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WEDNESDAY EDITION: Open House at the CAARA club this morning from 10-noon, all welcome....

FCC Bans Sale Of All Foreign Drones In The U.S.

The FCC has prohibited the sale of all new foreign-made drones and drone components in the U.S., ostensibly as a matter of national security. As FCC Chairman Brendan Carr said on X, “Criminals, terrorists, and hostile foreign actors have intensified their weaponization of these technologies, creating new and serious threats to our homeland.” It is certainly true that drones are redefining the shape of modern conflict. But the question here is, if foreign drones get banned, why wouldn’t all these bad guys just buy American drones instead? It’s not clear how the prohibition solves the purported problem.

To be clear, this ban only affects any future drone models designed outside the U.S. In other words, anything you can buy right now will continue to be on sale. It’s just that any newer models will not be certified, so going forward, only old foreign drones and new domestic ones will be available. Take that, terrorists! However, the military and homeland security services can still request waivers for specific models they want. And given that many first responders use drones these days, it wouldn’t be surprising if they get waivers, too.

Read More: https://www.jalopnik.com/2063860/fcc-bans-sale-foreign-drones/

ARRL Awards Colvin Grant to Bouvet DXpedition

ARRL The National Association for Amateur Radio® has awarded a $5,000 Colvin Award grant to the Delta-Xray Group, organizers of the upcoming 3YØK DXpedition to Bouvet Island, scheduled for February and March, 2026. Bouvet is a remote island in the Southern Ocean, populated only by seals and penguins, and known for treacherous weather and surf conditions. It is a territory of Norway and nearly all of it is covered by glaciers. The most recent amateur radio operation from Bouvet was the 3YØJ DXpedition in 2023, which moved the island from #2 on the Club Log most wanted list to #10.

Two camps are planned, according to team leaders, operating all HF bands, with one camp focusing on high band propagation to North America when conditions allow. Each camp will consist of three tents serving as operating, sleeping, and communal spaces. These tents have previously been used on Bouvet Island and team leaders say they have proven capable of withstanding the extreme conditions expected.

Plans call for the team to leave for Bouvet from Cape Town, South Africa, on February 1. Weather permitting, 3YØK plans to use helicopter airlifts to transport personnel and equipment between the vessel and the island. The group expects to spend three weeks on and around the island and will attempt to contact as many other ham radio operators around the world as they can, using up to 8 stations operating on CW, SSB, FT8, RTTY and the QO-100 geostationary satellite.

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

52 Week Ham Challenge Returns for 2026

This year’s challenge consists of weekly exercises ranging from making a QSO on Echolink to eliminating a source of interference.

This is meant to inspire you to extend your horizon in amateur radio by weekly challenges through the year that touch all aspects of ham radio (and related fields). A lot of the challenges may be trivial for some participants (because it is what they do all the time), but very challenging to others. Participants of the challenge are encouraged to help each other in any way possible.

Participants are encouraged to post progress through social media using the #hamchallenge hashtag. An IRC channel is also available.

The 53 Week Ham Challenge is created by Fabian Kurz (DJ5CW).

TUESDAY EDITION: Well Bob, you didn't like yesterdays pick, so how about this one? If you only had the key....The U.S. has a new lightning champion. Oklahoma has dethroned Florida to become the nation's lightning capital, according to a new report released Monday, Jan. 5.  With approximately 73 lightning flashes per square mile last year, Oklahoma displaced the state that has traditionally dominated this ranking, "signaling a broader surge in lightning activity across the Great Plains," according to the report.....Chinese cyberattacks on Taiwan infrastructure averaged 2.6 million a day in 2025, report says

Radio Daily: HamSCI Speaker Series Explores WSPR Spectral Width....

HamSCI‘s first Speaker Series of 2026 will be presented by Dr. Barry Johnson (W4WB) and focus on WSPR spectral width.

[W4WB] will be speaking on a paper he co-authored along with Gene Marcus, W3PM titled “A Modest Study of WSPR-2 Spectral Width”. The topic arose from a question posed originally by HamSCI scientist Gwyn Griffith G3ZIL which was, “What is the minimum obtainable spectral width of WSPR-2 signals?” To answer this seemingly simple question was anything but simple as will become evident in the discussion comprising this presentation.

The presentation will take place on January 8th at 21:00 UTC over Zoom. Those interested in joining can do so from this Zoom link. Meeting ID and password are available here.

Reason versus Sentimental Attachment for Old Projects

MONDAY EDITION: Bob- I have her number if you want....How dumb are these college kids?......Good video....FYI: Why Are Gemstones Still Expensive if We Can Grow Them in a Lab? An Inside Look at Why Jewelry Prices Haven't Crashed in the Age of Lab-Created Diamonds

The Cutting Truth about Variable Capacitors

If you’ve seen a big air-variable capacitor, you may have noticed that some of the plates may have slots cut into them. Why? [Mr Carlson] has the answer in the video below. The short answer: you can bend the tabs formed by the slots to increase or decrease the capacitance by tiny amounts for the purpose of tuning.

For example, if you have a radio receiver with a dial, you can adjust the capacitor to make certain spots on the dial have an exact frequency. Obviously, you can only adjust in bands depending on how many slots are in the capacitor. Sometimes the adjustments aren’t setting the oscillator’s frequency. For example, the Delco radio he shows uses the capacitor to peak the tuning at the specified frequency.

You usually only find the slots on the end plates and, as you can see in the video, not all capacitors have the slots. Of course, bending the plates with or without slots will make things change. Just don’t bend enough to short to an adjacent plate or the fixed plates when the capacitor meshes.

Of course, not all variable capacitors have this same design. We’ve seen a lot of strange set ups.

A radio station that played a “pivotal role” in the history of wireless communication is celebrating its 125th anniversary.

The Lizard Wireless Station in Cornwall opened on 1 January 1901 and was able to communicate with ships up to 80 miles away, pushing the boundaries of what was thought possible at the time.

Later that same month the station received a wireless signal from St Catherine’s Point on the Isle of Wight, proving for the first time radio waves could follow the curvature of the Earth.

The National Trust now cares for the cliff-top facility, operating it as an amateur radio station and its historic call sign will be active for the whole of January to mark the anniversary.

Read more – BBC: https://bit.ly/3MWoLOW

WEEKEND EDITION: Football Sunday, great afternoon to turn the radios off and watch the games by the wood stove. Looks like 24 degrees at 8am and another inch of white stuff....

On my and Cal's bucket list, visit the Stumble Inn in NH

Breaking News on 3928.....Cal- HHO  had his first pedicure in 85 years. Cal being a trendsetter on and off the air had her paint on his name on his left toe and his call sign on his right toe in a flashy red. I still am waiting for a photo for the gang to see, congrats on the balls to the wall statement Cal!...TIP, don't make any travel plans to Venezuela...

Citizen Science by the Skin of Your Teeth

If you are a schoolkid of the right age, you can’t wait to lose a baby tooth. In many cultures, there is a ritual surrounding it, like the tooth fairy, a mouse who trades your tooth for a gift, or burying the tooth somewhere significant. But in 1958, a husband and wife team of physicians wanted children’s teeth for a far different purpose: quantifying the effects of nuclear weapons testing on the human body.

Louise and Eric Reiss, along with some other scientists, worked with Saint Louis University and the Washington School of Dental Medicine to collect and study children’s discarded teeth. They were looking for strontium-90, a nasty byproduct of above-ground nuclear testing. Strontium is similar enough to calcium that consuming it in water and dairy products will leave the material in your bones, including your teeth.

The study took place in the St. Louis area, and the results helped convince John F. Kennedy to sign the Partial Nuclear Test Ban Treaty.

They hoped to gather 50,000 teeth in a year. By 1970, 12 years later, they had picked up over 320,000 donated teeth. While a few kids might have been driven by scientific altruism, it didn’t hurt that the program used colorful posters and promised each child a button to mark their participation.

Children’s teeth were particularly advantageous to use because they are growing and are known to readily absorb radioactive material, which can cause bone tumors.

Scale

You might wonder just how much nuclear material is floating around due to bombs. Obviously, there were two bombs set off during the war, as well as the test bombs required to get to that point. Between 1945 and 1980, there were five countries conducting atmospheric tests at thirteen sites. The US, accounting for about 65% of the tests, the USSR, the UK, France, and China detonated 504 nuclear devices equivalent to about 440 megatons of TNT.

Well over 500 bombs with incredible force have put a lot of radioactive material into the atmosphere. That doesn’t count, too, the underground tests that were not always completely contained. For example, there were two detonations in Mississippi where the radiation was contained until they drilled holes for instruments, leaving contaminated soil on the surface. Today, sites like this have “monuments” explaining that you shouldn’t dig in the area.

Of course, above-ground tests are worse, with fallout affecting “downwinders” or people who live downwind of the test site. There have been more than one case of people, unaware of the test, thinking the fallout particles were “hot snow” and playing in it. Test explosions have sent radioactive material into the stratosphere. This isn’t just a problem for people living near the test sites.

Results

By 1961, the team published results showing that strontium-90 levels in the teeth increased depending on when the child was born. Children born in 1963 had levels of strontium-90 fifty times higher than those born in 1950, when there was very little nuclear testing.

The results were part of the reason that President Kennedy agreed to an international partial test ban, as you can see in the Lincoln Presidential Foundation video below. You may find it amazing that people would plan trips to watch tests, and they were even televised.

In 2001, Washington University found 85,000 of the teeth stored away. This allowed the Radiation and Public Health Project to track 3,000 children who were, by now, adults, of course.

Sadly, 12 children who had died from cancer before age 50 had baby teeth with twice the levels of the teeth of people who were still alive at age 50. To be fair, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission has questioned these findings, saying the study is flawed and fails to account for other risk factors.

And teeth don’t just store strontium. In the 1970s, other researchers used baby teeth to track lead ingestion levels. Baby teeth have also played a role in the Flint Water scandal. In South Africa, the Tooth Fairy Project monitored heavy metal pollution in children’s teeth, too.

Teeth aren’t the only indicator of nuclear contamination. Steel is also at risk.

 

FRIDAY EDITION: 17 degrees....An early start today with a 5:30am ER room visit with the xyl....all is well ....

From Cobb Island To The World: The Radio Transmission That Changed Everything

COBB ISLAND, Md. — On Dec. 23, 2025, the Charles County Amateur Radio Club (CCARC) braved the cold and commemorated inventor Reginald Aubrey Fessenden’s achievement by performing the same transmission in the same area where Fessenden once did via radio.  STORY

Morse code lovers and navy trainers help skill live on in a world of digital technology (Australia)

It may be an antiquated form of communication, but many Australians from all walks of life are helping to keep Morse code alive.

Leo Nette calls himself a proud “Morsecodian” and has been a long-time volunteer at Beechworth Telegraph Station.

The station opened in 1858 and is the last one left in operation in Australia, albeit using telephone lines to transmit messages now that telegraph lines are long gone.

Volunteers at Beechworth Telegraph Station work with Mr Nette to receive messages, type them out and then post a telegram through the mail.

“Our oldest [volunteer] is 95, and our youngest is in his early 70s, so our future’s looking grim,” Mr Nette said.

Read more – ABC Australia: https://bit.ly/4ble5Dk

NEW YEARS EDITION: It's nice waking up with no hangover, don't miss those days at all.....snowing here, about an inch so far this morning...

Building a Low-Cost Satellite Tracker

Looking up at the sky just after sunset or just before sunrise will reveal a fairly staggering amount of satellites orbiting overhead, from tiny cubesats to the International Space Station. Of course these satellites are always around, and even though you’ll need specific conditions to view them with the naked eye, with the right radio antenna and only a few dollars in electronics you can see exactly which ones are flying by at any time

[Josh] aka [Ham Radio Crash Course] is demonstrating this build on his channel and showing every step needed to get something like this working. The first part is finding the correct LoRa module, which will be the bulk of the cost of this project. Unlike those used for most Meshtastic nodes, this one needs to be built for the 433 MHz band. The software running on this module is from TinyGS, which we have featured here before, and which allows a quick and easy setup to listen in to these types of satellites. This build goes much further into detail on building the antenna, though, and also covers some other ancillary tasks like mounting it somewhere outdoors.

