{"id":4030,"date":"2013-08-19T12:18:40","date_gmt":"2013-08-19T12:18:40","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/?p=4030"},"modified":"2013-08-19T12:18:40","modified_gmt":"2013-08-19T12:18:40","slug":"tracking-satellites-and-other-space-objects-with-rf-signal-reflections","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/?p=4030","title":{"rendered":"Tracking satellites and other space objects with RF signal reflections"},"content":{"rendered":"

Mike Coletta<\/a> is a ham radio hobbyist who uses RF signals emitted by the Air Force Space Surveillance System<\/a> (AFSSS), also known as the space fence<\/em>,\u00a0 “to track near-Earth objects like satellites and space debris”: Tracking the International Space Station with metal coat hangers – gigaom.com <\/a><\/p>\n

Coletta tracks all kind of near-Earth objects: the International Space Station, satellites, meteors. Signals picked up by the antenna, which is made of a 10-foot wooden board and metal coat hangers, are converted into tones that differ depending on the direction and location of an object. The tones, layered over a background of heavy static, grown louder and then softer as the object passes by, like a train traveling toward you and then barreling away. Listen to the sound of the ISS\u00a0here.<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

This space fence is described in this recent article:\u00a0 Air Force Space Command to discontinue space surveillance system – U.S. Air Force <\/a><\/p>\n

The AFSSS, which has been operational since 1961, is just one part of AFSPC\u2019s global Space Surveillance Network. The system is designed to transmit a \u201cfence\u201d of radar energy vertically into space to detect all objects intersecting that fence. The operational advantage of the AFSSS is its ability to detect objects in an un-cued fashion, rather than tracking objects based on previous information.\u00a0 The disadvantage is the inherent inaccuracy of the data, based on its dated design. The new operating modes at Cavalier AFS and Eglin AFB will provide more accuracy than the AFSSS and still collect un-cued observations.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Coletta’s website\u00a0SatWatch.org<\/a> describes the hobby. For example, the diagrams at Orbiting Object RF Reflection 101 at SatWatch.org<\/a>\u00a0 show the basics of how an amateur radio receiving station can pick up the reflections of the AFSSS signals when an object passes through the AFSS beams. He also shows the data displays for over 100 different objects that he has tracked.<\/p>\n

As a money saving measure, the AF is planning to shut down the AFSSS and use a lower cost system until a new $3B “space fence” is built.<\/p>\n

Coletta and other space fence hobbyists won’t have to hang up their receivers, though:<\/p>\n

Now, he\u2019ll have to turn his attention to another source of radio waves: Mexican television stations.<\/p>\n

\u201cGuess what: Those signals also get bounced down from satellites, meteors and what not,\u201d Coletta said. \u201cYou use it just like a space fence.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

