A TOP DX ENTITY, BY ANY OTHER NAME....

Licensed as C21DA for more than a decade, Darren VK4MAP has been busy since the 23rd of September activating a tiny island country in the Central Pacific - an atoll that was recently declared the nation of Naoero. The landscape is hardly new to Darren, however; he's operated there before. Of course the island was known then as Nauro.

Its name change was formally announced in August as a tribute to the original name it received from its earliest settlers. Darren will be there until the 5th of October, operating 100 watts SSB holiday style. The island still carries the IOTA designation of OC-031.

Whatever you call it - and you really should honor its official name - once you log this Queensland ham, you should be able to call it a very good contact indeed.

PA QSO PARTY INTRODUCES TEAM COMPETITION

The Pennsylvania QSO Party has aged well and has been growing in recent years to become a leader among state QSO parties around the country. This year, it's offering an innovative new enticement to increase activity - team competition.

Anthony “Goody” Good, K3NG, vice president of the PA QSO Party Association, says this latest enhancement was the result of thinking outside the box.

GOOD: “Two-to-four single operators can get together and call themselves a team – you have to register on the website: paqso.org – and we’re offering awards and certificates for the team competition. There’s four categories – stations in Pennsylvania, United States outside of Pennsylvania, Canada and DX.”

MARK: “Team members don’t have to operate from the same location. They can get their team score by combining scores from their individual locations. Good says this idea follows last year’s push to get PA stations to spend more time on the high bands – 10, 15 and 20 meters – to draw more out-of-PA competitors.”

GOOD: “One of the biggest pieces of feedback we got from stations outside of Pennsylvania over the years, especially West Coast folks, was ‘Hey, we want to work more stations in the party. But, we can’t hear them on 40 and 80 and, you know, we’d work the party more if you had more high band activity.’ “

MARK: Last year, awards were introduced for PA stations spending more time on the high bands and that produced a 55 percent increase there along with more out-of-state participation. Good is optimistic that figure could grow this year.

For more about the PA QSO Party, check out the link to the group’s website in the text version of this story at arnewsline.org.

NOAA WEATHER RADIOS A PRIORITY IN CALIFORNIA COUNTY

Broadcast radios tuned to the VHF public service band are being viewed as a mainstay of public safety in Santa Barbara County, California. These are NOAA Weather Radios, tuned to the National Weather Service, and they are a high priority for the county's Office of Emergency Management. The broadcast receivers provide emergency information -- such as evacuation notices or orders to shelter in place -- when other forms of alerts cannot get through.

In addition to carrying weather information, the radios automatically sound an alarm tone when an emergency alert goes out, even if the radio is powered off. County officials believe that disabled people, low-income residents and residents in rural communities with poor cellular reception are among those who would benefit most from these radios. The office of emergency management expects to announce a project to get these radios distributed to residents in vulnerable communities, a project funded by a grant from the California governor's Office of Emergency Services and its Next Generation Warning System grant program.

The radios and assistive devices geared toward persons with disabilities are expected to be available by spring.

SILENT KEY: YACHT CO-FOUNDER EDWARD ENGLEMAN, KG8CX

Mention the word YACHT - an acronym for Young Amateurs Communication Ham Team - and you can't help but think of Edward Engleman, KG8CX. He had been an elementary school teacher by profession, but even in retirement, he answered the call to be a mentor.

Ed died on the 24th of September, in his home state of Michigan.

He was a cofounder of the youngsters' radio group known as YACHT which fired the imaginations and ambitions of many young radio operators through its youth net, informal chats and other activities. The group has since grown to include hundreds of members worldwide.

Always proud of the young radio operators who expanded their knowledge and their experience, Ed himself was not without high levels of achievement. He received the Hamvention Ham of the Year award in 2024 and one year later became the recipient of the Yasme Excellence Award. At both awards presentations, he credited the youngsters to whom he devoted so much of his time and caring.

Ed was 87.

2 US AGENCIES SEEK COMMENTS ON RF EXPOSURE

Two US agencies have opened windows for public comment on RF exposure standards. Neither of these concurrent public comment periods are in response to any proposed changes to exposure rules; they represent additional fact-finding on behalf of the Federal Communications Commission and the Department of Health and Human Services.

The Health and Human Services Department is interested in hearing input on the health effects of electromagnetic fields, RF exposure, and wireless technology. Those comments are due no later than the 21st of October.

The FCC welcomes comments until the 22nd of October on its existing RF exposure limits. The agency's action comes in response to an order from a federal appeals court asking the FCC to further explain its RF exposure standards, which were upheld earlier by a federal court. The order from the appeals court is not looking to overturn those standards but is revisiting the issue. In response, the FCC seeks input from scientific standards professionals as well as health and safety agencies.

