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WEDNESDAY EDITION: The plan is to put together an endfed antenna this morning at the club for the Hammond Castle special events radio event. They have given us access to a second floor room overlooking the ocean which is not open to the public, should be interesting.....

Adjustable Allen Key After All These Years

The Allen key turns 115 this year. It’s strange to believe that in all that time, no one has come up with an adjustable version, but apparently true. Luckily [Chronova Engineering] has taken up the challenge in his latest video.

The video is a fascinating glimpse at the toolmaker’s art–manual machining and careful human judgement. Humans being the fallable creatures we are, the design goes through a few iterations. After the first failure in metal, [Chronova] falls back on 3D printing to rapidly prototype the next six iterations. Given how much work goes into manually machining the designs, we can only imagine the time savings that represents.

The final version is has classic hexagonal rod split in two, so that a chisel-shaped rod can spread the two prongs out to engage the sides of the Allen bolt. Even with that settled, the prongs and wedge had to be redesigned several times to find exact shape and heat-treatment that would work. At this point the range is anything between 4 mm and 6 mm, which is admittedly narrow, but [Chronova Engineering] believes the mechanism has the potential to go wider.

The design is not being patented, but the drawings are available via the [Chronova Engineering] Patreon if you really need an adjustable Allen key and don’t feel like reverse-engineering the mechanism from video. It’s a much larger project than we’ve featured from this channel before– enormous, really, compared to steam engines that fit on pencil erasers or electric motors that squeeze through the eye of a needle.

Our thanks hall-of-fame tipster [Keith Olson] for letting us know about this one. If you want a slice of that fame for yourself, the tips line is always open.

Always Be Ready

It was a cool sun shiny day up on the Continental Divide, Cottonwood Pass. Colorado.  12,326 feet, with a little snow on the north sides.

I was trying to work someone 20 meters with my PRC319 but had no luck.

All of a sudden, this guy comes running down off the ridge, saw my radio and said his wife just broke her leg. He needed medical help.

I had no contact on HF and I had forgotten where I was and what the local repeater frequency was on VHF. There was no cell phone service so no one could help him. He had to drive down the mountain to get help. I am not a medic, so I stayed at the Divide to point rescuers to the correct trail.

The Divide is the boundary for Chaffee and Gunnison Counties, The East side is Chaffee and the nearest town is Buena Vista. 146.745 probably would have worked.

I failed Boy Scout #101.

Now I have a repeater directory and a first aid book in my vehicle.

Paul  w0rw

TUESDAY EDITION: I guess I need to take a road trip to Epping, NH later this week and pick up another ton of Bio Bricks, first load is in the basement all stacked....

Dragon is the Latest, and Final, Craft to Reboost ISS

The International Space Station has been in orbit around the Earth, at least in some form, since November of 1998 — but not without help. In the vacuum of space, an object in orbit can generally be counted on to remain zipping around more or less forever, but the Station is low enough to experience a bit of atmospheric drag. It isn’t much, but it saps enough velocity from the Station that without regular “reboosts” to speed it back up , the orbiting complex would eventually come crashing down.

Naturally, the United States and Russia were aware of this when they set out to assemble the Station. That’s why early core modules such as Zarya and Zvezda came equipped with thrusters that could be used to not only rotate the complex about all axes, but accelerate it to counteract the impact of drag. Eventually the thrusters on Zarya were disabled, and its propellant tanks were plumbed into Zvezda’s fuel system to provide additional capacity.

Visiting spacecraft attached to the Russian side of the ISS can transfer propellant into these combined tanks, and they’ve been topped off regularly over the years. In fact, the NASA paper A Review of In-Space Propellant Transfer Capabilities and Challenges for Missions Involving Propellant Resupply, notes this as one of the most significant examples of practical propellant transfer between orbital vehicles, with more than 40,000 kgs of propellants pumped into the ISS as of 2019.

But while the thrusters on Zvezda are still available for use, it turns out there’s an easier way to accelerate the Station; visiting spacecraft can literally push the orbital complex with their own maneuvering thrusters. Of course this is somewhat easier said than done, and not all vehicles have been able to accomplish the feat, but over the decades several craft have taken on the burden of lifting the ISS into a higher orbit.

Earlier this month, a specially modified SpaceX Cargo Dragon became the newest addition to the list of spacecraft that can perform a reboost. The craft will boost the Station several times over the rest of the year, which will provide valuable data for when it comes time to reverse the process and de-orbit the ISS in the future.

Reboosting the Russian Way

By far the easiest way for a visiting spacecraft to reboost the ISS is to dock with the rear of the Zvezda module. This not only places the docked spacecraft at what would be considered the “rear” of the Station given its normal flight orientation, but puts the craft as close as possible to the Station’s own thrusters. This makes it relatively easy to compute the necessary parameters for the thruster burn.

Historically, reboosts from this position have been performed by the Russian Progress spacecraft. Introduced in 1978, Progress is essentially an uncrewed version of the Soyuz spacecraft, and like most of Russia’s space hardware, has received various upgrades and changes over the decades. Progress vehicles are designed specifically for serving long-duration space stations, and were used to bring food, water, propellants, and cargo to the Salyut and Mir stations long before the ISS was even on the drawing board.

Reboosts could also be performed by the Automated Transfer Vehicle (ATV). Built by the European Space Agency (ESA), the ATV was essentially the European counterpart to Progress, and flew similar resupply missions. The ATV had considerably greater cargo capacity, with the ability to bring approximately 7,500 kg of materials to the ISS compared to 2,400 kg for Progress.

Only five ATVs were flown, from 2008 to 2014. There were several proposals to build more ATVs, including modified versions that could potentially even carry crew. None of these versions ever materialized, although it should be noted that  the design of the Orion spacecraft’s Service Module is based on the ATV.

American Muscle

Reboosting the ISS from the American side of the Station is possible, but involves a bit more work. For one thing, the entire Station needs to flip over, as the complex’s normal orientation would have the American docking ports facing fowards. Of course, there’s really no such thing as up or down in space, so this maneuver doesn’t impact the astronauts’ work. There are however various experiments and devices aboard the Station that are designed to point down towards Earth, so this reorientation can still be disruptive.

Depending on the spacecraft, simply flipping the Station over might not be sufficient. In the case of the Space Shuttle, which of the American vehicles performed the most reboost maneuvers by far, the entire complex had to be rotated into just the right position so that the thrusters on the spaceplane would be properly aligned with the Stations’ center of mass.

As described in the “AUTO REBOOST” section of the STS-129 Orbit Operations Checklist, the Shuttle’s computer would actually be given control of the maneuvering systems of the ISS so the entire linked structure can be rotated into the correct position. A diagram in the Checklist even shows the approximate angle the vehicle’s should be at for the Shuttle’s maneuvering thrusters to line up properly.

With the retirement of the Space Shuttle in 2011, maintaining the Station’s orbit became the sole domain of the Russians until 2018, when the Cygnus became the first commercial spacecraft to perform a reboost. The cargo spacecraft had a swiveling engine which helped get the direction of thrust aligned, but the Station did still need to rotate to get into the proper position.

After performing a second reboost in 2022, the Cygnus spacecraft was retired. It’s replacement, the upgraded Cygnus XL — is currently scheduled to launch its first mission to the ISS no earlier than September 14th.

Preparing for the Final Push

That brings us to the present day, and the Cargo Dragon. SpaceX had never designed the spacecraft to perform a reboost, and indeed, it would at first seem uniquely unsuited for the task as its “Draco” maneuvering thrusters are actually located on the front and sides of the capsule. When docked, the primary thrusters used for raising and lowering the Dragon’s own orbit are essentially pressed up against the structure of the ISS, and obviously can’t be activated.

To make reboosting with the Dragon possible, SpaceX added additional propellant tanks and a pair of rear-firing Draco thrusters within the spacecraft’s un-pressurized “trunk” module. This hollow structure is usually empty, but occasionally will hold large or bulky cargo that can’t fit inside the spacecraft itself. It’s also occasionally been used to deliver components destined to be mounted to the outside of the ISS, such as the for the outside of the ISS, such as the International Docking Adapter (IDA) and the roll-out solar panels.

While the ability to have the Dragon raise the orbit of the International Space Station obviously has value to NASA, the implications of this experiment go a bit farther.

SpaceX has already been awarded the contract to develop and operate the “Deorbit Vehicle” which will ultimately be used to slow down the ISS and put it on a targeted reentry trajectory sometime after 2030. Now that the company has demonstrated the ability to add additional thrusters and propellant to a standard Dragon spacecraft via a module installed in the trunk, it’s likely that the Deorbit Vehicle will take a similar form.

So while the development of this new capability is exciting from an operational standpoint, especially given deteriorating relations with Russia, it’s also a reminder that the orbiting laboratory is entering its final days.

The Browser Wasn’t Enough, Google Wants to Control All Your Software

A few days ago we brought you word that Google was looking to crack down on “sideloaded” Android applications. That is, software packages installed from outside of the mobile operating system’s official repository. Unsurprisingly, a number of readers were outraged at the proposed changes. Android’s open nature, at least in comparison to other mobile operating systems, is what attracted many users to it in the first place. Seeing the platform slowly move towards its own walled garden approach is concerning, especially as it leaves the fate of popular services such as the F-Droid free and open source software (FOSS) repository in question.

But for those who’ve been keeping and eye out for such things, this latest move by Google to throw their weight around isn’t exactly unexpected. They had the goodwill of the community when they decided to develop an open source browser engine to keep the likes of Microsoft from taking over the Internet and dictating the rules, but now Google has arguably become exactly what they once set out to destroy.

Today they essentially control the Internet, at least as the average person sees it, they control 72% of the mobile phone OS market, and now they want to firm up their already outsized control which apps get installed on your phone. The only question is whether or not we let them get away with it.

Must be This High to Ride

First, “sideloading”. The way you’re supposed to install apps on your Android device is through the Google Play store, and maybe your phone manufacturer’s equivalent. All other sources are, by default, untrusted. What used to be refreshing about the Android ecosystem, at least in comparison, was how easy it was to sideload an application that didn’t come directly from, and profit, Big G. That is what’s changing.

Of course, the apologists will be quick to point out that Google isn’t taking away the ability to sideload applications on Android. At least, not on paper. What they’re actually doing is making it so sideloaded applications need to be from a verified developer. According to their blog post on the subject, they have no interest in the actual content of the apps in question, they just want to confirm a malicious actor didn’t develop it.

The blog post attempts to make a somewhat ill-conceived comparison between verifying developer identities with having your ID checked at the airport. They go on to say that they’re only interested in verifying each “passenger” is who they say they are for security purposes, and won’t be checking their “bags” to make sure there’s nothing troubling within. But in making this analogy Google surely realizes — though perhaps they hope the audience doesn’t pick up on — the fact that the people checking ID at the airport happen to wear the same uniforms as the ones who x-ray your bags and run you through the metal detector. The implication being that they believe checking the contents of each sideloaded package is within their authority, they have simply decided not to exercise that right. For now.

Conceptually, this initiative is not unlike another program Google announced this summer: OSS Rebuild. Citing the growing risk of supply chain attacks, where malicious code sneaks into a system thanks to the relatively lax security of online library repositories, the search giant offers a solution. They propose setting up a system by which they not only verify the authors of these open source libraries, but scan them to make sure the versions being installed match the published source code. In this way, you can tell that not only are you installing the authentic library, but that no rogue code has been added to your specific copy.

Google the Gatekeeper

Much like verifying the developer of sideloaded applications, OSS Rebuild might seem like something that would benefit users at first glance. Indeed, there’s a case to be made that both programs will likely identify some low-hanging digital fruit before it has the chance to cause problems. An event that you can be sure Google will publicize for all it’s worth.

But in both cases, the real concern is that of authority. If Google gets to decide who a verified developer is for Android, then they ultimately have the power to block whatever packages they don’t like. To go back to their own airport security comparison, it would be like if the people doing the ID checks weren’t an independent security force, but instead representatives of a rival airline. Sure they would do their duty most of the time, but could they be trusted to do the right thing when it might be in their financial interests not to? Will Google be able to avoid the temptation to say that the developers of alternative software repositories are persona non grata?

Even more concerning, who do you appeal to if Google has decided they don’t want you in their ecosystem? We’ve seen how they treat YouTube users that have earned their ire for some reason or another. Can developers expect the same treatment should they make some operational faux pas?

Let us further imagine that verification through OSS Rebuild becomes a necessary “Seal of Approval” to be taken seriously in the open source world — at least in the eyes of the bean counters and decision makers. Given Google’s clout, it’s not hard to picture such an eventuality. All Google would have to do to keep a particular service or library down is elect not to include them in the verification process.

