HURDY GURDY MUSEUM STATION BACK ON THE AIR

The sun was shining above the Hurdy Gurdy Museum of Vintage Radio in Howth as Tony EI5EM and Reg Shannon, a short-wave listener, started some serious antenna work on the roof of the museum's Martello Tower.

They were installing a vertical HF antenna donated by Mike Keane, EI4-DF - a gift that has put County Dublin museum's ham radio station, EIØMAR back on the air - just in time for April’s International Marconi Day. The museum lost the use of the station after its previous antenna had been destroyed by storms. Although marked by periods of rain, installation day finally took place under clear skies, according to a report on the Irish Radio Transmitters’ website.

The tower has a celebrated role in radio history, not only because in 1902 American innovator Lee de Forest conducted experiments in wireless telegraphy, but also because it housed a Marconi receiving station that conducted ship-to-shore telegraphy experiments with HMS Monarch.

NEW INDIANA LAW PROTECTS HAM RADIO ANTENNAS, TOWERS

Starting on the 1st of July, amateur radio antennas, towers and feedlines cannot be restricted by homeowners associations in residential communities in Indiana. A new law signed by Gov. Mike Braun will afford hams such protection on any property they rent, lease or own within the association’s purview.

This is not a green light for all amateurs, however. According to the measure’s language on the Indiana General Assembly website House Bil number 1152 will only apply to homeowner’s associations that are formed or create documents containing such restrictions after June 30th, 2026.

Meanwhile, at the federal level, the Amateur Radio Emergency Preparedness Act, which would create protection nationwide, remains stalled in Washington, D.C. According to the website GovTrack.us, the bill was introduced into committee on the 6th of February where it must be considered and voted on before it can move along to either of the two main houses of Congress.

CAMBODIAN STUDENTS EXPLORE SATELLITE COMMUNICATION

The logbook of callsign XU7AMO - the Radio Club of the National Polytechnic Institute of Cambodia - once again has made contact with space. A satellite training session between the 26th of February and the 3rd of March gave 300 students a hands-on learning experience, building and utilising antenna systems, gaining an understanding of ground stations and learning to track low-earth orbit satellites. An international team joined the session to support the different activities. They included ham radio satellite technician Mikio JA3GEP and marine electronics and telecommunications systems expert Paulo F5VMJ.

The students focused on low-earth orbit satellites and had a contact with the International Space Station. This was a follow-up to last year's session when XU7AMO operated for the first time using the QO-100 satellite. Making their first contact with Antarctica, they had a question-and-answer session with DOØGVN at Neumayer III, the German research base. That QSO had been made possible after the Cambodian Telecommunications Regulatory Commission authorised the station's use of the higher frequencies needed for the transmission.

HAMVENTION ANNOUNCES AWARD WINNERS

Four influential US amateurs and a well-known club based in New York State have been chosen to receive this year's Hamvention Awards.

The Technical Achievement Award is being given to Robert Famiglio K3RF, whose six decades as a ham radio operator are followed by more than four decades of providing volunteer legal counsel and regulatory literacy to his fellow amateurs on a variety of issues. In addition to being a lawyer, Bob has used his ham and electrical-engineering background to provide technical expertise. He has previously been involved in leadership roles in the Radio Club of America and, formerly, the ARRL.

Dr. Jose “Otis” Vicens NP4G has been named Amateur of the Year. An orthodontist, he has also been involved in DXpeditions at various locations globally, including Bouvet Island. His most recent DXpedition took him to Desecheo Island where he operated as part of the KP5/NP3VI team. Otis' leadership role in emergency communication provided vital coordination during the 2017 Puerto Rico hurricanes as well as followup.

Special Achievement Award has been given to Martha Fell N3QBE and Joe Fell W3GMS for their longtime mentorship of students of all ages and interests through a program they have organized and a weekly technical net that welcomes newcomers as well as professional engineers.

Hamvention is also recognizing the Long Island CW Club as Club of the Year. Under the club's umbrella, structured online classes provide all levels of CW training - led by members - for diverse groups of students around the world.

Congratulations everyone!

FEDERAL COURT RULES AGAINST VOA LEADERSHIP

A federal court has ruled that Kari Lake's oversight of the agency responsible for Voice of America, Radio Free Europe and other shortwave news broadcast networks, was in the position illegally. Her appointment to the post, which she gave up last November, was made last July without the customary confirmation by the US Senate. Lake told the website Politico that the government intends to appeal the decision which she "strongly disagrees" with. Her brief tenure was marked by firings of staff and dismissals of contractors, withholding of funds to Radio Free Europe and Radio Free Asia and a contract with the far-right news provider, One America Network.

