Jim Conrad was recording Atlantis (STS-81) communications during the boost phase on the morning of 01/12/1997. He has the following comments:
The file STS81UHF.ZIP is a compressed .wav file. It is a compilation of about 5 minutes of STS-81 UHF radio communications on 259.7 MHz. The dead air time has been removed, making the running time approximately one minute. I received these signals during the boost phase as Atlantis passed northeastward along the East Coast of the United States. Receiving Shuttle communications on the UHF band does not require expensive equipment. A radio scanner that will receive the military UHF band (225-400 MHz) in AM and an external groundplane antenna are sufficient. The Shuttles are always active on UHF during the ascent, decent and during EVA's. However the UHF frequencies are rarely used on orbit because of the numerous sources of signals in the UHF band that cause interference at earth orbit altitude. If you would like additional information feel free to contact me at jjc@infi.net. -Jim Conrad-