NEW AZORES-BASED NETWORK UNITES SCHOOL RADIO CLUBS

It's already a busy year for school amateur radio clubs in Portugal and especially in the Azores which recently began coordinating joint activities and sharing their knowledge through a newly formed group with the acronym RERA.The organisation stands for Rede Escolar de Radioamadorismo dos Açores, or Azores School Amateur Radio Network. It was established last June at a meeting coordinated by Ana Braga CU2YK, a teacher at Capelas Integrated Basic School in the Azores. In addition to its educational goals, RERA is also raising the profile of amateur radio as a public service resource and aims to assist other schools in the region to establish their own student amateur radio clubs.

RERA plans to hold its first regional meeting at the end of the school year in 2027 so that teachers, students and cooperating ham radio operators can present their projects and share the experiences they had during their first year of working together.

RESEARCHERS DETECT RADIO SIGNALS FROM ANOTHER WORLD

South Africa's MeerKAT radio telescope has detected repeated bursts of radio signals coming from the Beta Pictoris planetary system and have traced it to a strong magnetic field surrounding the giant planet. Researchers say that these are the first auroral radio emissions in history to ever be detected from an exoplanet.

The significance of the discovery, which the researchers published two weeks ago, means that researchers have found a way to measure the magnetic field of a young planet which, until now, was only theoretical.

EXPERIMENTAL SATELLITE PUTS AI DATA CENTER IN SPACE

The satellite is known as MVP and its launch will allow Google to test whether its objective - to run an AI data center from space - can become reality. Operating with only 1 kilowatt of power, the solar-powered satellite is offering a trial run of Google's TPUs, or tensor processing units, to determine whether they can survive the harsh conditions of space temperatures and radiation. Their high energy consumption means that the TPUs will only be operating for 15 minutes at a time.

This experimental space-based data center marks the dawn of Project Suncatcher, which Google ultimately sees as a space-based network of AI satellites flying in close proximity, communicating with one another over laser links much like those used by the Starlink network from SpaceX.

Google hopes to have two such satellites launched sometime in 2027.

UN AGENCIES MAKE PLEA FOR STRONGER RFI SAFEGUARDS

The ability to monitor climate, forecast weather and deliver early warning messages faces critical disruption because the same radio frequencies these systems use are increasingly occupied by some satellites and wireless systems, according to two United Nations agencies.

At a meeting held in Geneva on the 28th of September, the International Telecommunications Union and the World Meteorological Organisation said that such spectrum interference increasingly imperils the study of and the public response to environmental dangers. The frequencies are used to monitor and collect data from the ocean, the atmosphere and the land.

Doreen Bogdan-Martin, secretary-general of the ITU, told the meeting that [quote] "Preventing harmful radio interference is a matter of public safety and can save lives." [endquote] The agencies said that the accuracy of measurements and other data and the ability to prepare for dangers could be seriously compromised.

The appeal by the UN agencies was made just as the two released their handbook offering guidance on the best ways to use and protect radio frequencies. The handbook is called "The Use of Radio Spectrum for Meteorology: Weather, Climate, Water and Related Environmental Applications."

SENDING SIGNALS TO HONOR A CUBAN PIONEER

Born in Spain 135 years ago, Manuel "Manolin" Alvarez Alvarez grew up in Cuba where he and his family settled in Caibarién -- the same coastal city where members of the Radio Club de Caibarién have been calling CQ since early September to bring attention to his legacy. Special event station T46W is on the air through to the 29th on HF using CW, SSB, FM, FT4, FT8 and RTTY.

Manolin was both a broadcaster and a telegrapher. He held the amateur radio callsign CO6MA for 70 years as an active ham He was also skilled at building electronics, constructing his first receiver in 1919. Only a year later, he became one of the earliest operators to transmit radio signals from Cuba. He helped get the region's first radio station, known as 6 EV, on the air in January 1923. The radios he'd built allowed many listeners to enjoy radio programming he transmitted, hosting music as well as live sports commentary.

His long tenure in radio eventually led his involvement in 1985 in starting CMHS Radio Caibarien. Manolin died one year later at the age of 93. That radio station remains on the air, three decades later.

ON THIS NET, ETIQUETTE IS NO TRIVIAL MATTER

The Sunflower GAPT Net offers a little bit of this and a little bit of that. Launched by the Sunflower Linked System, the net intends to live up to the initials in its title, for Good Amateur Practice and Trivia - GAPT. Net control station is Daryl Stout, NK5LA.

