Categories
Members news

Notes from steering group meeting 2025-11-18

Notes from the AMSAT-SM steering group meeting 2025-11-18:

General meetings:

The guidelines previously stated that a general meeting could be convened if one tenth of the members requested it. In practice, this is impossible to carry out, as it would mean that at least 30 members would have to jointly request a meeting (since we currently have over 300 registered members).
The steering group decided to remove this point from our guidelines.

Audit:

Updated 2025-11-21:
We will continue with Lars SM5TSP as auditor for the time being.

No audit has been carried out since AMSAT-SM was transformed into a group. The steering group therefore decided to set the auditor position to vacant. Part of point 4 in the guidelines has been changed to the following:
“A person outside the steering group may have a role corresponding to an auditor (currently vacant). That person may conduct an audit if needed.”

AMSAT-SM’s finances remain strong, and the balance is about 32,000 SEK. We have extremely few fixed expenses, essentially only the cost of the domain www.amsat.se.

Our guidelines can be found here:
https://www.amsat.se/styrgrupp-riktlinjer/

The steering group consists of:

Satellite Officer SSA, responsible for the HF network
Håkan Harrysson – SM7WSJ

Financial Manager
Inge Björk – SM4JLX

Responsible for information, web, and social media. ARISS contact person
Lars Thunberg – SM0TGU


AMSAT-SM styrgrupp har ikväll (2025-11-19) haft ett kortare möte och beslutat om följande:

Allmänt möte:


I riktlinjerna stod det att allmänt möte kan sammankallas om en tiondel av medlemmarna så kräver. Denna formulering var en rest från AMSAT-SMs gamla föreningsstadgar. I praktiken är detta omöjligt att genomföra då det skulle innebära att minst 30 st medlemmar måste gemensamt kräva ett möte (då vi idag har över 300 registrerade medlemmar).
Styrgruppen beslutade att ta bort denna punkt från våra riktlinjer.

Revision:

Uppdaterat 2025-11-21:
Vi kommer att fortsätta med Lars SM5TSP som revisor tills vidare.

Ingen revision har genomförts sedan AMSAT-SM omvandlades till grupp. Styrgruppen beslutade därför att sätta revisorsposten till vakant. Del av punkt 4 i riktlinjerna har ändrats till följande:
“En person utanför styrgruppen kan ha en roll motsvarande revisor (för närvarande vakant). Den personen kan göra revision vid behov.”
AMSAT-SM ekonomi är fortfarande stark och kassan är på ca 32 000:-   Vi har extremt få fasta utgifter, i stort sett endast kostnad för domänen www.amsat.se

Våra riktlinjer finns här:
https://www.amsat.se/styrgrupp-riktlinjer/

Styrgruppen består av:

Satellitfunktionär SSA, ansvarig för HF-nätet
Håkan Harrysson – SM7WSJ

Ekonomiansvarig
Inge Björk – SM4JLX

Ansvarig för information, web och sociala medier. ARISS kontaktperson
Lars Thunberg – SM0TGU



73 från styrgruppen i AMSAT-SM
www.amsat.se 

Categories
Ham Satellite news

Funkamateur mentions AMSAT-SM’s letter to manufacturer

Thank you to Funkamateur and Andreas Bilsing (DM4TG) for mentioning AMSAT-SM’s letter to amateur radio manufacturers regarding developing a full duplex handheld radio.

Unfortunately the result of out open letter is so far… nothing.

Categories
Antennas

Homebrew Satellite Antenna Elevation Systems

Commercial elevation rotators are expensive and a major investment for many amateur radio operators. If you have the interest and the time, there are several possibilities for building your own elevation rotator.

If you search on Google, there are a number of projects available. Here are a few examples:

SatNOGS Rotator v3

Maybe one of the most famous projects from the SatNOGS community.
https://wiki.satnogs.org/SatNOGS_Rotator_v3

Sarcnet Mini Satellite-Antenna Rotator Mk1

Lots of instructions, pictures and design notes.
https://www.sarcnet.org/rotator-mk1.html

N6LN Antenna Rotator/Controller

A a homebrew azimuth/elevation antenna rotator for amateur radio satellite by N6LN, basic configuration was suggested by DO5TY (see below).

DIY AZ/EL Antenna rotator for under 150€

https://tysonpower.de/blog/diy-az-el-antenna-rotator-for-under-150

Also on Youtube:

VK4GHZ Homebrew Satellite Antenna Elevation System

This is a elevation build only.
https://vk4ghz.com/homebrew-satellite-elevation-system/

Saveitforparts DIY Satellite Tracking

A tracker partly built on SARCNET version.
https://saveitforparts.com/2024/03/10/a-cheap-diy-satellite-tracking-mount/

KA6PUW Azimuth/Elevation Rotator for Arrow Satellite Antennas

A tracker mainly built for the Arrow yagi:
https://ka6puw.tripod.com/azimuth1.html

Pawel Rozenek SARCNET version

A SARCNET version from Pawel Rozenek.
https://www.rozenek.com/working-through-amateur-satellites-how-to-make-a-very-cheap-antenna-rotator/

Categories
Changes on amsat.se

AMSAT-SM webpage changes

As a request from our swedish webpage visitors the need for basic articles for beginners in swedish need to be improved and to be more easy to find on the webpage. Now it is possible to enter our “For beginners” page (“För nybörjare” in swedish) from several menus. See image.

As the need for articles in swedish are high most of these articles is in swedish. For english please visit AMSAT-NA or AMSAT-UK.

