Satellite Demo with the Philippine Navy

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I was invited to conduct a live satellite demo at the Philippine Navy as part of the exit presentation of DOST-Balik-Scientist CDR Leo Almazan USN (ret) at the Pascual Ledesma Naval Station in Cavite, Philippines. We’ve accessed DIWATA2 (PO-101) and had successful contact with JA6PL (Japan), DV2JHA (Pangasinan), and DU1ELT (Cotabato).

Naval Sea Systems Command
We used DIWATA2 satellite to bounce a signal from our location in Cavite, to other radio operators in Pangasinan, Cotabato, and as far away as Japan. Copyright: Naval Sea Systems Command, Philippine Navy

For this demo,  I used a home-brew portable satellite radio setup and a DIY satellite antenna.

To view all posts on amateur radio, click here.
Related link: Satellite Demo at a local Hamfest

Night Sky in Focus
Astronomy and Amateur Radio
© Anthony Urbano (Manila, Philippines)

Portable Satellite Radio Setup

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The ability to operate off-the-grid is a huge advantage when hunting satellites. Coupled with a portable antenna, this battery-operated radio setup can be easily carried to any remote DX location while requiring only very minimal prep time (5 minutes). Simply connect a satellite antenna, turn the radio on,  select the pre-programmed uplink and downlink frequencies, and you are ready to make contact!

The portable satellite radio setup consists of the following:

1. Kenwood TMV71A full-duplex VHF-UHF radio with microphone
2. 12V 8AH lead-acid battery pack with volt meter
3. Sony recorder
4. Headset
5. Other accessories (not shown) such as SWR meter, patch cable, compass, flashlight, notebook, pencil, etc.

Satellite Go-Bag (3).jpg
Everything fits in a small waterproof camera bag, with room to spare for some accessories.

This setup has been used recently in a satellite demo at a local hamfest. Since only 5 watts of power is needed to access the FM satellites, this setup lasts for one week of use (about 50 satellite contacts) in a single charge, perfect for DX-peditions!

Related links:
DIY Satellite Radio Wins Go-Kit Contest

Night Sky in Focus
Astronomy and Amateur Radio
© Anthony Urbano (Manila, Philippines)

SSTV Images Received February 15-17, 2019

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Here are the Slow Scan Television (SSTV) images I’ve received from the International Space Station (ISS) from February 15-17, 2019, using a Yaesu FT60 hand-held tranceiver and a smartphone with Robot 36 app as decoder. The audio output of the radio is tapped directly to the microphone input of the smartphone for improved signal decoding.

Transmission received from the International Space Station

To lean how to receive SSTV images from the ISS, head directly to Receiving Transmissions from the International Space Station.

To learn more about my progress in amateur radio, click here.
Related link: Amateur Radio

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© Anthony Urbano (Manila, Philippines)

SSTV Image from the ISS (October 29, 2018)

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SSTV October 29, 2018, 241 am 4G1AWN
SSTV image received and decoded from the International Space Station (ISS) as it passes over the Philippines on October 29, 2018, around 2:41 local time

The International Space Station (ISS) has been transmitting images since October 28 and will continue to do so in the next few days. It transmits in SSTV format—the same format used to send images to Earth during the Apollo missions. The transmissions can be received with any radio tuned at 145.8 MHz, and a decoder app such as Robot 36 (try installing that app and decode this recording).

To learn more about receiving SSTV images from the ISS, click here. To learn more about my progress in amateur radio, click here. © Anthony Urbano (Manila, Philippines)