Hearing The International Space Station - The Easy Way & The Overly Complicated Way

In this video I'm listening to the amateur (ham) radio repeater on the International Space Station (ISS). This is pretty easy to do with just a $20 radio, and is really quite fun!
I don't often do pure "how-to" videos, since I'm usually filming myself learning a new skill or process and I'm not an expert at most of the stuff I do. However, a bunch of people asked if I could make this simple and understandable, so that's what I've tried to do!
I'm also trying out some slightly more complicated space radio things, such as a directional antenna and an antenna aiming system. These aren't really needed for listening to the ISS, but I'm hoping to use them on some other things like cubesats in the future.
Here are some additional helpful resources:
ISS frequencies and operational status: www.ariss.org/current-status-...
Station tracking and pass prediction: www.n2yo.com/
Station tracking on Android phone, with live AR view: play.google.com/store/apps/de...
Info on amateur radio, a great way to learn more about topics like this:
www.arrl.org/what-is-ham-radio
More info about listening to the ISS (on another frequency) with a scanner or ham radio: swling.com/blog/tag/how-to-li...
Radio programming software: chirp.danplanet.com/projects/...
(Requires a USB programming cable)
Antenna tuning with NanoVNA: • #480 NANOVNA Made Simple
And here are some links to some of the equipment I used (these aren't sponsored and I'm not getting a cut from any of these, you may be able to find them cheaper on eBay or other sources as well!).
Cheap handheld radio (Please note its usually illegal to transmit with these without a license, depending on frequency / location)
www.amazon.com/BaoFeng-UV-5R-...
Nagoya antenna: www.amazon.com/Authentic-NA-7...
Directional Yagi antenna:
www.amazon.com/HYS-Antenna-40...
NanoVNA: www.ebay.com/itm/175675394706
Saveitforparts t-shirts and other merch at saveitforparts.myspreadshop.com/
Join this channel to get access to perks:
/ @saveitforparts
Or support me via Patreon at / saveitforparts

[@johannesviljoen9656]

hello, police? yeah, that strange blokes outside with the metal sticks again. says hes talking to nasa.

[@dronelabs556]

Exactly my thoughts. I’d be afraid of getting arrested for doing something.

[@johannesviljoen9656]

@Drone Labs If you put on a hardhat and saftey vest people assume youre with starlink/directv and wont bother.

[@Hooptierescue]

Lmao best comment

[@itwasrightthere]

I’m sure his neighbors are like my neighbors and are used this this sort of behavior. When I lived down south, the reaction was “bless his little heart”.

[@cwtrain]

My neighbors have been surprisingly forgiving about the third dish going up on my roof. Still I wonder if they don't have the exact same thought about me. "I don't know what he's doing but something tells me it isn't on the up and up."

[@lukejay]

This is one of the few channels left with an 'og KZbin' feel - no flashy graphics and clickbait. Just modest and to the point. Love it!

[@pirate0bloodyskull]

Watch in 240p for added effect.

[@ryzannn]

agreed, this guy is amazing!

[@ajhproductions2347]

Find out WHY this channel doesn’t use CLICKBAIT titles! The reason will SHOCK YOU!! Then THIS happened!! I’m so damn sick of all that

[@Its1754_]

@@pirate0bloodyskull 10/10 advice

[@MAGGOT_VOMIT]

Gabe: (Accidentally hits transmit button and fires ISS sub-orbital rockets Full-Send.) Also Gabe: (with fire streak in the background) "Like I said, these cheap radios can be a lil flaky, but hey I think it does what I need and it's only $20." 😳😵‍💫

[@benderino42]

I haven’t even realised that it’s so easy to hear the ISS. Now I’m curious if there are any transmissions when the ISS is above my country.

[@crackthefoundation_]

Same here, and I have a cheap baofeng. Only ever listened to local police and random stuff.

[@NetzKanal]

Actually here we are hearing other amateur radio operators on earth that are using the ISS to extend their range.

