[sarex] Re: ARISS Frequencies

[KA8VIT]

Well said, Frank.

Thanks.

73

Bill  KA8VIT

Frank H. Bauer wrote:
> All,
>
> I have seen the back and forth chatter on frequencies.  Let me say that the 
> ENTIRE ARISS international team have discussed this subject and debated it 
> for over 10 years now.  And the Mir and Shuttle teams have worked on this 
> for about 13 years before the ARISS team.  Collectively, we have spent many 
> hours in international meetings discussing this issue.  And the ARISS team 
> has developed and implemented an INTERNATIONAL human spaceflight plan for 2 
> meters.  This plan represents the best compromise that can be developed, 
> given the substantial differences that exist in band planning from one area 
> to the next.
>
> Several things to think about:
>
> 1)  We have many astronauts/cosmonauts using the equipment.
>
> 2) Those on-board that use the ARISS equipment do not like to hear the 
> uplink chatter of Packet, APRS or SSTV.
>
> 3)  1 & 2 above result in the need to separate the uplinks of these 
> non-voice modes from voice.
>
> 4)  One of the big joys (and learning experiences) of ARISS is to hear the 
> downlink of the on-board crew member.  One cannot do this well when some 
> local ham is transmitting on the same freq.  This is especially true in big 
> cities where there are a lot of hams.  I personally experienced the 
> frustration of hams transmitting on the downlink many times while Mir used 
> simplex.  And the reason that DXers use split mode is to prevent this 
> issue, so that all can hear the DX station.
>
> 5)  ARISS is the ultimate DX, so split operation emulates the DX operations 
> done on the ground.
>
> 6)  Remember---unless the repeater is in use, you cannot hear who is 
> transmitting from the ground and when they will stop.  So it is generally 
> hard to know when to start.  For simplex operations, this results in 
> frequency collisions with people on the ground uplinking at the same time 
> that the on-board crew is downlinking.
>
> 7)  I am really surprised at all the chatter about wanting to get crew 
> members to talk more on the radio.  We just had Bill McArthur on 
> board.  And Pavel is working hard to get SSTV on the air.  Kenneth Ransom 
> and Sergey Samburov have done an outstanding job in getting the on-board 
> crews motivated to use the ham radio systems.  I think this community has 
> been around long enough to realize that it is the crew member's prerogative 
> to pick up the mic.  Simplex or split.
>
> 8)  Constant complaints or slams at the space agencies and our crew members 
> will ultimately limit or eliminate our future operations on ISS and other, 
> future vehicles.  Remember, there are many that subscribe to these systems 
> that are members of the various space agencies.  And we have also have 
> several crew members that subscribe to these systems.
>
> 9)  Because of the significant frequency contention on 2 meters, we have 
> developed a dedicated, international human spaceflight frequency segment on 
> 70 cm.
>
> 10)  If we continue to foster a great relationship with the international 
> space agencies, Human spaceflight opportunities beyond low Earth orbit 
> could potentially be in our future.  Many of us in the ARISS program are 
> working this very aggressively.  These opportunities will dictate the use 
> of much higher bands with smaller antennas and less doppler.  We need to 
> prepare for these opportunities by using some of our higher bands on 
> ISS.  Something to think about for the future.
>
> Personally, I really appreciate the feedback from the amateur 
> community.  This is how we learn and grow.  But we need to do this in a 
> very constructive way.  And while we reminisce about Shuttle or Mir, we 
> need to realize that THESE are the good old days.  Let's use them to the 
> best of our abilities.
>
> WRT the simplex issue and additional 2 meter frequencies, it is my opinion 
> that we have all beat it to death.  We have squeezed just about all we can 
> get from 2 meters.  And for those in the US---please remember that our 2 
> meter band is 2 times larger than that in many other countries.
>
> Thanks for all the interest in ARISS.  And don't forget that our next 
> international meeting will be in the US this year in conjunction with the 
> AMSAT-NA meeting in San Francisco.  This is your opportunity to interact 
> and participate more fully in the ARISS program.  I hope to see you there!
>
> 73,  Frank Bauer
> ARISS International Chairman
> AMSAT V.P. for Human Spaceflight Programs
>    
>
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>
>   

-- 

Bill Chaikin, KA8VIT
USS COD Amateur Radio Club - W8COD
WW2 Submarine USS COD SS-224 (NECO)

ka8vit at ka8vit.com
http://ka8vit.com
http://www.usscod.org

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