The Amateur Radio Slow-Scan Television (SSTV) system on the International Space Station (ISS) is expected to be active in April on 145.800 MHz (FM). The Russian segment’s MAI 75 SSTV has announced transmissions on Monday, April 2, 1505 – 1830 UTC, and on Tuesday, April 3, 1415 – 1840 UTC. 

"Reviewing the crew schedule, the SSTV activity, which uses Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) radios, was coordinated around ARISS school contacts and is listed for April 2 and April 3," said NASA ISS Ham Project Coordinator Kenneth Ransom, N5VHO. 

The SSTV system, which uses the call sign RS0ISS, is also expected to be active from April 11 – 14 worldwide to mark Cosmonautics Day in Russia on April 12. Specific transmission times are not yet available. Images on all dates will be related to the Soviet Union’s Interkosmos cooperative space ventures project.

SSTV images will be transmitted in PD-120 format on 145.800 MHz (FM) using the Kenwood TM-D710 transceiver in the ISS Russian Service Module. ISS transmissions use the 5-kHz deviation FM standard. It’s possible to receive SSTV transmissions with only a handheld transceiver and appropriate SSTV software: connect the audio output of the transceiver or a scanner to the soundcard of a Windows PC or an Apple iOS device. The free Windows application MMSSTV can be used to decode the signal. On Apple iOS devices, the SSTV app is available for compatible modes. For Linux systems, try QSSTV. 

This event is dependent on other activities, schedules, and crew responsibilities on the ISS and subject to change. Check for updates on the Amateur Radio on the International Space Station’s (ARISS) SSTV blog and picture gallery.