NASA/Shuttle Frequencies
Launch and Landing Operations NASA Malabar/Palm Bay, FL Nets (in KHz, USB commonly) Solid rocket booster recovery 2622 prim., 2764, 3187, 4510, 7765, 11407, 11621 NASA tracking vessels 5180, 5187 ETR range control 2678 ETR primary night channel 5190 ETR secondary night channel 5810 ETR primary day channel 10780 ETR secondary day channel 20390 Launch support ships 5680, 11104, 11252, 18009, 19303 Launch support aircraft 5350, 7676, 9022, 9043, 9132, 13227, 13878 Cape Radio/Leader 4856 Cape radio/Coast Guard Ships 4992 Cape Radio/Launch support A/C 7461 Cape radio 6896, 6837, 11414, 11548, 19640, 23413 S&R Coast Guard primary 3024 S&R Primary recovery zone 4376 S&R Primary Atlantic 6720 S&R comm with Bahamas 7412 Backup mission audio 2664 Navy harbor control 2716 Launch tracking net 7525, 20186 Space missle tactical net 10305 OCC Shuttle mission audio 20198 NASA CB radio channel 9 27065 AM Data buoys 2405 Data channels 7919, 7985, 13237, 13495 Malabar-Ascencion Island MUX 10310, 13600, 20192 Ascencion Island-Malabar MUX 14937, 19966, 22755 USAF/NASA communications 4510, 4760, 4855, 4992, 5350, 5810, 6727, 6740, 8993, 9315, 9974, 10780, 11104, 11414, 11548, 14615, 19303, 19984, 20191, 20475 Edwards AFB: (Frequencies in MHz) 116.400 ATIS 120.700 Control Tower 121.800 Ground Control 126.100, 127.800 Approach Control 133.650 Approach/Departure Control 138.450 Command Post 149.925 Security 162.6125 NASA ops 164.100 NASA 173.5875 Fire 236.600 Control Tower 269.900 ATIS 290.300 Departure Control 318.100 Tower 348.700 Approach Control 372.200 Dispatchers 390.100 Ground Control Kennedy: (MHz) 117.800 Shuttle Control 121.750, 126.300 Ground Control 126.650 Weather 142.500, 143.040 Cranes 148.455 NASA Booster Recovery 148.485 Launch Countdown/Status 148.500, 149.100 Search & Rescue ships 149.175 Shuttle crawler 162.000 Search & Rescue ships 162.0125 NASA vessels 162.6125 NASA operations 163.4625, 163.4875 Security 163.5125 Security 163.5625 Fire - primary 164.000 Radiation checks 164.800 Search & Rescue aircraft 165.1875 Check points 170.150 Base operations 170.175 Transportation 170.350 Public relations 170.400 General Services Administration 171.150 Maintenance/fuel 171.2625 Camera tracking 173.175 Security - gates 173.4375 Medics 173.5625 Fire/rescue 173.6625 Safety units 173.6875 Security - vans 173.7875 Fire - secondary 284.000 Ground control Kennedy Space Center Ground Support (MHz) 148.480, 149.170, 162.610, 163.460, 163.480, 163.510, 163.560, 165.190, 170,150, 170.170, 170.350, 171.150, 171.260, 173.560, 173.680 Patrick AFB: (MHz) 118.400 Approach/Departure control 121.700 Ground control 125.100 Approach control 126.200 Control tower 128.800 Dispatcher 138.300 Command post 273.500 ATIS 335.800 Ground control 340.900 Approach/Departure control 344.600 Weather 348.400 Control tower 358.300 Approach control 372.200 Dispatchers International Emergency air frequencies (MHz) 121.500 243.000 296.800 Primary, air-to-ground or orbiter-to-suit 259.700 Air-to-ground or suit-to-orbiter 279.000 Suit-to-orbiter or suit-to-suit Communications and other stuff: S-band (MHz) 2205.000 Air-to-ground 2217.500 Air-to-ground secondary 2287.500 Air-to-ground primary digital downlink 2041.900 Ground-to-air 2201.400 Ground-to-air 1831.800 Primary (USAF uplink, phase modulation) 1775.100 Secondary 2250.000 Wide band FM with main engine analog telemetry during launch, or TV during orbit operations. Note on above S-band frequencies: The S- band system is one of the primary orbiter downlink bands. The voice channels are digital slope delta modulation and are MUX'ed in with the rest of orbiter telemetry- very difficult to copy. Much of the downlink TV is S-band wide band FM and should be easy to copy. The Ku-band system is used in conjunction with the TDRS satellites, and is used more heavily during Spacelab flight than others. The data rate is very high digital (50 Mbits/sec), and will be nearly impossible for you to demodulate and decommutate in your basement. Nevertheless, the shuttle transmits on 15.003 GHz. These transmission are directed toward the TDRS satellite with a high gain antenna, and cannot be copied from the gound. The UHF frequencies are fun to listen to, but are not heavily used except during EVA's. You will almost always hear some activity on them during a mission, just be patient. Contactors Rockwell (Edwards) 2995.5, 3282.5, 3475.5, 5597.5, 10010.5, 17966.5 (kHz, USB) 122.800, 123.050, 123.350, 123.525, 462.925 (MHz) Space