AMSAT Space Symposium and Annual General Meeting Livestream Available

AMSAT News Service Special Bulletin

ANS-289
October 16, 2025

In this edition:

  • AMSAT Space Symposium and Annual General Meeting Livestream Available

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 Space Symposium and Annual General Meeting Livestream Available

The 2025 AMSAT Space Symposium and Annual General Meeting begins at 1:00pm MST / 2000 UTC on October 17, 2025. A livestream will be made available of the presentations on AMSAT’s YouTube channel.

Day 1 will be streamed at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oAC9_Uh2ys4

Day 2 will be streamed at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W0K9cHCz9Fw

The schedule of presentations is below:

Friday, October 17*

Start Speaker Topic
1:00 PM Introduction/Announcements
1:05 PM AMSAT President Welcome
1:15 PM Cameron Castillo, KJ7ILB ASCENT Team Propulsion
1:45 PM Jim McCullers, WA4CWI Oscar to OsTrax
2:15 PM Andrew Robinson, KA3WDW FoxPlus Mechanical Layout & Design
3:00 PM Heimir Thor Sverrisson, W1ANT Extending Command and Control for GOLF
3:30 PM Frank Bauer, KA3HDO ARISS
4:00 PM Frank Karnauskas, N1UW Youth Initiative
4:30 PM Jim White, WD0E ARDC

 

Saturday, October 18*

 

Start Speaker Topic
8:00 AM Alan Johnston, KU2Y CubeSatSim Update & Demonstration
9:00 AM Agastya Bose, KJ5MSH CubeSatSim
9:15 AM Larry Ryan, W7DGP CubeSatSim
9:30 AM Frederic Raab, KK6NOW Bridging Orbit and Classroom: SatNOGS/CubeSatSim
10:15 AM Burns Fisher, WB1FJ Telemetry for FoxPlus & GOLF CubeSats
10:45 AM Burns Fisher, WB1FJ A New Use for Fox & MESAT-1 Whole Orbit Data Algorithm
11:15 AM Kipton Moravec, AE5IB GOLF-TEE Electrical Power Supply (EPS)
1:00 PM Jerry Buxton, N0JY Engineering / GOLF-TEE Update
2:00 PM Mike Moore, K4MVM FoxPlus Update
2:30 PM AMSAT President Annual General Meeting

* All times are Mountain Standard Time (UTC-7). Arizona does not observe Daylight Savings Time.

[ANS thanks the AMSAT Symposium Team for the above information]


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 Contributing 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

ANS-285 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins

AMSAT News Service

ANS-285
October 12, 2025

In this edition:

  • 2025 AMSAT Symposium Takes Place October 17-19, Livestream Available
  • AMSAT-UK Colloquium Continues
  • Japanese CubeSats Deployed from ISS
  • Changes to AMSAT TLE Distribution for October 10, 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 Symposium Takes Place October 17-19, Livestream Available

The 2025 AMSAT Symposium will take Place October 17-19, 2025 in Phoenix, AZ. Registration for the Symposium is still available, but banquet registration has closed.

For those of you who are unable to attend in person, a livestream of Symposium presentations will be available.

The tentative schedule of presentations follows:

Friday, October 17*

Start Speaker Topic
1:00 PM Introduction/Announcements
1:05 PM AMSAT President Welcome
1:15 PM Cameron Castillo, KJ7ILB ASCENT Team Propulsion
1:45 PM Jim McCullers, WA4CWI Oscar to OsTrax
2:15 PM Andrew Robinson, KA3WDW FoxPlus Mechanical Layout & Design
3:00 PM Heimir Thor Sverrisson, W1ANT Extending Command and Control for GOLF
3:30 PM Frank Bauer, KA3HDO ARISS
4:00 PM Frank Karnauskas, N1UW Youth Initiative
4:30 PM Jim White, WD0E ARDC

