am i able to listen to ISS with a scanner?

mparker · #1 (**permalink**) 02-07-2009, 08:12 PM

sorry for the newbie question, reading around on this section of the forum has peaked my interest...

am i able to just listen to ISS when it passes over my state with just a scanner? thanks guys...

ka3jjz · #2 (**permalink**) 02-07-2009, 08:21 PM

Yes you certainly can. An outdoor antenna will increase your chances considerably. Monitoring 145.8 will bring results when and if the amateur station is active. Keep in mind that the station is a secondary mission for the astronauts, and they will power it down when safety requires it (such as during spacewalks or cargo ship arrivals). The higher the pass, the greater the chance that you will hear it. There are many online tools to help you determine this. See our Satcom wiki for more information

73 Mike

mparker · #3 (**permalink**) 02-07-2009, 08:30 PM

awesome... thanks for the info...

mparker · #4 (**permalink**) 02-07-2009, 08:38 PM

i cant figure out how to read the charts that show its path.... grrr

ddoorman · #5 (**permalink**) 02-07-2009, 08:57 PM

Check out the following site for orbital information of the ISS: Human Space Flight (HSF) - Orbital Tracking

WouffHong · #6 (**permalink**) 02-07-2009, 09:36 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mparker

sorry for the newbie question, reading around on this section of the forum has peaked my interest...

am i able to just listen to ISS when it passes over my state with just a scanner? thanks guys...

Go to LIVE REAL TIME SATELLITE AND SPACE SHUTTLE TRACKING and it will show you where the ISS is right now.

Click on " 5 days prediction with graphics " and having read your IP address, it will show you a map of your location and a place where you can see the nearby passes (look at the elevation column) and with "draw" it will show you the "arc" of passes you select.

When the ISS is approaching you, go back to the original "main" page and click on both "Draw Lines" and "Show Footprint" for an excellent look at it's approach and if you are in the "footprint" of visibility and direction. :-)

To hear Voice: 145.800

To hear Data (Ham Packet): 145.825

Frequency info is great at: ISS Frequencies | ISS Fan Club

Ham Calls heard via ISS can be seen at: Amateur Radio Stations heard via ISS

If you see "w4nov-2" - That's me. :-)

Yes - A Scanner will pick it up, but, as mentioned, an outside antenna would work best - I talk through ISS with a Comet GP3 dual-band Vertical with 20 watts and get almost as good results with a Diamond Discone at 30 feet. :-)

Tom, W4NOV

mparker · #7 (**permalink**) 02-07-2009, 09:46 PM

at the list i checked the box to show only visible passes.. but they seem so far away... there are others that pass directly over me...

whats the deal with that?

when is the best time for me to try to listen?

i am at
Latitude: 39.931735°
Longitude:-83.15938°
if anyone wants to see what i am seeing...

thanks guys...,

wx2watch · #8 (**permalink**) 02-07-2009, 09:55 PM

Go to the following web site:
Heavens-Above Home Page

Select your geographic location on their home page and then go the page which is marked:
Radio Amateur Satellites

This will give you ALL passes of the ISS ( and other satellites) for your location.

Other "marked" pages will give you the visble satellites, planets, etc.

Regards,
John (Western NC - USA)

mparker · #9 (**permalink**) 02-07-2009, 10:03 PM

here is what it tells me...

rdale · #10 (**permalink**) 02-07-2009, 10:19 PM

Don't search for visible, search for all.

mparker · #11 (**permalink**) 02-07-2009, 10:25 PM

ok.. here is a little snippet.. the list was pretty long.. what does this all mean...

mparker · #12 (**permalink**) 02-07-2009, 10:29 PM

also found this info on nasa's site...

