MIRNEWS.397                                  5 DECEMBER 1997
Spacewalks (EVA's): On 3.12 RKK Energiya published   changes of the EVA plan 
for December 1997.  This publication sugge sted that EVA's had been planned 
for 6, 12 and 30.12.97. In the sequence of these EVA's the most difficult one 
was sche duled for 6.12.97, i.e. the installation of rails and anchors at the 
outersurface of the module Spektr. However radiotr affic during the last days 
did not give any indication of preparations or exercises for the first EVA:  
on the contrary
 the Russians used all the available time for so called prescribed 
activities: maintenance, repairs (for instance of a cooling circuit) and 
monitoring the airpressure regulation. David Wolf indefatigably continued his 
experiments. Meanwhi le the 'desinformation' of RKK Energiya has been 
silently erased. 
Future plans:  
The departure of Progress-M36  will take place on 17.12.97.  After undocking 
Pr-M36 will release the mini-satellite Ins pektor for a test in the framework 
of a Russian/German project.  Inspektor will make video- and photo's of 
Progress-M36
 as well as of the MIR-space station. 
The next EVA's are still scheduled for 5 and 9.01.1998. 
Radio-amateurism: 
Vinogradov prepared the radio-amateur system in the module Priroda for the 
test which had been proposed by the Amsat or ganisation.  The purpose of this 
test was to see whether it would be possible to use a split band 
configuration (uplink
 437.850 mc, downlink 145.800 mc) of the PMS station on 145.985 mc. During 
many conversations via the geostationary Alt air-2 Vinogradov coordinated his 
activities with the MIR radio-amateur manager, Sergey Samburov (RV3DR).   
It was clear that not all went as had been planned. Vinogradov also had 
problems with cable connections and he had to l ook for adapters to connect 
different cables. He told that he also tried to use 145.800 and 145.550 mc, 
but this was no t a success  due to dense traffic  on these frequencies.  
(Unclear whether he used these frequencies split
 -with 437.850 m down- or simplex on 2 m. only).  Stations on earth received 
him loud and clear but his reception was v ery poor. 
Chris van den Berg, NL-9165/A-UK3202
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