Saturday, October 18*

Start Speaker Topic
8:00 AM Alan Johnston, KU2Y CubeSatSim Update & Demonstration
9:00 AM Agastya Bose, KJ5MSH CubeSatSim
9:15 AM Larry Ryan, W7DGP CubeSatSim
9:30 AM Frederic Raab, KK6NOW Bridging Orbit and Classroom: SatNOGS/CubeSatSim
10:15 AM Burns Fisher, WB1FJ Telemetry for FoxPlus & GOLF CubeSats
10:45 AM Burns Fisher, WB1FJ A New Use for Fox & MESAT-1 Whole Orbit Data Algorithm
11:15 AM Kipton Moravec, AE5IB GOLF-TEE Electrical Power Supply (EPS)
1:00 PM Jerry Buxton, N0JY Engineering / GOLF-TEE Update
2:00 PM Mike Moore, K4MVM FoxPlus Update
2:30 PM AMSAT President Annual General Meeting

* All times are Mountain Standard Time (UTC-7). Arizona does not observe Daylight Savings Time.

The presentations will be live streamed on AMSAT’s YouTube Channel, recorded and made available for viewing at a later time.
You can view the complete Symposium schedule at https://www.amsat.org/43rd-amsat-space-symposium-and-annual-general-meeting/ .

[ANS thanks AMSAT 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


AMSAT-UK Colloquium Continues

As of publication, he AMSAT-UK Colloquium continues. A livestream of Sunday’s proceedings can be found at https://youtube.com/live/RC1p6iS-zwE

Videos of talks will be added to AMSAT-UK’s YouTube channel.

[ANS thanks AMSAT-UK 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!


Japanese CubeSats Deployed from ISS

Three Japanese CubeSats were deployed from the ISS using the Japanese J-SSOD on October 10, 2025. Two of the satlelites transmit in the amateur radio bands.

e-kagaku-1
CW, DigiTalker, 1.2kbps AFSK, 9.6kbps GMSK  145.840MHz
https://ekagaku-sat.net/   This web site is in Japanese
https://iaru.amsat-uk.org/finished_detail.php?serialnum=888

BOTAN
APRS 145.825MHz
Digital 437.375MHz
https://sites.google.com/p.chibakoudai.jp/gardens-04/
https://iaru.amsat-uk.org/finished_detail.php?serialnum=938

[ANS thanks JAXA and Masahiro Arai, JN1GKZ, for the above information]



Changes to AMSAT TLE Distribution for October 10, 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/.

The following satellite has been added to this week’s AMSAT TLE distribution:

CSS (TIANHE-1) NORAD Cat ID: 48274 Chinese space station, possible ham gear aboard

We recognize that the entire space station is referred to as “Tiangong”, but use the same identifier as the US Space Force for consistency with other sources of orbital information.

[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

1st Radford Semele Scout Group, Radford Semele, United Kingdom, Direct via GB4RSS 

The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be NA1SS
The downlink frequency is presently scheduled to be 145.800 MHz
The scheduled crewmember is Jonathan (Jonny) Kim KJ5HKP
The ARISS mentor is MØXTD

Contact is go for: Sat 2025-10-18 08:12:55 UTC 81 deg (test pass with color bars)
Contact is go for: Sat 2025-10-18 09:49:40 UTC 43 deg (actual school event pass)

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

43rd Annual AMSAT Space Symposium & Annual General Meeting – October 16 thru 19, 2025
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

+ October 8, 2025 was the 10th anniversary of the launch of AMSAT’s first Fox-1 satellite, AO-85. Although it suffered from a slightly deaf receiver, AO-85 provided amateur service for four years before succumbing to battery failure, supporting thousands of QSOs. Additionally, the satellite returned 6,411,349 frames of telemetry over its lifetime, including experimental data for Vanderbilt University.

+ ARISS’s SSTV Series 29 highlighting World Space Week concluded last week with over 3,200 people submitting more than 8,000 image decodes so far. To receive a digital certificate, submit your decodes by 23:59 UTC on Sunday, October 12th to https://ariss-usa.org/ARISS_SSTV/ (Thanks to ARISS)

+ A rumor circulated that CAMSAT’s CAS-11 satellite would launch yesterday on the Gravity-1 rocket from a sea launch platform off the coast of Haiyang. Although the launch was successful and the orbital parameters and launch information match the IARU filing for CAS-11, it appears that the satellite was not on board.