With all of that out of the way, though, the setup is able to track hundreds of satellites on very little hardware, as well as display information about each of them. We’d always favor a build that lets us gather data like this directly over using something like a satellite tracking app, although those do have their place. And of course, with slightly more compute and a more directed antenna there is all kinds of other data beaming down that we can listen in on as well, although that’s not always the intent.

Build Yourself A Graphing Weather Display

These days, Internet connectivity is ubiquitous, so you can look up live weather data on just about any device around you. Regardless, [Jozerworx] wanted a simple, clean, independent weather display, and came up with this simple design. 

The build is based on the Lilygo T5 EPD devboard, which combines an ESP32-S3 microcontroller with a nice 4.7-inch e-paper display. This display has the benefit that it only uses power when it’s being updated, making it particularly suitable to run off a battery for extended periods of time. Meanwhile, the ESP32 and its inbuilt Wi-Fi connectivity allow it to query the internet for updated weather forecasts. Weather data is sourced via the OpenWeather API, which [Jozerworx] notes comes with the caveat of requiring an API key. It’s a little fussy, but if you want good weather data, there are few easier ways to get it. The display shows a forecast for the next five days, while also showing graphs of ambient temperature and humidity along with useful information like the sunset and sunrise schedule.

Files are on Github for those eager to learn more. [Jozerworx] also notes that getting started with the display is particularly easy with the inclusion of a setup mode. This allows the display to act as a Wi-Fi access point with a web page that you use enter your home Wi-Fi connection details.

We’ve featured a great many charming weather displays over the years, too. If you’re working to plot, chart, or even predict the weather—don’t hesitate to show us your cool projects over on the tipsline!

WEDNESDAY EDITION: Simple day today, radio club from 10-12, followed by lunch at the Elks, and then pickup a pupu platter to snack on tonight....maybe checkin to the 4pm Elbo Net on 3928 ....On a side note, just how stupid is NE Patriots star Stefan Diggs? Facing strangulation and asault charges, what timing!

Building a Low-Cost Satellite Tracker

Looking up at the sky just after sunset or just before sunrise will reveal a fairly staggering amount of satellites orbiting overhead, from tiny cubesats to the International Space Station. Of course these satellites are always around, and even though you’ll need specific conditions to view them with the naked eye, with the right radio antenna and only a few dollars in electronics you can see exactly which ones are flying by at any time.

[Josh] aka [Ham Radio Crash Course] is demonstrating this build on his channel and showing every step needed to get something like this working. The first part is finding the correct LoRa module, which will be the bulk of the cost of this project. Unlike those used for most Meshtastic nodes, this one needs to be built for the 433 MHz band. The software running on this module is from TinyGS, which we have featured here before, and which allows a quick and easy setup to listen in to these types of satellites. This build goes much further into detail on building the antenna, though, and also covers some other ancillary tasks like mounting it somewhere outdoors.

With all of that out of the way, though, the setup is able to track hundreds of satellites on very little hardware, as well as display information about each of them. We’d always favor a build that lets us gather data like this directly over using something like a satellite tracking app, although those do have their place. And of course, with slightly more compute and a more directed antenna there is all kinds of other data beaming down that we can listen in on as well, although that’s not always the intent.

Lizard Wireless Station celebrates 125 years of world‑changing radio history

The National Trust is marking the 125th anniversary of the Lizard Wireless Station — the clifftop site that helped transform global communication — with a month of special on‑air activity and public openings throughout January.

The historic building, perched above the Atlantic at Britain’s most southerly point, first opened on January 1 1901, becoming one of the world’s earliest commercial wireless telegraphy stations and enabling ships up to 80 miles away to communicate with land for the first time.

Just weeks later, on January 23 1901, the station achieved a groundbreaking feat: receiving a wireless signal sent from St Catherine’s Point on the Isle of Wight — conclusive proof that radio waves could follow the curvature of the Earth.

The breakthrough paved the way for Guglielmo Marconi’s landmark transatlantic transmission from Poldhu later that same year, establishing the foundations of long‑distance radio communication.

Today, the site remains a living piece of radio history. Cared for by the National Trust and run by dedicated volunteers, the station still operates as an amateur radio hub, connecting visitors and radio enthusiasts with the very landscape where pioneering experiments once took place.

During the anniversary month, the station’s original call sign will return to the airwaves, and visitors will be welcomed inside for rare behind‑the‑scenes tours.

Since 2017, the station’s amateur radio operations have been overseen by Geoff Bate, who stepped into the role after retiring in 2016. Geoff, who describes the station as a unique blend of 'location, history and people,' says meeting visitors and sharing its story remains one of the highlights of his work.

His duties range from equipment maintenance to managing access to masts and aerials, as well as helping amateur radio operators who travel specifically to broadcast from the historic site.

Inside, one room has been recreated to show what the equipment would have looked like during Marconi’s era, while others display radio artefacts and house the modern amateur station still in active use.

TUESDAY EDITION: New Years' Resolutions...none here....Big project of the day, hookup a Blink video doorbell I got for xmas, I never had a doorbell on this house.....

Space-π to transmit SSTV images via UMKA-1 (RS40S) CubeSat

AMSAT-Francophone has posted information about an SSTV event sponsored by Space-π. The event will transmit SSTV images from the UMKA-1 (RS40S) CubeSat and run December 28th through the later portion of January. Transmitted images will include children’s drawings with additional imagery to follow early in January.

Those looking to receive images can point their antennas at the UMKA-1 (RS40S) CubeSat and tune their receivers to 437.625 MHz. SSTV images are expected to be transmitted in the Robot 36 format.

Source: AMSAT-Francophone

Build A High Voltage Supply For Vacuum Tube Work

If you work on simple digital projects, just about any bench supply will offer the voltage and current you’re looking for. However, if you’re working with valves, you’ll often find yourself needing much higher voltages that can be tricky to source. [Chappy Happy] has shared a design for a simple HV power supply that should prove useful to vacuum tube enthusiasts.

The build is fairly basic in nature, lacing together some commonly available parts to generate the necessary voltages for working with common vacuum tubes from a 12 volt DC input. Inside the supply is a UC3843A DC boost converter, set up to output high voltage up to around 300 volts DC, with a ripple filter added for good measure. The output can be adjusted with a knob, with a voltmeter on the front panel. There’s also a 12-volt output, and a LM2596 step down converter to produce 6.3 volts for the filament supply. The whole project is built in an old Heathkit project box, and he demonstrates the supply with a simple single-tube amplifier.

If you find yourself regularly whipping up tube circuits, you might like to have something like this on your workbench. Or, you might even consider cooking up your own tubes from scratch if you’re more adventurous like that. Video after the break.

Blog – Hackaday Read More

MONDAY EDITION: Hidden gems you can find at Harbor Freight for ham radio....

EMAIL:

Charles club commemorates first radio transmission 125 years ago

Members of the Charles County Amateur Radio Club met at Very House and Fisherman’s Field on Cobb Island to commemorate the first transmission radio 125 years ago when Reginald Fessenden had the idea to put human voice on the air instead of using Morse code.

 

Any Old TV Can Be A Clock With Arduino

If you’ve got an old black and white TV, it’s probably not useful for much. There are precious few analog broadcasters left in the world and black and white isn’t that fun to watch, anyway. However, with a little work, you could repurpose that old tube as a clock, as [mircemk] demonstrates.

The build is based around an Arduino Nano R3. This isn’t a particularly powerful microcontroller board, but it’s good enough to run the classic TVOut library. This library lets you generate composite video on an Atmel AVR microcontroller with an absolute minimum of supporting circuitry. [mircemk] paired the Arduino with a DS3231 real-time clock, and whipped up code to display the time and date on the composite video output. He then also demonstrates how to hack the signal into an old TV that doesn’t have a specific input for composite signals.

You’ll note the headline says “any old TV can be a clock,” and that’s for good reason. Newer TVs tend to eschew the classic composite video input, so the TVOut library won’t be any good if you’re trying to get a display up on your modern-era flatscreen. In any case, we’ve seen the TVOut library put to good use before, too. Video after the break.

Blog – Hackaday Read More

 

WEEKEND EDITION: The coating to 1 inch turned out to be 4 inches of light fluff, I could probably use the leaf blower to clear the deck and wlkways....

Learn about the hams on 3928: Art- K1BGH, a hell of a nice guy, talented too!

I was first licensed in 1956 as KN1BGH , took my test from Bob Strid W1RUU. Back in those days the wheels of the government spun very slowly, It took a long four months to get my novice license in the mail! I ran 5 watts with a home  brew 6l6 oscillator and a Hallicrafters Sky Buddy and a folded dipole abt 15 feet off the ground. It was magical, I would race home from school to get on the radio! Turn the tides of time forward,  After spending 31 years commercial fishing, away from home for a week at a time,  helping my bride raise three wonderful kids,  decided to retire from fishing and along with that came the desire to get back into ham radio. I started with the novice call KA1COJ , then N1HPQ as a general, KD1AL as a Advanced then got my old call back K1BGH. Later got my extra . Now enjoy rag chewing with friends on 75 meters and enjoy working dxon 80 meters .  Now in semi-retirement helping my bride with her landscape business and helping my daughter-in law with her seasonal cafe and my seasonal icecream shop and keeping up to speed with my five grandchildren...Phew Retirement !!!!

    My other loves in my life besides my Bride, are our Island Home on Chebeague Island and my passion about Model A Fords.  the one I am working on now is a 1931 hot rod that was neglected for years it is now at a stage where it is road worthy, FUN ! 

So Long Firefox, Hello Vivaldi

It’s been twenty-three years since the day Phoenix was released, the web browser that eventually became Firefox. I downloaded it on the first day and installed it on my trusty HP Omnibook 800 laptop, and until this year I’ve used it ever since. Yet after all this time, I’m ready to abandon it for another browser. In the previous article in this series I went into my concerns over the direction being taken by Mozilla with respect to their inclusion of AI features and my worries about privacy in Firefox, and I explained why a plurality of browser engines is important for the Web. Now it’s time to follow me on my search for a replacement, and you may be surprised by one aspect of my eventual choice.

Happily for my own purposes, there are a range of Firefox alternatives which fulfill my browser needs without AI cruft and while allowing me to be a little more at peace with my data security and privacy. There’s Chromium of course even if it’s still way too close to Google for my liking, and there are a host of open-source WebKit and Blink based browsers too numerous to name here.

In the Gecko world that should be an easier jump for a Firefox escapee there are also several choices, for example LibreWolf, and Waterfox. In terms of other browser engines there’s the extremely promising but still early in development Ladybird, and the more mature Servo, which though it is available as a no-frills browser, bills itself as an embedded browser engine. I have not considered some other projects that are either lightweight browser engines, or ones not under significant active development.

Over this summer and autumn then I have tried a huge number of different browsers. Every month or so I build the latest Ladybird and Servo; while I am hugely pleased to see progress they’re both still too buggy for my purposes. Servo is lightning-fast but sometimes likes to get stuck in mobile view, while Ladybird is really showing what it’s going to be but remains for now slow-as-treacle. These are ones to watch, and support.

I gave LibreWolf and Waterfox the most attention over the summer, both of which after the experience I’d describe as like Firefox but with mildly annoying bugs. The inability to video conference reliably is a show-stopper in my line of work, and since my eyesight is no longer what it once was I like my browsers to remember when I have zoomed in on a tab. Meanwhile Waterfox on Android is a great mobile browser, right up until it needs to open a link in another app, and fails. I’m used to the quirks of open-source software after 30+ years experimenting with Linux, but when it comes to productivity I can’t let my software disrupt the flow of Hackaday articles.

It might surprise you after all this open-source enthusiasm then, to see the browser I’ve ended up comfortable with. Vivaldi may be driven by the open-source Blink engine from Chromium and Chrome, but its proprietary front end doesn’t have an open-source licence.

