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From: "Mark Johns, K0JM via ANS"
Date: Mon, 18 May 2026 08:39:49 EDT
Reply-To: k0jm.mark@gmail.com
To: space@ww
*ANS-137* *May 17, 2026*
In this edition:
* AMSAT "Radio Adventure" at Hamvention
* VUCC Satellite Standing May 2026
* DXCC Satellite Standing May 2026
* AMSAT-DL to Highlight QO-100 at Friedrichshafen
* PaperSat: A Satellite Tracking App for the M5Paper S3 Device
* Launching Satellites with Zero Emissions
* Changes to AMSAT-NA TLE Distribution
* Receiving DATV From the ISS
* 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 “Radio Adventure” at Hamvention
The theme of this year’s Hamvention is “Radio Adventure,” and AMSAT has
been highlighting the adventure of satellite communication for visitors to
its large exhibit area. Occupying its usual spot in the northwest
corner of
Building One at the Greene County Fairgrounds and Event Center in Xenia,
Ohio, AMSAT Engineering, Education, Youth Outreach, and User Services
provided a rich collection of resources and information to visitors.
Business was brisk at the “Beginner’s Corner” where new hams and hams new
to satellites came to have questions answered and to purchase print copies
of the book, *Getting Started with Amateur Satellites*.
The AMSAT Store was active, supplying shirts, caps, CubesatSIMS, frequency
charts, and Arrow Antennas to satellite enthusiasts. Many AMSAT members
also stopped by to renew their AMSAT memberships for another year, and a
few made donations to join the AMSAT President’s Club.
AMSAT Engineering drew crowds to view the prototype of the GolfTee
satellite currently in development, as well as to speak to engineering
volunteers on hand about the FoxPlus project and to see a prototype of the
SDR Gen 2 transponder board.
AMSAT Education drew considerable interest as live demonstrations of both
the CubesatSIM and CubesatSIM Lite were underway.
And youngsters were drawn to the BuzzSat
where they enjoyed coloring pages from the BuzzSat “Satellites in Space”
Coloring Book and working through “Satellites in Space Help Us Live a
Better Life on Earth” Free Online Courses on laptop computers available in
the display.
At the AMSAT/TAPR Banquet, Ray Roberge, WA1CYB, a member of AMSAT’s
Engineering team, spoke about progress on AMSAT’s SDR Gen2 project,
including what it does and where it can be used.
*[ANS thanks AMSAT 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.*
[image: Getting Started]
*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/
------------------------------
VUCC Satellite Standing May 2026
————————————————————
VUCC Satellite Award/Endorsement Change Summary for April 01, 2026 to May
01, 2026.
————————————————————
W5CBF 1788 1895
WC7V 1621 1626
EA2AA 1206 1214
WA5LRC New 1091
E7ØA 901 1023
RA3S 654 838
KB1HY 732 752
HB9GWJ 651 702
LA6OP 663 700
AF5CC 656 657
JH8RZJ 328 561
PY2YJ 266 291
WB5TX 165 170
————————————————————
*Congratulations to the new VUCC Satellite holder*
WA5LRC
*[ANS thanks Jon Goering, N7AZ, for the above information.]*
------------------------------
*The 2026 President’s Club Coin is Here!*
*Help Support GOLF and FoxPlus.*
[image: Presidents' Club 2026 Coin]
*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/*
------------------------------
DXCC Satellite Standing May 2026
————————————————————
DXCC Satellite Award/Endorsement Change Summary for February 05, 2026
to May 01, 2026.
