SOUTH AFRICAN AWARDS SCHEME FOCUSES ON HERITAGE, HISTORY

HOTA - an awards programme that originated with the Bo-Karoo Amateur Radio Club in South Africa - has its origins as Heliographs on the Air. The original concept, credited to Jannie Smith, ZS3CM, was to encourage amateur radio operators to activate sites where members of the military once sent coded messages to the troops by reflecting sunlight off mirrors. Other club members soon expanded the programme’s scope to focus on a broader array of historical sites. What was renamed History on the Air soon morphed into Heritage on the Air, the programme as it is known today. Using a spreadsheet developed by Steve Brooks ZS3SB, activators and chasers alike keep track of their contacts and ultimately their cumulative score which they submit at the end of each year.

Organisers believe that the exercise offers a greater opportunity to learn about history, either by chasing, activating or proposing new sites for inclusion. Proposals are required to be well-researched applications that explain the historical significance of the location, which must be connected to war, telecommunications or general history. The sites must have a significance dating back at least 75 years.

As for modes, well, that’s a nod to history too: operators can use SSB, AM, FM CW and yes, even heliographs. Of course.

HAMS COACH INDIAN POLICE ON AMATEUR RADIO'S CRISIS ROLES

In India, law enforcement personnel from the remote region of Darjeeling and the coastal area of the Sunderbans joined with police in Kolkata for a one-day session on how amateur radio can assist them when conventional communications systems are compromised.

The regulations governing radio - and the technical side of operating - were covered in the one-day session held on Friday the 25th of July in Kolkata. The training was conducted by Jayanta Baidya VU2TFR, Arnab Roy Chowdhury VU2TFT and Ambarish Nag Biswas VU2JFA - all from the West Bengal Radio Club.

Remote regions of India can be particularly challenged when natural disasters strike but even in the heart of a city like Kolkata, law enforcement has concerns about how useful their radios are. The hams noted that high rise buildings, such as those under construction in Kolkata, can interfere with the wireless frequencies used by the police radios.

The seminar is the latest to be organised and hosted by the club, which often does such training for law-enforcement personnel.

PAKISTAN HIKES RADIO-RELATED FEES

Calling its existing fee structure outdated, Pakistan's government has approved its first change to the fee structure for radio-based services in 25 years. More than 1,100 licence holders, including amateur radio operators and private radio networks, are being affected by a fee hike. According to media reports, fees remained unchanged until now despite Pakistan's inflation rising by more than 700 percent.

Pakistan's amateur licence is initially issued for a one-year period but can be renewed for a five-year period afterward. The fee is increasing from 450 rupees to 5,000 rupees - or, in US currency, from $1.60 to $18 for the term of the licence.

The change was approved in late July by the Economic Coordination Committee. The ECC acted after being told by the Pakistan Telecommunications Authority that fees no longer cover the expenses for managing licenses and overseeing use of the spectrum.

FIELD DAY WAS 'MERIT BADGE DAY' FOR THEM

Operators with the San Fernando Valley Amateur Radio Club W6SD do a lot of planning each year for Field Day but this year their plans included something else for the first time - the inclusion of Scouts from Troop 415 who were there to observe, learn about amateur radio and perhaps qualify for scouting's Radio Merit Badge. Fourteen of them did just that - in a single day - as they learned about radio communication and watched the hams make QSOs at the activation site at the First Presbyterian Church of Granada Hills. Some of the Scouts even experienced the thrill of HF by getting on the GOTA station - the so-called "Get On The Air" station provided at many Field Day sites to allow them to have a QSO or two under supervision of a licensed ham.

The Scouts had other inspiration to draw on too. Club secretary Bernard KG6FBM told Newsline that one of the Scout's fathers, Eric Arevalo, KO6KFL, had just received his Tech license after taking a class with Roozy, W1EH.