It’s freeware, or free-as-in-beer, and I think the only such software I use. Why, I hear you ask? It’s an effort to produce a browser like Opera used to be in the old days, it’s European which is a significant consideration when it comes to data protection law, and it has (so far) maintained a commitment to privacy while not being evil in the Google motto sense.

It’s quick, I like its interface once the garish coloured default theme has been turned off, and above all, it Just Works. I have my browser back, and I can get on with writing. Should they turn evil I can dump them without a second thought, and hope by then Ladybird has matured enough to suit my needs.

It may not be a trend many of us particularly like, but here in 2025 there’s a sense that the browser has reduced our computers almost to the status of a terminal. It’s thus perhaps the most important piece of software on the device, and in that light I hope you can understand some of the concerns levelled in this series. If you’re reading this from Firefox HQ I’d implore you to follow my advice and go back to what made Firefox so great back in the day, but for the rest of you I’d like to canvass your views on my choice of a worthy replacement. As always, the comments are waiting.

Amateur Radio Newsline Report

SUCCESS WITH STUDENT DMR PROJECT IN INDIA

STEPHEN/ANCHOR: Our top story takes us to India. Exactly one year ago, ham radio stations were established in 20 residential schools in disadvantaged areas of one southwestern state. A year later, teachers and their students have become a small, thriving amateur radio community thanks to these small digital mobile radios, or DMR. John Williams VK4JJW has that update.

JOHN: The challenge of teaching science and communication to disadvantaged students in the Indian state of Karnataka got a big boost one year ago when the Karnataka Residential Educational Institutions Society turned 20 of its schools into ham shacks. Some of the teachers became hams and, in turn, guided their young students in grades 6 through 12 along the way. Forty students became hams and were soon using the DMR hand-held radios, participating in the daily net and connecting to the world.

More broadly, with the installation of DMR base stations by the Indian Institute of Hams, the schools themselves became communication hubs that could be used when natural disasters knocked out conventional means of contact in their remote rural communities.

The past year has been one of challenge and innovation for Shirin, VU3DBO, one of the 20 teachers in the school system who received her ham radio certificate from the Ministry of Communication. The science teacher wove the radio curriculum into the classes where she also taught about energy, technology, the environment and space.

Shirin told Newsline in an email that the hands-on STEM learning, the expanded communication skills and the exposure to team work has sparked the students' curiosity and built confidence over the past year. She said amateur radio was [quote] "a wonderful hobby, fun in a hands-on way." [endquote]

This is John Williams VK4JJW.

(SHIRIN, VU3DBO)

**
UNIVERSAL POSTAL CONGRESS ENDS USE OF IRCS in 2026

STEPHEN/ANCHOR: Say goodbye to IRCs, the coupons that are still in use in parts of the world by hams requesting QSL cards. Next year at this time they'll be gone, as we hear from Graham Kemp VK4BB.

GRAHAM: Although International Reply Coupons, or IRCs, are still being used by some DX-chasing hams in their requests for QSL cards, that option is set to end by this time next year. Countries belonging to the Universal Postal Union have voted to discontinue their use effective 31 December 2026. The vote was taken in September at the 28th Universal Postal Congress held in Dubai. There are a number of IRCs already in circulation that bear the expiration date of 31 December 2025 and they are expected to be honoured for another year.

In an era marked by a migration toward confirmations on digital platforms and in digital QSOs, the move brings an already disappearing amateur radio practice to its conclusion. A statement from the Universal Postal Union said the sunset of the IRC, first put into practice in 1907, was [quote] “a natural progression within the broader transformation of international postal services in alignment with the digital practices and modern outlook of their customers.” [Endquote]

This is Graham Kemp VK4BB.

(425 DX BULLETIN)

**
BOUVET DXPEDITIONER IS HAM RADIO UNIVERSITY FEATURED SPEAKER

STEPHEN/ANCHOR: Don't forget the regional amateur radio educational event taking place on Long Island, New York: Ham Radio University which - appropriately enough - is taking place on a university campus. Long Island University-Post campus will be once again hosting the all-day program on Saturday the 10th of January. Now in its 27th year, Ham Radio University draws amateurs from around the region and also serves as the Long Island Section Convention for the ARRL.

This year's featured speaker will be Adrian KO8SCA, who has been preparing for a return trip to Bouvet Island as co-leader of a 24-member team. The day's offerings will include 23 forums and, of course, a discussion about POTA, Morse Code and STEM education.

The date is coming up fast. Admission is free but a $10 donation is suggested. Visit hamradiouniversity dot org for more details (hamradiouniversity.org)

(HAM RADIO UNIVERSITY)

**
SILENT KEY: JIM SHAFFER, KE5AL, ADVOCATE FOR BLIND HAMS

STEPHEN/ANCHOR: An advocate for hams who are blind and for the Handiham program that serves amateur radio operators with disabilities has become a Silent Key. We hear about him from Travis Lisk N3ILS.

TRAVIS: The amateur radio software developed by Jim Shaffer, KE5AL, gave hams who are blind the ability to control and monitor their HF rigs without needing a sighted person's assistance, providing the freedom of independent operating in their shacks. The retired IBM software engineer knew that operating challenge all too well: he was blind since birth.

Jim became a Silent Key on the 2nd of December. According to his online obituary, the Texas resident died of complications from Parkinson's disease.

Jim's well-known applications, JJRadio and JJ Flex Radio, attracted attention for their promise of accessibility when used with many different radio models. His development of the free programs brought him to the attention of host Hap Holly/KC9RP, host of the RAIN Report, which featured an interview with Jim. Hap, who became a Silent Key earlier this year, had also been blind since birth -- and like Jim, also supported the Handiham progam, which trains and serves the community of hams with disabilities.

Non-hams in Central Texas also knew Jim well for his other deep involvement: He was a versatile musician and popular fiddler in a number of music groups, including the Piney Grove Ramblers.

Jim was 72.

**
SILENT KEY: JIM HEATH, W6LG, NOTED YOUTUBE ELMER

STEPHEN/ANCHOR: The host of a popular YouTube Channel that made him the Elmer to nearly 53,000 subscribers and viewers has become a Silent Key. We hear about him from Paul Braun WD9GCO.

PAUL: In many of the videos on his channel, Jim Heath W6LG, introduces himself as "your YouTube Elmer for ham radio basics." In his easygoing, personable style, Jim explained, in plain and basic language, the mysteries of  SWR, grounding, antennas and dummy loads. A popular presence on YouTube, Jim brought viewers directly into his radio room via a YouTube studio inside his shack.

Jim, who had endured years of hospitalizations following a leukemia diagnosis, became a Silent Key on December 22nd at his California home. He had been a ham since getting his license in 1964 with the callsign WN6JZC. He had held his well-known vanity callsign, W6LG, since 2004. He also grew to love chasing DX and counted among his collection the QSL cards of King Hussein of Jordan JY1 and Father Marshall D. Moran 9N1MM, the first ham radio operator in Nepal.

Jim had also been the owner of High Sierra, which made one of the first screwdriver antennas for mobile HF use.

Over much of his adult life, Jim faced numerous health challenges -- a disabling fall from a roof in 1998 while working as a building inspector; and a series of health crises later, including pulmonary embolisms, congestive heart failure and severe osteoporosis. Then came the news he had leukemia.

In his final months he appeared on Ham Smarter, the YouTube channel of Vince D'Eon VE6LK, and the two became friends. Vince described Jim as [quote] "a good friend to many and an Elmer to all." Announcing Jim's death, Vince urged hams to continue visiting the W6LG channel so they can [quote] "learn from the best." [endquote]

Jim was in his mid-70’s.

****
MINNESOTA HAM TEAM KEEPS HOLIDAY FEST SAFE AND BRIGHT

STEPHEN/ANCHOR: The sudden assembly of thousands of people in one small, rural 16-block-long Minnesota town in early December spurred swift and careful action from first-responders and amateur radio operators - but this was no community in crisis; it was a celebration. Kent Peterson KCØDGY explains.

KENT: The small town of Arlington, Minnesota is always happy to welcome newcomers, particularly at its annual holiday festival, Arli-Dazzle. No doubt there were first-timers among those attending in the estimated crowd size of 10,000 who arrived on December 5th and 6th, feeling the holiday spirit.

Perhaps more importantly, the newcomers included 10 ham radio operators - six of them newly licensed Technicians, with handy-talkies in hand - as part of the team of more than 34 hams who volunteered to ensure that everyone enjoyed this holiday tradition.

Don Burgess, KCØQNA, the emergency radio coordinator for Sibley County, told Newsline in an email: [quote] “This town event is one that a lot of my radio team really looks forward to doing each year regardless of temps or weather conditions. The Local Police Chief looks to us as his reserve officers in many aspects, and we never let him or the community down.” [endquote]

He said the hams traveled from as far away as Minneapolis and St. Paul - the so-called “Twin Cities” an hour away - to make sure things went smoothly, from setting up barricades for the 5K runners to setting up light generators for the parade route. The Sibley Emergency Radio Team Club, with Don as safety and logistics coordinator, have provided that reassuring presence for the past 16 years.

The team is no stranger to community service at dozens of public events - even in nearby towns such as Gaylord. This festival is one that’s special, said Don. [Quote] “It really takes on the mom and pop old days family Christmas vibes for sure.” [Endquote] The team is happy to lend mom and pop a hand.

This is Kent Peterson KCØDGY.

(DON BURGESS, KCØQNA)

**
RAY SOIFER W2RS/SK HONORED AGAIN IN AMSAT CW EVENT

STEPHEN/ANCHOR: The new year brings an opportunity to honor the memory of a satellite enthusiast who left the lasting legacy of a popular CW event. We have those details from Randy Sly W4XJ.

RANDY: Ray Soifer, W2RS, loved CW and he also loved satellites. Before becoming a Silent Key in March of 2022, Ray gave a gift to both the CW and satellite communities: AMSAT's CW Activity Day, formerly known as AMSAT Straight Key Night.

The annual event has since been renamed the W2RS Memorial AMSAT CW Activity Day and, as always, the on-air action is taking place on January 1st, the same day that the ARRL holds Straight Key Night. Participants use any amateur radio multi-mode satellite to make QSOs using CW on that day between 0000 and 2359 UTC. Although the use of a straight key or a bug is not required, it is strongly encouraged. So are photos and video clips, which operators are invited to share on various social media platforms with amsat as the tag. As for logs, they're not necessary either, but AMSAT would like operators to submit reports to the AMSAT-BB.

One word of caution: operators are urged to use the minimum power necessary to complete their contacts. Constant carrier modes such as CW are capable of disrupting transponders.

This is Randy Sly W4XJ.

(AMSAT NEWS)

**
WORLD OF DX

In this holiday season there is still plenty to celebrate in the World of DX. Listen for the Israel Amateur Radio Club callsigns 4X25X, 4X25M, 4X25A and 4X25S on the air from the 25th through to the 31st of December using CW, SSB and FT8. QSL via 4X6ZM, through the bureau or direct.

Throughout the new year 2026 the special callsign DB1ØØFT will be on the air to celebrate the 100th birthday of the Berlin Radio Tower, which has played a major role in Germany's radio broadcast history.

Ken, JO1VRK is on the air from Saipan IOTA Number OC-086, from the 29th of December through to the 3rd of January. Listen on 40-10 metres where Ken will be using CW and digital modes. See QRZ.com for QSL details.

Two special callsigns are celebrating Bulgaria's admission into the Eurozone and the nation's adoption of the euro as currency. Listen for LZ2Ø25ZONE and LZ2Ø26EURO starting on the 1st of January. QSL via LZ2VP. An additional callsign, LZ1EURO, will be active from the 1st through to the 6th of January. QSL via LZ3SCO.

