AMSAT News Service
ANS-102
April 12, 2026
In this edition:
- Reminder: AMSAT at Hamvention
- AMSAT to Attend CubeSat Developers Workshop 2026
- AMSAT Satellite Status Page: The Story Behind the New Colors and Satellite Naming Convention
- IARU Coordination Requested for VemanaReddySat
- FO-29 Update
- Changes to AMSAT TLE Distribution for April 10, 2026
- ARISS News
- AMSAT Ambassador Activities
- Satellite Shorts From All Over
The AMSAT® News Service bulletins are a free, weekly news and information service of AMSAT, The Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation.
ANS publishes news related to Amateur Radio in Space including reports on the activities of a worldwide group of Amateur Radio operators who share an active interest in designing, building, launching and communicating through analog and digital Amateur Radio satellites.
The news feed on https://www.amsat.org publishes news of Amateur Radio in Space as soon as our volunteers can post it.
Please send any amateur satellite news or reports to: ans-editor [at] amsat.org
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Reminder: AMSAT at Hamvention
The 2026 Dayton Hamvention will be held Friday through Sunday, May 15–17, 2026, at the Greene County Fairgrounds in Xenia, Ohio. AMSAT will once again have a strong presence throughout the event, including booth activities, social gatherings, and the annual AMSAT Forum.
The 17th annual TAPR/AMSAT Banquet will be held Friday, May 15 at 6:30 PM EDT (18:30 EDT) at the Kohler Presidential Banquet Center, 4548 Presidential Way, Kettering, Ohio 45429, located approximately 20 minutes from the Greene County Fairgrounds. This dinner is a highlight of the TAPR (Tucson Amateur Packet Radio) and AMSAT (Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation) activities during Hamvention. The banquet speaker will be announced at a later date.
Tickets are $75 each and may be purchased through the AMSAT store. The deadline to purchase banquet tickets is Monday, May 11 at 17:00 EDT (21:00 UTC). Tickets must be purchased in advance and will not be sold at the AMSAT booth or at the door. There will be no tickets available for pickup at the AMSAT booth. Tickets purchased online will be maintained on a list, with check-in at the door at the banquet center. Seating is limited to the number of meals reserved with the Kohler caterers based on ticket sales by the deadline.
The annual AMSAT “Dinner at Tickets” gathering will take place Thursday, May 14 from 6:00 PM to 8:00 PM EDT at Tickets Pub & Eatery, 7 W. Main Street, Fairborn, Ohio 45324. Telephone (937) 878-9022. This informal event features no program or speaker, offering an opportunity for conversation and camaraderie. All are welcome, regardless of participation in booth setup or operations. Food may be ordered from the menu, and drinks, including beer, wine, sodas, and iced tea, are available at the bar. No reservations are required.
AMSAT is seeking volunteers to assist at the AMSAT booth, located in Building 1, booths 1007–1010 and 1107–1110. Volunteers are encouraged to contribute as much time as they are able, whether for a few hours or the entire weekend. In 2025, approximately 20 volunteers supported AMSAT’s activities and engagement with attendees.
Those interested in volunteering or requesting additional information may contact Phil Smith, W1EME, AMSAT Hamvention Team Leader, via email at w1eme [at] astrocom.net. Volunteer participation plays an important role in supporting AMSAT’s presence and outreach within the amateur radio community.
The AMSAT Forum will be held Saturday, May 16 from 1:50 PM to 3:10 PM EDT in Forum Room 2.
Additional details, including the banquet speaker announcement, will be provided as they become available.
[ANS thanks the AMSAT Hamvention team for the above information]
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AMSAT to Attend CubeSat Developers Workshop 2026
AMSAT will participate in the CubeSat Developers Workshop 2026 (CDW26), scheduled for April 14–16, 2026, at the Performing Arts Center on the campus of California Polytechnic State University (Cal Poly) in San Luis Obispo, California.
The CubeSat Developers Workshop is the premier annual gathering for the small satellite community. Hosted by the Cal Poly CubeSat Laboratory, the event typically draws more than 500 industry professionals, researchers, educators, and students. Attendees engage in three days of technical presentations, Q&A panels, exhibit booths, and extensive networking opportunities focused on CubeSat and small satellite design, development, testing, launch, and operations. The workshop is especially valuable for newcomers, offering direct access to experienced developers and lessons learned from real missions.
