Have you heard the Morse Code beacon from International Space Station?

Amateur radio transponder on International Space Station sends out Morse Code beacon mentioning NA1SS frequently so that you may be able to hear it once during a typical 10 minute pass of ARISS in your region. In regions like ours where Low Earth Orbit satellite activity is low, it helps us to know that you are actually receiving signals from the space station even if you do not hear anyone else. NA1SS beacon is not the usual type of CW heard on High Frequency bands which is a switching of the carrier on and off according to the International Morse Code.

NA1SS transmission is an audio tone modulating the FM signal on 437.800 MHz, the downlink frequency of ARISS.

When the satellite rises above the horizon, the frequency may be up to 10 kHz higher, due to Doppler shift of signals from the fast moving satellite. It will be about 10 kHz lower when the space station is setting below the opposite horizon. At the time of closest approach (TCA), it may be heard at the nominal frequency. Timing and direction of the satellite pass in your region can be obtained from N2YO.COM or similar ones for satellite tracking. If you are using it in your computer, your Maidenhead Grid location has to be set in the website for enabling accurate tracking. Otherwise the location will correspond to that of the internet service provider.

A directional Yagi can be pointed in the direction of satellite pass, preferably with manual or computerised tracking in both azimuth and elevation.