Only the astronauts who are licensed hams are allowed to operate the equipment...same as here on earth. Currently, I believe there are two licensed hams aboard.
The astronauts basically work 12 hour days, divided into 15 minute time slots. I believe it is 0700 - 1900 UTC. They are sleeping part of the time we are trying to get SSTV images.
On weekends, they try to catch up and have some time to talk to their family and friends back here on earth. That would be my priority as well.
The number of experiments they run are too many to count, but you can find a list here, if you are interested: https://www.nasa .gov/mission_pages/station/research/experiments/experiments_by_expedition.html#5354
They also perform maintenance, EVAs (spacewalks), give each other haircuts, clean the bathroom, etc.
The SSTV radio is located in the Russian segment of the ISS, and they are on holiday.
The priority for the licensed astronauts' time with the ham radio equipment is the school contacts that they facilitate worldwide (not just US), and there are many. We are thankful that they work those in because it is the most exciting way to introduce young people to ham radio, not to mention STEM activities.
Having said all of that, I, too, like to copy the SSTV transmissions and use the APRS system. I understand the frustration, but it has nothing to do with NASA or astronauts losing interest in ham radio activities. During a recent mission, astronaut Serena Aunon-Chancelor made several voice contacts with hams on the ground during her spare time (and enjoyed doing it).
The equipment on board the ISS is aging and becoming less reliable. Replacements are in the works, but the effort and expense to get them flight-ready is huge. If you would like to help, get out your checkbook and send ARISS a gift. The ARISS folks spend an unbelievable amount of their own personal time trying to keep the rest of us happy. They are volunteers who have a driving desire to keep the amateur radio community in the space program. They work very hard at keeping everything moving forward.
None of this was meant to be critical, so please don't take it that way. I understand and sometimes share the frustration.
There are other ways to participate in the space game. AMSAT has given us MANY opportunities that don't rely on an astronaut's schedule.
Space is hard, which is what makes it rewarding.
I, for one, am thankful for the opportunites we have...even when they are not perfect.
Dave W9DWJ
On Fri, Apr 12, 2019 at 1:23 PM Greg D via AMSAT-BB amsat-bb@amsat.org wrote:
Hi Joe,
This makes me sad. Not because of the audio issue itself or the frustration of those who are wanting to copy the pictures from the Space Station, but because of what the "Bad timing" comment represents. Has Ham Radio gotten to the point where it's such a chore for the crew that they can't take time from their day off to play with the radio? Has the use of the ham station become so industrialized that it is nothing more than another scheduled experiment package that they have to tend to?
Was it that long ago that the crew had to wait for a spare moment just to use the radio? When did Ham Radio cease to be a fun hobby and turn into a job?
I suppose it was inevitable. With ARISS, for example, the logistics and the significant expense of coordinating and executing a school contact make it something that needs to be depended on. I get that. Even the various celebration events (NOTA, Cosmonaut’s Day, et al) are at least theoretically widely publicized, so any failure would reflect poorly on the organization sponsoring it. Nobody has any tolerance for risk these days.
I started this thread with an observation, not a complaint. I hope it has been taken as such. But the interest and participation in the thread tells me that there is still a lot of interest in following (in the traditional sense, not that of social media), and more importantly, participating in the space program. This isn't just for show. The armchair quarterbacks here on the ground have a ball in their hands, and want to play.
Perhaps I'm reading too much into that statement. I hope I am. I also get that ham radio isn't for everyone. But it makes me sad that the spark for using ham radio has apparently been curated out of the ISS crew and lost in space. The last pass (just setting as I type this) heard nothing heard from the Station. Apparently better to just turn it off than to have to deal with it.
How do we get the spark back?
Greg KO6TH
Joe Spier via AMSAT-BB wrote:
ARISS Representative Ken Ransom, N5VHO posted a tweet on this at 1:17 AM - 12 Apr 2019:
/"Checking on low audio issue w/ //#*ISS* https://twitter.com/hashtag/ISS?src=hash////#*SSTV* https://twitter.com/hashtag/SSTV?src=hash//. Bad timing due to crew holiday today and weekend."/
Today is a holiday for Russia - Cosmonaut's Day, so message may take so time (24 hrs). Enjoy the challenge.
-73, Joe Spier, K6WAO President, AMSAT
On 4/11/19 5:44 PM, mark sklaney via AMSAT-BB wrote:
If you guys can contact NASA or the ISS tell them their audio is very very low on the SSTV pictures. There signal is full scale on my radio but the audio can barely be heard... Tell them to tun up their audio input on their radio.. Other than that they will be wasting everyone's time trying to get good pictures..
Thanks Mark WB3FKP _______________________________________________ Sent via AMSAT-BB@amsat.org. AMSAT-NA makes this open forum available to all interested persons worldwide without requiring membership. Opinions expressed are solely those of the author, and do not reflect the official views of AMSAT-NA. Not an AMSAT-NA member? Join now to support the amateur satellite program! Subscription settings: https://www.amsat.org/mailman/listinfo/amsat-bb
Sent via AMSAT-BB@amsat.org. AMSAT-NA makes this open forum available to all interested persons worldwide without requiring membership. Opinions expressed are solely those of the author, and do not reflect the official views of AMSAT-NA. Not an AMSAT-NA member? Join now to support the amateur satellite program! Subscription settings: https://www.amsat.org/mailman/listinfo/amsat-bb
Sent via AMSAT-BB@amsat.org. AMSAT-NA makes this open forum available to all interested persons worldwide without requiring membership. Opinions expressed are solely those of the author, and do not reflect the official views of AMSAT-NA. Not an AMSAT-NA member? Join now to support the amateur satellite program! Subscription settings: https://www.amsat.org/mailman/listinfo/amsat-bb