POTA ACTIVATOR ELECTROCUTED IN NORTH CAROLINA

Tripp Owens, N4NTO, a well-regarded POTA activator died on Friday, July 4th, when, according to investigators, his antenna mast made contact with an overhead power line at the Chicora Civil War Cemetery near the Averasboro [pron: aver-us-burro] Battlefield Historic Site, US-11375. According to several local news reports, emergency crews were called to the scene after Tripp was found unconscious in the parking lot. One news report said that fire crews found him with his foot touching the mast beneath the power lines. Power company crews turned off the power to give the responders access. Tripp was pronounced dead at the scene.

A report on the QRPer.com website relayed information from Dave W4JL, who said Tripp had been spotted on the Reverse Beacon Network between 12:02 and 12:13 UTC that morning but noted on the POTA spots page that he was going QRT. QRPer's Thomas Witherspoon K4SWL added: "This is heartbreaking news for those of us in the Parks on the Air and WWFF communities. Tripp was a well-known and well-loved North Carolina POTA operator—a dedicated hunter and activator whose callsign appears in my logs many times over the years."

Tripp's death was ruled accidental. Within hours of the news, the ham radio community offered condolences to his family on social media and shared memories of a man who they praised for his spirit of mentorship and his gentle sense of humor. Mark Gibson, N4MQU, praised him for his achievements as a top CW operator and a devoted contester.

He had been a ham since 1985. "Ambrose 'Tripp' Owens the third was 57 years old.

TOILETS ON THE AIR? GO WITH THE FLOW

Are you sitting down? Well, it's time to lift the lid on the news: Toilets on the Air is coming in August. If you happen to be in the New York City area that month, well, you gotta go, you just gotta go! The amateur radio contest was begun by Georg DH5GH at the Chaos Communication Congress, a hacker conference in Germany. It is making its debut in the US at the HOPE 16 conference in New York City in August. Because HOPE is a hub for hackers and innovators, contest organizer Todd Mazierski KE2AEQ, thought this venue would be perfect to launch a creative challenge to licensed hams there. Activators select designated restrooms on the campus of St. John's University to make the most CW, voice and digital contacts with others on 2 meters and 70 cm.

Now let's be clear, activators are permitted to sit or stand while they are doing their business while holding their HTs -- but they must be outside the restroom doors -- and a few meters away. They can only go inside the bathroom to, uh, "go" inside the bathroom for the usual reason. Yes, you heard that right: bathroom breaks are OK. Now that's a relief!

Todd announced the contest on his blog. So did Thomas Witherspoon K4SWL. It's posted on his site, the appropriately named QRPer.com

FCC ROUNDTABLE FOCUSES ON HURRICANE-RESPONSE COMMUNICATION

The Federal Communications Commission has scheduled a live online roundtable that it hopes will help communicators, public safety workers and power companies improve collaboration during this hurricane season in the US. The Hurricane Season Resiliency Roundtable is taking place on Monday, the 7th of July, and will be conducted by the Public Safety and Homeland Security Bureau. Advance registration is required.

The program, which can be attended in person or via a livestream, will take place in three panel sessions: “Challenges to Response and Recovery of Power and Communications Outages in the Aftermath of a Hurricane,”will be the first topic covered. Collaboration will be explored in the second session, “Current Government, Intra-Industry and Cross-Industry Partnerships.” The final session will look at planning ahead. It is called “The Advance Preparation Frameworks for Power and Communications.”

The roundtable begins at 9:30 a.m. at FCC headquarters in Washington, D.C.

To register, see the link in the text version of this week's newscast script at arnewsline.org

RUSSIA WORKS ON MODULES FOR SPACE STATION

Just as the US prepares to take the International Space Station out of service in 2030, the space agency Roscosmos plans to launch the first modules for its Russian Orbital Station, the world's first drone platform space station employing robot maintenance. The move also marks the end of international collaboration in space between NASA and Roscosmos.

The Russian space agency is eyeing a 2027 launch for the first segment of its space station - the Scientific and Power Module, as the station enters a near-polar orbit. The full transition to the Russian Orbital Station is expected to be completed by 2030, just as the ISS awaits decommissioning. Other modules are also set for launch in 2030, including the gateway, the universal-node and base modules. Roscosmos expects the spacecraft to establish several stable communication channels by 2030, as the number of communication devices increases over the years. Roscosmos views the space station as a permanent fixture for Russia's space activities well outside of Earth's orbit.