(425 DX BULLETIN)

**
KICKER: NO TIME LIKE THE PRESENT ... MAYBE

STEPHEN/ANCHOR: With the old year ending, and a new year starting up, it might seem to some of us that time is out of sorts. Well, it actually WAS out of sorts here in the US - in Boulder, Colorado, home of the F-4 atomic clock that delivers the official time with precision, right down to the microseconds. Kent Peterson KCØDGY explains.

KENT: A storm-related power cut by the electric utility serving the Boulder campus of the National Institute of Standards and Technology caused a drift in time of 4 millionths of a second in the official time-keeper, the F-4 atomic clock. Those moments are immeasurable and of little importance to most of us - except for those who rely on precision in data centers, global positioning systems, aerospace, telecommunications and the Network Time Protocol service, the timing resource for computer systems.

In the wake of the storm, Jeff Sherman, the physicist who maintains the atomic clocks, reported in a mailing-list post on Google groups that [quote]: "The atomic ensemble time scale at our Boulder campus has failed due to a prolonged utility power outage." [endquote]

By some reports, then, in late December, time literally stood still -- however briefly -- until the switch was made to a backup generator. That cost the F-4 atomic clock its accuracy.

Anticipating the storm with winds of hurricane strength, the NIST had previously advised users to connect to redundant systems at other campuses such as WWV/Fort Collins Colorado, or Gaithersburg, Maryland which would remain unaffected.

As for the F-4 atomic clock in Boulder, the time discrepancy was resolved with the clock's recalibration after power was back on by Sunday, December 21st. It was, of course, just a matter of time.

This is Kent Peterson KCØDGY.

(CBS NEWS, DENVER POST, NIST GOOGLEGROUPS)

FRIDAY EDITION: I hope all had a great holiday, I sure did....enjoying the 4 grandkids is the whole deal and that of being blessed with a great family, xyl, and  good health!....3927 hams- please send a picture of your shack and I will post it!

Learn about the hams on 3928: Shout out to Russell- W1JFX in WALDOBORO, ME. Russell has been licensed since the 1960's and has built his share of ham gear over the years. Currently running a loop antenna, Icom 7300 onto a AL-80b. Waldoboro is centrally located along the pristine coast of Lincoln County, Maine.  Incorporated  in 1773, it soon  developed a reputation as a ship building and port facility from the banks of the scenic Medomak River. The town's strong agricultural and fishing legacy continues today.  Waldoboro is consistently the largest soft-shell clam landing in the State of Maine.  Our farming heritage has been renewed by enthusiasm for traditional natural fiber production, cheesemaking, farm brewing, fermentation, soapmaking, and other lost agrarian arts. Waldoboro is becoming a popular destination with miles of beautiful river frontage, a thriving arts community, and a vast historical interest in its past as a German settlement.  From the shores of our pristine Medomak River to our farms come home to Waldoboro!

Seven-segment displays are one of the most ho-hum ways to display the time. They were cool for a little bit in the 70s, but by now, they’re a little bit old hat. That is, unless you get weird with it. This holographic seven-segment clock from [mosivers] qualifies neatly in that category.

The first step was to make the holographic segment displays, because they’re not really something you can just buy off the shelf. [mosivers] achieved this by using a kit from LitiHolo, which enables you to create holograms by shooting a laser at special holographic film. Only, a few upgrades were made to use the kit with a nicer red diode laser that [mosivers] had on hand for better performance. The seven-segment layouts were carefully recorded on to the film to form the basic numerals of the clock, such that illuminating the films from different angles would light different segments of the numeral. It’s quite involved, but it’s explained well in the build video.

As for the timekeeping side of things, an ESP32 was used, setup to query a network time server to stay accurate. The microcontroller then commands a series of LEDs to light up as needed to illuminate the relevant segments of the holographic film to show the time.

Ultimately, [mosivers] built a cool clock with a look you won’t find anywhere else. It’s a lot more work than just wiring up some classic seven-segment LEDs, but we think the result is worth it. If you fancy other weird seven-segment builds, though, we’ve got plenty of others in the till.

 

XMAS EDITION:

EMAIL: From the marble man...

 

XMAS EVE EDITION: Merry Xmas to all my readers, even the no-coders....no snow!

U.S. and Venezuela Jam Caribbean GPS Signals to Thwart Attacks, Raising Flight Hazard

How Israel’s amateur radio operators used quiet diplomacy, saved lives on Oct. 7 – opinion

Lockerbie 1988: amateur radio volunteers’ pivotal communication in disaster response remembered in 2025

hirty-seven years after the devastating Lockerbie bombing, the extraordinary efforts of amateur radio enthusiasts who provided a crucial communication lifeline amid the chaos continue to resonate. As the world reflects in 2025, their vital role underscores the enduring importance of volunteerism and resilient communication networks in times of crisis.

On December 21, 1988, the small Scottish town of Lockerbie became the site of an international tragedy when Pan Am Flight 103 exploded, scattering debris and claiming 270 lives. The immediate aftermath plunged the area into disarray, overwhelming local infrastructure and conventional communication systems.

In the face of unprecedented destruction, a unique group emerged to bridge the communication gap. Amateur radio operators, often called “hams,” swiftly mobilized, transforming their hobby into an indispensable emergency service, connecting first responders and coordinating relief efforts when other means failed.

Read more – Mix Vale: https://bit.ly/3MQjVTc

$300.....

TUESDAY EDITION: Talking heads say coating to 1 inch, more up north where can do something with it, like ski....not much ham news to post....

How does AllStarLink actually work, I asked

 

MONDAY EDITION: Weather experts are predicting a coating to 1 inch for Tuesday, the same as the last storm that I got 5 inches of powdery snow. Plow will be mounted and ready for action this time around, fooled me once!.... I read that Glock is no longer going to make handguns for the public.  Their patents have run out and so many other co's are imitating theirs, and cheaper.    Glock will continue to supply mil  and police.  

Obsolete Part 97 Rules to be Deleted February 10, 2026

An Introduction to DC Motor Technology

[Thinking Techie] takes us back to basics in a recent video explaining how magnets, coils, brushed DC motors, and brushless DC motors work. If this is on your “to learn” list, or you just want a refresher, you can watch the video below. It’ll be ten minutes well-spent.

The video covers the whole technology stack behind the humble DC motor in its various incarnations. Starting with basic magnetic effects, it then proceeds through 2-wire brushed DC motors and finally into 3-wire brushless DC motors (BLDC motors).

It’s worth knowing that the 3-wires in a BLDC motor are for three power phases; they are not, as in an RC servo, positive, negative, and signal leads. But, confusingly, the BLDC motors in your PC fans do have positive, negative, and signal pins. But that’s because, like an RC servo, the fans have controllers built into the case.

Thanks to [Keith Olson] for writing in about this one. If you’d like to go deeper into BLDC controller tech, check out Take A Ride Through The Development Of A Custom BLDC Motor Controller and Moteus Open Source BLDC Controller Gets Major Upgrade.

 

WEEKEND EDITION: The new Elbo Room news girl....A casket company offering a new energy drink, AWAKE. You have to be shitting me.....This should get you in the xmas mood...

Up to $25,000 at Stake in New ARRL Student Coding Competition

Only in Scotland:

A man drove at excessive speeds to evade police officers after he was caught using a sex toy in the back of his car.

Mehboob Mohammed, 53, was initially spotted by witnesses in Glasgow’s Castlemilk on August 23, 2023.

Mohammed was found half-naked with his phone propped up as he committed a sex act on himself.

He was reported to the police, who later found him in a state of panic.

Mohammed went on to drive at excessive speeds, go on the wrong side of the road and went through a red light as officers pursued him to East Kilbride, Lanarkshire.

Mohammed pled guilty on Tuesday at Glasgow Sheriff Court to a charge of public indecency.

He also admitted assaulting two police officers, dangerous driving and failing to appear at a court hearing.

The court heard that the witnesses’ attention was drawn to Mohammed’s Honda Civic vehicle on a residential street.

 

Amateur Radio Newsline Report

**
REPORT: COOLING IONOSPHERE COULD DISRUPT, RESHAPE RADIO COMMUNICATION

PAUL/ANCHOR: Our top story takes us to Japan, where researchers studying the ionosphere have discovered that the cooling of temperatures up there may cause major shifts in our ability to communicate by radio. Jason Daniels VK2LAW brings us up to date.

JASON: The continued cooling of the ionosphere 100 km above sea level may someday disrupt and reshape shortwave communications, according to scientists at Kyushu University in Japan. The drop in ionospheric temperatures is the result of rising CO2 levels - the same phenomenon identified as the source of global warming down here on Earth.

The researchers' study, published in Geophysical Research Letters, found that the cooling ionosphere lowers the air density and speeds up wind circulation - two factors that have an impact on satellite orbits and space debris. In addition, the ability to communicate by radio also changes as a result of small-scale plasma irregularities. Shortwave radio, radio broadcasting, air traffic control and maritime communication could all experience a variety of major changes, the scientists said.

The study leader, Huixin Liu of Kyushu's Faculty of Science, told the Physics World website: [quote] "This may be good news for ham radio amateurs, as you will likely receive more signals from faraway countries more often. For radio communications, however, especially at HF and VHF frequencies employed for aviation, ships and rescue operations, it means more noise and frequent disruption in communication and hence safety." [endquote]

She said that in the long term, the telecommunications industry may need to respond to these changes by either adjusting their frequencies or changing the design of their equipment.

**
ISS EXPEDITION 73 CREW RETURNS TO EARTH

PAUL/ANCHOR ISS Expedition 73 has ended with the return to Earth of a NASA astronaut and two Roscosmos cosmonauts. Graham Kemp VK4BB has that update.

GRAHAM: Roscosmos cosmonauts Sergey Ryzhikov and Alexey Zubritsky returned to Earth with US astronaut Jonny Kim, KJ5HKP, after 245 days in space aboard the International Space Station. Their landing in Kazahstan via Soyuz MS-27 on the 9th of December, ended Kim's tenure, which included both Expedition 72 and 73. It was the first trip to the space station for both Kim and Zubritsky. Kim received his amateur radio operator's license in July of 2024. While in space, Kim accomplished a number of important milestones, including participation in the 2025 ARRL Field Day in the US with fellow astronaut Nichole Ayers KJ5GWI. He was also part of the space station's first transmission since 2018 of HamTV since its repairs and return to service. That took place in October with a Scout group in the UK.

**

NEW NASA VIDEO GIVES A WINDOW INTO ARISS EXPERIENCE

PAUL/ANCHOR: A new video from NASA is giving viewers a window into the experience of Amateur Radio on the International Space Station. Neil Rapp WB9VPG tells us more.

NEIL: Schools and other educational institutions who've enjoyed student contacts with astronauts on board the International Space Station already know the value of this respected program: It places an emphasis on science and radio education and gives a window into how ham radio works as a powerful educational tool.

Now everyone can experience communication - at least one-way communication - with a NASA astronaut in a new video released by NASA, the US space agency. In a little less than four-minutes, the NASA video features astronaut Nichole Ayers, KJ5GWI, explaining to viewers how school contacts are made with the help of ham radio operators around the world.  Addressing students directly, she says that the contacts are meaningful but necessarily brief because the ISS is moving around the earth at a speed of 17,500 miles per hour.

The video was recorded - appropriately- during Expedition 73 which launched in the spring of this year.

To see the video, click on the link that appears in the text version of this week's newscast at arnewsline.org

**
12 DAYS OF CHRISTMAS EVENT IN ITS 7TH YEAR

PAUL/ANCHOR: If you haven't already worked any of the stations for the special 12 Days of Christmas Event, you still have time. This year's lineup of Swans-a-Swimming, Geese-a-Laying and Calling Birds have been joined by a new bonus station based in Puerto Rico with the callsign WP3S/DOC. QSOs are being made on the HF bands using CW and SSB through to Christmas Day, December 25th.

Everyone who works at least one station will be entitled to a downloadable certificate. Work all of the 12 Days stations and you'll get a Clean Sweep. If your log includes the station in Puerto Rico, that will earn you a "Clean Sweep Plus." Certificates will be available after the 31st of January. See the QRZ.com page for K2RYD for more details.

