Scouts at Australian Jamboree 2007 (AJ2007) applied their ingenuity January 7 when an on-site rock concert threatened to drown out a scheduled Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) contact with the campers. They responded by piling bales of hay to create an insulating bunker around the building where the contact with ISS Expedition 14 Flight Engineer Suni Williams, KD5PLB, took place. As a result, the 20 scouts who won a "What would you ask an Astronaut?" competition were able to ask Williams their questions in comparative quiet. One Scout asked Williams to comment on the possibility of life elsewhere in our solar system. [img]http://www.arrl.org/news/stories/2007/01/10/100/ARISS-AJ2007-3-sm.jpg[/img]

The SpaceCam1 Imaging project on the International Space Station was activated last summer between July 30th and August 26, 2006. The ISS Commander Pavel Vinogradov had a few seconds of spare time last summer to activate and test the SpaceCam1 Slow Scan TV software (SSTV). He was able to prove the whole Amateur Radio system on ISS with antennas, radio and SSTV software would work together as planned. All of the cables, Antenna, radio, pc connections and software were tested. After the testing was complete, the Borrowed Laptop computer had to be returned to a higher priority project. At the present time the Amateur Radio station does not have a dedicated flight qualified laptop assigned to the program. In order to work, the dedicated laptop must be one of the few flight certified versions that NASA uses.

WD9EWK's third voice contact with Bill McArthur at NA1SS, using an Icom IC-T7H HT at 5W with an Arrow Antennas handheld 2m/70cm Yagi. WD9EWK was standing in downtown Phoenix (grid DM33xl) for this contact.

WD9EWK's second voice contact with Bill McArthur at NA1SS, using an Icom IC-T7H HT at 5W with an Arrow Antennas handheld 2m/70cm Yagi. WD9EWK was standing in downtown Phoenix (grid DM33xl) for this contact.

WD9EWK's first voice contact with Bill McArthur at NA1SS, using an Icom IC-T7H HT at 5W with a Maldol AH-510R 6m/2m/70cm telescoping whip. WD9EWK was standing in downtown Phoenix (grid DM33xl) for this contact.

Recorded by Patrick WD9EWK/VA7EWK from Phoenix, Arizona USA [DM43ao]. I used an Icom IC-W32A HT at 5W with an Arrow Antennas handheld Yagi to record this pass (and make some QSOs during the pass).

Recorded by Patrick WD9EWK/VA7EWK from Phoenix, Arizona USA [DM43ao]. I used an Icom IC-W32A HT at 5W with an Arrow Antennas handheld Yagi to record this pass (and make some QSOs during the pass).

Recorded by Patrick WD9EWK/VA7EWK from Phoenix, Arizona USA [DM43ao]. I used an Icom IC-2720H 2m/70cm mobile radio at 5W with an Arrow Antennas handheld Yagi to record this pass (and make some QSOs during the pass).

Recorded by Patrick WD9EWK/VA7EWK from Phoenix, Arizona USA [DM43ao]. I used an Icom IC-2720H 2m/70cm mobile radio at 5W with an Arrow Antennas handheld Yagi to record this pass (and make some QSOs during the pass).