Bernard said the club is very proud of the Scouts, whose ages range from 11 to 17. As to whether a merit badge eventually leads to a license, Bernard said: "Some scouts did show interest. Maybe someday they'll follow up."

HAMTV BACK ON THE AIR FROM THE ISS

The most popular digital amateur TV show in space is back and better than ever. With its installation completed recently by ISS astronauts, HamTV resumed its transmissions on Tuesday, the 29th of July. In Salisbury, Southern England, Dave G8GKQ was among the happy radio operators to report to the British Amateur TV Club that he had good copy during the first pass of the ISS with HamTV turned on again. HamTV had been out of service since 2019, so its welcome-back from Dave and other fans was clearly a warm one.

To see a live stream of HamTV when it is near the receiver stations, follow the link in the text version of this week's newscast at arnewsline.org

MEXICAN STATION HONORS HAM RADIO'S PATRON SAINT

In 1938, a Franciscan friar named Maximillian Kolbe began shortwave radio broadcasts from his homebuilt station in a monastery to share his words of faith during a troubled time in the world Three years later, he was a prisoner of the Nazis in Auschwitz. On the 14th of August, 1941, he traded his own life to save that of a doomed Polish army sergeant. Maximilian Kolbe, SP3RN, was declared a saint by the Roman Catholic Church in 1982 - and is considered the patron saint of amateur radio.

The days surrounding August 14th have grown to be important ones for more than a decade at the San Max Church in Mexico where, with the help of a homebrew rotating dipole installed at the church, hams from around the country team up to call CQ using the special callsign 4A2MAX. The presence of the saint is prominent at the church in more than just its given name and callsign. Some relics that once belonged to him are housed in a small museum inside the church building. The museum also displays some of the awards the amateurs have won while operating in contests with this callsign as a way to pay tribute to St. Maximillian. The operators are on the air this month from the 1st through to the 31st using all modes on all HF bands through to the end of the month.

The station's operations manager, Chuy, XE2N/N5MEX, told Newsline "We want to celebrate what we love on the radio."

BOUVET ISLAND TEAM PACKS FOR 2026 TRIP

The Bouvet Island 3YØK team begins packing for the long trip starting in August, hoping to complete this part of the preparation by the end of September. According to their July 27th press release, equipment is being shipped from Italy, Bulgaria and the US to Norway where the team plans to meet later in Oslo for two workshops.

Activators expect to be on the island for at least 21 days. Their scheduled departure date from Cape Town South Africa is the 1st of February, 2026. The team is still looking for additional operators. For details, send an email to admin@3y0.no

INDIA, SWEDEN INTRODUCE NEW CALLSIGN SUFFIXES, PREFIXES

Hams who'd made contact with radio operators in India or Sweden - or who have perhaps just heard them on the air - have been hearing these operators identify themselves with callsigns that, until this year, did not exist. In India, newly licensed amateur stations have been assigned new suffixes since the 25th of June. Although the existing, older callsign forms have not changed, new General Grade licenses, which are assigned a VU2 prefix, now get a combination of numbers and letters, creating callsigns such as VU22DX or VU29AR. Likewise, Restricted Grade licenses, which are assigned a VU3 prefix, are receiving suffixes of two numbers and three letters, creating callsigns such as VU33ABS.

Jose Jacob, VU2JOS, the assistant director of the National Institute of Amateur Radio, told Newsline that the changes are a direct result of ham radio's growth in India. He wrote, in an email: [quote] "These new prefixes are a practical measure to accommodate the increasing number of amateur radio enthusiasts in India by expanding the available callsign combinations while still adhering to the country's internationally allocated prefix block." [endquote]

Meanwhile, in Sweden, amateurs who have received the new entry level class certificate are identifying themselves with the country's new callsign prefix, "SH." These amateurs can be heard on 40, 20, 15, 10, 6 and 2 metres, where they are permitted to use a maximum of 25 watts of power.