————————————————————
*Callsign* *Feb* *May*
JE2VVN 206 240
VE6LQ* New 209
DL2GRC 188 201
MI0ILE 200 201
DF2ET 179 200
DG7RO 104 200
S57NML 175 200
PS8ET 178 193
PY2RN 192 193
SA5IKN 184 193
YO3APJ 173 176
RA3S 164 175
EA2AA 167 172
HB9RYZ 169 171
SV8CS 167 171
YO2KHK 165 168
IK0USO 150 167
PE1L 154 163
LA6OP 159 160
DL2QB 139 154
IK5CBE 143 154
IK7FMQ 141 154
G0IIQ 107 150
YO2RR 145 150
LA0FA 133 138
DK3ZL 100 135
EA2BJM 100 129
SV1FJA New 128
IK6GZM 124 125
SP3QDM 100 119
TF1A 116 117
ON4IQ New 107
W2RS* New 106
IW1CAB New 105
HB9BIN New 104
I1YDT 100 101
OH3DP New 101
EA8JF New 100
EI3DP New 100
IK6ZDF New 100
IN3EQZ New 100
JE3ENP New 100
JH8FIH New 100
JN2QCV New 100
M5JFS New 100
SV8CKM New 100
————————————————————
*Congratulations to the new DXCC Satellite holders! *
EA8JF is first DXCC Satellite holder from Canary Island and
IL38 EI3DP is first DXCC Satellite holder from IO51
M5JFS is first DXCC Satellite holder from IO90
SV8CKM is first DXCC Satellite holder from KM08
SV1FJA is first DXCC Satellite holder from KM17
OH3DP is first DXCC Satellite holder from KP10
JH8FIH is first DXCC Satellite holder from QN14
*[ANS thanks Jon Goering, N7AZ, for the above information.]*
------------------------------
AMSAT-DL to Highlight QO-100 at Friedrichshafen
As part of the “HAM RADIO 2026” event at Friedrichshafen, Germany in June,
AMSAT-Deutschland e. V. (AMSAT-DL) cordially invites all QO-100 users and
amateur radio satellite enthusiasts to an open community workshop.
Building on the experiences with Qatar OSCAR 100 (QO-100) and current
activities in the future geosynchronous Earth orbit (GEO) environment, the
event invites amateurs to discuss together with the community what a
future
geostationary amateur radio payload could look like. The aim of the
workshop is to gather ideas, requirements and perspectives from the user
community and place them in a common context.
As a basis for the discussion, AMSAT-DL will present 2-3 concrete mission
and payload concepts that reflect different development directions and are
deliberately put up for open discussion:
*1. “Enhanced QO 100+” (basic)* An evolutionary approach that builds
on the
success of the QO 100: classic bent-pipe narrowband and wideband
transponders, an advanced beacon architecture, multi-band downlinks and
additional functions such as text and image transmission, e.g. for
emergency and disaster communication, Internet of Things, etc.
*2. Digital Innovation Lab (extended)* A more experimentally oriented
concept with extensive digital signal processing on board. The focus is on
flexible, software-defined payload architectures (SDR), regenerative
processing and a “digital playground” for new modulation and access
methods
and user experiments. But with the risk of being very software-heavy.
*3. “High Frequency Pathfinder” (optional)* An explorative approach with
beacons and experiments in very high frequency ranges (mm Wave),
supplemented by new antenna concepts, propagation and environmental
measurements as well as earth and space imaging.
*Open workshop*
The workshop is designed to be explicitly open.
These concepts are not intended as ready-made solutions, but as a
basis for
discussion. The aim is to evaluate together with the participants which
approaches are particularly interesting, sensible and sustainable for the
amateur radio satellite community. Which aspects should be pursued further
or in greater depth, but also the risks and dependencies should be
addressed.
Both experienced satellite radio operators and anyone interested in the
future development of amateur radio satellites, new technical concepts and
possible applications are invited to attend.
Thematic focus:
- Experiences and lessons learned from the operation of QO-100
- User requirements and expectations for future GEO amateur radio
payloads
- Discussion of the 2-3 future GEO concepts presented
- Possible technical development directions and areas for
experimentation
- Role of the amateur radio community in future missions
The workshop thrives on participation, discussion and the exchange of
ideas
– it is not a frontal lecture, but an interactive format with an open end.
Organizational data:
- Event: futureGEO Community Workshop
- Date: Saturday, June 27, 2026
- Start: 16:00 hrs
- Duration: open end
- Venue: HAM RADIO 2026, Friedrichshafen
- Room: (to be announced and can be found in the lecture program)
Registration is not necessary – just come along and bring your ideas,
questions and experiences!
*[ANS thanks AMSAT-DL for the above information]*
------------------------------
[image: SDR Gen 2 Ad - 2026]
------------------------------
PaperSat: A Satellite Tracking App for the M5Paper S3 Device
Ever out in the field on a sunny day and struggle to view your satellite
tracking application on your phone? Want a refrigerator magnet that tracks
satellites? PaperSat is now available for the M5Paper S3,
device with capacitive touch and built-in battery. PaperSat downloads and
caches the complete AMSAT nasabare.txt TLE collection, parses it locally,
and lets users select any satellite via a paginated touch menu (10
satellites per page).