Remember, operators are not accepting or sending QSL cards - but they ARE sending their very best for the season.

**

SABLE ISLAND DXPEDITION GETS $25,000 GRANT

PAUL/ANCHOR: Next year's DXpedition to Sable Island has just received a boost in funding to support the team, as we hear from Andy Morrison K9AWM.

ANDY: A $25,000 grant from the Northern California DX Foundation is being provided to the team heading to Sable Island in March for the CYØS activation.

According to the team's website, the dates have been set for March 19 - 31.

The team leaders are Murray, WA4DAN and Glenn, WØGJ, who will operate alongside veteran DXpeditioners Pat N2IEN, Lee WW2DX, Ralph K0IR, Jay K4ZLE, Mike K9NW, and Scott NE9U. In a comment on the DXNews.com website, Murray acknowledged the Northern California DX Foundation's ongoing support for various DXpeditions like this one -- support that spans a period of more than 33 years.

Sable Island weather is expected to be a challenge at the time the team's airplane arrives. It is usually a cold and snowy time, sometimes with gale-force winds. The island is about 300 km, or 186 miles, east of Halifax, Nova Scotia.

**

ARRL TO HOST HAMSCI WORKSHOP AT NEARBY COLLEGE

PAUL/ANCHOR: If you are looking to attend the next workshop of HamSCI, you will find yourself right in the backyard of the ARRL headquarters. We have more details from Jack Parker W8ISH.

JACK: Through the years, the annual workshop of HamSCI, the citizen science investigation organization, has been hosted at a number of locations in a number of US states. Next year it moves to Connecticut for the 9th annual event, which will take place on March 14th and 15th. It's being hosted by the ARRL on the campus of Central Connecticut State University. ARRL's headquarters is located in nearby Newington, Connecticut, which means the league will be welcoming workshop visitors to headquarters and encouraging many to get on the air from W1AW, the Hiram P. Maxim Memorial Station.

The workshop theme is "Discovering Science through Ham Radio." The varied presentations will showcase how HamSCI's cooperative relationships between researchers, ham radio operators, citizen scientists and students have brought about notable advances in weather studies, propagation sensing and ionospheric research.

**
VERMONT MEDICAL RESERVE CORPS WELCOMES FORMER RACES HAMS

PAUL/ANCHOR: Our next story takes us to Vermont where former members of the newly dismantled RACES program are learning new skills as part of a new team. Randy Sly W4XJ has the details.

RANDY: Hams in Vermont who had been members of the recently dismantled Radio Amateur Civil Emergency Service - or RACES - have begun joining the team at the Medical Reserve Corps of the state's Department of Health.

According to Kate Hammond, KC1DUY, manager of the Medical Reserve Corps' communications section, Vermont's shift in deployment of radio volunteers is part of a changeover going on in many states. She told Newsline in an email that [quote]: "...emergency communications is emerging as a Medical Reserve Corps mission in more states, but the creation of the mission set in Vermont is a work that is specific to us." [endquote] She said that toward that end, John Colt NV1Y, the hospital net coordinator for the Medical Reserve Corps, and Heather Rigney KC1PMR, the corps statewide coordinator, are overseeing the creation of documents for the newly configured team. Former RACES materials are being used to help guide future practices of Medical Reserve Corps operators, who will attend orientation meetings soon. The Vermont Healthcare Net has also become more active. Kate said that members will be affiliated with one of the eight local Medical Reserve Corps Units for any drill or event -- and could be deployed as well to shelters when a communications outage occurs.

Although Josh Cohen, KB1NIJ, a longtime RACES member and an experienced net control operator, told Newsline that he is sorry to see the RACES program go, he is preparing to join the Medical Reserve Corps team. Josh is among many hams eager to continue using their skills.
 
**

WORLD OF DX

In the World of DX, there are some more holiday stations to add to the on-air festivities. The YO3KRM Radio Club of Romania is putting three Christmas Special Callsigns on the air through to the 31st of December. Listen for the Santa callsign YOØHOHO [WHY OH ZERO HO HO], the Christmas spirit callsign YOØXMAS [WHY OH ZERO X MAS] and the Rudolph callsign YRØUDOLPH [WHY R ZERO YOU DOLPH]. Certificates are available for successful contacts.

The annual Russian New Year radio marathon will be on the air from the 29th throuh to the 11th of January. The Miller DX Club and the Rostov Oblast branch of the Russian Amateur Radio Union will be putting a number of special callsigns on the air, including R2Ø26A, R2Ø26C, R2Ø26L, R2Ø26N, UE26HNY and UE26NY, among others.

Listen for the special event callsign HB7ØIPA marking the 70th anniversary of the International Police Association's Swiss branch. They will be on the air until the 31st of December on various HF bands and via the QO-100 satellite.

Jan, DL4XT will be active holiday style as 4K/DL4XT from Azerbaijan between the 26th of December and the 3rd of January, using CW, SSB and FT8. Find Jan on 40 metres as well as bands from 20 through 10 metres.

**
KICKER: NIGHT BEFORE CHRISTMAS, HAM RADIO STYLE

PAUL/ANCHOR: We end this newscast with a Newsline holiday tradition - a ham log instead of a yule log. Listen to this much-loved adaptation of the Clement Clarke Moore classic - proof that there is still magic in the season and even moreso on the amateur bands this time of year. It was written anonymously - but is delivered beautifully by our own Jim Damron N8TMW.

JIM: Twas the night before Christmas and all through the shack
 The rig was turned off and the mic cord lay slack

 The antenna rotor had made its last turn, the tubes in the linear
 had long ceased to burn.

 I sat there relaxing and took off my specs, preparing to daydream of
 Armchair DX-- When suddenly outside I heard such a sound, I dashed
 out the door to see what was around.

 The moon shone down brightly and lighted the night. For sure
 propagation for the low bands was right.

 I peered toward the roof where I heard all the racket and there was
 some guy in a red, fur-trimmed jacket!

 I stood there perplexed in a manner quite giddy: Just who WAS this
 stranger? di di dah dah di dit?

 He looked very much like an FCC guy who'd come to check up on some
 bad TVI.

 I shouted to him: "Old man...QR-Zed?"
 "Hey you by the chimney all dressed up in red!"

 I suddenly knew when I heard sleigh bells jingle
 The guy on the rooftop was Jolly Kris Kringle

 He had a big sack full of amateur gear which was a big load
 for his prancing reindeer.
 Transmitters, receivers, for cabinets and racks
 Some meters and scopes and a lot of coax.

 He said not a word 'cause he'd finished his work.
 He picked up his sack and he turned with a jerk.
 As he leaped to his sleigh, he shouted with glee
 And I knew in a moment he'd be QRT.

 I heard him transmit as he flew o'er the trees
 "Merry Christmas to all, and to all seventy-three."

 "Ho Ho Ho"

FRIDAY EDITION: 50 MPH gusts today should test the antennas today, lots of rain to boot....

Apocalypse: Survivable Low-Frequency Communication System

In the global game of nuclear brinksmanship, secrets are the coin of the realm. This was especially true during the Cold War, when each side fielded armies of spies to ferret out what the other guy was up to, what their capabilities were, and how they planned to put them into action should the time come. Vast amounts of blood and treasure were expended, and as distasteful as the whole thing may be, at least it kept armageddon at bay.

But secrets sometimes work at cross-purposes to one’s goals, especially when one of those goals is deterrence. The whole idea behind mutually assured destruction, or MAD, was the certain knowledge that swift retaliation would follow any attempt at a nuclear first strike. That meant each side had to have confidence in the deadliness of the other’s capabilities, not only in terms of their warheads and their delivery platforms, but also in the systems that controlled and directed their use. One tiny gap in the systems used to transmit launch orders could spell the difference between atomic annihilation and at least the semblance of peace.

During the height of the Cold War, the aptly named Survivable Low-Frequency Communication System was a key part of the United States’ nuclear deterrence. Along with GWEN, HFGCS, and ERCS, SLFCS was part of the alphabet soup of radio systems designed to make sure the bombs got dropped, one way or another.

The hams have a saying: “When all else fails, there’s amateur radio.” It’s true, but it comes with a huge caveat, since hams rely on the ionosphere to bounce their high-frequency (HF) signals around the world. Without that layer of charged particles, their signals would just shoot off into space instead of traveling around the world.

For the most part, the ionosphere is a reliable partner in amateur radio’s long-distance communications networks, to the point that Cold War military planners incorporated HF links into their nuclear communications systems. But since at least the Operation Argus and Operation Hardtack tests in 1958, the United States had known about the effect of high-altitude nuclear explosions on the ionosphere. Further exploration of these effects through the Starfish Prime tests in 1962 revealed just how vulnerable the ionosphere is to direct attack, and how easy it would be to disrupt HF communications networks.

The vulnerability of the ionosphere to attack was very much in the minds of U.S. Air Force commanders during the initial design sessions that would eventually lead to SLFCS. They envisioned a system based on the propagation characteristics of the EM spectrum at lower frequencies, in the low-frequency (LF) and very-low-frequency (VLF) bands. While wavelengths in the HF part of the spectrum are usually measured in meters, LF and VLF waves are better measured in kilometers, ranging between 1 and 100 kilometers.

At these wavelengths, radio behaves very differently than they do further up the dial. For LF signals (30 to 300 kHz), the primary mode of propagation is via ground waves, in which signals induce currents in the Earth’s surface. These currents tend to hug the surface, bending with its curvature and propagating long distances. For VLF signals (3 to 30 kHz), Earth-ionosphere waveguide propagation dominates. Thanks to their enormous wavelengths, which are comparable to the typical altitude of the lowest, or D-layer, of the ionosphere, the waves “see” the space between the ground and the ionosphere as a waveguide, which forms a low-loss path that efficiently guides them around the globe.

Critically for the survivability aspect of SLFCS, both of these modes are relatively immune to the ionospheric effects of a nuclear blast. That’s true even for VLF, which would seem to rely on an undisturbed ionosphere to form the “roof” of the necessary waveguide, but the disruption caused by even a large blast is much smaller than their wavelengths, rendering any changes to the ionosphere mostly invisible to them.

Big Sticks

Despite the favorable propagation modes of LF and VLF for a communications system designed to survive a nuclear exchange, those long wavelengths pose some challenges. Chief among these is the physical size of the antennas necessary for these wavelengths. In general, antenna size is proportional to wavelength, which makes the antennas for LF and VLF quite large, at least on the transmitting side. For SLFCS, two transmission sites were used, one at Silver Creek, Nebraska, and another in the middle of the Mojave Desert in Hawes, California. Since ground wave propagation requires a vertically polarized signal, each of these sites had a guyed mast radiator antenna 1,226 feet (373 meters) tall.

While the masts and guy wire systems were as reinforced as possible, there’s only so much that can be done to make a structure like that resist a nuke. Still, these structures were rated for a “moderate” nuclear blast within a 10-mile (16-km) radius. That would seem to belie the “survivable” goal of the system, since even at the time SLFCS came online in the late 1960s, Soviet ICBM accuracy was well within that limit. But the paradox is resolved by the fact that SLFCS was intended only as a backup method of getting launch orders through to ICBM launch facilities, to be used to launch a counterattack after an initial exchange that hit other, more valuable targets (such as the missile silos themselves), leaving the ionosphere in tatters.

The other challenge of LF/VLF communications is the inherently low data transfer rates at these frequencies. LF and VLF signals only have perhaps a kilohertz to as few as a few hertz of bandwidth available, meaning that they can only encode data at the rate of a few tens of bits per second. Such low data rates preclude everything but the most basic modulation, such as frequency-shift keying (FSK) or its more spectrally efficient cousin, minimum-shift keying (MSK). SLFCS transmitters were also capable of sending plain old continuous wave (CW) modulation, allowing operators to bang out Morse messages in a pinch. When all else fails, indeed.