Life Finds a Way

If we’ve learned anything about Google over the years, it’s that they can be exceptionally mercurial. They’re quick to drop a project and change course if it seems like it isn’t taking them where they want to go. Even projects that at one time seemed like they were going to be a pivotal part of the company’s future — such as Google+ — can be kicked to the curb unceremoniously if the math doesn’t look right to them. Indeed, the graveyard of failed Google initiatives has far more headstones than the company’s current roster of offerings.

Which is so say, that there’s every possibility that user reaction to this news might be enough to get Google to take a different tack. Verified sideloading isn’t slated to go live until 2027 for most of the world, although some territories will get it earlier, and a lot can happen between now and then.

Even if Google goes through with it, they’ve already offered something of an olive branch. The blog post mentions that they intend to develop a carve out in the system that will allow students and hobbyists to install their own self-developed applications. Depending on what that looks like, this whole debate could be moot, at least for folks like us.

In either event, the path would seem clear. If we want to make sure there’s choice when it comes to Android software, the community needs to make noise about the issue and keep the pressure on. Google’s big, but we’re bigger.

Blog – Hackaday Read More

 

If your truck looks like this, you may have too many radios hooked up...

​MONDAY EDITION: Our radio club will be activating the famous Hammond Castle on the water in Gloucester, MA soon, I will post the dates. This Thursday we will be doing a test run and trying a few different antennas at the castle....

Hammond Castle

DOVER-FOXCROFT, ME — The Piscataquis Amateur Radio Club  is excited to attend this year’s Radio Rodeo on Saturday, Sept. 20 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Piscataquis Valley Fairgrounds.

Prior to this event we will be hosting a license test at 48 Morton Ave. in Dover-Foxcroft at 8 a.m. Prior registration is required for the license testing.  

PARC has been the amateur radio club of Piscataquis County since 1994; assisting with communications at local events such as the Piscataquis River Race.

Amateur radio is a hobby licensed by the FCC and consists of using different types of radios in order to communicate on specified frequencies. Communications which can carry locally, across continents and even into space. HAM radios are a tried-and-true technology that continues to be utilized in emergency planning due to the reliability, portability, and reach of these radio set ups. 

The Radio Rodeo will be a fun filled event showcasing radios live on the air, demonstrations, and equipment for sale. We are very excited about attending our second event to showcase how HAM operators and the county’s EMA work together to enhance communications “when all else fails.”

We look forward to meeting you at this family friendly event!

The ARRL Solar Update

The Terminal Demise of Consumer Electronics Through Subscription Services

Open any consumer electronics catalog from around the 1980s to the early 2000s and you are overwhelmed by a smörgåsbord of devices, covering any audio-visual and similar entertainment and hobby needs one might have. Depending on the era you can find the camcorders, point-and-shoot film and digital cameras right next to portable music players, cellphones, HiFi sets and tower components, televisions and devices like DVD players and VCRs, all of them in a dizzying amount of brands, shapes and colors that are sure to fit anyone’s needs, desires and budget.

When by the late 2000s cellphones began to absorb more and more of the features of these devices alongside much improved cellular Internet access, these newly minted ‘smartphones’ were hailed as a technological revolution that combined so many consumer electronics into a single device. Unlike the relatively niche feature phones, smartphones absolutely took off.

Fast-forward more than a decade and the same catalogs now feature black rectangles identified respectively as smart phones, smart TVs and tablets, alongside evenly colored geometric shapes that identify as smart speakers and other devices. While previously the onus for this change was laid by this author primarily on the death of industrial design, the elephant in the room would seem to be that consumer electronics are suffering from a terminal disease: subscription services.

Read more – Blog – Hackaday Read More

WEEKEND EDITION: The annual meeting for the radio club is this morning , election of officers and a catered BBQ lunch. It doesn't get much better than that....

National Preparedness Month – Ham Radio Supply List

Fire Prevention Week Special Event

The following is a message from VE3KGK:

October 5th through October 11th, a special annual event will take place promoting fire safety during Fire Prevention Week, with the theme being Lithium-ion battery fire safety where we mention a safety tip with the contacts.

The following stations usually participate: KF2IRE, N1F through N9F, and VA3FIRE from Ontario and a printable certificate is available from hamfire.com where the event information is.

The lead station is N4F in Gainesville FL. VA3FIRE is a wildcard station that can help with earning that certificate. The various stations spot themselves on DX Summit and as it is not a contest stations can be found on most HF bands working SSB and some FT-8.

Amateur Radio Newsline Report

FCC GRANTS LIMITED USE OF AMATEUR BANDS TO AST SPACEMOBILE

JIM/ANCHOR: As Newsline went to production, the Federal Communications Commission approved limited use of amateur frequencies for 20 satellites to be deployed by a Texas broadband company. Travis Lisk N3ILS has the details.

TRAVIS: The FCC's Space Bureau said in a statement that it was giving permission to AST SpaceMobile to use frequencies between 430 and 440 MHz on an emergency basis only, The regulator said its move was in direct response to overwhelming concerns raised by amateur radio operators.

Citing potential interference among their issues, member societies of the International Amateur Radio Union, AMSAT, the ARRL and individual amateurs worldwide also argued that alternate UHF allocations exist for the satellites' telemetry, tracking and command functions. More than 2,500 comments were submitted to the FCC .

The FCC's action gives use of the amateur frequencies to the satellites for no more than a 24-hour period. The amateur radio 70cm band is used by hams worldwide for such applications as mobile FM voice, analogue and digital TV, digital data transmission, amateur radio satellites and weak-signal communications on SSB and CW.

AST SpaceMobile ultimately plans a full constellation of 248 satellites for broadband service from space.

This is Travis Lisk N3ILS.

(AMATEUR NEWS DAILY, FCC, IARU)

**

FCC EYES GIVING OK TO MOBILE PHONE JAMMING AT PRISONS

JIM/ANCHOR: Jamming is illegal in the United States but the FCC is considering whether to give prisons permission to jam cell phones of inmates. Kent Peterson KCØDGY has more details.

KENT: The Federal Communications Commission hopes to grant federal and state prisons the right to jam mobile phones that have been smuggled in to inmates.

The commission has scheduled a vote this month to remove a restriction that keeps the prisons from such jamming. The inmates are not authorized to have the phones, which the commission said are being used to assist them in conducting criminal activity while behind bars.

US law prohibits the use - and even the sale or distribution - of any equipment that can jam authorized signals such as radio communication, police radar, GPS devices and cell phones. Jamming is forbidden under the Communications Act of 1934, which has been amended and updated since its original drafting.

The vote is scheduled for September 30th.

This is Kent Peterson KCØDGY.

(ASSOCIATED PRESS, FCC)

**
MANDATE FOR INDIAN HAMS TO CONVERT TO DIGITAL LICENSES

JIM/ANCHOR: In India, amateurs have been facing a deadline to migrate their licenses from the old paper-based format to digital via a web portal, as we hear from Graham Kemp VK4BB.

GRAHAM: Hams in India who received amateur radio licences in paper form are being required to replace those certificates with a digital licence no later than the 15th of September by logging into the Saral Sanchar, a web-based portal of the Department of Telecommunications.

There is no application fee for the process, which provides amateurs with a QR code-authenticated certificate. This is the equivalent of the amateur radio booklets that had been issued manually with paper certificates until December 31st, 2019.

In early 2020, India began issuing all new and renewed amateur radio certificates digitally. The Telecommunication Rules of 2024 now require the holders of the older paper certificates to use the digital web-based portal as well. Failure to migrate will mean that when the licence expires, it cannot be renewed.

This is Graham Kemp VK4BB.

(AMATEUR RADIO SOCIETY OF INDIA, INSTITUTE OF AMATEUR RADIO IN KERALA)

**
DOUBTS ABOUT SOLAR CYCLE PREDICTION METHODOLOGY

JIM/ANCHOR: Like a solar storm itself, a controversy over solar cycle predictions is heating up. Andy Morrison K9AWM tells us more.

ANDY: As this year brings the solar maximum of Cycle 25, a different kind of solar storm has been raging - one that challenges the longstanding and prevailing paradigm scientists use to help arrive at forecasts. Sociologist and statistician Frank Howell K4FMH has done an extensive study of this so-called NASA-NOAA-ISED prediction formula, which utilizes a consensus methodology, pitting it against the work of solar physicist Scott McIntosh of Lynker Space.

In this busy, high-profile year for the sun and its activity, Frank has written extensively and presented a series of virtual talks on the subject in the US and overseas. He has also discussed the competing models extensively in his blog, K4FMH.com. Frank's most recent talk, "Progress in the Revolution: Sunspot Cycle Forecast Accuracy at Cycle 25," was given to Pennine [PEN-NINE] Ham in the UK, and can be seen on their YouTube channel.

Whether the NASA team or the McIntosh team prevails, one thing is certain: Like CMEs themselves, this scientific competition over solar predictions promises to rage for some time to come.

This is Andy Morrison K9AWM.

(YOUTUBE, PENNINE HAM, FRANK HOWELL, K4FMH)

**
UK REGULATOR MULLS SATELLITE-TO-CELL PHONE SERVICE

JIM/ANCHOR: Following in the path of countries such as the US that permit some mobile phones to use satellite connectivity, the UK is opting to move ahead to allow such services too. Jeremy Boot G4NJH explains.

JEREMY: The UK is poised to become Europe's first country offering legal satellite connectivity for smartphones. The regulator Ofcom has released a consultation authorising the move and is requesting comments no later than the 10th of October.

Making this service available to standard mobile phones would provide the most remote parts of the UK with the access needed to send texts, make phone calls or even connect to the Internet - functions presently not possible in areas without mobile phone coverage.

This is known as "direct-to-device" and operation would be permitted after Ofcom has provided a variation to the licences of Mobile Network Operators. The change would also grant such use to mobile handsets and any other devices that make use of SIM cards.

This is Jeremy Boot G4NJH.

(OFCOM)

**
PORTABLE-OP CELEBRATION ACTIVATES NY'S ERIE CANAL

JIM/ANCHOR: The massive Erie Canal in New York State is the scene of a massive anniversary celebration - on the air, of course. Sel Embee KB3TZD tells us what to expect.

SEL: Ten days on the air. Fourteen clubs in NY State. Six months of planning. It all adds up to two hundred years of the Erie Canal - the celebrated public-works project that sparked economic growth by providing a connection between the Atlantic Ocean and the Great Lakes in the early 1800s. It ultimately earned the nickname, the "Mother of Cities," because its connections fostered the development of towns, villages and cities.

Ham radio operators will light up the Erie Canalway National Heritage Corridor with an operating event that runs from the 16th through to the 25th of September. Many of them will be doing Parks on the Air activations, including a notable two-fer that also includes the Empire State Trail.

Organizers Matt K2EAG, Angela N3ARB and Mike N2MAK are encouraging clubs to create their own commemorative QSL cards for the event. The organizers aren't just looking to collect QSOs, though; they also want to gather stories from operators about their experiences during the event. They can be emailed directly to Matt at k 2 e a g at arrl dot net (k2eag@arrl.net) or posted on social media with the hashtag symbol and one of these three words: ErieCanal200, Erie Canalway or parksontheair.

This Sel Embee KB3TZD.

**
WILD CARD TEAM MEMBERS CHOSEN FOR WRTC 2026

JIM/ANCHOR: Two more competitors have been named for the World Radiosport Team Championship next year in England, as we hear from Jeremy Boot G4NJH.

JEREMY: The excitement continues to build during these remaining months of planning for the World Radiosport Team Championship to be held next year in England.

Event chairman Mark MØDXR, has announced that members of the Wild Card team have been chosen by the Organising Committee. The lead position will be held by Diego, LW5HR, who showed much promise in the qualifications both as a single operator and as part of a number of multi-op teams. His teammate will be Manu, LU9ESD.

Mark said that given the strong representation of the US and Europe in the other teams, the make-up of the Wild Card team from South American amateurs has satisfied the organisers' goals for the field to achieve international diversity.

Wild Card teams are created to recognise candidates with exceptional competitive skills but who were not chosen during the selection process for the other teams.

The preparations and 24-hour contest take place from 8th to the 13th July showcasing the skills of 50 teams of two-person operators. Like the Olympic Games, it is held every four years.

This is Jeremy Boot G4NJH.

(WRTC 2026)

**
SIX RECIPIENTS SELECTED FOR YLRL SCHOLARSHIPS

JIM/ANCHOR: Six YLs who combine amateur radio with academic excellence and leadership have been awarded scholarships from the Young Ladies Radio League, as we hear from Jack Parker W8ISH.

