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HR1RBB > SAREX 17.01.97 20:03l 90 Lines 4108 Bytes #-10668 (0) @ AMSAT
BID : 28373_HR1PAQ
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Subj: P1/7 The unofficial Mir radio amateur FAQ
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From: HR1RBB@HR1PAQ.#TGU.HON.CEAM
To : SAREX@AMSAT
To: sarex@amsat
Subject: The unofficial Mir amateur radio FAQ
Part 1/7
The unofficial Mir amateur radio FAQ
Copyright 1997 Philip Chien, All Rights Reserved. This document may be
freely distributed via the following means - Email (including listservers),
Usenet, and WorldWideWeb. It may not be reproduced for profit including,
but not limited to, CD ROMs, books, and/or other commercial outlets without
prior written consent from the author.
Version 1.0
January 9, 1997
This information was complied by Philip Chien, KC4YER who is solely
responsible for its content. It has not been sanctioned by the Russian
Space Agency, NASA, or any other entity responsible for Mir's amateur radio
activities. Corrections should be e-mailed to kc4yer@amsat.org or sent to
the author's address in the callbook.
Mir, the Russian space station, has been in space since February 1986. The
word 'Mir' is usually translated in to English as 'peace', but also means
'world' or 'an autonomous community'. A popular Russian greeting is 'Mir o
Mir' - Peace on Earth. In 1988 a handheld amateur radio was added to Mir
for crew recreational use, and it's been a popular activity. Many other
pieces of amateur radio hardware have followed, and Mir now has an
extremely impressive ham station. Ham radio is a popular activity for many
of the Mir crewmembers, and there's additional interest with a full-time
American presence aboard Mir. The Mir Amateur Radio EXperiment (MAREX) has
turned out to be one of Mir's most visible activities, and an enjoyable
leisure time activity - both for the cosmonauts and the hams who have the
opportunity to talk to them.
Who are the key parties responsible for Mir's amateur radio activities?
The head of the MAREX (Mir Amateur Radio EXperiment) is Sergei Samburov,
RV3DR. His official title is Chief of Cosmonaut Amateur Radio Department,
RSC Energia. Boris Stepanov, RU3AX, is the Soyuz Radioyubitelej Rosii
president, the organization for Russian amateur radio operators. R3K.
International amateur radio groups in Germany and Austria have provided
some of the hardware and other forms of assistance.
The Mir International Amateur Radio EXperiment (MIREX) was formed to handle
prescheduled Mir school contacts. The head of MIREX operations in the U.S.
is Dr. Dave Larsen N6CO/K6MIR (ex N6JLH). G. Miles Mann, WF1F, is the US
Activities Manager and also assists in scheduling contacts worldwide.
It's important to note that the MAREX activities are _NOT_ identical to the
SAREX (Shuttle Amateur Radio Experiment). However the MAREX and SAREX
teams do work together in many cases. For example the SAREX team gives
amateur radio training to the American cosmonauts, and schools with SAREX
applications may have their scheduled contacts accomplished via MIREX.
What is the wake/sleep cycle for Mir's crew?
Mir's crew follows the same wake/sleep cycle as its ground controllers in
Korelov (formerly Kaliningrad), a suburb of Moscow. Times are occasionally
adjusted slightly for operational reasons (timing shuttle rendezvous,
scheduling EVAs, Earth or space observations, etc.) but for the most part
the crew is on a Moscow timetable. Decreed Moscow Time (DMT) is UT + 3
hours and does not change during the summer for daylight savings. The
official sleep period for Mir's crew is 23:00 to 8:00 DMT, which equates to
20:00 to 5:00 UT. It's important to note that this is just the official
sleep period, some cosmonauts get by on much less sleep.
My simple trick is to use my satellite tracking program's terminator
indicator (the line which indicates sunrise/sunset). If Moscow is in the
daylight portion of the world the crew is _probably_ awake. If Moscow is
near the terminator then the crew is probably in their presleep/postsleep
time (or whatever the Russian terms are) and more likely to be available on
the radio. It isn't perfectly accurate, but it's simple.
Philip Chien, KC4YER
Earth News - space writer and consultant
note new E-mail address - pchien@digital.net
PART 1/7
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