UK REGULATOR IMPLEMENTS MORE LICENSE CHANGES

Ofcom has moved ahead with Phases 2 and 3 of changes announced earlier that affect amateur radio licensees. These actions follow those made in Phase 1 of February 2024 which adjusted power limits and expanded operating freedoms.

This month, hams with intermediate callsigns have the option to replace their number "2" series call prefixes with an M8 or M9 and can either retain or replace their existing suffix. These are voluntary changes at the moment but in five years, the regulator will change all remaining calls. The regulator is also limiting licence-holders to a single personal callsign and will be revoking all but the one chosen to be kept. Hams are also getting the option to change their callsigns every five years. Other changes, including those affecting special-event stations, can be found by following the link in the text version of this week's newscast script at arnewsline.org

SILENT KEY: ED HARE, W1RFI, MAINSTAY OF ARRL LABORATORY

Newsline sends its condolences to the ARRL and the family of Ed Hare, W1RFI, who had a long tenure as an engineer in the league's lab. Ed became a Silent Key on the 10th of October after a long illness, according to the ARRL's website. A specialist in radio frequency interference and product testing, Ed had retired in 2023 but was still volunteering his time in the lab at the time of his death. His career had many milestones, including the ARRL's RFI Program which helps hams resolve interference issues,

A devoted and proficient CW operator, Ed was 75.

FCC COMMISSIONER PUSHES FOR ACTION AGAINST COPPER THEFTS

There is a "growing epidemic" of attacks on communications sites - and the response needs to include sharper federal penalties and more sophisticated preventive action from the industry, according to the newest commissioner to join the FCC.

Olivia Trusty, who was confirmed to the agency in June, called on telecom companies and broadcasters to fortify their sites with tamper-proof housings, cameras and alarms - and said the government must likewise step up the penalties for theft and vandalism. She made her remarks in a video presentation this month at the Telecom Industry Incident Management and Prosecutorial Collaboration Summit in California.

The past two years have seen a number of high-profile copper thefts in the United States, disabling Internet and television services and knocking broadcast stations off the air. For some radio stations, the result was tens of thousands of dollars' worth of damage.

Trusty noted that in some instances, the "911" emergency service was disrupted by similar attacks on telecom sites.

With the US Department of Homeland Security calling communications systems a top infrastructure sector, a bipartisan measure has been introduced in Congress to address these concerns. It is known as the Stopping the Theft and Destruction of Broadband Act of 2025 and was introduced by a Democrat and a Republican lawmaker with support from the industry.

AFTER DELAYS, SUCCESSFUL LAUNCH OF PROJECT KUIPER SATELLITES

Amazon's Project Kuiper satellites finally made it into space aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket after more than a week of weather-related delays. The rocket departed Florida's Cape Canaveral Space Force Station on Monday, the 13th of October, at 9:58 p.m. local time.

The 24 broadband internet satellites are part of a planned constellation considered to be a rival service to Starlink, which already has had more than 90 missions this year to bring its satellites into space. Monday's Kuiper Project launch brings that constellation's total to 153 such satellites in space. Ultimately, 3,236 are expected to be deployed at three altitudes of low earth orbit - 590 km, 610 km and 630 km.

Meanwhile, China has been building its own counterpart projects, which translate into English as the "National Network" and the "Thousand Sails". Both of these planned networks are expected to contain about 13,000 satellites apiece.

IARU URGES MORE INCLUSION OF HAMS WITH DISABILITIES

One of the greatest challenges of amateur radio ought to be getting a rare DX, logging an all-time-new-one or mastering a new skill or new operating mode. It should not be the act of trying to get on the air itself.

To ensure that radio amateurs with disabilities have the same chance at all the other challenges and adventures, the Program for Disabled Radio Amateurs in IARU Region 1 is encouraging a celebration on and off the air to reflect ham radio's welcoming spirit.

This event will take place on the 3rd of December, which the United Nations has declared to be the International Day of Persons with Disabilities. In an announcement about the programme, its coordinator Riri Azrak OD5RI encourages ham radio societies to plan awareness events, nets or special events using a special call sign incorporating the letters PDRA. Hams are also being urged to identify and support radio operators with disabilities or persons with disabilities who are seeking their licence.

He wrote: [quote] "Together, we can demonstrate that amateur radio truly belongs to everyone regardless of physical or sensory ability." [endquote]

For details, see the link in the text version of this week's newscast at arnewsline.org

A TRIBUTE TO THE HELPING HAMS

One of the most time-honored traditions in amateur radio is that of being an Elmer - a more experienced ham willing to answer questions and pass on knowledge to newer hams.

The origin of the term is still up for discussion, but the impact they have on the hobby is not.

On October 3rd, 4th and 5th, Rich Guerrera, KB1FGC, was on the air with a special event celebrating Elmers - particularly the ones who shaped his own life as a ham.

