Can anyone here tell me how to get my VX-8R to do what the email below says... I can't figure it out.
What I'm trying to do is connect with the ISS so I can get the cool little paper for my wall.
Hi Ben,
I came back to this message... first to clear up some of the "terms" or "lingo". In packet radio, there are two ways to communicate... one is a "connected" state, and the other is "unconnected" (also called "unproto" or "converse" mode).
APRS (to my knowledge) uses the "unconnected" method... so that everybody sees everybody else, all the time. You can "connect" to any station using packet, but that is more of a one-on-one method. For example, you could "connect" to my mailbox and leave me a message... or if you "connect" to my station (and I am there at the keyboard) we could type back and forth to each other. If connected, we would usually not see other people still using the same frequency, but they would probably still see all that we type to each other.
The space station also uses the "unconnected" method for the most part. You can send an APRS position report (formatted with the latitude and longitude info, etc) and it would be digipeated by the ISS and everyone back here on earth can see it (plus it might show up on Amateur Radio Stations heard via ISS). You can "connect" to the space station mailbox, but they usually do not read the mail there, and the connected state transmits more packets (to maintain its error-correcting ability)... so it is usually not a good idea. And it is especially not a good idea unless you have a pretty powerful station and antennas so that you can complete the connection (that is, you can also "disconnect" when finished).
So, if you get all this... next is to try it out! I don't know your radio or software, so you will have to figure out how to apply these instructions. Tune your radio to 145.825 simplex and try to "connect" to W4SV-1 (thats my mailbox). I have a pretty decent antenna and power output, so I think that you may get through to me... and I leave it on that frequency all the time for some automated stuff that I do with the space station. So... if you get "connected"... try to leave me a a message! You would do that by using the "S" command to Send... so transmit, "S W4SV" to send the message to me. It will prompt you for a Subject, then the body of the message. At the end, to SAVE the message, you have to end it with a Control-Z character on a single line by itself, or else send a "/EX" on a line by itself (but no quotes). It will tell you "Message Saved" if you are successful. Email me and let me know if you leave a message there, because I do not check it usually.
I don't quite know how to instruct you to send an "unproto" packet... I hope that you can figure that out. But there is something called a "PATH" in packet, and you can set the "path" to digipeat "VIA" other stations. I'd like for you to try to transmit VIA W4SV in this "unproto" mode (also called "converse" mode). Use 145.825 again. If it works, you should see your radio key up and transmit.... and then you should see my radio re-transmit (digipeat) your signal. In the data stream that you see, there will probably be a * to show that it was my station that transmitted... like, W4SV* somewhere in the packet frame.
Now, stay with me here. If you get this working... you can set up more than one station to digipeat through. So you would then try to transmit in unproto mode with the path set to VIA W4SV, ARISS (my callsign, then a comma, then ARISS - which stands for Amateur Radio [on] International Space Station). If you get this setup correctly, and transmit when the space station is overhead....then your packet will digipeated by me first (W4SV*)... then possibly by the ISS (RS0ISS-4*). (It translates the ARISS into RS0ISS-4... so don't worry about that).
This is the way old-fashioned packet works... with a TNC connected to a radio. Your HT with built-in APRS may well be different, so you'll have to kind of understand the things I'm saying... and find out how to apply it to your radio and/or software. But using my station should help you to figure it out.... if I can hear your HT, and you can hear me.
Whew, that is a lot of info! Did you get it?!?! If not, you may have to get someone to help that has an HT like yours with APRS. My station uses a TNC and does packet the old-fashioned way, so that is really all I know about it.
You can get tracking software to know when the ISS is going to be overhead (very limited times each day)... or you can check out Heavens-Above.com and get the pass times there... but make sure you choose the correct time zone!
If you get a packet digipeated VIA W4SV*, then RS0ISS-4*... you should remember that it is my station that got through. If you want to try to get through to the ISS with your own radio/antenna... just setup the PATH to be VIA ARISS by itself, and then if you see the RS0ISS-4* re-transmission (digipeat) of your signal... then YOU made it! ;-) (It isn't likely with the HT antenna, but it is possible.)
OK, enough of packet. Just a basic description of "DXing" for you. DX only means "foreign stations". So "DXing" is basically just an effort to make contacts with as many foreign countries as you can (and you can get "awards" for it, like 100 countries confirmed earns an award called, DXCC - DX Century Club). It takes awhile to get that many... so it is a bit of a challenge (usually on HF, but satellite may be possible). Another award, but not DX, is WAS - Worked All States. Again, usually on HF, but satellite is possible.
I'm afraid I probably won't extend an invitation to see my shack... its probably a couple of years away from being cleaned up enough for visitors! ;-) But really, it isn't anything special. I've been trying to "reduce" the station down to fitting on a small computer desk (although the computer is on ANOTHER computer desk - so it takes TWO desks to really hold the "whole ham station"). But its in the basement, and its very cold down there, and there is way too much clutter. Maybe one of these days I will get it cleaned up, but I've had a lot of other things going on lately so it hasn't been a priority for me.
Well... let me know if you absorbed any or all of this. And let me know what other questions you have, and I'll try to answer them.