INT'L RESPONSE TO FCC FILING FOR HAM RADIO FREQUENCIES

Several International Amateur Radio Union societies and more than 2,000 individuals have filed their concerns with the US Federal Communications Commission over a request by a US broadband communications company' to use frequencies between 430 and 440 MHz for a planned constellation of 240 commercial satellites.

AST SpaceMobile was recently approved for the use of the amateur radio band on an experimental basis for a low-earth orbit satellite known as FM1, which is the prototype for the company's planned mobile phone connectivity from space. The FCC has assigned the callsign WP2XRX, which expires on 1st July, 2027.

The Texas-based company, a rival of SpaceX, is developing its network in association with AT&T and Verizon. SpaceX is partnering with T-Mobile.

The Radio Society of Great Britain, referring on its website to its own filing to the FCC, said that the company's proposal for its constellation has stirred [quote] "an unprecedented response from the amateur radio community." [endquote]

THE HEIGHT OF ACHIEVEMENT, HIGH ABOVE SEA LEVEL

Despite 18 years as a SOTA activator that have won him at least two high-ranking awards for operating in the German Alps, Dzianis, DD1LD, had some unfinished business. This month, it stood before him, all two thousand four hundred and thirty metres of it above sea level: the Tiefkarspitze, the single summit in the SOTA DL Association that had gone unactivated in the 20 years since SOTA-DL was established in Germany.

His harrowing mountain ascent on July 18th was punctuated by intense rockfall - not unexpected but nonetheless terrifying. As he wrote in his blog, he was compelled to ask: [quote] "Why do I keep doing this to myself?" [endquote]

Still, he made it to the summit where he soon logged his first QSO with his good friend Mario, DJ2MX. Then came the pileups. Finally, he went QRT after one more QSO: another close friend, Andy, DL2DVE. With 66 in his log, he had transformed that lonely, daunting rocky outpost into a shared space among friends. Dzianis, as solo activator, had turned a personal challenge into a triumph for himself and the DL-Association.

As he wrote in his blog: [quote] "I let my feelings run free." [endquote]

AMATEURS READY TO ACTIVATE BRITISH WATERWAYS

If you use the lakes, canals, or any other waterways in Great Britain almost as much as you use your radio, now is the time to combine the two activities. Registration has begun for British Inland Waterways on the Air, which takes place during the August Bank Holiday Weekend. The organisers are encouraging early registration, hoping that radio operators will identify the days they are operating and on what modes.

The event takes place on Saturday the 23rd August to bank holiday Monday 25th. You can operate on or near the various waterways throughout the UK; primary bands will be 2 metres and 40 metres.

If you want to register - or see who is already on board for the weekend, visit the website in the text version of this week's newscast at arnewsline.org

CANADIAN TEST CANDIDATES FACE NEW QUESTION POOL

A team of volunteers from provinces throughout Canada is developing a new bank of questions for the Advanced Amateur Radio Certificate, according to the Radio Amateurs of Canada website. Many members of this team completed the new question pool for the basic-level certificate earlier this year and it was released in January by Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada. The questions took effect for basic examinations starting on the 15th of July, providing the first major update for that level of examination since 2013.

Writing on the RAC website, Dave Goodwin VE3KG, the RAC's regulatory affairs officer, said the 984 questions were developed by a committee of 20 instructors and accredited examiners - many of whom are now working on the advance-level questions.Those questions are expected to become available in 2026.

HAM RADIO PLAYS KEY ROLE IN MOTHER-SON RESCUE

The GPS was to have safely guided a mother to a campground with her 9-year-old son on July11th. Instead it mapped a route that left their car stuck in the rugged terrain after they lost their GPS signal.

Hours later, they were reported missing to the Calaveras County Sheriff's office by a caller who had the mother's travel agenda and said the family had failed to check in as they had planned. A search and rescue team was dispatched in four-wheel-drive vehicles to the area the next day where campers reported that they had seen the family's sedan. The team soon discovered handwritten notes, posted by the mother at nearby locations, indicating that the vehicle was stuck and they were stranded, The boy, meanwhile, periodically blew a whistle in three short bursts, an audible, universal distress call. Mother and son were found safe at their car, only a mile or so away from where the notes were posted.

