09/09/2026
There's a repeater operating 400 km above your head right now. 🛰️📻
Aboard the International Space Station, in the Columbus module, the amateur radio crossband repeater is switched ON — freshly powered back up on 2 September after being stood down for spacewalk operations. It's running right now, passing over the UK roughly every 90 minutes.
The recipe — you probably own most of it already:
▸ Uplink: 145.990 MHz FM, 67 Hz CTCSS tone
▸ Downlink: 437.800 MHz FM
▸ Radio: any dual-band FM handheld or mobile will do
▸ Antenna: a handheld whip works; a small directional gains you the margins
The technique:
1. Look up the next high pass for your location (any ISS tracker app or website — pick passes above 40° elevation).
2. Program both frequencies before you go out — remember the 67 Hz tone, or the repeater stays silent.
3. Listen on 437.800 first. When the pass starts you'll hear traffic from stations already working it — the downlink comes with Doppler shift, so tune around slightly.
4. Transmit on 145.990 when there's a gap, give your call, and listen for yourself coming back through the orbiting machine.
That's it. Your signal goes up, gets retransmitted from space at 25 W, and comes down across half a continent. Working the ISS is one of amateur radio's genuine thrills — and it needs no big tower, no amplifier, just timing and a modest handheld.
One radio that does the split in a single box: the Yaesu FT-5DE receives both bands at once (V+U simultaneously), tracks itself with built-in GPS, and carries an APRS modem for the 145.825 packet side of the ISS too. In stock at £379.95 — with £70 cashback direct from Yaesu UK right now:
https://moonrakeronline.com/yaesu-ft-5de-5w-c4fm-fm-144-430mhz-digital-transceiver
Heard the repeater, or worked through it? Tell us what you used below — the simplest successful setups get the loudest applause. 👇
