a silly question but = SSB

[Privateer01]

I listen to 145.8 FM to see if the ISS is around and see if anyone is calling. Some astronauts spend their spare time at the ham shack. Packet is on digipeat on 145.825. There is a mailbox too. No HF on the ISS. The school contacts are on a uplink frequency they don’t advertise. The vhf voice uplink is a non-standard split. If you’re cruising and have the time, equipment (a VHF mobile and a bazooka dipole) give it a try. From the oldest form of voyaging to the newest.

[belizesailor]

Originally Posted by CaptainJohn49

Kinda, although I knew you could contact the ISS I don’t personally know anyone who has done it. These guys and girls on these forums know all kinds of things. That’s one reason I love to follow them. Keeps the mind active.

CaptainJohn49

I dont know anyone either, but the real HAMs are into that sort of thing...some of whom hang out here too.

[ka4wja]

Hello to all, and Holiday Wishes to everyone!

Goodness guys, give Chuck a break.
Of course he meant "Space Station" (ISS) not Space Shuttle.

It's almost like none of you have ever been tired from an ocean passage? Or maybe you've never had a brain fart / "duh" moment?


BTW, sorry I haven't been around here in a while, I've been dealing with elderly family medical issue and other serious family matters, but it looks as we've had somewhat of a Christmas Miracle...so, I have some time to check things out here-abouts.

Although it seems well-meaning, I'm seeing some fairly inaccurate and misleading info here in some of these posts. Instead of detailing falsehoods and starting arguments, how about I just add some helpful (?) and factual (and first-hand) info!


So, for the actual answer to Chuck's query:

Currently, the only way for laypersons (non-astronauts) to make contact with the ISS ("Space Station") is via VHF/UHF Ham radio, not HF Ham, not HF Maritime, not "SSB", etc.

And, this will be almost exclusively via the ARISS project/system...and unless you're a ham at a participating school (or one of the students there), there are very few opportunities to actually talk to an astronaut in space (although I have personally done so, see details below and in the amsat link).

Have a look here:

https://www.ariss.org/contact-the-iss.html

https://www.ariss.org/

Originally Posted by belizesailor

I dont know anyone either, but the real HAMs are into that sort of thing...some of whom hang out here too.

Even though we've never met, you do know of me here on Cruiser's Forum...

Please remember that I eschew the on-line bragging, etc., that is used to make the point that the poster is some sort of expert....as this is usually just an exercise in ego stroking....but, once-in-a-great-while, it can be an effective way to make the point that the facts are right there for all to see.


So, in that vein......for those that care, I was one of only approx 300 (312, I think?) hams world-wide that made completed two-way random contact (I actually made TWO two-way contacts, one on each attempt) with the first active ham-in-space, Owen Garriott, W5LFL back in 1983....
Unfortunately Owen passed away this past April, in his home in Huntsville, AL USA.

https://www.amsat.org/first-ham-in-space-amsat-life-member-owen-garriott-w5lfl-sk/

This was in December 1983, when W5LFL was onboard the Space Shuttle "Columbia", using 2m (VHF) FM. In addition to my callsign in the W5LFL log (see amsat page above), I have the two nice two-way QSL cards at home (along with many from my "moonbouce" comms, too).
I built a home-brewed antenna, etc., tracked the shuttle with some paper and pencil calculations (no computer)...and had a blast!

In years since, I've worked with some friends / my local ham radio club during our Field Day operations to get some students from local schools to participate and make an educational / ARISS contact with some astronauts on the ISS....and we actually were able to get a few kids interested and made a contact (once)....of course we've almost always set-up an AMSAT station and made a few ham radio satellite contacts (extra points, ya' know)


In the decades since, except for the ARISS program highlighted above, and email/text messages sent via ham radio, there have been few actual layperson ham contacts with astronauts in space....so, while it is technically possible, it's rare!




BTW, I have also made multiple contacts to other hams by bouncing my signal off the surface of the moon....yes, this is possible to do!
(the US Navy did this in the mid/late 1950's, and for a couple years in the late 1950's the Navy had a secure VHF/UHF tele-type link from Washington, DC to Pearl Harbor, for a few hours each day, that nobody knew existed, let alone was able to monitor.....took a few decades before it was de-classified)
The first time hams did it was 1960, second time was 9-10 years later (it took that long because of the extremely weak signals, the antennas, transmit power, and low-noise receive systems needed!)
Then in the mid-70's approx a dozen hams were working on various projects to make these contacts monthly....

By 1980 / early 80's, there were a few dozen hams in the US and Europe that had the capability to make contacts via bouncing there signals (fairly weak CW/morse code signals) off the moon....
This is when I started to design/build my own moonbouce station (aka "EME" = "Earth Moon Earth")....took me years, 'cuz I was running my business full-time and didn't have much spare $$$ nor spare time, but after a few years I had it done and working well...business changes and personal choices, steered me away from a good deal of operating and after the storms of 2004 damaged my 2m arrays, I haven't been on-the-moon in many years...

Have a look here for some details and pics:
https://www.qrz.com/db/KA4WJA



But, now-a-days, with computer generated / decoded data communications that are capable of making contact with a "negative signal-to-noise ratio" (some as low as -25db negative S/N), that humans cannot detect, the antenna arrays needed are quite small/manageable, even with low-to-medium transmit power, these computers can make and record/log a contact without humans actually hearing anything, seeing anything, or even doing anything....the computers control the radio, steer the antenna, receive/decode the data, and then show the message / contact on the screen of the computer.....and most software then also logs the callsigns of the stations onto an online logbook...so, now making a contact via "moonbounce" is do-able with just a few thousand dollars of investment and one day of time to install and wire things up...but, that's if you're willing to let your computer do the work while you just sit there and read the screen?? (kinda like connecting with someone on the internet).....now-a-days, most hams consider this a valid two-way contact....however I do not....and I'm ridiculed for being an "old fart" that thinks a human should be able to hear/detect a signal and be able to comprehend some sort of "information" being transmitted (the callsign of the station, and that he/she is actually sending to YOU / to YOUR callsign, and some sort of "signal report", etc)....in my opinion, if the human cannot do this, then it isn't a valid ham contact, rather it is a computer contact! But, what do I know.

{FYI, deaf hams usually use data communications / RTTY / Packet / etc....but they are still tuning the radio, etc.}

And of course all hams need to understand radiowave propagation, etc. in order to choose the correct band/freq for the distance of communication / time-of-day....but with today's software, it seems all you actually need to do is click an icon on a computer screen and allow your computer to do the work....to quote a famous last line from a movie: "Madness, Madness!"


Damn, I guess I sorta' rambled here today, huh? Sorry about that!

Fair winds to all....especially Chuck!

John

[belizesailor]

See, I knew a real HAM would come along an answer! [emoji106]