JACK: The Young Ladies Radio League has announced six scholarship recipients for this year - two each for the Ethel Smith K2LMB Memorial Scholarship, the Mary Lou Brown NM7N Memorial Scholarship, and The Martha Wessel KØEPE Memorial Scholarship.

Congratulations to Grace Papay, K8LG and Neeti Sonth, KN6ØJJ for their selection as recipients of the Ethel Smith scholarship. Grace, who was Amateur Radio Newsline's Young Ham of the Year in 2024, is a top contester and youth mentor. She is studying electrical engineering at Cedarville University in Ohio. Neeti is a PhD student at the University of Colorado Boulder, where she is studying toward her PhD in aerospace engineering sciences. She is the communications officer for the school's amateur radio club.

Madison Clogher, KC1KJT, and Camrynne Ellis WX5CAM, have been chosen for the Martha Wessel scholarship. Madison is active in public service and emergency communications and worked recently with the Federal Emergency Management Agency in its office of planning and preparedness. She has a bachelor's degree in emergency management and is pursuing her master's in cybersecurity. Camrynne is entering her final year at Texas A&M University where she is studying meteorology and atmospheric sciences. She became involved in ham radio through the school's Texas Aggie Storm Chasers organization.

Rachel Jones KO4HLC, and Katherine Forson, KT5KMF are receiving the Mary Lou Brown scholarship. Rachel, a PhD candidate in aerospace sciences at the University of North Dakota, has been a presenter on radio space science for students and is currently the winter manager of KC4USV at McMurdo Station in Antarctica. Katherine is a senior meteorology student at Texas A&M University and active as an officer in the campus radio club W5AC. She is also a liaison between the club and the Texas Aggie Storm Chasers, where she serves as radio and licensing director. Katherine received the ARRL's Hiram Percy Maxim Award in 2021.

Newsline extends its congratulations to these six promising young talents.

This is Jack Parker W8ISH.

(YL HARMONICS)

**
WORLD OF DX

In the World of DX, there is still time to work Bo, OZ1DJJ who is on the air as OX3LX from Nuuk, Greenland, IOTA number NA-018, until the 16th of September. He may be taking day trips to IOTA group
NA-220. He is on the air, holiday style, since this is also a working trip. See QRZ.com for QSL details.

Listen for Claudio, HB9OAU, operating as SV5/HB9OAU from Karpathos Island in the Dodecanese Islands, IOTA number EU-001, from the 13th through to the 25th of September. He will operate SSB and CW on 40-6 metres. See QRZ.com for QSL details.

Paul, G4PVM will be active holiday style as GM4PVM from Isle of West Burra in the Shetland Islands, IOTA number EU-012, from the 13th through to the 18th of September. He will be using CW and SSB on 40-10 metres. See QRZ.com for QSL details.


(425 DX BULLETIN)

**
LETTING YOUNG READERS SEE A NEW DIMENSION TO RADIO

JIM D/ANCHOR: Our final story this week takes us inside the pages of a new fiction book for young readers. As we hear from Jim Davis, W2JKD, the story delivers its message thanks, in part, to amateur radio.

JIM: There are many dimensions to Lorilyn Roberts, KO4LBS. The Florida resident is an educator, a storyteller and a ham -- something she has wanted to be since childhood. Although she enjoys CW, one of her preferred modes when she is off the air is fiction. In many of the books she has authored, she uses that mode to communicate with faith and passion, reaching out most especially to young adult readers.

In her latest book, released September 5th, Lorilyn shows yet another dimension of her work, one that is reflected in its title "Eighth Dimension - Frequency." This is a work of fantasy fiction. It's the story of a teenager who gains fluency as an amateur radio operator but off the air, struggles to communicate as a caregiver for her mother who has dementia. The young girl, named Chumana, believes that her faith and her future have been shattered and she questions why things happen as they do in this universe.

Like Lorilyn, the protagonist at the core of this tale is a communicator - a gift that serves her well as she begins to make some unusual and unexpected connections via the digital modes.

Lorilyn told Newsline in an email that her hope is that young readers will discover amateur radio - and something more - by hearing Chumana's story. In fact, perhaps they will end up on the same frequency.

This is Jim Davis, W2JKD.

FRIDAY EDITION:Trump on Fox live says they have suspect in Charlie Kirk shooting in custody....  I installed a new primer bub and fuel line in my chainsaw, all is well. It's time to cut up some limbs in the yard and clear space for another antenna...

A Cold War-Era Russian Radio Transmitter Just Broadcast a New Encrypted Message, No One’s Been Able to Decipher

A mysterious shortwave radio signal that has puzzled intelligence agencies and amateur radio enthusiasts for decades has once again broadcast a new coded message—one that experts and hobbyists alike are struggling to decipher. The broadcast came from UVB-76, also known as “The Buzzer”, a Soviet-era radio station that has never publicly explained its purpose, yet continues to transmit from deep within Russia.

The message, heard on 8 September 2025, featured a bizarre combination of Russian names, random numbers, and cryptic phrases—sparking fresh speculation about whether this station is still part of Russia’s military infrastructure, or something far more enigmatic.

A Signal With a Past Rooted in the Cold War

Operating continuously since at least the mid-1970s, UVB-76 transmits on the 4625 kHz shortwave frequency, emitting a persistent buzzing sound interspersed with occasional voice messages. These spoken broadcasts often include lists of names, numerals, or coded phrases, delivered in a flat, mechanical tone by both male and female voices.

According to Priyom.org, a respected monitoring group of radio observers, UVB-76 is believed to be part of a military communications network linked to Russia’s Western Military District. Its messages have been categorized into three general types—Monolith, Uzor, and Command—each believed to correspond to different levels or types of military operations.

Despite countless analyses and decades of recordings, the precise purpose of these transmissions remains unknown. In a 2011 investigation published by The Guardian, researchers suggested the station could be tied to Russia’s “dead hand” nuclear deterrent system, although no direct evidence has ever confirmed this theory. Officially, the Russian government has never acknowledged the station’s existence.

A New Broadcast Triggers Fresh Theories

This latest transmission, recorded on 8 September and shared by Russian media outlet RT, included the Russian names Nikolai, Zhenya, Tatiana, Ivan, Olga, Elena, and Leonid, along with a sequence of numbers: 38, 965, 78, 58, 88, and 37. Also embedded were phrases such as “soft signal”, “five signs”, and “reception”.

RT noted that these could correspond to the code NZHTI, a callsign previously associated with UVB-76 transmissions. While RT published the broadcast on its X (formerly Twitter) account, the post was inaccessible within the EU due to regulatory restrictions on Russian state media.

The timing of the message has drawn attention as well. In 2024 and 2025, UVB-76 has been mostly silent, with only sporadic voice transmissions. This particular message is the first in months to include such a variety of personal names and apparent instructions, and it was broadcast twice in a single day—an uncommon pattern that has historically accompanied periods of military or geopolitical tension.

Everything You Ever Wanted To Know About The Manhattan Project (But Were Afraid To Ask)

There have been plenty of books and movies about how the Manhattan Project brought together scientists and engineers to create the nuclear bomb. Most of them don’t have a lot of technical substance, though. You know — military finds genius, genius recruits other geniuses, bomb! But if you want to hear the story of the engineering, [Brian Potter] tells it all. We mean, like, all of it.

If you’re looking for a quick three-minute read, you’ll want to give this a pass. Save it for a rainy afternoon when you can settle in. Even then, he skips past a lot of what is well known. Instead, he spends quite a bit of time discussing how the project addressed the technical challenges, like separating out U235.

Four methods were considered for that task. Creating sufficient amounts of plutonium was also a problem. Producing a pound of plutonium took 4,000 pounds of uranium. When you had enough material, there was the added problem of getting it together fast enough to explode instead of just having a radioactive fizzle.

There are some fascinating tidbits in the write-up. For example, building what would become the Oak Ridge facility required conductors for electromagnets. Copper, however, was in short supply. It was wartime, after all. So the program borrowed another good conductor, silver, from the Treasury Department. Presumably, they eventually returned it, but [Brian] doesn’t say.

There’s the old story that they weren’t entirely sure they wouldn’t ignite the entire atmosphere but, of course, they didn’t.  Not that the nuclear program didn’t have its share of bad luck.

Roll Your Own SSB Receiver

[Paul Maine] was experimenting with GNU Radio and an RTL-SDR dongle. He created an SSB receiver and, lucky for us, he documented it all in a video you can see below. He walks through how to generate SSB, too. If videos aren’t your thing, you can go back to the blog post from [Gary Schafer] that inspired him to make the video, which is also a wealth of information.

There is a little math — you almost can’t avoid it when talking about this topic. But [Paul] does a good job of explaining it all as painlessly as possible. The intuitive part is simple: An AM signal has most of its power in the carrier and half of what’s left in a redundant sideband. So if you can strip all those parts out and amplify just one sideband, you get better performance

We love to play with GNU Radio. Sure, the GNU Radio Companion is just a fancy shell over some Python code, but we like how it maps software to blocks like you might use to design a traditional receiver.

If you want to try any of this out and don’t have a sufficient HF antenna or even an HF-capable SDR, no worries. [Paul] thoughtfully recorded some IQ samples off the air into a file. You can play back through your design to test how it works.

If you have never used GNU Radio, starting with audio isn’t a bad way to get your feet wet. That’s how we started our tutorial a decade ago. Still worth working through it if you are trying to get started.

Blog – Hackaday Read More

9-11 Edition: NEVER FORGET!.....Charlie Kirk assassinated in Utah. It's time to get a grip of ourselves. Homegrown left and right wing terrorists need to be nailed to a fricken cross and set the example of what should happen to these deranged shitheads. It's not gun control that is needed, it is time for left and right wing extreme shit heads being given the death sentence. That 200 yard shot had to be taken by a pro or someone pretty damn good at the range....

WEDNESDAY EDITION: Coffee and donuts this morning at the club, stop by if you are in the area...

Email:

TUESDAY EDITION: I missed yesterday! I drove up to Epping, NH and bought a pallet of BioBricks (2000 pounds) and unloaded the pallet from the truck to the driveway by hand when I got home. That was 50 bundles of 40 pounders....so I didn't do much the rest of the day, I used muscles in my back I didn't know I had....I hear a lot of chatter about the new Icom 7300MKII, but is it worth all the buzz? I think not unless you are buying a 7300 for the first time. If you own one and plan on selling it to get the new model you are going to lose your shirt. I guess the original 7300 will dropS down to the $700 range which is a bargain to buy but guessing the MKII will go for $1400 plus, what are you gaining? A cw decoder that most wont use, HDMI port for direct monitor plug in, supposed enhanced rx and tx operation the average ham will never notice, easy remoting, and being able to run two computer programs at once with enhanced ports. In my case, it would be an exercise in stupidity to upgrade. My 7300 is  used for  digital programs like FT8 and SSTV only. I look forward to seeing the price!

The Toys That Made Us Tinker

Let’s kick off this article with some nuggets of knowledge and tidbits of trivia. Have you ever heard the term “flea market”? If so, have you ever wondered where this expression came from? In fact, it has several disputed origins. According to the Britannica, “The most common explanation is that the term is a translation of the French marché aux puces (literally ‘market of fleas’), so-named for the pests that were thought to infest the upholstery of second-hand furniture sold at such markets.” Bear this in mind for a moment (I’ll tell you when you can forget it again).

In the days of wired telegraphy, long before radio appeared on the scene (say between the late 1830s and the early 1900s), the term “ham” was used to describe an operator with poor Morse code sending skills. This was a common descriptor for a clumsy operator whose “fist” (sending style) was bad, hence “ham-fisted.”

The inventors of wireless radio communication (Marconi, Tesla, and others) began demonstrating practical signals in the 1890s, but radio didn’t become widespread for commercial or public use until the 1910s to 1920s.

Read more- http://bit.ly/4mPzTdj

The VLF Transformation

People have long been interested in very low frequency (VLF) radio signals. But it used to be you pretty much had to build your own receiver which, luckily, wasn’t as hard as building your own VHF or UHF gear. But there is a problem. These low frequencies have a very long wavelength and, thus, need very large antennas to get any reception. [Electronics Unmessed] says he has an answer.

These days, if you want to explore any part of the radio spectrum, you can probably do it easily with a software-defined radio (SDR). But the antenna is the key part that you are probably lacking. A small antenna will not work well at all. While the video covers a fairly common idea: using a loop antenna, his approach to loops is a bit different using a matching transformer, and he backs his thoughts up with modeling and practical results.

