Hi Sean!
The packet digipeater on the ISS has been off for a while, so you won't hear anything from it on 145.825 until that is re-enabled.
You'll want to get familiar with the following website where stations are listed when they're digipeated and the transmission from the ISS is heard by an iGate:
http://www.ariss.net/index.cgi?absolute=1
... note in the "Station List" section that the last traffic was on 6-Dec.
As for "where the ISS is", you'll need tracking software on a PC or smartphone to know when the ISS or any other satellite will be overhead. Ask here or Google search for software suitable for whatever phone, PC, or Mac computer you happen to use. There are also excellent websites that show the track of one or more sats if that suits you better. You'll come across several of those in a Google search as well & can decide which presentation you like best.
-Scott, K4KDR
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On Fri, Dec 15, 2017 at 11:56 PM, Sean Waite waisean@gmail.com wrote:
Any tips on knowing where the ISS is? I tried to catch it on a pass and couldn't get it to hear any of my beacons. Much harder than AO-91 which kind of blows your eardrums out the moment it crosses into your antenna's pattern. I was hoping that someone else would be beaconing and I could aim that way, but no dice.
John, I notice in some of your videos you have the passes printed out on paper, do you do this with every pass you try and work?
Thanks, Sean WA1TE
On Thu, Dec 14, 2017 at 11:50 PM Sean Waite waisean@gmail.com wrote:
Thanks Mac and John, those are very helpful. The D72 specific one gave me enough keywords that I could search the manual in a more useful fashion. This radio does a ton of stuff.
No passes until tomorrow, so I have some for some more reading.
73, Sean WA1TE
On Thu, Dec 14, 2017 at 9:18 PM John Brier johnbrier@gmail.com wrote:
Ignore the references to UHF. It's back on 145.825
2014/01/AMSAT_Journal_KenwoodHT_Packet.pdf
73, John Brier KG4AKV
On Thu, Dec 14, 2017 at 9:03 PM, Sean Waite waisean@gmail.com wrote:
Hi all,
There was a comment on the recent experimenters thread about using the
APRS
birds. I'm new at this game - I've made 2 satellite QSOs so far - and
would
love to know more. Is there a good document on how to use these
satellites,
and maybe some tips on how to get a TH-D72A to do it? I've only used
it
to
beacon APRS, messaging with the service isn't something I've tried.
Thanks and 73, Sean WA1TE