General ham radio contacts from ISS - an on-orbit decision

Charlie Sufana, AJ9N, says that its up to the ham radio operators on board the International Space Station to decide if they do or do not want to make general ham radio contacts or just chat with kids in schools.

In a posting to the SAREX remailer, Sufana, who is one of the ARISS Mentors, notes that lately there have been some comments on the various Internet bulletin boards about having general contacts or leaving the packet or crossband repeater on.

In response to those hams critical of the lack of time that the licensed astronauts and cosmonauts are devoting to
contacts with the general ham public, Sufana says that as with anything in society, the International Space Station crew have many different interests and a very heavy work load.

He notes that some have been ham radio operators for many years before going on-orbit and may want to make a
random contacts. Others have had next to no experience with the hobby and get on only sporadically. And notes Sufana, there have been quite a few who have gotten their license shortly before going up to the I-S-S and often times they only get on for the scheduled school contacts. And notes AJ9N, if they had not gotten their licenses then even the school contact list would have suffered because on some expeditions there would be no hams scheduled to fly.

Sufana says that after every school contact, the crew is told how to configure the radio. If the crew does not set up the radios for general usage, then there is not much ARISS can do about it other than to remind them.

He also advises all of us that that ARISS is a guest onboard the International Space Station and if the crew elects to not turn something on or to operate, then that is their decision. AJ9N says that ARISS can only suggest; it can never demand.

Source: ARNewsline, SAREX