NEWINGTON, CT, Oct 13, 2000--Two new call signs have been issued for US Amateur Radio operations as part of the Amateur Radio on the International Space Station program. The FCC granted vanity call signs NN1SS and NA1SS to the International Space Station Amateur Radio Club on October 11.
The International Space Station as it appeared during the approach of the space shuttle Atlantis last month. A Russian Progress supply rocket is docked at the tip of the station at the top of the photo. Another construction mission is now under way. [NASA photo] |
The ARISS initial station equipment plus supplies that the ISS Expedition 1 crew will need later this year were delivered to the ISS last month by the space shuttle Atlantis. The equipment includes VHF and UHF hand-held transceivers for the multi-national ARISS program, as well as a TNC for packet, a specially developed headset and signal adapter module plus power adapters and interconnecting cables.
The gear has been stowed aboard the ISS until the Expedition 1 crew of US astronaut Bill Shepherd, KD5GSL, and Russian Cosmonauts Sergei Krikalev, U5MIR, and Yuri Gidzenko come aboard sometime in early November.
The ARISS initial station gear will be installed temporarily aboard the ISS Zarya Functional Cargo Block and will use an existing antenna that's being adapted to support FM voice and packet on 2 meters. The gear will be re-installed in the Zvezda Service Module next year, and it will have both 2-meter and 70-cm capabilities.
A Russian call sign, RZ3DZR, and a German call sign, DL0ISS, also have been issued for use aboard the ISS.
For more information about Amateur Radio on the ISS and SAREX, visit the ARISS Web site.
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