International Space Station
This Friday morning, August 31, you should be able to receive the International Space Station using either a handheld with 1/4 wave whip or a scanner with an external discone antenna.
Watch ISS AX.25 packets on 145.825 MHz FM at approx 7:21pm on August 24, 2012
QRP APRS Packet Radio to the ISS http://www.uk.amsat.org/?p=3838
Real time tracking and status information for the amateur radio stations on the ISS can be found on the ISS Fan Club site http://www.issfanclub.com/
This video is about the amateur radio F-1 CubeSat that is due to be deployed from the International Space Station in September by Japanese astronaut Akihiko Hoshide KE5DNI using the ISS Kibo robot arm.
International Space Station
Astronaut Akihiko Hoshide KE5DNI used amateur radio to speak to Scouts at Space Jam 6 in Rantoul, Illinois.
An English language NHK TV news story covers the amateur radio CubeSat FITSAT-1 also known as NIWAKA which launched to the International Space Station (ISS) on July 21.
Takushi Tanaka JA6AVG and FITSAT
FITSAT-1 has multiple downlinks, CW on 437.250 MHz, AX.25 on 437.445 MHz and a 4 watt high speed data transmitter on 5840 MHz capable of sending a 640 by 480 pixel VGA JPEG image in 6 seconds.
In addition it carries high power LEDs that will be driven with 100W pulses to produce extremely bright flashes. These, it is hoped, will be observable by the unaided eye or with small binoculars. Both the 5840 MHz and optical downlinks have a high power consumption so they may only be activated when in range of the ground station in Japan. It use a neodymium magnet for attitude control.
The CubeSat will remain on the ISS until September when it will be deployed by Japanese astronaut and radio amateur Akihiko Hoshide KE5DNI using the ISS Kibo robot arm.
FITSAT-1 (NIWAKA) is mounted in a JEM-Small Satellite Orbital Deployer (J-SSOD) with the amateur radio TechEdSat and F-1 CubeSats. In a second deployment pod are WeWish and a scientific 2U CubeSat Raiko. The CubeSats will be deployed into a 400 km orbit and should have a lifetime of 3 or 4 months before re-entering the Earth’s atmosphere and burning up.
In this video NHK interviews Takushi Tanaka JA6AVG and students from the Fukuoka Institute of Technology (FIT) about the project.
Watch NHK – Tiny Satellites, Big Possibilities
FITSAT-1 information, pictures and deployment movie http://www.fit.ac.jp/~tanaka/fitsat.shtml
Kibo Robot Arm http://kibo.jaxa.jp/en/about/kibo/rms/
FITSAT-1 plans to use LED’s to signal in Morse code
In the July 17 ARISS meeting Kenneth Ransom N5VHO reported that his group is in the final stages of preparing the certification for flight of the replacement hardware for the degraded Ericsson VHF [145 MHz] radio.
The Ericsson rig is part of the second ISS amateur radio station that is located in the Columbus module.
The team had hoped for a launch of the equipment on flight 33-S [Dec. 5], but it may be launched on flight 49-P [Nov. 1], which is a month sooner than 33-S. The team is endeavoring to finish the certification in time for this earlier flight option. The degraded Ericsson VHF radio may be returned on flight 32-S in October. The team is very interested in trying to determine what the problem has been with this radio.
Read the minutes of the July 17 ARISS meeting at http://ariss.rac.ca/arisstel2012-07-17.htm
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