AMSAT News Service
ANS-201
July 20, 2025
In this edition:
- 2025 AMSAT Board of Directors Election Underway
- Discuss Amateur Satellite Topics on Digital Voice Reflectors
- AMSAT-UK Supports Student Payload on Sub-Orbital Launch from Oman
- Comments on AST & Science, LLC Application to Use 430-440 MHz Due July 21
- May/June 2025 Edition of The AMSAT Journal Now Available
- Changes to AMSAT TLE Distribution for June 6, 2025
- 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
You can sign up for free e-mail delivery of the AMSAT News Service Bulletins via the ANS List; to join this list see: https://mailman.amsat.org/postorius/lists/ans.amsat.org/
2025 AMSAT Board of Directors Election Underway
The nomination period for the 2025 AMSAT Board of Directors Election ended on June 15, 2025. The following candidates have been duly nominated and their candidate statements can be found at link that follows:
- Barry Baines, WD4ASW
- Jerry Buxton, N0JY
- Drew Glasbrenner, KO4MA
- Frank Karnauskas, N1UW
- Douglas Tabor, N6UA
As four seats on the Board of Directors are up for election this year, the four candidates receiving the largest number of votes shall be declared elected to the seats. The candidate receiving the next largest number of votes shall be declared the First Alternate. The voting period opened on July 15, 2025 and shall conclude on September 15, 2025. Results will be announced no later that September 30, 2025.
AMSAT members may review the candidate statements and cast their ballots at https://launch.amsat.org/2025-BoD-Election
[ANS thanks Douglas Tabor, N6UA, AMSAT Secretary, for the above information]
AMSAT Remove Before Flight Key Tags Now Available
Yes, These are the Real Thing!
Your $20 Donation Goes to Help Fly a Fox-Plus Satellite
Includes First Class Postage (Sorry – U.S. Addresses Only)
Order Today at https://www.amsat.org/product/amsat-remove-before-flight-keychain
Discuss Amateur Satellite Topics on Digital Voice Reflectors
A number of digital voice talkgroups and reflectors exist for discussion of AMSAT and amateur satellite related topics. The DMR, YSF, and D-STAR rooms are bridged together for cross-mode discussions.
DMR
- BrandMeister TG #98006 (AMSAT)
Yaesu System Fusion (YSF)
D-STAR
- REFSAT
- DCSSAT
- XRFSAT
- XLXSAT
All amateur satellite discussions are held on Module C.
M17
- M17-SAT (Module A)
Digital Voice Nets
The AMSAT-X Meetup Net is held weekly on Thursdays at 0300Z (or 0200Z during North American DST – Wednesday evening in North America) on the AMSAT Digital Mode Reflectors. This net is open to anyone that wishes to join with the focus being centered mostly on AMSAT X users involved in grid square roving/chasing activities in North America. Participants are also encouraged to check-in with updates on other satellite activities and projects of interest to the group such as upcoming AMSAT presentations/demonstrations, collection of satellite telemetry, and balloon launches with amateur radio payloads. Currently available linked reflectors are DMR BrandMeister Talkgroup #98006 (AMSAT), YSF Reflector #11689 (US-AMSAT), and the AMSAT D-STAR reflectors XLXSAT, XRFSAT, DCSSAT, and REFSAT. An audio feed is often provided to the *AMSAT* EchoLink Conference Node #101377 but sometimes the bridge is unavailable. The AMSAT M17 Reflector M17-SAT is not yet bridged.
[ANS thanks AMSAT for the above information]
The 2025 AMSAT President’s Club Coins Are Here!
Celebrating the 40th Anniversary of Amateur Radio on Human Spaceflight
Help Support GOLF and Fox Plus.
Join the AMSAT President’s Club today!
AMSAT-UK Supports Student Payload on Sub-Orbital Launch from Oman
A team of 6 students from the University of Surrey, the University of Portsmouth and the University of Southampton are integrating equipment they designed, manufactured and tested to a 12m high Stellar Kinetics Kia-1 rocket in Southern Oman.
The launch from Etlaq Spaceport, to an anticipated altitude of 500km, will be the first flight of the 2 stage Kia-1 rocket and is one of 5 planned test flights from Etlaq this year. The spaceport is located at 18 degrees latitude overlooking the Indian Ocean, making it an ideal location for launching vehicles into multiple orbits, including equatorial orbit, sun-synchronous orbit, polar orbit, medium Earth orbit, and geostationary orbit. The Spaceport should be fully operational by 2027.
The Universities payload, known as Jovian-O, will test a student designed 6U CubeSat deployment pod and its payload. The battery powered ‘satellite’ will not completely deploy from its pod, but remain tethered to it. However it will capture video and still images of the deployment process verifying correct operation of the pod. It will also flight test hardware from the imaging payload DAVE (Dual Aperture for Viewing Earth), which will fly on the future Jovian-1 orbital mission along with an AMSAT-UK educational outreach and U/V FM transponder.
The images transmitted from Jovian-O during this sub orbital test flight use 500kb/sec QPSK. AMSAT-UK provided a high gain 4W 435MHz amplifier for the mission and a deployable 435MHz antenna. Data will be received at Etlaq by the student’s portable ground station.
For more information, visit www.etlaq.om/launches/duqm-2 and https://www.surrey.ac.uk/news/uk-students-launch-international-space-mission.