Of course, transformers also introduce loss, but — as always — everything is a trade-off. Running hundreds of feet of wire in your yard or even in a loop is not always a possibility. This antenna looks like it provides good performance and it would be simple to duplicate.

Early radio was VLF. Turns out, VLF may provide an unexpected public service in space.

 Read More

WEEKEND EDITION: Top of the morning hamsters. Looks like a stormy, tourist free weekend, the kind I like....

 

The ARRL should be concerned!

Preparedness Month: 12 Ways to Prepare

September is National Preparedness Month, and ARRL is working to arm members with knowledge and resources to be resilient in the face of disaster. Amateur radio serves as a powerful tool and national resource before and When All Else Fails®, but being prepared goes beyond radio. “Being ready to serve your community through ham radio begins with being ready yourself,” says ARRL Director of Emerg…

Read more

American Radio Relay League | Ham Radio Association and Resources – Read More

18 Clubs to Activate Erie Canal for Parks On the Air18 amateur radio clubs will activate the Erie Canal for Parks on the Air September 16-25 to celebrate the canal's 200th anniversary.

The following is a message from K2EAG:

After 6 months of planning, our state-wide activation of the Erie Canal for its 200th Anniversary is here!

This event is a great opportunity to experience and share about the canal that transformed America, as clubs and individuals across New York State join together over the airwaves to activate the Erie Canalway National Heritage Corridor.

We're excited to share the 18 clubs that will be activating the Erie Canalway National Heritage Corridor for this huge celebration--just like how each town celebrated upon the completion of the Erie Canal and their excitement of Governor DeWitt Clinton's inaugural voyage as he crossed New York State!

• East Greenbush ARA (USS Slater)
• Eastern Fulton Montgomery Amateur Radio Club
• Fort Herkimer Amateur Radio Association
• Fulton Amateur Radio Club
• Genesee Radio Amateurs
• Lancaster Amateur Radio Club
• Lockport Amateur Radio Association
• Orleans County Amateur Radio Club
• Radio Amateurs of Greater Syracuse
• Radio Association of WNY (USS Little Rock)
• Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute ARC
• Rochester Amateur Radio Association
• Saratoga County ARA
• Skenoh Island Amateur Radio Club
• Tompkins County Amateur Radio Association
• Tryon Amateur Radio Club
• Utica Amateur Radio Club
• Warren County Radio Club

These clubs, and many more individuals, are planning Parks On The Air (POTA) activations within the Erie Canalway National Heritage Corridor (US-6532) from Sept 16-25. For those activating along the canal (which is encouraged), they might also be activating the Empire State Trail (US-8098), which is a common two-fer with the corridor. The Heritage Corridor is a large area that also includes Cayuga and Seneca Lakes, and even north of Albany, so regardless of location in the state, there are a lot of eligible locations and possible n-fers (activating from multiple POTA entities at once).

As most of the clubs will be activating on Saturday and Sunday, we are also seeking individual activators to join us over the remaining days. We hope to fill the pota.app spotting page with US-6532 Erie Canalway over the 10 days, so be sure to spot with US-6532 as the primary park number, when operating from multiple POTA entities.

This is not a contest, it's an operating event. All bands and modes are allowed. Take your time and be ready to share about the canal over the air. The canal has an important history for New York State and the country. Clubs and individuals are encouraged to make this their own event, operate with your own style, and consider if you'll also create a commemorative QSL for your contacts. We do however ask that you promptly upload your logs to POTA, clubs should ensure that both station callsign (club call) and operator (individual) both get logged, so both the club and individual can get credit with Parks On The Air.

Please share your activations to social media, we recommend including the following tags in your posts: #ErieCanal200 #ErieCanalway #parksontheair, please also send your experiences and results to k2eag@arrl.net we can't wait to hear all the stories, see the location and learn how things went!

If you or your club has any questions at all about participating in the event or how to get started with POTA, please don't hesitate to reply back and I'll help any way I can.

73,

Matt K2EAG, Angela N3ARB and Mike N2MAK

Amateur Radio Newsline Report

TARIFFS SPUR HALT IN RADIO EQUIPMENT DELIVERIES TO US

PAUL/ANCHOR: Our top story takes us to the global marketplace where US customers learned from many retailers around the world how America's tariffs will affect their ability to order imports. In France, one leading ham radio equipment supplier announced it was among those companies halting deliveries to the altogether. Jeremy Boot G4NJH has that story.

JEREMY: Founded in France in 2014, Passion-Radio.com has become a leading online seller of ham radio receivers, antennas and other equipment to customers around the world. As from the 25th of August, however, the company suspended all shipments to the US, noting that the French national postal operator has stopped accepting US-bound parcels.

The company's director, David, F1JXQ, told visitors to its website: [quote] "With constant changes in tariffs, shipping costs, and carrier processes, we cannot guarantee fair or transparent conditions for our US customers any longer. Our priority is to restore a reliable and cost-effective shipping solution as soon as possible.” [endquote]

He added that import duties are paid by the buyer, not the seller, when the purchased goods arrive in the US; the seller has no control over that. United Parcel and other shipping services are also reviewing their deliveries to the US. UPS expects to apply an extra international processing fee to all imports from anywhere outside the US starting on the 8th of September.

Imports to Europe from the US remain unaffected, David said. [quote] "Our collaboration with five US-based suppliers continues without disruption, as the European Union has not imposed any retaliatory tariffs or reciprocal 15% import duties on products arriving from the United States." [endquote]

PAUL/ANCHOR: US hams have also begun to feel the impact of another sweeping marketplace change: low-cost purchases from overseas that were once not subject to such tariffs have lost that longstanding exemption. These so-called "de minimus" (DEE MINNA MUSS) parcels are estimated to make up as much as 97 percent of packages imported. The elimination of this exemption also affects awards or merchandise ordered through SOTA. Awards manager Barry GM4TOE wrote on the SOTA Reflector on the 29th of August that he was unable to process any orders for low-value shipments to the US.

(SOTA REFLECTOR)

**
NEW ZEALAND HAMS EYE BAND PLAN CHANGES FOR 30M

PAUL/ANCHOR: The New Zealand Association of Radio Transmitters is advocating for a new band plan giving space to single sideband on 30 metres. Jim Meachen ZL2BHF has more details.

JIM: Following the lead of the amateur bandplan in place in Australia, the New Zealand Association of Radio Transmitters is recommending the establishment of a new 10 kHz-wide sub-band for SSB on 30 metres. This change would divide the CW-only band in half, giving it 20 kHz at the bottom of the band.
Digital mode operators would get 20kHz of spectrum -- double their current allocation - at the top of the band. Sideband's proposed 10 kHz would be found between 10.120 and 10.130 MHz.

With SSB operation already legal in New Zealand, the association notes that only the approval of this revised bandplan stands in the way of the change taking place. The proposal is for this to occur on a 12-month trial basis, with a review to take place in the final months.

This is Jim Meachen ZL2BHF.

(NZNET NEWS, NZART)

**
SILENT KEY: BA-MA-TECH OWNER MARKUS BASELER, DL6YYM

PAUL/ANCHOR: The owner of a popular German company making CW keys has become a Silent Key and his company is closing. We hear more from Jeremy Boot G4NJH.

JEREMY: Ba-Ma-Tech, the maker of precision keys popular with CW ops around the world, has announced the sudden death of its owner Markus Baseler DL6YYM and the company's plan to close its doors. No details about his death have been immediately provided but there is a message posted on the business website saying that it is reviewing existing orders to determine whether they can be fulfilled.

Markus was known as an enthusiastic CW op, operating QRP in POTA. He had made plans to operate in Greenland in August but called off the trip, writing on his QRZ.com page [quote] "Due to unexpected illness, unfortunately I have had to cancel everything." [endquote]

The company website includes an earlier message posted by Markus himself, noting that DHL had temporarily halted its shipments to the US.

(QRPer.com, Ba-Ma-Tech WEBSITE, QRZ.com)

**

NASA SEEKS VOLUNTEER TRACKERS FOR ORION SPACECRAFT

PAUL/ANCHOR: If you like keeping one eye on the sky, you may want to think about helping NASA keep track of the signals coming from the Artemis II test mission next year. Andy Morrison K9AWM has those details.

ANDY: NASA is looking for volunteers to track next year's Artemis II Orion spacecraft during the crewed mission's roundtrip journey between the Earth and the Moon.

The US space agency is asking for those with the necessary capabilities to observe the Doppler shift on the Orion's S-band return link carrier signal. The monitoring is designed to achieve and keep a carrier lock solely for purposes of tracking the spacecraft. Volunteers will not be transmitting or uplinking signals. Orion's S-band range is between 2200 and 2290 MHz.

The crew aboard the Artemis II test mission will be NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman KF5LKT, the commander; Victor Glover KI5BKC, the pilot; and Christina Hammock Koch [pronounced "COOK"] as well as the Canadian Space Agency's astronaut Jeremy Hansen KF5LKU. The launch is expected to be no later than April of 2026 and the flight will last an estimated 10 days.

This planned flight follows the Artemis I mission of 2022 which featured an uncrewed Orion spacecraft that was tracked by 10 volunteers.

NASA hopes to hear from prospective candidates no later than 5 p.m. EDT on Monday, October 27th.

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

This is Andy Morrison K9AWM.

**
NASA DEPLOYS LARGEST ORBITING RADAR ANTENNA REFLECTOR

PAUL/ANCHOR: We all know that when it comes to receiving signals well, it's all about the antenna, the antenna, the antenna. Few people know that better than the scientists at NASA, which recently completed the deployment of the largest radar antenna reflector ever put into orbit - one that will keep an eye on conditions here on Earth. Travis Lisk N3ILS tells us more about it.

TRAVIS: Unfolding, some say, like a huge hidden flower emerging in bloom, a radar antenna with a 39-foot, or 12-metre diameter has been unfurled aboard a satellite in low Earth orbit, following its launch in late July from India.

The mission is known as NISAR, an acronym reflecting the partnership between NASA and the Indian Space Research Organisation, ISRO.

NISAR will be capturing detailed data about forest and wetland ecosystems undergoing change, about the impact of earthquakes on the Earth's crust and the motion of glaciers and sheets of ice over time.

The mission is designed to help communities around the world plan ahead for natural disasters and implement recovery from them more efficiently. Karen St. Germain, director of NASA's Earth Science Division in Washington, DC, said this project will go a long way toward using science to assist in decision-making under these difficult circumstances -- from responding to disasters to formulating agricultural policy.

The antenna reflector, made of gold-plated wire mesh, has been compared to the "eye," of the system and it operates on both the L-band and the S-band. According to NASA, the system that operates on the L-band is particularly suited to penetrate forest canopy and clouds. The S-band system has particular sensitivity to light vegetation and moisture in snow.

The unprecedented joint satellite project will collect an estimated 80 terabytes of data daily.

This is Travis Lisk N3ILS.

(NASA JET PROPULSION LABORATORY; WIRED)

**
CANADIAN STRAIGHT KEY MONTH IS ON THE AIR

PAUL/ANCHOR: To some, this month is known as September - but a good many CW operators, especially those in North America, know it as Canadian Straight Key Month. Randy Sly W4XJ tells us how to get involved.

RANDY: This year it takes just four letters - C S K and M - to let everyone on the air know that they're hearing a CW operator in one of Canada's provinces who's taking part in the Canadian Straight Key Month of the Straight Key Century Club. The event has eliminated the use of special callsigns. Now, hams will be heard calling "CQ C S K M," followed by their own callsigns.

According to the SKCC website, the change was made to make it easier for everyone to enjoy the event, which runs through to the 31st of September. Operators who work at least six different provinces are eligible for a special downloadable award.

The annual event is similar to the SKCC's Straight Key Month featuring US stations. That event, which uses the callsign K3Y, takes place every January.

This is Randy Sly W4XJ.

(SKCC, RAC)

**

GAINS FOR JAPAN's OPEN-SOURCE MULTI-MODE LINEAR TRANSPONDER

PAUL/ANCHOR: Satellite enthusiasts in Japan are optimistic about their new open-source multi-mode linear transponder - and John Williams VK4JJW tells us why.

JOHN: The Japan Amateur Satellite Association, or JAMSAT, has announced progress in its development of an open-source multi-mode linear transponder for amateur radio on CubeSats. The project is called Blueberry JAM.

The international team working on the project believes it will have a model available by the middle of 2026 and hopes to make it available to satellite developers and universities where CubeSats are being prepared for flight. According to a report by AMSAT News, Blueberry JAM will support linear operation and will have the potential for delay modes, data handling and other digital capabilities.

