[GCARC] Still more pictures from space!

[Jon Pearce]

Now the Russians are celebrating Christmas with more pictures from space!. They'll begin on Christmas day at 9:55 AM (on the next overhead pass following that time, of course) and end on January 5 at 9:20 AM. Instructions for finding the pass times and listening and decoding the signals are below. These signals are strong on high passes and can often be heard on an HT. Give it a try!

As usual thanks for John K2QA for the tip.

73 de Jon WB2MNF

________________________________
From: Jon Pearce
Sent: Monday, November 11, 2024 2:06 PM
To: gcarc at mailman.qth.net <gcarc at mailman.qth.net>
Subject: More pictures from space!


Yet another ‘Pictures from Space” session is going on now.



Below is the ARISS announcement:

https://ariss-sstv.blogspot.com/2024/11/nov-2024-sstv.html



Nov 2024 SSTV



With the new hardware and software installed and tested, here comes another SSTV event.

ARISS Slow Scan Television (SSTV) transmissions from the International Space Station are planned to start Monday, November 11 about 11:50 UTC and to end Monday, November 18 about 13:40 UTC. There will be some interruptions on Friday and Saturday to allow for the crew to conduct some school contacts. Downlink frequency will be 145.800 MHz FM. Images will be transmitted in SSTV mode PD-120.

The transmissions will consist of 12 imagers featuring activities from the 40th Anniversary celebrating amateur radio in human spaceflight.

Note that there is a new SSTV gallery site being used for this event at  https://ariss-usa.org/ARISS_SSTV/ . <https://ariss-usa.org/ARISS_SSTV/%20.>



Amateurs can receive the SSTV pictures directly from the space station by connecting the audio output of their two-meter transceiver via a simple interface to the soundcard on a Windows PC or an Apple iOS device. On Windows PC’s the free application MMSSTV can be used to decode the signal, on Apple iOS devices you can use the SSTV app for compatible modes. For Linux systems try QSSTV.



The ISS puts out a strong signal so even a 2M handheld with a 1/4 wave antenna will be enough to receive it but one’s chances of success are significantly improved with the use of a handheld beam antenna. The FM transmission uses 5 kHz deviation which is standard in much of the world. Many FM rigs can be switched been wide and narrow deviation FM filters. For best results you should select the filter for wider deviation FM. Handhelds all seem to have a single wide filter fitted as standard.



ISS passes can be predicted from the heavens-above.com website. Be sure to enter your latitude and longitude in the upper-right box to get the right pass times. Also be sure to click on “All” passes to get even those that aren’t visible to the eye.



Thanks for John K2QA for the tip and good luck.



73 de Jon WB2MNF