Contact with ISS

Post by **meg** » Fri Oct 17, 2008 6:13 pm

Hi all,

Well, my Foundation license is still very shiny and new, but I want to aim high!

Anyone managed to make contact with the International Space Station?

I've found some info on this forum
http://www.issfanclub.com/node/7433
and according to Heavens Above, it'll fly overhead about 7:45pm this evening.
http://www.heavens-above.com

Let's see just how good the handheld can do!

Anyone with stories about space contact?

Cheers
Meg
(rapidly turning into Jodie Foster from "Contact")

Post by **robbage** » Fri Oct 17, 2008 6:31 pm

Good stuff Meg! Good luck with the antenna on the hand-held. Stranger things happen. I didn't realise they used FM. Might have a listen myself.

meg wrote:(rapidly turning into Jodie Foster from "Contact")

3.14159265358979 that's it for me.

Post by **meg** » Fri Oct 17, 2008 6:39 pm

I think S has just agreed with me that we need more antennae

He's busily wrestling with the Chinglish manual to try and get the doppler shifted frequencies in. He says the trick is to think like Dr Suess. We are trying!

There's some more good info on this page too
http://www.rac.ca/ariss/arispak2.htm

Post by **robbage** » Fri Oct 17, 2008 6:42 pm

I'm pretty sure that somebody has translated that manual. I'm just trying to think where I saw it. Might have been on hamshack's website.

Edit:-

Found it. Hamshack has a link to a PDF here which might help you

http://www.trci.org.au/quangsheng%20tips.pdf

Post by **meg** » Fri Oct 17, 2008 7:01 pm

Thanks Robbage - I do have that but I don't think it covers everything about the little ...darlings... they work well and aren't that difficult to program, but reading the manual to figure it out is a joke!

Post by **Zebedee** » Fri Oct 17, 2008 7:14 pm

meg wrote:Thanks Robbage - I do have that but I don't think it covers everything about the little ...darlings... they work well and aren't that difficult to program, but reading the manual to figure it out is a joke!

Haha yes, they're not the easiest things to program that's for sure - I found it a bit counter-intuitive. But then for a hundred bucks, they're still pretty good value I suppose

I still have both of mine (2m one and the 70cm one)

Post by **meg** » Fri Oct 17, 2008 7:23 pm

Zebedee wrote:But then for a hundred bucks, they're still pretty good value I suppose

I still have both of mine (2m one and the 70cm one)

Absolutely! I wasn't meaning to whinge, just vocalising as I bang my head...

We've decided to throw the towel in on the voice, and have instead installed a little linux app called qSSTV - now just 20 minutes to wait and see if we get any pictures

Post by **robbage** » Fri Oct 17, 2008 7:32 pm

Do those things let you program text labels per channel? I remember you remarking my Icom having labels. I'm not sure I could use them if they show frequency only. I'd be scratching my head wondering which repeater 146.675 is.

Post by **meg** » Fri Oct 17, 2008 7:45 pm

I don't think so - just "channel 1" "channel 2" etc. The back of my radio is covered with stickers referencing what repeater is what frequency is what channel...

Post by **meg** » Fri Oct 17, 2008 8:06 pm

Sadly, we heard nothing tonight - but there's more passes over the rest of the weekend!

Post by **robbage** » Fri Oct 17, 2008 8:09 pm

meg wrote:I don't think so - just "channel 1" "channel 2" etc. The back of my radio is covered with stickers referencing what repeater is what frequency is what channel...

So... the same as my scanners then

Post by **Zebedee** » Sat Oct 18, 2008 9:12 am

meg wrote:I don't think so - just "channel 1" "channel 2" etc. The back of my radio is covered with stickers referencing what repeater is what frequency is what channel...

Now where'd you get THAT idea from???

(Robbage, I had my Quansheng down at the last exam day and was showing off my label making skills with the various repeaters stuck all over the back of the battery pack

)

Post by **meg** » Sat Oct 18, 2008 9:14 am

Zebedee wrote:Now where'd you get THAT idea from???

Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery

You'll see S has them on his too next month.

Post by **Zebedee** » Sat Oct 18, 2008 9:24 am

meg wrote:
Zebedee wrote:Now where'd you get THAT idea from???
Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery You'll see S has them on his too next month.

Muahahahaha

Have you told him yet how mean we all are?

Post by **meg** » Sat Oct 18, 2008 6:46 pm

Zebedee wrote:Have you told him yet how mean we all are?

Thought I'd save that as a surprise

Anyway, just had the scanner on what I thought was the voice downlink frequency (145.800) and heard VK6CO's side of a conversation with Richard Garriot on board the ISS. Didn't manage to grab the handheld and get out from under the tin roof quick enough to follow on!

edit: frequencies given are as follows - however on the Voice downlink freq, I only heard VK6CO, not Garriot. Have I gotten uplink and downlink around the wrong way?

* Voice and SSTV downlink - 145.800
* Voice Uplink- ITU 1 (Europe, Africa & Russia) - 145.200
* Voice Uplink - ITU 2&3 (Everywhere else) - 144.490
* Packet up and downlink - 145.825