[aprssig] Is ISS Digipeater Down?

[Greg D]

I asked about it last week during the AMSAT Net (14.282 18:00z Sundays), 
and got essentially the same answer. HF conditions were really marginal 
at the time, so I didn't get a chance to go into details.

Also looking back at last week's AMSAT News bulletin, there's the 
following report:

Status of ISS Ham Radio Operations

ISS Amateur Radio Project Engineer Kenneth Ransom, N5VHO reports the
ARISS digipeater has changed frequency from 145.825 MHz (up/down) to
437.550 MHz (up/down). The same digi alias ARISS is still used.

This change was started with the docking of the ESA Automated Trans-
fer Vehicle (ATV). The ATV is an expendable, unmanned resupply space-
craft delivering propellant, water, air, payloads and experimental
supplies to the International Space Station (ISS).

Packet operations were moved to the Columbus Module UHF radio when
the Kenwood D700 radio was recently powered off due to needing an
additional air purifier to support the ATV. Normally the air puri-
fier is located in the ATV but recent power support issues related
to the ATV and ISS necessitated the system be relocated to the Ser-
vice Module. The purifier is now using the power outlet that the
Kenwood radio normally uses. The Russian team has agreed to briefly
power the purifier off for the scheduled ARISS school events but then
will re-activate the purifier right afterwards. This appears to be a
long term impact as ATV is currently scheduled to depart from ISS in
September.

[ANS thanks Kenneth Ransom, N5VHO for the above information]


I haven't tried it myself, but that's what I know,

Greg KO6TH


Gregg Wonderly wrote:
> The way I read it, is that they needed power for something that was not there before, the air purifier.  If I understand correctly, they are doing this because of the extra vehicle currently attached to the station.  I suspect there are only so many power outlets available at various places in the station, and due to the placement of the purifier, the D700 outlet was the power outlet was chosen to be used, so it is therefore powered off, for now.
>
> Gregg Wonderly
>
> On Jun 16, 2012, at 10:38 PM, Steve Noskowicz wrote:
>
>>>> It has moved to 437.550 MHz. Apparently they needed the
>>>> power outlet that normally powered a D700 for something as
>>> trivial as running an air purifier for a while. 8)
>>>> www.uk.amsat.org/8136
>>>>
>>> Interesting...  Apparently then, they have an external
>>> TNC up there, along with the one inside the D700.
>> I don't understand this.  They're using something other than the D700 that draws less current, or uses another power outlet?
>>
>> Could the D700 be moded for European freq range (UHF 430-440)
>>
>> 73, Sterve, K9DCI
>>
>>
>>
>> _______________________________________________
>> aprssig mailing list
>> aprssig at tapr.org
>> https://www.tapr.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/aprssig
>
> _______________________________________________
> aprssig mailing list
> aprssig at tapr.org
> https://www.tapr.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/aprssig