OHIO YL CHOSEN AS NEWSLINE'S YOUNG HAM OF THE YEAR

Our panel of judges has selected the 2025 Amateur Radio Newsline Bill Pasternak Memorial Young Ham of the Year Award winner. Mark Abramowicz NT3V is chairman of the award committee and has the announcement..

MARK: She is 17 years old and from the small town of Columbiana in northeast Ohio. Meet Katie Campbell KE8LQR.

MARK w/KATIE: You are the 2025 Young Ham of the Year

KATIE: Thank you so much.

MARK: Are you surprised?

KATIE:: Uh, yeah, yeah.

MARK: Not expecting a call like this as the summer begins?

KATIE: No, I was not.

MARK:: Katie Campbell is a bright and talented advocate for youth in amateur radio whose interest in the hobby was sparked when she was 10.

KATIE: My school started an amateur radio and electronics club [in] my fifth-grade year open to just middle-schoolers that year. So, I joined and then pretty quickly made the connection that that’s’ like what my family had been sort of involved with. My grandpa had had his license since he was around 14. And, then my mom she’d also had her license since middle school.

MARK: Katie says she quickly got her ham ticket advancing all the way to Extra by the age of 11. She says she then discovered the music of Morse Code. She immersed herself in CW and contesting and rose to become president of K8LPS, the Columbiana School Radio Club located inside the science classroom of Katie’s mom, Colleen Campbell KB8VAQ.

Her dad is Robert Campbell KE8LYZ. Katie’s maternal grandfather is Thomas Frost N8GGK. It was her interest that got him radio active again.

Katie attended the Youth on the Air camp in 2022 in Cincinnati and has been a key staff member ever since, doing public relations and mentoring campers.

Katie has been a regular presenter at forums at the Dayton Hamvention, Hamcation and SEA-PAC.

Katie has another opportunity as she begins her senior year of high school: as an exchange student in Germany. She’s hoping to make amateur radio a part of her experience.

Congratulations, Katie, from all of us at Amateur Radio Newsline.

I’m Mark Abramowicz NT3V.

RUSSIAN EME COMPETITORS PREP FOR SECOND ROUND

Get ready for the second round of the Russian EME contest, hosted by the Union of Radio Amateurs of Russia. The sixth annual international competition kicked off with its first round on the last weekend in June. Now competitors are preparing for the final round on July 26th and 27th. While the first round was held on 144 MHz, 432 MHz, 5.6 GHz and 24 GHz, the second round will see amateurs trying for EME QSOs utilising 1296 MHz, 2.3 GHz and 10 GHz. Once again, hams will be making use of CW, SSB and the digital modes.

To see the results of last year's competition, visit the link in the text version of this week's newscast at arnewsline.org

SILENT KEY: ROGER SMALLWOOD, N8EKG, R&L ELECTRONICS EXECUTIVE

The ham radio community is grieving the loss of Roger Smallwood, N8EKG, president of operations at R&L Electronics in Ohio for more than 40 years. Roger, who had cancer, became a Silent Key on Saturday the 28th of June. In his online obituary, customers and longtime friends alike recalled his friendly, easygoing manner, his helpfulness and his much-anticipated appearances at Dayton Hamvention. Many recalled the family business that helped build, which earned the popular nickname, "The Candy Store" for its assortment of amateur radio equipment.

Roger was 55.

IN WEST VIRGINIA, A HIGH-FLYING FIELD DAY

So how was YOUR Field Day? In West Virginia, it had one radio operator flying high, as we hear from Jen DeSalvo, W9TXJ.

JEN: The East River Amateur Radio Club in Bluefield, West Virginia, picked quite the location for this year's Field Day.

DAVE: We chose the local municipal airport, Mercer County Airport, to be our venue.

JEN: President Dave Lester, N8VFR, said it was in a nice area outside of the airfield where they set up pop-ups and GOTA. As the event was winding down Sunday, and Dave was starting to think about packing up, club member and pilot, Jay Belt, K8CTI…

DAVE ....looked at me and said “let's go get on HF, up in the air.” And of course, I'm not going to say no.

JEN: Jay had put together a station, an H-F rig…

DAVE … just 20 meters. It was a quarter wave end-fed, and he had that ran from wing to tail.

JEN: Being in the air, Dave was easily getting through pile-ups.

DAVE I noticed immediately that I didn't have to turn the VFO very much at all to hear stations. You know, I guess elevation. I was just hearing everything!

JEN: They used Jay’s callsign in the air. Toward the end of the flight, Dave found THE frequency…

DAVE: …and just started calling CQ.

