Upcoming ARISS Contact with South Africa – February 25th

[Anita Kemmerer]

Listen Live to the ISS – Wednesday, February 25 at 7:42 AM ET

The Nashua Area Radio Society (NARS) is proud to announce that Fred Kemmerer, AB1OC, will serve as the telebridge ground station for an upcoming ARISS (Amateur Radio on the International Space Station) school contact.

📅 Wednesday, February 25
🕢 7:42 AM Eastern Time (12:42 UTC)

The contact will connect students at:

CityKidz Pre and Primary School
Johannesburg, South Africa

The astronaut conducting the contact will be Chris Williams, KJ5GEW, operating from the International Space Station using the NA1SS callsign.

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What Is a Telebridge Contact?

In a telebridge contact, a ground station — in this case AB1OC — provides the RF link between the school and the ISS when the school does not have a direct radio path to the spacecraft. The audio from the school is routed to the telebridge station and transmitted to the ISS, and the astronaut’s replies are transmitted back down over amateur radio.

This allows students anywhere in the world to speak directly with astronauts aboard the ISS.

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How NARS Members and New England Hams Can Listen

Amateur radio operators throughout New England are encouraged to listen live during the contact.

📡 ISS Downlink Frequency: 145.800 MHz FM (simplex)

Important notes:

• The ISS cross-band voice repeater will be offline during this event.
• This is a receive-only opportunity for the amateur community.
• A 2-meter FM radio (base, mobile, or handheld) with a decent antenna should be sufficient.
• A directional antenna may improve reception, but many operators can copy the ISS with a simple vertical antenna.

You will hear the astronaut’s downlink directly from the ISS as Chris Williams answers students’ questions live from orbit.

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What You’ll Hear

Students at CityKidz Pre and Primary School will ask pre-selected questions about:

• Life and work aboard the ISS
• STEM education and careers
• Space exploration
• Daily routines in microgravity

This is always an inspiring and exciting event, especially for students experiencing amateur radio and space communication for the first time.

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A Proud Moment for NARS

Serving as an ARISS telebridge station reflects the technical capability, station excellence, and commitment to education that define the Nashua Area Radio Society. We are proud to support international STEM outreach and to help bring the excitement of space communication to students around the world.

We encourage NARS members to:

• Tune in and listen live
• Announce the event on local nets
• Share this article with other clubs and operators
• Promote ARISS and amateur radio outreach

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For more information about ARISS, visit:
https://www.ariss.org

We hope you’ll join us on February 25 to listen to this exciting contact between Earth and space!

73,

Anita, AB1QB

[Author]

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