Participants in the weekly net discuss a variety of subjects, especially the proper way for hams to conduct themselves courteously on the air. The conversation is designed to enlighten and inform - but also entertain - so the talk will always touch on amateur radio trivia at some point, just for fun.

The Sunflower Network is based in the "sunflower state" of Kansas, but the linked system makes it accessible to hams everywhere on DMR, the TGIF Network, P25, M17, AllStar, D-Star, Echolink, Fusion and Hams Over IP.

See the link in the text version of this week's newscast to learn more about joining the net.

HAMS ENSURE SAFETY AS HINDU FESTIVAL CONCLUDES IN MUMBAI

Daylong processions through the streets, followed by the immersion of statues of Lord Ganesh in a body a water, mark the tradition of Anant Chaturdashi, which falls this year on the 25th of September. This marks the final day of the 10-day festival paying homage to Lord Ganesh, when Hindus gather at major waterfront sites to immerse the religious figure's likenesses.

In Mumbai, the Mumbai Amateur Radio Institute VU2BPA is joining a number of agencies, including local police, to ensure that everything goes smoothly as thousands of Hindus make their way through the city to the water.

The institute's secretary, Jayesh Banatwala, VU2IVV, told the Deccan Herald: that having ham radio support for police and other agencies' networks greatly reduces the chances that something will go wrong. According to the group's website, the communication support to local authorities like the municipal corporation, traffic police, and fire brigade often mean that some of the ham radio operators are sent out on boats with lifeguards.

AMATEUR RADIO TEAMS UP WITH SCOUTS FOR GLOBAL JAMBOREE

It's time to think about ways that you as a radio amateur can connect youngsters in Scouting with the ham radio experience. If you or your club haven't already found ways to participate in the annual Jamboree on the Air/Jamboree on the Internet this year, there's still time.

This global event provides a supportive environment of learning and discovery and amateur radio has been central to its success. According to the Scouting America website, nearly 2 million Scouts take part in more than 170 countries. This is Scouting Worldwide's largest event.

This year's event is being held on the 16th through to the 18th of October.

For details on how to get involved, visit one of the two websites listed in the text version of this week's newscast at arnewsline.org.

SILENT KEY: QRP KIT LEADER DOUG HENDRICKS, KI6DS

Hendricks QRP kits are well-known among operators devoted to building and operating low-power radios - and the name and callsign of Doug Hendricks, KI6DS, is like a familiar old friend. Doug, who cofounded the NorCal QRP Club in 1993 with Jim Cates, WA6GER, raised the profile of QRP with his enthusiasm and with the tens of thousands of kits sold over the years. A former school teacher, he eventually opened his own popular business, Hendricks QRP Kits.

Doug became a Silent Key on the 18th of September.

Writing on QRPer.com, Thomas Witherspoon K4SWL, recalled how Doug made the world of QRP more accessible. He wrote: [quote] "I knew Doug for nearly two decades, and he had an absolute passion for QRP and for making the world of amateur radio affordable and educational through kits." [endquote] He added: [quote] "There are few in QRP who haven't benefitted from what he gave us." [endquote] He is listed in the QRP Hall of Fame.

Doug was 78.

SILENT KEY: DISASTER-RESPONSE VETERAN TOM DELANEY W8WTD

Tom Delaney, W8WTD, was well-acquainted with disaster communication and what was needed to keep vital traffic moving. He was a past president of the Queen City Emergency Net, which serves the Cincinnati, Ohio, Chapter of the American Red Cross. He also edited the emergency net's newsletter, the Listening Post, and served as trustee for one of the net's repeaters.

Tom, who had served for six years as a vice director of the ARRL's Great Lakes Division, became a Silent Key on the 16th of September.

His association with the American Red Cross extended to his work with its Cincinnati Area Chapter, where he volunteered as chairman of the communications committee for disaster services. Tom played a vital role during the Ohio River flood in March of 1997, when he spent three weeks coordinating communication with the Queen City hams as well as local and regional groups. Communication efforts also relied on his disaster-relief response skills during the 1990 tornado in Harrison, Ohio, the 1999 tornado in Blue Ash, Ohio and tornadoes that struck Ohio and Kentucky in 2012.

He was also a member of the OH-KY-IN Amateur Radio Society and the Champaign Logan Amateur Radio Club.

Tom was 84.

US GOVERNMENT SETS DATE FOR TEST OF EMERGENCY ALERT SYSTEM

Analog radio and TV stations, digital broadcast systems and cable TV systems are among those scheduled to participate in a test of the nation's Emergency Alert System on the 17th of November. Advance notice was given to all participants by the Federal Communications Commission, as required. The test will go out in English and Spanish.