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

ANS-278 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins

October 5, 2025

In this edition:

  • AMSAT 43rd Space Symposium Banquet Reservations Close Thursday, October 9, 2025
  • ARISS Announces SSTV Event Begins October 3, 2025
  • 43rd Annual AMSAT Symposium Speakers List Announced
  • Four US Schools/Organizations Moved Forward in ARISS Selection Process
  • A Review of the futureGEO Workshop 2025 in Bochum
  • VUCC & DXCC Satellite Standings October 2025
  • GridMasterMap Satellite Top 100 Rovers October 2025 Rankings
  • Changes to AMSAT-NA TLE Distribution for October 3, 2025
  • ARISS News
  • AMSAT Ambassador Activities
  • Satellite Shorts From All Over

The AMSAT(R) 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 http://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 [dot] org .

Sign up for free e-mail delivery of the AMSAT News Service Bulletins via the ANS List. Join this list at: https://mailman.amsat.org/postorius/lists/ans.amsat.org/

AMSAT 43rd Space Symposium Banquet Reservations Close Thursday, October 9, 2025

Those planning to attend the banquet at the 43rd Annual AMSAT Space Symposium & Annual General Meeting must have their reservation made no later than Thursday, October 9, 2025.

The banquet menu offers the following buffet features:

  • Tossed Garden Salad
  • Herb Encrusted Chicken Breast
  • Grilled Salmon with Cilantro Ginger Crust
  • Grilled Sirloin with Wild Mushrooms
  • Rice Pilaf
  • Scalloped Potatoes
  • Roasted Seasonal Vegetables
  • Seasonal Cheesecake
  • Flourless Chocolate Cake
  • Coffee and Tea
  •  

The keynote speaker for the banquet is Liam Cheney, PMP. Liam is an aerospace consultant and founder of Footstep Aerospace by AG3, LLC, where he supports mission integration, strategy, and business development for the space industry. Over the past decade, he has contributed to the successful launch and deployment of numerous CubeSat missions, including many flown through NASA’s CubeSat Launch Initiative (CSLI), where he previously served as a Mission Manager. He has helped launch multiple AMSAT-supported missions during his time at NASA, Tyvak, and SRI International. Liam also served as the launch services Mission Manager for PREFIRE, which launched in 2024 on back-to-back Rocket Lab Electron flights to study polar heat loss and improve climate modeling.

Keynote Speaker Liam Cheney (Photo courtesy Liam Cheney.)

He holds a Master’s degree in Aerospace Engineering from Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo, where he authored a thesis on safety standards for CubeSat propulsion systems and contributed to the university’s CubeSat Program. A member of AMSAT, Liam lives in Kansas City with his wife and two children and enjoys astrophotography and craft coffee.

Regrettably, walk-in registrations for the banquet cannot be accepted at the Symposium.

Make your reservation today at https://launch.amsat.org/Events .

[ANS thanks Frank Karnauskas, N1UW, AMSAT Board of Directors, for the above information.]


Your 2025 AMSAT President’s Club Coin Is Waiting!
Celebrating the 40th Anniversary of Amateur Radio on Human Spaceflight
Help Support GOLF and Fox-Plus.

Join the AMSAT President’s Club today and help
Keep Amateur Radio in Space!
https://www.amsat.org/join-the-amsat-presidents-club/


ARISS SSTV Event Runs Through October 20, 2025

The ARISS team is working towards two short SSTV activations for October 2025. Both of these are expected to start on a Friday and end on the following Monday.

The first event is ARISS’ traditional celebration of the launch of the first artificial Earth satellite in 1957. The SSTV activation started on Friday, October 3 and will run to end on Monday, October 6. SSTV will be paused for a short time (~ 60 minutes) on Saturday October 4 for a special student voice contact.

The second SSTV campaign is tentatively scheduled to start on Friday, October 17, with a short pause (~60 minutes) for a special student contact on Saturday, October 18, and resume until completion on Monday, October 20.

This interval roughly coincides with the International Scouting Jamboree on the Air (JOTA) and the SSTV image theme is expected to deal with Scouting.

ARISS expects to offer separate electronic award diplomas for participants who receive at least one image from a campaign and submit it to the SSTV gallery.

Tentative times for the first event are:
2025-10-03 1140 UTC start
2025-10-04 1000 UTC pause for a school event
2025-10-04 1100 UTC resume
2025-10-06 TBD UTC stop

[ANS thanks ARISS for the above information.]