In an email to Newsline, Guerrera said that two things inspired him to do the event — articles he’d read on QRZ.com about hams who had helped others get into the hobby and the positive impact that they had on their early years as hams. He also drew from his personal experience with those hams who had given him a warm response and encouragement when he first started out.

Guerrera said that operators had confirmed approximately 100 QSOs during the event and received positive responses from hams they worked. He’s planning on doing it again next year, and said that there might be a European team as well.

On a personal note, I was fortunate to have two exceptional Elmers as a teenager - Bob Heil, K9EID and Steve Ramsey, K9SR who had been friends since they were kids. Sadly, I lost Bob last March and Steve on September 26th of this year. But the lessons they taught me and their memories continue to drive me as a ham, and inspire me to pass along what knowledge I have when someone asks a question. Elmering should continue - there’s always something to learn in this hobby that someone else has already tried.

HURRICANE WATCH NET LAUNCHES PODCAST

With that introduction - and some stormy sound effects - the Hurricane Watch Net celebrates 60 years of service to the United States National Hurricane Center by entering the world of podcasting. What you heard is the introduction to this new program which brings stories, people, and the history of the net to viewers and listeners. Episode 1 of “The HWN Report,” hosted by net manager, Bobby Graves, KB5HAV, premiered in early September on YouTube, featuring a tribute to Jerry Murphy, K8YUW, the founder of the net.

Graves told ARNewsline that the purpose of the podcast is to [quote] “help others understand the full role of amateur radio during disasters, home or abroad, helping the Hurricane Center and forecasters gather more data - near-real-time ground-truth weather data – and help people to be better prepared before a hurricane. [endquote]

He announced later that by popular demand, in addition to YouTube, an audio version of each program will be available on services such as Apple, Spotify, Amazon Music and iHeart Podcasts.

IARU FORUM HOSTS TOP DX CONTESTER, OFFERING TIPS

There's no guarantee that Katsuhiro Kondou, JH5GHM, will be giving away any of the secrets that have made him one of Japan's top DX contesters but....you never know. Don, as he is also known, is presenting a one-hour virtual talk to DX contesters - or those aspiring to become one - on the 19th of October. His presentation on Zoom begins at 0600 UTC.

IARU Region 3 is hosting the workshop because, according to the region's website, the number of contesters in Asia has been steadily growing. Don had been an avid contester as a teenager in the 1970s but after a hiatus of a decade or so in the '90s, he returned to ham radio and to contesting in 2010.

To hear his tips and maybe give yourself an edge in the next big event, register by following the link that appears in the text version of this week's newscast at arnewsline.org

FCC CHARGES HAM WITH ILLEGAL 40M OPERATION

A notice of violation was issued in late September to Mike F. Conte; KA2FPZ, for having operated last March on 7.200 MHz, engaging in apparent one-way communication with a station for which there is no active amateur radio callsign. According to the Notice of Violation, he confirmed to the agent from the Enforcement Bureau that his transmission was a one-way communication.

The FCC has ordered him to submit a response and explanation in writing within 20 days of the notice, which was dated the 29th of September. According to a notice on the FCC website, the shutdown has no impact on filings related to enforcement matters. A statement on the website reads: [quote] "Except as specified by the Enforcement Bureau, there are no extensions of deadlines relating to enforcement investigations and other enforcement proceedings that involve specific parties." [endquote]

** FLORIDA BAPTIST CHURCHES GROW EMERGENCY RADIO NETWORK

His role as the associational mission strategist for the Marion Baptist Association doesn't require Mark Weible, N4GPA, to have a ham license - but Mark, a former pastor, took his FCC test successfully a year ago and since then he has been finding ways to harness ham radio's power for churches' emergency communications during hurricane season.

The Ocala, Florida Baptist association has already added a radio shack and has plans for a tower. Under Mark's direction, the group is also looking to create a network of hams within its 67 member churches. Pastors are helping Mark locate licensees within their congregations. Meanwhile, the association has a telescoping radio antenna donated after an upgrade done by the Marion Emergency Radio Team, a radio group Mark belongs to which handles disaster communications at the county's Emergency Operations Center.

Mark plans to give church leaders a tour of the association's radio shack in the hopes it will inspire them to install a shack for their own local congregations. He told the Baptist Press that church involvement makes good sense. He said [quote]: "If we were to have a hurricane, I’d need to know which churches have power, which churches are not damaged and which churches can host disaster relief teams. I’d need to know which churches need help and which ones can help.” [endquote] Meanwhile, he is busy being helpful even without a radio in hand. His chaplaincy training assists him in helping distraught families cope during or after disasters.

