Satellites
You need an Amateur Licence to
work satellites, but if you have not Licence at least you can receive
they. It seems to be a very complicated thing to work one satellite or
only for very good operators with sofisticated antennas and big transceivers...
Really is like this but there are a lot of different satellites on the
sky and you can contact a few just only with a Walkie Talkie!
Most easily I have
worked are UO 14 (is a transponder, as a Repeater), PCsat (Telemetry
and APRS Digipeater also Packet) and ISS, International Space Station
which have on board a Small Packet PMS -Personal Mail System-, also
works as APRS Digipeater and with a little o lucky you can contact with
people on board, yes, most part of astronauts are Radio Amateurs with
Official Licence.
For example I have
contacted these stations with a simple vertical antenna and two equipments
(one for TX and the other for RX, but if you have a Biband transceiver
no need more) and 5 ó 10 w. is enought. ISS sometimes arrives
here signal 9+20 and +30 Db.
QSO from ISS, Spanish Astronaut Mr. Pedro Duque heard in my Amateur
Station on 10-23-03 talking to Earth from Space... Listen It!
You have other possibilities, you can decodify easily meteorologic Sat as NOAA on 137 Mhz
There was my first photo from Meteo Satellite
If you visit my
Multimedia section you can listen a QSO with Space... There are a lot
of satellites sent by Amateurs on the sky... Wath are you waiting for?
More info here.
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