AUSTRALIAN HAMS CHALLENGE HIGHER FEES ON STATE LANDS

Amateurs in New South Wales are troubled by what they believe are prohibitive fee hikes recently put in place for access to Crown Land.

Calling the situation “unsustainable” for amateur repeaters and other equipment installed there, the president of the Goulburn & Southern Highlands Amateur Radio Society has written a letter to ham clubs around the state, urging members to contact their members of Parliament.

In his open letter to the clubs, Pete Chatwin, VK2PET, the radio society’s president, noted that new or continued access to elevated Crown Land sites for repeaters and towers could cost clubs as much as AU$20,000 per annum. Pete said that hams need to substantiate their own clubs’ financial hardship by forwarding examples to Steph Cooke, member for Cootamundra and Shadow Minister for Crown Lands.

Pete wrote: [quote] “It is important that we provide genuine, practical examples of how these costs are affecting clubs across NSW.” [Endquote] He said that groups in rural areas as well as those providing emergency communications and training, rely on robust functioning networks that include these sites.

WRTC NOT PERMITTING NATIONAL FLAGS, SYMBOLS

Spectators and participants can expect to see plenty of things at the World Radiosport Team Championship event in the UK this coming July. There will be antennas, rigs, cables, microphones and keys -- and plenty of spectators to cheer on the hams using them.

What will not be evident anywhere are any emblems, flags or other symbols of national identity. The Organising Committee of WRTC 2026 has reaffirmed the approach that was used during the WRTC event held in 2023 in Bologna, Italy. That means that, as before, this year's teams will avoid national symbols of any kind. This is especially significant because it is consistent with the competition's qualification process which identifies all participants by qualification area and not by their DXCC.

Like the Olympics, the WRTC is held every four years with different host countries each time. They have included Brazil, Finland, Germany, Russia, Slovenia and, in the US, San Francisco, Boston and Seattle.

RESTRICTIONS TO IMPACT KANTON ISLAND DXPEDITIONS

The Rebel DX Group’s plan to operate as T31TTT this month from Kanton Island in central Kiribati could well be the last for amateur radio for a long time, according to a report from organisers on the website DX-World.

Dom, 3D2USU, said that the nation’s fishery and environmental officials have put in place a full array of costs affecting visitors. He said that these new permit fees and other requirements will impose a great financial burden on teams. DXpeditioners will need to provide accommodation, food and transportation for four government officials who will need to be present on any future visits to Kanton.

He says that in simple terms future Kanton Island DXpeditions will cost about 200,000 US dollars which makes T31 prohibitive.

The obstacles are not unlike some of the restrictions the same group of operators face for its hoped-for trip to Conway Reef 3D2/C. Since Rebel DX’s 2024 operation there in May 2024 as 3D2CCC, Fiji’s Ministry of Fisheries has begun moving toward declaring it a restricted-access zone. The group announced in January that, with those plans in mind, the hams are accelerating their plans for an activation there.

Meanwhile, the DXpeditioners are hoping to get to Kanton Island and be on the air sometime around March 25th.

A TOWERING RESCUE FROM HOT AIR BALLOON

A hot-air balloon, with two passengers aboard, was blown into a cell phone tower standing 925 feet, or more than 280 meters, high in Longview, a city east of Dallas, Texas. The crash on February 28th left the two passengers dangling near the top of the tower as the balloon became entangled in its guying cables.

Emergency crews from police and fire departments responded. As rescuers climbed using several ropes, they battled the same strong winds that had led to the crash, working for more than an hour to free the passengers in what was deemed [quote] "a rare, high-risk operation." [endquote] They were brought down safely.

The scene in Texas was reminiscent of an incident in Albuquerque, New Mexico in 2024 when a hot-air balloon crashed into the tower of radio station KKOB-AM. The three passengers on board that balloon were also rescued safely.

DX INDIA FOUNDATION MAKES NEW TRY ON ARNALA ISLAND

Heavy rainstorms last year cancelled the plans of the DX India Foundation to activate Arnala Island. The island, one of India's most coveted sites in the IOTA programme, carries the designation of AS-169. Sarath, VU2RS, announced recently on the DX World website that he is hoping to bring a three-day activation there starting on the 1st of May. There has been no amateur radio activity on the island since 2006.

A successful activation would not only fulfill one of the relatively new foundation's objectives - to activate rare IOTAs - it would also put Arnala Island in the logs of eager chasers everywhere.

ADJUSTMENTS TO AUSTRALIA BAND PLAN RECOMMENDATIONS

The Wireless Institute of Australia's Technical Advisory Committee has fine-tuned its recommendations for changes to the amateur radio band plan after reviewing more than three dozen submissions. It is now recommending that the emergency communications channel on 40m be aligned with IARU Region 3 on 7.110 MHz, that the SSB portion of the 6m band be widened and that 1.87 MHz and 3.686 MHz be chosen as the AM centres of activity for 160m and 80m.

