AMSAT, the Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation, builds and participates in piggyback launches of amateur radio satellites. Licensed amateur radio operators, aka Hams, can monitor and, in some cases, communicate with, any one of several active amateur satellites in earth's orbit, as well as with the International Space Station. To do so requires a portable or base station 2-meter band ham radio and a reasonably high gain antenna array. Although most Hams may not be capable of building their own radio, designing and constructing an efficient ham radio antenna is well within the reach of most amateur radio operators. Antennas come in a few varieties including, yagis, parabolic dishes and coiled helix units all of which require cutting and drilling metal and plastic.The easiest antenna to build is the dipole, which can be assembled from wood, coaxial cable, porcelain insulator eggs and a few wood screws -- and works exceptionally well outdoors.