Because of the thick canopy of Stanislaus National Forest, the rescue team could not use cell service or the usual radio frequencies to update the command post -- but one team member, a licensed ham, used his amateur radio to hit the KA6GWY repeater in Placerville. It bears the callsign of Frank Yost, a retired El Dorado County Communications supervisor who was monitoring the frequency at the time on 146.805 MHz. He passed the call along to emergency dispatch and the message was quickly relayed to Calavaras County.

Lt Greg Stark, one of the Search & Rescue coordinators, told Newsline everyone - including mother and son - did everything right. He said that the team was able to safely transport mother and son, extricate the car and let the command post know that no helicopters or additional backup resources were needed. He said that one backup resource proved invaluable: ham radio. It also provided some inspiration. The lieutenant told Newsline [quote]. "It enhanced our communication ability and now it has spurred some of our other team members to look at getting their license."

SILENT KEY: JOSEPH ARCURE, W3HNK, RENOWNED QSL MANAGER

Devoted to chasing DX within a year of getting his ham radio license in 1956, Joseph Arcure, W3HNK, soon established a niche for himself as a QSL manager for hundreds of those DX stations. According to his obituary on the DXNews website, Joe was so devoted to helping manage and send QSL mailings that he soon became [quote] "the most recognized QSL manager in the world." [endquote] He never refused a request from any ham seeking his QSL services and often funded some of the mailings himself. Many praised him for the human touch he brought to every task, a quality that made many cherish the QSL cards they received.

Joe became a Silent Key on Sunday the 20th of July.

According to his obituary, he confirmed 337 current DXCC countries as an operator. Over the years, he also became an enthusiastic DXpeditioner himself. In 1979, Joe was inducted into the CQ DX Hall of Fame.

The obituary noted that [quote] "his legacy endures in every confirmation, every new contact and every operator inspired by his example." [endquote]

Joe was 91.

SILENT KEY: DAVID COURT, EI3IO, INFLUENCED SHAPE OF AMATEUR SPECTRUM

Global telecommunications governance was the speciality for David Court EI3IO, who played a key part of the IARU Region 1 executive committee and a major force in such regional telecommunications organisations such as CEPT.

David, who became a Silent Key earlier this month, infused his volunteer work with regulatory and technical expertise gained over the decades in his professional work in telecommunications policy and regulation. The IARU credits his input with helping to promote amateur access to the 6-metre band, the use of which was approved on a secondary basis in many countries during World Radiocommunication Conference 19. The IARU announcement also credited David with successful defence of the amateur HF bands at times when sharing or reallocation was proposed for other purposes.

In 2020, David was presented with the IARU Region 1 Medal.

There were no further details about his death.

ORGANIZERS CONDUCT FIELD TESTING AT WRTC SITE

If you took part in the IARU HF Championship on the second weekend of July and you happened to work one of five stations operating from the grounds of the Euston Estate in Suffolk, England, you were also part of the field test for the World Radiosport Team Championship taking place next year.

The five stations were on the air from actual site locations for an important training exercise, testing of the masts, antennas and radios -- and a little experimentation -- to prepare for next year's competition. Volunteers got a chance to practice setup of the equipment and give a thorough test of the scoreboard and IT networking system.

Despite some minor issues, the exercise was declared a success - right down to the report from the operators that there were no issues with interference between stations, which were running 100 watts. The organizers wrote on the WRTC website: [quote] "Activity will be different next year - hopefully 10m will be more co-operative - and the interest in chasing 50 real WRTC stations will be higher." [endquote]

FCC EYES SPECTRUM AUCTION, EMERGENCY-ALERT OVERHAUL

In the US, the Federal Communications Commission is preparing for two major initiatives: the return of auctioning spectrum licenses and a top-to-bottom assessment of the nation's emergency alert system.