AMSAT’s presence at CDW26 underscores its long-standing commitment to advancing amateur radio in space through CubeSat platforms. AMSAT members and representatives plan to engage with the broader CubeSat community, share expertise on amateur satellite communications (including transponders, telemetry, and ground station operations), and explore collaboration opportunities with universities, educational groups, and commercial developers. This participation helps strengthen ties between the amateur radio satellite service and the wider smallsat ecosystem, where many university and student projects seek reliable, low-cost communication solutions that align with IARU-coordinated amateur frequencies.
AMSAT Satellite Status Page: The Story Behind the New Colors and Satellite Naming Convention
If you’ve visited the AMSAT Satellite Status page recently, you may have noticed the color scheme and satellite naming convention look a bit different. These changes have prompted some questions from the community, and we wanted to take a moment to explain the reasoning behind the updates.
Accessibility First
We received a request to change “Transponder/Repeater Operational” from blue to green, since green often means “good.” That made sense, so we made the change along with a few other minor color adjustments. When we rolled it out, however, we quickly heard from users who couldn’t distinguish “Transponder/Repeater Operational” from “No Signal Heard.” After some research, we learned that red-green color blindness affects roughly 10% of the population, and that’s just one of three prominent types of color vision deficiency, each affecting a different part of the spectrum.
After further research, we adopted the IBM Colorblind Palette, which allows 99.998% of people to reliably distinguish between five colors. While some users have suggested alternative color schemes, many of those proposals would reintroduce the same accessibility conflicts we set out to solve.
Handling Multiple Modes
As satellites grow more capable, many now carry multiple operating modes. Rather than assigning a separate color to each mode, which quickly becomes impractical when a single satellite may support five or six, we’ve given each mode its own line on the Status page. To accommodate this, we updated the naming convention from just the satellite name to the satellite name plus mode. For example, SSTV operations on the International Space Station now appear as ISS_[SSTV]. This approach scales cleanly as new multi-mode satellites come online.
We also renamed “Transponder/Repeater Operational” to “Satellite Active,” which simply means the mode you selected to report on is active. We made this change because “Transponder” and “Repeater” are two-way modes, and an increasing number of satellites are now being launched with interesting one-way modes other than just telemetry and beacons.
We’re always open to suggestions, but please remember, we are all volunteers at AMSAT!
[ANS thanks David Spoelstra, N9KT, AMSAT Web Manager, for the above information]
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IARU Coordination Requested for VemanaReddySat
A new 1U CubeSat project from Vemana Institute of Technology in Bengaluru, India, has submitted a frequency coordination request to the IARU.
VemanaReddySat represents a student-led effort focused on educational and technology demonstration objectives. The project involves collaboration with the institute’s engineering departments, building on Vemana Institute of Technology’s growing interest in satellite image processing, CubeSat development, and space-data analytics.
According to the coordination application dated April 9, 2026, the satellite is planned as a 1U CubeSat carrying:
- A UHF downlink for telemetry and occasional Robot 36 SSTV image transmissions.
- LoRa capability intended for inter-satellite or experimental links.
The primary downlink will use 9k6 GFSK modulation. The mission aims to provide hands-on experience for students in spacecraft systems, communications, and payload operations while demonstrating low-cost amateur radio techniques in space.
Launch and Orbit Plans
The team targets a mid-2026 rideshare launch opportunity aboard an ISRO PSLV or SSLV vehicle. The planned orbit is approximately 450–500 km altitude with an inclination in the range of 35–60 degrees.
[ANS thanks the IARU for the above information]
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FO-29 Update
Fuji-OSCAR 29 (FO-29 / JAS-2), the long-lived Japanese amateur radio satellite launched in 1996, continues to operate its V/U inverting analog linear transponder under the control of the Japan Amateur Radio League (JARL). Because the onboard batteries have failed years ago, the satellite depends entirely on solar power and can only function when its solar panels are illuminated.
