The BSRG always retransmits the NASA Space Shuttle mission audio non-stop throughout each mission. We've been doing this since 1990. Our Shuttle audio transmissions (as well as the video feed we provide on our Amateur Television Repeater) are a memorial to Tim Mallory, AI4B. Tim and Ralph (N4NEQ) had an idea years ago to provide this service to the Amateur community. Unfortunately, Tim passed away from Juvenile Diabetes before our dream was realized. Now we proudly present it as a tribute to Tim and his love of radio!

---

12/1/02:  IMPORTANT NOTICE:  After years of service, the power amplifier has on the Shuttle audio system has given up the ghost. The Shuttle audio broadcast will be at much lower power until we figure out how to pay the $1200.00 repair bill.  How can you help?  Simple- just join the BSRG. You don't have to be a Ham, just have an interest in radio and/or the NASA space shuttle retransmissions. Here's the link to the sign-up page, complete with a Paypal payment option allowing the use of credit cards.     Click  

How do we get away with this? Is it Legal??

It sure is !! Part 97 of the FCC rules for Amateur Radio make our Space Shuttle Audio one of the few things that are legal to "broadcast. Normally all Amateur Radio transmissions must be made to a particular station, but not in this case. Even the music in the broadcast is allowed. One thing, though, the broadcast MUST have been approved by NASA. I have never heard of any other Amateur Shuttle Rebroadcaster having really gotten permission- but WE DID! We are proud of our letter from NASA authorizing us to do this. Our Official permission document was granted on October 26, 1990.

How do we do it?

The Audio/Video feed begins at NASA. It is collected from various sources and then produced in Houston Texas at the Johnson Space Center. From there, it is beamed to a satellite 23,000 miles over the equator. The BSRG sold surplus gear as well as collected various donations in 1989/1990 and was finally able to buy a 3.5 GHz earth station to downlink the audio and video to our repeater site near the top of Sweat Mountain. The mountain is located North of Atlanta where Cobb, Fulton, and Cherokee Counties meet. NOTE- The C-band Earth Station we got way back in 1991 recently bit the dust. A family of squirrels helped do in the LNB and its wiring. We patched it back together and now use it only for the 146.655 audio signal. We are taking the video directly from a KU band dish now and bypassing an extra 2.4 GHz video hop up to the transmitter.  We would like to thank KD4DKW for this new feature..

After reception by our earth station, we feed the audio portion of the program through a VOX (Voice Operated Relay) circuit and into an audio link input on the 146.655 repeater. This is the repeater that has hosted the Shuttle audio since we began the project. The audio is carried on the repeater whenever the Shuttle is on an active mission and has a secondary priority to normal repeater traffic. If a radio user transmits on the repeater, the Shuttle audio is automatically muted. until the radio traffic is finished.

What about this video you mentioned?

The same audio, plus the NASA video programming is also connected to our own microwave link system. Using an Amateur Radio microwave band, we also beam this signal from the BSRG  Amateur Television Repeater at the peak of Sweat Mountain. Transmitting from approximately 1,800 feet, the repeater can be seen on an ordinary television receiver out to a distance of about 40 miles. Check back on this page, and we'll tell you how to receive the video on TV a little later.

I think this is great. How can I help support you?

We're glad you listen to our 24 hour Shuttle retransmissions. If you'd like to help support the Group that makes this possible, then click below to find out about the BSRG!

Back to the Home Page