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Peter Miles
Northam, Western Australia
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SKYNET
5D
SKYNET 5D Background and technical
overview.
HOME >
OPERATIONAL
> MODES
& FREQUENCIES > SATELLITES
- RADIO TARGETS >
SKYNET 5D is the fourth satellite of the UK's SKYNET 5 military communications programme. It is somewhat unusual because, unlike 5A, 5B and 5C, it was originally built as a spare/augmentation spacecraft and its history is less straightforward.
The SKYNET 5 system was designed and built by Astrium (now Airbus Defence and Space) and provides secure military satellite communications, principally using UHF and X-band/SHF systems. UK MOD material describes the SKYNET 5 satellites as highly capable military communications spacecraft.
There is documented pirate/unauthorised radio activity associated with SKYNET 5D, and there is a particularly interesting recent report from January 2026.
Recent SKYNET 5D pirate activity
A satellite-monitoring report from January 2026 identified Russian-language pirate/unauthorised SCPC traffic through SKYNET 5D at approximately 52.75°E. The observer described multiple users transmitting on slightly different frequencies, with several people talking over one another, similar to CB-style chatter.
The particularly interesting part is that this wasn't the traditional 255-MHz UHF SATCOM pirate activity associated with older FLTSATCOM/UFO satellites. The 2026 observations were made in X-band around 7.305 GHz
Details
| Satellite: |
Skynet
5D |
| Norad ID: |
39034 |
| Operator: |
UK military |
| Status: |
Operational
over the Indian Ocean. |
| Frequency Range: |
240 -
270 MHz VHF Down Link
X Band:
7 - 8 GHz
|
| Mode: |
FM |
| Altitude [km]: |
35800
km |
| Orbital position |
Longitude:
52.75° |
| Tracking: |
https://www.n2yo.com/?s=39034&live=1 |
Channel
confirmation was achieved by monitoring the channel frequency for
consistency with the band plan, verifying the bandwidth and antenna
targeting to assess the SNR (signal-to-noise ratio).
|
|
Bandwidth |
Status |
| 245.950 MHz |
38kHz |
Active / reserve?
Confirmed
(38kHz) 26 Sept, 2026 |
| 247.450 MHz |
30kHz |
Confirmed
(38kHz) 26 Sept, 2026 |
| 249.890 MHz |
34kHz |
|
| 253.950 MHz |
38kHz |
|
| 254.730 MHz |
34kHz |
|
| 253.700
MHz |
25kHz |
Same
allocation as Skynet 5A |
| 260.900 MHz |
38kHz |
|
| 262.000 MHz |
34kHz |
|
Reception Reports
References
TOP
OF PAGE
Page initiated 25 September, 2026
Page
last revised 25 September, 2026
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Space Weather
https://www.swpc.noaa.gov/
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Michael Faraday
born 22 Sep 1791
Shaping the modern electrical age, Michael Faraday (1791–1867) was a pioneering British scientist who transformed our understanding of electricity and magnetism. His discoveries included electromagnetic induction, which laid the foundation for electric generators and transformers, as well as the principles behind the electric motor.
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Notice Board
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VK6YSF JS8Call and
Olivia 8/250 operations.
Current activity is generally
focused - though not restricted to - JS8Call operations on the 20,
30m, and 40m bands.
Olivia 8/250 is used occasionally on the 20m band.
Proposed
band and mode activity
is often communicated on HamSpots: https://hamspots.net/js8/
or my profile on
X: https://x.com/vk6ysf97230
.
Post
date: 27 August 2026
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Local
Repeaters
Repeaters Page Updated
- Expanded and refreshed information on VHF and UHF repeaters across Western Australia's Central Coast, Perth, the Avon Valley, and the Peel region. New AllStar Link information has also been added, including linked repeater details and
gateway information across the State.
Repeaters
details:
https://vk6ysf.com/local_repeaters.htm
AllStar Link notes:
https://vk6ysf.com/allstar_notes-20260703.htm
Post
date: 27 August 2026
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Western Australian SSTV net
Popular
Western Australian SSTV net for both digital and anolog SSTV.
Generally
found at 7214.0kHz LSB every afternoon from 08:00 UTC (4:00pm WST)
For more
details: https://www.wasstv.net/wasstv.net/index.html
Post
date: 8 December 2025
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VK6MJM LF (136kHz) and MF (474kHz) Beacon
VK6MJM is a LF/MF station
located in Manjimup, Western Australia.
Common Mode: FST4W 300 (Similar to
WSPR)
Note:
other modes and sub-modes may be used.
Station details were presented by
Peter Hall (VK6HP) at PerthTech 2024.Presentation PDF: Peter
Hall VK6HP at PerthTech
QRZ Page: VK6MJM
on QRZ.com
Post
date: 10 March 2025
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