I have been trying to years to raise someone at the ISS on ham radio without success. Even on the EchoLink. Anyone have tips for what I might be missing here?
This site is a really good resource:
Amateur Radio on the International Space Station
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Re: Amateur Radio on the International Space Station
#22Earlier quoted context omitted.
No, the endpoints are communicated through radio but they are linked using a system similar to VOIP.
Then why don't you just use the internet in the first place, and skip the license and expensive equipment?
I think I can understand part of the reason why - it's kind of a gatekeeping device. You're guaranteed to meet someone who at least has one interest similar to yours, and someone who's gone through the trouble of getting a license and a radio. It's not like going to ChatRoulette and clicking around until you get tired of seeing genitals.
Re: Amateur Radio on the International Space Station
#23> A key development is the Multi-Voltage Power Supply (MVPS), which interfaces with multiple electric outlet connection types on ISS
So here we have the supposed pinnacle of human achievement and international cooperation, and they can't even agree on a common electrical plug and voltage?
Excuse me while I go and cry in my beer..
Re: Amateur Radio on the International Space Station
#24Earlier quoted context omitted.
Then why don't you just use the internet in the first place, and skip the license and expensive equipment?
I think I can understand part of the reason why - it's kind of a gatekeeping device. You're guaranteed to meet someone who at least has one interest similar to yours, and someone who's gone through the trouble of getting a license and a radio. It's not like going to ChatRoulette and clicking around until you get tired of seeing genitals.
For (practically) any given interest, there's a way to find someone else with the same interest somewhere else that you can ask to Skype with.
Re: Amateur Radio on the International Space Station
#25Finally, the moment I've been waiting for, amateur radio on the top of hackernews. :) It's also worth mentioning we've got a lot of amateur radio satellites in orbit[0], and more coming, including a geosynchronous satellite launching sometime in March (Es'hail 2)[1]. Some are very easy to get into with just an HT (or two for full-duplex).[2] [0] http://www.amsat.org/status/ [1] https://amsat-uk.org/tag/eshail-2/ [2]…
If you find AMSAT interesting, you'll probably also enjoy the high altitude ballooning (HAB) projects. This guy [0] built an 11-gram transponder payload and floated it up on what was, essentially, a mylar party balloon. It circled the globe at least once and came ashore over the northwestern U.S. near Tacoma, WA and I was lucky enough to pick it up on a handheld radio while standing in my backyard [1].
[0] https://amsat-uk.org/2014/07/31/434-mhz-balloon-b-64-complet...
Re: Amateur Radio on the International Space Station
#26Amateur Radio Licensing at http://www.arrl.org/getting-licensed for those interested. You'll need it if you want to attempt to contact the ISS.
https://hamstudy.org/ Is a fantastic resource for this as well. Along with the various flashcard apps on mobile.
Re: Amateur Radio on the International Space Station
#27If you want to use a communication system that will work if the Cell towers, local internet, and the phone system are offline get an Amateur Radio Licence. If you want to talk to some random person in Australia using a system which routes your radio through the internet get an Amateur radio Licence. If you want to help out in a disaster then get an Amateur radio licence.
There are lots of interesting hobbyist/hacker/maker projects as well, like the sdr chips, HF kits like uBitX, and FaradayRF. One of my coworkers has his license to track model rockets with a small transmitter that sends GPS telemetry. Lots of cool stuff!
Re: Amateur Radio on the International Space Station
#28I got a technician's license last year. But since hand held Ham radios are so cheap these days, it's a great idea to buy one and learn how to use the national simplex frequencies and your local repeaters. In the case of a real emergency, the FCC allows you to use a Ham radio without a license.
The BaoFeng UV-82 is a great starting point for less than $30.
Re: Amateur Radio on the International Space Station
#29Earlier quoted context omitted.
No, the endpoints are communicated through radio but they are linked using a system similar to VOIP.
Then why don't you just use the internet in the first place, and skip the license and expensive equipment?
I thought it was a nice example of new stuff in Amateur radio. In retrospect I should have mentioned the new digital modes.
Re: Amateur Radio on the International Space Station
#30"A key development is the Multi-Voltage Power Supply (MVPS), which interfaces with multiple electric outlet connection types on ISS and provides a multitude of power output capabilities for our current and future ARISS operations and amateur radio experimentation. It will also allow our Ham Video system to have a dedicated power outlet, eliminating the outlet sharing we have now, which shuts down Ham Video at times."…
>Looks like quite a feat to qualify a spacecraft power supply!
It's actually a hell of a feat to get any kind of electronics certified for outer space use.
The atmosphere we have blocks a HUGE portion of ionizing radiation, including x-rays and gamma rays. Those forms of energy will play merry hell with any kind of sensitive electronics, so they have to be suitably ruggedized -- far more so than even most military specs which mostly call for shock, impact, and exposure to elements. Since they can be supplying power to sensitive electronics, where half a volt can be the difference between containing and letting out the magic smoke, that sort of regulation is absolutely key.