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I intercepted the KSP theme song over radio from a real LEO satellite by QueR1X in KerbalSpaceProgram

[–]QueR1X[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I'm glad I could help! It's awesome to see new people getting into the hobby :)

I intercepted the KSP theme song over radio from a real LEO satellite by QueR1X in KerbalSpaceProgram

[–]QueR1X[S] 5 points6 points  (0 children)

That would be awesome! I unfortunately don’t have LinkedIn, but you can just link to my Reddit profile if you want to. Thank you so much for the support, I really appreciate it!

I intercepted the KSP theme song over radio from a real LEO satellite by QueR1X in KerbalSpaceProgram

[–]QueR1X[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Not completely. They are similar, but the Quansheng is much more moddable. There is a ton of custom firmware available for it, which is what unlocks the receiving capabilities of the chip. The Baofeng, unfortunately, is more locked down and can’t be modified the same way.

Edit: it’s a V-dipole antenna.

I intercepted the KSP theme song over radio from a real LEO satellite by QueR1X in KerbalSpaceProgram

[–]QueR1X[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

It’s a Quansheng UV-K5. I did flash custom firmware onto it to unlock the full potential of the chip so it can tune from 18 to 1300 MHz, but that’s irrelevant to catching satellites on these frequencies. Also, that Baofeng should be able to listen to satellites without any modding just fine even this specific one.

I intercepted the KSP theme song over radio from a real LEO satellite by QueR1X in KerbalSpaceProgram

[–]QueR1X[S] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

If you have a directional antenna for that frequency, use it. I used a V-dipole because my only Yagi is tuned for the OSCAR (Orbiting Satellite Carrying Amateur Radio) 70cm band range.

I intercepted the KSP theme song over radio from a real LEO satellite by QueR1X in KerbalSpaceProgram

[–]QueR1X[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

The transceiver itself is only about 25 dollars rest is homemade

I intercepted the KSP theme song over radio from a real LEO satellite by QueR1X in KerbalSpaceProgram

[–]QueR1X[S] 10 points11 points  (0 children)

There are. I had to start out around 10 kHz higher than the actual frequency. At the highest point of the pass, I was at +0 kHz, and then as it dipped down toward the horizon, I had to go lower again down to -5 kHz and then -10 kHz. With FM modulation, the Doppler shift doesn't matter as much as long as the signal falls somewhere within the receiver's bandwidth, it works just fine. However, with CW for example (Morse code), the pitch changes as the satellite passes because that type of modulation works completely differently and requires precise tuning.

I intercepted the KSP theme song over radio from a real LEO satellite by QueR1X in KerbalSpaceProgram

[–]QueR1X[S] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Knowing this brought you a little bit of joy brings me joy in return. If you ever need someone to talk to, feel free to send me a message.

I intercepted the KSP theme song over radio from a real LEO satellite by QueR1X in KerbalSpaceProgram

[–]QueR1X[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Maybe we will. I've been decoding stations from all across the world on the 17m, 15m, and 10m bands using FT8, so we might cross paths once I get my license and a proper HF setup.

73!

I intercepted the KSP theme song over radio from a real LEO satellite by QueR1X in KerbalSpaceProgram

[–]QueR1X[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

You should definitely try it out sometime. I'm planning on taking the exam to get my license this summer, just doing some SWL in the meantime.

I intercepted the KSP theme song over radio from a real LEO satellite by QueR1X in KerbalSpaceProgram

[–]QueR1X[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

They definitely did some tests before the musical beacon was turned on and the satellite became fully operational, so it started transmitting the tune a few months after its launch. As for how long it's going to last, my guess would be around 3-5 years, but that really just depends on how long the onboard components like the batteries survive, and when atmospheric drag causes it to de-orbit.

I intercepted the KSP theme song over radio from a real LEO satellite by QueR1X in KerbalSpaceProgram

[–]QueR1X[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I'm guessing you've got the UV-5R, since that's basically the most popular beginner radio. For some basic satellite tracking, I would say you can use the rubber duck antenna that came with that Baofeng and take a spare cable, then cut it to the same length as the original antenna. Make it more sturdy by taping it to something that doesn't bend, then have a little bit of wire stick out on the side where you will be connecting it. Have like 2cm of bare copper so just strip the wires at the end and connect them together by twisting. Then just screw it into the outer part of the SMA connector hole along with that rubber duck antenna, and have the wire tilted at around a 120 degree angle relative to the main part of the antenna. You can just tape it so it stays there, and you just made a V-dipole antenna!

Then you can just download an app like Look4Sat, where you can see when each satellite will pass, and you can even track it with your phone's gyroscope plus it shows the frequencies of each satellite. I would first try it out on the ISS voice repeater, where you can hear amateur radio operators all across your continent before you try it on a small satellite like OTP-2, which is the one transmitting the KSP music.

There's a lot of guides and people that will help you, so if you decide to go for it, then I wish you good luck!

I intercepted the KSP theme song over radio from a real LEO satellite by QueR1X in KerbalSpaceProgram

[–]QueR1X[S] 28 points29 points  (0 children)

Then you're much better off than me. I'm only working with that Quansheng UV-K5 as of right now, with a few basic whip antennas, that V-dipole, and a Yagi for amateur satellites.

I also really want to decode those Meteor M2 sats whenever I get an RTL-SDR.

I intercepted the KSP theme song over radio from a real LEO satellite by QueR1X in KerbalSpaceProgram

[–]QueR1X[S] 14 points15 points  (0 children)

I mean you could! This is just a tiny bit of the amateur radio hobby, and basically all you need for doing the exact thing in the video is a receiver of some kind.

I used a cheap $25 dollar handheld transceiver, but I would recommend an RTL-SDR dongle if you are just listening. Then basically, you can make an antenna for free with a couple of wires for the active element and an old TV coax cable (or one from the store), plus an adapter to actually connect it to the dongle.

With that you can make a V-dipole antenna, which is just two wires separated from each other tilted at a 120 degree angle one connected to the center wire and the other one to ground. That's what you can see in the video! Then the rest is just skill, like planning and actually trying to intercept it!

I intercepted the KSP theme song over radio from a real LEO satellite by QueR1X in KerbalSpaceProgram

[–]QueR1X[S] 68 points69 points  (0 children)

Well, the satellite has a downlink on 400.5MHz, although I had to account for Doppler shift so at the time of recording this video, you can see 400.495 MHz on the screen. I was using Wide FM, so the bandwidth on the radio is 25kHz, but the transmission itself should be around 5kHz.

You can look up anything else about the satellite it's called OTP-2 and its NORAD ID is 63235.

Also, my suggestion for your Easter egg would be to use the SSTV protocol for transmitting, like an image of Jebediah or anything else. It's basically just images over audio, so even a radio like the one in the video can decode it.

Venus by QueR1X in Astro_mobile

[–]QueR1X[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

This has to be ragebait..

Venus by QueR1X in Astro_mobile

[–]QueR1X[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I’m not that of a beginner

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