[sarex] ARISS Update--25th Anniversary of Ham Radio in Space--Jan 1, 2009

Frank H. Bauer ka3hdo at comcast.net
Thu Jan 1 11:55:33 PST 2009


All,

Happy New Year!!  

The ARISS team hopes you are all enjoying the diverse amateur radio
opportunities that have occurred on the ISS over the past several weeks.  We
want to thank Mike Fincke, KE5AIT, for his outstanding support to the ISS
Ham Radio community.  His efforts have been phenomenal! 

This e-mail provides an update of the ARISS special event opportunities for
the next two weeks.  As previously mentioned, the ARISS team is currently
celebrating 25 years of amateur radio operations from space.  

This past week, the ISS Ham radio system was configured in the L/V crossband
repeater mode.  This configuration will continue through to Saturday when a
school contact is scheduled around 10:35 UTC.  After the school contact on
Saturday January 3, it is our plans to have Mike Fincke reconfigure the
radio to support V/U crossband repeater operations.  As a reminder, that
configuration has a 145.99 MHz uplink frequency including PL tone of 67.0
and a 437.80 MHz downlink frequency.  All repeater operations are being
performed in low power (5 W) mode.  It is our intent to keep the repeater
active in this configuration for 2 weeks (through January 17).

We are also considering follow-on experimental operations of the 9600 baud
packet radio system and the L/V crossband repeater.  Stay tuned for future
updates.  

As a reminder, a special certificate is being developed for those who
communicate with the ISS.  This certificate will be awarded to those that
have had 2 way communications with the ISS on Voice, Packet (APRS), or
through the voice repeater.  And those that have heard the ISS from space in
any of the ARISS operations modes (Voice, SSTV, School Contact, Voice
Repeater, Digital).  Valid dates to qualify for certificate:  November 30 to
January 15.

To receive the certificate:  
A) Please note on your QSL the ARISS mode of operation (e.g. SSTV, voice,
school, etc) and whether the contact with you was 1 way (receive only) or 2
way.  
B) Send your SASE to the normal ARISS QSL volunteer distributor in your area
of the world.  
C) On the outside of the QSL envelope, please include the words "25th
Anniversary Certificate"  
D) Make sure your envelope is big enough to accept an 8.5 by 11 inch
certificate and includes the proper postage.  
E) Go to www.ariss.org if you do not know where to send your QSL and please
use one of the standard international QSL distributors that are noted on the
Web page.  

Important note:  We will be sending your certificate to the volunteer
distributors in bulk AFTER the event is over.  (This saves workload and
money).  So do not expect to see it until 1-2 months after the event closes
on January 15.  

We would like to remind everyone that ISS flight requirements related to EVA
and vehicle activity may require the radio to be off for some portion of
this schedule. And school contacts and general QSO opportunities by the crew
will also preempt this schedule for short periods of time.  (But remember
that if you hear these, you still qualify for a commemorative certificate).

Continue to enjoy the ARISS ops on ISS in 2009!  

73,  Frank Bauer, KA3HDO
AMSAT-NA V.P. for Human Spaceflight Programs 
ARISS International Chairman





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