[Ccarc] ISS Crew, ARISS Team Troubleshooting Slow-Scan TV System

[kb9vmw]

QST de W1AW
Space Bulletin 006 ARLS006
 >From ARRL Headquarters
Newington, CT August 22, 2006
To all radio amateurs

The Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS), 
www.rac.ca/ariss, team is coordinating with Expedition 13 Commander 
Pavel Vinogradov, RV3BS, and ARISS-Russia's Sergei Samburov, RV3DR, to 
troubleshoot the slow-scan television (SSTV) system onboard the ISS. The 
SSTV system remains off the air for now.

''Photos of the current SSTV configuration that were downlinked to Earth 
showed several unanticipated results from the initial tests,'' ISS Ham 
Radio Project Engineer Kenneth Ransom, N5VHO, told ARRL. ''More 
extensive troubleshooting is being developed and could further delay 
permanent activation of the radio.'' He pointed out that Vinogradov is 
only able to work on the system in his free time. Vinogradov is also due 
to return to Earth in September.

During the early stages of SSTV testing in late July, Earth station 
operators were thrilled to receive several pictures Vinogradov was able 
to transmit manually on 2 meters (the system has been using 144.490 and 
145.800 MHz) using the RS0ISS call sign. Ransom says initial tests were 
run over Moscow, and then the system was left on for a few orbits.

Plans call for Vinogradov to continue checking out the SSTV software, 
configure and optimize the radio and perform integration checks 
necessary. So far, the SSTV system has been unable to function properly 
in the autonomous ''slide show'' mode, Ransom said.

Miles Mann, WF1F, who developed the SSTV system as an ARISS project, 
explains that slide-show mode will permit the crew to preload a 
directory of images that then will automatically transmitted to Earth. 
''The crew will not need to keep pushing a button to send images,'' he 
said in a recent news release. ''In theory, the system can run for weeks 
at a time without crew involvement.''

The SSTV system is not yet configured to receive SSTV transmissions from 
Earth stations.

-- 
73,  Tom
kb9vmw