Organisers of the World Radiosport Team Championship have announced that two teams of seasoned DXpeditioners and contesters are going to the 2026 competition in the UK after placing the winning bids to secure a place in the running. All other competitors in this international Olympic-style radio event qualify by virtue of their contest records but these two sponsored teams -- one headed by Adrian, KO8SCA, and the other by Cezary, SP5Y -- secured spots as winning bidders in an auction. The minimum bid was 20,000 US dollars.
The opportunity to purchase spots in the competition is a way of helping the event with its substantial budget. All teams are bound by the same operating rules
GRANT HELPS ADVANCE ALBERTA GROUP'S IP400 DIGITAL PROJECT
The Alberta Digital Radio Communications Society has learned it can proceed with its IP400 Project by autumn, thanks to a grant from Amateur Radio Digital Communications that will permit the hiring of necessary technical personnel.
Many amateurs got a preview of IP400 at Hamvention in Xenia, Ohio. The data communications system was demonstrated using Raspberry Pi Zero H A T transceivers. "H A T" stands for Hardware Attached On Top. The system's goal is to deliver over-the-air data speeds of at least 100 kilobytes per second, a speed that far exceeds that of most current amateur radio data systems. According to the IP400 website, the project first aims to present an assembled node to developers, experimenters and others for testing.
THREE CHARGED WITH THEFT OF RADIO STATION'S COPPER WIRING
Three men were arrested in Memphis, Tennessee, and charged with the theft of copper wiring from a local AM radio station, temporarily knocking it off the air.
Radio Ambiente, WGSF 1030 AM, the city’s first Hispanic radio station which had been broadcasting for 30 years, went silent on Sunday, May 18th. The station, which serves a regional audience, was able to return to the air this month after the FCC granted a license for its use of the on-site translator at 101.5 FM.
According to news reports, the station’s owner discovered copper wiring and copper components were stolen after he visited the transmitter towers to determine the source of the problem. Police said the transmitter building had been broken into. Copper wiring that ran underground to the radio towers had been cut - the copper cables and other components were missing. The station's owner, Sergio Butron, told local media that it appeared the thieves gained access after breaking through a chain-link fence and several locks. An engineer at the station said replacing the equipment will cost an estimated $170,000 on top of engineering fees.
Police report that three suspects were arrested less than a half-mile from the transmitter towers. The men were found with the stolen copper cables in front of a nearby house.
HAMS JUST WANT TO HAVE FUN
Young hams around the world have once again declared this "Meme Appreciation Month," even though this activity actually runs through to the 15th of August. From Hungary to the Philippines, Canada and Austria, the popular activity of sharing icons and text is spelled out in the operators' clever callsigns used specifically for this event. Most participants use FT8 and SSTV.
Meanwhile, CW operators in the Straight Key Century Club have just wrapped up another round of the monthly RandomGram exercise, decoding randomly generated letter and number combinations. The 24-hour event began on Thursday, June 19th.
Finally, there's Hamword, in which amateurs sharpen their skills using Winlink by playing a game based on the wildly popular mainstream word-based guessing game - Wordle. This is the third year participants will be transmitting five-letter words to the HAMWORD station. It's a lively, highly competitive activity in which results are posted on a leaderboard.
For technical requirements and rules, see the websites in the text version of this week's Newsline script.
Don't forget that hams just WANNA have FUN!
CHICAGO RACE PUTS HAMS ON THE RUN
CAREY PINKOWSKI: We’ve seen a lot of things over the years with the ham operators. They're the most dependable way of communication.
JEN: For three and a half decades, Carey Pinkowski has been the race director of the Bank of America Chicago Marathon, and in that time, he has watched his race grow from just a few thousand runners to over fifty-thousand finishers in 2024.
CAREY: At the marathon last year, we had close to 2,000 medical volunteers…
JEN: And of those, about 150 amateur radio operators coordinating medical treatment and transport. The partnership began in 2008 after a dangerous October heat wave cut the 2007 event short. On a course with all asphalt and no shade, water became scarce, and communication was lacking.
CAREY: We didn’t have cell phones!
JEN: Runner Kate Saccany, Kilo-Eight-Sierra-Lima-Foxtrot (K8SLF), was a participant in the Chicago Marathon that year, and like many hams, she was trained in emergency communications. It was after that event that she, Pinkowski, and other amateur radio operators devised a plan to put hams on the run. Sixty-eight hams helped out that first year in 2008, and since that time…
CAREY: They participate in our planning meetings and our operational design of things. A lot of it's geared toward emergency or crisis communications.
