ISS Amateur Radio Status: October 6, 2005
Slow Scan TV on ISS update
. By Miles Mann WF1F,
Manned Amateur Radio Experiment

There are currently two projects on board the International Space Station that will support Slow Scan TV (SSTV). These project are called SuitSat and SpaceCam. The SuitSat project may be activated in December 2005 and SpaceCam in 2006 (all dates are subject to change without notice). The goal of this series of memos is to get the world ready to start decoding SSTV images from Space.

Here is an excerpt from a AMSAT NEWS SERVICE, ANS-261 Sept 18.
The Suitsat amateur radio system, coupled with a school artwork project, is planned to be installed in an outdated Russian Orlon spacesuit. It will then be deployed from the ISS during an Extra Vehicular Activity (EVA, or spacewalk). This is expected to occur in the December timeframe by the Expedition 12 crew. The Suitsat amateur radio system will beam down special messages and an SSTV image from within the Orlon space suit as it floats in space. Suitsat radio system will allow hams and students to track the suit and decode special international messages, space suit telemetry, and a pre-programmed Slow Scan TV image through its specially-built digital voice messaging system and amateur radio transmitter. As built, Suitsat will be a transmit-only capability that will run on the space suit's battery power.

http://www.arrl.org/news/stories/2005/09/16/2/?nc=1

http://www.amsat.org/amsat-new/news/

The SuitSat project will run on batteries for 2 to 8 weeks, while it free floats in orbit as its own satellite. The SuitSat will be driven by a Kenwood TH-K2 transceiver and a timing controller box. The controller will transmit a series of voice messages, telemetry and one Slow Scan TV image (Robot 36 format).. The whole series of messages and image is approximately 9 minutes long, and then it repeats.

SpaceCam1: The SpaceCam project will also send SSTV images from ISS, however it will be mounted Inside the ISS and will be running for several weeks at a time and will be able to transmit over 400 SSTV images per day (Robot 36 format).

How to Decode SSTV from Space: I am still working on this section and ill post an updated web page link soon. All SSTV transmissions will be in FM mode and will most likely be on the 2-meter band. This means that the Doppler frequency drift will not be much of a problem and you will be able to use your existing 2-meter station or a police scanner to hear and decode the signals from ISS.

If you have already have been successful in working the Packet station or talked to the ISS crew on 2-meter voice, than you already have most of what you need. What's left is to connect your computer to the speaker of your radio and some SSTV decoding software, such as ChromaPix:

http://www.barberdsp.com/

or similar software.

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.

Location of Hardware on ISS This link will show you images of some of the amateur radio hardware already installed on ISS

http://www.marexmg.org/fileshtml/radiohardware.html

Tip on working ISS on Voice and packet:

http://www.marexmg.org/fileshtml/howtouseiss.html

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

Information on the crew's activities aboard the Space Station, future launch dates, as well as Station sighting opportunities from anywhere on the Earth, is available on the Internet at:

http://spaceflight.nasa.gov/

73 Miles WF1F MAREX-MG