HamTV getting installed on International Space Station Now!

HamTV had ceased operation in 2018 and was sent back to Earth for repair. It was sent back to International Space Station after repair in 2024, but installation has been delayed. It is being installed as per the post on X by Amateur Radio on International Space Station. Time schedule is from 1405 to 1605 UTC (7.35 pm to 9.35 pm, IST). KJ5HKP has been entrusted with the installation work at the International Space Station. It is a digital amateur television (DATV) transmitter on board the Columbus module of ISS. Transmissions will be of digital video and audio in MPEG-2 format using DVB-S protocol in the 13 cm band. It is a relatively low power transmission using a simple patch antenna on the Earth facing surface of ISS, on 2395 MHz. As that is just 5 MHz below the 2.4GHz WiFi Channel 1, good filtering will be needed to prevent interference from local WiFi signals.

HamTV will be used primarily for educational contacts. A wiki by the British Amateur Television Club (BATC) gives detailed information on how to setup a receiver for Ham TV. Once the HamTV is active from the International Space Station, BATC will run a transport stream merger system. That is a server which combines the output of several ground stations, enabling a continuous video stream to be presented to the school. This will reduce the pressure on the ground station at the school. Though the patch antenna for HamTV is on the Earth facing surface of ISS, blockage of path can be there due docked spacecraft and other equipment. That is why multiple ground stations are needed to get a good continuous stream of HamTV for the school contacts.

If installation is successful, the system will send a carrier which can be picked up by ground stations with adequate tracking and reception capability. ARISS requests ham community to provide reception reports to confirm reception on the ground.