Tag Archives: ISS

May 5 2014

The Great British Space Dinner Competition

Heston Blumenthal and Tim Peake KG5BVI

Heston Blumenthal and Tim Peake KG5BVI

The UK Space Agency has launched a competition for school children between the ages of 7 and 14 to design a British-inspired, balanced and exciting meal for UK ESA astronaut Tim Peake KG5BVI to eat during his 6 month mission to the International Space Station (ISS).

Major Tim Peake KG5BVI

Major Tim Peake KG5BVI

The winning contestants will be invited to develop their ideas further with celebrity chef Heston Blumenthal, and these ideas will be turned into real space food that will be launched to the ISS. They will also be invited to an event that will include a live link up with Tim during his stay on the ISS.

Heston syas “I’m unbelievably excited to be designing a delicious meal for Tim to enjoy in space; there are some real challenges ahead, things aren’t quite the same up there! I’m really looking forward to seeing some incredible suggestions by the kids, and getting started on creating something that Tim will love up there in space.”

The challenge is open to classes, other groups (such as after-school clubs, Scouts, Guides, etc) and individuals. There are two categories, one for primary level children and one for secondary level children, with one winner in each category.

Children will need to design a British-inspired meal for Tim to eat in space, taking account of normal nutritional principles as well as the constraints of space (such as handling, packaging and preservation).

Watch this UK Space Agency video of Heston Blumenthal and Tim Peake KG5BVI

Rules and entry form available at https://www.gov.uk/government/news/the-great-british-space-dinner

Tim Peake recently passed the amateur radio exam and now has the ham radio call sign KG5BVI
https://amsat-uk.org/2014/05/04/tim-peake-is-now-kg5bvi/

Heston Blumenthal met another radio amateur David Akerman M0RPI when he launched a spud into space, see
https://amsat-uk.org/2014/05/02/radio-ham-launches-spud-into-space-for-tv-show/

May 4 2014

Tim Peake is now KG5BVI

Major Tim Peake KG5BVI

Major Tim Peake KG5BVI

UK ESA astronaut Tim Peake took the opportunity to sit his Technician amateur radio exam at the end of April while he was in Houston for astronaut training. He has now been issued the amateur radio callsign KG5BVI.

UK astronaut Major Tim Peake KG5BVI

UK astronaut Major Tim Peake KG5BVI

At the beginning of March Tim gave a presentation to the UKSEDS National Student Space Conference in Leicester. During the talk he expressed his enthusiasm about getting his amateur radio licence and operating from the International Space Station (ISS).

Tim is currently training for his 6 month mission, Expedition 46/47, to the ISS which is scheduled for November 2015. The UK communications regulator Ofcom has agreed in principle to issue the permanent Special Callsign of GB1SS to the ISS and it is expected Tim will use that callsign when operating the amateur radio station in the ESA Columbus module.

Facebook https://www.facebook.com/ESATimPeake

Twitter https://twitter.com/astro_timpeake

The UK’s first astronaut was Helen Sharman GB1MIR who launched into space 23 years ago on May 18, 1991, see https://amsat-uk.org/about/history/first-uk-astronaut-helen-sharman-gb1mir/

The USA Technician licence is the equivalent of the UK Foundation. The 35-question Technician exam covers topics such as radio theory, regulations and operating practices. 26 of the 35 questions need to be answered correctly to pass. Unlike the system in the UK there are no practical assessments for the USA exams just a single multiple choice exam paper. All the questions and answers for the US exams are available online and you can try a practice Technician exam at http://www.qrz.com/hamtest/

Technicians are allowed to use up to 1500 watts output on all the VHF, UHF and Microwave bands and 200 watts output on four HF bands. USA Technicians have full amateur privileges in the frequencies they are allocated, for example they can do set up beacons or repeaters, operate maritime mobile and design and build their own equipment.

Apr 14 2014

Video of ISS HamTV – Koichi Wakata KC5ZTA April 13, 2014

HamTV Transmitter in the ISS Columbus Module

HamTV Transmitter in the ISS Columbus Module

The final configuration of the International Space Station (ISS) HamVideo Digital TV system took place on Sunday, April 13 at 1823 UT. ISS commander Koichi Wakata KC5ZTA operated using the call sign OR4ISS.

Final Commissioning of the HamTV equipment Koichi Wakata KC5ZTA

Final Commissioning of the HamTV equipment Koichi Wakata KC5ZTA

Configuration 4 was used:
* ARISS antenna 43
* Frequency 2395 MHz
* Symbol rate 2.0 MS/s

Ground stations G4KLB, F6DZP, IK1SLD and KI (Livorno) received the signals and streamed the video over the BATC server. The DATV signal was received for about 6 minutes.

Commander Wakata congratulated ARISS for this achievement and answered a series of questions, prepared in the manner of a school contact. He also proceeded to a microgravity experiment.

Congratulations to the Ham Video team for this outstanding performance.

Next step should be a video enhanced ARISS school contact. We will keep you informed on any progress.