43rd Annual AMSAT Symposium Speakers List Announced

The 43rd Annual AMSAT Space Symposium has an impressive list of presentations scheduled for October 17 and October 18.

Credit: Holiday Inn Suites Phoenix Airport North

Friday, October 17*

Start Speaker Topic
1:00 PM Introduction/Announcements  
1:05 PM AMSAT President Welcome
1:15 PM Cameron Castillo, KJ7ILB ASCENT Team Propulsion
1:45 PM Jim McCullers, WA4CWI Oscar to OsTrax
2:15 PM Andrew Robinson, KA3WDW FoxPlus Mechanical Layout & Design
3:00 PM Heimir Thor Sverrisson, W1ANT Extending Command and Control for GOLF
3:30 PM Frank Bauer, KA3HDO ARISS
4:00 PM Frank Karnauskas, N1UW Youth Initiative
4:30 PM Jim White, WD0E ARDC

Saturday, October 18*

Start Speaker Topic
8:00 AM Alan Johnston, KU2Y CubeSatSim Update & Demonstration
9:00 AM Agastya Bose, KJ5MSH CubeSatSim
9:15 AM Larry Ryan, W7DGP CubeSatSim
9:30 AM Frederic Raab, KK6NOW Bridging Orbit and Classroom: SatNOGS/CubeSatSim
10:15 AM Burns Fisher, WB1FJ A New Use for Fox & MESAT-1 Whole Orbit Data Algorithm
10:45 AM Burns Fisher, WB1FJ Telemetry for FoxPlus & GOLF CubeSats
11:15 AM Kipton Moravec, AE5IB GOLF-TEE Electrical Power Supply (EPS)
1:00 PM Jerry Buxton, N0JY Engineering / GOLF-TEE Update
2:00 PM Mike Moore, K4MVM FoxPlus Update
2:30 PM AMSAT President Annual General Meeting

* All times are Mountain Standard Time (UTC-7). Arizona does not observe Daylight Savings Time.
The presentations will be live streamed on AMSAT’s You Tube Channel, recorded and made available for viewing at a later time.
You can view the complete Symposium schedule at https://www.amsat.org/43rd-amsat-space-symposium-and-annual-general-meeting/ .

[ANS thanks Frank Karnauskas, N1UW, AMSAT Board of Directors, for the above information.]


Four US Schools/Organizations Moved Forward in ARISS Selection Process

Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) is pleased to announce the US schools/host organizations newly selected for 2026 ARISS contacts. A total of 4 of the submitted proposals during the recent proposal window have been accepted to move forward in the processes of planning to host a scheduled amateur radio contact with crew on the ISS.

The ARISS program anticipates that NASA will be able to provide scheduling opportunities for the 4 US host organizations during the Jan 2026 – June 2026 time period. They are now at work starting to implement their 4–6 month education plan which was outlined in their proposal. These STEAM based educational activities help prepare students for their contact as well as create an on-going exploration and interest in aerospace and amateur radio topics. They are also completing an acceptable equipment plan that demonstrates their ability to execute the ham radio contact. Once their equipment plan is approved by ARISS, the final selected schools/organizations will be scheduled as their availability and flexibility match up with the scheduling opportunities offered by NASA.

The schools and host organizations are:

  • ASU STEM Preparatory Academy Mesa, AZ
  • Conn Magnet Elementary School Raleigh, NC
  • The Center for Creativity, Innovation, and Discovery Providence, UT
  • EcoTarium Worcester, MA

The primary goal of the ARISS program is to engage young people in Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Math (STEAM) activities and raise their awareness of space communications, radio communications, space exploration, and related areas of study and career possibilities.

[ANS thanks ARISS for the above information.]


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/


A Review of the futureGEO Workshop 2025 in Bochum

On September 19, 2025, the futureGEO workshop took place under the radome of the Bochum Observatory. Organized by AMSAT-DL with the support of ESA, the event brought together international experts, representatives of amateur radio organizations and dedicated radio amateurs who had previously declared their active participation in an appeal and submitted corresponding proposals. In the spring, AMSAT-DL had invited potential interested parties as part of an RFEI. The aim was to build on the experience gained with QO-100 and to jointly define the first concrete mission ideas for a future amateur radio payload in geostationary orbit.

