Quote Originally Posted by Nightcrewman
If you get yourself an amateur radio license you wont just be able to see the ISS you will be able to talk to the astronauts on board.
With a good pair of binoculars or a telescope you can actually make out the shape of the space stations solar wings, I don't have a telescope I use 16X50 bins the main problem is that when the sky is clear enough above Scotland to see the ISS then its bloody freezing cold and it's hard to focus on a small object when you are shivering.
I know I should put the bins on a tripod but that would be too easy wouldn't it LOL.

Cheers

NCM
Quote Originally Posted by Mississippi Steve
Very kewl...but can you talk to them too??
ARRLWeb: Success Tips for Using the ISS Voice Repeater

Wow, that is very cool --- I've never heard of TALKING to the station. I know a guy with an amateur radio license and gear. I'll have to ask him about that.

I've got a pretty good pair of astronomy binoculars (9x63). I've looked at the station through them to boost the brightness and to see the star fields roll by in the background as the station crosses teh sky --- very nice. But I wasn't able to make out the shape of the station --- probably need a higher magnification to get that kind of detail, or maybe better eyes!

I've put the binos on a tripod before and it makes them MUCH easier to handle. You can see a lot more when they are steady. Even the 9x are hard to hold steady enough for good detail, but 16x would be nearly impossible, especially in shivering cold weather. The only problem is that they get very awkward at some angles. Mostly I use the binos handheld to scan the sky. I have a great patio lounge chair that makes it very comfortable lay back and look up, and it helps to keep the binos steady when you are in that comfortable position.

I also have a pretty decent telescope, but I think I would have a lot of trouble getting the station into the field of veiw, and tracking it would be very difficult. I've seen some great pictures of the station that amateurs hae taken through their telescopes, but I'm not sure how they do it.