ISS two-way SSTV contact

Miles Mann WF1F reports that he has had a two-way Slow Scan TV (SSTV) contact with Charles Simonyi KE7KDP onboard the International Space Station (ISS) on 145.800 MHz.

Amateur Radio contacts with the ISS are split frequency. Charles was transmitting on 145.800 MHz and Miles replied to him on 144.490 MHz which is the uplink frequency in IARU Regions 2 and 3. In Europe and Africa the uplink is 145.200 MHz.

In a posting to the AMSAT Bulletin Board (AMSAT-BB) Miles wrote:

Hi everyone:

Slow Scan TV in active part-time on ISS via the Kenwood VCH1 commander. Flight participant Charles Simonyi has been intermittently talking and running SSTV image from ISS this week.

Today I had my first two-way SSTV link with ISS and Charles. At 17:50 UTC Charles was using 145.800/144.490 for voice and SSTV. I made a comment, I liked the images he sent, and he began sending more images (manually). Charles and I began talking and I told him I would send him an image and just sit back and watch. In honor of the new commander Gennady Paldaka, I sent Charles one of my favorite images that I had received from Gennady in December 1998.

Wow does time fly. In 1998 I went to Moscow to train a half dozen Mir crewmembers how to install and use the Marex SSTV system. Nine years later Gennady is back in space, let’s hope we can get more SSTV in the future.

SSTV Status:

We have two SSTV systems on ISS. One is the Kenwood VCH1 sstv microphone. This is the system which the crew has been using the most. The system only runs on AA batteries at this time due to flight safety limitations.

The second system is the Marex Software system called SpaceCam1. This system will run manually for fully automatic. The software system has not been used much because of a problem with the VOX cable that goes to the D700 transceiver. When the Vox cable is used the radio sticks in the Transmitting mode until 3-minute watchdog timer expires. ARISS has tried two different cables with the same results. The Vox gets its power from the D700 and it appears the dc power has too much RF and is causing Vox circuit to keep the radio stuck transmitting.

Marex is proposing a completely different VOC using that has been tested extensively.
http://www.marexmg.org/imagessstv/fulllist/m_sstv10.htm

During the testing phase the ISS Slow Scan TV system may be intermittently transmitting on the frequency 145.800 MHZ FM.

For information on how to receive these messages, check out the MAREX link:
http://www.marexmg.org/fileshtml/howtouseiss.html

SSTV Decoding Software
http://www.barberdsp.com/

There are many choices in SSTV software, some Free, others with more features cost a few bucks.
http://www.marexmg.org/fileshtml/sstvlinkpage.html

So have fun, find your best setup and start practicing how to decode SSTV on 2-meters.

Marexmg Web page
http://www.marexmg.org

ARISS Web page and other great Space projects
http://www.rac.ca/ariss/

73 Miles WF1F
MAREX-MG

Until we meet again
DOSVIDANIYA Miles WF1F

AMSAT Bulletin Board AMSAT-BB
http://www.amsat.org/amsat-new/tools/maillist/

Google Earth Real-Time Satellite Tracking
http://www.n2yo.com/