(Photo courtesy AMSAT-DL)

The workshop was held as a hybrid event. The group was made up of one half who were present on site and the other half who took part online via ZOOM. Andrew Glasbrenner, K04MA, AMSAT VP – Operations represented AMSAT-USA at the meeting.

The purpose of the workshop was to collect, cluster and prioritize ideas:

  • Mission & Services – Which communication services and experiments should a new GEO payload enable?
  • Payload & antennas – What technical solutions are conceivable?
  • Ground station & operation – How can control and operation be organized?
  • User segment – Who should have access and how?

In a concluding reflection among the participants, it became clear how much QO-100 has revitalized and enriched the amateur radio community:

  • Affordable entry into microwave communication with low-cost SDRs and LNBs.
  • Development of open source software such as DVB-S2 encoders and decoders.
  • Educational projects from schools to schools contacts with Antarctica and other events.

The participants hope that radio amateurs can be even more involved in the construction of the hardware of a futureGEO with appropriate personal contribution, transparency and participation than was possible with QO-100 due to NDAs with the manufacturers and owners of the parent satellite.

The next steps are clear: The mission ideas developed in the workshop will be further concretized and should be available by the end of 2025 in the form of 1-3 consolidated mission concepts that are both technically exciting and attractive to the international amateur radio community and must also be technically feasible.

Read the entire story at https://amsat-dl.org/en/review-futuregeo-workshop-2025-in-bochum/ .

[ANS thanks AMSAT-DL for the above information.]


VUCC & DXCC Satellite Standings October 2025

VUCC Satellite Standings for October 2025
VUCC Satellite Award/Endorsement Change Summary for September 1, 2025 to October 1, 2025

JK2XXK 1103 1208
XE1AO 1177 1185
HB9AOF 907 1016
IK3ITB 900 1000
KQ4DO 952 983
W8LR 916 919
KS1G 754 768
LY4AA 670 729
LA6OP 632 663
W0JW 341 654
HB9GWJ 602 631
KO9A 545 547
AB1OC 476 479
K3HPA 400 425
N4QWF 350 376
K5WO 304 326
OH3DP 256 300
AA6DY New 167
JA9OJM 128 151
WB5TX 135 143
S21DX New 128
KM6HB New 104
W5QZ New 102

Congratulations to the new VUCC Satellite holders.
AA6DY New 167
S21DX New 128
KM6HB New 104
W5QZ New 102

S21DX is first VUCC Satellite holder from NL51

DXCC Satellite Standings for October 2025
DXCC Satellite Award/Endorsement Change Summary for September 1, 2025 to October 1, 2025.

OE9DGV 215 217
HB9RYZ 164 166
LA6OP 154 159
HB9GWJ 143 150
G4BWP 110 134
F6EXV New 114
I4DOR 109 113
US0SY New 101
9A1CAL New 100
KQ4DO New 100

Congratulations to the new DXCC Satellite holders.
F6EXV New 114
US0SY New 101
9A1CAL New 100
KQ4DO New 100

9A1CAL is first DXCC Satellite holder from Croatia and JN86

[ANS thanks Jon Goering, N7AZ, for the above information.]


GridMasterMap Satellite Top 100 Rovers October 2025 Rankings

The October 2025 rankings for the Top 100 Rovers (Mixed LEO/MEO/GEO) in satellite operations, as determined by @GridMasterMap on Twitter, has been released. The ranking is determined by the number of grids and DXCC entities activated, taking into account only those grids where a minimum number of QSOs logged on the gridmaster.fr website have been validated by a third party. Grid numbers do not directly reflect the exact number of activations. Satellite operators are encouraged to upload their LoTW satellite contacts to https://gridmaster.fr in order to provide more accurate data.
Updated: 2025-10-02

