[firesteelrain]

You can work the ISS fairly easily from your backyard with an Elk or Arrow antenna and full duplex radio like D72A. I have worked astronauts. During COVID, we all used to get on the satellites as part of late night passes at like 1am and make contacts with each other.

[grendelt]

You don't even need full duplex. Just an HT that will do "split".

[firesteelrain]

No, you need FD to hear yourself. Anyone who does this every day will tell you FD is the only way. Otherwise you are stepping on people