*PaperSat on the M5Paper S3*
Features
- *Advanced Polar Az/El Plot*: Large high-contrast sky view with
elevation rings, azimuth radials (N/S/E/W labeled), live satellite
position (filled square when above the horizon), direction-of-travel
arrow, and smart pass trajectory. When the satellite is visible it
draws the current AOS-to-LOS path; when below the horizon it
automatically shows the *next* upcoming pass path.
- *Precise Pass Predictions*: The main screen displays the next three
passes with UTC AOS → LOS times (including seconds) and peak
elevation.
- *Live Tracking*: Real-time Azimuth and Elevation readout, adaptive
screen refresh (15 seconds when the satellite is visible, 60 seconds
otherwise for power efficiency – all-day battery life), UTC clock,
battery percentage, and TLE freshness indicator.
- *Full On-Device Configuration*: Touch keyboard entry for 4- or
6-character Maidenhead grid locators (or manual lat/lon), WiFi
setup via
built-in WiFiManager captive portal, and manual UTC time/date setting.
- *Offline-First Design*: The entire TLE database is stored in
LittleFS
flash memory. The device works 100% offline after the initial download
and gracefully falls back to cached data. TLEs auto-refresh every 24
hours when WiFi is available, or can be forced manually with the
“Update
TLEs” button on the Select Sat screen.
PaperSat was “vibe-coded” by Paul Stoetzer, N8HM, utilizing Grok 4.3. The
next enhancement, coming soon, will be to switch the source of orbital
elements from the soon to be deprecated TLE format to AMSAT’s modern
General Perturbations data, likely via JSON. Feedback and suggestions are
welcome.
Source code and binary releases are available at
https://github.com/prstoetzer/papersat
*[ANS thanks Paul Stoetzer, N8HM, AMSAT Executive Vice President, for the
above information]*
------------------------------
Launching Satellites With Zero Emissions
Most rockets burn thousands of litres of fuel before they even clear the
launch pad. SpinLaunch aims to skip that phase. Using a vacuum sealed
centrifuge at Spaceport America, the California based company spins
payloads to 8,000 kilometres per hour before releasing them skyward. A
small rocket motor handles only the final orbital insertion, bypassing the
most fuel intensive part of the journey.
By September 2022, SpinLaunch completed ten successful suborbital tests,
carrying hardware for NASA, Airbus, and Cornell University. While the
flights themselves are less intense, the company’s lab qualification in
Long Beach proved that satellite components could survive 10,000 G of
centrifugal force, the exact environment required for a kinetic launch.
NASA’s data confirmed the system is compatible with standard satellite
hardware, clearing the first major hurdle for the technology.
*The Orbital Accelerator will accelerate a launch vehicle containing
satellites up to 8,000 kph using a rotating carbon fiber arm within a
100-meter diameter steel vacuum chamber. (Image
credit: https://www.spinlaunch.com/
A conventional rocket’s fuel requirement increases exponentially with
its payload. By providing 70% of the initial velocity on the ground,
SpinLaunch’s kinetic approach drastically reduces propellant needs.
This puts projected launch costs between $1,250 and $2,500 per kilogram,
less than half the price point of a SpaceX Falcon 9. Beyond cost, the
system produces zero combustion emissions during the acceleration phase
and minimizes orbital debris by eliminating expendable booster stages.
The transition from suborbital prototypes to a full orbital accelerator
remains the project’s greatest challenge. At orbital speeds, atmosp
heric
drag becomes a violent engineering obstacle. While suborbital tests
validated the physics at a smaller scale, the orbital class centrifuge
remains in an exploratory phase as of May 2026. The question isn’t whether
the centrifuge can spin; it’s whether a vehicle can survive the transition
from a vacuum chamber to the thick atmosphere at hypersonic speeds.
*[ANS thanks Futura for the above information. Read the full article
at
https://www.futura-sciences.com/en/no-more-rockets-the-wild-new-tech-lau
nching-satellites-with-zero-emissions_31307/
------------------------------
Changes to AMSAT TLE Distribution for May 15, 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/
This week there are no additions or deletions to the AMSAT TLE
distribution
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