[@alexjh47]

@@NetzKanal maybe in this case but the astronauts are active these days as NA1SS - I recorded them talking to people in my city on Sunday!

[@coler154]

@@012345678944107 did you mean encrypted?

[@oscodains]

@@012345678944107 I don’t think there is encrypted signals from anything on the Space Station. NASA generally keeps things & data open.

[@bucurionutrusu3260]

This guy deserves a little bit more support on patreon. This type of quality raw content approach is priceless❤❤❤

[@YZFoFittie]

What's wrong with his facial hair?

[@EthanfromEngland-]

@@YZFoFittie Why are you being rude and why do you care about his facial hair? work on bettering yourself and stop focusing on others.

[@YZFoFittie]

@Ethan (EthanFromEngland) first day on the internet eh?

[@horashio1593]

I think if he offered different tiers yeah. unfortunately for most (including me) cant afford £68 per month. but if he offered a tier for £5 a month heck yeah id subscribe.

[@YZFoFittie]

@@horashio1593 68! Gold digger!

[@jbarkley5154]

What I like about this guy is that he’s honest about what he know and what doesn’t know. Great and informative video.

[@saveitforparts]

Thanks, I try!

[@BrettonFerguson]

@@saveitforparts I loved the "Now with more pitchfork" line.

[@sarkybugger5009]

That was so cool to actually see the ISS in shot, as we were listening to its transmissions. I've never tried looking for it in daylight. I just presumed it wouldn't be bright enough to see. Well done! Time to dig out my UV-5R.

[@saveitforparts]

Right near dusk and dawn are the best times when it's a little darker on the ground but good reflections from the solar panels. N2yo.com does a color-coded chart of which passes have best visibility :-)

[@nobodynoone2500]

Great rundown, no fluff, all useful info. Thank you so much. An unfortunate rarity, but only makes it shine brighter amongst the rubble of youtube.

[@stevemuzak8526]

Classic youtube channel and straight to the point content. I wish more channels be like that.

[@pendago8484]

Thank you so much for this post. Being a ham for 24 years, I kind of forgot about NA1ISS. Last night I gave it a try, and I was thrilled how easy it was to hear some qso's on a Baofeng handheld. Got me hooked, I can tell you. Thank you!

[@MurphDawgProductions]

I randomly clicked this video. Never seen this channel before but as soon as you introduced the name of the channel I knew it encompassed everything about me lol

[@romeisfallingagain]

someone told me yesterday they saw it. i sent them your videos and told them they might appreciate what you do. then i come here today and you already had a video uploaded yesterday about the space station. great stuff. thanks for the videos

[@Sys-Edit0r-1995]

I got on the ISS' repeater about a month ago with some homebrew Eggbeater antennas and my Yaesu Ft-736r. It was about 3 AM and no one was on for about half the pass, then someone finally got back to me on the bird. Its really fun to have a ham radio license!

[@Kozakjosh]

Current EE student here and soon-to-be radio hobbyist; your channel is excellent! I am on a 15 hour flight it is absolutely saving me right now. Thanks for the content!

[@saveitforparts]

Great to hear! Glad your flight has good internet!

[@Avanorne]

You've got a real flair for this! Incredibly well spoken and the content is to the point and exactly what a viewer would expect. Bonus points for managing to exude intelligence without deliberately trying to flex it.

[@kano8474]

I really like what you do. Been learning right with you. Keep it up. Love the satellite stuff and radio fun. Amazing.

[@ivanurban2383]

I sprinted hear as fast as humanly possible! I recently did this at my stay at great wolf lodge

[@ivanurban2383]

@@linearswitchguy9593 Yeah! At my stay at great wolf lodge, i got a notification that the iss was rising over it and i could actually see it from my hotel! So i just aimed the radio at it and heard some people talking. I plan on uploading the clips to my channel.

[@ivanurban2383]

@@linearswitchguy9593 thanks alot! i really appreciate it! I think ill make it into a short since the pass was pretty short. Although i have a couple other clips i could merge into a video

[@vasilivladivostok1136]

Been studying for my ham license. vids like this just help.

