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COMMENT PAGE FOR:
HTML Contact the ISS
ErroneousBosh wrote 1 hour 5 min ago:
About 17 years ago I recorded Richard Garriott's side of a conversation
with a school in Warwick in England. The school was several hundred
miles south, so well out of radio range, but obviously it's a clear
path the thousand miles or so to the ISS! [1] There's a video somewhere
on Youtube with another recording from Hampshire, just a short distance
south of the school but still too far too hear them. It's crazy hearing
the two different recordings of the same thing :-)
HTML [1]: https://gjcp.net/mp3s/iss-friday1106.mp3
firesteelrain wrote 2 hours 13 min ago:
I have used the APRS on the ISS to talk with other amateur radio
operators. I also spoke to an astronaut briefly from my backyard using
a Kenwood D72A and an Elk antenna.
jeffwass wrote 2 hours 35 min ago:
My daughter is deaf and goes to a specialist deaf secondary school in
the UK.
Five years ago ARISS-UK pre-arranged a connection between the school
and astronaut Mark Vande Hei on one of the ISS flyovers. Various
students got to ask questions directly to Mark in orbit. It was the
first contact between ISS and a deaf school.
HTML [1]: https://www.arrl.org/news/ariss-confirms-october-12-as-date-fo...
GistNoesis wrote 3 hours 28 min ago:
Or use lasers :
HTML [1]: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DCQ2CbfGs6g&t=440s
ssernikk wrote 1 hour 16 min ago:
Lasers in space are fun! We[1] are actually doing this for real but
automated and inversed -- launching a satellite with a laser to beam
data down to Earth. Like these searchlights, but from orbit! [1] A
bunch of students at
HTML [1]: https://satlab.agh.edu.pl
exitnode wrote 4 hours 49 min ago:
Last October, I had the honor of making such contact with the ISS. I
posted about this on my website here: [1] The ISS has radios on board
that allow amateur radio operators to send and receive APRS messages,
talk to other hams via their built-in FM repeater or to receive SSTV
images. They also have amateur TV stuff on board but I have not
explored this yet. Crew members with an amateur radio license can pick
up the mic of the radio that acts as a FM repeater to make contacts
with other hams on the earth.
You can contact the ISS via a handheld setup (FM radio and a yagi
antenna in your hand) or with a stationary setup like mine:
HTML [1]: https://rz01.org/na1ss/
HTML [2]: https://rz01.org/leo-sat-ground-station-v3/
ErroneousBosh wrote 1 hour 2 min ago:
> You can contact the ISS via a handheld setup (FM radio and a yagi
antenna in your hand) or with a stationary setup like mine: [1] A
good few years ago I had a crack as using the ISS's crossband
repeater when it was on and could hear myself clearly with a Kenwood
TH-F7E and home-made dual-band crossed dipole.
Unfortunately no-one else could work me, because they'd boosted the
satellite's orbit, the TLEs hadn't been updated, and so everyone with
a nice motorised antenna positioner was aiming at the wrong part of
the sky.
Me standing in my back garden pointing roughly in the direction of
the fast-moving bright spot? Nah that worked perfectly :-D
HTML [1]: https://rz01.org/leo-sat-ground-station-v3/
exitnode wrote 4 hours 47 min ago:
If you are interested in amateur radio in general, you might enjoy
reading my "Declaration of Love to Amateur Radio":
HTML [1]: https://rz01.org/a-declaration-of-love-to-amateur-radio/
wortelefant wrote 5 hours 7 min ago:
I wonder what kind of messages they'll receive on the ISS - "Excuse me
sir, do you have a moment to talk about our Lord and Savior, Jesus
Christ"?
creatonez wrote 46 min ago:
I'm surprised they haven't been spammed by flat earthers & moon
landing deniers so much that they have to stop picking up the radio.
Possibly explained by moon landing deniers being too stupid to
operate radio equipment.
HelloUsername wrote 5 hours 41 min ago:
Related discussion in 2018
HTML [1]: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16375474
fevercell wrote 7 hours 5 min ago:
When I was studying to get my Technician-class ham radio license a few
weeks ago I was slightly curious as to why there were questions
relating to space stations and satellites, like "any ametaur with a
radio license can contact the ISS" and such, but I paid those thoughts
no mind as I was being hasty trying to legally fiddle with my APRS
tracker in a weather balloon.
I should re-review those exam questions; I might be licensed to do a
lot more than I know I can.
burnt-resistor wrote 5 hours 45 min ago:
Can't ham radio operators also be drafted involuntarily in times of
disaster and war? Incidentally, America suspended all amateur radio
operations during WWII.
benchly wrote 4 hours 18 min ago:
Just to clarify, no, we cannot be involuntarily drafted because we
are amateur radio operators. However, should we be drafted in time
of need, our experience in radio does help direct the likely path
we would end up taking.
You also bring up an interesting time in ham radio history that a
lot of newer hams are largely unaware of; WWII. Amateur radio
thrives on communication globally, so anyone from the US could talk
to anyone from any other country. The need for restrictions of the
bands became obvious in the years leading up to the US entering the
war, with various countries that were once accessible by radio
going dark. The US logically followed suit, but operators were
still monitoring.
There's a great article on this time in amateur radio history here;
HTML [1]: https://bw.billl.net/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/Radio-Hist...
eru wrote 4 hours 24 min ago:
> Can't ham radio operators also be drafted involuntarily in times
of disaster and war?
Approximately anyone can.
maxbond wrote 4 hours 51 min ago:
Ham operators are understood to have a role in coordinating
disaster communications but it's on a voluntary basis. They're no
more or less subject to being drafted than anyone else. Your name
and address does end up in a public database, however. (I'm talking
about the United States. I have no idea about anywhere else.)
nubinetwork wrote 3 hours 57 min ago:
> Name and address end up in a database
You can get your license using a PO box... it's not perfect, but
its better than giving everyone your home address.
throwawaymobule wrote 4 hours 41 min ago:
Does not registering for selective service impact your ability to
get a ham licence? I know it impacts some things.
maxbond wrote 4 hours 27 min ago:
All you'll need to do is show up with a photo ID and take a
written exam, but you will likely have trouble getting a photo
ID without registering for selective service (if you're a male
18-25). That's how they got me, I refused to register because I
believed the draft was unjust, but was pressured into getting a
driver's license and had to sign my draft card to get it.
eru wrote 4 hours 23 min ago:
Could you get a driver's license in another country?
maxbond wrote 4 hours 11 min ago:
To be honest we've reached the end of my expertise but I
think that would work. This thread from 2007 says it will
work as long as you don't represent a foreign government.
[1] Looking at the current form 605 it still doesn't seem
to list any citizenship requirement, only that you do not
represent a foreign government. [2] I think the deciding
factor would be whether you can convince the examiner the
ID is legitimate.
HTML [1]: https://forums.radioreference.com/threads/ham-lice...
HTML [2]: https://www.arrl.org/files/file/VEs/NCVEC_Form_605...
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