W5AC and Satellites

The W5AC shack is capable of tracking satellites and communicating to the ones with amateur radio gear onboard. See our shack info page for a list of our satellite equipment. Note that you can work some satellites with simpler equipment than we have at the shack - for example, a simple HT can receive amateur radio from the ISS. We've tracked satellites since at least Oscar 6 in 1973, and probably eariler.

Downloadable How-to's
"Emily Clark (W0EEC)'s excellent presentation on working satellites" - http://www.amsat.org/amsat-new/information/faqs/Intro_sats.pdf
How to track Satellites from the W5AC shack text file

There are other satellite links on our links page. For even more info on Amateur Radio on the ISS, amateur satellites, APRS in space, etc, enter "ARISS" in your favorite search engine.

Map
International Space Station (ISS)
Other satellites

Don't forget, satellite frequencies are subject to Doppler shift, especially on UHF - downlink frequencies will generally be higher on satellite approach and lower as the satellite moves away. Uplink frequencies - just the opposite, so dial in a lower frequency first.

W5AC relative to current, 5-minutes-from-now and 10-minutes-from-now positions of
the International Space Station (ISS), PCSat and Sapphire satellites.

ARISS Frequencies (International Space Station)

FM Voice Downlink (all regions) - 145.80 MHz
FM Voice Uplink, ITU Region 1 - 145.20 MHz
FM Voice Uplink, ITU Region 2 (that's us!) - 144.49 MHz
FM Voice Uplink, ITU Region 3 - also 144.49 MHz
Packet Downlink (all regions) - 145.80 MHz
Packet Uplink (all regions) - 145.99 MHz

Note - 437.80 MHz is sometimes used as the uplink frequency instead, on a temporary basis. This basically turns ISS into an "EasySat", basically a cross-band repeater. Note that this is 70 cm, so Doppler shifting can change the frequency 10 KHz plus or minus over the course of a QSO. Watch issfanclub.com for updates as to when this mode will be active.

Amateur radio stations heard by ISS via packet - http://www.ariss.net/

Other Satellites

PCSat (AO-16) and Sapphire (NO-45) info - http://www.aprs.org/pcsat.html
Amateur radio stations heard by PCSat - http://www.findu.com/cgi-bin/pcsat.cgi
PCSat Frequencies

PCSat (AO-16) Downlink and Uplink - 145.828 MHz

Sapphire (NO-45) Frequencies - UI Digipeater only

Downlink - 437.10 MHz
Uplink - 145.945 MHz

AO-51 (AMSAT-Echo) and other AMSAT info - http://www.amsat.org/amsat-new/
AO-51 Frequencies (for the trial period - watch the web for "Experimenter's Wednesdays" and other changes)

FM Voice Downlink - 435.30 MHz
FM Voice Uplink - 145.92 MHz with 67 Hz tone

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W5AC and Satellites

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