SILENT KEY: KEN VILLONE, KU2US, FOUNDER OF 13 COLONIES SPECIAL EVENT

With the birth of the 13 Colonies Special event here in the US as a four-day event in 2009, Ken Villone, KU2US, began a ham radio revolution. Inspired by the fun of the ARRL Sweepstakes, the military veteran had hoped to organize a special on-the-air event that would spotlight American history and celebrate the nation's independence during the days surrounding the July 4th holiday. As Ken told the ARRL earlier this year, the 2008 Sweepstakes spurred him to try his luck [quote] “....for one year only, to see what happens and to have some fun." [end quote]

The man who made sure that the fun would continue each year afterward became a Silent Key on the 2nd of October following a lengthy illness. In the years before his death, the 13 Colonies event had become an internationally popular activity with bonus stations and chasers around the world.

Only weeks before this year's event, with his health worsening, Ken transferred the event's leadership to his friend Tony Jones N4ATJ, coordinator of North Carolina's K2J station. With the help of Bob Josuweit, WA3PZO, the 13 Colonies event went forward. Ken stayed active as the state manager for the K2A operators in New York. Tony told Newsline that the event's 2025 certificate was one that Ken himself designed -- and that only one change was made to it so it reflected that the event was honoring him, as its founder, this year.

One event operator wrote on Facebook: [quote] "Ken had no idea just what he had created. What started as a small event, over the next 17 years became one of the most participated and celebrated Ham Radio events, not only in the United States, but worldwide." [endquote]

Next year's event will mark the 250th anniversary of the nation's independence and Tony will be looking for ways to mark that milestone while continuing to honor Ken. He told Newsline: [quote] "I will miss Ken and his guidance." [endquote]

FCC DENIES APPROVAL OF 4 CHINESE-OWNED ELECTRONICS LABS

Four foreign-controlled testing laboratories that evaluate electronics imported for use in the United States have been denied recognition by the Federal Communications Commission.

Just days before the shutdown that affected much of the US government, including the FCC, the commission announced that the four laboratories, like the 11 the commission denied in early September, were controlled by Chinese interests. That makes for a total of 15 such labs rejected so far by the FCC's Office of Engineering and Technology, as part of the administration's goal to give US-owned companies the responsibility of certifying electronics for import and sale in the US. All approved equipment must demonstrate that it is not a threat to US national security and must comply with FCC standards.

This move is the latest following the commission's adoption in May of the order. At the time the order was announced, the FCC disclosed that about 75 percent of all electronics sold in the US are being tested by Chinese labs.

SRI LANKA'S BIRDS-X CUBESAT IS IN ORBIT

The BIRDS-X Dragonfly CubeSat has marked a milestone for Sri Lanka, becoming that nation's third nano satellite in space. Developed with help from the Arthur C. Clarke Institute for Modern Technologies an the Kyushu Institute of Technology in Japan, it began its orbit last month following its launch from SpaceX-33.

Its mission is to serve as an APRS digipeater and to test a new low-cost communication system. It will also demonstrate the relay of store-and-forward data. Its callsign is JG6YOW. The APRS FM digipeater frequency is 145.825 MHZ and its CW beacon is on 437.375 MHz.

The 2U CubeSate project was funded by Amateur Radio Digital Communications. To file a reception report for the CW beacon, follow the link in the text version of this week's newscast at arnewsline.org.

WORLD'S LARGEST RADIO TELESCOPE GAINS RFI PROTECTION

Two Faraday cages have been put in place at the Square Kilometre Array site in Western Australia to protect the giant radio telescope from interference caused by RF leaks coming from inside the data centre. The data centre and the array are being built in Murchison, a remote location that provides a needed environment of radio quietness. Despite the radio silence at the location, the data centre's computers, which connect to the city of Perth, generate stray RF, spurring the need for Faraday cages to prevent the electromagnetic energy from escaping.

The international massive array, which will have 131,072 antennas, is still a work in progress since it was started in 2022. The site in Australia is home to the array's low-frequency antennas; South Africa is housing the mid-frequency antennas. The observatory and headquarters are at the Jodrell Bank Observatory in northwest England.

Although the array will still be a work in progress through to 2029, Philip Diamond, director of the SKA Observatory, recently told The Register website that tests may be run on the facility as early as 2027. He told The Register: [quote] "By then we will have the largest physical low-frequency telescope on the planet." [endquote]

NEXT-GENERATION DXPEDITIONER JOINS ANDAMAN ISLAND TEAM

A 17-year-old radio amateur from rural Malawi has joined the DXpedition team that is headed to Andaman and Nicobar Islands in the Bay of Bengal in October of 2026. Urgent Jere, 7Q6UJ, is not just along for the ride. Barely a year after passing his US Technician exam, he has already confirmed 168 DXCC countries as a chaser. Soon he will be on the other end of that envious pileup. He is studying to upgrade his license and sharpening his proficiency in CW.

