Ham Talk Live! Episode 228 - The New Radio on the Space Station

Is a cross band repeat radio needed to listen?

 

Search the Google Play Store for the app "ISS Detector" Excellent app not only for the ISS but other amateur radio satellites as well.

John
KC4LZN

 

or this web site :

https://isstracker.pl/?lang=en&fbclid=IwAR1gZG6-8QzzCXxlMYvsKP2pgTzTEuCDP1IuG_XhiVbRH9UC_KnBDtF3bgs

 

Thank you very much! I checked it, and it answered all my questions. Hams helping Hams, you can't beat it!

 

All you need to listen to this signal is a radio that will receive 437.800 MHz FM. KG8ZQ Jerry

 

Very good news for the ISS users so my question its possible now the connection with the PMS system its very necessary in order to make contacts outside of the footprint best regards to all from Cuba. Noel

 

I believe the message system has been removed entirely from the new system.

 

Bad new PMS its the only way to work all the world from satellite using the PMS I work Greece, Italy, Israel,Russia... was very fun for me I need some link to read all about the actual system like frequencies and how to operate with the new setup thank you

 

Question that I don't see in the comments..
What is everyone using for an antenna? And can you hear traffic with a regular mobile or HT rig?

Thanks
Lloyd

 

Yes.

If you plan on working it, you'll need a directional antenna for best results (most use Arrow IIs or Elks). With a decent pass (low usage, good elevation, polarities match up), you should be able to do it with a standard HT whip, as well. I haven't tried it, but I've seen reports of some that have been successful.

 

Hi Patrick! Heard you on the dnL, 11Sept @ 2103pdt..For portable tracking I use "GoSatWatch, SatTrackerPlus(w/doppler), and ProSat (w/doppler) on the iPhone.. 73, Eric

 

Thanks!

I was using my IC-2730 and an Elk antenna from my back yard that evening. I had been using various HTs on the passes that were closer to midnight or 1AM PDT, and getting through with 2 to 5 watts. When you heard me, I was using 15W to get through.

Hoping the repeater comes back on soon, or maybe we will hear the new radio working as a digipeater...

73!

 

At this point I don't have any sort of gain beam or anything for 440 anymore. But I went out with my HT and quarter wave with the squelch open as it passed pretty high angle over Ohio this evening, quite visibly. I was hoping to hear something weak on the downlink but all I heard was some kind of incidents of maybe quieting in the background noise, no sound. Maybe no one was up on it. But I heard nothing on the Fri night pass either. Surely there is enough room on ISS for a small UHF duplexer to allow single band repeater? (I did rotate my radio around to see if I could hear it due to variation of polarity, too)

 

Thanks for the info Rick! I just signed up at ny20.com I've been hearing the ISS repeater very well, but there are so many people are on it I don't think I've keyed it using the only 2 meter antenna I currently have up, a Cushcraft A148-10S 10 element yagi. I wonder if a azimuthal rotor would help or if a omnidirectional antenna would work better? By the way, I love your QRZ profile page! Lots of great info! I've copied a few of the SSTV pics you have on your page, the 5 below using the same antenna and a old Radio Shack HTX-242 FM mobile. I'm using a Yaesu FT-991A now that Uncle Sam paid for with the economic stimulus payment. I'm loving it, but getting one that worked to start with was a royal PITA as told by this post to my blog. FYI, President Trump just signed the bill for economic stimulus payment # 2 on Wednesday, September 16th! Should have waited and maybe I could have gotten a FTdx-101D, but I still would have needed another $649.95 to go with $2400.00 in stimulus money for enough to buy a FTdx-101D at Gigaparts. The FTdx-101D is now the top rated receiver on Sherwood Engineering's receiver test data! I have very limited resources since multiple myeloma plasma cell cancer got into my spinal bone marrow 14 years ago and disabled me after 30 years in the workforce. Thank God for my amateur radio hobby giving me something to do else I would have gone completely off the deep end by now!

Thanks again for the ISS tracking info! Very much appreciated!
"Very 73 de Cliff, KU4GW"







Lots of noise on the one below and somehow I missed part of it.

 

Hello Cliff,

I have used various radios and antennas over the years with the ISS digipeater and other satellites, which doesn't take much to get in. The issue now is everyone wants to play with the new toy on the ISS and they are more than likely using quite a bit of wattage to ensure they get in. I am not a fan of using more than 10 watts with a handheld antenna, so I am content to wait. If you want to get in now I would say the best chance would be a near overhead pass in the middle of the night or before sunrise. I have heard two operators make a quick contact on a satellite late at night and then clear for others, but no one else chimes in so they enjoy a quick chat for a minute or two.

As to your antenna, it is single band with 10 elements. It has much more directivity than say four elements and your Yagi is probably pointed toward the horizon. You could spend plenty of money on a rotor system that would track satellites/ISS as they pass, or spend much less and give your vertical omni a try as you suspected would be better, or spend a little and use a handheld log periodic that handles VHF and UHF.

As you can see from my captured SSTV images, my gear improved over time. I initially used my phone to record a pass and now it records directly to a microSD card in the radio. The Elk Log Periodic provides directivity and gain that is significantly better than an omni for satellite work. A VHF/UHF directional Yagi would also provide improved results for SSTV as well as the ISS crossband repeater. Still, I am fine with waiting versus pushing plenty of watts into a handheld antenna.

Edit:
Well, I just scrolled up and read Patrick's note which confirmed my thoughts about getting in late at night. WD9EWK easily surpasses my experience working satellites, so follow his lead.