Current Status (April 2026)
- FO-29 entered a full-sunlight orbit around March 9, 2026. During full-sunlight periods, the satellite experiences no or negligible eclipses, allowing the analog transponder to operate continuously on illuminated passes without scheduled command activations.
- The first full-sunlight window began in early March 2026 and lasted approximately 40 days.
- According to the JARL schedule, this continuous operation ends around April 21, 2026, after which the satellite will enter an eclipse period for about one month.
- A second, longer full-sunlight period is expected from approximately May 20 to mid-November 2026, during which continuous operation should resume.
Transponder Details
- Mode: V/U inverting linear transponder (SSB and CW only)
- Uplink: 145.900 – 146.000 MHz (LSB)
- Downlink: 435.800 – 435.900 MHz (USB)
- CW Beacon: 435.795 MHz (typically 100 mW)
- Digitalker: 435.910 MHz FM (rarely activated)
- The digital BBS (1k2/9k6) remains non-operational.
- Important Restriction: Digital modes are generally not permitted on the linear transponder due to licensing and operational constraints.
Operating Procedure
- During eclipse periods (or the transition out of full sunlight), the JARL control team sends specific commands to activate the transponder at designated UTC times. If the transponder does not turn on within about 2 minutes of the command start, the team terminates the attempt.
- During confirmed full-sunlight periods, no regular command schedule is needed — the transponder stays active whenever the satellite is in sunlight.
- Operators should always check real-time status via AMSAT Live Satellite Status, OSCAR Status pages, or recent community reports, as voltage instability in the aging satellite can occasionally cause unexpected behavior.
April 2026 Specifics
In early-to-mid April 2026 (while still in the March full-sunlight window), expect the transponder to be available on most or all illuminated passes with no fixed on/off times. After approximately April 21, operation will shift back to scheduled command activations until the next full-sunlight season begins in late May.
The scheduled activations for the eclipse period are:
April
24th 22:22~
25th 21:27~
28th 22:11~
May
1st 22:56~
2nd 22:00~
3rd 22:51~
4th 21:55~
5th 22:45~
6th 21:50~
7th 22:40~
8th 21:44~
9th 22:35~
15th 22:19~
16th 23:10~
Amateurs are reminded to:
- Use proper Doppler correction.
- Follow linear transponder etiquette (listen before transmitting, keep signals clean).
- Limit uplink power to avoid overloading the transponder (typically no more than a few watts with a modest antenna).
The JARL page provides the detailed historical and upcoming command schedules for eclipse periods across 2025–2026. For the absolute latest status and any updates from the Japanese control team, monitor the official JARL FO-29 page, AMSAT.org, and AMSAT bulletins.
FO-29’s continued operation nearly 30 years after launch remains a testament to robust engineering and the dedication of the JARL team.
[ANS thanks JARL for the above information]
Changes to AMSAT TLE Distribution for April 10, 2026
Two Line Elements or TLEs, often referred to as Keplerian elements or keps in the amateur community, are the inputs to the SGP4 standard mathematical model of spacecraft orbits used by most amateur tracking programs. Weekly updates are completely adequate for most amateur satellites. TLE bulletin files are updated daily in the first hour of the UTC day. New bulletin files will be posted immediately after reliable elements become available for new amateur satellites. More information may be found at https://www.amsat.org/keplerian-elements-resources/.
There are no changes to this week’s TLE distribution.
[ANS thanks Joe Fitzgerald, KM1P, AMSAT Orbital Elements Manager, for the above information]
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ARISS News
Amateurs and others around the world may listen in on contacts between amateurs operating in schools and allowing students to interact with astronauts and cosmonauts aboard the International Space Station. The downlink frequency on which to listen is 145.800 MHz worldwide.
Scheduled Contacts
Elementary School “Slava Raskaj”, Ozalj, Croatia, direct via 9A1CUA
The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be OR4ISS
The scheduled crewmember is Chris Williams KJ5GEW
The ARISS mentor is IZ2GOJ
Contact is go for: Mon 2026-04-13 08:55:30 UTC 28 deg
Watch for Livestream at https://youtube.com/@radioclubozalj?si=KO2QyAdcsaCTieJa
Scouts Australia Western Australia Branch, Mount Hawthorn, Western Australia, Australia, telebridge via AB1OC
The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be NA1SS
The scheduled crewmember is Jack Hathaway KJ5NIV
The ARISS mentor is VK4KHZ
Contact is go for: Fri 2026-04-17 10:20:48 UTC 71 deg
Many times a school may make a last minute decision to do a Livestream or run into a last minute glitch requiring a change of the URL but we at ARISS may not get the URL in time for publication. You can always check https://live.ariss.org/ to see if a school is Livestreaming.
