I never thought I’d download a picture from space using a cheap radio and a phone, but that’s exactly happened. Let me show you how.

A few months ago I was in the process of reviving my amateur radio hobby (aka ham radio). I received my amateur license in 2019 but after the Covid-19 pandemic hit and following life disruptions occurred, I had to put the hobby down for a few years. Then, during the summer of 2024 I decided to pick it back up again.

I ended up browsing Reddit looking for more information to help me with the hobby. I stumbled across the r/AmateurSatellites subreddit and became intrigued. These folks were evidently capable of retrieving high-quality weather satellite images from space using their own equipment at home! Some of them even had false-color overlays just like you see on weather reports on the news. How were they doing this?

I searched around the Internet for more information on the topic. After some time, I found a YouTube video titled “How To Get Live Satellite Images Directly From Space.” I was hooked! It turned out that I already had everything I needed to get started. With just a cheap $40 handheld radio and my smartphone I was able to download this image from a weather satellite called NOAA-19:

I know. It isn’t much to look at. But look closer. Isn’t that part of the Great Lakes? And maybe some clouds? Task failed successfully? I think so!

With even greater excitement, I eagerly waited for NOAA-18 to come overhead and I tried again. This time, I achieved much better results:

The image is grainy and has lots of interference lines. But, there is no doubt that I captured the Gulf of Mexico, Florida, and most of the East Coast of the United States. You can also see some cloud cover over the middle part of the country and the Atlantic Ocean.

I was ecstatic! I downloaded a picture. FROM SPACE!

If you, like me, are interested in this topic, stay tuned for more updates. I gradually made improvements to my equipment and technique over time. Now, I can capture fairly high-quality images. Through this blog, I plan to take you along with me on that journey as I retroactively document my progress. I’ll do my best to explain different challenges and what I learned. Who knows? Maybe you’ll be downloading pictures from space soon, too!