March 27, 2006  

Keyboard to Keyboard RS0ISS-3 (Not used at this time)

The ARISS D700 packet system on ISS supports several digital modes, including Packet Mail, Unproto/APRS and Keyboard to Keyboard connections with full packet acknowledgement with error correction. The Keyboard mode allows two people to establish a packet radio link between two computers and allow them to type keyboard to keyboard. The packets traveling between the two stations are checked for errors, and the TNC’s at both ends will handle the error correction and retransmissions of data as needed. Its nice feature, however it is rarely used. The ISS crews time is very limited and I yet to hear of a documented case where the crew has actually used this feature. We also have a hardware limitation to deal with. At the present time, we do not have a laptop assigned to the Amateur Radio packet station on ISS. This is preventing the crew from using the Keyboard feature and from reading their Packet Mail. 
The ARISS team is actively working on this problem. We hope to have a dedicated laptop by the end of 2006.


Each of these modes is assigned a specific call sign to allow the TNC to direct the data to the correct port.
Packet Mail uses the sign RS0ISS-11. 
Unproto / APRS uses the sign ARISS and others. 
The Keyboard to Keyboard connection uses the call sign RS0ISS-3.

This is what one side of a Keyboard to keyboard connection looks like. KCA4MCQ (not his real call) has connected to the RS0ISS-3 port on the Kenwood D700 on ISS. At the present time, this port is not used and everything he types just goes in to the big bit bucket in the sky.

The ARISS team programmed in a Banner message to inform the users that this port “May not be available”. Also note they thoughtfully included the call sign for the Mail box of ISS.

RS0ISS-3>KCA4MCQ [03/26/2006 13:56:23]: <<I00>>:
ISS Crew Keyboard. Crew may not be available. For BBS/PMS use RS0ISS-11

RS0ISS-3>KCA4MCQ [03/26/2006 13:56:25]: <<RR0>>:
RS0ISS-3>KCA4MCQ [03/26/2006 13:56:29]: <<RR0>>:
RS0ISS-3>KCA4MCQ [03/26/2006 13:56:31]: <<RR0>>:
RS0ISS-3>KCA4MCQ [03/26/2006 13:56:34]: <<RR0>>:
RS0ISS-3>KCA4MCQ [03/26/2006 13:56:38]: <<RR0>>:
RS0ISS-3>KCA4MCQ [03/26/2006 13:56:44]: <<D>>:

The RS0ISS-3 port is also used to send down useful beacon information.

RS0ISS-3>P0PPP0,SGATE,WIDE [03/26/2006 13:57:06]: <<UI>>:
ISS Crew Keyboard. Crew may not be available. For BBS/PMS use RS0ISS-11