radio that is still on-board ISS.  All are invited to listen to the CubeSats from ISS on 437.05 and/or 145.80 MHz.

The next SSTV image downlinks are planned for June 29-July 1.  These images will commemorate the various satellites that the ARISS team has developed and hand-deployed from the ISS.  These will include the first satellite deployment from ISS:  SuitSat-1/Radioskaf-1 which was deployed in February 2006.  More details on this will be forthcoming as the date draws near.

We thank ARISS-Russia delegate Sergey Samburov, RV3DR for this latest information.

73,  Frank Bauer, KA3HDO

Werner-Heisenberg-Gymnasium, Leverkusen, Germany, direct via DLØIL and Schickhardt-Gymnasium, Herrenberg, Germany, direct via DLØSGH

The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be DPØISS
The scheduled astronaut is Alexander Gerst KF5ONO
Contact is a go for: Wed 2018-06-27 10:32:19 UTC 62 deg

From ARISS mailing list:

Mid April, the Ham Video transmitter onboard Columbus stopped working. June 1st 2018, an extensive test was performed by crew. This test comprized connecting the transmitter to the second ARISS L/S-band patch antenna on the nadir of Columbus.  The test was negative. Ground stations didn’t receive any signal from Ham Video. Presently, ARISS is planning to download the transmitter for repair. Onboard, repair is impossible. We hope this plan will be accepted by the space agencies and the cost of operations funded by sponsors.

Schools and crewmembers performing educational ARISS school contacts are delighted to use Ham Video. We will do the best we can to restart this service as soon as possible.
We will keep you informed on progress.
73,
Gaston Bertels, ON4WF
ARISS HamTV

Friday June 1, 2018 the Ham Video system will be tested.

The transmitter will be down powered step by step. Next the antenna cable will be connected to the second S-band antenna. Finally, the transmitter will be powered on step by step. These operations, to be performed by crew, are scheduled 17.25 – 17.55 UTC. The ISS will pass over Europe 45 minutes later, at 18.40 UTC. Ground stations are invited to monitor the signal and report. Interested parties can monitor the test by connecting to: https://live.ariss.org/hamtv/ We are looking forward to this test, hoping that the transmitter will start working again.

73, Gaston Bertels ON4WF

Viktor Rydbergs gymnasieskola i Stockholm lyckades den 22:a maj (2018) kontakta ISS och astronauten Scott Tingle via telebridge från en station i USA. Givetvis ett stort grattis till alla elever för denna upplevelse! Kontakten kom något oväntat då det inte varit mycket information om aktiviteten innan.

Kontakten uppmärksammades i SVD och amatörradio nämns i den korta artikeln:

https://www.svd.se/gymnasieelever-i-kontakt-med-rymden

ARISS HamVideo Currently Not Transmitting

no. 18-06
May 10, 2018
David Jordan, AA4KN
ARISS PR
aa4kn@amsat.org

The HamVideo digital Amateur Television (DATV) transmitter aboard the International Space Station (ISS) Columbus module recently ceased transmitting. The unit’s indicators show it is functioning but its signal cannot be detected on the ground. The ARISS team’s efforts to get the transmitter working again have been unsuccessful, thus far.

A series of steps are currently being undertaken to try to diagnose the problem. However, if an actual failure occurred, only a ground-based evaluation will fully diagnose the problem. The ARISS International team is working diligently to bring HamVideo back to full operation as soon as practical. We have started coordination with our space agency partners and with our sponsors to expeditiously troubleshoot the issue on-board and, if necessary, troubleshoot and repair the device on the ground.

The HamVideo DATV transmitter has become a very valuable educational asset that astronauts enjoy employing as part of the ARISS connection. Astronauts Tim Peake, KG5BVI; Paolo Nespoli, IZ0JPA; and Thomas Pesquet, FX0ISS, regularly utilized HamTV to inspire students and educators during ARISS contacts scheduled as part of these astronauts’ ISS missions. Australian and European HamTV ground stations have been operational for receiving and distributing DATV signals from the ISS, and in the US, HamTV stations are under development. Several hams in Japan have set up ground stations that have received HamVideo.

As more information becomes available on the HamVideo status and on any potential repair plans, we will keep you informed through future news releases and via messages on the ARISS web site www.ariss.org.

ARISS relies on its sustaining sponsors, along with many devoted individual donors and ARISS volunteers, to support the day-to-day operations and to help with related expenses. These supporters are instrumental in developing and funding the build of our new radio systems. For everyone interested in helping ARISS inspire, engage and educate youth, hams and the public through amateur radio on the ISS, please donate to ARISS at www.amsat.org or www.ariss.org.

About ARISS

Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) is a cooperative venture of international amateur radio societies and the space agencies that support the International Space Station (ISS). In the United States, sponsors are the Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation (AMSAT), the American Radio Relay League (ARRL), the Center for the Advancement of Science in Space (CASIS) and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). The primary goal of ARISS is to promote exploration of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) topics by organizing scheduled contacts via amateur radio between crew members aboard the ISS and students in classrooms or informal education venues. With the help of experienced amateur radio volunteers, ISS crews speak directly with large audiences in a variety of public forums. Before and during these radio contacts, students, teachers, parents, and communities learn about space, space technologies and amateur radio. For more information, see www.ariss.org, www.amsat.org, and www.arrl.org.