SOUND CLIP: “CQ Field Day – Aeronautical Mobile Station Kilo Eight Charlie Tango India”

JEN: There were some challenges. The logistics of logging and…

DAVE: ...The radio and the tuner were were screwed to this board, and I was having to balance it between my knees because there's nowhere in the plane to mount the thing.

JEN: It was a total of 39 minutes from takeoff to landing. During that time, Dave snagged eleven contacts.

It wasn’t just the aircraft on the air which made the club’s Field Day successful.

DAVE: I was completely blown away and overwhelmed by the public reaction to our Field Day. They just came out of nowhere.

JEN: There were young adults in their twenties, an amateur extra who came to GOTA for his very first time, and several people sign up for the club’s exams.

DAVE: It was definitely a positive impact on the community. And, you know, the, I guess being at the airport was, was kind of a draw.

JEN: I’d say.

SOUND CLIP: "CQ Field Day Aeronautical Station Mobile!"

NEW WORLD RECORD FOR CW CALLSIGN COPY

Ham Radio Friedrichshafen's theme this year centered around remote radio operations but strong attendance proved that hams still like to show up in person to greet one another. An estimated 11,600 guests from 52 countries made the annual trip to Germany.

Many of them were present as the ham radio fair celebrated a record-breaking moment. A 13-year-old radio amateur from Romania surpassed last year's achievement in high-speed telegraphy, As spectators watched, mostly in silence, Ianis Scutaru, YO8YNS, achieved a maximum speed of 1,160 characters per minute for callsign copy - for a total score of 395,191 - landing him in the Guinness Book of World Records.

The crowd erupted in cheers and applause only after he had finished and the announcement was made. Ianis, the son of Lucian, YO8SLC, has been practicing Morse Code since the age of 8.

MOBILE BROADBAND PROVIDER SEEKS AMATEUR FREQUENCIES FOR SATELLITES

Our top story takes us this week to Washington, D.C. where the Federal Communications Commission has received a request from the 5G broadband service provider AST SpaceMobile to modify its license so that it can transmit on the portion of the 70cm band used by amateur radio. The Texas-based company is seeking the frequencies between 430 and 440 MHz for telemetry, tracking, and telecommand between ground stations and its satellites. At the same time, the company is seeking FCC approval for its operation of 248 low-earth orbit, non-geostationary satellites. It is presently licensed for five.
The company's request to use the 70cm band is not insignificant: In 2023, the German regulator, BNetzA [pronounced: BEE NETS EH] ordered AST SpaceMobile to shut its operations when in range of the country, citing harmful interference that violated ITU regulations. In March of 2024, the company said it had "updated" its constellation's filings with the ITU and the FCC. It also reduced some of its power levels and changed the heights of its orbits, according to the Advanced Television website.
AST SpaceMobile is a rival of SpaceX, which operates the StarLink satellite constellation, which is testing direct-to-cell with T-Mobile.
Earlier this year AT&T and AST SpaceMobile received FCC permission to test direct-to-cellular satellite connectivity.
Public comments are due by July 21st.
For a link to the filing, see the text version of this week's newscast at arnewsline.org

LOGBOOK OF THE WORLD GOES OFFLINE FOR UPGRADES

Just as hams were making their final preparations for ARRL Field Day here in the US and in Canada, the ARRL was scheduling downtime for Logbook of the World, beginning on June 27th. The ARRL called the process part of the "ongoing modernization of the ARRL systems infrastructure." When completed, the system is to be fully operational on the cloud. The ARRL said the move will ensure that users are protected from physical and network-based security risks.
The last major service disruption for LoTW was last year, when it was one of several ARRL services that were compromised by a ransomware attack. The ARRL announced its return to service not quite two months later, on July 1st.
In making the announcement of this year's upgrade, CEO David Minster, NA2AA said on the ARRL website that LoTW would return to full online operations on the 2nd of July -- or sooner, if possible.

SATELLITE PAINT EXPERIMENT TACKLES 'LIGHT POLLUTION'

What is blacker than black? It's the super black paint known as Vantablack and its creator, Surrey NanoSystems, designed it to absorb 98 percent of light. BMW tested it out on one of its crossover model X6 cars just as an experiment in 2019. According to Space.com, the paint reflects only 2 percent of visible and infrared light.
Now AMSAT-UK is preparing to launch Vantablack on its Jovian-1 CubeSat mission to test its ability to avoid interference with space telescopes. The Jovian-1 goes into space sometime next year. Attendees at this year's AMSAT-UK Colloquium in October can expect to learn more about this adventure in light-pollution reduction.
Meanwhile if things work out, Vantablack might provide a solution for the private satellite constellations that researchers say have been interfering with ground-based astronomical research. As more satellites are being sent into space, that's not insignificant to observatories here on the ground.