===<\/p>\n

Check out Mike Coletta’s SPACE GAB<\/a> webcast program “where we Gab about SPACE”.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Mike Coletta is a ham radio hobbyist who uses RF signals emitted by the Air Force Space Surveillance System (AFSSS), also known as the space fence,\u00a0 “to track near-Earth objects like satellites and space debris”: Tracking the International Space Station with metal coat hangers – gigaom.com Coletta tracks all kind of near-Earth objects: the International … Continue reading Tracking satellites and other space objects with RF signal reflections<\/span> →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[29,32,45],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4030","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-satellite-watching","category-space-radio","category-spacecasts"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p34aWK-130","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":19466,"url":"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/?p=19466","url_meta":{"origin":4030,"position":0},"title":"Student and amateur CubeSat news roundup – Aug.18.2019","author":"TopSpacer","date":"August 18, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"A sampling of recent articles, press releases, etc. related to student and amateur #CubeSat \/ #SmallSat projects and programs: ** Northwest Nazarene University's student-built RFTSat was launched into orbit from a Northrop-Grumman Cygnus spacecraft using the SlingShot deployer, developed by the SEOPS division of Hypergiant. RFTSat was deployed into orbit\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Amateur\/Student Satellite"","block_context":{"text":"Amateur\/Student Satellite","link":"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/?cat=4"},"img":{"alt_text":"NNU RFTSat (Radio Frequency Tag Satellite) CubeSat","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/1f3381bc4f8b600efb995f6a632e58911-1024x718.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":23131,"url":"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/?p=23131","url_meta":{"origin":4030,"position":1},"title":"Student and amateur CubeSat news roundup – Nov.12.2020","author":"TopSpacer","date":"November 12, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"A sampling of recent articles, press releases, etc. related to student and amateur CubeSat \/ SmallSat projects and programs (find previous smallsat roundups here): ** Teachers In Space's Serenity educational CubeSat is ready to go to orbit on the first flight of the Firefly Alpha orbital rocket. The launch is\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Amateur\/Student Satellite"","block_context":{"text":"Amateur\/Student Satellite","link":"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/?cat=4"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/serenity-tile1.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":10152,"url":"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/?p=10152","url_meta":{"origin":4030,"position":2},"title":"Mapping the sea surface from the Int. Space Station","author":"TopSpacer","date":"March 16, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"The Int. Space Station is becoming a popular platform on which to experiment with and implement earth observation systems. For example, the\u00a0company UrtheCast\u00a0has cameras on the outside of the ISS providing continuous images of the earth. In February, a SpaceX Dragon delivered the\u00a0Cloud-Aerosol Transport System (CATS)\u00a0to the ISS. The CATS\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Eyes in the Sky"","block_context":{"text":"Eyes in the Sky","link":"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/?cat=27"},"img":{"alt_text":"ISS_for_Earth_science_node_full_image_2[1]","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/03\/ISS_for_Earth_science_node_full_image_21.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":16585,"url":"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/?p=16585","url_meta":{"origin":4030,"position":3},"title":"Video: Cosmonauts throw student CubeSats into orbit during ISS spacewalk","author":"TopSpacer","date":"August 16, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"On Wednesday,\u00a0Russian flight engineers\u00a0Oleg\u00a0Artemyev\u00a0and Sergey\u00a0Prokopyev\u00a0made a spacewalk outside the\u00a0International Space Station. \u00a0Their initial tasks included hurling four student-built\u00a0smallsats\u00a0into orbit:\u00a0Spacewalkers toss nanosatellites into orbit, hook up bird migration monitor \u2013 Spaceflight Now The spacewalkers\u2019 first task was the deployment \u2014 by hand \u2014\u00a0of four CubeSats built by Russian students. The cosmonauts\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Amateur\/Student Satellite"","block_context":{"text":"Amateur\/Student Satellite","link":"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/?cat=4"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/img.youtube.com\/vi\/n3CoQMhrbxU\/0.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":11459,"url":"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/?p=11459","url_meta":{"origin":4030,"position":4},"title":"Low cost DIY ground station for weather satellite image reception","author":"TopSpacer","date":"September 25, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"The HobbySpace Space Radio section has lots of information and web resources about home reception of satellite signals, especially for obtaining\u00a0images from low earth orbit\u00a0weather satellites. The price\u00a0for such DIY systems was modest and now has gotten even cheaper. Previously, one needed a wide-band radio tuner, which might cost a\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "DIY space"","block_context":{"text":"DIY space","link":"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/?cat=35"},"img":{"alt_text":"20150918_earth-noaa19_f537[1]","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/09\/20150918_earth-noaa19_f5371.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":23505,"url":"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/?p=23505","url_meta":{"origin":4030,"position":5},"title":"Student and amateur CubeSat news roundup – Feb.12.2021","author":"TopSpacer","date":"February 12, 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"A sampling of recent articles, press releases, etc. related to student and amateur CubeSat \/ SmallSat projects and programs (find previous smallsat roundups here): ** Swiss student team aims to launch two CubeSats by 2023 for atmospheric research. The\u00a0 Spacecraft Team at EPFL (\u00c9cole Polytechnique F\u00e9d\u00e9rale de Lausanne) will lead\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Amateur\/Student Satellite"","block_context":{"text":"Amateur\/Student Satellite","link":"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/?cat=4"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/EPFL-CHESS_a_1000x562-500x281.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4030","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=4030"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4030\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4031,"href":"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4030\/revisions\/4031"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=4030"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=4030"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=4030"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}