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Author Topic: ISS APRS Digipeater  (Read 165 times)

WE4B

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ISS APRS Digipeater
« on: November 23, 2020, 08:28:41 AM »

It's a lot of fun to use the digipeater on the ISS, unfortunately much of the bandwidth of the digipeater is used by unattended stations that function as robots just sending-out beacons. This limits those of us who use the digipeater, as intended, as a way of having live QSOs with other radio amateurs. If you are one of the stations running an unattended station, please know that it's a violation of FCC regulations and it's keeping your fellow hams from being able to have effective live QSOs. If you do run an unattended, satellite, APRS station I respectfully ask that you reconsider doing so. Only lids run unattended, satellite APRS stations in violation of FCC regulations. Don't be a lid :)
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WD9EWK

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Re: ISS APRS Digipeater
« Reply #1 on: November 23, 2020, 06:25:14 PM »

It's a lot of fun to use the digipeater on the ISS, unfortunately much of the bandwidth of the digipeater is used by unattended stations that function as robots just sending-out beacons.

It is fun to work the ISS digipeater. It's usually easier for me to make QSOs with a 5-watt radio through the digipeater than when the cross-band voice repeater was active in September and early October. ARISS says that the voice repeater will probably return in early December:

https://www.ariss.org/current-status-of-iss-stations.html

As for the unattended "robobeacon" stations... yes, under FCC rules, unattended operations in the 2m and 70cm satellite subbands by amateur stations on the ground (or within 50km of the Earth's surface) are not allowed. I wrote about this in an article in the AMSAT Journal in 2017:

https://www.dropbox.com/sh/v3byggtuqw33fkk/AABxbfr3ZOBXxVYPeGBumR2Sa/Articles/Considerate_Operating_on_Digis-201707.pdf?dl=1

This also appeared as a sidebar in another article I wrote for QST in 2018:

https://www.dropbox.com/sh/v3byggtuqw33fkk/AACObUDxtNk85lm6XyRcWOeqa/Articles/Making_Digital_Contacts_through_ISS-QST-201812.pdf?dl=1

Before these articles were published, both texts were submitted to ARRL's Regulatory Branch for review of the FCC Part 97 citations I made. In both articles, ARRL found my citations to be accurate.

I was on an ISS pass a couple of hours ago, a pass that went very high over Arizona. Since the Sun was still up, the ISS wasn't visible, but it was easy to copy. I worked 4 stations on the pass - KI7QEK and K7TEJ in the Phoenix area, along with KB6LTY and WA6RLR in southern California. Using "phrases" (prepared messages stored in the radio - sorta like macros used with HF digital modes like PSK31), and some practice, it is easy to make quick exchanges with other stations.

73!
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Patrick WD9EWK/VA7EWK
http://www.wd9ewk.net/ - Twitter: @WD9EWK or http://twitter.com/WD9EWK

WE4B

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Re: ISS APRS Digipeater
« Reply #2 on: November 27, 2020, 02:16:00 PM »

The ISS APRS digipeater continues to be a solid performer. I know that operations will soon switch over to the cross band voice repeater but my preferred mode of ISS operations is definitely the digipeater. I just wish that the unattended, robotic, beacon stations would quit their endless, sometimes nonsensical, beaconing.
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K6LCS

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Re: ISS APRS Digipeater
« Reply #3 on: November 28, 2020, 08:39:40 AM »

Excellent articles on working the ISS’ packet station -

Doug Cook KD5PDN uses a tape measure antenna and an HT -

https://www.work-sat.com/ewExternalFiles/QRP-ISS.pdf

K9JKM’s article - and several other articles -

https://amsat-uk.org/beginners/how-to-work-the-iss-on-aprs-packet-radio/





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Clint Bradford, K6LCS
AMSAT Ambassador, ARRL Affiliated Club Coordinator
http://www.work-sat.com
909-999-SATS

WE4B

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Re: ISS APRS Digipeater
« Reply #4 on: November 28, 2020, 09:03:59 AM »

So, in other words, if an AMSAT-NA Ambassador can't add anything useful or related to the topic at hand, they just post random links that aren't related to what's being discussed. This thread was intended to discuss unattended beacons from terrestrial stations to space stations which are in violation of FCC regulations. This thread is not about making antennas from dollar store tape measures  ::)

To put the thread back on topic, my plea, to those that are fans of space based APRS digipeating, is to please help educate your friends that may not realize the unattended beacons are not only a nuisance but they also violate FCC regulations and lead to others not being able to have proper QSOs.

Feel free to beacon away on 144.390 but please do not do so on 145.825.
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