Main Ham Station on International Space Station Suffers Antenna Problems

 

The International Space Station
(NASA photo)

Replacement of a decade-old piece of coax on the outside of the International Space Station apparently resulted in a loss of signals for the amateur station inside the Columbus module used for Amateur Radio on the International Space Station, or ARISS, contacts. 

According to the AMSAT News Service, the ham gear was shut down and disconnected from the interior feedline for safety before crew members conducted a spacewalk on January 27 to install cabling to support the Bartolomeo attached payload capability on the exterior of the module. The work included replacing an old piece of coax used for ARISS and one additional antenna with a new cable for ARISS and three additional antenna connections. 

When the crew reconnected and restarted the radio system the next day, no signals were heard, either on the voice repeater or APRS. A planned school contact was canceled when no signals from the space station were received.

As we went to press, the ARISS team was still trying to determine the source of the problem, which could also be an issue with the internal cable.

Milestones: DK6SP Named to WWROF Board; N1IN, K9STH SKs

Twenty-two-year-old Philipp Springer, DK6SP, has been named a director of the World Wide Radio Operators Foundation, which provides logistical support for CQ-sponsored contests and others. He succeeds longtime board member Dennis Motschenbacher, K7BV, who stepped down. According to WWROF, Springer has been a ham since age 10, is a member of the International Amateur Radio Union Region 1 Youth Working Group and coordinates the Youngsters on the Air (YOTA) program in Germany. He was also a youth participant in the 2018 World Radiosport Team Championship (WRTC 2018) held in Germany.

K9STH's first FM column in CQ
appeared in 1971 and was republished
as a CQ Classic article in December
2019.

 

We are sad to report the passing of frequent CQ contributor Bill Sexton, N1IN. After retiring from a long career in journalism, much of it spent at New York's Newsday newspaper, Bill became the Public Affairs Officer for Army MARS. According to Newsday, he was honored with the Presidential Lifetime Achievement Award in 2017. Bill was 91.

 

Also joining the list of Silent Keys this month is former CQ FM Editor Glen Zook, K9STH. Glen was the magazine's first FM Editor, penning the column from 1971-73, just as VHF FM operation was beginning to take off. More recently, Glen was a content moderator on QRZ.com.