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/

President’s greetings message sent from space

LituanicaSAT-1 Camera and FM Voice Transponder

LituanicaSAT-1 Camera and FM Voice Transponder

A greetings message from the President of the Republic of Lithuania Dalia Grybauskaitė has been transmitted by the amateur radio satellite LituanicaSAT-1. She is believed to be the first President of any nation to have a greetings message sent from space since President Eisenhower in 1958.

Lithuanian President Dalia Grybauskaitė - Image Augustas Didzgalvis

Lithuanian President Dalia Grybauskaitė – Image Augustas Didzgalvis

In 2013 the President of the Republic of Lithuania, Dalia Grybauskaitė visited the Science Communication and Information Center (SCIC) at Vilnius University. There she saw the amateur radio CubeSat LituanicaSAT-1. Using a handheld radio and the call sign LY5N she transmitted through the satellite’s FM voice transponder.

Her words “Greetings to all Lithuanians around the world” were recorded on a memory chip in the satellite and the message was successfully transmitted from space on March 22, 2014 at 04:17:38 UT.

LituanicaSAT-1 was launched to the International Space Station (ISS) on January 9, 2014 and was deployed with other amateur radio satellites on February 28.

The tiny satellite is just 10x10x10 cm with a mass of 1.090 kg yet it has a VGA camera and a 145/435 MHz FM voice transponder, designed and built by Lithuanian radio amateurs.

The prototype of the FM repeater has been operating in the home of its designer Žilvinas Batisa LY3H in Elektrėnai, Lithuania. Further information at http://ly3h.epalete.com/?p=303

Watch President Dalia Grybauskaitė’s greetings message being transmitted from space

Watch President Dalia Grybauskaitė and LituanicaSAT-1

LituanicaSAT-1 CubeSat https://amsat-uk.org/2014/02/27/lituanicasat-1-cubesat/

ISS Ham Video 2395 MHz Blank Transmissions

Front panel of the HamTV transmitter

Front panel of the HamTV transmitter

Presently, the Ham Video equipment on the International Space Station (ISS) is permanently transmitting a “blank” image and no audio.

It is in configuration 3:
• ARISS antenna 43
• Frequency 2395 MHz
• Symbol rate 1.3 Ms/s

Transmission will continue in this configuration till the end of the week.

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

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

On Sunday, March 23, Ham Video will start transmitting in configuration 4, i.e. 2395 MHz and 2.0 Ms/s.

Due to SpaceX docking and related operations, Ham Video blank transmissions will come to an end March 31.

The last commissioning step will be planned in April or in May 2014. We will keep you informed on the precise date and time.

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/

On Thursday, March 20, three ground stations tested chained reception of Ham Video signals. Jean Pierre Courjaud reported on this experiment on his website. The report is 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 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

ISS HamTV Multi-Viewer http://www.noelandsally.net/iss/

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

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

HamTV received on 2395 MHz

Tetsurou Satou JA0CAW reports receiving the blank test Digital TV transmission from the HamTV equipment on the International Space Station (ISS) on its new frequency of 2395 MHz. He was using a 65cm dish antenna with a low noise amplifier (LNA) and down-convertor.

Watch a short video of reception at an elevation of 76 degrees on March 17, 2014 at 0139 UT

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

Front panel of the HamTV transmitter

Front panel of the HamTV transmitter

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

ISS HamTV to switch to 2395 MHz on March 15/16

Front panel of the HamTV transmitter

Front panel of the HamTV transmitter

The Digital HamTV transmitter on the International Space Station will change frequency to 2395 MHz on the weekend of March 15/16.

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

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

HamTV Bulletin 9:

The Ham Video transmitter commissioning steps 1 and 2 were performed as planned. Working together  with ESA / B.USOC, the ARISS team in Matera did an excellent job.

Saturday April 8, four configurations tested with antenna 41.
Sunday April 9, six configurations tested with antenna 43.

Both ARISS L/S-band antennas are operational in S-band. Reports from ground stations during blank transmissions will allow further analysis of their performance and radiation characteristics in space.

Recordings of signals received during commissioning steps at Matera ground station will be made available on the BATC server.

In Livorno, Ham Video manufacturer Kayser Italia received excellent signals with a 1.2m dish. In Casale Monferrato, the ARISS telebridge station also received good signals with the same type of antenna.

A basic amateur radio station that should be able to receive HamTV from ISS - Image AMSAT-Italia

A basic amateur radio station that should be able to receive HamTV from ISS – Image AMSAT-Italia

Recordings can be viewed with VLC software. Please select 16/9 image format.

Presently, Ham Video is transmitting permanently a “blank” image and no audio in configuration 1:
* ARISS antenna 43
* Frequency 2422 MHz
* Symbol rate 1.3 Ms/s
This blank transmission will continue till the end of the week.

Next week blank transmission is planned with antenna 43 on 2395 MHz and 1.3 Ms/s. The frequency changeover will be done Saturday 15 or Sunday 16 March. All Ham Video frequencies have been notified to ITU as ISS – ARISS.

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

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

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/

Blank transmissions will continue till the next commissioning step, which is planned April 12, 2014. We will announce configurations in due time.

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

ISS HamTV Success

ISS HamTV screenshot by Stefan VE4NSA March 8, 2014

ISS HamTV screenshot by Stefan VE4NSA March 8, 2014

On Saturday, March 8 test transmissions were made on 2422.0 MHz using the HamTV equipment on the International Space Station (ISS).

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

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

The Digital TV signal was successfully received and web streamed to a global audience via the Britsh Amateur Television Club (BATC) server at http://batc.tv/ch_live.php?ch=4 There were four live web streams each from different receivers.

The HamTV transmitter is the culmination of over ten years work by dedicated volunteers to establish an amateur radio TV transmitter on the ISS. It uses patch antennas fixed on the Meteorite Debris Panels (MDP) protecting the hull of the ISS Columbus module. These antennas were installed while the Columbus module was being constructed. A fund-raising campaign took place during 2005-7 to raise over 65,000 Euros for the antennas. Individual radio amateurs from around the world donated generously as did several organisations including AMSAT-UK and the RSGB.

The main mission of HamTV is to perform contacts between the astronauts on the ISS and school students, not only by voice as now, but also by unidirectional video from the ISS to the ground.

Watch HamTV Commissioning received from IK1SLD Telebridge Station Casale Monferrato, Italy

HamVideo is the name of the onboard DATV S-band transmitter. HamTV is the name of the complete system, comprising DATV downlink and VHF voice uplink. Kaiser Italia SRL was the prime-contractor for the design and development of the flight and ground segment http://www.kayser.it/index.php/exploration-2/ham-tv

Watch HAM TV commissioning, VLBI Control Room – ASI Matera, Italy – March 8, 2014

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

Front panel of the HamTV transmitter

Front panel of the HamTV transmitter