[sarex] ISS (Ground-based) Packet Radio Connection Opportunity

["Frank H. Bauer" <frank.bauer@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

AMSAT-DC & SAREX Subscribers:

I wanted to alert each of you of a very exciting, limited opportunity to 
experience the ISS ham radio station a few months before it reaches orbit.

Right now one of the ISS ham radio training sets are operating on-top of 
building 11 at the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, 
Maryland.  Each training set includes a 2 meter and a 70 cm Ericsson radio 
(about 5-6 watts output power), a PacCom Picopacket TNC, and the 
interconnecting hardware.  The antenna on the roof of building 11 is a 5/8 
dual band mag mount.  During the testing activities we will operate on 
either 2 m or 70 cm.

Over the next few days we will be testing two identical sets of 
hardware.  One set is for the Gagarian Cosmonaut Training Complex (GCTC) in 
Star City Russia and one set is for the team at RSC Energia in Korolev 
(Moscow Area), Russia.  These training sets will support cosmonaut and 
astronaut training and some testing on the Complex Integrated Stand (KIS) 
at RSC Energia.

We are currently testing the GCTC equipment on the 2 meter band.  The plan 
is to switch over to the 70 cm radio sometime tomorrow (Sunday) 
afternoon.  Those in the Washington area are welcome to connect up to the 
ISS equipment, digipeat through it (including APRS), and use the bbs.

We are operating on the following freqs:

On 2 meters:
145.80 "downlink"
144.49 "uplink"

On 70 cm:
437.650 simplex

The station is using the callsign, W5RRR.  To reach the BBS, the callsign 
is W5RRR-1

Please note that there is currently not a "Packet Robot" as was on the old 
SAREX equipment.  Dave Larsen's (N6CO) team is working on a firmware 
upgrade for the TNC that we hope to fly later on ISS.

If you have the opportunity to work the station, please send me an e-mail 
with your location.  I hope to compile these and send the compiled list out 
later.

Thanks and enjoy.

73,  Frank Bauer, KA3HDO
AMSAT-NA V.P. for Human Spaceflight Programs 
----
Via the sarex mailing list at AMSAT.ORG courtesy of AMSAT-NA.
To unsubscribe, send "unsubscribe sarex" to Majordomo@amsat.org