1 ND9M 26 KX9X 51 KE0PBR 76 KM4LAO
2 NJ7H 27 DJ8MS 52 KE0WPA 77 VA7LM
3 UT1FG 28 KG5CCI 53 JK2XXK 78 VE7PTN
4 JA9KRO 29 ON4AUC 54 EA4NF 79 N4UFO
5 N5UC 30 N5BO 55 PR8KW 80 N6UTC
6 F5VMJ 31 K8BL 56 XE1ET 81 PT2AP
7 DL6AP 32 KE4AL 57 EB1AO 82 AA8CH
8 DP0POL 33 PA3GAN 58 W7WGC 83 VE1VOX
9 OE3SEU 34 F4BKV 59 LU4JVE 84 FG8OJ
10 WI7P 35 KB5FHK 60 N6DNM 85 PT9BM
11 K5ZM 36 AC0RA 61 SM3NRY 86 YU0W
12 WY7AA 37 JO2ASQ 62 F4DXV 87 KI7UXT
13 HA3FOK 38 VA3VGR 63 KI7QEK 88 KJ7NDY
14 LU5ILA 39 KI0KB 64 W8LR 89 AF5CC
15 N6UA 40 VE3HLS 65 W1AW 90 KB2YSI
16 W5PFG 41 KI7UNJ 66 AA5PK 91 VE3GOP
17 N9IP 42 LA9XGA 67 WD5GRW 92 K0FFY
18 DL2GRC 43 HJ5LVR 68 VE1CWJ 93 JM1CAX
19 AK8CW 44 BG7QIW 69 KE9AJ 94 PS8BR
20 N4AKV 45 DF2ET 70 M1DDD 95 BI1MHK
21 AD0DX 46 N7AGF 71 AD7DB 96 W8MTB
22 AD0HJ 47 JL3RNZ 72 HB9GWJ 97 DK9JC
23 ND0C 48 VK5DG 73 SP5XSD 98 WA9JBQ
24 BA1PK 49 K7TAB 74 DL4EA 99 N4DCW
25 WD9EWK 50 XE3DX 75 N8RO 100 KG4AKV

[ANS thanks Mitch Ahrenstorff, AD0HJ ANS Rotating Editor and @GridMasterMap for the above information.]

[ANS thanks _ for the above information.]


Want to fly the colors on your own grid expedition?
Get your 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
https://www.zazzle.com/amsat_gear


Changes to AMSAT-NA TLE Distribution for October 3, 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.]


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.

ARISS News

Upcoming Contacts
Paterson P-Tech High School/ Paterson Public Schools, Paterson, New Jersey, direct via W2NPT
The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be NA1S .
The scheduled crewmember is Kimiya Yui, KG5BPH.
The ARISS mentor is AB1OC.
Contact is go for Monday, October 6. 2025 at 14:24:46 UTC.

Namibia Scientific Society, Windhoek, Namibia, telebridge via ON4ISS.
The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be OR4ISS.
The scheduled crewmember is Kimiya Yui, KG5BPH.
The ARISS mentor is KA3HDO.
Contact is go for Thursday, October 9, 2025 at 10:37:18 UTC.

Completed Contacts
Pobeda schools, Aznakaevsky district of the Republic of Tatarstan, Russia, direct via RC4P.
The ISS callsign was RSØISS.
The crewmember was Sergey Ryzhikov.
The ARISS mentor is RV3DR.
Contact was successful on Wednesday, October 1, 2025 at 1 10:45 UTC.

Instituto Politecnico Nacional: Planetario “Luis Enrique Erro”, Mexico City (Gustavo A. Madero), Mexico, Direct via XE2L.
The ISS callsign was NA1SS.
The crewmember was Zena Cardman, KJ5CMN.
The ARISS mentor was VE3TBD.
Contact was successful on Wednesday, October 1, 2025 at 16:40:40 UTC.

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.

The packet system is also active (145.825 MHz up & down).

As always, if there is an EVA, a docking, or an undocking; the ARISS radios are turned off as part of the safety protocol.

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.]


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 News Logo

October 11, 2025
North Star Radio Convention

Hennepin Technical College
9000 Brooklyn Boulevard
Brooklyn Park, MN 55445
https://northstarradio.org/
ADØHJ

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/ .

[ANS thanks Bo Lowrey, W4FCL, Director – AMSAT Ambassador Program, for the above information.]