You can also follow @EtlaqSpace and @stellarkinetics on X.
[ANS thanks AMSAT-UK for the above information]
Comments on AST & Science, LLC Application to Use 430-440 MHz Due July 21
The FCC is currently considering an application by AST & Science, LLC for authorization to operate a total of 248 satellites in low-earth orbit. As part of this application, AST seeks to utilize the 430-440 MHz band for telemetry, tracking, and telecommand (TT&C) operations. Although their request indicates that the use of these frequencies is limited to communication with earth stations outside of the United States during its initial post-launch period and in emergency situations, the utilization of amateur radio bands for commercial purposes is obviously of major concern to amateur radio organizations and operators worldwide.
As part of the consideration process, the FCC is accepting public comment through July 21st. Over 600 individuals, many of them amateur radio operators, have already filed comments opposing AST’s request, as has AMSAT-DL. AMSAT is also preparing comments to be filed in this proceeding. Anyone may file or review comments through the FCC’s Electronic Comment Filing System (ECFS) at https://www.fcc.gov/ecfs/search/search-filings/results?q=(proceedings.name:(%2225-201%22)). The proceeding number is 25-201.
[ANS thanks Paul Stoetzer, N8HM, AMSAT Executive Vice President, for the above information]
May/June 2025 Edition of The AMSAT Journal Now Available
The May/June 2025 edition of The AMSAT Journal is now available. The AMSAT Journal is a bi-monthly digital magazine for amateur radio in space enthusiasts, published by the Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation (AMSAT). Each issue is your source for hardware and software projects, technical tips, STEM initiatives, operational activities, and news from around the world. Join AMSAT today to get immediate access to the latest issue and archived issues of The AMSAT Journal.
Inside the Current Issue:
- Apogee View – Robert Bankston, KE4AL
- Educational Relations Update – Alan Johnston, KU2Y
- 2025 AMSAT Board of Directors Election
- New CubeSat Features and Capabilities – Alan Johnston, KU2Y
- Hamvention Wrap-up: Engineering Update
- AMSAT Youth Initiative Update – Frank Karnauskas, N1UW
- Dick Jansson, KD1K – Keith Baker, KB1SF/VA3KSF
AMSAT members can access the current issue and archived issues at https://launch.amsat.org/The_AMSAT_Journal
[ANS thanks Joe Kornowski, KB6IGK, The AMSAT Journal Editor-in-Chief, for the above information]
Changes to AMSAT TLE Distribution for July 18, 2025
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/.
This week there are no additions or deletions to the AMSAT TLE distribution.
[ANS thanks Joe Fitzgerald, KM1P, AMSAT Orbital Elements Manager, for the above information]
Need new satellite antennas?
Purchase an M2 LEO-Pack from the AMSAT Store!
When you purchase through AMSAT, a portion of the proceeds goes towards Keeping Amateur Radio in Space.
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
No contacts currently scheduled. The ARISS SSTV event will continue until July 20, 2025 at 18:00 UTC.
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 crewmember 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.
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.
AMSAT Ambassador Clint Bradford, K6LCS, says,
“Think a 75-minute presentation on “working the easy satellites” would be appropriate for your club or event? Let me know by emailing me at k6lcsclint (at) gmail (dot) com or calling me at 909-999-SATS (7287)!”
Clint has NEVER given the exact same show twice: EACH of the 150+ presentations so far has been customized/tailored to their audiences.
Scheduled Events
August 21-24, 2025
Northeast HamXposition (HamX) & New England ARRL Convention
Best Western Royal Plaza & Trade Center
181 Boston Post Road W
Marlborough, MA 01752
http://www.HamX.org
W1EME, WD4ASW, WB1FJ
September 6, 2025
Greater Louisville Hamfest
Paroquet Springs Conference Centre
395 Paroquet Springs Drive
Shepherdsville, KY 40165
W4FCL
October 16, 17, 18, 19, 2025
AMSAT Board of Directors Meeting and 43rd Annual AMSAT Space Symposium & Annual General Meeting
Holiday Inn & Suites Phoenix Airport North
1515 North 44th Street
Phoenix, Arizona 85008
Details at https://www.amsat.org/2025-symposium/
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
+ AMSAT Field Day submissions are due on July 29, 2025. For more details on submitting your Field Day results, visit https://www.amsat.org/field-day/ (Thanks to Bruce Paige, KK5DO, AMSAT Director of Contests and Awards).
+ Peter Goodhall, 2M0SQL, has launched a website for his Zenith Satellite Tracker project. The Zenith Satellite Tracker is a web-based real-time satellite tracking application with pass predictions and radio hardware integration. It can be used online or self-hosted on your home network. Details are available at https://zenithtracker.org. (Thanks to Peter Goodhall, 2M0SQL).
+ The Axiom-4 mission concluded its 18 day stay at the International Space Station, splashing down on July 15, 2025 (Thanks to NASA).
Join AMSAT today at https://launch.amsat.org/
In addition to regular membership, AMSAT offers membership to:
- Societies (a recognized group, clubs or organization).
- Primary and secondary school students are eligible for membership at one-half the standard yearly rate.
- Post-secondary school students enrolled in at least half time status shall be eligible for the student rate for a maximum of 6 post-secondary years in this status.
- 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] arrl.net
ANS is a service of AMSAT, the Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation, 712 H Street NE, Suite 1653, Washington, DC 20002