No matter which modulation method was used, the idea behind SLFCS was to trade communications speed and information density for absolute reliability under the worst possible conditions. To that end, SLFCS was only intended to transmit Emergency Action Messages (EAMs), brief alphanumeric strings that encoded specific instructions for missile commanders in their underground launch facilities.

Buried Loops

While the transmitting side of the SLFCS equation was paradoxically vulnerable, the receiving end of the equation was anything but. These missile alert facilities (MAFs), sprinkled across the upper Midwest, consisted of ten launch facilities with a single Minuteman III ICBM in an underground silo, along with one underground launch control center, or LCC. Above ground, the LCC sports a veritable antenna farm representing almost the entire RF spectrum, plus a few buried surprises, such as the very cool HFGCS antenna silos, which can explosively deploy any of six monopole antennas up from below ground to receive EAMs after the LCC has gotten its inevitable nuking.

The other subterranean radio surprise at LCCs is the buried SLFCS antenna. The buried antenna takes advantage of the induced Earth currents in ground wave propagation, and despite the general tendency for LF antennas to be large is actually quite compact. The antennas were a magnetic loop design, with miles of wire wrapped around circular semi-rigid forms about 1.5 meters in diameter. Each antenna consisted of two loops mounted orthogonally, giving the antenna a globe-like appearance. Each loop of the antenna was coated with resin to waterproof and stiffen the somewhat floppy structure a bit before burying it in a pit inside the LCC perimeter fence. Few examples of the antenna exist above ground today, since most were abandoned in place when SLFCS was decommissioned in the mid-1980s. One SLFCS antenna was recently recovered, though, and is currently on display at the Titan Missile Museum in Arizona.

Sign of the Times

Like many Cold War projects, the original scope of SLFCS was never fully realized. The earliest plans called for around 20 transmit/receive stations, plus airplanes equipped with trailing wire antennas over a mile long, and more than 300 receive-only sites across the United States and in allied countries. But by the time plans worked their way through the procurement process, technology had advanced enough that military planners were confident that they had the right mix of communications modes for the job. In the end, only the Nebraska and California transmit/receive sites were put into service, and even the airborne transmitters idea was shelved thanks to excessive drag caused by that long trailing wire. Still, the SLFCS towers and the buried loop antennas stayed in service until the mid-1980s, and the concept of LF and VLF as a robust backup for strategic comms lives on with the Air Force’s Minimum Essential Emergency Communications Network.

THURSDAY EDITION:3927 follows in the footsteps of 7200 last night. Tom-N1FM was in gloves off mode last night on someone for calling him a liar, interesting frequency with Bruce the blabbering channel master very quiet for a change. Bruce is an expert on religion, guns, politics, and most anything you bring up- he sounds like Don Knots when he gets wound up...What ever happened to Donnie Dumbass on 14313 and the Canadian Cuckoo? Donnie used to stop in and aggravate everyone on 3927, maybe Riley gave him a stern warning to stay away? Let's not forget 3919, always a good laugh but at least no swearing or carrying on...

 Check out this online magazine....In this edition you will find:

• Easy-to-build DIY projects

• Real experiences from the community

• Technology, antennas, equipment, and analysis

• Seasonal events and special activities

• Educational articles for all levels

EMAIL:

WEDNESDAY EDITION: I bought an Icom 7300 many years ago when it was on sale for a decent price and have used it on 75 meters ssb and digital modes with a little 811 amp. It has been a very reliable radio with the shortcomings of not being able to plug a monitor in to it. The new Icom 7300 MKII has the hdmi outlet for a screen which solves that issue for me, of course I will not upgrade for what it would cost me.

I did buy a Yaesu 710 which provided the hdmi port to allow a monitor to be connected directly. Both of these radios are just backup rigs for my main station, an Icom 7600 and Acom amplifier. I prefer the 7300 for operation because I find it easier to maneuver the menu structure than that of the 710, I  never cared for the Yaesu menu system. I guess mypoint is if someone asked me if they should buy a new 7300MKII or a 710, I would sit them down at the club and let them try each radio. I think if I only had the money to buy only one radio, the Yaesu 710 is a better bargain than the new Icom 7300MKII...but the Icom 7300MKII would be my choice.

Harley-Davidson's Sales Have Tanked, How Much Longer Can It Survive

Now that that's clear, how did Q3 2024 Harley-Davidson Motor Company Motorcycle Shipments go? Not great. In Q3 of 2024, it shipped 27,500 motorcycles, which means it's down 39 percent as compared to the 45,300 it shipped in Q3 of 2023. 

American Public Media Settles With FCC Over False EAS Tones

A program that aired on more than 500 U.S. noncommercial radio stations in 2023 contained Emergency Alert System tones in the absence of a real emergency, according to the FCC.

American Public Media Group, the distributor of the program, agreed to a consent decree with the commission’s Enforcement Bureau on Dec. 10.

APMG, the parent of American Public Media, a creator and distributor of programming to public radio stations across the U.S., will be making a voluntary contribution of $86,400 to the U.S. Treasury Department as a result of the transmission of EAS tones during a “BBC Witness History” program on tornado chasing.

The commission’s rules forbid the use of EAS tones on the air outside actual emergencies or coordinated tests.

“Unauthorized use of the EAS tones thus presents a substantial threat to public safety,” the FCC said in its notice on the consent decree.

Read more – RadioWorld: https://bit.ly/48SAS6J

Investigating Soldering Iron Phantom Voltage

Just because you are paranoid doesn’t mean people aren’t out to get you. Do you think your soldering iron is after you? Well, [nanofix] asks (and answers): Is My Soldering Iron Dangerous?

He has a look at his cheap FNIRSI soldering station and measures a “phantom voltage” of nearly 50 volts AC across the tip of his iron and earth ground. He explains that this phantom voltage is a very weak power source able to provide only negligible measures of current; indeed, he measures the short circuit current as 0.041 milliamps, or 41 microamps, which is negligible and certainly not damaging to people or components.

He pops open his soldering iron power supply (being careful to discharge the high voltage capacitor) and has a look at the switched mode power supply, with a close look at the optocoupler and Y-class capacitor, which bridge the high voltage and low voltage sides of the circuit board. The Y-class capacitor is a special type of safety capacitor designed to fail open rather than fail short. The Y-class capacitor is there to remove high-frequency noise. Indeed, it is this capacitor that is the cause of the phantom voltage on the iron tip.

He continues by explaining that you can install a 1M resistor across some pads on the high-voltage side of the board if you really want to get rid of the phantom voltage on your iron, but he emphasizes that this isn’t really necessary. And to finish, he demonstrates that a sensitive MOSFET isn’t damaged at all when it’s connected to the phantom voltage.

It is perhaps worth noting that there is a difference between phantom voltage (as seen above with negligible power) and phantom power. Phantom power can deliver non-negligible amounts of power and is often used in microphones.

DXLook Introduces Real-Time D-RAP Visualization for HF Absorption Events

DXLook has released a new D-RAP (D-Region Absorption Prediction) view that helps amateur radio operators understand and visualize HF absorption caused by solar X-ray flares in real time.

D-region absorption is a major cause of sudden daytime HF blackouts, particularly on lower-frequency bands. DXLook’s new D-RAP view presents existing D-region absorption data in a band-aware, geographic format, allowing operators to visually assess where and on which HF bands absorption may be occurring at a given moment.

The D-RAP view is primarily driven by official data from the NOAA Space Weather Prediction Center, using the global “frequency for 1 dB absorption” product based on GOES satellite X-ray measurements. This dataset identifies, for each region of the Earth, the highest HF frequency expected to experience significant D-layer absorption at the current time.

When NOAA data is unavailable or becomes outdated, DXLook automatically switches to a physics-based fallback model derived from real-time solar position calculations. The system clearly indicates when calculated data is being used instead of measured NOAA data, ensuring transparency for users.

Absorption regions are displayed as smooth, color-coded zones aligned with amateur HF bands, allowing operators to quickly assess which frequencies may be degraded. The D-RAP view integrates with DXLook’s existing MUF, spot, and propagation tools, helping users understand the full operating window between D-layer absorption at lower frequencies and ionospheric refraction limits at higher ones.

The new D-RAP view is especially useful for contest operators, DXers, and emergency communications groups assessing HF reliability during solar events, as well as for operators trying to understand sudden short-wave fadeouts during daylight hours.

The D-RAP view is now live and available to all users at https://dxlook.com.

About DXLook
DXLook is a real-time HF and VHF propagation visualization platform built by amateur radio operators for the amateur radio community. It combines live reception reports, space weather data, and physics-based modeling to help operators better understand band conditions and propagation behavior worldwide.

Source: DXLook

TUESDAY EDITION: 23 degrees to start the day...about time to start selling these again...

NASA May Have Lost the MAVEN Mars Orbiter

When the orbit of NASA’s Mars Atmosphere and Volatile EvolutioN (MAVEN) spacecraft took it behind the Red Planet on December 6th, ground controllers expected a temporary loss of signal (LoS). Unfortunately, the Deep Space Network hasn’t heard from the science orbiter since. Engineers are currently trying to troubleshoot this issue, but without a sign of life from the stricken spacecraft, there are precious few options.

As noted by [Stephen Clark] over at ArsTechnica this is a pretty big deal. Even though MAVEN was launched in November of 2013, it’s a spring chicken compared to the other Mars orbiters. The two other US orbiters: Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) and Mars Odyssey, are significantly older by around a decade. Of the two ESA orbiters, Mars Express and ExoMars, the latter is fairly new (2016) and could at least be a partial backup for MAVEN’s communication relay functionality with the ground-based units, in particular the two active rovers. ExoMars has a less ideal orbit for large data transfers, which would hamper scientific research.

With neither the Chinese nor UAE orbiters capable of serving as a relay, this puts the burden on a potential replacement orbiter, such as the suggested Mars Telecommunications Orbiter, which was cancelled in 2005. Even if contact with MAVEN is restored, it would only have fuel for a few more years. This makes a replacement essential if we wish to keep doing ground-based science missions on Mars, as well as any potential manned missions.

Testing Whether Fast Charging Kills Smartphone Batteries, and Other Myths

With batteries being such an integral part of smartphones, it’s little wonder that extending the period between charging and battery replacement has led to many theories and outright myths about what may affect the lifespan of these lithium-ion batteries. To bust some of them, [HTX Studio] over on YouTube has spent the past two years torturing both themselves and a myriad of both iOS and Android phones to tease out some real-life data.

After a few false starts with smaller experiments, they settled on an experimental setup involving 40 phones to investigate two claims: first, whether fast charging is worse than slow charging, and second, whether limiting charging to 80% of a battery’s capacity will increase its lifespan. This latter group effectively uses only 50% of the capacity, by discharging down to 30% before recharging. A single control phone was left alone without forced charge-discharge cycles.

After 500 charge cycles and 167 days, these three groups (fast, slow, 50%) were examined for remaining battery capacity. As one can see in the above graphic for the Android group and the similar one for iOS in the video, the results are basically what you expect. Li-ion batteries age over time (‘calendar aging’), with temperature and state-of-charge (SoC) affecting the speed of this aging process, as can be seen in the SoC graph from an earlier article that we featured on built-in batteries.

It seems that keeping the battery as cool as possible and the SoC as low as possible, along with the number of charge-discharge cycles, will extend its lifespan, but Li-ion batteries are doomed to a very finite lifespan on account of their basic chemistry. This makes these smartphone charging myths both true, but less relevant than one might assume, as over the lifespan of something like a smartphone, it won’t make a massive difference.

MONDAY EDITION: Coating to 1 inch my ass, I have 6+ inches of white fluff and I didn't bother to hook up the plow yesterday. Once the truck is warmed up I will hookup the plow and clear the 165 foot driveway. It looks like we will be having a real winter this season! ....It was a learning lesson for the young NE Patriots yesterday, they did a pretty good job overall, it was a tough loss....