JEN: And it’s not just for the 26.2-mile race in October. On Sunday, June 1st, 40 hams assisted medical teams for the Bank of America 13.1, the half-marathon version. For their primary repeater, volunteer hams used a Yaesu DR-2X in analog mode with a “pace” of 25 watts off the rooftop of Chicago’s Historic Mount Sinai Hospital. The backup repeater had an inverted antenna mag mount and a world-class view, as it was housed atop Chicago's tallest skyscraper, the Willis Tower, in the ABC Chicago WLS-TV transmitter suite.
These special ham teams aren't unique to Chicago.
They also assemble for other World Marathon Majors such as Boston and New York.
They play an important role at the Marine Corps Marathon and several others across the globe.
So, when distance runners are in need of a hero,
CAREY: It's the ham operators that are there to save the day.
TEEN CW CHAMP TRIES TO TOP OWN WORLD RECORD
Ham Radio 2025 at Messe Friedrichshafen, Germany, will have plenty to offer international visitors when the three-day event opens on the 27th of June. One scheduled event in particular is likely to draw a crowd as it showcases the achievement of Ianis Scutaru, YO8YNS, who set the world record in callsign receiving in Morse Code last year.
In a demonstration sponsored by the Romanian Federation of Amateur Radio, Ianis will attempt to beat that record before a panel of judges from Guinness World Records and the IARU. It forms part of a larger exhibit by the Romanian amateur radio group which is demonstrating high-speed telegraphy as its centerpiece.
In case you were wondering, at the age of 13, Ianis won a gold medal at the 20th IARU High Speed Telegraphy World Championship with a record-setting maximum copy speed of 1,126 characters per minute - an equivalent just exceeding 225 words per minute.
ISLAND DXPEDITION WILL BE TRIBUTE TO SILENT KEY
For Eric Williams, KV1J, his planned trip to St. Pierre & Miquelon Island, IOTA Number NA-032, is for a solo activation-- but even as he calls CQ as FP/KV1J starting on the 28th of June, Eric will not be totally alone. He will carry the memory of a local amateur who was his friend, Jean-Pierre Carrere, FP5CJ. Jean-Pierre, who was known in the ham community as a welcoming, helpful and personable radio operator, especially to visitors, became a Silent Key last September.
Eric will remain on the air through to the 14th of July and will participate in the IARU HF World Championship on the 12th and 13th of July. It is his 17th trip to the island in the North Atlantic, not far from Newfoundland.
RADIO SIGNALS HAVE 'UPWARD PROPAGATION' THROUGH ICE, STONE
Radio signals picked up by a NASA high-altitude balloon have been leaving scientists baffled. The balloon, part of NASA's experiment known as Antarctic Impulsive Transient Antenna, or ANITA, was floating 40 kilometres above the continent, in search of neutrinos and other particles when its sensitive radio antennas unexpectedly picked up signals that were coming from someplace below - way below - the Antarctic's frozen surface. Physicists say that for that kind of reception to occur the radio waves would have had to have penetrated 6,000 to 7,000 kilometres, or 3,700 to 4,300 miles, of solid ice and stone.
Although the balloon project has since been retired, researchers continue to study these unexplained transmissions and recently published their findings in the journal, Physical Review Letters. The researchers say that by all models of physics, the signals should have been absorbed by the rock and gone undetected.
Scientists know that these are not neutrinos - the particles that they had expected - but are still trying to narrow down what kind of radio signals they're dealing with. Meanwhile, with the ANITA project retired, the next instruments to have a go at the mystery will be on board a work in progress: A Pennsylvania State University team is building something bigger and, they hope, better: The Payload for Ultrahigh Energy Observation mission.
COULD IT BE MAGIC? CHECK THE LOG
Mike N2MAK is one of those hams who believes in magic. It’s the kind of enchantment that brings possibilities to summertime in the Northern Hemisphere when sporadic E propagation is strong, breathing new life into 6 metres.
These moments aren’t summoned by a magic wand or an incantation. On the 25th of May, Mike and his friends Fred, N2RPG, Michael W2NVP, Brian W2BMT and many others who took up the challenge of this just-for-fun, 6 Meter FM Activity Day, found that just calling CQ will do the trick.
Activating a POTA park with Mike and the others, the magic happened first for Fred, who made his first 6-metre contact ever. Within two hours, the friends had worked 16 unique stations on 6 metres FM locally, logging 18 contacts in all because one was at a POTA 3-fer. Said Mike “We had an absolute blast.”
Others apparently found the magic too. Mike told Newsline “what meant the most to me was the positive response from hams across the US and in Canada who reached out to me.” Mike’s hope that hams would want to try something different - in the true spirit of amateur radio adventure - was no illusion.
All it took was the simple wave of a band - instead of a hand - to make it happen.
