Hams Plan DTV Transmissions From International Space Station; Donations Needed

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When it launches, possibly this weekend, the latest Space Shuttle mission will include the first digital Amateur Radio TV (DATV) in space.

The Amateur Radio Station will be housed in the Columbus Laboratory module, which will be installed on the International Space Station as part of the latest mission, STS-122. The module, which was built by the European Space Agency, is approximately 23 feet long and 15 feet wide. On the outside of the module are two ARISS (Amateur Radio on the International Space Station) antennas. The module can hold 10 large racks of experiments. ARISS International is still working on the configuration of the equipment.

The Amateur Radio Station in Columbus will include the first digital Amateur Radio TV (DATV) in space as well as a ham radio transponder. Graham Shirville, speaking on behalf of ARISS -Europe, said the group is looking at using a 10 watt 2.4 GHz DATV transmitter with a signal bandwidth from 4 to 8 MHz.

Gaston Bertels, ON4WF, said donations have covered a payment of about 9,000 Euros but there is still a funding shortfall of 14,000 Euros. Paypal donations are being accepted.

The ARRL news release ARISS Antennas Set to Launch on NASA Mission in December has additional information on this ARISS project.

Doug Lung
Doug Lung
Contributor

Doug Lung is one of America's foremost authorities on broadcast RF technology. As vice president of Broadcast Technology for NBCUniversal Local, H. Douglas Lung leads NBC and Telemundo-owned stations’ RF and transmission affairs, including microwave, radars, satellite uplinks, and FCC technical filings. Beginning his career in 1976 at KSCI in Los Angeles, Lung has nearly 50 years of experience in broadcast television engineering. Beginning in 1985, he led the engineering department for what was to become the Telemundo network and station group, assisting in the design, construction and installation of the company’s broadcast and cable facilities. Other projects include work on the launch of Hawaii’s first UHF TV station, the rollout and testing of the ATSC mobile-handheld standard, and software development related to the incentive auction TV spectrum repack. A longtime columnist for TV Technology, Doug is also a regular contributor to IEEE Broadcast Technology. He is the recipient of the 2023 NAB Television Engineering Award. He also received a Tech Leadership Award from TV Tech publisher Future plc in 2021 and is a member of the IEEE Broadcast Technology Society and the Society of Broadcast Engineers.