Shuttle/Mir Radio Frequencies SAREX missions Flights that are shuttle-Mir docking missions may use a different downlink frequency because SAREX and Mir Amateur Radio stations sometimes share the same downlink frequency (145.55 MHz). The SAREX Working Group will decide weather to change the frequencies during such missions. FM Voice Downlink: 145.55 (Normal) FM Voice Downlink: 145.84 MHz (MIR Docking Missions) FM Voice Uplink: 144.45, 144.47 MHz The crew will not favor either uplink frequency, so your ability to communicate with SAREX will be the "luck of the draw." Transmit only when the shuttle is within range of your station, and when the shuttle's station is on-the-air. The following frequencies are used by the Space Shuttle and the Mir: 121.750 MHz FM Narrow mode Space Shuttle/Mir air-to- air Low transmit power used during rendezvous/docking and undocking/separation 130.167 MHz FM Narrow mode Mir voice downlink 143.625 MHz FM Narrow mode Mir voice downlink Reduced transmitter power used on this frequency. 259.700 MHz AM mode Space Shuttle voice uplink/downlink Used from prelaunch to launch +1 hr. 40 min., during in-orbit radio checks with Edwards AFB and Kennedy Space Center on the day before landing, used for radio checks with the landing site on the final fly-over before de-orbit, and from landing - 2 hr. 25 min. to touchdown 628 MHz Mode unknown Mir telemetry 630 MHz Mode unknown Mir telemetry The Space Shuttle transmits on three frequency bands: UHF, S-Band, and Ku-Band. The UHF frequencies are simple AM voice and are very easy to copy. These frequencies are used for launch and landing operations, EVA operations, and as an additional voice downlink when other channels are in use for the current ground station has no S-Band capability. The frequencies in use are: 296.800 Mhz: Air-to-ground, or Orbiter to suit 259.700 Mhz: Air-to-ground, or suit to Orbiter 279.000 Mhz: Suit-to-Orbiter, or suit-to-suit 243.000 MHz: Standard military aircraft emergency frequency The S-Band system is one of the primary Orbiter downlink bands. The voice channels are digital slope delta modulated and are multiplexed in with the rest of the Orbiter telemetry and is very difficult to copy. Much of the downlink TV is on S-Band also, but is wideband FM and should be easy to copy. The frequencies are: 2287.500 Mhz: Primary digital downlink 2250.000 Mhz: Wideband FM with either main engine analog telemetry during launch, or TV during orbit operations. The Ku-Band system is used in conjunction with the tracking and data relay satellites and is used much more heavily in Spacelab flights than in others.The data rate is very high (50 Mbit/s). These transmissions are directed to TDRS satellites in geostationary orbit on a frequency of 15.003 GHz. Shuttle Audio Retransmissions Shuttle audio is re-tranmitted by the following Amateur Radio stations: Station Center VHF 10m 15m 20m 40m 80m WA3NAN GSFC 147.450 28.650 21.395 14.295 7.185 3.860 W6VIO JPL 224.040 21.280 14.282 7.165 K6MF ARC 145.585 7.165 3.840 W5RRR JSC 146.640 28.495 21.350 14.280 7.227 3.850 AK8Y LERC 145.670 or 147.195 (alternate) W1AW ARRL 147.555 28.0675 21.0675 18.0975 14.0475 7.0475 3.5815 1.818 KA9SZX 146.880 (Video at 426.250) K4GCC 146.940 WA4VME 145.170 N2LZH 147.210 You might also try 20192 LSB which is NASA. All frequencies are in MHz. Use FM on VHF, USB on 10-20m, LSB on 40-80m. WA3NAN - NASA Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC), Greenbelt, MD W6VIO - NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), Pasadena, CA K6MF - NASA Ames Research Center (ARC), Moffett Field, CA W5RRR - NASA Johnson Space Center (JSC), Houston, TX AK8Y - NASA Lewis Research Center (LERC), Cleveland, OH W1AW - ARRL, Newington, CT (news bulletins, 9:45 PM and 12:45 AM EST) KA9SZX - Champaign-Urbana, IL K4GCC - John Anderson, Titusville, FL (near or at Kennedy Space Center) WA4VME - Melbourne, FL (near or at Kennedy Space Center) Retransmission of Shuttle air-to-ground audio from WA3NAN may be heard on the following frequencies: Frequency (MHz) Mode Antennas 3.860 SSB LSB N-S/E-W Dipoles 7.185 SSB LSB N-S/E-W Dipoles 14.295 SSB USB 3-element Yagi 21.395 SSB USB 5-element Yagi 28.650 SSB USB 4-element Yagi 147.45 FM Simplex Phased vertical Where SSB is Single-Side-Band and LSB, USB indicate either Lower and Upper Side Band. A short-wave receiver possessing a Beat frequency Oscillator (BFO) is needed to receive these transmissions
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