FCC Allocates 60-Meter World-Wide Amateur Band Approved at WRC-15; Continues Amateur Use of Four Additional 60-Meter Channels, and Updates 420 MHz Coordination Information

 

WEEKEND EDITION: Too damn cold in NH, I will stick to the coast and be happy....Big game for NE Patriots against the Buffalo Bills, I am afraid it will be a week of reckoning for the young Patriots. Unfortunately, I think the Bills will prevail but I sure hope I am wrong.....

Failed 3D Printed Part Brings Down Small Plane

Back in March, a small aircraft in the UK lost engine power while coming in for a landing and crashed. The aircraft was a total loss, but thankfully, the pilot suffered only minor injuries. According to the recently released report by the Air Accidents Investigation Branch, we now know a failed 3D printed part is to blame.

The part in question is a plastic air induction elbow — a curved duct that forms part of the engine’s air intake system. The collapsed part you see in the image above had an air filter attached to its front (towards the left in the image), which had detached and fallen off. Heat from the engine caused the part to soften and collapse, which in turn greatly reduced intake airflow, and therefore available power

While the cause of the incident is evident enough, there are still some unknowns regarding the part itself. The fact that it was 3D printed isn’t an issue. Additive manufacturing is used effectively in the aviation industry all the time, and it seems the owner of the aircraft purchased the part at an airshow in the USA with no reason to believe anything was awry. So what happened?

The part in question is normally made from laminated fiberglass and epoxy, with a glass transition of 84° C. Glass transition is the temperature at which a material begins to soften, and is usually far below the material’s actual melting point.

When a part is heated at or beyond its glass transition, it doesn’t melt but is no longer “solid” in the normal sense, and may not even be able to support its own weight. It’s the reason some folks pack parts in powdered salt to support them before annealing.

The printed part the owner purchased and installed was understood to be made from CF-ABS, or ABS with carbon fiber. ABS has a glass transition of around 100° C, which should have been plenty for this application. However, the investigation tested two samples taken from the failed part and measured the glass temperature at 52.8°C and 54.0°C, respectively. That’s a far cry from what was expected, and led to part failure from the heat of the engine.

The actual composition of the part in question has not been confirmed, but it sure seems likely that whatever it was made from, it wasn’t ABS. The Light Aircraft Association (LAA) plans to circulate an alert to inspectors regarding 3D printed parts, and the possibility they aren’t made from what they claim to be.

SAQ Grimeton to Transmit CW Message Christmas Eve

On December 1st 1924, the 200kW Alexanderson alternator with the call sign “SAQ” was put into commercial operation with telegram traffic from Sweden to the United States. 101 years later, the transmitter is the only remaining electro-mechanical transmitter from this era and is still in running condition. On Christmas Eve morning, Wednesday December 24th 2025, the transmitter is scheduled* to spread the traditional Christmas message to the whole World, on 17.2 kHz CW.

Transmission Schedule

• 08:20 CET (07:20 UTC): Live stream on YouTube begins.
• 08:30 CET (07:30 UTC): Startup and tuning of the Alexanderson Alternator SAQ.
• 09:00 CET (08:00 UTC): Transmission of a Christmas message from SAQ.
• 08:00 CET (07:00 UTC): The transmitter hall at World Heritage Grimeton is opened for visitors.

E-QSL reports may be submitted online.

Japan’s Forgotten Analog HDTV Standard Was Well Ahead Of Its Time

When we talk about HDTV, we’re typically talking about any one of a number of standards from when television made the paradigm switch from analog to digital transmission. At the dawn of the new millenium, high-definition TV was a step-change for the medium, perhaps the biggest leap forward since color transmissions began in the middle of the 20th century.

However, a higher-resolution television format did indeed exist well before the TV world went digital. Over in Japan, television engineers had developed an analog HD format that promised quality far beyond regular old NTSC and PAL transmissions. All this, decades before flat screens and digital TV were ever seen in consumer households!   

Resolution

Japan’s efforts to develop a better standard of analog television were pursued by the Science and Technical Research Laboratories of NHK, the national public broadcaster. Starting in the 1970s, research and development focused on how to deliver a higher-quality television signal, as well as how to best capture, store, and display it.          ARTICLE

Amateur Radio Newsline Report

VERMONT ENDS AMATEUR RADIO RACES SERVICE

PAUL/ANCHOR: In our top story this week, the Radio Amateur Civil Emergency Service, or RACES program, has ended in Vermont. Kent Peterson KCØDGY has the details.

KENT: Vermont state officials have ended the RACES program, calling the action taken November 1st [quote] "a move toward streamlining and modernizing our communications systems and volunteer programs to improve coordination and efficiency." [endquote]

Vermont RACES volunteers learned of the decision in a letter to them from Brett La Rose of the state's emergency management office. Hams were instead encouraged to join the state's Medical Reserve Corps program, which is part of the Vermont Department of Health. A number of Medical Reserve Units across the US have a communications component that engages hams in passing emergency radio traffic on behalf of hospitals and other healthcare institutions.

In a letter shared on Facebook by the Green Mountain Wireless Society and other Vermont ham clubs, La Rose wrote that the decision does not reflect on the quality of volunteers but was a move toward greater efficiency.

He added: [quote] "Your contributions to our state have been invaluable." [endquote]

**
FCC GRANTS HAMS NON-CHANNELIZED USE ON 60M

PAUL/ANCHOR: Hams in the US are getting expanded, non-channelized use of parts of the 60m band under a recent decision by the Federal Communications Commission. The new access applies to General and Extra Class license-holders who, until now, were granted use on a secondary basis of four discrete channels: 5332, 5348, 5373, and 5405 kHz. In a decision released on December 9th, the FCC reaffirmed the continued amateur use of these existing four channels at 100 watts of power, saying there have been no interference issues with federal operations.

The FCC said, that in-line with the international WRC15 allocation, contiguous use between 5351.5 and 5366.5 kHz with a limited emission bandwidth of 2.8 kHz and power of no more than 15 watts EIRP is being granted.

To see the FCC decision and other announcements, see the link in the text version of this week's newscast at arnewsline.org

https://www.fcc.gov/document/fcc-adopts-final-rules-implementing-wrc-15

**

JORDANIAN AMATEURS APPROVED FOR NEW CLUB STATION

PAUL/ANCHOR: There's a new club station - and a new callsign - on the air in Jordan. Jeremy Boot G4NJH tells us about it.

JEREMY: The Royal Jordanian Radio Amateur Society has established a new club station with the callsign JY6SC - one of many stations to be established at schools, universities and within Jordan's Armed Forces, to promote amateur radio. It recently received permission to set up the station from the Jordanian Special Communications Commission, the governmental agency that oversees the nation's communications network.

The Royal Jordanian Radio Amateur Society was created in 1971 by the celebrated radio amateur King Hussein, JY1. The amateur group enjoys the involvement of the royal family, including Prince Hussein, JY2A, who in 2018 supported the society's launch of the nation's first amateur satellite. The student-built CubeSat bears the callsign JY1SAT, in memory of King Hussein, who became a Silent Key in 1999.

**
APPLICATION PERIOD OPENS FOR YOUTH ON THE AIR CAMP

PAUL/ANCHOR: It's almost winter here in the Northern Hemisphere but the application period has already opened for the Americas' Youth on the Air summer camp to be held next June. This next session of camp has an extra special theme - and Sel Embee KB3TZD is here to tell us about it.

SEL: The application period has begun for young amateurs living in North Central or South America who want to attend ‘Youth on the Air’ summer camp next June. To be eligible, hams must be between the ages of 15 and 25, and have a current amateur radio license.

The camp will be held in Huntsville, Alabama, with a focus on STEM activities that relate to space travel and space exploration. Here on Earth, the camp will take place from the 14th through the 19th of June.

For details, or to find an online application, visit youthontheair dot org (youthontheair.org). That's youth-on-the-air, all one word, dot-org.

**
BELGIAN EVENT MARKS BATTLE OF THE BULGE ANNIVERSARY

PAUL/ANCHOR: History has marked the Battle of the Bulge as the turning point in World War II. Amateur radio is marking it too - as a special event noting its 81st anniversary this year. Jeremy Boot G4NJH has those details.

JEREMY: The Battle of the Bulge was Adolf Hitler's final major offensive on the Western Front. His attempt to repel the Allies from German-held territory did not succeed. On the 22nd December 1944, the Germans delivered an ultimatum to surrender to the Allies in Bastogne, Belgium -- and the single-word response from US Gen. Anthony McAuliffe became one for the history books.

His reply was "NUTS!"

That word forms the suffix of the special event station callsign being used by members of the Brussels Radio Club BXE. Station OR81NUTS will be on the air from the Bastogne Barracks using CW and SSB on the HF bands until the 31st of December.

For details, visit the station's QRZ.com page.

**

SILENT KEY: QSL.NET/QTH.NET FOUNDER ALAN L. WALLER, K3TKJ

PAUL/ANCHOR: The founder of the QSL.net and QTH.net websites -- a ham well-known for his technical expertise -- has become a Silent Key. We hear more about him from Travis Lisk N3ILS.

TRAVIS: When Alan Waller, K3TKJ, created the QSL.net and QTH.net websites in 1996, he succeeded in expanding the universe of online information for his fellow amateurs. Al, who got his license in 1962, made a name for himself over the years as a top contester, as someone well-versed in technical matters and as a big fan of DXing on 6 metres.

Diagnosed with Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma, he became a Silent Key on the 30th of November.

In 2002, Al's contributions to amateur radio earned him the Dayton Hamvention Technical Excellence Award. In 2008, he retired from running his two websites, entrusting them to Scott KA9FOX so the resources could remain available.

A statement on the QSL.net home page recalled his lifetime of work, adding that [quote] "Al's pioneering spirit and technical achievements will be fondly remembered by friends and colleagues alike." [endquote]

Al was 80.

**

UK SMARTPHONES OK'D FOR "DIRECT TO DEVICE" SATELLITE SERVICE

PAUL/ANCHOR: Mobile phone companies in the UK wishing to provide direct-to-device services from satellites are being told to request a license change from Ofcom. The regulator has approved the rollout of satellites for delivery of phone calls, texts and Internet in areas of the UK lacking mobile coverage.This shift brings the UK in line with a number of other countries, including the US, where direct-to-device was also approved by the Federal Communications Commission. In the UK, the earliest adopters are the mobile network operator O2, working with Starlink, and Vodafone, working with AST. Smartphone users themselves will not be required to apply for a license.

**

HISTORIC STATION TO SEND CHRISTMAS EVE MESSAGE IN CW

PAUL/ANCHOR: The World Heritage Grimeton Radio Station in Sweden is no stranger to celebrations - certainly not this year, as it marks its 100th year as a treasured communicator. Before its Jubilee year activities conclude on the 31st of December, the radio station will once again engage in one of its most popular traditions, its Christmas Eve message, a longwave transmission in CW. Graham Kemp VK4BB tells us more.

GRAHAM: One hundred Christmas Eves will have come and gone when the callsign SAQ transmits the Christmas Eve message from the Grimeton Radio Station in Sweden on the morning of December 24th. The operator will again be using the much-loved transmitter, which utilises an alternating-current generator developed by the pioneering Swedish engineer Ernst Alexanderson.

The Christmas Eve morning transmission will be sent on 17.2 kHz about a half-hour after the transmitter has been started up. It is a festive occasion on the radio station site itself but for those who cannot be there personally, the message can be heard on the air, of course, and seen on the YouTube channel of the Alexander SAQ Grimeton Friendship Association.

It is a Christmas gift to the world, as the association notes on its channel, pointing out that this is the [quote] "only remaining electromechanical radio transmitter." [endquote]" Indeed, its continued operation is a holiday gift worth celebrating.

This is Graham Kemp VK4BB.


(YOUTUBE, GRIMETON RADIO STATION WEBSITE)

**
DUTCH RADIO GROUP PUTS SIX "SANTA" STATIONS ON AIR

PAUL/ANCHOR: Who's working harder than Santa himself? Probably the Dutch Radio Group, whose operators have been on the air since the 10th of December and will be calling CQ with six special callsigns through to the 2nd of January. Listen for PD25HOLLY, PD25HOHOHO, PD25REDNOSE, PD25SANTA, PD25XMAS and PD26HNWY. There is a special award for anyone who works all six stations. If you want to see who is on the air right now and on what frequency - if you want to see what chasers they have already worked, visit the QRZ.com page for any of the callsigns listed.

