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It appears that the ISS packet station has failed. The <a
moz-do-not-send="true" href="http://www.ariss.net/">ARISS page</a>
shows no new packets digipeated for over 8 days.<br>
<br>
This is confirmed by the following observation from the <a
moz-do-not-send="true" href="https://www.issfanclub.com/">ISS Fan
Club</a><br>
<br>
<blockquote type="cite">
<p>ARISS has received several reports stating that the packet
system on ISS is down. Here is what we know and our current
forward plan.</p>
<p>The packet system in the Columbus module started to act up late
last week, sending only a beacon. The ARISS team requested a
power recycle by the crew, and with that power recycle, the
packet system appears to have stop functioning completely. Note
that this unit has been on-orbit for 17 years. It was launched
on the STS-106 Space Shuttle Atlantis mission in September 2000
and was built, tested and certified for flight about 20 years
ago.</p>
<div class="info">N5VHO – Wed, 2017 – 07 – 26 07:26</div>
</blockquote>
<br>
After an earlier failure of the 2 metre transceiver, ISS operated on
70cm until a replacement transceiver could be sourced, tested,
delivered, and finally commissioned on the ISS. It would appear
that now some other point (TNC perhaps?) has fallen over.<br>
<br>
PCSAT reportedly operates in a digipeater mode. Most users may need
to change their path settings. I've never seriously tried to focus
on this one but I'll do some exploring.<br>
<br>
For me the challenge of working the ISS is in utilizing an orbital
pass which offers the highest likelihood of hearing my signal and
the digipeated signal (if it exists) being captured by the available
Igates. As far as I am aware, there are none operating in SA.
Igates are available on the west cost of the continent, and in the
east from VK3KAW - there may be others. Playing around with Igate
locations in Orbitron reveals that ideal passes for my SA station
are much more limited than might be first thought, confirmed by
quite a few years of casual, and at times intense experimenting.
I have speculated about setting up my own Igate, but lack of
accurate and specific information, along with my only having Windose
XP computer(s) free for the exercise has meant that it hasn't
progressed beyond an initial more or less successful experiment some
months back. <br>
<br>
I cannot conclude this without thanking any Igate operators most
sincerely for making the facility available. Without their
generosity, the exercise would be futile. <br>
<br>
All this of course subject to peer review, I'm just an experimenter
....<br>
<br>
73 Terry<br>
VK5ATN<br>
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