A NEW vhf radio "Ericsson" now on ISS Space Station !

Included as part of the successful launch of the SpaceX Dragon 9 (mission CRS-10 of 19 february 14:39 UTC) vehicle to ISS is an ARISS Ericsson 2 meter radio.


This radio will replace the Ericsson radio that failed a few months ago.


Now this NEW radio is installed in the european module the COLUMBUS ,for the VHF contacts to the schools on Earth.


A great notice .... hi


best 73 de IW2BSF - Rudy

 

Why do those radios look like 20 year old MP-A model? Fine platform but.....

 

It's the same radio, also known as Ericsson P400.

Unfortunately they lack subtone and are a bit quirky having a small rod lithium battery for the nvram storing the programming and calibration. Maybe it was the lithium battery that ran out.

 

What happen to the Kenwood TM-D700 that was up there?

 

I thought they were trying to get a TM-D710 certified to go up there.

 

A "ground spare" VHF Ericsson MPA was sent to replace the one on board which had failed after 16+ years of service. This was a fast solution as that model is already space-qual'd. The Kenwood gear is still used in the 2nd hamshack on board. They have two locations to operate from.

 

The -081 MP-A, model replacement controller board which can be used in place of the Lithium back up -628 controller board (-081 is used in the AEGIS model MP-A's ) is an eeprom based controller so they should be fine with no lithium battery worries.


The radio has full CTCSS and DCS capability since it isn't reflashed with HAM081.EXE, the hamflash upgrade.

 

Like a typical Kenwood, it broke and the nearest repair center was on Pluto.
They should've gone with an Icom.

 

strange that are ONLY "certificated" for fly in space Ericsson and kenwood radios ? or are a sponsors ?

 

No, it's not Ericson and Kenwood. it is those specific models. Keep in mind it costs big bucks, time and effort to qualify every piece of equipment. You can't just substitute any old radio.

 

Ya look at that stuff. All looks mil-spec connectors etc. Wonder how custom it all actually is. Please let us know when they switch packet back to VHF!

 

Yup. Everything that goes up has to be "space rated". The Ericsson and Kenwood radios were submitted for verification years ago and it costs a lot more than basic FCC certification to put the rigs through the process. They also have to be compatible with the power and connector specifications on the individual modules.

The computers are a completely different story. The last Hubble upgrade mission installed a 486 processor-based computer, because it took nearly 20 years to develop a space-rated version for flight. The latest space-rated computers are based on the PowerPC 750 core. Even the Shuttle flights used the GRiD Compass laptop until the last flight.

 

Why can't any radio manufacturer's RIG be sent to the ISS??? Or is it all about "PAYOLA"??? SERIOUSLY!!! I'm sure every manufacturer would DONATE GEAR TO THE "ISS" and conform to basic requirements for that particular enviroment!!!

 

Hi!

Actually, a fair bit of "custom" is required to pass testing on the ground, before it is sent up to the ISS and put into service up there.

For starters, the Kenwood radios with their 13.8 VDC power requirements are not compatible with the power systems used on the ISS - 28 VDC in the Russian segment, and 120 VDC (yes, DC - not AC) on the rest of the station. A power supply is needed to convert the power from the station to the radio, regardless of which part of the station the radio is used. This is a big part of the "Interoperable Radio System" being designed for all new ham equipment sent up to the ISS.

The cables used for the power and microphone are not the same as we would use here on the ground. You see this in the photos of the ham gear on the ISS, whether it is a Kenwood radio or either of the Ericsson HTs that have been used up there. Another "custom" thing for the ISS environment.

In addition to the donation of multiple TM-D710GA radios, Kenwood has made available people on its staff to work on modifying the software and firmware for these radios. Bob Bruninga WB4APR, the father of APRS, was also involved with this task. One shortcoming in the original TM-D700s sent up to the ISS was that the programming was not stored in nonvolatile memory, and was wiped out of one of those radios. By having those customized settings stored in firmware, this won't be an issue.

All of this, and more, was just detailed in the January/February 2017 AMSAT Journal. Kenwood also had a nice two-page advertisement in the February 2017 QST, announcing their support for ARISS and these radios that are going to be used for the ISS. Could other manufacturers be a part of supplying equipment for use on the ISS? Sure. But Kenwood mobile radios have been a part of the ISS ham setup since the very beginning of the ISS, and it appears Kenwood is willing to do its part to help ensure that into the future.

Watch the ISS Fan Club web site (among many other places), as well as the satellite forum here on QRZ. There is a long thread over there about the ISS digipeater, and I'm sure there will be a mention or 3 once the Ericsson VHF HT that was sent up to the ISS is installed and put into operation. While the ISS digipeater remains on UHF, you can program radios with a group of memory channels and work it on 437.550 MHz (+/- for Doppler).

73!

 

Interesting since when I have fiddled with those radios the CTCSS and DCS wasn't even an option. Any source for that? The only option on the P400 has been the 5-tone CCIR selcall and possibly a 2-tone selcall as well.

Considering that I have the possibility to get my hands on a bunch of them - brand new - it would be interesting to know how to modify them for subtone.