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 Previous: |  Next: ARRL Announces New Gear for ARES Volunteers |
By Stan Horzepa,
WA1LOU
Contributing Editor
August 31, 2002
A road-trip into the Bay State leads us on a virtual trip into outer space.
Last Saturday, I attended the ARRL New England Division Convention in Boxboro, Massachusetts. While there, I sat through a number of forums including one titled "ATV (amateur television) in Space." It turned out that the printed program was in error and that the topic of the forum was actually "SSTV (slow scan television) in Space." Nevertheless, the presenter, Miles Mann, WF1F, gave a very interesting talk about using SSTV in space aboard Mir and the International Space Station (ISS).
WF1F also talked about the SpaceCam project--a software-based SSTV system, developed by Mann's MAREX-NA (Manned Amateur Radio Experiment--North American Division) for deployment on the ISS. Future ISS crews would use SpaceCam software--in addition to a hardware interface box provided by AMSAT-NA--for SSTV image communication with Amateur Radio operators worldwide. To receive the ISS images, all you would need is a 2-meter FM receiver and a newer computer (ie, newer as in faster than the older computers) running SSTV software or a dedicated SSTV scan converter.
 Amateur Radio image communications with the International Space Station highlight the MAREX-NA Web site. |
During WF1F's presentation, he referred to a Web site associated with the SpaceCam Project. After arriving home and catching my breath, I powered my PowerBook and surfed to the Web site WFIF had mentioned, ie, the MAREX-NA Web site, which is maintained by Jim Barber, N7CXI.
The Web site is as interesting as was WF1F's presentation. It contains a wealth of information regarding SpaceCam and other Amateur Radio space communication endeavors. For example, a new link, Packet Mail from ISS Crew, lists messages from the ISS team that arrived on Mother Earth via amateur packet radio.
More information on the Amateur Radio on the International Space Station program is on the ARISS Web site.
Until next time, keep on surfin'
Editor's note:
Stan Horzepa, WA1LOU, resides in downtown Wolcott, Connecticut, and is a member
of the QQCC (QST quarter century club), i.e., he has been a QST writer for 25
years. Since getting his ticket in 1969, Stan has sampled nearly every entrée
in the Amateur Radio menu (including a stint as Connecticut Section Manager),
but he keeps coming back to his favorite preoccupations: VHF and packet radio.
As a result, he runs a 2-meter APRS digipeater and weather station from his
mountaintop location in central Connecticut. Stan has been a long time advocate
of using computers with Amateur Radio and wrote programs to dupe contests and
calculate antenna bearings way back in 1978. Today, he uses his Mac to surf the
Internet searching for that perfect ham radio web page. To contact Stan, send
e-mail to wa1lou@arrl.net.
| Previous: | Next: ARRL Announces New Gear for ARES Volunteers |