Satellite Shorts From All Over

  • Suryono Adisoemarta, YD0NXX/N5SNN, Amateur Radio Organization of Indonesia, reports “September 28, 2025, was the 10th anniversary of IO-86 (Indonesia OSCAR 86) Satellite. The host vehicle, LAPAN A2 satellite, was launched from India using a PSLV rocket. This 10 years of almost problem-free satellite is beyond imagination, as the service year was designed only for 2 years. Currently the FM voice repeater payload is still working good , only the APRS digipeater is showing reduced sensitivity . The same digipeater box, a Tracker2, that was purchased at the same time in 2008 currently on my bench is also showing the same symptom. Hopefully we can have another 10 years of service from this satellite.” [ANS thanks Suryono Adisoemarta, YD0NXX/N5SNN, Amateur Radio Organization of Indonesia for the above information.]

  • M2 Antenna Systems Sales Manager Robert Brown, KR7O reports that LEO Pack antenna systems are back in stock and once again available in the AMSAT Store Despite the factory working nearly around the clock, the LEO Pack had been out-of-stock for several months due to a suddden increase in commercial and government orders. The good news is, at this time, there is no price increase. [ANS thanks M2 Antenna Systems Sales Manager Robert Brown, KR7O, for the above information.


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, Frank Karnauskas, N1UW.
f.karnauskas [at] amsat [dot] 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.

ANS-271 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins

AMSAT News Service

ANS-271
September 28, 2025

In this edition:

  • 2025 AMSAT Symposium Registration Continues
  • Hams Needed to Track Artemis II
  • AMSAT-DL Hosts futureGEO Meeting, Bochum Space Days Symposium
  • ISS SSTV Events Upcoming
  • Changes to AMSAT TLE Distribution for September 26, 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 Symposium Registration Continues

Registration for the 2025 AMSAT Symposium, to be held October 17-19, 2025 in Phoenix, AZ continues.

For details, visit https://www.amsat.org/43rd-amsat-space-symposium-and-annual-general-meeting/

Proposals for Symposium papers and presentations are invited on any topic of interest to the amateur satellite community. We request a tentative title of your paper or presentation as soon as possible, with final copy submitted by October 8th for inclusion in the Symposium Proceedings.

Proposals for presentations at the Symposium do not require a paper. Presentations will be recorded and made available on AMSAT’s YouTube Channel and transcribed and published with its slides in the Proceedings.

Proposals should be sent to Frank Karnauskas, N1UW via [email protected]

[ANS thanks AMSAT 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


Hams Needed to Track Artemis II

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) is seeking volunteers to passively track the 2026 Artemis II Orion spacecraft as the crewed mission travels to the Moon and back to Earth.

The Artemis II test flight will send NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman, KF5LKT; Victor Glover, KI5BKC; and Christina Koch, along with Canadian Space Agency (CSA) astronaut Jeremy Hansen, KF5LKU, on an approximately 10-day mission around the Moon.

Targeted for no later than April 2026, the mission will rely on NASA’s Near Space Network and Deep Space Network for primary communications and tracking support throughout its launch, orbit, and reentry. However, with a growing focus on commercialization, NASA wants to further understand industry’s tracking capabilities.

This collaboration opportunity builds upon a previous request released by NASA’s Space Communication and Navigation Program (SCaN ) during the Artemis I mission in 2022. Ten volunteers successfully tracked the uncrewed Orion spacecraft on its journey thousands of miles beyond the Moon and back.

One of those volunteers tracking in 2022 was Scott Chapman, K4KDR, of Montpelier, Virginia. “Sometimes it’s what you don’t know that makes this kind activity interesting,” said Chapman. “All I had was a small S-band dish and receiver and wasn’t sure what I could or couldn’t hear…but when I started hearing the signals…it made everything worth it.”

Chapman said he felt good about the whole process and, while it was interesting, it was also lot of fun!

There were also other participants during the Artemis I mission, including international space agencies, academic institutions, commercial companies, nonprofits, and private citizens who were also attempting to receive Orion’s signals. Chapman added that NASA is also looking for commercial partnerships to share in the process.

If you’re interested in volunteering for next year’s event, all of the information can  be found at SAM.gov. The response deadline is October 27, 2025, at 5:00 PM EDT.