UNHEARD-OF DATA SPEED REPORTED FROM CHINESE SATELLITES

In a development that some observers say could someday replace satellites' reliance on RF, scientists in China are claiming that they have developed a transmission method using minimal laser power. The method is known as "AO-MDR synergy" and utilises a 2-watt laser. Scientists at Peking University and the Chinese Academy of Sciences have said that by employing this technique, they recently accomplished a 1 Gigabit-per-second data transmission to Earth from a geostationary satellite.
Researchers praise the development, adding that it addresses a common challenge for satellite downlinks - the distortion caused by atmospheric turbulence. The developers of the process said that "AO-MDR" addresses this by stabilizing the laser signal even when it faces atmospheric turbulence. The technique combines Adaptive Optics and Mode Diversity Reception.

FROM THE BBC, FOR ANTARCTICA'S EARS ONLY

The shortwave broadcast wasn't aiming for big global listenership. Indeed, there were perhaps only a few dozen pairs of ears for whom the special programme was intended. Still, the BBC's Antarctic Midwinter Broadcast is a shortwave tradition Down Under. This year, its 70th anniversary year, was no different. Scientists and support staff of the British Antarctic Survey Team were tuned in on the 21st of June to hear welcoming messages from home - including a pre-recorded greeting from King Charles, the first monarch to participate in the tradition.
The show only lasted a half-hour but has been a big part of a midwinter at British research stations on the frozen continent for decades.

YOUNGSTERS ON THE AIR CAMP GEARS UP IN EUROPE

Youngsters on the Air - also known this year as YOTA France - is getting ready for its 13th edition. The camp will be taking place at the Chateau de Jambville near Paris from the 18th through to the 25th of August. It is being hosted by the French national amateur radio society, Réseau des Émetteurs Français or REF.
Although the camp serves primarily youngsters from throughout IARU Region 1, guest campers will be welcomed from Regions 2 and 3. About 100 young amateurs attend these camps each year, participating as teams representing their countries. Previous YOTA summer camps have been held in such countries as Czechia, Hungary, Croatia, Bulgaria, South Africa and Great Britain.

SWEDEN'S GRIMETON RADIO STATION TO SEND JUBILEE MESSAGE

The Jubilee Year for the Grimeton Radio Station in Sweden is well under way, having begun last December. The highest point of the year, however, will come on the 2nd of July - the exact date, 100 years ago, that the station's 200kW alternator sent a message across the Atlantic Ocean for receipt by the US president, Calvin Coolidge. The message reached the receiving station in Riverhead, New York - on Long Island - and the president had a reply sent, praising the new broadcaster and sharing his hopes for good relations between Sweden and the US.
July 2nd is nearly here and the 100-year anniversary of that historic message is being celebrated with a telegram to be transmitted from the station on 17.2 kHz using CW at 0900 UTC. The station will be using the original callsign, SAQ, .
The broadcast can be heard on a receiver with VLF capability and will also be live streamed on YouTube.
In the meantime, hams wishing to make contact with the amateur radio station SK6SAQ in CW or SSB should be listening on 80, 40 and 20 metres.
Details are available at alexander dot n dot se (alexander.n.se)

BE LISTENING FOR 13 COLONIES SPECIAL EVENT STATIONS

Just a reminder that the popular 13 Colonies Special Event runs from the 1st of July through to the 8th, UTC. Certificates are available at all levels of achievement. Shortwave listeners and hunters outside the US are welcome, Operators will be using all modes on all HF bands except for 60 metres. Be listening as well on 2 and 6 metres.
See the link in the text version of this week's Newsline script at arnewsline.org

LIFESAVING SKILLS LEARNED ATOP SOME SOTA SUMMITS

As record-breaking fires consumed huge sections of the Canadian province of Alberta, Wade Smith VK1MIC, was preparing for an activation that would take him into the heart of the destruction. As captain of the communications brigade in the New South Wales Rural Fire Service, Wade responded to Canada's request by traveling from Sydney with the Australian contingent. Wade added his specialised skills in air radio and dispatch to assist the joint Australian-Albertan Incident Management Team operating in the remote northern region of Alberta.
Facing the challenge of several large fires raging, Wade and his team handled more than 500 radio calls daily. The fire-fighting effort mustered more than 20 aircraft involved in operations across several large fires.
Wade, who is also the VK1 SOTA Association Manager, said his years of SOTA experience have served as great practice for staying focused, handling several stations at once and managing fast-moving communications pile-ups. He said " "These same skills are directly transferable to coordinating air operations under pressure." The fires posed hazards on the ground locally as well as for the air quality in much of North America. Weather experts attribute the conditions in the region to an ongoing trend of dry, warm conditions that have been worsened by the global climate crisis.