Because of the project's fully open-source design, the ham radio community can expect to have access to design documents and details about the transponder's development. The ultimate goal is to have up to 10 spacecraft in flight with the transponder on board.

This is John Williams VK4JJW.

(AMSAT)

**
WORLD OF DX

In the World of DX, members of the Gwangju [GUH WAN JOO] DX Club, 6LØNJ, are going on the air with the callsign D73G from Imja Island, IOTA number AS-060, from the 12th through to the 14th of September. They will operate on various bands between 160m and 70 cm using CW, SSB and FT8/FT4. See QRZ.com for QSL details.

Masa, JK1JXZ, is on the air until the 12th of September using the callsign A35JK from Tonga, IOTA number OC-049. Be listening on 17 and 15 metres, where Masa has been using FT8. QSL via LoTW.

Listen for Rikk, WE9G, operating as WE9G/KH2 from Guam, IOTA number OC-026. Rikk will be on the air from the 11th through to the 26th of September as a single operator using two radios. His activation will be mostly digital modes with some CW and SSB. Be listening for Rikk, who will operate on various bands from 160-6m. See QRZ.com for QSL details.

In Sweden, eight special callsigns will be on the air from the 10th of September through to the 12th of October to mark the 100th anniversary of the SSA, Sweden's IARU member society. The callsigns, which will be heard on 160 through 6 metres, include 7S1ØØSSA, 8S1ØØSSA, SB1ØØSSA and others - all containing the suffix 1ØØSSA. Visit the QRZ.com page for any of these callsigns for more details.

(425 DX BULLETIN)

**
KICKER: SWEPT AWAY AT IOTA EXPEDITION TO PAJAROS ROCKS

PAUL/ANCHOR: An enthusiastic team of operators felt swept away by the challenge of their recent Islands on the Air Expedition to the Pajaros [PAH hah rose] rocks off the Chilean coast. Then something else was swept away -- almost all of their equipment - by a steadily rising sea. Jason Daniels VK2LAW concludes our newscast with their story.

JASON: A Honda generator. An IC 7000. Seven bandpass filters. Two multi-band antennas. A 500-watt amplifier. This equipment -- and more - are all gone now from the Pajaros rock where the team on IOTA Number SA-100 began operating on the 18th of August as 3G1P. Ocean swells of up to 3 metres - considered the worst seen in five years - forced Cezar, VE3LYC; Felipe, XQ7IR and Johan PA3EXX to be evacuated by the Chilean Coast Guard three days later. Wearing wetsuits, the hams swam to the rescuers' boats, eyeing the carefully packed-up equipment they had to leave behind on the rock. Already they were making plans to return for its retrieval.

Sea conditions prevented anyone from gaining access to the rock again until the 26th of August. Afterward, the team wrote on their website: [quote] "VERY BAD NEWS." [endquote] adding [quote] "There is absolutely nothing there except for the beam antenna that we left anchored, which has been damaged." [endquote] They believe that all else was swept away by the sea.

Now instead of QSOs, the trio has been collecting words of encouragement. In one of their most recent messages to chasers and supporters, they wrote: [quote] "We want to express our gratitude to all those who helped and will continue to help. They are living proof that the ham spirit is alive and well." [endquote]

To see the team's daily blog, detailing their challenges, follow the link in this week's newscast script at arnewsline.org

[DO NOT READ: https://3g1psa-100.weebly.com/ ]

This is Jason Daniels VK2LAW.

(425 DX BULLETIN, 3G1P WEBSITE)

FRIDAY EDITION: Today's Dumbass.....Looks like a low key, rainy weekend. Fine with me!....Ria’s Ham Shack focuses on getting ready for winter, radio wise.....Experimental Radio News 13 reports on blockchain satellites, cargo by drone, concealed weapons imaging at THz frequencies – and sailing in space.....The most recent international survey of adult skills revealed that 28 percent of U.S. adults aged 16-65 read below the equivalent of a third grade level — a 9 percent increase since 2017. No wonder why we have the no code tech license in place....

The September/October 2025 issue of The Communicator includes:

• Field Day and Cross-Border Microwave Activity
• Propagation Profile: Exploring the Gray Line in Radio Propagation
• An AM Radio Transmitter Suitable for in-home broadcast
• After 14 attempts our first circumnavigation 

A Slice of History: BYTE Magazine, the Small Systems Journal, Turns 50

Cheap Thermal Camera Fits the Bill

If you want to save a little money on a thermal camera, or if you just enjoy making your own, you should have a look at [Evan Yu’s] GitHub repository, which has a well-thought-out project built around the MLX90640 and an ESP32. The cost is well under $100. You can watch it do its thing in the video below.

There’s a PCB layout, a 3D-printed case, and — of course — all the firmware files.  The code uses the Arduino IDE and libraries. It leverages off-the-shelf libraries for the display and the image sensor.

The image sensor isn’t going to wow you. It has a resolution of 24×32, although that’s better than some cheap cameras, and it can still honestly be good for “what part is heating up” explorations. There is probably room for some clever smoothing in software as well. For only three or four times the price, you can find cameras with resolutions around 256×192, which is good for a thermal camera, even though it isn’t the megapixels we expect from our optical cameras or our phones.

The bill of materials is relatively short. The bulk of the circuit and effort is in the circuit to charge the battery, regulate it, and protect it against bad behavior.

Can’t decide if you need a camera at all? You aren’t alone. Or you can cheap out, but you might get what you pay for.

Blog – Hackaday Read More

THURSDAY EDITION: Beautiful morning and the grocery shopping is done and put  away. Tomorrow morning I will be thinking about how to move a pallet of BioBricks down into the basement, all 50- 40# packs. This old body is finding it harder every year to do stuff that was a snap not that long ago...

The Russian Woodpecker: By Dave W7UUU

A Thorn in Amateur Radio’s Side just the perceived “bad actors” of the world—many nations are developing techniques to use HF (high frequency) to bounce signals off objects well beyond the horizon and pick up the reflections. But some of these nations are developing OTHR systems that are in fact known to transmit in the HF bands, including the ham bands from 5 to 30 MHz! Those nations in clude Australia with their JORN system, China using OTH-B “backscatter HF” systems, France using their hauntingly named “NOSTRADAMUS” radar, Iran with their Sepehr system, Brazil with their OTH 0100, and lastly Russia (who some argue never stopped using HF OTHR systems that intrude on the ham bands). Add to that list Canada, India, and even the United States—ALL developing systems to use the HF bands for Over the Horizon radar. But of all these modern systems, none inspired the dread, outrage, and hatred among hams as the one that first turned heads and brought OTHR to the public—as it proceeded to ruin ham bands in the Cold War years of the late 1970s and into the ’80s. Its official name in Russian was Duga (Ду́гa)—the Russian word for arc, as denoted by the massive curved antenna array located near Chernobyl, Ukraine, in the former Soviet Union. But to the glob al amateur radio community, it was known by a name that echoed its relentless and maddening staccato 10 Hz signal that obliterated the ham bands like hammers on tin….

In the late 1970s, amateur radio operators world wide began hearing a peculiar sound on the air waves. It wasn’t a friendly CQ or a ragchew or even a contest—it was a sharp, repetitive, loud tapping noise that became famously known as the “Russian Woodpecker.” This maddening interference originated from the Duga radar system, a Soviet over-the-horizon radar designed to detect incoming ballistic missiles during the height of the Cold War. I was a young Novice ham in the spring of 1975, first operating CW and later that summer when I passed my General, taking my first steps into SSB operation. But the following summer, everything changed when in July 1976, I’d be happily in a QSO with an other ham on 40 or 20 meters, then BAM! Like a Tommy gun in an old gangster movie, the band The massive Chernobyl Duga antenna array—2300 feet long, 700 feet tall—in its t ime, it was one of the largest antenna arrays ever built on earth would be obliterated in an S9+ clatter of 10 Hz broadband pulses that utterly wiped out any signals that could be heard. The sound is not unlike that of a helicopter engine in flight. As a ham who lived through it, it was maddening be yond words. It would appear suddenly without warning, run for around 7 minutes unabated, then stop as suddenly as it started.

 After a period of time, presumed to be for cooling of the transmitter finals, it would fire off again for another 7-minute round. It didn’t take long for hams to realize when that first blast hit, you might as well turn off the rig and do something else for the next few hours. Once started, it would usually continue on for hours into the night. So what exactly was the Duga radar system? The Duga system consisted of two massive installa t ions in the Soviet Union—one near Chernobyl and the other in Siberia. Each installation was a colossal array of antennas, standing over 700 feet tall and stretching more than 2,300 feet in length. The pri mary site, near Chernobyl, became the most infa mous due to its proximity to the 1986 nuclear disas ter—the belief is it was sited there so the massive power requirements of the transmitters could easily be met with power from the Chernobyl plant. Modern-era urban explorers explore the Duga site just out side of Chernobyl, Ukraine.

 Duga operated in the HF spectrum, using frequencies between 7 and 19 MHz, though it occasionally ventured outside this range. With an es t imated output power of 10 MW— yes, ten million watts of RF—it packed a wallop that easily drowned out ham radio signals and shortwave broad casts alike. Its sig nal consisted of sharp pulses emitted at rates of 10 Hz or 16 Hz, de pending on the operating mode, and it was nearly impossible to ig nore once it appeared on the band. While the band width was determined to be roughly 40 kHz, in prac t ice it had the effect of wiping out the entire 40- or 20-meter ham bands (depending on which frequen cy range was being targeted during that session). The first signals attributed to Duga were heard in July 1976, and it continued its operations until 1989, when it abruptly ceased. The end of Duga coincided with the fall of the Soviet Union and a shift in mili tary priorities. Amateur radio operators, who had dealt with over a decade of interference, were not sorry to see it go silent. The Woodpecker’s intrusion into the HF bands was a headache of epic proportions for hams. Its signals appeared across multiple bands, often rendering entire sections unusable. Imagine settling in for some 40-meter DXing, only to have your receiver blasted by a rapid, brain-rattling S9+ tapping. Efforts to nullify or notch out the signal using filters were only marginally effective due to its sheer power and broad frequency spread. Probably the most famous of these blankers (which I used to own but sold years ago) was the AEA (Advanced Electronic Appli cations company of Bellevue, Washington) “Moscow Muffler” MB-1 Woodpecker Blanker. It worked OK— but took a lot of fiddling to adjust for best effect. Some inventive operators fought back with counter measures, including “Woodpecker jammers.” These devices transmitted signals specifically designed to interfere with the Duga signal. While satisfying to some, such actions were controversial and largely ineffective. They operated by transmitting synchro nized unmodulated CW signals at the same rate as the Duga signal. The goal was to introduce interfer ence confusion that might be interpreted by the Sovi ets as false signals. There was even a group formed for this pursuit called the “Russian Woodpecker Hunting Club.”

But in the end, any perceived effect such jamming had could never be proven. And given the “David and Go liath” difference in power levels of the Duga vs. the hams running the jammers, it’s very unlikely that any The AEA Moscow Muffler filter was designed to mitigate the effects of the Russian Woodpecker. It was difficult to adjust, in that the width and sync controls had to be set to precisely align with the duration of the pulse, as well as it’s spectral width which could vary according to propagation. Additionally, the operator had to figure out if the pulses were 10 Hz or 16, but due to iono spheric effects, could vary. In the end, the Moscow Muffler was a poor solution and was not very effective. During these years, there were lots of reports that for those using HF for emergency communications or public service nets, the interference posed serious challenges as well. The Woodpecker often obliterat ed critical communications during emergency drills or even actual natural disasters, adding significant frus tration to the ARES emergency groups around the U.S.

WEDNESDAY EDITION:The Secret Ham Radio Operators Who Helped Crack Enigma....I thought after rebuilding the clothes dryer I would have some time off for good behavior. Wrong. I decided to cut up a few branches that I had in the backyard and get them to the dump so I went downstairs and grabbed the one working chainsaw, the other I need to replace the carb on sometime this winter. I put some gas in it, I always run them dry when I am done with the job. I choke it and prime the primer bulb. It split in three places from dry rot. I notice I have to take the whole damn thing part to replace the primer bulb. I go online to order the Homelite part, wrong again. No part available, discontinued model. I go to EBay and find what I think is the same diameter and should fit, every manufacturer cannot possible design a different primer bulb for ever model! So I sit and wait for the part, I am not taking it apart until I know I have a part that will fit, meanwhile I think of the prick of mercy time I had with the dryer rebuild.....

