Questions tagged [amateur-radio]

Questions about the authorized non-commercial use of the radio spectrum specifically as it relates to spaceflight and space exploration

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Would it be possible to receive the transmissions from JWST as an amateur?

Would it be possible to receive the transmissions from JWST (James Webb Space Telescope) as an amateur, building your own antenna? Would the transmissions be encrypted? One source cites it using: S-...
Jonathan DS's user avatar
2 votes
0 answers
115 views

How is Prospero doing now? Was it really heard in 2004 and have there been recent attempts to contact it?

Screenshot from the excellent historical review in Curious Droid video Black Arrow : The Lipstick Rocket - A Very British Space Program with a photo of Prospero or at least a representation thereof. ...
uhoh's user avatar
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Are there cubesat fan clubs? Does anybody besides their owners pay attention to them, look for or listen for them via radio?

I know the title sounds harsh, but I think it's a valid question. Public outreach and education/inspiration of the next generation has always been a part of spaceflight, and cubesats seemed to be one ...
uhoh's user avatar
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1 vote
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What is the fastest that ParkinsonSat spun? Did it vary with solar activity?

Why would photon pressure be needed to keep ParkinsonSAT Spinning? explains that it was equipped with surfaces that resulted in a sunlight-induced torque which have ...succeeded in keeping the ...
uhoh's user avatar
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4 votes
1 answer
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First Ham Radio contact from space; what frequency, what kind of antenna, and how did they route the coax out the window?

From Phys.org's Earthlings and astronauts chat away, via ham radio: NASA astronaut Doug Wheelock was just a few weeks into his six-month mission at the space station when feelings of isolation began ...
uhoh's user avatar
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3 votes
1 answer
261 views

Was Queqiao in a halo or Lissajous orbit? Why do sources disagree?

Wikipedia's Lissajous orbit says that sources disagree on the nature of Queqiao relay satellite's orbit; if it was in a proper halo orbit or just a Lissajous orbit. Proper halo orbits have the same ...
uhoh's user avatar
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3 votes
2 answers
225 views

Is it allowed to interact with research satelites / rovers using the radio?

Let's say I have a SDR (software defined radio) like the HackRF One at home, access to a huge amplifier circuit and a giant antenna (at my university). Is there a law that prohibits receiving / ...
publicdomain's user avatar
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5 votes
2 answers
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After 21 years of silence how and by whom was OSCAR-7 first identified as functional?

This 2017 comment below an answer to What is the oldest artificial satellite still in use? says: But it should be mentioned that AMSAT-OSCAR 7 was silent between 1981 and 2002 for 21 years. It was ...
uhoh's user avatar
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3 votes
0 answers
50 views

Have there been any advances in space exploration due to COVID-19 and/or shelter-in-place behavior?

Complementing Have there been any setbacks due to COVID-19— like delays or data-loss? I'm asking if there have been any advances or benefits due to COVID-19 and the "shelter in place" behavior it has ...
uhoh's user avatar
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549 views

Have any satellites had lights visible from Earth besides FITSat-1?

Clearly not a duplicate! of Why does the International Space Station have a downward facing light? This answer to How does the Starlink satellite shine? begins with Starlink (and other satellites) ...
uhoh's user avatar
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Data Rates and Radios with Satellites [closed]

I am new to using radios and was wondering why do data rates matter when you use a radio to pull info from somewhere else. Also what does it mean when a satellite sends a wide band signal. Thank you ...
Student Maxwell Palisi's user avatar
4 votes
2 answers
273 views

How can one know that Chang'e-4 was in "locked to the Queqiao" from this SDR spectrogram?

Deep space SDR enthusiast and amateur radio operator Edgar Kaiser @df2mz's 28-Dec-2018 tweet says: Chang'e 4 in lunar orbit last night on 8479.77 MHz. The spacecraft seems to be locked to the ...
uhoh's user avatar
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1 answer
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News of eXCITe with QIKcom-2 and SeeMe, have they been launched, or is there currently one scheduled?

Comments under the question What ever happened to SHERPA? about NovaWurks, Inc. led me to search for the DARPA eXCITe microsatellite. Spaceflight 101's page includes: Th(e) objectives of the ...
uhoh's user avatar
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What satellites can I receive Images from with a radio?

Are there any satellites that I can receive image data streams with an SDR and antenna? I already know about NOAA 15, 18, 19 and METEOR - M 2. Are there any other radio satellites that I can access ...
Prophet's user avatar
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53 votes
3 answers
17k views

How did NASA prevent third parties from spoofing Apollo communications?

The Apollo crews transmitted footage to Earth using SSTV, a ham radio technique that amateurs and pirates can use to send similar messages around the world. Did NASA have any technical ...
user26171's user avatar
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24 votes
5 answers
10k views

What is the feasibility of a rocket hobbyist achieving a LEO orbit with a microsat?

Along with being a rocket hobbyist, I'm also an Amateur Radio Operator. I would like to determine the possibility of placing a "microsat" a miniature packet radio satellite, into a low earth orbit.
G. Ericsson's user avatar
33 votes
4 answers
11k views

What would one need to do to get an amateur satellite into orbit?

I've recently become interested in amateur satellite packet radio, and I've seen that the bandwidth and thus the bitrate is extremely low on most amateur satellites, not even factoring in noise. So I ...
Steve Mucci's user avatar
3 votes
3 answers
381 views

Have amateur satellites ever experimented with optical communications?

I meant to include the more recent amateur satellites such as cubesats, and also amateur radio satellites - where the heritage of amateur satellite building (mostly) has its roots. Have amateur ...
uhoh's user avatar
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4 votes
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Are these really deep space amateur radio satellites?

In this answer there is a link to an amateur radio website listing what looks like satellites of interest to that community. The list is long (over 400 lines) and has a designator character in the ...
uhoh's user avatar
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Why do these 'spy' satellites carry amateur radio packages?

Cosmos 2499 is in this list of amateur radio satellites and according to Gunter's space page it contains amateur radio packages, and are 'secretive', and performed proximity maneuvers with its launch ...
OrangePeel52's user avatar
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8 votes
2 answers
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How can I figure out the distance to Juno at any point in time?

Juno will fly by Earth on October 9, 2013. There is an event to encourage Amateur Radio Operators to say high to the satellite. What I'm trying to do is figure out if I have any chance of pulling it ...
PearsonArtPhoto's user avatar
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5 votes
2 answers
3k views

What are the risks involved in amateur high-altitude ballooning, and how can we mitigate them?

Over the past few years, it's become somewhat of a trend to send up high-altitude balloons and post videos on internet. Well-known examples include Toy Train in Space and Picard & Kirk in Space. ...
loghaD's user avatar
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15 votes
3 answers
474 views

Is there a pre-published time that astronauts on the ISS will be available on Ham Radio?

The International Space Station has a Ham Radio station, and I've heard that the station frequently makes contact with people on the ground. I've seen the crew timelines, but they only publish what ...
PearsonArtPhoto's user avatar
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15 votes
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2k views

Cubesats in lunar orbit and beyond - how does communication work?

Somewhere I read that there are serious plans to send a cubesat into lunar orbit. A few years ago, the ISS was also offering a launch opportunity for such a mission. I guess that it was actually ...
s-m-e's user avatar
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