Rost Likholat

Over the last decade the SATCOM frequencies gained high popularity among Russian-speaking “amateur radio astronomers”. Previously dominated by pirates from Brazil this toxic and machist community is now flooded by enthusiasts of “Russian SATCOM”.

Operational since 1981, the FLTSATCOM system (commonly referred as SATCOM) is a worldwide US Navy communication system, facilitated by a geostationary satellite array. Every spacecraft is equipped with 12 linear transponders, which work much like amateur repeaters – without any authentication or on-board signal processing. Each transponder monitors its uplinks. Any signal capable of opening the receiver squelch will be repeated immediately on the corresponding downlink frequency. Traveling back about 35.000km the relatively weak signal can be received over half of the hemisphere.

Despite moving towards more sophisticated orbital communication technologies like UFO, MILSTAR and MUOS, US military still trains its personnel in FLTSATCOM communication. Occasionally encrypted data transfers still occur, but 28 years after the end of 12 year design lifetime this satellite constellation is considered half-abandoned and is used more often by Afghan “students” and intoxicated fans of Vladimir Putin.

Historically pirates from Brazil were the first community to systematically utilize the system for “peacetime purposes”. Known for necessity-driven use of the system, Brazilian truck drivers, hunters, poachers, cartel members and random humans lacking any cellular coverage are now accompanied by an even more toxic and machist community of Russian SATCOM.

In order to send and receive at the same time, the majority of pirates uses mobile full duplex stations that can easily be afforded from Aliexpress. Those Baofeng, Zastone and QYT models oftentimes work with frequencies around 300MHz out of the box. Sometimes, in order to communicate over VHF transceivers, transverters are used. To receive SATCOM, you will need a scanner that can tune to the frequency range between 240 MHz and 270 MHz NFM. USB SDR dongle should also do the job.

SATCOM Antennas come in a variety of models, shapes and complexities. Pictured in numerous Hollywood blockbusters and by far the most iconic one is Trivec Avant. Still in use by the US Military, it represents the edge of radio engineering technology. Unlike dipole or Yagi it hardly can be reproduced with basic tools and skills.

Luckily, in order to receive (and you REALY should never ever be transmitting on that frequencies anyway) far less sophisticated devices are required. IMO the 5 element Uda-Yagi represents an optimal complexity/gain compromise. Depending from satellite´s elevation relative to your current position, a dipole or even stock antenna may be sufficient for stable outdoor reception.

Relative to my location in central Germany the satellite in question barely protrudes over the horizon, resulting in no Rx with stock antenna and little to no Rx with various dipoles. On the other hand a rudimentary Yagi contraption pictured below brought sustainable reception even in urban area. Made from most basic materials, it is a very cheap, simple, yet reliable and stable Rx antenna for the frequency band in question

Along with rare transmissions from Taiga hunters and outdoor enthusiasts this realm is bases on phallocentric critique of the modern world, performed by quasi anonymous individuals without significant fear of repercussions. SATCOM community and its Russian-speaking segment in particular, is a very isolated, toxic and homophobic subculture, bearing own memes, celebrities and media-specific phenomena.

It feels like a weird combination of early days of RU-net, IRC & 4chan: transmissions range from nostalgic music, Lenin readings and cringy ecstatic monologues of drunk fascists. Oftentimes correspondents proudly present themselves as Russia´s distributed electronic warfare legion, picturing their triumph in methaphors of homoerotic dominance and claiming the ownership of the sats.

Glamor and misery of US Navy UHF Satellite Communications System

Further reading

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