After experiencing issues with the Kenwood D700 on two consecutive school contacts, ARISS will use the Ericsson radio on the Columbus module for ARISS contacts until problems with D700 are resolved.
According to Frank Bauer, KA3HDO, AMSAT’s Vice President for Human Spaceflight Programs, “…for some reason, our signals from the Service Module Kenwood D700 radio are much diminished. Our contact with Israel last Sunday [February 3] had low audio levels, with good signals only near TCA. Our contact [February 8] with the Hospital for Sick Children was even worse. Only one student was able to talk to Chris Hadfield [VA3OOG] before we lost the signal.”