Categories
Hamradio from ISS

ARISS 25 Years of ISS Special Worldwide SSTV Event November 2025

Re-post from ANS-313:

Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) will commemorate the 25th anniversary of continuous human presence aboard the International Space Station with a special worldwide Slow-Scan Television (SSTV) event in mid-November. The ISS has been continuously inhabited since November 2, 2000, marking a major milestone in human spaceflight and international cooperation. ARISS, the first educational payload on the station, continues to play a key role in inspiring students, supporting STEM engagement, and connecting the global amateur radio community with astronauts in orbit.

The Series 30 SSTV event, titled “ISS at 25 and Scouts!” will feature 12 SSTV images celebrating the station’s 25-year milestone and Scouting. Transmissions are scheduled to begin Wednesday, November 12 around 1730 UTC and continue through Thursday, November 20 (time TBD). Downlink will occur on 145.800 MHz FM using the PD120 mode, following the standard ARISS pattern of approximately two minutes of transmission followed by two minutes off. A planned pause in images will occur to support an ARISS school contact with Azerbaijan on November 16 at 1450 UTC.

Radio amateurs and listeners worldwide are encouraged to participate, as ISS SSTV events are accessible to stations with a broad range of equipment. Many operators successfully receive images using only a handheld VHF radio and a phone-based decoding app, while more advanced satellite stations can produce particularly clean results. SSTV events continue to be a popular entry point for newcomers interested in amateur space communication.

Participants may upload their best received image to the ARISS SSTV portal at https://ariss-usa.org/ARISS_SSTV/ and then request a commemorative event certificate. Submitted images must be single, unedited SSTV frames in GIF, JPG, or PNG format, limited to 800×800 pixels and 800 kB. Once the image is uploaded, operators will be prompted to request their personalized certificate, and because submissions are only accepted for a short time after the conclusion of the event, prompt participation is encouraged.

In keeping with past ARISS activities, operators may also request a traditional ARISS QSL card to confirm SSTV reception. QSL requests must be mailed to the appropriate regional bureau with a self-addressed stamped envelope or sufficient return postage. Details and mailing addresses for each world region are available at https://www.ariss.org/qsl-cards.html, and operators should include date, time, frequency, and mode with their report.

Additional updates and operating details will be posted on www.ariss.org and ARISS social media channels as the event approaches. AMSAT congratulates ARISS and the ISS program on 25 years of continuous human presence aboard the station and encourages radio amateurs everywhere to join in this special commemorative SSTV celebration honoring the ISS legacy and the role of amateur radio in space education.

[ANS thanks Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) for the above information]

Categories
Ham Satellite news

CatSat to Open Microwave Linear Transponder Access for Amateur Radio Community

Re-post from ANS-313:

The CatSat team has announced that preparations are underway to open public operation of the spacecraft’s linear transponder, offering the amateur-radio community a new microwave-band satellite resource. CatSat, a 6U CubeSat developed and flown by students, faculty, and staff at the University of Arizona in partnership with FreeFall Aerospace and Rincon Research, has been on orbit since July 2024 and is now entering the phase of its mission focused on community engagement and technology demonstration.

CatSat was launched aboard a Firefly Aerospace Alpha rocket from Vandenberg Space Force Base as part of NASA’s CubeSat Launch Initiative. Measuring roughly the size of a family-size cereal box, the spacecraft carries a suite of experimental payloads, including a novel inflatable antenna capable of enabling large-aperture communications from a small satellite platform. In addition to ionospheric monitoring via high-frequency (HF) radio measurements and imaging of the Earth, CatSat includes a linear transponder for amateur radio, extending the University of Arizona’s long legacy in space science down to hands-on student involvement.

The satellite orbits Earth in a nearly sun-synchronous polar orbit, circling the globe approximately every 90 minutes. As part of its student-driven mission, CatSat is demonstrating how cutting-edge antenna systems and commercial-off-the-shelf radio hardware can support meaningful research and amateur communications from a compact form factor. The mission is funded by the University of Arizona Office of the Vice President for Research and the Arizona Space Institute, with additional support from industry partners.

When the linear transponder is active, CatSat listens on 5.663 GHz (uplink) and transmits on 10.47 GHz (downlink), providing approximately 200 kHz of bandwidth. Patch antennas on the spacecraft’s −Y face offer roughly 60-degree beam coverage, and the attitude-control system can point the antenna footprint at ground stations for up to 10 minutes per pass. Power considerations limit each activation to about 15 minutes, a balance that allows the spacecraft to support both mission science and amateur communications.

Early on-orbit demonstrations used a 1-meter C-band uplink dish and a 6.1-meter X-band downlink dish to confirm transponder functionality, successfully relaying Morse code. The CatSat team is now constructing a more accessible ground station using 1-meter-class commercial antennas to show that amateur access is practical with reasonably sized equipment. Operators will be able to monitor schedule updates — informally known as the “five and dime” plan — through the CatSat mission website.

Commissioning passes targeting the CatSat ground stations in Tucson took place on October 29 and November 2, with one final activation scheduled for November 9 at approximately 7:50 PM MST (UTC-7) — just hours after this bulletin’s publication. As testing continues, dates may shift as the team evaluates performance and power-budget constraints. Operators can follow activation plans and future opportunities at https://catsat.arizona.edu.

Read the full announcement at: https://catsat.arizona.edu/news/catsat-team-preparing-public-linear-transponder-operations

[ANS thanks the CatSat Team and the University of Arizona for the above information]