Jim's Amateur Radio Satellite Resources Page
Jim DeLoach, WU0I
This page contains Amateur Radio satellite resources I have found to be particularly helpful.
My QST Satellite Article
- Look for my "Build an Easy Portable FM Satellite Station" article in the March 2025 issue of QST!
West Valley Amateur Radio Association ("WVARA") Presentation -- 8 January 2025
- Build a Satellite Roving Station for Your Next Road Trip or POTA Activation!
- Add some extra fun to your next road trip or POTA activation by bringing along a simple 'roving' satellite station! A portable satellite station is far easier to assemble than most hams realize. In this presentation, I explain how you too can put together a simple satellite station to take along on your next road trip or POTA activation!
My Favorite Links for Getting Started with Amateur Radio Satellites
Satellite Status Pages
Post Satellite Roving Activations
- hams.at: Post your satellite roving activations here so grid chasers know to listen for you!
- AMSAT's list of upcoming roves: Email Ian, K5ZM, k5zm at comcast dot net, your rove information for placement on this page.
AMSAT Amateur Radio Satellite Resource Links
Satellite Tracking Apps & Hardware Controllers
Mapping Resources for Planning Satellite 'Roving' Trips
- The free Google Earth Pro tool enables users to overlay and visualize custom map data over geospatial images, maps, and other geographic information. I use this tool to overlay Maidenhead gridsquare boundaries and related information over satellite imagery and street maps to plan North American road trips and find suitable activation sites -- including sites on gridsquare boundaries. Google earth comes in several flavors, but I typically use the Google Earth Pro PC-resident version. Download Google Earth Pro here. Keyhole Markup Language (.kml) files can be loaded into Google Earth to visualize custom map data. Double click on a .kml file to open it in Google Earth. I have created the following .kml files to assist me in satellite roaving trip planning:
- North_American_Gridsquares.kml (~6MB): Shows boundaries and labels for North American gridsquares.
- Worldwide_Gridsquares.kml (~58MB): Shows boundaries and labels for all gridsquares worldwide, excepting those at poles.
- KJ7DZ_grids_needed_by_top_gridchasers.kml (360kB): Visualizes gridsquares needed by the top grid chasers, as captured by Frank, KJ7DZ. Congratulations to Frank for being the 66th recipient of the Gridmaster Award!
Other Helpful Amateur Radio Satellite Resource Links
OSCAR Satellite Designations & Numbering
- Have you ever wondered where the terms used to identify Amateur Radio satellites come from? For example, what do the terms 'SO-50', 'AO-51', and 'IO-117' mean and who came up with them?
- Once an Amateur Radio satellite has launched and is operative, the owner(s) of that satellite can apply to AMSAT for an OSCAR ('Orbiting Satellites Carrying Amateur Radio') designation. This designation consists of a word characterizing the owner of the satellite (for example, the country from which the satellite originated or the name of the organization that build the satellite), followed by the word 'OSCAR', followed by a number assigned sequentially by AMSAT. This designation is traditionally abbreviated with the first letter of the first word, followed by 'O' signifying 'OSCAR', followed by a dash, followed by the sequential number.
- For example, the satellite built by King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology in Saudi Arabia was designated 'Saudi-OSCAR 50', abbreviated 'SO-50'. Likewise, the satellite launched by AMSAT in 2004 was designated 'AMSAT-OSCAR 51', abbreviated 'AO-51'. And the satellite built by Sapienza University of Rome et al was designated 'Italy-OSCAR 117', abbreviated 'IO-117'. The full list of OSCAR designations can be found at AMSAT's Orbiting Satellites Carrying Amateur Radio site.
- For maximum confusion, Amateur Radio satellites are typically referred to in multiple ways. Satellite owners typically give their satellites a name meaningful to themselves, then they may also apply for and receive an OSCAR designation (which is then abbreviated). For example, IO-117 is also widely known as 'Greencube'. But not all Amateur Radio satellites use OSCAR designations! For example, Russian satellites are assigned a 'Radio Sport' number, which is then abbreviated 'RS' -- for example, 'RS-44'. And these terms are in addition to the formal satellite/space object categorization systems known as International Designator (aka COSPAR ID) and Satellite Catalog Number (SATCAT) (aka NORAD Catalog Number). When in doubt, refer to the AMSAT pages for guidance!
Sample Kenwood TM-V71A Chirp Satellite Programming File
(c) Jim DeLoach, WU0I, 2025.