ARISS Expedition Three page

Welcome to the Expedition Three page for the ARISS project. Please check the NASA  ISS Expedition Three Crew pages for more information.

Crew members

American Commander Frank Culbertson KD5OPQ, 
Russian Pilot Vladimir Dezhurov, 
Russian Flight Engineer Mikhail Turin, 

Callsigns

These callsigns are available for use on the ISS:

 
Russian callsign RSOISS,  RZ3DZR
USA callsign NA1SS
Packet station mailbox callsign RZ3DZR-1
Packet station keyboard callsign RZ3DZR

Operating practices

The Expedition Three crew's activities are being scheduled around the UTC timeframe. It is expected that their working day will start around 0800 UTC and end near 1900 UTC. There may be a lunch break near 1200 UTC. Passes near the beginning, lunchtime, and end of the crew day might be good times to find a crewmember relaxing with amateur radio activities. The crew also has a "weekend" off from 1200 UTC on Saturday until the end of the day on Sunday. This might be another good time to listen for crewmembers using the amateur radio equipment. Please remember that the crew is using ham radio to relax from a very difficult job. They may, or may not, be interested in working a pile-up. They might be more interested in "rag chewing" with one or two hams on a given pass. Please respect each crewmembers different operating style.

We continue to request that the packet rig be left on as much as possible. The crew has been trained in the use of the beaconing capabilities, and we hope that they will use that to share their experiences as the first permanent crew on the ISS. This is a "standard" AFSK AX.25 "terrestrial packet" rig, so it can be used for APRS and email can be sent to the crew. Please do not use the system to leave email for other hams on the ground. Use the mailbox to leave email for the crew.

Please remember to practice good operating practices and remain courteous and patient with this crew while they establish their ham operations preferences. Listen before transmitting, to make sure you don't step upon another QSO. Wait for the crew to call for contacts before transmitting. Please let others have a chance with a rare contact, don't monopolize the crew or the packet rig. Please do not ask the crew to schedule school contacts or other schedules: this puts them in an awkward and uncomfortable position.

Expedition Three Amateur Frequencies

At present, operations will only take place on the 2m band.

Here are the frequencies for Expedition Two operations:
Worldwide downlink for voice and packet: 145.80
Worldwide packet uplink: 145.99
Region 1 voice uplink: 145.20
Region 2 & 3 voice uplink: 144.49

QSL and SWL

QSLs and SWLs will be accepted and can be processed through Radio Amateurs of Canada or the American Radio Relay League. The card design is being finalized, but should be ready for distribution early next year.

School contacts

It is hoped that several school contacts can be accommodated each month, but the crew will be exceedingly busy and everyone must be prepared to support more, or possibly, fewer school contacts.  The ARISS organization is  accepting applications for school contacts; however, the crew workload will determine the amount of time that passes between accepting an application and when a contact is scheduled. We must all remember that these are very early times for the ISS and we need to remain flexible in pursuing amateur radio operations with the crews.

The plan is for all school contacts to use the public 145.80 downlink and for the times to be adequately publicised so that others can listen in. Events on the ISS are only scheduled one week in advance, so schools will need to remain flexible about the exact time and day of their contact.

The ARISS Frequently Answered Questions will provide prospective school applicants with valuable information.

Schools, worldwide, wishing to be considered for a dedicated contact with the ISS crew can find the application forms by following the links below and should return that form to their local ARISS contact.

If you are interested in setting up a school contact in your area, please click on the following links for more information, answers to frequently asked questions and an application form.

 

 

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