Available on Amazon...

Canadian Officials enlist amateur radio operators as critical backup for extreme weather planning: 'When the lights go out, we can keep going'

"Our government is providing … critical communication supports across the province."

As the world adjusts to a new era of rising temperatures and more severe weather-related disasters, governments across Canada have been turning to a decidedly old-school form of communication: the ham radio. 

While the use of ham radios has long been left mostly to amateur radio enthusiasts, officials increasingly have seen the relatively low-tech devices as an important means of communication during emergency situations, the Globe and Mail reported.

In July, Ontario's government approved CA$545,000 (US$396,000) in funding for the Radio Amateurs of Canada to train its members to operate their ham radios during an emergency, according to the Globe and Mail.

Allan Boyd, the association's president, said the group had roughly 5,000 members, most of whom were skilled enough to operate during an emergency, according to the Globe and Mail. 

Many ham radios do not require a lot of big, heavy equipment to operate and can be powered using a 12-volt car battery, making them ideal during power outages and disruptions to more modern forms of communications like internet and cell phone service.

"When the lights go out, we can keep going," said Mike Kelly, a retired electronics technologist and ham radio enthusiast, according to the Globe and Mail.

Some ham radios are portable, making it possible to transport radio operators and their equipment into disaster-stricken areas to provide immediate emergency communication. 

Beyond Ontario, other Canadian territories and provinces, including British Columbia, Nova Scotia, and Yukon, have also been integrating ham radios into emergency-response plans, according to the outlet.

Unlike cell phones and other modern forms of communication, ham radios do not require space-based satellites or massive communications towers to operate. This infrastructure can easily be taken out by a natural disaster, making it more difficult to communicate during emergencies. 

By contrast, most ham radios work by bouncing their signals off of the stratosphere, making them far more resilient while still allowing their signals to cover vast distances.

Plus, advancements in ham-radio technology have made it possible to send text-based messages over radio waves, rather than having to resort to more specialized forms of communication such as Morse code, according to Boyd, the Radio Amateurs of Canada president, as noted by the outlet. 

"Having continuous access to strong telecommunications is key to emergency coordination and response efforts," said Jill Dunlop, Ontario's Minister of Emergency Preparedness and Response, according to the Globe and Mail.

"By investing in a growing network of Ontario Corps partners like Radio Amateurs of Canada, our government is providing GPS services, satellite phones, ham radios, and other critical communication supports across the province, including our remote regions to support emergency responders when disaster strikes," Dunlop continued. 

The renewed focus on ham radios highlighted the important role that resilient, mobile, decentralized technologies have to play in a world increasingly besieged by extreme weather events. 

TUESDAY EDITION: 1958 video game on oscilloscope...After testing my newly hung Endfed antenna with WSPR on several bands, it works pretty darn well. It is not as noisy as several had said it would be and performs pretty well for a so called "compromise antenna". It tunes quickly with my LDG auto tuner but I have not tried it with the radios internal limited tuner but I get a feeling it would work as well. I used the Balun Design 5KW 9-1 model, overkill but better safe then sorry...This Thursday at 730pm we will be doing a simplex FM net on 146.500 just to see how well it works with stations on the Northshore and southern NH, please say hello if youo hear us!

Interview with ARRL CEO: Details on Recent Board Meeting, Huntsville Hamfest, Legislative Advocacy, and DX

ARRL CEO David Minster, NA2AA, is the guest on The DX Mentor YouTube channel this week. The hosts of the popular show – Bill Salyers, AJ8B, and Joe Pater, W8GEX – spoke with Minster at length about many topics of interest to ARRL members. They touched on the recent introduction of the DXCC® Trident Plaque, which recognizes the achievement of amateur radio operators who have confirmed two-way radio contacts with 100 or more DXCC Award countries (entities) on three modes. Minster also talked about the newly announced 10-Band DXCC award.

The importance of radio clubs and 2026 being designated the ARRL Year of the Club was also a topic of discussion. Minster also answered questions about decisions made at the recent Second Meeting of the ARRL Board of Directors.

The trio talked about this year’s Huntsville Hamfest, which held its annual convention in Alabama earlier this month. Huntsville Hamfest will host the ARRL National Convention next year, August 22 — 23, 2026.

Read more

American Radio Relay League | Ham Radio Association and Resources – Read More

ROC-HAM Radio Network Celebrates 200th Anniversary of Erie Canal

September 1, 2025

The following is a message from the ROC-HAM Radio Network:

ROC-HAM Radio Network celebrates 200th anniversary of the ERIE CANAL with a special event callsign W2R, from SEPTEMBER 1ST - SEPTEMBER 29TH. W2JLD will be on the air celebrating the 200th anniversary of the ERIE CANAL.

The Erie Canal is a historic waterway in New York State, connecting the Atlantic Ocean via the Hudson River to the Great Lakes at Lake Erie. Completed in 1825, it was North America's first navigable waterway linking the two systems and the greatest public works project of its time. The canal was an immense commercial success, dramatically reducing transportation costs and fostering the growth of cities like Buffalo and Rochester, and playing a vital role in New York's rise as the "Empire State". Today, the original canal is part of the New York State Barge Canal and is primarily used for recreational boating and as part of the multiuse Empire State Trail.

Key Facts & History

• Construction:
  Built between 1817 and 1825, the original canal was 363 miles long, stretching from Albany to Buffalo.

• Engineering Feat:
  It was a massive undertaking, featuring locks that raised boats significant heights.

• Commercial Impact:
  The canal was an instant commercial and financial success, with tolls completely repaying the construction loan within nine years. It significantly lowered the cost of moving goods and people, creating new markets and routes for settlers.

• Economic Growth:
  The Erie Canal helped make New York City the nation's premier seaport and spurred the development of towns along its route.

• Modernization:
  In the early 20th century, the canal was overhauled to create the New York State Barge Canal, allowing larger steamships to pass through.

Today

• Recreation:
  The New York State Canal System, including the Erie Canal, is now a major route for recreational boating.

• Tourism:
  Numerous museums, canal sites, and historical remnants along the route showcase the canal's legacy and engineering.

• Empire State Trail:
  Many portions of the former canal towpath have been converted into a multi-use trail for walking and cycling, forming part of the Empire State Trail.

W2JLD will be transmitting at various sites throughout downtown Rochester,NY.

Cobbs Hill Park was part of the western waterways system that allowed boats to turn around in a large body of water. The Erie Canal ran thru part of his neighborhood, known as lock #66, there is a large portion of it which is visible from the expressway here in Rochester,NY.

Help John celebrate the 200 anniversary of the ERIE CANAL and work him.

There will be a special event QSL CARD available upon request. This is a HF only event, look for him on 20 meters, 40 meters. He will list what frequency he will be on, on the ROC-HAM.NET website.

WEEKEND EDITION: Perfect Labor Day weather...I finally got the 84 foot end fed Balun Designs antenna up. It is not as good as the ladder line dipole by far but will serve as a backup if needed, hopefully not. A squall hit the island yesterday twice knocking down trees and power lines. We didn't see that one coming. A lot of my fisherman friends were out in it and said the hail was no fun along with the 50 mph gusts....

Learn Morse Code One Second at a Time

Learning Morse Code is no longer a requirement for HAMs in many jurisdictions, but it’s still a nice skill to have. [I_void(warranties)] wanted to learn, but couldn’t find a trainer that fit his style. What to do but build it yourself? Since we’re in the midst of a challenge, he took up the gauntlet and turned his need to learn Morse into a 1 hertz Morse code game.

In concept it is quite simple: a message beeps out in Morse, with a corresponding LED flash, all in one second. The player then has one second to type think they heard. Get it done fast enough, and a character LCD will tell you if you scored.

The project is based around an Arduino Nano; thanks to easily-available libraries, a PS/2 keyboard can serve as input and a 2×16 LCD as feedback with no real effort expended. For the audible component of the Morse challenge, an 8-ohm speaker is driven right off a pin on the Arduino. We won’t claim this efficient design only took one second to put together, but it probably didn’t take too long.

Of course this trainer, unlike some we’ve seen, only helps you learn to listen to the stream of dots and dashes. None of the others ever tried to fit a One Hertz theme, or [I_void(warranties)]’s particular learning style. For some, decoupling send and receive might be just the ticket to finally learning Morse one second at a time

Hackaday Read More

Hurricane Watch Net Marks 60 Years of Service

 Amateur Radio Newsline Report

AST SPACEMOBILE SATELLITE FACES LAUNCH DELAYS

DON/ANCHOR: Our top story takes us to Texas, where the company behind a prototype broadband satellite has announced delays in the project's launch. Kent Peterson KCØDGY has more details.

KENT: The US mobile broadband provider that hopes to use amateur radio frequencies to support its planned satellite-based network has rolled back the date for the launch of its prototype satellite. This is the second delay by AST SpaceMobile, which had originally hoped to launch the satellite, known as FM1, in August and first postponed it to October or November. India's space agency, ISRO, confirmed the delay in a press conference with local Indian media, adding that FM1 would likely not launch until the first quarter of 2026. FM1, which has a phased-array antenna, is designed to function as a cell tower from space.

The announcement comes barely a week after the company said it expects to launch between 45 and 60 satellites by next year.

No reason was given for the postponement, which was reported on the PCMag website. AST SpaceMobile is building its network in partnership with Verizon and AT&T and is considered a rival to Starlink services which are partnered with T-Mobile.

Texas-based AST SpaceMobile has asked the FCC to authorize its network's use of amateur radio frequencies between 430 and 440 MHz - a request that has drawn challenges from the amateur radio community. In July, the FCC assigned FM1 the callsign WP2XRX, which expires on July 1st, 2027. Its license authorizes experimental operation for mobile satellite services only on 37.5 to 42 GHz, and 2.235 GHz and 2.245 GHz.

**

MARITIME MOBILE SERVICE NETWORK AIDS SAILING VESSEL

DON/ANCHOR: Ham radio helped turn the tide this month for a stranded sailing vessel off the California coast. Kevin Trotman N5PRE has that story.

KEVIN: Sailing off the coast of San Francisco on August 3rd, the captain and crew of four aboard the vessel, Windchaser, found that their boat had become dead in the water, adrift after its propeller got entangled with a rope. Without cell service available, the captain. Dennis Dickerson, KI6KQJ, reached out to the Maritime Mobile Service Network on 20m, contacting net control John McGowan, K2JBX. After hearing that all aboard were safe, John said he would check in with Dennis the next day because the crew hoped to paddle ashore for repairs then. That scheduled check-in proved significant: Park rangers at the hoped-for landing site, Point Reyes Marine Reserve, were initially hesitant to grant access to the boat because the reserve is so environmentally sensitive. According to net manager Jeff Savasta, KB4JKL, John was able to help secure special permission for the boat to land for repairs - but by the time that critical permission was granted, propagation had changed.

The boat could not be reached immediately, however, when conditions changed, Jeff, on the next shift, was able to deliver the good news -- and the boat was on its way.

This is Kevin Trotman N5PRE.

(JEFF SAVASTA, KB4JKL)

**
AERONAUTICAL ROVER JOINS ROUTE 66 ON THE AIR

DON/ANCHOR: This year, the team of operators behind the annual Route 66 On the Air special event are going above and beyond - REALLY above and REALLY beyond. Andy Morrison K9AWM explains how.

ANDY: Look up in the sky! It's not a bird.....no, it's a plane and it's piloted by Bill Hartsell, N3WSH. Bill will be using the callsign W6Y as the first-time aeronautical rover for this year's Route 66 On the Air special event. When hams get on the air on September 6th, he'll be in the air, operating as this year's first-time bonus station through September 9th.

Bill, a retired US Air Force pilot from Oklahoma, will be flying about 7,000 feet high above the traffic on the nation's Mother Road, making the trip from Chicago to Santa Monica and making QSOs with licensed hams on the ground who are near his route, which he will travel both eastbound and westbound during the event.

He will be calling QRZ on 146.490 MHz simplex. If you get him, it's a bonus. Either way, you can still get a Clean Sweep chasing the other stations.

The 26th annual special event, organized by the Citrus Belt Amateur Radio Club, will remain active for a few more days after Bill's activations, coming in for a landing itself on the 14th.

This is Andy Morrison K9AWM.

**
SILENT KEY; ODINN THOR, TF2MSN, ICELANDIC DXER

DON/ANCHOR: A notable DXer from Iceland has become a Silent Key, as we hear from Jeremy Boot G4NJH.