[ANS thanks the ARRL Letter 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-DL Hosts futureGEO Meeting, Bochum Space Days Symposium

AMSAT-DL hosted its annual Symposium during the Bochum Space Days on September 19-21. Prior to the opening of the Symposium, AMSAT-DL hosted a meeting regarding the futureGEO project. The futureGEO project is a prospective geostationary amateur radio payload potentially hosted on board a satellite with coverage including portions of North America. AMSAT was represented at this meeting by Vice President – Operations Drew Glasbrenner, KO4MA.

AMSAT-DL’s Symposium included presentations on the futureGEO project as well as presentations on AMSAT-DL’s ERMINAZ-1 PocketQubes, updates from AMSAT-UK on the Jovian-1 and FUNcube+ projects, as well as other updates on various amateur satellite related projects.

[ANS thanks AMSAT-DL for the above information]


ISS SSTV Events Upcoming

Two ARISS SSTV events are planned over the next few weeks. First, an event is planned for October 3-6 commemorating the launch of Sputnik in 1957. Then, on October 17-20, scouting themed images will be transmitted to coincide with the International Scouting Jamboree.

ISS SSTV images are transmitted using the PD-120 mode on 145.800 MHz.

More information about start/end times will be available closer to the event start dates.

[ANS thanks ARISS for the above information]



Changes to AMSAT TLE Distribution for September 26, 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

Pinecrest Academy, Cumming, Georgia, direct via KI4ITG

The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be NA1SS
The downlink frequency is presently scheduled to be 145.800 MHz
The scheduled crewmember is Mike Fincke KE5AIT
The ARISS mentor is K4RGK

Contact is go for: Tue 2025-09-30 15:58:19 UTC 29 deg

Watch for Livestream at https://www.youtube.com/live/l79jp1HC10k and https://live.ariss.org/

Instituto Politecnico Nacional: Planetario “Luis Enrique Erro”, Mexico City (Gustavo A. Madero), Mexico, Direct via XE2L

The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be NA1SS
The downlink frequency is presently scheduled to be 145.800 MHz
The scheduled crewmember is Zena Cardman KJ5CMN
The ARISS mentor is VE3TBD

Contact is go for: Wed 2025-10-01 16:41:48 UTC 67 deg

Girl Guides Association of NSW/ACT/NT, Murwillumbah, NSW, Australia, telebridge via VK4ISS

The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be TBD
The downlink frequency is presently scheduled to be 145.800 MHz
The scheduled crewmember is Mike Fincke KE5AIT
The ARISS mentor is VK4KHZ

Contact is go for: Sat 2025-10-04 10:26:23 UTC 62 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 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

North Star Radio Convention – October 11, 2025
Hennepin Technical College
9000 Brooklyn Boulevard
Brooklyn Park, MN 55445
https://northstarradio.org/
ADØHJ

43rd Annual AMSAT Space Symposium & Annual General Meeting – October 16 thru 19, 2025
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

+ Stretching the footprint of QO-100 continued this past week with activations from Newfoundland by VO1/F4BXV. VO1/F4BXV conducted the first activations of GN36 and GN38 on QO-100 (Via DF2ET (@flo_0_) on X).

+ FO-29’s analog transponder will be activated at the following times in October:

Oct 3rd 23:36-
Oct 5th 00:26-, 23:30-
Oct 11th 00:10-, 23:14-
Oct 13th 00:04-
Oct 17th 22:58-
Oct 18th 23:48-
Oct 24th 23:31-
Oct 26th 00:22-

Due to FO-29’s battery status, the satellite remains active following the activation times until the satellite’s undervoltage control shuts the transponder off. (Via JARL)

+ Satellite DXpeditions to PJ7 (Sint Maarten) and FP (St. Pierre & Miquelon) over the past week were successful with PJ7K and FP5KE making numerous satellite QSOs.

+ AO-123’s FM transponder returned to service this past week. The uplink is 145.850 MHz with a 67 Hz CTCSS tone and the downlink is 435.400 MHz. (Thanks to Harbin Institute of Technology)

+ AMSAT -EA has announced that SO-125’s FM transponder will now be left on full-time. The uplink for SO-125 is 145.875 MHz (no tone needed) and the downlink is 435.666 MHz. (Thanks to AMSAT-EA)


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