ISS on 38lsb - hoax?

[DXman]

So what is your opinion on this video about a contact with the space station on ch. 38?
I don't believe it to be real.
https://www.youtube.com/@cbradioskipmacintosh219

 

[AudioShockwav]

It has been circulating around the web for a few days now.
They have VHF and UHF radios and antennas for work on 2 meters and 440 by hams, but I am doubtful they have any HF antennas.
I think it's bogus.

73
Jeff

 

[Shadetree Mechanic]

I feel like the ISS radios would definitely have the MARS mod.....

I wonder if he can get a QSL card?

Or maybe the guy was trying to say ISSIS?

 

[DXman]

I also heard him calling, but was doubtful if it was real, so I just listened.

 

[AudioShockwav]

Go here:

How to Contact the International Space Station (ISS) - wikiHow

The International Space Station (ISS) is the largest spacecraft ever made and is in constant orbit around Earth. With a crew of astronauts and cosmonauts from all over the world, the ISS is large enough to be seen with the naked eye as it...

www.wikihow.com

Several ways to contact the crew and ask.
Looks like they have a Twitter feed to pose questions as well as asking in a private message.
I don't do Twitter......

73
Jeff

 

[AmericanEagle575]

It has been circulating around the web for a few days now.
They have VHF and UHF radios and antennas for work on 2 meters and 440 by hams, but I am doubtful they have any HF antennas.
I think it's bogus.

73
Jeff

Im wondering that if they did have HF,is it possible in theory to reach them?? Just curious.......

 

[TM86]

Im wondering that if they did have HF,is it possible in theory to reach them?? Just curious.......

Yes. In theory as they're passing overhead you could communicate with them on HF.

Reason why is simple. If you're talking to someone you have line of sight with, you can pretty much do that any frequency you're allowed to operate on. With the ISS you've got line of sight while they're above horizon.

 

[AudioShockwav]

I have talked to aircraft over several hundred miles before, so it is possible.
I just don't see astronauts hauling a CB to ISS or operating a HF rig out of band.....


73
Jeff

 

[AudioShockwav]

Quote:
Antennas

A set of four antenna systems are deployed in the ISS Service Module supporting the current installation of the Kenwood TM-D710GA radio. Each of the four antennas can support amateur radio operations on multiple frequencies and allow for simultaneous automatic and crew-tended operations. Having four antennas also ensures that ham radio operations can continue aboard the station should one or more of the antennas fail. Three of the four antennas are identical and each can support both transmit and receive operations on 2 meter, 70 cm, L band and S band. They also support reception for the station's Russian Glisser TV system, which is used during spacewalks. The fourth antenna has a 2.5-meter (8 foot) long vertical whip that can be used to support High Frequency (HF) operations, particularly on 10 meters. Currently, one of the 3 VHF/UHF antennas is disconnected and the HF antenna has no radio hardware available for use.

End Quote

( reference https://www.ariss.org/contact-the-iss.html)

I just sent them a private message.......

73
Jeff

 

[TM86]

So what is your opinion on this video about a contact with the space station on ch. 38?
I don't believe it to be real.
https://www.youtube.com/@cbradioskipmacintosh219

Bogus. There's nobody named Sergei or Sergey on the current crew manifest. Also, when he said the next contact would be in an hour he got the orbital period wrong. ISS goes around the planet once every 90 minutes or so, which would make the next contact closer to that.

 

[BC Coyote]

I'm on the fence. I have been hearing Boris and Sergei for a couple weeks now and even talked to Boris one day. I was fairly certain it was all a big hoax, but a couple times now I have heard the "ISS" station when there was absolutely NO other conditions on the band, so now I'm not so sure it's a hoax. Also he fades out and then comes back in about 1.5 hours later, which is indeed the orbital cycle of the ISS.

As well, the communications specialist on board ISS at the moment does have Sergei as his second name, so I think it isn't beyond the realm of possibility. He told me he was using a helical antenna on board that can be tuned for a large number of frequencies including 27 MHz.

On the other side of the coin, he told me he was over Canada when the online tracking map showed the ISS over New Zealand, so there's that. But I do wonder if the online map is even accurate.........

It's certainly been the number 1 subject of discussion on the airwaves the last week or so ! And if it is a hoax, it's much more entertaining than the 1111 guy and his ilk.

 

[AudioShockwav]

According to the ISS contact page they have a single HF antenna, a vertical whip only.
No tunable helix antenna.

(See my post above)

73
Jeff

 

[AudioShockwav]

They have already responded to my inquiry about CB operations from ISS.
I just sent them a link to the video.

The reply:

It’s not ARISS equipment but We will check with the team.

More as it becomes available

73
Jeff

 

[TM86]

I'm on the fence. I have been hearing Boris and Sergei for a couple weeks now and even talked to Boris one day. I was fairly certain it was all a big hoax, but a couple times now I have heard the "ISS" station when there was absolutely NO other conditions on the band, so now I'm not so sure it's a hoax. Also he fades out and then comes back in about 1.5 hours later, which is indeed the orbital cycle of the ISS.

As well, the communications specialist on board ISS at the moment does have Sergei as his second name, so I think it isn't beyond the realm of possibility. He told me he was using a helical antenna on board that can be tuned for a large number of frequencies including 27 MHz.

On the other side of the coin, he told me he was over Canada when the online tracking map showed the ISS over New Zealand, so there's that. But I do wonder if the online map is even accurate.........

It's certainly been the number 1 subject of discussion on the airwaves the last week or so ! And if it is a hoax, it's much more entertaining than the 1111 guy and his ilk.

I'm going to stick with hoax for now. None of the current crew has Boris for a first or middle name. At least whoever is doing it is having fun on the radio.

 

[brandon7861]

Maybe they use it to monitor the state of ionization by receiving beacons and report that info to the military. I can't imagine it would be a reliable source of comms to the ISS with the unpredictability and variation of the ionosphere over such distances as the ionosphere will dynamically diffract HF signals, but perhaps it is a backup with a different comms window. If their HF antenna is for comms, I would guess it is closer to 6m than 11m for the same ionospheric bending/absorption reasons.