JEREMY: DXers who looked forward to hearing a friendly, familiar voice from Iceland were saddened this month to learn that the contact they were hoping to log had become a Silent Key. The death of Odinn Thor TF2MSN on the 19th of August in Reykjavik was reported by the Icelandic Amateur Radio Association, sharing the news provided by his family.

First licensed in 2011, Odinn began as an enthusiastic operator on SSB, later embracing such digital modes as FT4 and FT8.

According to Jónas Bjarnason, TF3JB, president of Icelandic Radio Amateurs, Odinn had been in poor health for the past 30 years or so, following an accident on a fishing boat. Jonas told Newsline by email that "ham radio was his life" almost 24 hours a day. In addition to being active locally on 2 metres, he was an enthusiastic participant in numerous events held by Icelandic Radio Amateurs, including Field Day.

Odinn was 62.

This is Jeremy Boot G4NJH.

(JONAS BJARNASON, TF3JB; DX-WORLD-NET)

**
SILENT KEY: LOU DIETRICH, DXER, PAST CHAIRMAN OF INDEXA

DON/ANCHOR: Another noted DXer and leader in the radio community has become a Silent Key, as Stephen Kinford N8WB, tells us.

STEPHEN: Lou Dietrich, N2TU, gave priority to building community across the globe through radio - and he was a prominent advocate of that in his former role as chairman of the board of directors of the International DX Association.

Lou became a Silent Key on the 15th of August.

He had been a DXpeditioner as well as a DXer, knowing that the thrill of the chase is only half of the challenge. He was part of the K1N activation of Navassa Island in 2015 and a team co-leader for the K5P Palmyra DXpedition in 2016. He was also part of the Sable Island CYØS DXpedition in 2023 and the St. Paul Island DXpedition CY9C in 2024.

Lou was originally licensed as WV2RNW as a teenager in high school in the 1960s and after his license lapsed, became relicensed in 1981.

His obituary on the ARRL website noted that he had been part of the league's DX Advisory Committee. His awards from the league include Ten-Band DXCC and the DXCC Top of the Honor Roll. He belonged to the Carolina DX Association

Lou was 78.

This is Stephen Kinford N8WB.

(425 DX BULLETIN, ARRL)

**
HURRICANE WATCH NET MARKS 60 YEARS OF SERVICE

DON/ANCHOR: No one celebrates hurricane season, of course, but there IS something to celebrate at this time of the year at the US National Hurricane Center. Randy Sly W4XJ explains.

RANDY: On the weekend of August 30th, the Hurricane Watch Net celebrates 60 years of service to the U.S. National Hurricane Center and communities impacted by the storms.

The HWN began in 1965 when amateur radio operator Jerry Murphy, K8YUW, heard calls from hams in the Bahamas asking for information about Hurricane Betsy. Seeing the need for an organized net, Murphy began coordinating and relaying reports from hams in the Bahamas, Florida and across the affected region. The current net manager, Bobby Graves, stated [quote] “when information is scarce and lives are at stake, amateur radio can be a lifeline.”

Today, nearly 60 volunteers across the United States, Canada, Bermuda, Honduras, Nicaragua, Puerto Rico, and Aruba relay real-time weather data and storm damage reports directly to NHC’s amateur station, WX4NHC. Since its founding, the Net has supported 156 landfalling hurricanes, including 60 major hurricanes and 12 Category 5 storms.

A special operating event commemorating the anniversary was held in early June, since the actual date fell during the peak hurricane season.

HAMS HELP SONOMA SPRINGS RESIDENTS WITH GMRS

DON/ANCHOR: In one California county, radios are becoming more and more of a safety net, as we learn from Ralph Squillace KK6ITB.

RALPH: In Sonoma County, California, floods, wildfires and earthquakes are among the best reasons for becoming a radio operator. With that in mind the county's Department of Emergency Management has entered the second year of a three-year program that includes helping more Sonoma Springs area residents to get licensed and get on the air. The initiative has been funded through a $70,000 federal grant.

Emergency management officials are now preparing for training sessions in October that will prepare area residents for an exam leading toward a license to use handheld radios, especially at times when cellular telephone networks fail. The radios are part of General Mobile Radio Services, or GMRS, a licensed service operating between 462 MHz and 467 MHz. The county is coordinating with amateur radio operators in the North Bay Communications Cooperative and its Auxiliary Communications System. The goal is to coordinate frequencies so that the GMRS users can work seamlessly within the broader emergency communications system.

The focus is on residents in the community of Sonoma Springs, which is classified as an evacuation zone when there are wildlfires, but participants who live outside the area are also welcome to enroll.

The county's program can supply as many as 175 of the radios to participants who successfully complete the program. The grant also covers fees for the license exam.

Emergency management specialist Nancy Brown told the Sonoma News that radio is seen as the ultimate and most resilient backup plan. She said: [quote] “No matter what happens, you have something that will work.” [endquote]

This is Ralph Squillace KK6ITB.

(SONOMA NEWS)

**
ANDAMAN ISLAND DXPEDITION RECRUITING YOUNG REMOTE OPS

DON/ANCHOR: Next Year's Andaman Island DXpedition is looking for remote operators - and giving special priority to young operators. Jim Meachen ZL2BHF has that story.

JIM: The team planning the Andaman Island DXpedition in 2026 has an ambitious agenda: the goal is to log at least 100,000 QSOs while the team is on the air from the Indian archipelago in the Bay of Bengal.

Contacts from around the world are expected to keep the on-site crew of 18 busy but organisers plan to add to the team by bringing remote operators, especially young licensed amateurs, on board.

The remote team lead, Gerry, W1VE, is a veteran of remote operations for the VP6A, E51D and other DXPeditions, and is hoping to replicate those successes with the Andaman Island DXpedition. Hams who participate in the remote operation will be required to have an Indian visa and an amateur radio license from India even though they will not be physically present. Operators are to be selected by the 1st of April, 2026.

It promises to be a busy time once the activation gets under way on Oct. 19, 2026. The operators expect to participate in the 2026 CQ WW SSB Contest representing India They will also be activating three POTA sites between the 27th and the 29th of October. The entity is also IOTA AS-001.

Gerry asks that interested amateurs contact him directly via email at gerry at remote dot radio. That's "Gerry" spelled "G E R R Y" at remote dot radio (gerry@remote.radio).

This is Jim Meachen ZL2BHF.

(DX-WORLD)

**
WORLD OF DX

In the World of DX, listen for Maxim OH7O [OH H SEVEN OH] operating as XW4YY from Laos from the 29th of August through to the 11th of September. Maxim will be on most of the HF bands, starting with 40m, using SSB and FT8. See QRZ.com for QSL details.

Adrian, M1LCR, will be on the air holiday style as SV8/M1LCR/p from Paxos Island, IOTA Number EU-052, from the 2nd through to the 13th of September. Listen for him on 80-6m using SSB and RTTY, with his main activity to take place during the IARU Region 1 Field Day. See QRZ.com for QSL details.

The 12th Borneo Amateur Radio Festival will be celebrated by members of the Amateur Radio Club Sarawak using the callsign 9M8BARF from the 1st through to the 15th of September. The festival is being held in Sarawak, East Malaysia. See QRZ.com for QSL details.

Harald, DF2WO will be active again as 9X2AW from Rwanda from the 1st through to the 27th of September. Harald operates CW, SSB and FT8/FT4 using various bands, including 6 metres. He will also be using the QO-100 satellite. See QRZcom for QSL details.

(DX-WORLD, 425 DX BULLETIN)

**
KICKER: A RADIO HOMECOMING, ONE CENTURY LATER

DON/ANCHOR: Our final story takes us to Australia, where - for a few hours - one radio operator is returning ham radio to the former home of the first lady of radio in the state of Victoria. Graham Kemp VK4BB takes us there.

GRAHAM: Elizabeth Hutchings, VK3HM, had the distinction of being the first YL licensed as an amateur radio operator in the state of Victoria, Australia. Radio apparently was in the family's genes -- in the 1920s, her son Alan held the callsign VK3HL and her daughter, Marjorie, was licensed as VK3HQ.

Some 100 years later on the Callawadda land where the famliy's old radio shack still stands, Geoff Smart, VK3GCM, is putting amateur radio back into action. He chose this property, known as Bryn Avon, as his QTH for the Australian Ladies Amateur Radio Association's annual competition. Geoff knew Bryn Avon from commercial consultancy work he had done but he only learned of its connection to ham radio after reading an article by ALARA historian Jennifer Wardrop VK3WQ.

It's been a busy year of celebration for ALARA, which was founded in 1975. The association's contest, held every year during the last full weekend in August, is one of the many ways the group has been marking the occasion. The rules of the international contest stipulate that YLs may work anyone they please but men can only work YLs.

As Newsline went to production, Geoff was making plans to be active from the farm on 40 metres. Whether operating from the home of a notable YL from Victoria gives him a winning edge in a YL association contest remains to be seen. Win or lose, no doubt this would meet with the approval of one radio pioneer from Victoria.

FRIDAY EDITION: Are you hungry....I am not quite sure how tariffs are helping us as a country, we pay the additional tariff and the government gets the tariff money. Is Trump going to give us each a share of the money coming in??.....If the idea is bring back ham radio manufacturing, that sure as hell isn't going to happen. Imagine this country trying to manufacture an Icom 7300 and be able to sell it for under $1000 at this country's labor rates, rules and regulations...lol

Amateur Radio Daily: Route 66 On The Air 2025

The 2025 Route 66 On The Air special event will be active September 6-14. This year, 24 clubs located across the route will be operating special 1×1 callsigns. QSL cards and certificates will be available.

This year marks the 26th year of this great radio event. Originally started by the Northern Arizona DX Association, it was a way to allow amateur radio operators a fun way to “Relive the Ride.” They also can relive their own memories of Route 66, and get to celebrate the highway’s rich history in making the U.S. what it is today.

Source: Route 66 On The Air

European Ham Radio Retailer Halts US Shipments

The following is a press release from Passion Radio:

European Ham Radio Retailer Passion Radio Suspends US Shipments Following 15% Tariff Increase

To our US Amateur Radio Clients and Community

Because of the recent 15% tariff increase on products imported from the European Union, the suspension of several carrier services to the US, and the growing complexity of the US import system, our online shop Passion-Radio.com must suspend all shipments to the United States until further notice.

In particular, La Poste, the French national postal operator, suspended parcel shipments to the United States as of August 25, 2025 (1), removing one of the main EU–US postal channels. At the same time, UPS announced that starting September 8, 2025, an additional international processing fee will apply to all import shipments, regardless of origin.

There has also been some misunderstanding regarding customs procedures. When parcels arrive in the United States, the buyer must settle not only the 15% customs duty, but also the service fee charged by the carrier for filing customs declarations and advancing duties to US Customs. These charges are billed locally at delivery and remain outside the seller’s control. Import duties and tariffs are always the responsibility of the buyer, not the seller.

"Unfortunately, with constant changes in tariffs, rates, and carrier processes, we cannot guarantee fair, efficient, and transparent shipping conditions," said David, F1JXQ, Director of Passion Radio. "Our goal is to resume shipments to the US as soon as a reliable and cost-effective solution is available for everyone."

Meanwhile, our collaboration with five US-based suppliers continues without disruption, as the European Union has not imposed any retaliatory tariffs or reciprocal 15% import duties on products arriving from the United States.

Updates will be communicated through our shop: https://www.passion-radio.com/store/hamradio-us-tariff-43 and our social channels.

To all our US friends on the bands: we thank you for your understanding and support, and we look forward to resuming deliveries as soon as possible.

Passion Radio Shop

Practical tariffs impact on an item €50
Before tariffs (without 15%, rate €1 = $1.12 April 2025 rate)

Conversion: €50 × 1.12= $56.00*
Total payable ≈ $56.00

After tariffs (with 15%, rate €1 = $1.16 August 2025 rate)

Conversion: €50 × 1.16 = $58.00*
Customs duty 15%: $58.00 × 0.15 = $8.70
Carrier fees (on average, import processing): $15.00

Total payable ≈ 58.00 + 8.70 + 15.00 = $81.70

Total surcharge ≈ +$25.70 (~+45.89% increase compared to $56.00, before tariff tax)

*Not calculated, fees that may apply when converting Euro € <> US $.

Danger in St. Elmo

A box of old blasting caps (mercury fulminate/KClO3 mix) was just found in one of the old buildings in the mining town of St. Elmo, CO, 2 July 2015.

When members of Historic St. Elmo and Chalk Creek Canyon Inc. cleaned out the outhouse behind the Home Comfort Hotel in St. Elmo, they found a potentially explosive surprise. On the floor of the outhouse, they found what they believed to be dynamite, said Walter Roth, a member of the historical group. Later in the day a bomb squad found blasting caps rather than dynamite.

