Telebridge Network
Status and Future
Dave Taylor, W8AAS
U.S. Delegate to ARISS-International
w8aas@amsat.org
Background
• Telebridge network began in 1985
• Supported SAREX mission for Tony England
• Telebridge stations have been a United States
responsibility since then
Recent History
• In 2008, we began a search for additional
telebridge stations
• In 2009, we added
– LU8YY and LU1CGB in Argentina
– VK6MJ in Australia
• In 2010, we added
– IK1SLD in Italy
Current Stations
• 9 active telebridge stations
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AH6NM, Hawaii, USA
IK1SLD, Casale Monferrato, Italy
K6DUE, Maryland, USA
LU1CGB, Buenos Aires, Argentina
LU8YY, San Luis, Argentina
W6SRJ, California, USA
VK4KHZ, Queensland, Australia
VK5ZAI, South Australia, Australia
VK6MJ, Western Australia, Australia
Current Stations (cont.)
• In development
– VE4ISS, Winnipeg, Canada
• Inactive
– ON4ISS, Belgium
– W5RRR, Texas, USA
Telebridge Locations
ON4ISS
VE4ISS
IK1SLD
W6SRJ
K6DUE
W5RRR
AH6NM
VK4KHZ
LU8YY
VK6MJ
LU1CGB
VK5ZAI
Active
Inactive
Future
Evaluation Process
• Get details about operator and station
• Review application
• Conduct test pass
Selection Criteria
• Considerations for approving a telebridge
station include:
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Location
Technical
Language
Access
Legal
Impact of Added Stations
• Increased processing when generating best
weeks and pass options
• Increased work to filter options and check
station availability
• Decreased contacts for existing stations,
particularly if footprints overlap
– Station operators become out-of-practice
• Time spent tracking status of station,
monitoring performance
Current Status
• We receive occasional requests from interested
hams
• Three requests pending
– Italy
– Malaysia
– Brazil
Proposal
• ARISS should take over operation of the
telebridge network from AMSAT-NA
• The Operations Committee should be
responsible for selecting and managing
telebridge stations
• The ARISS-I Delegates should be responsible for
approving new stations