IARU Region 1 Conference Papers Address Satellite Spectrum Issues

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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/

Feds Hunting for German Spy Found a 12-Year-Old Radio Genius Instead

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Feds Hunting for German Spy Found a 12-Year-Old Radio Genius Instead

Local artist recalls her father, Francis “Frank” Ryder, whose remarkable talent for radio led federal agents to his Brooklyn home during World War I before he went on to found the Suffolk County Radio Club.

Federal agents arrived at a Brooklyn brownstone during World War I believing they were closing in on a German spy.

Powerful radio transmissions had been detected coming from a home just across the street from the Brooklyn Navy Yard, one of the nation’s most strategically important military facilities. At a time when fears of enemy espionage were running high, authorities suspected German agents were using the radio to gather intelligence on naval operations.

Instead, they found a 12-year-old boy.

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Indonesian YL, 10, Is Champion In CQ DX Marathon

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A 10-year-old girl in Indonesia, who received her amateur radio license in July 2024, has been declared the World Youth Champion among operators 14 and younger who participated in the CQ DX Marathon Program.

“....her accomplishment demonstrates that age is no barrier to success in amateur radio and international DXing.”
— Nahla Aila Varisha, YD1NAV, Administrators CQ DX Marathon Program

Nahla, who is 10 years old, is being recognised for her achievements throughout 2025, in which she worked the most DXCC entities and CQ Zones during the 12-month period. She will receive a Youth Winner plaque, which is being sponsored by Ann, WA1S of the Young Ladies Radio League.

This award to an especially young operator is one of numerous awards conferred during this annual operating event. The committee said that it hoped Nahla's accomplishment would inspire other youngsters.