[amsat-bb] ISS SSTV this weekend

Fri Apr 12 19:31:09 UTC 2019

Only the astronauts who are licensed hams are allowed to operate the
equipment...same as here on earth.  Currently, I believe there are two
licensed hams aboard.

The astronauts basically work 12 hour days, divided into 15 minute time
slots.  I believe it is 0700 - 1900 UTC.  They are sleeping part of the
time we are trying to get SSTV images.

On weekends, they try to catch up and have some time to talk to their
family and friends back here on earth.  That would be my priority as well.

The number of experiments they run are too many to count, but you can find
a list here, if you are interested:
https://www.nasa
.gov/mission_pages/station/research/experiments/experiments_by_expedition.html#5354

They also perform maintenance, EVAs (spacewalks), give each other haircuts,
clean the bathroom, etc.

The SSTV radio is located in the Russian segment of the ISS, and they are
on holiday.

The priority for the licensed astronauts' time with the ham radio equipment
is the school contacts that they facilitate worldwide (not just US), and
there are many.  We are thankful that they work those in because it is the
most exciting way to introduce young people to ham radio, not to mention
STEM activities.

Having said all of that, I, too, like to copy the SSTV transmissions and
use the APRS system.  I understand the frustration, but it has nothing to
do with NASA or astronauts losing interest in ham radio activities.  During
a recent mission, astronaut Serena Aunon-Chancelor made several voice
contacts with hams on the ground during her spare time (and enjoyed doing
it).

The equipment on board the ISS is aging and becoming less reliable.
Replacements are in the works, but the effort and expense to get them
flight-ready is huge.  If you would like to help, get out your checkbook
and send ARISS a gift.  The ARISS folks spend an unbelievable amount of
their own personal time trying to keep the rest of us happy.  They are
volunteers who have a driving desire to keep the amateur radio community in
the space program.  They work very hard at keeping everything moving
forward.

None of this was meant to be critical, so please don't take it that way.  I
understand and sometimes share the frustration.

There are other ways to participate in the space game.  AMSAT has given us
MANY opportunities that don't rely on an astronaut's schedule.

Space is hard, which is what makes it rewarding.

I, for one, am thankful for the opportunites we have...even when they are
not perfect.

Dave
W9DWJ

On Fri, Apr 12, 2019 at 1:23 PM Greg D via AMSAT-BB <amsat-bb at amsat.org>
wrote:

> Hi Joe,
>
> This makes me sad.  Not because of the audio issue itself or the
> frustration of those who are wanting to copy the pictures from the Space
> Station, but because of what the "Bad timing" comment represents.  Has
> Ham Radio gotten to the point where it's such a chore for the crew that
> they can't take time from their day off to play with the radio?  Has the
> use of the ham station become so industrialized that it is nothing more
> than another scheduled experiment package that they have to tend to?
>
> Was it that long ago that the crew had to wait for a spare moment just
> to use the radio?  When did Ham Radio cease to be a fun hobby and turn
> into a job?
>
> I suppose it was inevitable.  With ARISS, for example, the logistics and
> the significant expense of coordinating and executing a school contact
> make it something that needs to be depended on.  I get that.  Even the
> various celebration events (NOTA, Cosmonaut’s Day, et al) are at least
> theoretically widely publicized, so any failure would reflect poorly on
> the organization sponsoring it.  Nobody has any tolerance for risk these
> days.
>
> I started this thread with an observation, not a complaint.  I hope it
> has been taken as such.  But the interest and participation in the
> thread tells me that there is still a lot of interest in following (in
> the traditional sense, not that of social media), and more importantly,
> participating in the space program.  This isn't just for show.  The
> armchair quarterbacks here on the ground have a ball in their hands, and
> want to play.
>
> Perhaps I'm reading too much into that statement.  I hope I am.  I also
> get that ham radio isn't for everyone.  But it makes me sad that the
> spark for using ham radio has apparently been curated out of the ISS
> crew and lost in space.  The last pass (just setting as I type this)
> heard nothing heard from the Station.  Apparently better to just turn it
> off than to have to deal with it.
>
> How do we get the spark back?
>
> Greg  KO6TH
>
>
> Joe Spier via AMSAT-BB wrote:
> > ARISS Representative Ken Ransom, N5VHO posted a tweet on this at 1:17
> > AM - 12 Apr 2019:
> >
> > /"Checking on low audio issue w/ //#*ISS*
> > <https://twitter.com/hashtag/ISS?src=hash>////#*SSTV*
> > <https://twitter.com/hashtag/SSTV?src=hash>//. Bad timing due to crew
> > holiday today and weekend."/
> >
> > Today is a holiday for Russia - Cosmonaut's Day, so message may take
> > so time (24 hrs). Enjoy the challenge.
> >
> > -73, Joe Spier, K6WAO
> > President, AMSAT
> >
> > On 4/11/19 5:44 PM, mark sklaney via AMSAT-BB wrote:
> >> If you guys can contact NASA or the ISS tell them their audio is very
> >> very
> >> low on the SSTV pictures.  There signal is full scale on my radio but
> >> the
> >> audio can barely be heard... Tell them to tun up their audio input on
> >> their
> >> radio.. Other than that they will be wasting everyone's time trying
> >> to get
> >> good pictures..
> >>
> >> Thanks    Mark WB3FKP
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> > _______________________________________________
> > Sent via AMSAT-BB at amsat.org. AMSAT-NA makes this open forum available
> > to all interested persons worldwide without requiring membership.
> > Opinions expressed
> > are solely those of the author, and do not reflect the official views
> > of AMSAT-NA.
> > Not an AMSAT-NA member? Join now to support the amateur satellite
> > program!
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>
> _______________________________________________
> Sent via AMSAT-BB at amsat.org. AMSAT-NA makes this open forum available
> to all interested persons worldwide without requiring membership. Opinions
> expressed
> are solely those of the author, and do not reflect the official views of
> AMSAT-NA.
> Not an AMSAT-NA member? Join now to support the amateur satellite program!
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>

-- 
David Johnson