Do you ever want to ask an astronaut a question, or just talk to one? Wouldn’t this be good if you can talk to an astronaut, even they were floating on the ISS in space, looking down on the earth? Actually it is not difficult to do so. All you need is Ham Radio.
Amateur Radio on International Space Station Program
Believe it or not, it is advanced as a space station because the ISS is still equipped with amateur radio equipment. It is a dedicated program to make contact with the station, called Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (Ariss) program. It is a co -operative international program consisting of official space agencies such as amateur radio organization World Wide, as well as NASA. Originally, this only means that the ISS is ready and you are ready to get radio broadcasts from you!
Of course, you will need many things to contact astronauts in the ISS.
To contact the ISS using Ham Radio, you will need an antenna, a transport and a radio license. In particular, you will need a VHF/UHF dual-band transcendary capable of sending or obtaining on both 2 meters and 70 cm band. You do not require technically a specific antenna, but you want an omni-directional base antenna, with coverage with a wide area.
You will also need a license that allows you to operate a ham -radio, which is managed by the Federal Communications Commission in the United States. There are three license classes, but even the most basic will allow you to legally communicate with ISS. An examination is required to obtain a radio operator license.
You may also need Register for scheduled contact opportunity First trying to contact with ISS through officer Aris website,
If you do not want to get all this equipment and license yourself, you can always see to join an amateur radio club, in which it will usually be everything that you need. You can also start your own club, although you still have to buy equipment and license in that case.
Once you have access to the required license and equipment, it comes to the time to contact and make with ISS. To start, understand that you do not guarantee you to get through astronauts, although it is not because they do not want to talk to you! ISS revolves around the Earth at a distance of about 17,500 mph, so your contact window is only a few minutes long when it passes into your area.
Other ham can be radio operators, as soon as you are trying to contact the ISS, so you can compete for a shot to talk. On top of that, you can simply be inauspicious and cannot find a solid transmission during the window of the opportunity. But don’t worry too much – ISS revolves around the Earth for every 90 minutes, and even if you don’t get a chance to talk directly to them, you can tune in conversation that another operator can be with ISS.
Nevertheless, you probably want a chance to talk to astronauts directly at the station. To do this, there are several steps to follow, although keeping in mind that there is never a guarantee of successful contact. You may have to try several times to have a small conversation with someone riding in the ISS.
Determine when ISS will pass in your area
The Radio Range of ISS is constantly changing the Earth’s 90 -minute orbit. To contact, you have to know when to pass your area for the best opportunity to get transmission. There are websites that track ISS because it revolves and predicts areas that will cross it, such as Ariss.org or Heavens-Above.comCheck them and use them to estimate your window of opportunity to contact them.
Make sure you are using the right frequency
If ISS is going to be passed in your area, you will want to turn your radio equipment about 15 minutes before time. In this way, you can do everything located and do not eat in your window of opportunity to set things. ISS UHF and VHF uses amateur radio bands, so you will need to tune for the right frequency to contact them. The most common frequencies for voice contact are 145.800 MHz and 437.800 MHz for packet radio contacts.
If you are on the right frequency, the next thing is to just wait and listen to radio signals. Because the ISS travels so soon, its radio signal will fade in both and outside. Because of this, the best time to contact is when the station is as close to the overhead as much as possible. If an astronaut is transmitted from ISS, they will use call sign NA1SS. If you hear that call sign, you have a shot in speaking directly to someone at the station.
Send a transmission
If you have a license at this point or part of a radio club, you will definitely know the proper radio etiquette while contacting ISS. Regardless, if you hear a transmission from an astronaut riding in the ISS, make sure that you wait to stop the transmission before sending your own call sign and make sure that you use a phonetic alphabet (Bravo for B, W, etc.) etc.
Now, even if your transmission is received, it does not mean that astronauts will directly answer the radio to you, although sometimes, they call to contact them with any available station. If you are invited to contact them or they directly answer you, be sure to include your name and location in your transmission you want to say. Your broadcast will need to be abbreviated, usually less than 10 seconds.
What do you have to say to astronauts?
When you contact, there is not really a strict set of rules to include astronauts on ISS. But generally, the goal is to be humble and avoid controversial or opposing subjects. If you go out of your way to humiliate them, or if you try to rope them in some warm choices, you will probably not talk to the astronaut for a very long time.
After all, astronauts riding on ISS are government employees, and are notable on it. They are not going to talk about anything that will put them in trouble. Instead, focus on the lighting conversation or their job, their daily routine, or even they are asking questions about when you managed to contact them. They will probably be happy to talk about those things.
For an amateur radio operator, making contact with ISS can be one of the most exciting things you can. With correct equipment and procedures, it is also not difficult, either a little patience and luck is required. Get the right gear, find out that when your next window opportunity is coming, and start thinking about things you always want to ask an astronaut!
