AMSAT News Service
ANS-130
May 10, 2026
In this edition:
- AMSAT at Hamvention – AMSAT/TAPR Banquet Ticket Deadline – Monday, May 11th at 17:00 EDT
- March/April 2026 Issue of The AMSAT Journal Now Available
- ARISS SSTV Series 32 “Cooperation in Space and World Peace” Underway
- 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
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/
AMSAT at Hamvention – AMSAT/TAPR Banquet Ticket Deadline – Monday, May 11th at 17:00 EDT
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 p.m. 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.
Ray Roberge, WA1CYB, will be the speaker at the 17th annual AMSAT/TAPR Banquet. Roberge, a member of AMSAT’s Engineering team, will speak about progress on AMSAT’s SDR Gen2 project, including what it does and where it can be used.
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 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. 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 p.m. to 3:10 p.m. EDT in Forum Room 2.
[ANS thanks the AMSAT Hamvention team for the above information]
LIMITED TIME OFFER!!!
AMSAT is offering a limited-time promotion for new and renewing members that includes a free digital copy of Getting Started with Amateur Satellites. The promotion is being offered as AMSAT begins the 2026 membership year.
Anyone who joins or renews their AMSAT membership during the promotional period will receive a download link for the latest edition of Getting Started with Amateur Satellites in their membership confirmation email. JOIN TODAY at https://launch.amsat.org/ (Remember! Students join for FREE!)
March/April 2026 Issue of The AMSAT Journal Now Available
The March/April 2026 issue of The AMSAT Journal is now available to AMSAT members. 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 this issue:
-
Apogee View – Drew Glasbrenner, KO4MA
-
futureGEO Ideas: A Basic LoRa Transponder and a Low-Cost Handheld Ground Station – Paul Stoetzer, N8HM
-
2026 AMSAT Field Day – Bruce Paige, KK5DO
-
SkyRoof: An Integrated Platform for LEO Satellite Ground Station Operations – Omar Álvarez Cárdenas, XE1AO, Margarita G. Mayoral Baldivia, XE1BMG, Gilles Arfeuille, VE7VOL
-
My 1296 MHz Worked All States (WAS) And How I Got There – Linda H. Straubel, Ph.D., N9LHS
-
Building a DIY Hamlib Bridge for Integrating a Network-Based Rotator and Software Defined Radio – Kevin Blackburn, W9KSB
AMSAT Remove Before Flight Key Tags Now Available Yes, These are the Real Thing!
Your $20 Donation Goes to Help Fly a FoxPlus Satellite Includes First Class Postage (Sorry – U.S. Addresses Only) Order Today at https://www.amsat.org/product/amsat-remove-before-flight-keychain
ARISS SSTV Series 32 “Cooperation in Space and World Peace” Underway
ARISS has activated Slow Scan Television transmissions from the International Space Station for Series 32. The event began on Friday, May 8, 2026, at approximately 10:30 UTC and will continue through Tuesday, May 12, 2026, at 16:40 UTC. Images are being transmitted on 437.550 MHz FM using Robot 36 mode.
The theme features original student artwork from around the world focused on international cooperation, friendship, and world peace in space. Early decodes shared on X and amateur radio forums already show strong signals and clear imagery, including several with Victory Day (May 9) motifs. Operators are reporting excellent copy on passes worldwide.
Submit received images to the official ARISS SSTV Gallery (ariss-usa.org/ARISS_SSTV/) once the upload link is announced for participation certificates. The ARISS crossband repeater remains available for voice contacts during this period.
[ANS thanks ARISS for the above information]
The 2026 President’s Club Coin is Now Here! Help Support GOLF and FoxPlus.
Annual memberships start at only $120
Join the AMSAT President’s Club today and help Keep Amateur Radio in Space! https://www.amsat.org/join-the-amsat-presidents-club/
Need new satellite antennas? Purchase M2 LEO-Packs from the AMSAT Store.
When you purchase through AMSAT, a portion of the proceeds goes towards Keeping Amateur Radio in Space. https://amsat.org/product-category/hardware/
Changes to AMSAT TLE Distribution for May 8, 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]
Buying from Ham Radio Outlet?
Add AMSAT’s Getting Started With Amateur Satellites to your order.
Available for $29.95 from HRO (free shipping on most orders over $100)
https://www.hamradio.com/
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
Tobe Junior High School, Tobe, Japan, direct via JR5YED
The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be OR4ISS
The scheduled crewmember is Sophie Adenot KJ5LTN
The ARISS mentor is 7M3TJZ/ JA1CJP/ MØXTD
Contact is go for: Tue 2026-05-12 09:28:25 UTC 68 deg
“Memorial Complex of Soviet Pilot-Cosmonaut A.G. Nikolaev”, Chuvashia, Russia, direct via TBD
The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be RSØISS
The scheduled crewmember is Sergey Kud-Sverchkov
The ARISS mentor is RV3DR
Contact is go for Mon 2026-05-18 17:25 UTC
N.I. Lobachevsky Lyceum and School No. 132, Kazan, Russia, direct via TBD
The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be RSØISS
The scheduled crewmember is Sergey Kud-Sverchkov
The ARISS mentor is RV3DR
Contact is for for Wed 2026-05-20 15:50 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 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
+The Gemini-Pollux satellite, carrying an APRS transponder and 1k2 and 9k6 packet BPSK coordinated at 436.500 MHz downlink, as well as S Band for high speed 2Mps QPSK image data at 2405 MHz was launched on May 3, 2026, at 06:59 UTC aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 from Vandenberg SLC-4E, deploying at 09:20 UTC.
+ The CelesTrak default format is changing to CSV (GP Format)! TLEs are obsolete, 5-digit catalog numbers being exhausted quicker than anticipated, past 68950 of 69999. Migrate to GP Format! Time is running out!!! AMSAT will also be switching to GP format elements. SatPC32 fully supports the new element format, but be sure to check any other tracking applications (Thanks to Celestrak and AMSAT).
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.