AMSAT DESIGNATES SO-125 with SDR FM, DIGITAL REPEATER PAYLOAD
AMSAT has given the designation of SO-125 to the HADES-ICM satellite that was launched on March 14th from California. The satellite, from AMSAT-EA, is SDR-based and supports FM Phone and FSK digital data through its repeater. The SDR-based platform is especially significant because it can transmit as much as 25 watts when the battery allows, giving access to stations who are using handheld antennas.The coordinated uplink frequency is 145.875 MHz, and the downlink is 436.666 MHz. The repeater operates with an open squelch and does not require a sub-tone.
RSGB SEEKS PROPOSALS FOR OCTOBER CONFERENCE
Attendees will be arriving at Kents Hill Conference Centre in Milton Keynes on the 10th of October for the three-day RSGB Convention. The RSGB is hoping that many of those in attendance will also help shape the content of the conference by bringing a project, a paper for presentation or plans for a practical session. If you want to get involved, share your ideas with the RSGB and let them know what you have planned. Send your proposals to convention at rsgb dot org dot uk (convention@rsgb.org.uk)
Meanwhile, satellite enthusiasts will be pleased to know that, as before, AMSAT-UK will hold its Colloquium during the Convention.
OREGON LATEST STATE TO PROCLAIM 'AMATEUR RADIO MONTH'
In the US, Oregon has become the latest state to proclaim June to be "Amateur Radio Month." Gov. Tina Kotek issued the proclamation in time for ARRL Field Day, which is taking place in the US and Canada on the 28th and 29th of June. The state is a busy place on the ham radio map, both for hosting the convention of the Northwest Division of the ARRL and its location on an earthquake fault line that keeps emergency responders alert. Governors in Hawaii and New Hampshire recently issued similar proclamations in their respective states.
DX FOUNDATION GIVES GRANTS TO 3 DXPEDITIONS
The 9-member team of German operators planning the V6D DXpedition to Micronesia in September has been named as one of the latest recipients of grant money to assist their activation. The team has scheduled operations from September 22nd through to October 6th. This is a group of seasoned DXpeditioners who have had a number of other successful radio adventures together.
The foundation is also supporting the 3C2MD DXpedition to Bioko Island in Equatorial Guinea. The operators are from the Mediterraneo DX Club, which has planned their activation from October 9th through to November 10th.
Finally, Hannah Rosenfeld, W7HER, has received a grant for her role as an operator on the FW5K DXpedition to Wallis Island in the South Pacific. The participating DXpeditioners, including Hannah's father Scott N7JI, are part of the team known as DXObsessed. Hannah is a founder of W7DUX, the radio club at the University of Oregon where she is an alumna. The DXpedition is set for October 20 through to November 7th.
GET READY FOR YOTA CAMP IN COLORADO
A lot of activity will be packed into the Bob Heil K9EID Memorial YOTA Camp Amateur Radio Shack in Thornton, Colorado, between the 15th and 20th of June. Young operators from the Youth on the Air Americas Camp will be calling CQ remotely and in person from there with the callsign WØY. As well as a scheduled contact with the International Space Station, and making satellite contacts, they will be operating portable making SOTA and POTA activations and visiting the timekeeping radio station WWV and a Buc-ee's truck stop.
If you miss any chance to contact them - or just want to follow along with their activities - don’t miss the opening and closing ceremonies and the ISS contact, all of which will be streamed live on the Youth on the Air YouTube channel. The channel will also feature daily videos of some of the campers’ activities from the previous day. It’s almost as much fun as being a camper yourself -- we did say "almost."
For more details or to see the operating schedule, visit QRZ.com
WHIDBEY ISLAND BROADENS ITS RADIO SAFETY NET
As of the weekend ending on Sunday, June 8th, 8 new amateur radio operators have received their licenses on Whidbey Island. These newcomers are contributing to an important momentum on this island in Puget Sound, where ham radio operators from the Island County Amateur Radio Club have been giving top priority to emergency preparedness, following a recent conference on the subject held by the South Whidbey Fire/EMS.
Response from that conference inspired the hams to host the weekend test-preparation class which ended with the amateur radio exam itself. One of the instructors, Bob Keeton K7MHJ, told Newsline that with the new amateurs on board, the next step is to get island neighborhoods organized for improved radio response in a crisis. A neighborhood representative with a GMRS radio would be able to communicate with a ham who also holds a GMRS license and together they would gather damage-assessment data and pass that along to the county. Bob, a retired police officer, said that the hams have the ability to use Winlink Peer 2 Peer and VarAC FM to reach the emergency operations center.
As volunteer civilian coordinator between the hams and the Island County Department of Emergency Management, Bob knows that living near an earthquake-prone fault line such as the Cascadia Subduction Zone, requires this kind of readiness.
He said "Anytime we can add another link in our amateur network I am happy."
INDIANA EMCOMM GROUP SWITCHES FROM ANALOG FM TO DIGITAL
In April of this year the Dubois County Office of Emergency Management in Indiana made the decision to migrate from analog FM to C4FM digital for their 147.195 repeater during activations. The change was made to reduce noise during operation and increase the quality of copy. According to Gary Fritz, WB9LIB, operations officer for the EMA, “Our new Fusion repeater system was thoroughly tested to confirm its superior performance when using C4FM.”
