IARU Region 1 Conference Papers Address Satellite Spectrum Issues

Papers for the IARU Region 1 General Conference, being held in Vienna, Austria, 19-23 September 2026, are now available online, and several are of direct interest to the amateur satellite community.

Among the papers in the VHF+ (C5) section is VI26_C5_11, “UHF Spectrum Situation,” submitted by the Radio Society of Great Britain (RSGB), which addresses AST SpaceMobile’s use of amateur spectrum. In April, the FCC announced that AST SpaceMobile (AST & Science, LLC) will be using the amateur 430 MHz band for 248 satellites in its planned low-Earth-orbit constellation, which aims to provide global cellular broadband communications. Centre frequencies are 430.5 MHz, 432.3 MHz, 434.1 MHz, 435.9 MHz, and 439.5 MHz, each with 50 kHz bandwidth.

Another satellite-related paper is VI26_C3_45, the report of the ARSPEX Working Group, a specialised body of IARU Region 1 for Amateur Radio Space EXploration.

The full set of IARU-R1 Conference papers may be found at https://conf.iaru-r1.org/documents/

YOTA CAMP Region 1 - Austria July 2026

The camp will once again bring together motivated young radio amateurs from across IARU Region 1, together with guest teams from Regions 2 and 3. Besides being a unique opportunity to meet other young people, discover new cultures, and enjoy amateur radio in an international environment, the camp is also designed to help participants grow as ambassadors for youth activities in their home countries.

A key objective of the YOTA Summer Camp is not only to offer an unforgettable experience during the week itself, but also to equip participants with practical ideas, new skills, and fresh motivation that they can take home and use to involve more young people in amateur radio. By sharing experiences, learning from one another, and taking part in the programme, participants are encouraged to return home better prepared to support local youth activities, inspire newcomers, and help build a stronger future for the hobby.

The camp radio station is planned to be equipped with a military truck-mounted 42m mast with a 9-element yagi on top of it! The aim is that every one of the 100 attendees takes home a QMX+ they built, with the help of Hans Summers G0UPL of QRP Labs, an endfed antenna, a power bank, a 12V PD trigger cable, a microphone and Morse key.

The event also includes tours out from the camp to see various attractions, and all of this happens with young people from, in some cases, very politically different nations working and having fun together.   

RSGB Offers RFI Workshop Using SDRPlay at This Year’s Convention

There’s a new, members-only “Finding Radio Frequency Interference (RFI)”  workshop added to the RSGB Convention programme!

If you want practical advice on identifying the sources and mitigating the effects of Radio Frequency Interference (RFI), then this five-and-a-half-hour part tutorial, part hands-on workshop on Friday 9 October 2026 in Milton Keynes, UK, is for you!

In the morning, you will cover sources and effects of RFI with examples of radiated and conducted emissions. In the afternoon, you’ll be exploring radiated emissions by constructing a small loop antenna. Attendees will also see how to use SDR to identify signals and measure their strength.

SDRplay is pleased to be providing RSP1B SDRs for each participant to use during the workshop

RSGB Members can book a place on the “Finding RFI” workshop - https://rsgb.org/main/about-us/rsgb-convention/rsgb-2026-convention-workshops/rsgb-2026-convention-workshop-finding-rfi-and-minimising-its-impact/