MYSTERY SIGNALS FROM THE GREAT BEYOND?

Rest in peace, NASA Relay 2 satellite. The spacecraft was one of two launched at different times in the 1960s by the US space agency to serve as experimental communication satellites. Unlike NASA’s Relay 1, which transmitted American TV signals into Japan and Europe, Relay 2 was used for barely a year. It stopped operations in 1965 and its transponders were believed to have died in 1967
The key word here is “believed” - because one year ago this month, researchers in Australia were certain they'd heard Relay 2 returning radio pulses to earth in much the same way some so-called "zombie" satellites, like the famous AMSAT OSCAR-7, have been known to do.
In this case, no seances or Ouija boards were necessary to understand this message from The Great Beyond. Some scientists theorize that the pulses came from the discharge of electrostatic energy, or ESD, that had built up on Relay 2 over time. Another theory is that its impact with a micrometeoroid released a cloud of plasma capable of sending such a signal.
Researchers plan to study both ESD and the micrometeoroid effect in the hope of a better understanding in the future. It's not about alien life or afterlife, then: Just breathing new life into solving more mysteries of space.

REMEMBERING NEWSLINE'S BILL PASTERNAK, WA6ITF/SK

I first met Bill Pasternak in the early 1970s on a very popular 2-meter repeater while I was working as a DJ in New York City. We quickly discovered we shared many hobbies and interests. Bill was deeply interested in broadcasting and was also an accomplished multi-engine pilot. He and Sharon were newlyweds at the time, and my family enjoyed spending time with them at many social events organized by our local ham radio group.
But, as is typical in broadcasting, our careers took us in different directions and to different cities. Maybe it was karma, but both Bill and I eventually landed in Los Angeles—he had secured a job at the Fox TV station, and I joined KHJ Radio. It was wonderful to reconnect with my old friend.
Bill was incredibly ambitious. He had more hobbies than fingers and toes! He shared with me his vision of creating a newscast for the amateur radio community. In 1977, he brought that vision to life with the launch of the WestLink Amateur Radio News. Bill invited me to be one of the presenters. Little did I know that would be the start of a 36-year journey with what would eventually become Amateur Radio Newsline.
Over the next three decades, my career took me to many cities—Dallas, Detroit, Pittsburgh, Los Angeles (again), Charleston, West Virginia, Daytona Beach, Grand Rapids, Long Branch, New Jersey, back to Daytona, then Sarasota, and finally Vero Beach. I had Mayflower Van Lines on speed dial!
In those early days during the ’70s, Bill would gather the news, write a script, and call me on the phone (remember when long-distance was expensive?). He’d read the script aloud, and I’d type it as he spoke. Once finished, I’d head to a production studio to record and edit the script. Then I’d drive to the post office to air mail a 7-inch reel of tape to Los Angeles. Bill would splice in the actualities and transfer the final version to a 20-minute cartridge tape. That tape machine was set to auto-answer the phone line at Bill Ornstein’s home, distributing the news to the ham community.
As technology evolved, so did we. In 1981, Bill and I each bought Commodore 64 computers. With the addition of a telephone handset modem, we reduced the scripting process from hours to minutes. Reels of tape gave way to cassettes, and a decade later, digital audio revolutionized how Amateur Radio Newsline was shared on the Internet. While the delivery systems changed, one thing remained constant: our friendship and Bill’s unwavering commitment to this project.
This week marks the 10th anniversary of Bill’s passing. His legacy continues to resonate throughout the amateur radio community. Bill was a deeply spiritual man, and I believe he would be honored to know that the Amateur Radio Newslineteam continues to deliver this weekly missive with the same passion and purpose he instilled in it from the beginning.
They say we are known by the company we keep, and in Bill’s case, his presence and contributions to our hobby are truly enduring. I was personally honored to be part of his vision for 36 consecutive years.
This is my first time back behind the microphone since his passing. I find it poetic that Bill left us at age 73. In our world, that’s no coincidence.
73, my friend.
This is Jim Davis, W2JKD