Ham Talk Live! Episode 205 - New Radio on the Space Station

Thursday (3/26) at 9 pm EDT at hamtalklive.com, Frank Bauer, KA3HDO, the Amateur Radio on the International Space Station international chairman, will be here to tell us all about the new radio on the ISS and answer your questions LIVE.

Tune into Ham Talk Live! Thursday night at 9 pm EDT (Friday 0100Z) by going to hamtalklive.com. When the audio player indicates LIVE, just hit the play button!

If you miss the show live, you can listen on demand anytime also at hamtalklive.com; or a podcast version is on nearly all podcast sites a few minutes after the live show is over. Some sites include Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Google Play, SoundCloud, and iHeart Podcasts; and it's also available on YouTube. A replay is also broadcast on WTWW 5085 AM on Saturday nights at approximately 6:30 pm Eastern.

Be sure to CALL in with your questions and comments by calling 859-982-7373 live during the call-in segment of the show. You can also tweet your questions before or during the show to @HamTalkLive.

 

Hopefully it's an Icom as they quickly learned the last time there isn't any Kenwood repair facilities in outer space.

 

what? icom dprs is useless in space.

 

It’s a modified Kenwood TH-D710GA. What they modified, I don’t know. Maybe they did a MARS/CAP mod to it.

 

They modified the firmware to hard-code the frequencies they use to specific channels. That's my understanding of the the kenwood modification.

 

Does Icom make "house" calls?

 

I made several contacts with them back when I had my Kenwood TM-D700A and they also ran one.
Later in 2009 I had the pleasure of setting up and being MC of 2 ISS school contacts.
We used Kenwood TS 2000's and a M2 14 element satellite yagi.
After that time the big Guns began hogging the entire AOS-LOS pass and you needed an EME array to get over them. They ruined it for a lot of hams.

 

I believe there is also a hardcoded power limit and some additional fans. I think the biggest "change" is that the transceiver now comes with a dedicated universal power supply that works with all of the different volatages available in the different international modules.

 

What a good place to be, in space-

 

ALINCO TO THE RESCUE
LOL

 

Cool !

Even if you only make one contact with an HT and a home brew yagi it will be momorable and get you a memorable QSL card.
G3SEA/KH6

 

Well don't hold your breath ! ham radio on the ISS won't be for a while they have over 4000 lbs of supplies to unload & I bet the radio gear is on the bottom ! Hi Hi oh I hope not ! yes it is GREAT fun to work the ISS ! I miss working the Space Shuttle as well ! 73' all & see you on the Satellites "the Birds" for now Phil KI6PMD..

 

Honestly surprised that they didn't go for something fancier, such as the IC-9700, rather than a mobile rig.

 

Probably a weight issue.

 

Baofeng?