Abt: MIR and ISS amateur radio

["Paolo Pitacco" <pitacco@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Hi all!

After some days of message reading on the subject, I decided to write
my personal observations. 
MIR and ISS are two different object.
The first has served the amateur community for years and we have
learned some interesting lessons; the second is a project with an open
view for the future, expecially for new communication systems.
A lesson learned is the use of radio-channel.
MIR use a simple CSMA, terrestrial system, but with a big coverage,
big interest and therefore big problems for the high number of stations.
Single channel, big coverage, normal TNC and CSMA are obsolete (in
space).
ISS should be use dual-band, multiple channel and DAMA with a new
digital system.  This is a change that MICROSATs have started 8 years
ago and work ok.  On the ISS this system should be easily upgraded with
today's technology.  Digital mode aren't  the unique request for the
ISS station; voice is the most important followed by SSTV and ATV.
I think that a completely new approach for the use of ISS will be
mandatory, thus a discussion on the today's average of usable packets
is obsolete.  

Look at the AMSAT Italy web page for a proposed system

http://www.aec2000.it/amsat-i

73 de IW3QBN, Paolo [AMSAT Italy]