When the announcement was made to the Patoka Valley Amateur Radio Club, not all the club members were enthusiastic. Since some of them did not own a Fusion compatible radio, this decision would exclude them from emergency operations with SKYWARN.
Fritz told AR Newsline that the change has brought about the desired results in message quality, as proven by recent SKYWARN activation during severe weather. “We found that by using C4FM,...our units are now able to check in crystal clear from locations that were previously impossible.”
A number of local amateurs remain unconvinced regarding the move to digital. Reuben Montgomery, KA9RCM, told Newsline that his main concern is centered primarily on the lack of access to the emergency communications by hams without Fusion radios and by visitors who are passing through the area. With the variety of digital platforms, he also sees great difficulty in picking one mode to the exclusion of all others. Regarding participation, Fritz reported that the public and all amateur radio operators can continue to monitor net communications through audio streaming over Broadcastify.
SPECIAL EVENT IN IRAN HIGHLIGHTS PERSIAN GULF HISTORY
It was a proud moment for 11 ham radio operators in Iran who got on the air on June 7th, calling CQ on SSB as special event station EP2PG. Using modest, home-based equipment with 100 watts of power or less, the operators faced less-than-ideal conditions on the HF bands during their 16-hour operation.
Still, it was a proud moment as the hams of Echo Papa two Persian Gulf celebrated the historical and cultural significance of the Persian Gulf itself and shared it with the world. One of the operators, Morteza EP5APP, told Newsline that the team's focus was on making as many DX contacts as possible in the interest of friendship and unity and, of course, to share the story of the gulf, which is one of the world's oldest maritime regions.
The team achieved that goal, logging more than 360 QSOs from, 60 DX countries across Europe, Asia, Oceania and the Americas.
Morteza told Newsline [quote]: "This activity was entirely self-funded and carried out by volunteers with a shared passion for radio and a strong desire to make the voice of Iran heard in a positive, non-political, and welcoming way." [endquote]
They're ready to do it again next year - hoping to exchange even more stories and of course QSL cards.
2 FCC COMMISSIONERS LEAVING AGENCY
As Newsline went to production, the FCC prepared for the departure of two commissioners. Commissioner Nathan Simington announced on Wednesday, June 4th, that he was leaving the post he has held since 2020 following his appointment by President Donald Trump. His announcement follows an earlier one from Commissioner Geoffrey Starks, a Democrat, that he would leave the FCC. Both departures were scheduled to happen by June 6th, meaning that with one other seat already left vacant, the president and US Senate must now fill three spots. Until then, the FCC will temporarily have one Republican and one Democratic commissioner each. Neither man's statement gave reasons for the departure.
STEPP-IR TO END AMATEUR ANTENNA PRODUCTION
SteppIR has announced that it is stopping production of all amateur radio and other consumer antennas starting in August. The company's statement, which appears on its website, said that it would continue to honor all product warranties and provide technical support as needed.
The company said: "Given our long history of impact and innovation we don't take this decision lightly but have decided that it is necessary for our ongoing operations and to make sure we can continue to efficiently provide our existing customers with product support services."
All antenna and spare-parts orders will be fulfilled by the company through to the end of August. After the 31st of the month, SteppIR will sell spare parts as long as the inventory permits.
Based in Washington state, the company has been well-known in the amateur radio community since 2001. SteppIR produces a variety of mechanically adjusted, remotely tuned, frequency optimized HF/VHF Yagi, Vertical and Dipole antenna systems which serve military, commercial, emergency communications and consumer markets.
WEATHER RADIO STATIONS GO OFF AIR FOR UPDATES
As some parts of the United States enter hurricane season, which officially began on June 1st, the National Weather Service is continuing with its nationwide update of their Advanced Weather Interactive Processing System. The system is used for weather data processing and communications, two functions that are especially critical during storms and other weather-related emergencies.
The upgrades will be taking more than 1,000 radio stations of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration off the air, on a rolling basis, for 2 to 3 days in a scheduled roll-out for their 122 Weather Forecast Offices. Broadcasters and ham radio groups have expressed concern about not having access to these emergency stations during those periods.
NOAA Weather Radio, known as the “Voice of the National Weather Service,” is a nationwide network of radio stations broadcasting continuous weather information directly from the nearest Weather Forecast office. These stations broadcast official Weather Service warnings, watches, forecasts and other hazard information 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
The NWS is using social media and other means to inform citizens in the affected areas when their stations will be out of service. They are also encouraging citizens to rely on alternate sources for weather warnings during the outage, including local TV and radio, weather apps, and NWS websites.
