“In 2023 I officially started the Wick High School Radio Club, with a callsign of GM0WHS. The aim of the club was to expose our students to the wide range of activities available in amateur radio.
I remember our first activity: talking to another amateur in England via the SO-50 satellite. I stood with three students on the rugby pitch, antennas pointing to the sky and talking to another amateur, Nick M1DDD.
By the end of the contact, we had 30 students around us wondering what was going on. Their curiosity sparked, we answered questions on what we were doing and invited them to take part.”
There is no better way to explore the fascinating world of wireless communication than by becoming a radio amateur.
This free online 3-week amateur radio course will enable you to become a radio amateur and get an Ofcom amateur radio licence and callsign, details and booking information at https://www.essexham.co.uk/train/book-a-place/
434.100 MHz downlink received September 12, 2024 by PE0SAT
AST & Science LLC (AST SpaceMobile) currently have five Bluebird commercial satellites that use the amateur radio 430-440 MHz band. They were launched into Low Earth Orbit on September 12, 2024.
Despite not being amateur satellites the first five commercial satellites use these amateur frequencies for telemetry links with a 50 kHz bandwidth: 430.5, 432.3, 434.1, 435.9 and 439.5MHz.
AST SpaceMobile are planning to launch a further 243 satellites also using 430-440 MHz for TT&C. AST SpaceMobile say each UHF TT&C beam will support one command channel and one telemetry channel and the channel bandwidth will be between 64 kHz and 256 kHz.
The 430-440 MHz band is used for a variety of Amateur Radio applications, examples include amateur space communications, weak-signal SSB, digital television, data communications, repeaters and other applications. The proposed 243 satellite constellation will cause interference to amateurs world-wide.
If preferred you can submit a more detailed Standard Comment with .doc, .txt or .pdf attachments at https://www.fcc.gov/ecfs/filings/standard
Enter 25-201 into Proceeding(s) field and click on the pop-up which says ’25-201 SPACE BUREAU ACCEPTS FOR FILING AST & SCIENCE, LLC MODIFICATION APPLICATION’ fill in required fields and attach your comments file.
AST SpaceMobile say they have ground stations in Australia, Argentina, Bulgaria and Korea.
For some background on FCC attitudes see the interview the Chief of the FCC’s Space Bureau, Jay Schwarz, gave to the American Enterprise Institute (AEI). It primarily concerns the ITU-R EPFD limits but it reflects the new thinking at the FCC about getting rid of “outdated assumptions about system design and spectrum use”
Students at Technological University of Dublin will talk via ham radio with astronaut Takaya Onishi KF5LKS on the International Space Station.
The contact is scheduled for Wednesday, June 4, at 12:10 UTC (1:10 PM BST) via EI1ISS.
The contact on 145.800 MHz FM +/- 3.5 kHz Doppler should be receivable outdoors in the British Isles and Western Europe using just handheld radio and 1/4 wave whip.
Many amateur FM radios can be switched been wide and narrow deviation FM filters, usually marked FM-N (narrow) and FM. For best results you should select the filter for wider 5 kHz deviation FM. Handhelds generally have a single wide filter fitted as standard.
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.
Students First Names & Questions:
1. Wojtek : What is the most challenging part of your day as an astronaut?
2. Lucy : Do your eyes get dry in space?
3. Alfie : Is it lonely to be so far away from home?
4. Laila : What is it like to sneeze in space?
5. Leon : What inspired you to be an astronaut?
6. Seoirse : What has been your greatest scientific discovery on ISS?
7. Logan : How do you get your oxygen in the ISS?
8. Lilly-Mae : Are you able to have tea in space?
9. Joshua : How do you know if you are upside down?
10. Isobel : Do you have any advice for kids who want to be an astronaut when they grow up?
11. Harrison : Is the ISS automatic or do you actually have to pilot it?
12. Reggie : What does space smell like?
13. Wojtek : Are there germs in space?
14. Lucy : Does it get cold in the ISS or do you have heating?
15. Alfie : How do you know when to go to sleep?
16. Laila : What is it like being outside the spaceship?
17. Leon : How do you entertain yourself when you are not working?
18. Seoirse : Is there anything that is really hard to do in space that is easy on Earth?
19. Logan : How do you keep fit and healthy in space?
20. Lilly-Mae : What is the coolest thing you have seen in space?
21. Joshua : How do you celebrate your birthday?
22. Isobel : What is your favourite food?
The online talk ‘Guide to using satellites in amateur radio’ given by Tim GW4VXE, on May 21, 2025, is now available to watch in the Pennine Ham channel on YouTube
Slow Scan TV (SSTV) transmissions from the International Space Station are planned to take place from 1200 GMT on Monday, May 5, until 1800 GMT on Monday, May 12.
The ARISS Series 27 images will commemorate the 80th anniversary of the end of World War 2 in Europe.
Frequency: 145.800 MHz FM (+/-3.5 kHz Doppler Shift)
SSTV Mode: PD120 (Transmission cycle 2 minutes on, 2 minutes off)
It’s always possible to receive the ISS SSTV signal by using the WebSDR at the Goonhilly Earth Station, the audio can then be fed into your PC or Smartphone SSTV App https://vhf-goonhilly.batc.org.uk/
Follow @ARISS_intl on X for official updates, since changes can occur.
Reminder, the images are sent on a (roughly) 2 minutes on, 2 minutes off schedule. So if you don’t hear anything, give it 2 minutes!
Many FM rigs can be switched been wide and narrow deviation FM filters. For best results you should select the filter for wider deviation FM. Handhelds generally have a single wide filter fitted as standard.
You may be able to get publicity for the amateur radio hobby if you contact your local newspaper and tell them you’ve received a picture (doesn’t have to be perfect) from the International Space Station, see https://amsat-uk.org/2015/02/04/iss-sstv-in-uk-press/
E-members of AMSAT-UK can now download the April 2025 edition of OSCAR News, issue 245, here.
The paper edition edition will be sent to postal members and should arrive in the next 2-3 weeks.
In this issue:
• From the Secretary’s Keyboard
• Satellite News
• Team 2: Canada VO100QO by Stefan Wagener VE4SW and John Langille VE1CWJ
• Roving in England & Wales by Endaf Buckley N6UTC / MW1BQ
• A Quadrifilar Helicoidal Antenna by Ron G4LMN
• AMSAT-UK Statement of Accounts
• The FUNcube-Lite Payload on Jovian-1 by David Bowman, G0MRF
• FUNcube Lite – Project Update by David Bowman, G0MRF
• ARISS Contact Report between the Girlguiding Surrey West Association and the International Space Station on 5th October 2024 by Ciaran Morgan M0XTD
• Goonhilly Radio Club M0XGH by David Johnson G4DPZ
AMSAT-UK FUNcube Mission Patch
Membership of AMSAT-UK is open to anyone who has an interest in amateur radio satellites or space activities, including the International Space Station (ISS).
E-members of AMSAT-UK are able to download the quarterly publication OSCAR News as a convenient PDF that can be read on laptops, tablets or smartphones anytime, anyplace, anywhere. Join as an E-member at Electronic (PDF) E-membership
There is no better way to explore the fascinating world of wireless communication than by becoming a radio amateur.
AMSAT-UK 
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