The FCC's ability to auction spectrum had expired but was restored in a bill signed by President Donald Trump on July 4th. The frequencies eyed for auction are in the so-called "AWS-3" band, for advanced wireless services. These are unused microwave frequencies that have been allocated for 5G commercial wireless. The auctions would be the first of their kind in the US in four years.

The FCC has also prioritized a systemwide re-evaluation of the nation's emergency communications technology. The Emergency Alert System makes use of radio and TV while the Wireless Emergency Alerts utilize mobile devices. The FCC is set to vote on moving ahead with this systemwide assessment at its August 7th meeting, with an eye toward pushing for upgraded technologies.

SATELLITE'S EXPERIMENTAL LICENSE OKS AMATEUR BAND USE

AST SpaceMobile, the Texas-based rival of SpaceX, has been approved for an experimental license to test a low-earth orbit satellite that is the prototype for its planned mobile phone connectivity from space.

The US Federal Communications Commission granted the license on Friday, July 11th, giving the company the ability to test a satellite that has a phased-array antenna that enables it to function as a cell tower from space. Known as FM1, it is at the center of the 5G broadband provider's hopes to build a satellite-to-phone internet system. The FCC has assigned the callsign WP2XRX, which expires on July 1st, 2027. A copy of the license online shows that it authorizes experimental operation only on 37.5 GHz-42 GHz, and 2.235 GHz, 2.245 GHz for mobile satellite services.

The amateur radio frequencies, 430-440 MHz, also appear on the license. The 5G service requested those frequencies to conduct telemetry, tracking, and telecommand between ground stations and its satellites. The company seeks FCC approval for operation of 248 low-earth orbit, non-geostationary satellites. Its present license only permits five.

AST SpaceMobile has been developing its network in association with AT&T and Verizon. SpaceX is partnering with T-Mobile.

A copy of the license can be seen using the link to the FCC website that appears in the text version of this week's newscast.

CANADIAN AMATEURS IN YUKON TERRITORY GET SEPARATE SECTION

Radio amateurs who live in Canada's Yukon Territory now have a section to call their own. Radio Amateurs of Canada has separated the Yukon Territory from the overall Territories section and given it a designation of its own. It now carries the abbreviation Y U K, setting it apart from hams in Nunavut and the Northwest Territories. Those regions will continue to be part of the section known as "Territories," which carries the abbreviation T-E-R.

Radio Amateurs of Canada made the announcement in the July/August 2025 issue of the journal, The Canadian Amateur. The change took effect on the 1st of July. While the new section may have consequences for ARRL Field Day, Sweepstakes CW, Sweepstakes SSB and the 160 metre contest, the changes are not expected to have an impact on any major contests from the ARRL or RAC. Organizers of QSO parties may need to review their operating rules.

4 TEENS ON DAVE KALTER MEMORIAL DX ADVENTURE CALL CQ

It is always a bit of a homecoming every year when the young participants in the Dave Kalter Memorial Youth DX Adventure arrive in Curacao at the super contest station of the Caribbean Contesting Consortium. From the 17th through to the 22nd of July, the adventurers' host Uli, DL8OBQ will be extending a welcome to Oklahoma brothers Izzy Russell, KJ5CMP, and Josiah, WD5JR, and their father, John N5VOF. Agnes Wagner, AD8IR, and her brother Ben, AD8FQ, are accompanied by their grandmother, JoAnn, a fan of CW even though she is not a licensed amateur operator herself. As in previous years, the group's log is destined to fill up with several thousand QSOs as the young operators call QRZ under the callsign PJ2Y from the island that is IOTA number SA-099.

The adventure opportunity, which is open to licensed amateurs between the ages of 12 and 17, bears the name of its cofounder Dave Kalter, KB8OCP, who became a Silent Key in 2013.