Automatic Packet Reporting System (APRS) is a digital mode used by HAM radio operators to send small packets of data on the radio waves. The format was invented by Bob Bruniga in the 1990s and is still popular today. Common uses of APRS are to transmit location data, send messages, weather, and even emails.

Handheld APRS enabled radios like the Yaesu VX-8DR can go for over $400 these days. I needed a different, cheaper solution to dip my toes into APRS. I purchased a BTECH APRS-K1 Pro v1.2 for about $30. It has a Kenwood connector at one end and a USB-C on the other. I can plug one end into my Quansheng UV-K5, and the other into my phone running aprsdroid, or my laptop running direwolf.

To promote interest in space and radio, the International Space Station (ISS) transmits images to earth using slow scan television (SSTV). These events are announced on the x profile @ARISS_Intl.

With a RTL-SDR and a V-dipole antenna (as mentioned in my previous post), I was able to receive a partial image from the ISS. This is from Expedition 72 - Series 22 Fortieth Anniversary.

I used GQRX to receive the signal and used the FM demodulation.