Following on from our announcement of the ESA / CCSDS sponsored outreach competition to develop reference protocols, AMSAT-UK are pleased to announce they will be holding a webinar at 16:00 UTC on Wednesday 14th January.
The webinar will be via Zoom and the event will be recorded. The registration link is here:
David Bowman G0MRF reports the successful on-air test of the AMSAT-UK U/V FM transponder has been carried out.
Destined for the 6U Jovian-1 satellite, this mode U/V FM transponder had its first on-air test on Thursday, July 24, 2025.
A 70cm 20 watts ERP signal was transmitted over a distance of 59 km with a path loss of -150 dB and received by the FM transponder on a QFH antenna. The signal was re-transmitted on 145.895 MHz.
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 It primarily concerns the ITU-R EPFD limits but it reflects the new thinking at the FCC about getting rid of “outdated assumptions about system design and spectrum use”
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
AMSAT-UK is pleased to announce that the 2024 Colloquium will take place alongside the RSGB Convention at Kents Hill Park Conference Centre, Milton Keynes, MK7 6BZ on the weekend of 12/13th October 2024.
As in previous years, the AMSAT-UK Colloquium will run as a separate stream within the RSGB Convention and will include presentations on a variety of satellite and space related topics.
The Annual General Meeting of AMSAT-UK will take place during the colloquium.
An AMSAT Gala Dinner will be held on the evening of Saturday 12th October at the Marriott Delta Hotel on Trimbold Drive, Kents Hill, Milton Keynes MK7 6HL. Attendance is restricted this year at the hotel and a limited number of tickets are on sale via the AMSAT-UK Online Shop https://shop.amsat-uk.org/
The cost of the Gala Dinner is £39 per person and includes a three course meal with tea / coffee at its conclusion.
Alongside the Gala Dinner, AMSAT-UK has negotiated a deal at the Marriott Delta for the evening of Saturday 12th October 2024. These rooms include breakfast on Sunday 13th and are priced at £89 per room for single occupancy. Tickets for the Gala Dinner can be purchased on the AMSAT-UK Online Shop.
Bookings for the Gala Dinner are now available on the AMSAT-UK Shop, but must close on 1st October 2024 unless sold out sooner, so please book early to avoid disappointment.
Entrance to the RSGB Convention is managed by the RSGB and you will be required to purchase Day Tickets for the Saturday and/or Sunday to attend the AMSAT-UK Colloquium.
E-members of AMSAT-UK can now download the July 2024 edition of OSCAR News, issue 244, 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
• ARISS International Face to Face Meeting 2024 and 40th Celebration of Amateur Radio on Human Spaceflight by Ciaran Morgan, M0XTD
• QO-100 School contacts by John M5JFS
• FUNcube+ AMSAT-UK’s Next Mission by David Bowman, G0MRF
• Assessing Path Loss Due to Weather in Newfoundland by David Bowman, G0MRF
• VO1/M0XUU Operation from Newfoundland by R. Gopan M0XUU
• The QO-100 Challenge from VO1 by Graham, G3VZV
• VO1NAR Beacon by Graham Dillabough, VO1DZ
In ON245 we will continue with articles on the QO-100 Challenge from the VO100QO
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
Following on from our announcement of the ESA / CCSDS sponsored outreach competition to develop reference protocols, AMSAT-UK are pleased to announce they will be holding a webinar at 16:00 UTC on Wednesday 14th January.
AMSAT-UK 
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