Urgent was mentored by Don Jones, 7Q6M/K6ZO, as part of a project created by the HacDC Amateur Radio Club of Washington, D.C. and supported by the Jeffrey Dahn Memorial Foundation. Urgent hopes his efforts will inspire other young people in Africa to embrace amateur radio too.

One of Urgent's next trips after India will not be to a DXpedition but to an even longer journey that will shape the rest of his life. He plans to go to the US, where he hopes to combine academic studies with radio science at Virginia Tech University.

WRTC RELEASES COMPETITORS' NAMES

If you're planning for some extra DX in 2026, you may find some familiar names and callsigns on the website of the World Radiosport Team Championship. Competing teams' names and callsigns have been released. Are any of them in your logs yet? Follow the link in the text version of this week's newscast to see who they are. In a separate email announcement, organizers also announced that they have chosen the 50 referees.

SSTV TRANSMISSIONS PLANNED FOR WORLD SPACE WEEK

The largest celebration of space is right here on planet Earth and it's taking place from the 4th through to the 10th of October. More than 90 countries are supporting this celebration of science and technology which this year has the theme "Living in Space."

Ham radio operators, of course, keep their feet on the ground - mostly - but have at least one ear tuned into what's going on high above us. So Amateur Radio on the International Space Station will deliver its own contribution to this annual event by transmitting six unique slow-scan TV images. Right now the schedule is tentative but there will be a window for transmission on Friday the 3rd of October and a second window, with the same images, on Saturday the 4th of October. The action will be happening on 145.800 MHz where the images will be sent in PD120 encoding.

World Space Week is an educational effort that was declared by the United Nations in 1999. The observance gives nations around the world an opportunity to show how space-related initiatives have the capacity to improve life on earth.

FCC CHARGES NEWLY LICENSED HAM WITH UNAUTHORIZED OPERATION

In the US, the FCC has charged an amateur radio operator with unauthorized operation on a frequency assigned for use by public safety agencies, private mobile paging and businesses. The FCC's action against Matthew Davidson, KG7EFI, stems from a complaint its enforcement bureau received on the 10th of July, barely one month after Davidson was granted his Technician class license. Technician licensees are permitted use of VHF bands including 6 meters, 2 meters, and 1.25 meters.

According to the complaint, enforcement agents said Davidson, who lives in Utah, was questioned 18 days after the complaint and admitted that he was transmitting on 173.675 MHz, a frequency that is unauthorized under his license.

The FCC has given him 20 days to file a formal written response.

PA QSO PARTY OFFERS NEW INCENTIVES TO CHASERS

It has grown to become one of the biggest QSO parties on the annual HF operating calendar.

The PA QSO Party is held on the second weekend of October, running this year on Oct. 11 and 12 with stations found on both SSB and CW. It has the reputation as "The Friendly QSO Party" because it attracts lots of newcomers and casual operators who take their time on the QSO exchanges.

Now it's become even friendlier: The committee that oversees the PA Party has introduced a new group of awards and plaques for this contest to stimulate even more activity – especially on the 10, 15 and 20 meter bands.

That’s where those of you outside of Pennsylvania become part of the winning formula for PA stations who will be looking for you.

Even if you’re not into contesting, nearly all of us who cruise the bands on the weekends are generally willing to stop to make contact with a station calling CQ. Well, that brief stop for a PA station during this event could translate into big rewards.

While the PA party does offer plaques and awards to out-of-state stations in a variety of categories, organizers want to promote even more activity from those stations. Doing so will help operators in PA to capture awards for sweeping sections and call districts in the Northeast, Southwest, the West, Central, Canada, and some DX plus the Caribbean.

You’ll find more about the PA QSO Party and a listing of the new awards in the links in the text version of this story on our website, ARNewsline.org.

SILENT KEY: TOP CONTESTER, WRTC REFEREE FLAVIO PRECISVALLE IK1SPR

Flavio Precisvalle, IK1SPR, became a Silent Key unexpectedly on the 21st of September. A licensed amateur for nearly 40 years, he was an enthusiastic contester in all modes, but had a particular love of CW.

Various online postings credited him with playing a major role in IQ1RY the Italian Radio Association in Bra, in the province of Cuneo. Flavio's former team members posted pictures online of him enjoying various contests, where he was often among the victors.

He was adept at "all mode" contesting, using CW, SSB and RTTY. Most recently he had competed in the Islands on the Air contest as part of the IP1X team. Whenever he could, he would support others, working as a referee twice in the World Radiosport Team Championship -- in Russia in 2010 and in Italy in 2022.

Flavio was a much-loved member of the Marconi Club, which organized an on-air tribute to him in CW on 80 metres on Friday the 26th of September. Flavio was 58.