- TWO WATTS TX POWER*
- $15 ANTENNA
- SUCCESS!
It only lasted fifteen seconds ...
But some consider it as one of the most exciting contacts a ham can make!
Sat Skeds
Antennas
Tracking
ARISS Equipment Status
EQUIPMENT USED
THE CONTACT
Discussions between the ARISSS team (Amateur Radio on the ISS) and NASA were months in the making: Could the ISS astronauts schedule time on Field Day weekend for some FM voice contacts? Such contacts are seen by many hams as the ULTIMATE in amateur radio contacts.
Well, it was announced by ARISS on June 23-24, 2014 that Astronaut Reid Wiseman (US) and possibly Astronaut Alex Gerst (ESA) would be able to be in the Columbus module and working with the amateur radio equipment for several passes over North America - if nothing else cropped up that would take precedence.
The first of the passes - beginning at 11:11AM PDT Saturday, June 28 - was a most extraordinary one for Southern California: For my location in Rancho Cucamonga, CA, it was about an 85-degree elevation pass! One could not ask for a better pass to work! See the PocketSat3 pass photo on the right.
RADIO
● Yaesu FT-60R, 2W TX*
ANTENNA
PRE-AMP
● What for??? (g)
TRACKING SOFTWARE
FREQUENCIES
● 144.49 UP, 145.80 DOWN
* - WHY turn an HT down to 2W?
Because that was all that was needed!
ISS QSL CARDS available for
just HEARING the ISS!
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ARISS - Amateur Radio on the International Space Station
ISS QSL Card - back
ISS QSL Card - front
The ISS/ARRL team will send you this QSL card for these contacts (as well as for any radio reception from the ISS).
See details below!
I already programmed the anticipated frequencies (Region 2) for FM voice, as well as the 145.825 packet frequency: If the astronauts were not able to work FM voice, packet might have been turned ON instead - and that would still allow reception of the ISS to show to any audiences and/or Field Day attendees!
At 11:10AM PDT, I started monitoring, pointing my handheld beam to the south-west. Within a minute, I heard someone local transmitting on the downlink accidentally. But then I heard Commander Wiseman "NA1SS" confirm reception for a couple stations! Wonderfully clean and clear, with hardly any background noise at all.
Then I keyed my mic and announced myself, and was instantly acknowledged by Commander Wiseman at 11:16AM PDT. I signed off by thanking him for what he was doing for amateur radio that weekend. Others immediately attempted contact and were acknowledged.
I had talked to the ISS before - during our ARISS project at Flabob Airport. But those events are scheduled and calculated and scripted-to-the-second. This was a different kind of excitement, indeed!
SO - THANK YOU to the ARISS team, NASA, AMSAT, and fellow hams for
making this pass a wonderful event for all!
YES! - the ISS/ARISS team will send you a QSL
card for these contacts! For US contacts,
submit your request (QSL card, or typed report)
and include:
- DATE, TIME in UTC, FREQUENCY, and MODE
(Voice, Packet, SSTV, or SWL).
Include a large self-addressed, stamped return
envelope with sufficient postage. For US
contacts, submit your request to ...
Bruce Hunter
ARISS USA QSL Manager
13436 Lakota Road
Apple Valley CA 92308
For those of you outside the US -
please refer to: ARISS QSL PAGE
Use the "Sign Up" link to have NASA send you a text message 12 hours before a visible pass of the ISS!
At my local BestBuy one evening!