73,
Gaston Bertels, ON4WF
ARISS Europe chair

Watch the 2395 MHz ISS Digital TV transmission received by F6DZP in Poitiers, France

The Ham Video transmitter has downlink frequencies of 2.369, 2.395, 2.422 and 2.437 GHz in a DVB-S type format (symbol rates of 1.3 Ms/s and 2.0 Ms/s). The two patch antennas, ARISS 41 and ARISS 43, are located on the nadir of the Columbus module. The Ham Video transmitter puts out approximately 10 W EIRP. The camera is a Canon XF-305.

Report by Jean Pierre F6DZP about his reception of HamTV on April 13, 2014
http://www.vivadatv.org/viewtopic.php?f=66&t=317

Read the HamTV overview by Gaston Bertels ON4WF http://tinyurl.com/HamTVoverview

Join the ISS HamTV Yahoo Group http://groups.yahoo.com/group/HamTV

Webstream of the TV transmissions http://batc.tv/ch_live.php?ch=4

ARISS-EU HamTV Bulletins http://www.ariss-eu.org/

HamTV on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/Hamtvproject

Apr 12 2014

Final ISS Ham Video Commissioning – 2395 MHz

Front panel of the HamTV transmitter

Front panel of the HamTV transmitter

The final Ham Video Commissioning Pass 4 is  planned for Sunday, April 13 at 1823 UT.

Configuration 4 will be used:
* ARISS antenna 43
* Frequency 2395 MHz
* Symbol rate 2.0 MS/s

Koichi Wakata KC5ZTA installing CubeSat deployers on the Multipurpose Experiment Platform inside the Kibo laboratory of the ISS

Astronaut Koichi Wakata KC5ZTA

ISS astronaut Koichi Wakata KC5ZTA will operate using the call sign OR4ISS. Ground stations F6DZP and IK1SLD will receive the signals and stream the video over the BATC server. The video is expected to be received during 5 minutes.

This will mark the end of the Blank Transmissions.

We thank the operators who filed reception reports of blank transmissions. Your  participation to the Ham Video testing campaign has been invaluable.

No decision has been taken yet on the future use of Ham Video. We will keep you informed on any progress.

73,
Gaston Bertels, ON4WF
ARISS Europe chair

HamTV Antennas at ARISS Telebridge Station IK1SLD in Casale Monferrato, Italy

HamTV Antennas at ARISS Telebridge Station IK1SLD

Read the HamTV overview by Gaston Bertels ON4WF http://tinyurl.com/HamTVoverview

Join the ISS HamTV Yahoo Group http://groups.yahoo.com/group/HamTV

Webstream of the TV transmissions http://batc.tv/ch_live.php?ch=4

ARISS-EU HamTV Bulletins http://www.ariss-eu.org/

HamTV on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/Hamtvproject

Apr 7 2014

ISS HamTV moves to 2369 MHz

 

Front panel of the HamTV transmitter

Front panel of the HamTV transmitter

The Digital Amateur TV (DATV) system in the Columbus module of the International Space Station (ISS) has changed frequency to 2369 MHz.

BATC Webstream of ISS HamTV by Stefan VE4NSA March 8, 2014

BATC Webstream of ISS HamTV by Stefan VE4NSA March 8, 2014

Presently, Ham Video is transmitting permanently a “blank” image and no audio in configuration 5:
* ARISS antenna 43
* Frequency 2369 MHz
* Symbol rate 1.3 Ms/s

Reports on reception of blank transmissions are very welcome. Reports can be filed via this webpage:
http://www.spaceflightsoftware.com/ARISS_FSTV/submit.php

Participants using the Tutioune receiving software can record as well as stream detailed parameters of the received signal. Please see:
http://www.vivadatv.org/

Reports are available at
http://www.vivadatv.org/viewtopic.php?f=66&t=294&p=785#p785

Thank you for your participation to the Ham Video testing campaign.

73,
Gaston Bertels, ON4WF
ARISS Europe chair

Read the HamTV overview by Gaston Bertels ON4WF http://tinyurl.com/HamTVoverview

Join the ISS HamTV Yahoo Group http://groups.yahoo.com/group/HamTV

Webstream of the TV transmissions http://batc.tv/ch_live.php?ch=4

ARISS-EU HamTV Bulletins http://www.ariss-eu.org/

HamTV on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/Hamtvproject

Mar 27 2014

ISS HamTV in CQ-TV Magazine

BATC CQ-TV issue 243 March 2014The March 2014 edition of the British Amateur Television Club (BATC) magazine CQ-TV has several articles on HamTV, the new ISS Digital Amateur Television station.

In the March 2014 issue of CQ-TV:
– First Video received from the ISS
– Receiving HamTV from the ISS – Two User stories
– Details of BATC CAT14
– Three New Repeaters on air
– Using the Raspberry Pi to Control an Ultram VCO
– Versatile Audio AGC Circuit
– Digital ATV – Using a Spectrum Analyzer
– 70cm Yagi
– Classic circuits – Remote control using DMTF

HamTV on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/Hamtvproject

British Amateur Television Club (BATC) http://www.batc.org.uk/