Human Space Flight (HSF) - Sightings

rdale · #13 (**permalink**) 02-07-2009, 10:35 PM

The "sightings" list is the same thing as visible. It means those are the passes you can see. You want all passes, which is your second img shot.

mparker · #14 (**permalink**) 02-07-2009, 10:38 PM

so those start times i should tune in and see if i hear anything?

sounds to easy lol

mikelib · #15 (**permalink**) 02-07-2009, 10:47 PM

A couple of days ago I was able to receive 9 seconds of packet data on 145.825. Using a BCD396T scanner hook up to a car CB antenna that is on the floor next to my couch. The scanner was hooked up to my computer sound card and I was running a AGW packet engine with a UI-viewer.

The ISS was right over my location and I received the following APRS Packets:

17:55:53R N8XYR>APRS,RS0ISS-3* Port=1 <UI Len=42>:
=4526.15N/08457.30W-Ken in en75mk {UISS52}

17:55:54R KC2PCR>APRS,RS0ISS-3* Port=1 <UI Len=34>:
:KI4TZ :Hi Joe -73 via ISS digi

17:55:54R RS0ISS-11>VA3NDO Port=1 <RR R F R1>

17:55:55R RS0ISS-11>VA3NDO Port=1 <I C P S3 R1 Len=22>:
CMD(F/K/M/R/W/B/H/?)>

17:56:08R KI4TZ>KC2PCR,RS0ISS-3* Port=1 <UI Len=18>:
packets seems slow

17:56:08R W4AEJ>APRS,RS0ISS-3* Port=1 <UI Len=29>:
=3031.90N/08626.91W- {UISS52}

17:56:09R VE9DKS>CQ,RS0ISS-3* Port=1 <UI R Len=20>:
VE9DKS Danny FN66FH

17:56:09R RS0ISS-11>VA3NDO Port=1 <RR R F R3>

17:56:09R RS0ISS-11>VA3NDO Port=1 <I C P S4 R3 Len=18>:
Subject:
Message:

Mike Lib
WA2ACV

rdale · #16 (**permalink**) 02-07-2009, 11:00 PM

Note they sleep from around 5pm to 3am EST, so don't try during those timeframes.

wx2watch · #17 (**permalink**) 02-07-2009, 11:24 PM

For the Heavens-above web site, you need to choose:

Radio Amateur Satellites - 24 hour predictions (all passes)

That page will show MANY amateur satellites and their beacon frequencies.
(I can NOTguarantee the validity of any other than the 145.800 for ISS)

Look for an ISS prediction when the MAX ALTITUDE is greater than about 50 degrees for best results - then turn your scanner ON about a minute or two before max altitude happens for your location.

(It is also kind of neat to watch the ISS on those twilight passes when it is visible.)

Sometimes you will hear packets, sometimes voice from either the astronauts OR, when the cross-band repeater is on, you will hear other earth based hams. AND, sometimes you will hear SSTV (slow scan TV).

The last day or so, 145.800 has been silent in my location. Hard to say when the occupants of ISS have the time to monitor/respond. I got lucky the other day and heard someone repeat my call-sign, KG4LBJ, while trying the cross-band.

Uplink, IN THE US, talking to the ISS is 144.49
Uplink for cross-band is 237.800

Good luck (and keep listening)
John

ka3jjz · #18 (**permalink**) 02-08-2009, 08:41 AM

If memory serves the uplink when the x-band repeater is on is 437.8, not 237.8. Packet is on 145.825.

You would, of course, need to be fairly close to the sending station to have a chance at hearing the uplinks. Stick with 145.8. By the way, if the station is sending packet (that has been reported lately), there is software for decoding that, as well as software for SSTV, which they also have used in the past. Again, that's all documented on the wiki 73 Mike

wx2watch · #19 (**permalink**) 02-08-2009, 10:36 AM

OOPs, my mistake for quoting numbers in the middle of the night without double checking!! I should, indeed, have said 437.8 MHz for the uplink.

Thanks,
John

boyledad · #20 (**permalink**) 02-08-2009, 02:11 PM

Even when there is no voice traffic on 145.80 the packet bursts on 145.825 will confirm that the pass schedules you are getting are correct. I heard three passes yesterday this way. The data bursts are a few seconds apart and if you are scanning both frequencies you should hear it. I can catch it with the mobile antenna on my truck all the way down to 8 degrees inclination.