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What is Slow-Scan Television (SSTV)?
While standard television transmits dozens of moving pictures per second, Slow-Scan Television (SSTV) is a picture transmission method used by amateur radio operators to transmit and receive static pictures via radio.
Because ham radio voice channels have limited bandwidth, we can't send live video. Instead, SSTV converts image data into audio tones. If you listen to an SSTV transmission, it sounds a lot like an old dial-up modem or a fax machine screaming at you!
HOW THE METHOD WORKS:
- Conversion: An image is fed into software (like MMSSTV or RX-SSTV), which converts the color and brightness of each pixel into specific audio frequencies.
- Transmission: These audio tones are fed into the microphone jack of an amateur radio and transmitted over the airwaves (often via FM or SSB).
- Reception: Another ham operator receives the audio and feeds it into their computer's sound card.
- Decoding: The receiving software listens to the tones and paints the image onto the screen, line by horizontal line. It typically takes between 1 to 3 minutes to send a single image.
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COMMON SSTV MODES:
There are several different mathematical "modes" or protocols used to encode the images. The most popular ones you'll encounter on the bands include:
- Martin (M1, M2): Highly popular in Europe, offers excellent color reproduction.
- Scottie (S1, S2): The most popular mode in North America.
- PD (PD120, PD180): Often used by the International Space Station (ISS) for high-resolution images, taking about 2 to 3 minutes to transmit.
Check out our ISS SSTV Gallery to see real images decoded directly from space!
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Un©opyrighted by nulsie and contributors
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| STATISTICS |
Total Registered DMR Radios:
311,367
Status: LIVE
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| GEO-ALARM |
Planetary K-Index:
1
CONDITIONS NORMAL
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| QUOTE |
"I'm not a Turkey, I'm a Ham!"
- Ham Op
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Radiaction
