A Space & astronomy forum. SpaceBanter.com

Go Back   Home » SpaceBanter.com forum » Space Science » Space Station
Site Map Home Authors List Search Today's Posts Mark Forums Read Web Partners

How to receive ISS images ?



 
 
Thread Tools Display Modes
  #1  
Old September 17th 06, 11:53 AM posted to rec.radio.amateur.space,sci.space.station
external usenet poster
 
Posts: n/a
Default How to receive ISS images ?

Hi,

I live in Europe. I 'd like to know if it could be possible to receive video
signal from ISS (the one usually sent to Houston) when it crosses the sky
over europe and display the pictures on a normal TV (not via NASA TV).

Could it be possible to pick up the signal with a normal satellite dish (and
of what diameter) and on which frequencies ?
In addition, could the signal be encrypted to prevent any reading ?

I haven't found any information about that on the net but I could imagine
that we you are able to pick up radio communication from ISS and NASA can
receive their video, it could be also possible to receive the video aswell
(in the same way at weather imags).

Thanks for your lights

Thierry


  #2  
Old September 17th 06, 03:57 PM posted to rec.radio.amateur.space,sci.space.station
l.c. smith
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 12
Default How to receive ISS images ?

ISS video is not beamed to the ground, but to TDRSS satellites in geosync
orbit which then relay it to several ground terminals (one is in New
Mexico). That video is digitally encoded and interleaved with non-video
data so even if you pointed your dish at the TDRSS satellite you would still
have to decode it. I don't know if the TDRSS downlink is encrypted. The
re-uplinked video from the ground terminals is LEITCH encrypted.

Thierry wrote in message ...
Hi,

I live in Europe. I 'd like to know if it could be possible to receive
video signal from ISS (the one usually sent to Houston) when it crosses
the sky over europe and display the pictures on a normal TV (not via NASA
TV).

Could it be possible to pick up the signal with a normal satellite dish
(and of what diameter) and on which frequencies ?
In addition, could the signal be encrypted to prevent any reading ?

I haven't found any information about that on the net but I could imagine
that we you are able to pick up radio communication from ISS and NASA can
receive their video, it could be also possible to receive the video aswell
(in the same way at weather imags).

Thanks for your lights

Thierry



  #3  
Old September 17th 06, 06:40 PM posted to rec.radio.amateur.space,sci.space.station
Johnny Borborigmi
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 59
Default How to receive ISS images ?

On 2006-09-17 06:53:35 -0400, Thierry said:

Hi,

I live in Europe. I 'd like to know if it could be possible to receive
video signal from ISS (the one usually sent to Houston) when it crosses
the sky over europe and display the pictures on a normal TV (not via
NASA TV).

Thierry


You can't. They go to a TDRS and I believe get encrypted.

  #4  
Old September 17th 06, 08:51 PM posted to rec.radio.amateur.space,sci.space.station
joe
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 1
Default How to receive ISS images ?

hi thierry,

I know you wanted to d/l direct from the ISS, but here is link for video, audio
and still photos from the nasa archive, searchable by mission, etc.

http://spaceflight.nasa.gov/gallery/

73 joe

  #5  
Old September 18th 06, 12:50 PM posted to rec.radio.amateur.space,sci.space.station
external usenet poster
 
Posts: n/a
Default How to receive ISS images ?


"Johnny Borborigmi" wrote in message
news:2006091713402675249%growl@tummycom...
On 2006-09-17 06:53:35 -0400, Thierry said:

Hi,

I live in Europe. I 'd like to know if it could be possible to receive
video signal from ISS (the one usually sent to Houston) when it crosses
the sky over europe and display the pictures on a normal TV (not via NASA
TV).

Thierry


You can't. They go to a TDRS and I believe get encrypted.


OK. Undertood.
In theory, as ISS is quite low on orbit, and if the TDRS linked satellite is
over my country (data easy to get using a software lik Thesky or any other
tracking software à la Prbitron), using a large parabolic antenna or even a
dipole, it shouldn't be possible to get the signal ?
Or I could as any other signal (at the condition to knwo its frequency) but
I could simply not read it due to a possible encryption.

In fact i don't udnerstand why I could at least receive it as I can receive
military and other "private" messages using a scanner or another V/UFH rig
for example.

Thanks in advance

Thierry


  #6  
Old September 19th 06, 02:02 AM posted to rec.radio.amateur.space,sci.space.station
Frank Glover[_1_]
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 353
Default How to receive ISS images ?

nmp wrote:

Op Mon, 18 Sep 2006 13:50:51 +0200, schreef Thierry:


"Johnny Borborigmi" wrote in message
news:2006091713402675249%growl@tummycom...