The committee's full document, which reaffirms its other original proposals and clarifies use of the FM Analogue ATV band, has been published online. Visit the consultation webpage using the link provided in the text version of this week's newscast at arnewsline.org

CANADA ENDING NATIONWIDE WEATHERADIO SERVICE

Canada's national weather centre is ending its Weatheradio service which has been available on VHF since 1976. In a decision driven by budget priorities and what the agency called declining usage, the forecasts are going silent on the 16th of March. Officials are instead encouraging the use of a free mobile app or an interactive weather map on their website.

Upgraded in 2004 to accommodate digitally encoded signals, the nationwide system has provided local and regional forecasts in English and French. The reports have been transmitted on the same frequencies used in the US by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Weather Radio, in the 162 MHz frequency range

Amateur radio operator Michael Iszak VE3HA, who is also a radiocommunications consultant. told the Toronto Sun that he was concerned about the weather service's demise. He told the newspaper: [quote] “These stations are often used by people who travel to areas where there is no cell service, it’s invaluable for getting updated weather forecasts." [endquote]

HAMS IN THE SPOTLIGHT AT NATIONAL HURRICANE CONFERENCE

Amateur radio workshops at the National Hurricane Conference will include presentations by such leaders from the ham community as Rob Macedo, KD1CY of the VoIP Hurricane Net, Josh Johnston, KE5MHV, ARRL Director of Emergency Management, Julio Ripoll, WD4R, Assistant Coordinator at WX4NHC, and Bobby Graves, KB5HAV, Net Manager of the Hurricane Watch Net.

Graves gave Newsline a preview of a new program he will be presenting, built around the theme “Impact.” While Category 5 hurricanes may get more attention from the media, some tropical storms may make a greater real-world impact than bigger weather events. For amateur radio operators, one report can make a difference… can make an impact. As Graves said, “Your reports matter.”

With Julio Ripoll scheduled to step down this year, he may be introducing his successor at WX4NHC during the workshops as well.

If you can’t attend in person, the forum will be live-streamed on the Hurricane Watch Net YouTube Channel.

STUDENT QSO WITH ANTARCTICA PART OF FAMILY SPACE DAY

All eyes will be on the project known as futureGEO to be presented at Bochum Observatory’s Bochum Space Day to be hosted by AMSAT-DL. The programme is taking place on 28th March in conjunction with Germany's Space Day and Day of Astronomy. Much anticipation surrounds the proposed geostationary amateur radio payload, which is to succeed the QO-100 satellite, providing access for Europe and parts of North America.

All ears, however, will be on the scheduled contact to be made between students and the Neumayer-III research station, DPØGVN, in Antarctica. The observatory's director, Thilo Elsner, DJ5YM, will lead that activity.

Youngsters and their families are also being invited to participate in a full day of activities organised by the European Space Education Resource Office of the European Space Agency. ESERO Germany was established at Bochum in 2018.

FCC REPORTS TO CONGRESS ON 6TH YEAR OF PIRATE ACT

Since Congress enacted the PIRATE Act - an acronym for Preventing Illegal Radio Abuse Through Enforcement - the Federal Communications Commission has been responsible for reporting its annual activities with the enhanced power it was given through the January 2020 legislation. Its most recent report covers the government's fiscal year for 2025, which ran from the 1st of October 2024 through to the 30th of September 2025.

According to the report, the FCC issued 28 notices to property owners or managers for permitting illegal broadcasts from their premises. Seventeen of those were directly related to one of the so-called "pirate sweeps" the FCC conducts concentrating on five markets found to have the most pirate stations.

In the same period, the FCC went directly after the radio operators themselves, issuing six forfeiture orders and 10 notices of apparent liability for forfeiture. Separately, it entered into three consent decree agreements with radio pirates. Each agreement contained a 20-year compliance plan.

It is not known what the total monetary penalties will ultimately be for any of the violations issued, even though the amounts specified in the original PIRATE Act have increased over the years. Adjusted for inflation, the penalties now carry a maximum of $122,661 in US dollars per day - and a US dollar maximum of $2,453,218.

Although the FCC is responsible for these enforcement actions, the agency does not collect the amounts. That task is given to the US Department of Justice.

HAMS HELP SUMMON GIRL'S EMERGENCY CARE IN CUBAN BLACKOUT

As an outage swept through several communities in the municipality of Rio Cauto in eastern Cuba, disabling electric power and the telephone service, a 6-year-old girl lay feverish and in pain - her 12th hour of suffering.

