QA

Question: How To Use Ham Radio Satellites

How can I listen to ham satellites?

All you need is a VHF/UHF FM receiver (like a police scanner) or a VHF/UHF transceiver (like a Yaesu VX-7) and an antenna. Start by visiting Heavens-Above.com to check the orbit of the satellite you want to listen to and specify your location. Check the passes of your specific satellite or the ISS.

Does ham radio use satellites?

An amateur radio satellite is an artificial satellite built and used by amateur radio operators. 25, packet radio, APRS) communications. Currently, over 18 fully operational amateur radio satellites are in orbit. They may be designed to act as repeaters, as linear transponders, and as store and forward digital relays.

How do I listen to space frequencies?

Listen to an upcoming ARISS contact with your scanner or HT On April 18, consider setting your scanner or handheld VHF radio to 145.80 MHz around 15:57 UTC; you may be able to hear the downlink from the International Space Station.

What is uplink and downlink in ham radio?

Downlink: This is the frequency that the repeater uses to transmit. In other words, when people talk on this repeater, this is the frequency you use to hear them. Uplink: The receiver listens on this frequency. If you want to talk to people who are listening to this repeater, you need to transmit on this frequency.

When can I hear the ISS?

“Anybody with a receiver or scanner able to tune into that frequency can listen to the space station when it’s overhead,” Ransom said. “It’ll usually be silent, but every so often you can hear the astronauts talking to somebody.”Aug 18, 2011.

What is the difference between a ham radio and satellite radio?

A Basic Introduction to the World of Off-Grid Comms In contrast, Satellite Phones are slightly more complicated than the equipment you will find built into most HAM units. Where HAM radios are able to pick up any signal within a given broadcast range, satellite phones work through satellites orbiting Earth.

What can you do with a ham radio?

People use ham radio to talk across town, around the world, or even into space, all without the Internet or cell phones. It’s fun, social, educational, and can be a lifeline during times of need. You can set up a ham radio station anywhere!.

What satellites can I receive?

The overwhelmingly majority of satellite dishes installed in the UK are for Sky TV and Freesat which both also trade under different names including Sky+, Sky+HD, Sky Q & Freetime. For each of these services the same satellites are used. There are the Astra 2 satellites at 28.2E and the Eurobird satellite at 28.5E.

How do you answer CQ?

How to answer a CQ: First, use the callsign of the station you’re calling. Follow that by your own callsign, and your approximate whereabouts. If the station you’re calling is very strong, just once will do. If he’s very weak, you might double up the call.

What is cq in ham?

CQ means, “I wish to contact any amateur station.” When answering a CQer you should zero beat the other ham’s frequency. That means setting your transmit frequency as close to theirs as possible.

How do you call the ISS?

If someone does need to “call” the ISS, operators at mission control centres simply relay the audio through a telephone line to Houston into the very high frequency space-to-ground radio network. The phone number at NASA Johnson Space Center is +1 281-483-0123, but your chances of getting through to the ISS are slim.

How do you use ISS APRS?

How to work the APRS digipeater on the International Space Find out if the ISS digipeater is switched on and working. Find out when the ISS will be visible over your city. Configure your radio. Chose the right antenna. Make contact! Fair use:.

Are all astronauts ham radio operators?

Since the earliest days of the Space Shuttle, many astronauts have become licensed radio amateurs to communicate to stations on earth while traveling in space and on the International Space Station. Not all licensed astronauts were part of missions that involved active participation in Amateur Radio activities.

How do ham repeaters work?

The most basic repeater consists of an FM receiver on one frequency and an FM transmitter on another frequency usually in the same radio band, connected together so that when the receiver picks up a signal, the transmitter is keyed and rebroadcasts whatever is heard.

Can you talk to the space station?

As mentioned earlier, radio waves are the best way to communicate between astronauts, but they are also useful for communicating with regular people just like you! There is a HAM radio onboard the ISS, and for those amateur radio operators on Earth, this means that you can speak directly to the astronauts onboard!Jan 16, 2022.

Is the ISS transmitting SSTV?

The planned SSTV mode is PD 120. Several times a year SSTV images are sent from the ISS. In December 2021 from the 26th through the 31st SSTV images will be transmitted. A simple two-meter amateur radio, or scanner, is able to receive the signal on 145.800 MHz.