http://www.southgatearc.org/news/june2007/shuttle_frequencies.htm

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Shuttle Launch - Frequencies
The folowing information was posted by Graham Tanner to the Monitoring
Monthly Yahoo Group

The next Space Shuttle launch is due on Friday 8th June, so here is some
information for those wishing / hoping to hear the launch on HF. This is
the first flight / launch since the abandoned launch (caused by weather)
in March 2007 and NASA are keen to get maximum interest in this flight,
so they have released details of the exact launch time.

Of course, you're not going to hear the Shuttle on HF, as it is not
equipped with HF equipment. However, you can hear the various support
aircraft and ships involved in the launch. And there is a lot to hear!

There are usually two USAF MC-130 aircraft orbiting in the eastern
Atlantic, using the callsigns 'King 1' and 'King 2'; and there may be
other 'King' callsigns either waiting in reserve or orbiting in the mid
or western Atlantic.

There is usually a USN Frigate patrolling the waters off the
Atlantic coast of Florida, and also the SRB recovery vessels, M/V
Liberty Star and/or M/V Freedom Star. A USN E-2C Hawkeye aircraft
usually patrols the same area, on the lookout for aircraft and ships
straying into the launch area - this uses the callsign 'Clearance 1'.

Finally, there are a few Ground Stations to consider - 'Cape Radio' and
'Cape Osborne'.

The launch.
The launch of STS-117 is due at 19.38 EDT (22.38 UTC, 23.38 BST) on
Friday 8th June. This is another ISS mission, so the launch window is
only 5 minutes long - if it doesn't launch on-time, it will have to wait
until the following day for the next suitable window.

HF.
For HF listeners, the best place to start is 10.780MHz about 3-4 hours
before the launch. At some point most of the aircraft and ships involved
will check in with 'Cape Radio' to find out which other HF frequencies
they are using for the launch. Keep listening until you hear them
mention this freq, as most of the signals will be on this other freq
rather than 10.780 MHz. Once you find the other freq, keep switching
between it and 10.780 in case other aircraft/ships are sent to other freqs.

UHF.
About 15-20 minutes after launch the shuttle will pass over / near the
UK, and it is possible to hear them on UHF airband. The comms are quite
short, but it is definitely them! Tune to 259.7 MHz AM, but don't expect
to hear too much if you're just using a set-top rubber-ducky. They are
only 'in range' for a few minutes, so don't expect to hear too much! -
however, some listeners have reported hearing brief comms on this freq
using simple equipment, so please try to listen just in case, you may be
surprised.
(#Update# - I heard the last launch on my scanner using just a simple
telescopic aerial, so it is possible!)

SATCOM.
If you have a good enough external aerial, ideally a beam, and maybe a
pre-amp, it is possible to hear the MC-130s orbiting in the eastern
Atlantic as they maintain contact with the Cape using satellite comms in
the UHF airband. Tune to 261.75 MHz NFM or 263.625 MHz NFM (the
commonest 2 freqs) and listen for 'King' callsigns. They have also been
known to use 261.8 MHz, so check that freq too.

These guys seem to spend most of their time doing radio-checks with
Cape. They provide a kind of 'emergency service' for the Shuttle launch,
so don't expect to hear much else unless it all goes very pear-shaped in
the launch.

INMARSAT.
I do not personally have the ability to listen to these signals, but I
know that some do There is a TAL site pre-launch briefing held sometime
in the 24 hours prior to the launch, which should pop up in the range
1535 to 1545 MHz on AOR east.

The European Space Agency may arrange a video feed of the launch via
satellite into Europe as they did for the previous launch, and there
should also be a relay of NASA TV for Reuters. Both will be carried on
NSS K at 21 degrees west in digital format.

I would recommend checking emails from John Locker, as he usually
provides some good clues as to launch frequencies

SHF.
NASA TV usually cover the launch in-depth, and I am sure that John
Locker can give details of what freq(s) to listen to.

Live TV coverage.
Don't forget Sky Newsdigital (now with 8 interactive screens) and also
BBC interactive news. The great thing about the interactive news
channels is that they can carry a shuttle launch for much longer by
using one of their sub channels , so it's well worth keeping an eye on
those two.

For those of you with access to IRC (Internet Relay Chat), a number of
us meet on channel #SATCOM, and you're welcome to join us. This is
usually from about 1 hour before the planned launch time, until about 30
minutes afterwards. With people all over Europe receiving signals from
different stations, most frequencies are quickly reported when
anything happens.

If anybody has any updates for the above, please get in touch and I will
re-issue it with corrections.

I'm working on Friday evening, but I hope to be home by 23.00 (UK time),
so I will check-in on IRC as mentioned above.

Graham Tanner
London, UK.




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