73 fer now,
Stan
What I'm trying to do is connect with the ISS so I can get the cool little paper for my wall.Hi Ben,
I came back to this message... first to clear up some of the "terms" or "lingo". In packet radio, there are two ways to communicate... one is a "connected" state, and the other is "unconnected" (also called "unproto" or "converse" mode).
APRS (to my knowledge) uses the "unconnected" method... so that everybody sees everybody else, all the time. You can "connect" to any station using packet, but that is more of a one-on-one method. For example, you could "connect" to my mailbox and leave me a message... or if you "connect" to my station (and I am there at the keyboard) we could type back and forth to each other. If connected, we would usually not see other people still using the same frequency, but they would probably still see all that we type to each other.
The space station also uses the "unconnected" method for the most part. You can send an APRS position report (formatted with the latitude and longitude info, etc) and it would be digipeated by the ISS and everyone back here on earth can see it (plus it might show up on Amateur Radio Stations heard via ISS). You can "connect" to the space station mailbox, but they usually do not read the mail there, and the connected state transmits more packets (to maintain its error-correcting ability)... so it is usually not a good idea. And it is especially not a good idea unless you have a pretty powerful station and antennas so that you can complete the connection (that is, you can also "disconnect" when finished).
So, if you get all this... next is to try it out! I don't know your radio or software, so you will have to figure out how to apply these instructions. Tune your radio to 145.825 simplex and try to "connect" to W4SV-1 (thats my mailbox). I have a pretty decent antenna and power output, so I think that you may get through to me... and I leave it on that frequency all the time for some automated stuff that I do with the space station. So... if you get "connected"... try to leave me a a message! You would do that by using the "S" command to Send... so transmit, "S W4SV" to send the message to me. It will prompt you for a Subject, then the body of the message. At the end, to SAVE the message, you have to end it with a Control-Z character on a single line by itself, or else send a "/EX" on a line by itself (but no quotes). It will tell you "Message Saved" if you are successful. Email me and let me know if you leave a message there, because I do not check it usually.
I don't quite know how to instruct you to send an "unproto" packet... I hope that you can figure that out. But there is something called a "PATH" in packet, and you can set the "path" to digipeat "VIA" other stations. I'd like for you to try to transmit VIA W4SV in this "unproto" mode (also called "converse" mode). Use 145.825 again. If it works, you should see your radio key up and transmit.... and then you should see my radio re-transmit (digipeat) your signal. In the data stream that you see, there will probably be a * to show that it was my station that transmitted... like, W4SV* somewhere in the packet frame.
Now, stay with me here. If you get this working... you can set up more than one station to digipeat through. So you would then try to transmit in unproto mode with the path set to VIA W4SV, ARISS (my callsign, then a comma, then ARISS - which stands for Amateur Radio [on] International Space Station). If you get this setup correctly, and transmit when the space station is overhead....then your packet will digipeated by me first (W4SV*)... then possibly by the ISS (RS0ISS-4*). (It translates the ARISS into RS0ISS-4... so don't worry about that).
This is the way old-fashioned packet works... with a TNC connected to a radio. Your HT with built-in APRS may well be different, so you'll have to kind of understand the things I'm saying... and find out how to apply it to your radio and/or software. But using my station should help you to figure it out.... if I can hear your HT, and you can hear me.
Whew, that is a lot of info! Did you get it?!?! If not, you may have to get someone to help that has an HT like yours with APRS. My station uses a TNC and does packet the old-fashioned way, so that is really all I know about it.
You can get tracking software to know when the ISS is going to be overhead (very limited times each day)... or you can check out Heavens-Above.com and get the pass times there... but make sure you choose the correct time zone!
If you get a packet digipeated VIA W4SV*, then RS0ISS-4*... you should remember that it is my station that got through. If you want to try to get through to the ISS with your own radio/antenna... just setup the PATH to be VIA ARISS by itself, and then if you see the RS0ISS-4* re-transmission (digipeat) of your signal... then YOU made it! ;-) (It isn't likely with the HT antenna, but it is possible.)
OK, enough of packet. Just a basic description of "DXing" for you. DX only means "foreign stations". So "DXing" is basically just an effort to make contacts with as many foreign countries as you can (and you can get "awards" for it, like 100 countries confirmed earns an award called, DXCC - DX Century Club). It takes awhile to get that many... so it is a bit of a challenge (usually on HF, but satellite may be possible). Another award, but not DX, is WAS - Worked All States. Again, usually on HF, but satellite is possible.
I'm afraid I probably won't extend an invitation to see my shack... its probably a couple of years away from being cleaned up enough for visitors! ;-) But really, it isn't anything special. I've been trying to "reduce" the station down to fitting on a small computer desk (although the computer is on ANOTHER computer desk - so it takes TWO desks to really hold the "whole ham station"). But its in the basement, and its very cold down there, and there is way too much clutter. Maybe one of these days I will get it cleaned up, but I've had a lot of other things going on lately so it hasn't been a priority for me.
Well... let me know if you absorbed any or all of this. And let me know what other questions you have, and I'll try to answer them.
73 fer now,
Stan