(425 DX BULLETIN)

**
HAMCATION ANNOUNCES 3 TO RECEIVE HONORS

PAUL/ANCHOR: When hams gather in Orlando, Florida in two months for HamCation, they will be celebrating the achievement of three notable amateurs. Kevin Trotman N5PRE tells us about them.

KEVIN: Newsline congratulates three award recipients to be honored at HamCation 2026 in February in Orlando, Florida. Kansas amateur Tony Milluzzi, KD8RTT, has been named the 2026 Gordon West Ham Ambassador of the Year for his support of the Collegiate Amateur Radio Program. The Carole Perry Educator of the Year award is being given to Nathaniel Frissel, W2NAF for his ongoing work with the HamSCI citizen science education program which he founded and continues to grow. The recipient of the new Amateur Radio Hero Award, is a name well-known to Newsline and our listeners: Ambarish Nag Biswas, VU2JFA. The West Bengal, India, amateur has been chosen for [quote] "his outstanding support of local and national emergency operations and law enforcement during life-threatening events where lives were saved by his actions." [endquote] He and his club are two-time winners of the former Amateur Radio Newsline International Newsmaker Award.

**

WORLD OF DX

In the world of DX, special event stations 4X8NER and 4Z8NER will be celebrating Hanukkah, the Jewish festival of lights, from the 14th through to the 22nd of December, as members of the Israel Association of Radio Communication call CQ on the HF bands. A certificate will be available.

Earl, WA3DX will be active as 9Y9DX from Arouca, Trinidad, IOTA number SA-011, from the 17th through to the 29th of December, operating mostly FT8 and FT4. Listen for Earl on 40 through 10 metres.

Andre, ON7YK is using the callsign C5YK from The Gambia until the 25th of January 2026. Andre is using SSB, FT8, FT4, RTTY and PSK on the HF bands. He is also operating on 20 through 10 metres using CW.

Listen for the callsign CN25JIM until the 21st of December, but especially on the 13th of December. The callsign is being activated from the Middle Atlas mountain range in the Moroccan Sahara to mark International Mountain Day, which is observed on the 11th of December.

(425 DX BULLETIN)

**
AN "ANTENNA RACING" EVENT THAT'S ALL IN GOOD SPORT

PAUL/ANCHOR: We end this week with a sports story. Recently, as elite drivers of motorsport were causing the world's hearts to race alongside them on the Formula 1 track in Abu Dhabi, a quiet field in New Zealand erupted with the nail-biting action of the 2025 Antenna Racing World Championship. Of course, only this small part of the immediate world was participating. Just ask John Williams VK4JJW, who has this report.

JOHN: The quartet of contenders were locked in what one on-site moderator called [quote] "a battle of pure technical fury."[endquote] Their telescoping masts, their coax and their antenna analysers were ready for action.  Introducing this world-class portable antenna-building competition was Amateur Radio Newsline's own Jim Meachen ZL2BHF, a commentator on the sidelines along with event organiser, Nick ZL2NEB.

There were more than a few tense moments in this Kaikoura park -- and there was no room for cheating: Speed of deployment and low SWR were everything. This event showcased what Jim called [quote] "high-octane engineering athletics." [endquote] It was all up to Malcolm, ZL4MWB, Nick, ZL2NEB, Graeme, ZL1BDS and Stewart, ZL2STR, each taking turns, one by one, to show that their antennas could resonate with the best of them.
Nick, who had jokingly suggested creating the competition, was pleased to see POTA/SOTA activators embrace this chance to rev their engines. Like Formula 1 cars, competitors had to stay on track.
So who won the coveted 40m dipole that had been donated by Greg ZL1GUD from the HamShack? Tune in to find out, sports fans: We're providing the YouTube link to the recorded action in the text version of this newscast at arnewsline.org

Nick, meanwhile, believes that it might be time for these antenna athletes to go for the gold. He told Newsline in an email: [quote] "I think that we really have a good chance of it being included in an upcoming Olympics at some point." [endquote]

FRIDAY EDITION: Annual Wellness Check this morning. They will will want to know if I feel safe living with my wife, how many times I have fallen down this year, if I feel suicidal, and try to remember these three words.

In addition to being one of the most well-known guitarists of 20th-century rock ‘n’ roll, Walsh is also a lifelong ham radio operator. Even today, his amateur license with the Federal Communications Commission is active through 2031 under the call sign WB6ACU. The “Rocky Mountain Way” singer’s signature Alliance series with Duesenberg guitars pays tribute to this decades-long passion by spelling out Walsh’s name in Morse code along the fretboard.

And although it’s Walsh’s name that appears on his signature guitar, it’s also inadvertently paying homage to a different man named Jim.

The Man Who Helped “Save” Joe Walsh One Lonely Summer

When Joe Walsh was around 11 years old, he experienced something no kid ever wants to experience: his family moved him from his hometown of Columbus, Ohio, to the bustling metropolis of New York City, hundreds of miles away from his friends and all that was familiar to him, at the start of summer break. While this might seem like the logical move from an adult perspective, it’s practically torturous for a kid who, without school being in session, has far fewer opportunities to make friends. Unsurprisingly, Walsh spent most of the summer alone.

But all that alone time gave him plenty of time to observe his apartment building, which he noticed had a massive antenna on the roof. “Every time I looked up at it, it was pointing a different direction,” Walsh said in a 2014 interview on the This Week in Tech podcast. “So, after a while, I followed the wires down to a window, traced that to a door, and knocked on the door. It was K2IEY. His name was Jim, and he was a ham. He invited me in and sat me down in his little shack, and he had a KWM1 transceiver, and he talked to the world on it. I was amazed. That was my first real friend in New York.”

“Jim kind of saved me that summer,” Walsh continued, “and became a lifelong friend.” Thanks to Jim, ham radio also became a lifelong passion Walsh would pursue between, you know, being an internationally renowned rock star.

In December 2025, Julien’s Auctions announced they were hosting the first-ever auction from Joe Walsh, which includes the prototype of his signature guitar, complete with Morse code inlays. And while Walsh might be parting with his first ax that harkens back to his ham radio operator roots, he’s certainly not signing off the air. In fact, Walsh has made a point to continue the tradition that Jim taught him all those years ago in New York City.

“Every once in a while, somebody comes and knocks at my door and says, ‘What’s that thing on your roof?’” Walsh said in a Julien’s Auctions items preview. “I say, ‘Come on in. Been waiting for you.’ ‘Cause that’s what we do.”

FCC Allocates 60-Meter World-Wide Amateur Band Approved at WRC-15; Continues Amateur Use of Four Additional 60-Meter Channels, and Updates 420 MHz Coordination Information

Lithium-Ion Batteries: WHY They Demand Respect

This summer, we saw the WHY (What Hackers Yearn) event happen in Netherlands, of course, with a badge to match. Many badges these days embrace the QWERTY computer aesthetic, which I’m personally genuinely happy about. This one used 18650 batteries for power, in a dual parallel cell configuration… Oh snap, that’s my favourite LiIon cell in my favourite configuration, too! Surely, nothing bad could happen?

Whoops. That one almost caught me by surprise, I have to shamefully admit. I just genuinely love 18650 cells, in all glory they bring to hardware hacking, and my excitement must’ve blindsided me. They’re the closest possible entity to a “LiIon battery module”, surprisingly easy to find in most corners of this planet, cheap to acquire in large quantities, easy to interface to your projects, and packing a huge amount of power. It’s a perfect cell for many applications I and many other hackers hold dear.

Sadly, the 18650 cells were a bad choice for the WHY badge, for multiple reasons at once. If you’re considering building a 18650-based project, or even a product, let me show you what exactly made these cells a bad fit, and how you might be able to work around those limitations on your own journey. There’s plenty of technical factors, but I will tell you about the social factors, because these create the real dealbreaker here.

The main social factor can be boiled down to this – a 18650-powered WHY badge can start a fire through being touched by a 5 cent coin, a keychain, or a metal zipper of someone’s jacket. This is not a dealbreaker for an individual hacker who’s conscious of the risk, though it’s certainly an unwise choice. For three thousand participants? You have no chance.

A 18650 cell is like a bigger sister to an AA battery – power at your fingertips, just, you’re playing with heaps more power. You can take a 18650 cell and have it power a small yet nimble robot on wheels, or an ultra powerful flashlight, or a handheld radio packing quite a transmit power punch. You can release its power on accident, too, and that gets nasty quick.

Short-circuiting a 18650 cell is a surprisingly straightforward way to melt metal, and by extent, start a small fire. It’s also not that hard to short-circuit a 18650 cell, especially and specifically unprotected ones. This is a big part of why consumer oriented gadgets use AAs instead of 18650s – it’s perhaps less powerful, sure, but it’s also a significantly less dangerous cell.

The Instructions, They Do Nothing!

WHY sold a little over 3700 tickets. I would not expect 100% attendance, but I’m comfortable saying it must’ve been around three thousand people. Sadly, “three thousand people” is far beyond the point when you can hope to give people handling instructions for something as easy to mishandle as LiIon cells, even for a nominally hacker audience.

Of course, you can try and give people instructions. You can talk to each badge recipient individually, release booklets demonstrating what to do and not to do with a 18650 cell, add silkscreen instructions for a just-in-place reminder, or maybe have them sign a release form, though it’s unlikely that kind of trick would be legal in the EU. Sadly, WHY organizers never came close to doing any of these things. It also wouldn’t really matter if they did. These instructions will always, inevitably be outright ignored by a sizeable percentage of users.

Handling unprotected batteries requires cautiousness and some helper equipment. You can’t hope to transplant the cautiousness, at most you can try and issue the equipment. Which equipment? A small storage cases for the cells (must have when transporting them!), as well as a case for the badge, at the very least; to my knowledge, the WHY didn’t issue either of these stock. An ESD bag doesn’t qualify if it doesn’t permanently cover the badge’s back, because any temporary protection is nullified by a budding hacker getting tired of carrying two 18650 cells on their neck, and throwing the badge into the tent without looking. Where does it land? Hopefully not onto something metal.

You can build a badge or any sort of other device using unprotected 18650s, which expects the end user to handle them, like the WHY badge does, and it will be more or less safe as long as the end user is yourself, with 18650 handling experience that I’m sure is to match. Giving it to a friend, caseless? You can talk to your friend and explain 18650 handling basics to them, sure, but you’re still running some degree of risk. My hunch is, your friend could very well refuse such a gift outright. Giving it to a hundred people? You’re essentially playing with fire at someone else’s house.

Just Why Did That Happen?

Hackaday has traditionally used AA cells for our badges, which has definitely help us mostly avoid any Lithium-related issues. Most other conferences have been using pouch cells, which traditionally come with short-circuit protection and don’t threaten to ignite stuff from contact with a piece of metal. 18650 cells are not even cheaper at scale – they’re nice, sure, I wrote as much, but those nice things are quickly negated by the whole “firestarter” thing.

On the other hand, 18650 cells do work for a hacker or a small team of hackers skilled enough to stay cautious, and it also works well at scale when the cell is permanently encased within the shell, like in most powerbanks and laptops. It fails as soon as you expect people to plug batteries in and out, or carry them separately. Respecting Lithium-Ion batteries means being aware of their shortcomings, and for 18650 cells, that means you should avoid having people manually handle them at scale.

Here’s the kicker about the WHY badge situation. I was confused by the WHY badge switching to 18650 cells this year, away from overcurrent-protected pouch cells, which were used by previous iterations of WHY (MCH, SHA) without an issue in sight. So, I’ve asked around, and what I got from multiple sources is – the 18650 usage decision was pushed top-down, with little regard for physical safety. Sadly, this makes sense – it’s how we saw it implemented, too