SB SPACE @ ARL $ARLS006
ARLS006 ISS crew, ARISS team troubleshooting slow-scan TV system

ZCZC AS06  
QST de W1AW  
Space Bulletin 006  ARLS006
From ARRL Headquarters  
Newington, CT  August 22, 2006
To all radio amateurs

SB SPACE ARL ARLS006
ARLS006 ISS crew, ARISS team troubleshooting slow-scan TV system

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.
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