As always, if there is an EVA, a docking, or an undocking; the ARISS radios are turned off as part of the safety protocol.
The crossband repeater continues to be active (145.990 MHz up {PL 67} & 437.800 MHz down), If any crew member is so inclined, all they have to do is pick up the microphone, raise the volume up, and talk on the crossband repeater. So give a listen, you just never know. Service Module radio: Not in APRS configuration; only being used for voice contacts at this time. Default mode is for packet operations (145.825 MHz up & down) but occasionally used for SSTV (145.800 MHz down).
Ham TV – Configured. Default mode is for scheduled digital amateur television operations (2395.00 MHz). Note, all times are approximate. It is recommended that you do your own orbital prediction or start listening about 10 minutes before the listed time. The latest information on the operation mode can be found at https://www.ariss.org/current-status-of-iss-stations.html The latest list of frequencies in use can be found at https://www.ariss.org/contact-the-iss.html
[ANS thanks Charlie Sufana, AJ9N, one of the ARISS operation team mentors for the above information]
Want to fly the colors on your own grid expedition? Get an AMSAT car flag and other neat stuff from our Zazzle store!
25% of the purchase price of each product goes towards Keeping Amateur Radio in Space
AMSAT Ambassador Activities
AMSAT Ambassadors provide presentations, demonstrate communicating through amateur satellites, and host information tables at club meetings, hamfests, conventions, maker faires, and other events.
May 15-17, 2026
Dayton Hamvention
Greene County Fair and Expo Center
210 Fairground Road
Xenia 45385
https://hamvention.org/
October 8-11, 2026
44th AMSAT Space Symposium and Annual Membership Meeting
Crowne Plaza JAX Airport
14670 Duval Road
Jacksonville, FL 32218
Details to follow
Interested in becoming an AMSAT Ambassador? AMSAT Ambassadors provide presentations, demonstrate communicating through amateur satellites, and host information tables at club meetings, hamfests, conventions, maker faires, and other events. For more information go to: https://www.amsat.org/ambassador/
[ANS thanks Bo Lowrey, W4FCL, Director – AMSAT Ambassador Program, for the above information]
Satellite Shorts from All Over
+ ARISS SSTV Series 31 “World Space Commemoration” kicked off on April 10, 2026, on 437.550 MHz FM using Robot 36 mode. Transmissions run through April 14 and feature images honoring Cosmonautics Day, the 100th anniversary of liquid-fueled rockets, the first Space Shuttle launch, and SuitSat. Operators worldwide are actively tracking passes and sharing receptions.
+ Amateur radio operators continued supporting NASA’s Artemis II lunar flyby mission. A network of 34 ARISS- and AMSAT-affiliated stations is providing supplementary tracking of the Orion spacecraft’s S-band signals, with notable contributions from experienced satellite tracker Scott Tilley, VE7TIL. The mission splashed down on April 10th in the Pacific Ocean.
+ A new version of the UZ7HO SoundModem software for HADES-SA/SpinnyONE is now available, with bug fixes and supporting tools for SSDV image decoding and CODEC2. Downloads are posted on the AMSAT-EA website.
Join AMSAT today at https://launch.amsat.org/
In addition to regular membership, AMSAT offers membership to:
- Societies (a recognized group, clubs or organization).
- Students are eligible for FREE membership up to age 25.
- Memberships are available for annual and lifetime terms.
Contact info [at] amsat.org for additional membership information.
73 and remember to help Keep Amateur Radio in Space!
This week’s ANS Editor,
Paul Stoetzer, N8HM
n8hm [at] amsat.org
ANS is a service of AMSAT, the Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation, 712 H Street NE, Suite 1653, Washington, DC 20002. AMSAT is a registered trademark of the Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation.