The test is designed as an opportunity for all of those participating to review their emergency operations protocol, verify that all equipment is up-to-date and functioning and to manually synchronize their relevant equipment to the official time set by the National Institute of Standards and Technology.

Announcement of the test comes as the US Senate prepares to vote on the AM Radio for Every Vehicle Act, which if signed into law by the president would ensure that AM radio be made available in all vehicles on US roads, providing news, emergency information and alerts.

WRTC AWARDS CEREMONY TO BE HELD IN CROATIA

Winners of the World Radiosport Team Championship for 2026 will be honoured in Croatia at the fifth annual Istra Contest Conference which convenes in October.

The awards are being presented following a rescoring of the original results announced in July at the conclusion of the competition in the UK. It was determined that the original results had been obtained through fraudulent practices and were accordingly overturned and the scoring revised.

Awards are to be presented to the top three winning teams - MB5O, MB4G and MB1T - placed first, placed first, second and third respectively. The ceremony is set for the 3rd of October; the conference itself running from the 1st to the 4th of the month with a full lineup of topics relevant to contesting.

SUMMIT ACTIVATOR ASSISTS IN RESCUE OF HIKER IN HAWAII

Michael Miller, KH6ML, had just logged his 11th QSO while doing a POTA/SOTA activation on September 16th on Hawaii's Diamond Head when he got his 12th contact unexpectedly -- right there on the summit: a visitor approached, asking him to help a woman who'd just collapsed inside the summit's observation bunker after hiking the trail.

Michael called 911 and then, heading down to the bunker where cell service was uncertain, used his HT to ask hams listening on local repeaters to stand by in case they were needed. The hiker in distress was a woman in her seventies from Japan, a tourist visiting Hawaii with her husband and their adult daughter. As the Honolulu Fire Department personnel made their way there, Michael passed information from the family on to the emergency dispatchers. The fire personnel sent the department's helicopter as it would have been difficult for rescuers to navigate the steep terrain while carrying the woman. With the woman transported for medical assistance, Michael accompanied her daughter safely back down the trail to meet up with her family. He later learned from them that the woman was cared for and doing well.

While there are no emergency-preparedness drills that follow this real-life scenario atop a summit, Michael said he was ready. His many off-the-grid and off-the-road venues where POTA and SOTA takes him gave him options to make important connections. His responses also drew on his training as part of Radio Amateur Civil Emergency Service for the City and County of Honolulu, which he serves as deputy coordinator. He is also a member of the Emergency Amateur Radio Club in Honolulu.

As he says in his YouTube video about the experience, [quote] "It wasn't the day that I had planned but it was still a wonderful day to make contacts and my best contact all day was helping somebody in need." [endquote]

To hear Michael's account of the rescue and view the YouTube video, follow the link in the text version of this week's newscast at arnewsline.org

TWIN TOWERS, A TRANSMISSION AND A TRIBUTE

The transmission took only five minutes but it marked the passage of 25 years, a painful milestone and a reminder of the devastating terror attacks on the United States on September 11th, 2001. The research facility known by the acronym HAARP tuned its transmitter to 9.11 MHz on the evening of Friday, September 11th when its first message went out in CW: "QST de KL7ERP," its ham radio callsign.

What followed was the transmission of a Slow-Scan TV of an image that forever changed the NYC skyline, showing lower Manhattan and its so-called "Tribute in Light." The twin beams stand against the night sky as a radiant symbol, reaching up from where the Twin Towers had been. Having sent its message, the station returned to CW and sent its signoff before going QRT.

FCC TO VOTE ON GIVING HIGH-SPEED SATELLITE MORE SPECTRUM

The FCC's calendar for September 30th includes a vote that is expected to have an impact on space-based broadband services by making more of the spectrum available to them. Commissioners will consider authorizing high-speed satellite's use of parts of the 12 GHz and 42 GHz bands. If approved this could open as much as 1,000 MHz to airplanes, ships and vehicles on land.

The FCC states on its website that [quote] "Spectrum abundance fuels innovation and investment in the American space economy. It creates additional capacity for in-home satellite broadband for video, gaming, and AI, improves how traffic is routed on the ground, provides better connectivity to ships and planes, and opens the door to a wide range of industrial and commercial innovations in space." [endquote]

The commission has been moving ahead on measures designed to help a variety of space-based services improve their position in the marketplace. Commissioners voted in the spring to relax power limits on satellites' use of the spectrum. The goal is to allow more of the spectrum to be available for activities such as space-based broadband - a move that by some estimates could generate as much as $2-billion in economic benefits.