The doctor treating her at the family home in Granma Province suspected appendicitis requiring emergency transport. An outage resulting from a power-grid failure prevented him from directly contacting an ambulance. The physician turned to a father-son team of amateur radio operators, Jorge [HORE-HAY] Bonilla [BONE-EEE-YUH] Mainegra and his son, Edgar Bonilla Mainegra. The hams, however, found that their own radios were also without backup power because of the fuel shortage -- that is, until a neighbour let them make use of the battery from his motorcycle.

The general call was received by Santiago de Cuba by station CL8 YDY, who was able to connect with the emergency system. The station is listed on QRZ.com as being in Santiago de Cuba. The callsign holder is Yoendrys García Rodríguez.

According to various media reports, surgery was performed at the hospital and was a success.

YHOTY 2026 NOMINATIONS NOW OPEN

Finally this week, we here at Amateur Radio Newsline are asking for your help in identifying a very special young person whose ham radio adventures have risen to Olympic heights worthy of special recognition. Newsline’s Mark Abramowicz (Abram-oh-vich) NT3V is here with that story..

MARK: Some of you will know of a young ham who has done extraordinary things in just a few short years of activity in this hobby.

Maybe he or she is now a teenager, someone for whom you have served as a role model – or as we “oldtimers” call it - an Elmer.

Perhaps that person has been involved in spearheading special activities at your radio club, or even started a radio club in their school and recruited classmates.

This could be a young person who – thanks to your support and those in your community – has promoted amateur radio through Field Day, weekly nets, got invited to appear and speak at a forum at Hamvention or earned a coveted invitation to work with other like-minded teenage hams at the Youth on the Air camp.

If you know someone like that, we need you to shine the spotlight on that person.

We’re now opening nominations for the Bill Pasternak WA6ITF Memorial Young Ham of the Year award for 2026. We need you to step up and bring your special ham to the attention of our team of judges.

Candidates must be licensed amateur radio operators - 18 years of age or younger - and residents of the continental United States.

Go right now to our website – arnewsline-dot-org and find the nomination form under the awards tab. Start assembling the documentation on your nominee and make sure you turn it in by our May 31 deadline.

This award is only possible with your nominations and your support.

AMSAT 'STUDENTS ON THE AIR DAY' ENCOURAGES SATELLITE QSOS

In addition, if you're a student who's also a licensed ham, you now have a good excuse for looking out the window or staring up at the sky: AMSAT has declared the first and third Tuesday of each month to be STOTA DAY - that's Students on the Air Day. Starting in March, students everywhere in the US will be encouraged to get out there and make as many QSOs by satellite as they can - and work as many satellites as they can. Have fun - just don't do this in the middle of class... unless your teacher approves, of course.

AMSAT YOUTH PROGRAM HAS NEW COURSE, KIDS' COLORING BOOK

In its continued effort to connect the next generation with satellite initiatives, AMSAT's Youth Initiative has produced a new installment in its online satellite course and, in a separate effort, has introduced a free downloadable coloring book for younger students.

The coloring book, called "Satellites in Space Help Us Live a Better Life on Earth," focuses on ways that satellites have an impact on almost everyone's daily activities. Produced with a grant from Amateur Radio Digital Communications, it contains illustrations on 12 two-page spreads and is available in English and Spanish with accompanying discussion guides. Details and downloadable copies are available at the website buzzsat dot com (buzzsat.com).

Meanwhile, the third installment of AMSAT's free online satellite course is being prepared for release. It was produced by Eric Sonnenwald, N2XSE, a retired science teacher, and examines the ways satellites assist with the control of pollution on earth. It will be available with the two other courses released earlier in the program: "Introduction to Satellite Meteorology" and "Satellites and Climate Change."

AMSAT rolled out its community-based Youth Initiative Program in 2022 to provide age-appropriate lessons for students living in the satellite age.

YLS PREPARE FOR WORLD WIDE AWARD ACTIVITY

Taking their cue from the successful World Wide Award of the past few years, organisers are launching the YL-WWA. YLs from far and wide will be calling CQ for hunters anywhere in the world. A shorter version of the month-long event, this activity will be happening only from the 9th to the 16th of March, with YLs using their own callsigns and their preferred modes.

Veronika, DL4VER, the international liaison for the event, told Newsline that the idea had been born at Ham Radio Friedrichshafen last year in a discussion between Max, IW1FRU and Heike, DL3HD, representing the German YLs. Veronika said it is the first international radio project designed to bring together the largest number of YLs globally in a single event. Logging will be done live by the activators without the need for hunters to submit logs. She added [quote] "Hunters just need to go on the bands and enjoy the radio." [endquote]

Details about the event, including rules and awards, are available on the website. You'll find a link in the text version of this week's newscast at arnewsline.org You will also be able to see which YL activators have already signed up.