[amsat-bb] Re: Most hams in space at one time??

[tosca005@umn.edu]

Well, I'm so busy at work that I have not been able to keep up with the 
news like I used to, but I seem to recall that the folks up there in space 
are kept awfully busy with scheduled activities, and that if that wasn't 
bad enough, they were talking about adding another EVA to fix a stuck valve 
on a nitrogen tank or some such thing. So, they may simply be too busy to 
play with the ham radio equipment that is up there.

IIRC, there is also something of an issue with the particular radio that is 
installed up there being a little tricky to switch among the various 
operating modes like cross-band FM repeater, simplex, packet, etc., and I 
seem to remember some folks saying that they didn't want to mess with it 
for fear of putting it into a mode that would render it unusable until 
someone who was really familiar with the Kenwood's operation was either up 
there or able to talk an astronaut through the re-configuration process.

Personally, I think it's too bad that one of the astronauts couldn't sneak 
an FT-817 into their personal luggage allotmentm, and hook it up to the 
external omnidirectional antenna, and just start calling CQ on SSB simplex, 
and work the ensuing pileup. But, unfortunately, that's not gonna fly! 
(Rules are there for a reason. If the FAA is afraid of a radio transmitter 
disabling an airliner, imagine NASA's fear of a non-vetted 5 watt 
transmitter on board a spaceship where the nearest repair facility is 
unable to send anyone over to your location to fix things that break or get 
confused by the RF.)

Nevertheless, thinking of the old adage, "you catch more flies with honey 
than vinegar", instead of complaining to the astronauts "Why don't you 
call?", we should perhaps take the approach "Hey folks, we'd LOVE to hear 
from ya if you can spare a moment here or there from your busy schedule!".

73 de W0JT

On Apr 15 2010, Larry Teran wrote:

>I'm with you Ed there are a lot of new satellite operators including my
> self, that are willing to contact the ISS, I give them I try every once 
> in a
>while since I get my satellite station , and no success.
>
>On Wed, Apr 14, 2010 at 12:42 PM, edward kacura <ekacura at yahoo.com> wrote:
>
>> I know this sounds negative, but with all these hams in space, why isn't
>> anyone operating???
>>
>> Why can't I and all the rest of us earth bound hams contact the ISS with
>> our handhelds and Arrow antennas????
>>
>> What good is it , to have all these hams up there, and not a one, can 
>> make
>> contact with us poor souls on earth???
>>
>> ????????????????????????????????????????????  73 de Ed N7EDK ???????????
>