ARISS APRS Testing
The ARISS team has been working very closely with NASA and ESA to identify potential ARISS radio anomaly causes and resolve the radio issues that were observed after the EVA (spacewalk) conducted on January 27. During this spacewalk, cabling was installed to support the commissioning of the Bartolomeo attached payload capability mounted on the Columbus module. Part of this cabling rerouted the cabling of the ARISS antenna on Columbus to the ARISS radio system.
Through a great deal of coordination with NASA and ESA, ARISS will be conducting a set of APRS tests to determine the operational use of the ARISS radio system in Columbus through employment of three different cabling configurations. Over the next couple of days, ARISS will be performing a series of tests using our APRS capability through the standard 145.825 MHz APRS frequency. The crew will be periodically shutting down the radio and swapping cables so ARISS can troubleshoot the radio system and the cabling. ARISS is unsure of the exact swap times as it will be dependent upon the crew’s availability.
We expect these tests to start no earlier than 1600 UTC on March 2 and run through sometime on March 3. We cannot guarantee that these troubleshooting tests will resolve the radio issue. But we encourage ARISS APRS operations in this time span. Additionally, a contingency task has been approved for an EVA planned for this Friday March 5 if these tests are unsuccessful. This EVA task would return the ARISS cabling to the original configuration prior to the January 27 EVA. Being a contingency task means the crew will only be perform the activity if time allows. So there is no guarantee that this EVA will be conducted on Friday.
We ask to please not send any “No contact” e-mails or social media responses as this will overwhelm the ARISS team. But if you definitely hear the packet system working or are able to connect through it, let us know the Date, Time and Grid Square of the occurrence.
We thank you for your patience as we work through this somewhat complex anomaly.
73,
Frank Bauer, KA3HDO\
ARISS, International Chair
Executive Director, ARISS-USA
Antenna
HF Portable Vertical Antenna MP1R SuperWhip
The MP1R is an MP1B with an SW1 SuperWhip Ruggedized Antenna Whip on the top of it. New! Free! Every MP1R Super Antenna now comes with a free FG1 Freq... Read more
How To Orientat A Beam Antenna– Beam Headings
Here’s a link to find your declination: http://www.ngdc.noaa.gov/geomag-web/ Request an Azimuthal Map by NS6T Read more
Vertical Dipole Bravo 7K – 7 band coverage: 40-30-20-17-15-12-10
Vertical Dipole Bravo 7K 7 band coverage: 40-30-20-17-15-12-10 manual tune 20-17-15-12-10 meters are full size setting tubing lengths High Q... Read more
Review
How To Direction Find Radio Stations With The Internet!
Is there a station that you really want to discover where they are transmitting from? http://kiwisdr.com/ has a solution. By using multiple receivers... Read more
Kenwood THK20A Transceiver – ARRL Video Review
A powerful communications tool in every sense, KENWOOD’s new TH-K20A/K40A radio offers 5.5 watts of RF output to ensure reliable performance. Numerous... Read more
Best HF Ham Radio Under $1000 – 6 Best HF Transceivers 2020
What is the Best HF Radio for under $1000 for the new Ham Radio Operator in 2020? This list of 6 transceivers that I would recommend to new Ham Radio... Read more
Chameleon MPAS vs Wolf River Silver Bullet – Ham Radio Q&A
“I spent the weekend camping and testing a couple of antennas: the Chameleon MPAS 2 vertical and the Wolf River Coils Silver Bullet 1000. Both a... Read more
Equipment
The Icom IC-9700 manual is now available [ ENGLISH ]
IC-9700 manual “The Icom IC-9700 manual is now available in Japanese on the Icom website. Here is a link to a “rough” English... Read more
Yaesu FT 100
Features 160-2 meters +440 Electronic Keyer 200 Memories DSP BR, Notch 100 Watts HF Output 50 Watts 2 Meter Output 20 Watts 440 MHz Ou... Read more
The soon to be released GSOC from XieGu
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RdXYoiP3WFQ Read more
Yaesu FTDX-101D/MP [ Brochure and Videos ]
Yaesu FTDX-101D /MP Announced features for incredible Yaesu FTdx-101D include: * Elite-Level 160 to 6 Meters 100 Watt Transceiver * Superb and astonis... Read more
JUMA PA1000 1Kw HF + 6 meters
Overview JUMA PA1000 is a very light weight solid state 1 kW linear amplifier for HF and 6 meter bands. JUMA PA1000 is using a most modern LD... Read more
News
Home but never alone: Celebrating World Amateur Radio Day
Image credit: Otava Tuomi. Early last year, when the outbreak of coronavirus (COVID-19) first pushed much of the world into lockdown, one traditional... Read more
National Science Foundation Funds Creation of Research Lab at Alaska’s HAARP
A 5-year, $9.3 million National Science Foundation (NSF) grant will allow the University of Alaska Fairbanks (UAF) Geophysical Institute to establish... Read more
St. Vincent Radio Amateurs on Alert During Volcano Emergency
Donald de Riggs, J88CD, on the Caribbean island of St. Vincent, says that on April 13, the 42nd anniversary of the 1979 eruption of the La Soufriere v... Read more
Can You Cook A Hotdog With Ham Radio?
“I’ve always been facinated by the physical affects of RF. Today, a light experiment testing if can cook hotdogs with RF. The test incorpo... Read more
Updated Radio Frequency Exposure Rules Become Effective on May 3
The FCC has announced that rule changes detailed in a lengthy 2019 Report and Order governing RF exposure standards go into effect on May 3, 2021. The... Read more