'Ham Video' Transmits Live Images of Astronaut Mike Hopkins, KF5LJG, from the ISS:

As one of his final actions during his duty tour aboard theInternational Space Station, NASA Astronaut Mike Hopkins, KF5LJG,installed and commissioned the Amateur Radio on the International SpaceStation (ARISS http://www.ariss.org) "Ham Video" system over theMarch 8-9 weekend. Hopkins returned safely to Earth March 10 aboard aSoyuz lander with crew members, Russian cosmonauts Oleg Kotov andSergey Ryazansky. The Amateur Radio digital television (DATV) setup cantransmit video of the crew and the interior of the Columbus module onthe 2.4 GHz band (S-band). The ARISS project, led by ARISS-EU http://www.ariss-eu.org, AMSAT-Italy http://www.amsat.it, and theEuropean Space Agency (ESA http://www.esa.int), eventually willenhance ARISS school contacts by providing a video and audio downlinkplus an audio-only uplink. Operating under the call sign OR4ISS, theS-band transmitter can utilize one of two ARISS patch antennasinstalled on Columbus. Radiated RF power is on the order of 10 W EIRP.The received DATV signal was streamed via the web to a global audiencevia the British Amateur Television Club (BATC) server http://batc.tv/ch_live.php?ch=4.

"Congratulations to the Ham TV team on today's outstandingcommissioning success!" said ARISS International Chair Frank Bauer,KA3HDO, who works for NASA. "Several stations in Italy were able toreceive [the] video and audio downlink." He explained that while thevideo camera and transmitter aboard the ISS are referred to as "HamVideo," the entire digital TV/audio downlink and FM voice uplink systemis being called "Ham TV."

The commissioning process primarily involved making sure that groundstations in Europe would be able to copy the DTV downlink signal, andthe results exceeded expectations. A large, high-gain dish at theMatera, Italy, ground station worked in concert with smaller-dishstations that are planned as future Ham TV ground relay stations. ARISShad several additional ground stations around the world tuned in andproviding reception reports of the so-called "blank transmission" mode,with the transmitter on and the camera turned off. Those blanktransmissions will continue until the next commissioning step set forApril 12, and ARISS invites http://www.spaceflightsoftware.com/ARISS_FSTV/submit.php reports.

Commissioning of the Ham TV system marks the culmination of more than adecade of planning and preparation within ARISS. Although there are noimmediate plans to employ the Ham TV system for educational contactswith schools in North America, Bauer said several US radio amateurs aretesting this capability, as are stations in other parts of the world."If this shows educational value," Bauer said, "it will be employed inthe US." Read more http://www.arrl.org/news/ham-video-transmits-live-images-of-astronaut-mike-hopkins-kf5ljg-from-the-iss .-- Thanks to ARISS International President Frank Bauer, KA3HDO, AMSATNews Service, and ARISS-EU Chairman Gaston Bertels, ON4WF

Source:

The ARRL Letter