[amsat-bb] Packet Radio Upgrade on ISS

["Frank H. Bauer" <frank.bauer@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

--FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE--

ARISS-U.S. Team Press Release 02-01

    February 21, 2002. Normal packet activity should resume soon on the 
International Space Station. Within the next few days the Expedition Four 
crew will upgrade the old system with a new packet module that was sent up 
on the STS-105 Discovery mission on August 10, 2001. The ARISS 
International team expects that the new system should be operating by 
February 25. The old system, crippled with a dead backup battery for RAM, 
has been operating in digipeat mode using the NOCALL call sign and other 
ROM defaults.

  The new module, using the callsign RS0ISS, will use a specially developed 
ROM with the standard ISS defaults, a new battery and an extended memory 
(up to 1 meg). Although the mailbox function will be activated, hams are 
discouraged from using it. Currently there is no computer hooked up to the 
packet module.  In addition, the crew will be much too busy to respond to 
messages posted there.

Frequencies will remain the same: uplink on 145.99 MHz; downlink on 145.80 
MHz.

The installation and checkout of the packet module has been a great team 
effort between the Russian team, led by Sergej Samburov, RV3DR and the U.S. 
team.  Over the past month, the team have developed a set of crew 
procedures that have been reviewed and approved by many specialists at 
Energia and NASA.  The team's dedication and persistence on this 
effort  will, hopefully, payoff with a more capable packet radio system on ISS.

    For more information on the new hardware, see:
http://ariss.gsfc.nasa.gov/EVAs/amsat01.pdf

    -END-

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