By Miles Mann WF1F
MAREX-NA News
Manned Amateur Radio Experiment, North American Division

Great ISS evening voice pass.

On the evening of September 29 2002 at 23:50 UTC the amateur radio community in the eastern half of the USA were treated to a very rare space station event. The ISS was on an orbit which passed over the states MS, FL, AL, GA, NC, VA, NH, MD, NJ, NY, RI and Massachusetts.
Sun set had taken place 90 minutes earlier, which caused ISS to light up, brighter than any other objet in the sky. Hundreds of people watched as ISS flew across the eastern half of the USA. However what made this event even more exciting was that commander Valery Korzun was making random voice contacts on 2-meters while he few across the USA (145.800 down link, 144.490 uplink).

Being able to see and hear ISS on voice at the same time is rare for North America. This is because the ISS crew sleep cycle is normally aligned with UTC time. When ISS passes over the USA at night, the ISS crew is usually in bed sleeping. Even though it is coming to see ISS in the sky a week or two every 2 months, it is very rare to hear and see the ISS at the same time.

On this occasion the ISS crew had adjusted their sleep schedule to match a sleep schedule for the Shuttle Atlantics STS 112, which was going to launch on October 2, 2002. It is normal of the crews of both missions to find a compromise sleep cycle so that everyone will be on the same cycle.

In my 13 years of supporting amateur radio space station operations, this was the fist time I was every able to see and talk to the space station crew at the same time.

Personal Observations:
I has home having dinner guests over the house that evening. I knew there was going to be an ISS pass around 7:50 PM local time. I explained to my guests that ISS would be visible and asked if they wanted to come out to my front yard and look at ISS fly over the house. They were skeptical that it wold be possible to see ISS from out side. I had taken a few notes with compass and elevation headings and a small red flash light out with us so would know where to look and when.
I also brought my HT with me so we could hear some packet bursts coming from ISS (Yeasu VX-5R, stock rubber duck antenna). My friends were mildly familiar with my space work, however they have never expired the action first hand. Shortly after I turned on the HT, I heard a voice.
I had assumed it was a local simplex station at first. Then I heard the familiar voice of Commander Valery Korzon on board the ISS. I explained to my guests that this was a very rare treat to be able to see and hear ISS at the same time and that the voice they were hearing was that of the space stations commander.
Right on schedule the ISS star became visible coming over the trees and climbing higher into the dark sky. By now, all 6 guests were standing in the street starring up into the sky and listening to the commander make several contacts, mostly in 4 land. I wish I had my tape recorder running, darn. I could tell by the conversations that others were seeing ISS and talking to the stations at the same time. I looked at my HT and wondered if I could make a contact when it was directly over head. In theory HT contacts are possible, but only under PERFECT conditions. After hearing the commander sign off with another stations, I rotated the HT antenna horizontal to the ground and said my call sign WF1F.
The commander responded "Stand by Miles".

My little HT had broken through the pile up.
I knew that I would not be able to carry on a conversation with the commander with a HT, so I ran into the house and turned on the big radio and waited for the commander to call me back. A few minutes later the commander had finished small list of contacts and then called me back.
In the mean time, my guests had found their way to the radio room and were there to hear the rest of the conversation with commander Korzun on board the ISS.

During next pass, the commander was in bed, so I send him a nice thank you note for making my day.

sp rs0iss

Subject: thank you
Message:

Dear: Valery and crew.

September 28, 2002
Thank you very much for a very exciting conversation.
At 23:57 UTC [7:57 PM], your space station came in view from my house.
I was out side with several friends and I was showing them ISS
as it flew over my house.
We were listening to my HT/walki-talki Radio with a 10 centimeter antenna.
I told my friends that we may see ISS and hear some
packet at the same time.
Instead we heard your voice talking to many stations.
The ISS star was very bright, everyone could see ISS very clearly
in the dark sky. The radio signal from ISS was so strong, I could not
resist calling
you from my HT.
I was very amazed that you heard my weak signal from the HT and 5 watts.

We could see ISS for over 5 minutes high in the sky.
After you went into the shadow, I went into my house and
waited until you called
me and I answered back on my big radio and big antenna.

This is the first time that I have SEEN and Talked to Space at the same time.
My first contact to space was with Sergej Krikleav in 1990 on Mir.
Today's contact with ISS while seeing you fly over head, was just as exciting.

73 my friend Miles
/ex

HT contacts:
HT contacts are possible, however I strongly do not recommend attempting to contact ISS with a HT and a rubber duck. Its just a waist of time. I was successful because of many unique conditions that rarely happen.
Don't get frustrated using a HT, please use a real radio and real antenna for ISS connections. This was my first voice link with a HT after 13 years.

Shuttle Launch planed:

MISSION STS-112 -- 15TH ISS FLIGHT (9A) - S1 Truss

VEHICLE: Atlantis/OV-104
TARGET LAUNCH DATE: Oct. 2, 2002 NET
TARGET LAUNCH PERIOD: 2 - 6 p.m. EDT
TARGET LANDING DATE: Oct. 13, 2002
MISSION DURATION: 11 days
CREW: Ashby, Melroy, Wolf, Sellers, Magnus, Yurchikhin

ORBITAL ALTITUDE AND INCLINATION: 122 nautical miles, 51.6 degrees

Take care all and good luck and please be courteous.

73 Miles WF1F MAREX-NA

www.marex-na.org

Until we meet again
DOSVIDANIYA Miles WF1F