Recently been trying a new aspect of the hobby. I have always been interested in space and had a small interest in astronomy, so while I was at home a couple of weeks ago I got my Kenwood TM-D700E dual band FM transceiver set up on my desk. Connected it to the “white stick” antenna, only on a short pole at about 10ft high that I was using for my radar and scanner, and tuned VFO A to 145.990 (with a CTCSS tone of 67.0Hz) and VFO B to 437.800 +/- 5 to 10 KHz for doppler shift. These frequencies are the uplink and down link for the repeater on the International Space Station, lots of stations heard and worked, including a none completed contact with 1A0C in the Sovereign Military Order of Malta (SMOM) building in Rome.
Many thanks to all of you who I have made contact with, and to those who I have yet to meet on the air through this fascinating mode of communication. I am also looking at making an “Egg Beater” type of antenna for myself to use through some of the other satellites we are able to use before I get fully absorbed with a full tracking station and other kit.