I had operated there with my PRC319 Pedestrian Mobile right in front of that Hotel several times before. (See CQ Magazine June 2016, p. 16-18).

While the electric blasting caps are usually shorted and would not be effected by a QRP radio, my 50W radio was at a dangerously high level to be transmitting near a box of blasting caps.

It would be a smart idea to avoid operating in any old mining areas where unexploded dynamite might exist.

Paul, W0RW

FCC Batch Filing System Unavailable

THURSDAY EDITON: KIDS.... Sunny and cool today on the rock, boating season comes to an end in a few weeks....With all the events on the air including POTA, CHOTA, IOTA, I think someone should organize DRUNKS AND DRUGGIES ON THE AIR, "DADOTA". Participants could set up stations at their local watering holes, get drunk or high, stir up a little ham radio interest with the local patrons and have a good old time. From my listening experience, there are plenty of drunks and druggies on the air now....

Scranton’s Historic HamSCI Field Exercise (Pennsylvania)

The University of Scranton’s Ham Radio Science Citizen Investigation (HamSCI) team recently returned from a trip to K3LR, an amateur radio “super station” in West Middlesex, where they participated in hands-on learning and strengthened their ties in a network of enthusiasts.

During their visit in early August, members of the University’s HamSCI student club presented research, toured the advanced engineering setup at K3LR and even operated the station themselves.

The trip, which was done in support of and funded by the U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) and NASA research projects, was the first multi-day exercise ever for HamSCI.

Read more – RoyalNews: http://bit.ly/4mtYJ2h

Amateur Radio Daily: DXLook Adds QSO View and Multi-Language Support

DXLook has introduced a new QSO View that lets radio amateurs upload their own ADIF (.adi) log files and see their QSOs displayed on the map. Each contact is shown with a great-circle arc from your station to the destination, and markers include details such as callsign, grid, band, mode, date, and time. Filters for band and mode are available, and users can toggle arcs and time labels on or off. QSO View runs fully in the browser, so uploaded log files never leave your computer.

In addition, DXLook’s Help and Tour sections are now available in multiple languages (English, Spanish, German, Russian, Chinese, and Japanese), making it easier for operators worldwide to get started.

These updates join DXLook’s existing tools — Summary, Cluster, MUF, Reports, and POTA — giving operators more ways to explore propagation and their own activity in one place.

Try it now at https://dxlook.com

Source: DXLook

 

WEDNESDAY EDITION: Open house at the club this morning if you are in the area, free coffee and donuts....

The Mysterious Shortwave Radio Station Stoking US-Russia Nuclear Fears

The HP 115BR is not one of the most well-known products from Hewlett-Packard. And yet, it was remarkably important nonetheless. This hardware once synced time around the world. Now, for our 2025 One-Hertz Challenge, [curiousmarc] has taken on the job of restoring it. 

The HP 115BR itself was not used alone, but in concert with the HP5060A atomic clock. The latter would output a 100 KHz reference output. It was the job of the HP 115BR to divide this frequency down to provide a superbly accurate 1-second tick.

The example on [curiousmarc]’s bench showed up in poor shape. It was “very broken,” and he reported that it had also previously been hacked to some degree. However, he has been able to restore it to proper functionality, including the special modification for continuous tick adjustment, as used in the 1964 flying atomic clock experiment. He was even able to sync it to NIST’s current atomic clock signal from Fort Collins using the WWV radio signal.

We’ve seen plenty of old HP metal restored over the years; it’s always pleasant to see how well things were built back in the day. Video after the break.

Meshtastic: How to stay connected after a hurricane hits

When the power goes out and cell towers fail after a hurricane, staying in touch can be next to impossible.

But a new open-source technology called Meshtastic is giving Southwest Floridians a way to communicate when all else fails.

Dana Dash of Cape Coral is one of the local pioneers testing this system. The first thing you notice when visiting his home is the antenna on the roof. It's not for satellite TV or the internet, but for a radio communications network.

“It’s called Meshtastic. It’s an off-grid communications protocol,” Dash explained. “There’s no license required. It uses LoRa band technology to connect your cell phone to other devices on the network.”

Meshtastic runs on a frequency once used by older cell phones. The FCC has since opened it for public, license-free use. Unlike ham radio, which requires training and certification, Meshtastic is designed to be accessible to anyone.

Dash says the system could be critical after disasters like Hurricane Ian, when cell and internet service were knocked out across Southwest Florida.

“When a hurricane happens, I’m out finding where there’s water, fuel — any necessities,” he said. “People with no comms at all can’t call to ask if gas stations are open. We can broadcast that information over the network to anyone with a node in Cape Coral, North Fort Myers, wherever.”

The devices, called “nodes," can connect by Bluetooth to your phone through a simple app. Type a message, and it hops across the mesh network until it reaches another user. With the right placement, a single node can extend coverage up to 100 miles.

Ben Giddens of Cape Coral, a licensed ham radio operator, carries a pocket-sized node every day. He sees it as a powerful backup.

“It was used in Eastern Tennessee after Hurricane Helene,” Giddens said. “About 120 radios were deployed to volunteers for search and rescue communications.”

Once you buy a node, you’re automatically connected to the “mesh.” Messages can be sent publicly or privately, hopping up to seven times across the network.

“There are probably about 10,000 users in the United States,” Dash noted. “I’ve seen about 400 online in Florida at any one time.”

Unlike traditional services, Meshtastic is open-source and community-powered. If one node goes down, others can still pass messages through.

“It’s not commercialized. Nobody can pull the plug and shut the whole system down,” Dash said. “The more people on it, the more powerful it becomes.”

As storm season continues in Florida, some residents see Meshtastic not just as a hobby, but as a lifeline

TUESDAY EDITION: Installed the 9-1 balun up 25 feet and coax run to the shack. today I have to shoot a line over a maple tree to attach the 124 foot FlexWeeve wire to complete the job. I never have tried a end fed antenna at home but have deployed one on field day, I just want to see how it performs. Balun Designs suggested the wire lengths for best performance but added it is a compromise antenna, I thought that was interesting.

2025 One-Hertz Challenge: A Software-Only AM Radio Transmitter

We’ve been loving the variety of entries to the 2025 One-Hertz Challenge. Many a clock has been entered, to be sure, but also some projects that step well outside simple timekeeping. Case in point, this AM transmitter from [oldradiofixer.]

The software-only transmitter uses an ATTiny85 processor to output an AM radio signal in the broadcast band. It transmits a simple melody that you can tune in on any old radio you might have lying around the house. Achieving this was simple. [oldradiofixer] set up the cheap microcontroller to toggle pin PB0 at 1 MHz to create an RF carrier. Further code then turns the 1MHz carrier on and off at varying rates to play the four notes—G#, A, G#, and E—of the Twilight Zone theme. This is set up to repeat every second—hence, it’s a perfectly valid entry to the 2025 One-Hertz Challenge!

It’s a simple project, but one that demonstrates the basics of AM radio transmission quite well. The microcontroller may not put out a powerful transmission, but it’s funny to think just how easy it is to generate a broadcast AM signal with a bit of software and a length of wire hanging off one pin. Video after the break.

The Best of Amateur Radio Honored With ARRL Awards

F.C.C. hits pirate radio station in Worcester, MA with $25K fine

45 Fremont Street in Worcester Google

WORCESTER — The Federal Communications Commission recently proposed a $25,000 fine against Noah Opoku Gyamfi for allegedly operating an unlicensed radio station on 103.9 FM in Worcester under the name “Unity Radio.”

F.C.C. field agents said they traced transmissions during a 2024 enforcement sweep to a commercial building at 60 Fremont St. and matched the over-the-air programming to an online stream promoting itself as “Unity Radio.”

During an on-site inspection, a man identifying himself as “Frank” and “Opo National” allowed agents into the facility and powered down the transmitter at their request; investigators linked the alias to Gyamfi and to the station’s listed contact number, according to the notice dated August 7th. 

Regulators said Gyamfi had been warned in 2019 after agents found an over-limit signal on the same frequency at 45 Fremont St., but unauthorized operations allegedly continued, contributing to the penalty amount.

The pirate operation is not affiliated with Unity Radio, WUTY-FM 97.9, a licensed Worcester station that has been broadcasting since 2017.

The agency said pirate broadcasts can interfere with licensed stations and public-safety communications, including Emergency Alert System messages. Under the PIRATE Act, maximum penalties can reach $2,453,218 in total for violations.

MONDAY EDITION: I started painting the second of three  bathrooms, I have it half cut in and will go do the other half when I get thru with this blog. Foggy and cool, good day for inside work.....

The ARRL Solar Report

On August 22, Spaceweather.com reports a fast-moving Coronal Mass
Ejection, or CME, left the Sun on August 21.  However, it is not
Earth-directed, and is predicted to strike the planet Mars.

Solar activity has decreased back to low levels with a few weak
C-class flares observed from areas located in the northeast quadrant
of the solar disk. There are currently three sunspot regions on the
solar disk …

Read more

American Radio Relay League | Ham Radio Association and Resources – Read More

Ham Radio Users Explain Why They're Worried About AST SpaceMobile's Satellite Plans

AST SpaceMobile’s attempt to justify its use of the amateur radio band for its satellites has done little to assuage concerns from the ham radio community.

“AST is again economical with the truth,” an amateur radio operator in Germany named Mario Lorenz wrote to the FCC on Friday. 

AST SpaceMobile wants to use the 430 to 440MHz bands outside the US to control and track its constellation of 248 satellites, which promise to beam cellular connectivity to smartphones across the globe. However, these bands have long been allocated to amateur radio operations, raising fears that AST’s operations will create widespread interference.

On Tuesday, Texas-based AST defended using the radio band, telling the FCC that any radio interference should be minimal. It would use the 430 to 440MHz band for "very limited, non-routine" use, such as for “emergency operations when other frequency bands are unavailable." 

However, the amateur radio community says AST is already using those bands. On Friday, AMSAT-Deutschland sent a letter to the FCC that says amateur radio users have detected signals from AST’s satellites over the radio bands. 

The claim is therefore either a misrepresentation or a deliberate falsehood,” AMSAT-Deutschland wrote. In particular, AST’s BlueWalker-3 satellite was spotted using the radio band up until July 23 as the amateur radio community began campaigning against the spectrum use. 

Ironically, AMSAT-Deutschland operates as a group devoted to the advancement of satellite communications, along with amateur radio satellites. In the letter, the group even noted: “We applaud AST SpaceMobile’s ambitious goals. However, innovation must not come at the expense of internationally recognized and community-supported amateur radio services.”

AMSAT-Deutschland also tells PCMag the clash with AST has hit a nerve with the amateur radio community over concerns it could “set a precedent” if the FCC greenlights the company’s use of the 430 to 440MHz bands for satellite control. In addition, the group is worried that the FCC is “effectively shifting the resulting interference risks to other countries.”

“If similar authorizations are granted to other commercial operators, the 430-440 MHz band could gradually become unusable for amateur radio. What is framed as ‘exceptional use’ today risks becoming the norm tomorrow — to the detriment of a long-standing and diverse community of amateur radio users,” the group said. 

“It also raises questions about AST’s technical maturity,” the group added. “Other large-scale satellite operators — such as SpaceX, with over 6,000 Starlink satellites in orbit — appear to manage TT&C (Telemetry, Tracking, and Command) functions without resorting to use of the amateur UHF band.”

AST didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment. But the company submitted a third-party analysis to the FCC that claims to show the risk of interference to be “extremely unlikely” to amateur radio operations.  

However, Mario Lorenz, the amateur radio user who helped kick off the protest campaign, told the FCC on Friday that the third-party analysis was flawed. “Yet again, AST tries to get away with handing in only half the homework it was supposed to do,” Lorenz wrote. “Despite its title, the study addresses only a single scenario of interference in the AMATEUR RADIO SATELLITE service," not amateur radio use on the ground. 

The Bulgarian Federation of Radio Amateurs also told the FCC last month: “Even slight interference under these operating conditions can result in harmful interference as defined in (FCC regulations) 47 CFR §2.1, disrupting communications, damaging experimental data integrity, and jeopardizing control of amateur satellites.”

 

WEEKEND EDITON: Great weather for the ham fest and  great turnout as well, ham radio is alive in New England. the big news is the new Icom 7300MKII. I love the built in hdmi port, enhanced rx and tx, cw decoder....wonder what the initial price will be?

Hamfest dinner

Enhanced Performance

Firsts for Icom HF radios

Other Highlights

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