Jul 7 2026

Amateur Radio at EMF Camp July 16-19

AMSAT-UK, BATC and UKUG at EMF 2026 - Credit M0DNY

AMSAT-UK, BATC and UKUG at EMF 2026 – Credit M0DNY

Amateur radio satellites will feature at the Electromagnetic Field EMF 2026 event taking place July 16-19 at Eastnor Castle Deer Park, Eastnor, Ledbury, Herefordshire, HR8 1EN.

Imagine a camping festival with a power grid and high-speed internet access; a temporary village of geeks, crafters, and technology enthusiasts that’s lit up by night, and buzzing with activity during the day. Thousands of curious people will descend on the friendly open space to learn, share, and talk about what they love. There will be a full program of talks and workshops, details at

https://www.emfcamp.org/schedule/2026

AMSAT-UK, the British Amateur Television Club (BATC), and the UK Microwave Group (UKuG) are teaming up to showcase satellite communications, amateur television, and microwave radio experimentation.

AMSAT-UK at EMF Camp LogoThroughout the weekend they plan to demonstrate how radio amateurs communicate via satellites in both low-Earth orbit and geostationary orbit, including contacts and digital amateur television through the QO-100 satellite. They also hope to demonstrate microwave operating techniques and experimental radio systems used on the higher amateur bands.

Visitors can see live satellite ground-station setups, microwave equipment, and amateur television demonstrations, and learn how hobbyists build and operate space-related radio technology. The village will also be active on the air using the EMF special event callsign GB26EMF.

If you are attending the event drop by to explore satellites, video over radio, and the microwave spectrum!

The event features::
  • Amateur Radio Direction Finding
  • Building a tiny paging network by Sam Machin M0SVM
  • Hacking APRS – Remote Control Protocol by Geoff Robinson
  • Building and rebuilding and rebuilding an online radio by Rifke Sadleir
  • LoRa from Space by Andrew Lindsay
  • Build Your Own Satellite Ground Station by IRTS President Jeffrey Roe EI7IRB
  • An Internet for the Solar System by David Johnson G4DPZ
  • Demystifying Microwaves, equipment from 1 GHz up to over 100 GHz by Andries Lohmeijer PE1BMC

EMF camp Villages https://www.emfcamp.org/villages/2026

EMF Camp on X https://x.com/emfcamp and https://social.emfcamp.org/@emf

EMF posts from IRTS President Jeffrey Roe EI7IRB https://x.com/Jeffrey_Roe

AMSAT-UK on X https://x.com/AmsatUK

BATC on X https://x.com/BATCOnline

UK Microwave Group on X https://x.com/UKGHZ

IRTS President Jeffrey Roe EI7IRB with AMSAT-UK, BATC and UKuG members at EMF 2026

IRTS President Jeffrey Roe EI7IRB (standing by AMSAT-UK logo) with AMSAT-UK, BATC and UKuG members at EMF 2026

Jul 13 2026

IARU-R1 General Conference Papers

Clip of a conference paperPapers for the IARU Region 1 General Conference being held in Vienna September 19-23, 2026, are now available

Among the papers is one in the VHF+ (C5) section titled VI26_C5_11 UHF Spectrum Situation submitted by the RSGB which mentions AST Space Mobile’s use of amateur spectrum.

Another satellite paper is VI26_C3_45 ARSPEX Report from the ARSPEX Working Group, a specialised body of IARU-Region 1 for Amateur Radio Space EXploration.

Full set of IARU-R1 Conference papers https://conf.iaru-r1.org/documents/

Apr 22 2026

AST SpaceMobile to use 430 MHz band for 248 satellites

434.100 MHz downlink received September 12, 2024 by PE0SAT

434.100 MHz downlink received September 12, 2024 by PE0SAT

On April 21, the FCC announced that AST SpaceMobile (AST & Science, LLC) will be using the Amateur 430 MHz band for 248 satellites in its planned Low-Earth-Orbit constellation which aims to provide global cellular broadband communications.

Center frequencies are 430.5 MHz, 432.3 MHz, 434.1 MHz, 435.9 MHz, 439.5 MHz with 50 kHz bandwidth.

Read the FCC announcement at https://docs.fcc.gov/public/attachments/DA-26-391A1.pdf

Mar 29 2026

ISS Astronaut to use Amateur Radio to Talk to UK Students

2026-03-30 ARISS UK ContactStudents at Simon Langton Grammar School for Boys will use amateur radio to speak to astronaut Jack Hathaway, KJ5NIV, on the International Space Station (ISS).  The ARISS contact, between NA1SS on the ISS and GB4SLS at the school, will take place on Monday, March 30, 2026 at 2:28 PM BST (13:28 GMT). You can listen in on 145.800 MHz (plus/minus 3 kHz Doppler shift) FM.