[@user-fm6ny3uo2b]

Keep on learning, your enthusiasm is surely contagious.

[@splungedude]

This is awesome! Never realized how easy it is to listen to the ISS. I have a pass coming over in 15 minutes so I just dug up my "trusty" Baofeng and going to have a listen.

[@paulsengupta971]

Did you get it?

[@splungedude]

@@paulsengupta971 I managed to pick up one or two snippets but it was mostly static. This was from my attic though, I didn't want to go outside at the time because it was 30 degrees out. Next time it passes in the evening I'll definitely be trying again but outside

[@ninjaswordtothehead]

I'm so glad I'm not the only one. Now I can show my neighbors this channel and be like "See! It's normal!"

[@pete4082]

A used telescope mount like a Celestron works with the awesome SkyTrack software; some models can do continuous tracking, others just do a leap frog motion to jump ahead of the satellite's path, and full sky pointing capability

[@___aZa___]

I'll never get enough of your channel! You always have something cool going on, that inspires me to try all that stuff too ! :D

[@BakerStudiosIndy]

I have dozens of ISS confirmed repeater contacts using an Icom ID-5100A in my car using a Tram/Browning dual band NMO antenna mounted on the trunk. Listening is easy. But hearing your own TX audio coming back down on he downlink as you transmit is a real thrill the first time. I quickly learned that the peak of the window for two way communications pretty much makes compensating for doppler shift more trouble than it's worth for two-way comms. The first few times, I wrongly assumed that I'd want my car facing the ISS track. My first success was with the car perpendicular to the ISS track. The ISS Detector app on my phone makes catching the window easy. Keep experimenting. Working satellites and the ISS is much easier that a moon bounce, and far less expensive. Have fun.

[@MrHichammohsen1]

Great video as usual! Congratulations on the 100K milestone. Waiting for more and more.

[@DonJulio213]

Your knowledge and mastery of electronics and technology is inspiring. I wish to be that knowledgeable and comfortable one day. Awesome vid man!

[@BerthaTurtleOfficial]

Was listening today at work thanks to watching your videos. Started getting into it a few years ago but have been busy with other stuff for a while. Now I want to start collecting all the old satellite dishes I find lol

[@NIN_THUG]

Back in my day we had large tv antennas mounted on poles on our roofs. Then huge satellite dishes that moved. Fun times in the 80s. Cool video bro

[@Hooptierescue]

Love this radio info. I’m learning a lot from this channel.

[@marksuper4920]

Awesome! This is stuff that I have always been curious about but never had time to study. I love these videos!!

[@brianbarker2551]

I just got the briefest of blips when it went overhead, boy that was exciting! I used the first option, the scanner. Thanks for making this video.

[@-anton]

I always end up at your channel late at night when I should be sleeping. I love your channel, everything you do! You have the ability to make everything interesting!

[@saveitforparts]

Thanks! I'm glad I can keep it entertaining :-)

[@jakesako]

Best channel on KZbin,with the most affable bloke ever 👍👍👍

[@blakemurray1218]

Keep up everything my man! I've only been following recently but I am loving everything and showing all my friends. I am studying for my HAM license and hope to take it in roughly a month :)

[@saveitforparts]

Cool! It's a fun hobby with tons of directions you can go. I don't make many contacts and don't have a basement full of gear, but I still enjoy dabbling in ham stuff :-)

[@darren6831]

Who what a gem of a channel to have stumbled upon. Subscribed please keep pushing out the great content

[@caeleste42bit52]

As someone who is involved in sending up a cubesat next year, this is pretty interesting to me. I am already learning a lot here. We have a huge dish on top of our uni roof to be able to send commands and get back telemetry, but I also want to figure out how to do it the "amateur-not-insanely-expensive-way". Thanks for the video

[@DarrenRipley]

Quick correction, QSL roughly translates to "Did you hear me ok?" or "Did you get the information I sent you?"

