HOW TO WORK R0MIR-1 The MIR Space Station is currently orbiting the earth about every 95 minutes while traveling at roughly 17,000 MPH. Due to the fact that MIR is a moving object, and radio frequencies being involved here, Doppler corrections may be needed. On the 2 meter band, the Doppler is a maximim of 3.5 khz on a pass directly overhead (90 degrees). On a pass say 10 degrees above the horizion, the Doppler is small about 1 khz. This can be a very important factor in working the packet Personal Message System. This is because packets may become distorted. Here are some items to look at in your station for sucessful attempts. Note: Doppler on 2 meters is really not too valid unless there will be a pass in excess of 45 degrees or so above you horizion. Your milage will vary. 1. LOCATION If you are in a bad location where it might be difficult to get a signal out, you might be limited to the number of passes that you can work. You might want to look into a simple 1/4 wave 2 meter groundplane. This antenna has a good lob% looking up. (pre-amp suggested) Another common antenna is a J pole, and is a good antenna for this. If you are in the clear to your horizions, you have it made. However, Doppler and antenna type will be your disadvantage. For the average HAM station running say a 50 watt radio, and a J pole antenna has a great advantage on MIR passes that are up to about 20 degrees above the horizion! Doppler isn't a real consideration and your antenna pattern is ideal for something up to 20 degrees above the horizion, or a bit more! Most radios will work, and no frequency corrections are needed. Doppler up on UHF is around 10 KHZ and Doppler compensation is needed! A MUST for SAFEX II or any UHF satellite operations. Note: SAFEX II repeater is semi operational. 437.950rx/435.750tx PL 141.3 2. TRACKING You will need some satellite tracking software to know when and where MIR will be in your area. There is alot of tracking software available on the internet. I use STSPLUS, and have for over 12 years. Keplerian information on MIR and other satellites is updated twice weekly, and can be found on your local BBS. 3. FREQUENCY The frequency is 145.985 SIMLPEX World Wide. (1200 baud packet and Voice) Note: This frequency is subject to change. Look for MIREX UPDATES! 4. PACKET WISE If you are not familar with packet connections or mailboxes, do some expermentations on the ground first before trying to operate MIR. The TNC on MIR is a Kantronics KPC-9612+ V 8.1 and is operating at 1200 baud ONLY. Here is the HELP that you would get on R0MIR-1 when using the Help (H) command. B(ye) PBBS WILL DISCONNECT E(dit) n [BPTYNFH] [>tocall] [> FRAME FROM R0MIR-1 TO THE CURRENTLY CONNECTED STATION BEFORE YOU TRY A CONNECTION! Most TNC's use the command MCOM ON to see ALL frame headers. Consult your TNC user manual for more information. MCOM ON eg. R0MIR-1>WA6LIE [06/21/98 01:00:24]: <>: (This is what my tnc shows) R0MIR-1>W6XXX [06/21/98 01:00:30]: <>: (This station is QRMing) R0MIR-1>K6XXX [06/21/98 01:00:34]: <>: (This station is ALSO QRMing) WHY? R0MIR-1 hasn't yet finished with WA6LIE, thus still connected! The <> is a disconnect request from R0MIR-1 (To connected station ONLY) At this time, you MIGHT be able to connect to R0MIR-1 IF the connected station has already send his <> request. R0MIR-1>WA6LIE [06/21/98 01:00:45]: <>: (NOW R0MIR-1 is DONE with WA6LIE) A <> commonly seen is a "Disconnect" sent to a station. We call this DM City! In otherwords, NO PERSON is doing ANYTHING EXCEPT getting Disconnected! This is seen when stations are trying to connect to R0MIR-1 when there is ALREADY a user CONNECTED! THIS IS THE MAIN CONTRIBUTATION TO QRM AND FAILURES of those that are connected, or trying to connect, or send/read mail! EXAMPLE: If I were on a high speed highway, and STOPPED in the middle of the road to see where I was at, I would become a traffic hazzard. Others