International Space Station crew members John Phillips, KE5DRY, and Sergei Krikalev, U5MIR, may be on the air for ARRL Field Day, June 25-26. ISS Ham Radio Project Engineer Kenneth Ransom, N5VHO, at Johnson Space Center, has reviewed potential ISS pass times, and he says a few are favorable for US stations–although some will occur during the very early morning hours. Phillips and Krikalev will use the Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) radio gear aboard the spacecraft.
”Hams on the ISS will try to be on for ARRL Field Day,” Ransom said. ”The crew can make contacts anytime during the 1800 UTC June 25 to 1800 UTC June 26 period as time permits. Most activity will be over North and South America, but stations worldwide should be listening.”
Ransom says the pass times are only recommendations, and there is no guarantee that either Phillips or Krikalev will actually be on the air during any of them. Passes marked by asterisks (*) are recommended as desirable ones for voice contacts with Amateur Radio stations on the ground.
Saturday, June 25
1826-1834 Hawaii
1852-1902 Southern Chile Argentina
Sunday, June 26
0743-0804 Canada and NW US
0847-0901 Central and eastern Australia
0919-0938 Southern Canada and NE US
1020-1035 Western Australia
*1053-1115 Alaska, SW Canada and eastern US*
*1110-1130 Caribbean, NE South America*
1211-1223 Eastern Japan
*1226-1248 Alaska, Western US*
*1246-1306 Central South America*
1346-1359 Western Japan
1428-1442 Central Argentina
1606-1617 Southern Chile and Argentina
*1715-1725 Hawaii*
Phillips will operate as NA1SS and handing out ”1 Alfa ISS” for a report. If Expedition 11 Commander Krikalev gets on the air too, he’ll identify as RS0ISS and give the same exchange. In the past, crew members have operated from both the Phase 1 and Phase 2 ARISS stations using 2 meters and 70 cm.
The standard ISS voice frequencies for contacts in ITU Region 2 are 144.49 MHz up and 145.80 MHz down, FM.
If the astronauts can’t get on the air to make voice QSOs, the RS0ISS packet station should be on and available for ground stations to work each other via the packet digipeater using ”ARISS” as the alias for the call sign in UNPROTO mode. Frequencies are 145.99 MHz up and 145.80 MHz down.
ARRL Contest Branch Manager Dan Henderson, N1ND, notes that ISS voice or direct packet contacts with the ISS do not count for bonus satellite contact points because the ISS is not an ”Amateur Radio satellite” as event rules specify. Packet contacts relayed via the ISS are valid.
”The ISS contacts do not count for satellite credit, since they are point-to-point, whereas the traditional satellite QSO is a relayed Earth-satellite-Earth two-way contact,” he explained. Field Day has no specific rules relating to ARISS operation because there’s no guarantee that the crew will be able to get on the air for the annual exercise.
During Field Day 2004, astronaut Mike Fincke, KE5AIT, operated NA1SS on 2 meters, while Expedition 9 Commander Gennady Padalka, RN3DT, was on the air from RS0ISS on 70 cm. Between them, they racked up more than five dozen QSOs.