[@aandrej]

your videos remind me of old school youtube, i love channels like this, you make youtube interesting again

[@DadofScience]

This is excellent. You really inspire me to pull my finger out and make content. Many thanks, mate!

[@mr50sagain55]

Great video!...Gives me a reason to expand beyond basic occasional shortwave listening!!

[@danmarkers9353]

You got my sub, this is awesome! Thanks for making interesting content over tech, and teaching people new things!

[@tincanofficial]

Your videos are awesome man, also congrats on 100k!

[@punchfrancescka3980]

first video ive seen on your channel (popped up in my recommended); and i love this all. a fun & interesting video with tons of info

[@FatherMcKenzie66]

this channel deserves more subscribers, it's the only person i've seen doing these kind of stuff

[@FatherMcKenzie66]

@@PlasmaStorm73-N5EVV but this one is more interesting

[@rosshitchen-ij6en]

I like this dudes dedication

[@al3k]

Dude.. this is getting a bit weird. Are you reading my mind somehow? I literally just got one of those little radios to play with last month, and I was thinking about listening to the ISS for a while now.. Perfect advice right here, thanks man! :)

[@saveitforparts]

They're fun little radios, even if "real" hams hate them. If you want to transmit just make sure you have a license, be aware that they're "dirty" (lots of side harmonics), and don't transmit too close to any other electronics. I've seen one bluescreen a Windows PC from across the room 😅

[@al3k]

@@saveitforparts wow lol @ the bluescreen.. really?? Thanks for the tips! yeah I used to do some local CB radio chatting in the 80s in London, and was involved in a bit of pirate .. *cough* I mean, independent radio in the 90s.. so I know about transmission issues.. I'll mess with that later! I do have some HAM call sign on some website but not sure if that counts yet. :p For now I just wanna get back into listening a bit.. I get pretty much nothing where I am (out in the woods and on very flat land in East Europe now), so will be fun to at least catch the ISS or something.. I presume I can hook up whatever aerial and amp i need to this baofeng thingy anyway, right? I'll slowly check back on your previous vids more properly for that.. Many thanks again dude. Have a great weekend. :)

[@didnotwantthis]

Another great video! I always appreciate them. The worst part about about trying to hit the ISS is that I live in one of the most populated metropolitan areas on the planet so trying to get through without getting stepped on was quite difficult especially with only 5 watts. I just used VFO instead of programing the frequencies and manually adjusted the frequency to compensate for the Doppler effect. I actually used my Baofeng for RX and my Yaesu for TX. Just had to turn down the volume when i transmitted. Thanks again for the video.

[@Bcjc3]

I was coming here to share a similar story. You can hit the ISS with a Baofeng. I did it in the desert one night, had one set to broadcast on the uplink and one to listen on the downlink. I got a good hit and came through clear. I tried to do it from home one night, but I was overpowered by others in the city. (Edit: I actually did it with the default rubber duck antenna held horizontally)

[@damiengirvan5020]

@@Bcjc3 how about SATCOM? Have you tried it?

[@TsiolkovskySportingLocks]

This is an absolute gem of a video. After watching it yesterday I noticed that the ISS was due to pass directly overheard later that afternoon. So with T - 1 min to go I'm out in my garden, the UV5R skyward and low and behold up pops the repeater. Of course my neighbour and her kids spotted what I was doing and stopped to listen. The kid's eyes were like saucers as I told them we were getting signals from the ISS. Got an message from my neighbour this morning asking how to go about enrolling them on the UK Foundation Radio Licence course, which is cool. So there you go, you're helping to inspire the next generation of Hams! Also means, neighbours may look more favourably on my plans to put up a HF antenna.

[@thehandleiwantedwasntavailable]

I’m often spotted in public places (my street or a nearby field) pointing random metal looking objects towards the sky. People always ask what I’m doing. When they have kids I love engaging with them as I see what you saw. It’s awesome.

[@TsiolkovskySportingLocks]

@@thehandleiwantedwasntavailableI don’t tend to be out that often with radios in public. Mostly in remote spots so this is a bit new to me. Mind you so is the hobby.