would honk their horns and give obscene gestures. Someone else will rearend me, and cause a major accident and close down the road. IF I had been aware of where I was at, and where I was going, there would be no incident, and everything would FLOW NORMALLY! Bottom line: LOOK,THINK and LISTEN FIRST! Don't try to send a message to your buddy down the street to MIR's PERSONAL Mailbox. It will NOT allow 3rd party messages. If you try, you will get a response - MESSAGES MUST BE ADDRESSED TO THIS STATION. Please Don't connect to your buddies MAILBOX OR HOME STATION Via the MIR digipeater! This is like you and your buddy going down the highway at the same speed chit-chatting - IMPEEDING TRAFFIC! ** IF you can run your radio squelch open (using CD SOFTWARE KPC only), you will increase your odds of decoding the signal. Consult your Kantronics manual for more information. -------------- 6. BE COURTEOUS See #5 above, and apply here. Again, please don't try connecting to R0MIR-1 when someone else is already connected! You will get a R0MIR-1 **BUSY. When you get this, don't keep trying while others are connected. This just messes up the other station, and it is interference and will just take that much LONGER for the user to finish before he/she disconnects. Would you like others interfering with your connects to MIR? Look for the <> frame from R0MIR-1 to the connected station. Using MCOM ON will allow you to see all these packets. Here is what MY KPC-9612 would show. R0MIR-1>WA6LIE/1 [05/13/98 22:18:04]: <>: After you see this, hopefully, the ground station has sent his/her disconnect to R0MIR-1, and it will be ready for the next connect. ----------------- R0MIR This is the callsign of MIR. This port has no value to working MIR except credit towards a QSL card. There is nobody at the keyboard. Note: Sometimes a connection to R0MIR will roll over to the mailbox. This is set by the sysop, if the crew sends their script file you will get a message: HELLO FROM MIR SPACE STATION ----------------- DIGIPEATING VIA R0MIR Using UI frames (unconnected informational) is very effecient. APRS uses this mode to send alot of information without having a formal connection to a station. To do this, you must set your Unproto path. In the command mode cmd: type U CQ Via R0MIR There are other variations that can be used like U CM96BX Via R0MIR. This shows my grid square via R0MIR. To use the unproto mode, you next have to get into the converse mode. The letter K works on KPC tncs, and may work on yours. If not, type CONVERSE. Now, EVERY line you type will be digipeated via MIR. Try something like, Hello from Scott in Aptos, Calif. wa6lie@juno.com R0MIR should have digipeated this, and if it does, you will see your line appear on the screen with an astrik after R0MIR(*) DO NOT use R0MIR for formal connects to other stations! Use the digipeater as described above to send your short messages. --------------- QSL REQUESTS USA and WW except Europe: Dave Larsen - N6CO PO Box 311 Pine Grove, California 95665 USA Please include a SASE (Business Size Envelope) and two IRCs > for international. If you are sending an IRC, Please make sure it is dated 1998, as the post office won't accept IRC's dated over 1 year old. Make sure the cancel stamp is in the right place on the IRC. "Green Stamps" (USA ONLY) are apreciated for covering additional costs. European QSLs To: Radio Club "F5KAM - QSL Manger de "R0MIR" " Carrefour International de la Radio" 22, Rue BANSAC - 63000 - CLERMONT-FERRAND - FRANCE with a self-adressed envelope, and two 1998 IRC coupons. ------------------------------------ MIREX WEB SITE INFORMATION Additional information can be found at the MIREX web site at: http://www.ik1sld.org/mirex.htm - or - http://www.geocities.com/CapeCanaveral/Lab/3431/mirex.htm If you have any questions, drop me a note! 73, Scott E-Mail: wa6lie@juno.com Packet: wa6lie@wa6lie.#wcca.ca.usa.noam updated 10/98