[GCARC] Visible ISS pass 8:01pm tonight

[Jim n2gxj]

It is a coincidence that at 8pm, same time as the start of tonight's
TechNet, there is a potentially excellent visible pass of International
Space Station (ISS).  I may be a few minutes late to the net so that have a
chance to look (and maybe listen-in to the cross-band repeater traffic
using my hand-held! )

How see it?
If skies are not too cloudy, no binoculars, nor telescope required.  This
is a "naked eye" pass.  Simply stand outside, facing bright Venus in the
west at 8pm.  Within a minute or two, look for a bright dot rising in the
sky from the right of Venus, from the north-west horizon, then passing
above Venus.  This bright dot is the space station.  It is bright enough
for us to see in this pass because of high up sunlight that is not in the
Earth's shadow reflecting off of the body of the space station and its
solar panels.

The ISS will move in an arc across the sky, passing above Venus at 8:03,
then traveling past a point almost overhead - just above Mars - by 8:04pm,
and then continuing until it disappears into the south-east horizon around
8:06.

Can we hear the amateur radio repeater in space on the ISS?
Yes you can! For extra fun, if you want to hear hams trying to use the
cross-band repeater that is on the station at the same time that you are
visually watching the pass, you can take your hand-held outside to listen
in!
Your best bet on your handheld is when the ISS is highest in the sky, up
near Mars.
Simply tune to 437.800 MHz FM on your HT, turn off your squelch so can hear
constant static (also allowing weaker signals to be heard), then hold your
radio flat, so that the antenna is parallel to the ground (instead of the
usual pointing up).

If you really want to get fancy with your receiving, before the ISS is
overhead you might hear the chatter clearer with slightly higher frequency,
e.g. 437.805. Then tune to 437.800 as is overhead. Then tune to slightly
lower frequency after is past, e.g. 437.795. Some people pre-program all
three of these as memories in their HT, but it also works to manually tune.

Have fun, and good luck for clear skies!
73,
Jim

details:
 sky chart showing the pass (hold this overhead, as E-W are reversed,
assuming you are looking up at the sky through the picture)
https://www.heavens-above.com/passdetails.aspx?lat=39.7416&lng=-75.0789&loc=NJ_home&alt=45&tz=EST&satid=25544&mjd=60038.0026358046&type=V

 cross-band repeater status:
  it is configured (it is enabled) 3-April-2023.
  https://www.ariss.org/current-status-of-iss-stations.html