[amsat-bb] ISS Contacts

[John Fickes]

Hello to the group

       With increased traffic on the ISS digipeater, what constitutes a
valid contact ? Maybe this has already been discussed and there is a
procedure in place? I would think that something along the lines of JT65
would work well enough to know that someone was actually on the other side
of the QSO and not just a beacon. Like the exchange of call signs and grid
squares, a signal report of some sorts ( of course they would all be 599 so
maybe something else could be used, maybe grids would work better here
instead of grids with call signs ) and then a 73 to finish it off. So
something like
CQ CQ KC0BMF
KC0BMF de AB0CDE DMxx
AB0CDE de KC0BMF EN31
KC0BMF 73 AB0CDE
ABOCDE 73 KC0BMF

of course like JT65 the last 73 would be optional. Using the program UISS
this is pretty straight forward as you can have the messages already built
in the TX APRS message except for the call sign and the callsign is added
to the message by double clicking the appropriate call in the MHeard list
and changing the message with the pull down window. Any thoughts would be
appreciated as I'm being asked by folks what I contact this very question.

                     73 John   KC0BMF

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