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I understand that my local laws may differ but amateur radio satellites, by their very nature, orbit the earth going over several legal jurisdictions.

  • Are satellite bands the same internationally?
  • If not, how do they keep track of which frequency to operate on?
  • If a satellite is transmitting in a non-amateur band, do amateurs in the country just stay silent as it passes above?
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  • $\begingroup$ I see from your profile that you live in Pakistan, and assume you have a Pakistani license. Have you checked your country's relevant amateur radio rules? $\endgroup$ – Mike Waters♦ Jul 4 '19 at 18:06
  • $\begingroup$ Hi @MikeWaters. I'm not licensed yet, the process takes time here so at the moment I can only listen. That said, what do you mean by "checked your country's relevant amateur radio rules"? I've read the laws, and even maintain a compiled list of the designated amateur bands, but I think this question is broader than Pakistan, wouldn't you agree? $\endgroup$ – Amin Shah Gilani Jul 4 '19 at 18:24
  • $\begingroup$ I agree - this question is about satellites, and so even though it has a 'legal' tag, adding a country tag would only confuse things. Amateur satellites are international by their very nature. $\endgroup$ – Scott Earle♦ Jul 5 '19 at 1:15
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A simple internet search turns up the IARU's Amateur Radio Satellite Frequency Coordination web page. There you will find an Amateur Satellites Short Info Paper that answers your question:

Satellite frequencies in bands allocated to the amateur-satellite service are coordinated by the IARU Satellite Frequency Coordination Panel.

As an international body operating under the UN-chartered ITU, all of the regions over which a satellite will travel should be represented.

Since frequency allocations are subject to change, I will not copy them here, but the current frequency allocations are shown by region starting on page 3 of the document.

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  • $\begingroup$ I wouldn't call that a "simple" search ;) but thank you. Also, just for completeness, I'm going to mention here that since the Panel coordinates frequencies: yes, the satellites do operate at amateur-satellite bands across all regions they travel over. $\endgroup$ – Amin Shah Gilani Jul 4 '19 at 22:04

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