[@MVMullins]

I actually have a little Baofeng radio and had been looking for something to do with it. I'm going to definitely have to give it try. Thanks for the inspiration and the resources.

[@radio645]

I recently bought a Baofeng UV5R heard a NOAA weather satellite overhead while standing outside in the back yard using the antenna that comes with the radio. The next thing I'm going to try is listening to ISS when it flies over.

[@pitakt80]

Woow!!! It's so cool. It's hard to find some kind of channel like this. Keep going!!

[@st.charlesstreet9876]

TY! You make radio fun and enjoyable let alone inspiring 🎉

[@tilghmansmith5705]

This was a great and very informative video. Looking into getting into HAM. I learned a lot in this video and you are so articulate! Well done.

[@GunnarMiller]

Note that "ham radio" as a nickname for "amateur radio" is not an acronym, so not capitalized. I have no idea when people started doing this, so I try to correct it whenever I see it.

[@MatthewJohnCrittenden]

Love it! Down to Earth advice and honesty. Have a sub!

[@fredericfogg8784]

Outstanding video. Very informative. Thank you.

[@InfernalWheel]

Thats really cool, man! Im learning about radio & sdr stuff too. Dig your channel btw, keep it up!

[@Are0hEssEss]

As a kid, I remember standing in my front yard with a scanner with the squelch open, a phone running a compass/clinometer app, and a homemade 70cm yagi. One of my neighbors asked what I was doing, and I told him I was waiting for a satellite, and they certainly thought I was crazy...lol. He stood there and watched for a min, and started walking away right when the sat starting coming in to range, and the static started fading. When he heard someone in NY (I was in NC) start talking, his mind was blown. 🤯🤓

[@hambrew]

When working weaker birds, a "twist" using the arm strong EL/AZ rotator is often needed, in order to have to right polarization. It is rarely vertical or horizontal and some birds even "roll/spin" so the polarization changes during a pass..

[@shreepadkadam8768]

kudos to this guy. great going.

[@thork0tjt515]

Love it! Can’t wait to see how you progress! This intrigued me as well. Just starting out with the “cheap” handheld! 🤣

[@michaelpate3983]

bro, you have taught me so much and keep going. thank you!!!

[@stephenrothwell8142]

The only reason I can commend you tube's algorithm is for recommending your channel. I'm glad. 😁😁😁😎🤗

[@stevegore4504]

That’s really cool brother. I enjoyed your video.

[@arnoldgrubbs2005]

Cool vid. I have been interested in ham sats for a long time. I was active in the 80's, then work and other things got in the way. Retired now, and getting back into it. Thanks for the vid and giving me a few ideas. 73

[@TheAslakVind]

Moar pitchfork! I like your honest approach, I will be following your ventures.

[@crittermoded]

yknow ive had a handheld radio kicking around in my room for a while, i could actually follow the simple part of the tutorial myself, it looks fun

[@sandysoundy]

Those rubber ducky antennae, are considered to be omni directional, but there is a null at each end, so pointing it straight up into the sky is optimal for horizontal reach, but worst for overhead... RC pilots will agree for best overhead reception/transmission have the antenna horizontal.

[@derrekg8338]

Very cool stuff. Thanks man!

[@g4lmn-ron401]

I have fallen into this rabbit hole too. I have built two QFH antennas: 145 and 437 and they are working out quite well, also a Moxon yagi for handheld work. I was surprised how strong then signal is considering the ISS is 250 miles up in the sky. I would swap the pitchfork for a spade!

[@maikerumine]

Great vid man! Gotta love the baofeng!!!

[@TheBiggerburger]

Another interesting video. Nice one!

[@itwasrightthere]

I believe that when using the rubber duck, you will get better results pointing the tip to the horizon. The lobe of the antenna extends outward from the sides and not out the tip. This may be why you get better reception when the ISS is at specific places in the sky. (I may be wrong, but that is my understanding.)

