ARISS 25th commemorative event to feature L/V repeater this week

To date, the ISS crew has configured the radio to support cross-band repeater operations, they have supported some SSTV downlinks and we have had the opportunity to participate in a special test of 9600 baud packet radio operations on the simplex frequency of 145.825 MHz.

Specifically, December 28-January 3, we plan to reconfigure the Crossband repeater for a special experiment. This will be a test of our L-Band uplink capability, which, to date, has not been proven out.

Plan for an uplink of 1269.65 MHz and and downlink on the standard frequency 145.80 MHz using low power. Given the substantial cable losses of the L-band system, we hope some "big guns" are able to penetrate through, keep up with doppler, and make the connection.

We will provide more updates in the near future. We would like to remind everyone that ISS flight requirements related to EVA and vehicle activity may require the radio to be off for some portion of this schedule. And school contacts and general QSO opportunities by the crew will also preempt this
schedule for short periods of time. (But remember that if you hear these, you still qualify for a commemorative certificate).

ARISS Chairman Frank Bauer concluded, "In the meantime, enjoy the ARISS ops on ISS! And congratulations to Owen Garriott, W5LFL, on the 25th anniversary of his historic flight!!"

Frank, KA3HDO
AMSAT-NA V.P. for Human Spaceflight Programs
and ARISS International Chairman