Tri-State Amateur Radio Society

Status of the Evansville Day School ARISS Contact

EDS, Evansville Day School, has announced our contact with the ISS, so it is now public knowledge.  The School has communicated to NASA that we would like any Monday in September (except the first which is Labor's Day) and we are waiting on their response, which may come in late July or August.  NASA warned us of choosing Mondays, but if we are to use the new planetarium (the  Koch Immersive Theater) we are limited to Mondays when it is not in public use.  Actually this is too far out to be establishing a date, but we have asked, and we'll see what happens.

Actually our TARS ARISS Team has been very active preparing for the contact.  This may seem like a simple QSO, but it is a much larger project than that.  We have held several meetings and many emails/discussions with our team and with the School.  To us it is not a simple task.  Our Team Managers have been busy planning and preparing for the Contact.  Dave, WB9YIG, has spent many hours acquiring and testing, equipment for the Contact.  Equipment that must be placed in service in a public auditorium which normally doesn't have ham radio equipment.  He is tasked with establishing a complete 2-meter station and a complete backup station because we have only a ten-minute window for the students and we don't want to miss that opportunity.  Dave also acquired 2 meter satellite antennas, 150 ft of coax and rotator control wire, az-el rotators, writing to connect this into the plaitarium sound system.

The Press Release from the School was published today (Sunday, May 25) in the Courier and Press.  Look at the bottom of page 1 Section B.  Thanks to you all for keeping this contact under wraps, so now we can discuss EDS openly.  Remember that this is the School's project and we are simply providing the Ham Radio portion of the Contact.  NASA makes this available to provide students with a touch of space, to inspire them in science and aerospace fields of study and occupations; what teachers call STEM:

Just last week, Brian and Rick made a presentation to two of the School's physics classes about physics and ham radio.  It was well received and very exciting for the students.  Brian will also teach high school students in preparation for a Technician license class this summer July 7-11