Not just probable RFI, these proposed numerous sats are ginormous, visible to the naked eye. No Interference? AST SpaceMobile Defends Use of Ham Radio Spectrum AST SpaceMobile plans to use the spectrum in a limited capacity. Still, it faces fierce pushback from amateur radio groups, some of which claim interference is already happening. By Michael Kan August 6, 2025 Facing thousands of complaints, AST SpaceMobile is pushing back against concerns that the company’s giant satellites risk interfering with amateur “ham” radio operations across the globe. On Tuesday, the company sent a letter to the US Federal Communications Commission, defending its plan to use the 430 to 440MHz radio bands outside the US to track and control its proposed fleet of 248 satellites. Those bands have long been allocated to amateur radio operations, including for emergency communications, so the community has been campaigning to stop AST from gaining access. It flooded the FCC's online system with over 2,500 comments, many of them protesting AST’s plan to use the spectrum. AST SpaceMobile finally responded by telling the FCC that it has designed its satellites to "mitigate interference" with amateur radio bands. In addition, the company says it’s proposing "very limited, non-routine" use of the 430 to 440MHz bands and only for launch and early orbit phases for its satellites or "emergency operations when other frequency bands are unavailable." AST also says it can shut down radio band use if interference is detected. In addition, the company has submitted an analysis from a third-party company, RKF Engineering Solutions, which found the risk of interference to amateur radio operators to be “extremely unlikely.” “Modeling shows that even under worst-case conditions, the probability of interference with amateur satellite service is extremely small—less than 0.1% per pass, and only a handful of events were observed in a 30‑day simulation,” the analysis says. AST is urging the FCC to greenlight its plan to launch and operate commercial services over its 248-satellite constellation, which is designed to beam connectivity to everyday smartphones. The resulting system will compete with SpaceX's cellular Starlink service, which is already available through T-Mobile. However, the amateur radio community has been calling on the FCC to deny AST's push to use the 430 to 440MHz bands. On Tuesday, the American Radio Relay League sent its own letter to the Commission, highlighting the stiff opposition across the amateur radio community to the spectrum use. “At least 17 national radio amateur societies from around the world took the extraordinary step of making their opposition known to the Commission,” the letter says. Some of the amateur radio groups also claim to have detected interference in Europe from AST’s fleet of existing satellites, the first five BlueBirds and the BlueWalker 3. “Unlike many commercial services, amateur radio is often the only communication system still operational during natural disasters and emergencies,” the Bulgarian Federation of Radio Amateurs told the FCC. In its letter to the FCC, AST said: “Despite contrary claims from some amateur radio commenters, AST SpaceMobile is not transmitting in the 430-440 MHz band on the BB1s or BW3.” Still, one amateur radio group has detected evidence that AST merely shut down the radio communications from the BlueWalker-3 satellite two weeks ago.
I think the Ham's should just plan on using these for Passive reflectors. The array spanning approximately 2,400 square feet (223 square meters). AST SpaceMobile's satellites well orbit about 300 to 400 miles high. If they're that big, we certainly could bounce of radio signal off for VHF UHF microwave use.
Will be interesting if we start to interfere with them, wonder how fast the authorities would shut us down?????????
Satellites listening to the smallest signal from Earth. From handheld to mini-repeaters or hotspots and so on. Further some small ranges of that frequencies are for the industry to test new hardwaree. So keyless cars are working here too. This all can cause some interaction. And FCC dont know?
The amount of personal financial and emotional investment ham radio operators have put into the radios and antennas for the 70 centimeter band may not concern the owners of the companies, but it is considerable for the individuals concerned. Ham radio is an outlet for emotional health challenges for the people of genius level intelligence without the family financial backing to become college professors. The 70 centimeter band has been a personal hardware-software-operating-skill challenge to focus on and overcome. It does not seem to me to be a good idea to create a worldwide group of genius-level frustrated people with paid for useless radios and then give them big, fat overhead targets for outlets to their frustration. Respectfully submitted, Patrick Hamel W5THT
Not really. Once they get settled in we’ll be considered the interference. I’m pulling things together to build an EME station and I’d really like to continue using the 70cm band.
Really you Don't want to see 250 house sized satellites, where have you been for the past 5 years? How about Elon Musk's present day satellite constellation that is already polluting the sky for astronomers but since you probably aren't an astronomer then I guess it doesn't matter to you just like the astronomers probably don't give a rats butt about us hams. And wind generators have nothing to do with this 70 cm fight so please leave them out of this and remember no politics allowed or does QRZ just let a select few get away with it while the rest of us have to walk carefully on egg shells.
Did anyone tell the AST investors that satellite signals and satellite capable devices located inside office buildings, inside homes, or inside other concrete jungle locations don't work very well if at all? Sounds like the marketing they are selling about coverage anywhere and everywhere is better than the delivered product is ever going to be. Unless you're standing outside with your smartphone, with a clear view of the sky above, I don't see how this can even work.
Wind energy isn't for everyone, but for some it's the only option. FCC's broadband agenda scares me. That's why they are milking amateurs for funds again. To save spectrum, sell your FT8 toys & come back to the radio community.
Actually, I don’t like Elon’s space junk either. Saying that wind generators and satellite clusters are visual pollution is not a political statement.
Maybe its more, than people should know about and that the FCC cant change a thing. Those satellites, which were shown as a future phantasm in magazines for different operatores (CBers or Ham), where in the 1990s a dumped project by the secret service with the name Echelon. When I remember well. These new shown figures here are looking near the same. And the technology is now ready for this I think.
I have started a Global Petition with the intended to demonstrate global concern to the FCC. The goal is to reach 50,000 signatures and encourage participation from people who share the concern but might not typically write to the FCC or alert their own national authorities to take action. However, someone else can still use the petition signatures to take action on their behalf. https://www.ipetitions.com/petition/hands-off-our-bands Once I reach at least 5,000 signatures, anyone can contact me to obtain a copy and use it to approach the FCC or their own national authority.
