Listening to orbiting satellites and space shuttles
- Filed under: Ham Radio
- Date: Jun 1,2008
One of the things I’m most interested in with Ham Radio, is Satellite Communications. There are satellites in space that contain repeaters that enable ham’s with the right equipment to communicate incredible distances in voice mode, Morse Code, and Packet Radio.
With the right equipment (Meaning Radio’s that can tune to the right frequencies and good antenna’s) you can also listen to the Space Shuttles communications with Ground Control. Most astronauts are also Ham radio operators and they often spend some of their “free time” in space talking with other ham’s down on earth.
I have tried and failed many times to hear Space Shuttle communications the few times I notice the shuttle being in range, but I must admit I do not have the greatest antenna for this kind of reception AND I only have a VHF radio which really limits the number of “space frequencies” that I can monitor. The best i’ve gotten was hearing morse code via a satellite, and hearing packet radio packet’s whizzing by on the frequencies.
You need to download software to know what satellites are in range of your current location. There are lots of these softwares available. Google “Satellite Tracking software” . This Nasa Page has J-Track available for download which has been recommended to me by a few Ham’s.
If you’d like to read more on the subject, I suggest visiting these sites :
- AMSAT - The Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation
- NASA - Satellite Tracking Webpage
- NORAD Links - Weather Satellites, Communications Satellites, and scientific satellite frequencies
- Ken Reitz wrote an interesting post on this subject in 1998.
Thanks for visiting TechieNATION, stay tuned for lots more intersting techie subjects !
4 Responses for "Listening to orbiting satellites and space shuttles"
Yes, AmSats are cool. I’ve only recently started exploring them. I talked to a guy in Texas last night from New Hampshire via satellite AO-51 which is one of the more popular and easy to access “birds”
The coolest thing about this was the equipment I used. I was standing outside holding a small directional antenna in one hand and a little 5 watt “handie talkie” in the other. (the little radio is about 20 years old too)
I use a free program called “Orbitron” to tell me when things of interest are coming my way. The slick thing about the program is that it also does “prediction” so you can plan your schedule accordingly days in advance. It also provides a wicked cool screen saver.
I’ve also been lucky enough to talk to the astronauts on the ISS twice…from my car!! Ham radio really is a very cool hobby which constantly evolves and teaches me new stuff every week.
Doug AA1UI
Hi Doug, thanks for the comment ! What band do you generally use? Is it a mix of vhf / uhf ?
You really are lucky to have been able to speak with the ISS … that is my mission and dream right now ! Any advise ???
Take Care !
Jason
VE2RIF
Hi Jason,
AMSAT.org has all the frequencies for the different amateur satellites . In my case, the AO-51 has an uplink on VHF and downlink on UHF. Most modern radios can operate “split” like this quite easily. The best ones actually listen simultaneously to both. (so you can hear yourself coming back down and know you are “in”)
As to the ISS, well, it’s a combination of many things.
1) A frequently active operator on board the ISS!
2) Watching this website for operating trends. http://www.issfanclub.com/ This is by far the best resource I’ve found for tracking what other operators are hearing around the world.
3) Best time to find someone on air is during their breaks (lunch) and remember they operate on a UTC work schedule!
4) Use a computer program to tell you when the passes occur. (I would then use this as an excuse to take a 15 min break from work and go listen) There were many days when I just heard packet bursts, but even then it was satisfying to know they were there.
5) Stacks of patience of course
Good luck with your mission!
Until just a few weeks ago I only had a VHF radio, and there were only a couple satellites I knew of that had uplink and downlink in VHF.
I recently bought a UHF portable at a hamfest, but never considered trying to listen to satellite downlinks on it, I thought it would have been impossible with only a handheld. However now that you say you’ve spoken with ISS twice on a handheld, I’m going to give my handheld UHF a try ASAP !
Thanks a lot for the extra information Doug.
73’s and happy satelliting !
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