[@michaellichter4091]

A very nice video, I have an amateur radio license and the necessary equipment, I should do something again, the video has inspired me a lot. I also have the antenna analyzer, which serves me very well. I can recommend the antenna analyzer, especially when building antennas, it's something you must have, and I think the price-performance ratio of the antenna analyzer in the video is good. The idea of putting the antenna on a rotor for satellite dishes is brilliant, as it allows you to track the antenna.

[@bvds2007]

Love this channel.. a true ham.

[@BDJones055]

I'm super hyped about these projects youre working on. I just started a job making high performance antennas. I'm learning a ton and want to start picking up signals like this. Do you have a discord setup yet? It would be a great place for all of us to collaborate. I just finished integrating a star tracker to take long exposure photos of the night sky. I've been day dreaming about a telescope mount that can accurately track satellites. It would be awesome to catch video of the station as it orbits overhead.

[@crackthefoundation_]

I love these projects. I miss the spirit of old forums that were dedicated to stuff like this. If you happen to know of any modern alternatives please help haha.

[@ericfan1223]

Same dude, just started in RF component sales

[@nemesisalpha3719]

same here lol

[@saveitforparts]

Neat! I don't have a Discord or anything set up. I hang out on Reddit r/amateursatellites/ and similar but I'm sure there are some other discussion spots.

[@kirknelson156]

about a year ago I came across a DIY project using either an Arduino or raspberry PI that basicly pointed at the ISS as it passed by, that project wouldn't be strong enough to mount an antenna to but seems to me it would be a good starting point since the software and the stepper control is already worked out.

[@re_medy]

Absolutely amazing. Thank you.

[@iamgriff]

Thanks! I ordered some new parts, and hopefully I will be the strange guy in the neighborhood pointing radios at the sky😂

[@wodowiesel]

kewl idea with the automatic tracking and 73!

[@ninecrafter4069]

Just tried the basic setup myself, worked great at frist overhead pass. Nice.

[@qbertatx]

Just tried this tonight with and beofang radio. Works really good.

[@deltahotspot]

Amazing video and personally an inspiration to try this as well!

[@claug66]

I admire what you are doing.

[@stevearmstrong4561]

I use CHIRP software on my radios with my computer. I keep reload files for frequencies and settings..Glad I found your video.

[@TheFoxEssence]

This is so fascinating

[@ibetatestedyourmother]

Easy Sub, this was awesome!

[@abednashif3733]

You can learn a lot from this guy! easy sub!

[@noelandrew3600]

Im keenly following this is its something im really getting into myself, im a Ham based in New Zealand, and bit of a mad scientist building things like Tesla coils. really keen to set up an auto tracking yagi and already build my own antennas. have had a few contacts via ISS with a similar hand held set up, dual band yagi and app based tracking with a UV 16 pro radio set up with the Doppler shift on the two channels. but only get very short contacts due to being near the 45th parallel. bit of a space nerd so loving this stuff. keep it up.

[@user-hl2fh7dn6p]

What a really great intro to this subject. ARRL sign him up as a trainer he is a natural

[@darthvader3177]

Love your videos , thanks 😊

[@nathanbarnard5997]

This channel is such a hidden gem. Keep it up!

[@paulkersey9434]

Thanks for the video...very informative and i will be trying this.

[@kevinleee3408]

This is a unique and interesting Channel

[@seanstuchbery]

idk who this man is but i trust him with my life

[@AlexThyGreek]

Very informative. Love your editing as well.

[@shoyebalikhan]

Really awesome work you are doing ...great video ... watching from India

[@trryhin]

I made a homemade Yagi antenna years ago for listening and possibly talking with the ISS and ham satellite repeaters with my UV-5R. It worked well for listening but was never able to break in to make a contact. Been out of it for a while but looking to get back into it.

[@Skigunn]

you deserve more subs, good content [subbed]

[@rocky2195]

This is amazing!

[@PhilipHounsham]

You really are The Man 😝 Good stuff 🍻

[@timgrant8729]

Great video! Thanks!

[@anthonymarino4260]

it keeps you going well done