The NCRC ARISS Team continues to refine their skills. During a fairly low pass this afternoon, they captured a Slow Scan TV (SSTV) image sent from the International Space Station (ISS) to commemorate the first ARISS contact made many years ago (over 1,000 contacts have been made to date).

The pass was a low altitude one, only rising 24 degrees above the horizon. The image began about 3 minutes after ISS rose above the horizon and completed about 3 minutes before the ISS would set. The SSTV images are being sent using the standard VHF FM Voice gear, and signal levels were quite strong, with S-5 or above levels using a Egg-Beater antenna.  The horizontal noise streaks occur during deep fades of the signal.

Image Captured Live April 13, 2016 from 2046 to 2050 UTC

A good discussion of what is required to pickup and decode the SSTV signals can be found here:  https://amsat-uk.org/beginners/iss-sstv/