On 2006-09-17 06:53:35 -0400, Thierry said:


Hi,

I live in Europe. I 'd like to know if it could be possible to receive
video signal from ISS (the one usually sent to Houston) when it
crosses the sky over europe and display the pictures on a normal TV
(not via NASA TV).


You can't. They go to a TDRS and I believe get encrypted.


OK. Undertood.
In theory, as ISS is quite low on orbit, and if the TDRS linked
satellite is over my country (data easy to get using a software lik
Thesky or any other tracking software à la Prbitron), using a large
parabolic antenna or even a dipole, it shouldn't be possible to get the
signal ?



From the replies in this thread I understand that you may be able to
receive the signal, but you would not be able to decode it to get
somehting useful out of it.



These sites may not answer the specific question, but will give a
sense of what's involved:

http://www.hearsat.org/

http://www.uhf-satcom.com/

http://www.hobbyspace.com/Radio/index.html



--

Frank

You know what to remove to reply...

Check out my web page: http://www.geocities.com/stardolphin1/link2.htm

"To confine our attention to terrestrial matters would be to limit the
human spirit."
- Stephen Hawking
  #7  
Old September 20th 06, 04:35 AM posted to rec.radio.amateur.space,sci.space.station
Henry Spencer
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 2,170
Default How to receive ISS images ?

In article , Thierry wrote:
You can't. They go to a TDRS and I believe get encrypted.


In theory, as ISS is quite low on orbit, and if the TDRS linked satellite is
over my country (data easy to get using a software lik Thesky or any other
tracking software à la Prbitron), using a large parabolic antenna or even a
dipole, it shouldn't be possible to get the signal ?


Remember, these signals are not being broadcast -- they are beamed upward
to TDRS (in geostationary orbit), at microwave frequencies where even
modest-sized antennas are quite directional. Similarly, TDRS is not
broadcasting them -- it beams them downward to the TDRS ground station at
White Sands. Even when ISS is nearby, you're nowhere near either beam, so
any signal leakage would be very weak.

With a large dish antenna you could probably detect the carrier, but
demodulating it would be quite a challenge with such a weak signal.

And once you do demodulate it, what you've got is not a video signal, but
a fast digital bit stream. Some of the bits are compressed video; some
aren't. The format is certainly complex, almost certainly a custom design
rather than anything standard (remember that it is 15-20 years old -- ISS
development started a long time ago), and probably poorly documented.

Finally, as others have mentioned, it's quite likely to be encrypted.
--
spsystems.net is temporarily off the air; | Henry Spencer
mail to henry at zoo.utoronto.ca instead. |
  #8  
Old October 15th 06, 03:13 PM posted to rec.radio.amateur.space,sci.space.station
Ted
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 1
Default How to receive ISS images ?


Check out section 4.9 in the ISS familiarization manual (PDF page 110):

http://www1.jsc.nasa.gov/er/seh/td9702.pdf





"Henry Spencer" wrote in message
...
In article , Thierry wrote:
You can't. They go to a TDRS and I believe get encrypted.


In theory, as ISS is quite low on orbit, and if the TDRS linked satellite
is
over my country (data easy to get using a software lik Thesky or any other
tracking software à la Prbitron), using a large parabolic antenna or even
a
dipole, it shouldn't be possible to get the signal ?


Remember, these signals are not being broadcast -- they are beamed upward
to TDRS (in geostationary orbit), at microwave frequencies where even
modest-sized antennas are quite directional. Similarly, TDRS is not
broadcasting them -- it beams them downward to the TDRS ground station at
White Sands. Even when ISS is nearby, you're nowhere near either beam, so
any signal leakage would be very weak.

With a large dish antenna you could probably detect the carrier, but
demodulating it would be quite a challenge with such a weak signal.

And once you do demodulate it, what you've got is not a video signal, but
a fast digital bit stream. Some of the bits are compressed video; some
aren't. The format is certainly complex, almost certainly a custom design
rather than anything standard (remember that it is 15-20 years old -- ISS
development started a long time ago), and probably poorly documented.

Finally, as others have mentioned, it's quite likely to be encrypted.
--
spsystems.net is temporarily off the air; | Henry Spencer
mail to henry at zoo.utoronto.ca instead. |



 




Thread Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

vB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Forum Jump

Similar Threads
Thread Thread Starter Forum Replies Last Post
New Cassini Images Show "Northern Lights" Of Saturn (Forwarded) Andrew Yee Astronomy Misc 0 August 4th 05 09:57 PM
Hubble images being colorized to enhance their appeal for public - LA Times Rusty B Policy 4 September 15th 03 10:38 AM
What can be expected with solar filters? Rune Allnor Amateur Astronomy 4 July 17th 03 02:48 PM


All times are GMT +1. The time now is 12:44 AM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.6.4
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd.
Copyright ©2004-2024 SpaceBanter.com.
The comments are property of their posters.