Astronaut Jack Hathaway, KJ5NIV, will answer questions from Simon Langton Grammar School for Boys, Canterbury, U.K.

The space and ground teams will attempt to use the HamTV transmitter during this contact. The HamTV DATV frequency is 2395 MHz.

The event will be streamed live: https://live.ariss.org/

The HamTV downlink will be streamed: https://live.ariss.org/hamtv/

Questions:
1. What are the purposes of the experiments you do in space?
2. Why do we go to space to do some experiments rather than do them on Earth?
3. How does the ISS stay in orbit around the earth?
4. How does it feel to see so many sunsets and sunrises each day from the ISS
5. What food do you eat on the ISS?
6. Why is there no air in space?
7. How does rocket fuel work when there is no air for combustion?
8. What do you do for entertainment on the ISS?
9. How hard do you have to train to go into space?
10. What is it like launching into space?
11. What is like to be in zero gravity for a long period of time?
12. Without weight pulling things down onto the ground there must be a lot less friction to help you move, how do you compensate for that?
13. Do you have any source of internet in space?
14. What is the most amazing thing that you have seen from space?
15. What ordinary daily tasks are the most difficult to do in space?
16. How does being in space affect the human body?
17. Is there a lot of noise on the ISS or is it quite quiet?
18. How do you clear up spills in space?
19. Do you ever feel lonely from the isolation in space?
20. How do you prepare for space walks?

The ARISS program is aimed at students and enthusiasts and aims to inspire them in the study of sciences with this amateur radio activity. The demonstration of amateur radio communication from space invites schools and universities to make use of these educational technical resources. We invite radio amateurs and space enthusiasts to tune in to this exciting moment.

Follow ARISS International on X

The latest information on the ARISS operation mode can be found at
https://www.ariss.org/current-status-of-iss-stations.html

How to hear the ISS https://amsat-uk.org/beginners/how-to-hear-the-iss/

What is Amateur Radio? http://www.essexham.co.uk/what-is-amateur-radio

Free UK amateur radio Online Training course https://essexham.co.uk/train/foundation-online/

Mar 1 2026

Students On The Air Satellite Activity Starts March 3

Students On The Air - StOTA Every 1st and 3rd Tuesdays of each month starting March 3, 2026

AMSAT has announced the launch of Students On The Air (StOTA) Days, a new initiative aimed at encouraging student participation in amateur satellite operations. The activity was inspired by AMSAT President Drew Glasbrenner, KO4MA, and his son Carsten, KQ4SJM, and is designed to promote regular on-air activity among licensed student operators.

Students are encouraged to get on the air and operate via amateur satellites on the first and third Tuesdays of each month, beginning March 3, 2026. While student-to-student contacts are especially encouraged, all satellite operators are welcome to participate and help make students feel welcome on the air.

To support coordination, AMSAT has created a dedicated #students-on-the-air channel on the AMSAT Discord Server where participants can arrange contacts and share activity.

AMSAT Discord Invite https://discord.gg/xbTXcPJHyt

StOTA (Students On The Air) channel https://discord.com/channels/715554730323083274/715891435143954512

Reports of StOTA activity and contacts are encouraged and may be submitted to Carsten, KQ4SJM, whose contact information is available via QRZ.com

Activity reports will help AMSAT gauge participation and support future student-focused satellite initiatives.

Source AMSAT News Service https://mailman.amsat.org/postorius/lists/ans.amsat.org/

Jan 30 2026

Wick High School students to contact ISS

GM0WHS - Wick High School Radio Club logoStudents at Wick High School in East Caithness have been chosen by ARISS International to have an amateur radio contact with an astronaut on the International Space Station.

The Wick High School Radio Club @GM0WHS posted on X:
HUGE NEWS FROM @wickhigh
Pupils from all across East Caithness will be talking to an astronaut later this year! We’re really humbled to have been chosen by @ARISS_Intl for a scheduled contact with the Space Station.

The radio club was established in 2023 by Computing Science teacher Chris Aitken MM0WIC @skipperAitken . So far 15 students have passed the exam for their amateur radio licence.

International Space Station - Image Credit NASA

International Space Station – Image Credit NASA

The John O’Groat Journal says:

“Because of Wick’s far-north location, this contact is likely to be one of the most northerly direct educational links with the ISS ever attempted. The station will appear around 25 degrees above the southern horizon, travelling west to east, making the contact both spectacular and technically demanding.”

Read the full story in the John O’Grout Journal at
https://www.johnogroat-journal.co.uk/news/we-have-contact-wick-high-pupils-to-get-direct-line-to-i-425857/

RSGB announcement https://rsgb.org/main/blog/school-zone-stories/2026/01/30/lift-off-for-wick-high-astronaut-contact/

Follow Wick High School Radio Club on X

Follow ARISS International on X

Follow AMSAT-UK on X