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Subj: Amateur Radio Newsline Report 2502 for Friday, October 10th,
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Amateur Radio Newsline Report 2502 for Friday, October 10th, 2025
Amateur Radio Newsline Report Number 2502 with a release date of Friday,
October 10th, 2025 to follow in 5-4-3-2-1.
The following is a QST. The world's largest radio telescope gets RFI
protection. The founder of the 13 Colonies special event becomes a Silent Key
-- and Sri Lanka launches its third CubeSat. All this and more as Amateur
Radio Newsline Report Number 2502 comes your way right now.
**
BILLBOARD CART
**
WORLD'S LARGEST RADIO TELESCOPE GAINS RFI PROTECTION
STEPHEN/ANCHOR: As construction continues on the world's largest radio
telescope - known as the Square Kilometre Array - Faraday cages have been
installed at the site in Australia as additional protection against RFI.
Graham Kemp VK4BB tells us what's happening there.
GRAHAM: Two Faraday cages have been put in place at the Square Kilometre
Array site in Western Australia to protect the giant radio telescope from
interference caused by RF leaks coming from inside the data centre. The data
centre and the array are being built in Murchison, a remote location that
provides a needed environment of radio quietness. Despite the radio silence
at the location, the data centre's computers, which connect to the city of
Perth, generate stray RF, spurring the need for Faraday cages to prevent the
electromagnetic energy from escaping.
The international massive array, which will have 131,072 antennas, is still a
work in progress since it was started in 2022. The site in Australia is home
to the array's low-frequency antennas; South Africa is housing the mid-
frequency antennas. The observatory and headquarters are at the Jodrell Bank
Observatory in northwest England.
Although the array will still be a work in progress through to 2029, Philip
Diamond, director of the SKA Observatory, recently told The Register website
that tests may be run on the facility as early as 2027. He told The Register:
[quote] "By then we will have the largest physical low-frequency telescope on
the planet." [endquote]
This is Graham Kemp VK4BB.
(THE REGISTER.COM)
**
SRI LANKA'S BIRDS-X CUBESAT IS IN ORBIT
STEPHEN/ANCHOR: Six years after launching its first nano satellite, Sri Lanka
has launched its third - and the ham radio CubeSat is orbiting the Earth. Jim
Meachen ZL2BHF tells us what to listen for.
JIM: The BIRDS-X Dragonfly CubeSat has marked a milestone for Sri Lanka,
becoming that nation's third nano satellite in space. Developed with help
from the Arthur C. Clarke Institute for Modern Technologies an the Kyushu
Institute of Technology in Japan, it began its orbit last month following its
launch from SpaceX-33.
Its mission is to serve as an APRS digipeater and to test a new low-cost
communication system. It will also demonstrate the relay of store-and-forward
data. Its callsign is JG6YOW. The APRS FM digipeater frequency is 145.825 MHZ
and its CW beacon is on 437.375 MHz.
The 2U CubeSate project was funded by Amateur Radio Digital Communications.
To file a reception report for the CW beacon, follow the link in the text
version of this week's newscast at arnewsline.org.
[DO NOT READ: https://tinyurl.com/mw35fzmc ]
This is Jim Meachen ZL2BHF.
(THEMORNING, BIRDS-X PROJECT,COM, SATNOGS.ORG)
**
FCC DENIES APPROVAL OF 4 CHINESE-OWNED ELECTRONICS LABS
STEPHEN/ANCHOR: In the US, the FCC has continued its actions against foreign-
owned laboratories that test imported electronics for sale and use in the
country. Kent Peterson KCØDGY has that report.
KENT: Four foreign-controlled testing laboratories that evaluate electronics
imported for use in the United States have been denied recognition by the
Federal Communications Commission.
Just days before the shutdown that affected much of the US government,
including the FCC, the commission announced that the four laboratories, like
the 11 the commission denied in early September, were controlled by Chinese
interests. That makes for a total of 15 such labs rejected so far by the
FCC's Office of Engineering and Technology, as part of the administration's
goal to give US-owned companies the responsibility of certifying electronics
for import and sale in the US. All approved equipment must demonstrate that
it is not a threat to US national security and must comply with FCC
standards.
This move is the latest following the commission's adoption in May of the
order. At the time the order was announced, the FCC disclosed that about 75
percent of all electronics sold in the US are being tested by Chinese labs.
This is Kent Peterson KCØDGY.
(FCC)
**
SILENT KEY: KEN VILLONE, KU2US, FOUNDER OF 13 COLONIES SPECIAL EVENT
STEPHEN/ANCHOR: The founder of a popular and much-loved annual tradition -
the 13 Colonies Special Event - has become a Silent Key. We learn more about
him from Travis Lisk N3ILS.
TRAVIS: With the birth of the 13 Colonies Special event here in the US as a
four-day event in 2009, Ken Villone, KU2US, began a ham radio revolution.
Inspired by the fun of the ARRL Sweepstakes, the military veteran had hoped
to organize a special on-the-air event that would spotlight American history
and celebrate the nation's independence during the days surrounding the July
4th holiday. As Ken told the ARRL earlier this year, the 2008 Sweepstakes
spurred him to try his luck [quote] “....for one year only, to see what
happens and to have some fun." [end quote]
The man who made sure that the fun would continue each year afterward became
a Silent Key on the 2nd of October following a lengthy illness. In the years
before his death, the 13 Colonies event had become an internationally popular
activity with bonus stations and chasers around the world.
Only weeks before this year's event, with his health worsening, Ken
transferred the event's leadership to his friend Tony Jones N4ATJ,
coordinator of North Carolina's K2J station. With the help of Bob Josuweit,
WA3PZO, the 13 Colonies event went forward. Ken stayed active as the state
manager for the K2A operators in New York. Tony told Newsline that the
event's 2025 certificate was one that Ken himself designed -- and that only
one change was made to it so it reflected that the event was honoring him, as
its founder, this year.
One event operator wrote on Facebook: [quote] "Ken had no idea just what he
had created. What started as a small event, over the next 17 years became one
of the most participated and celebrated Ham Radio events, not only in the
United States, but worldwide." [endquote]
Next year's event will mark the 250th anniversary of the nation's
independence and Tony will be looking for ways to mark that milestone while
continuing to honor Ken. He told Newsline: [quote] "I will miss Ken and his
guidance." [endquote]
Ken was 76.
This is Travis Lisk N3ILS.
(TONY JONES N4ATJ, LEGACY.COM, FACEBOOK, ARRL)
**
FLORIDA BAPTIST CHURCHES GROW EMERGENCY RADIO NETWORK
STEPHEN/ANCHOR: People in Florida who turn to their churches in times of need
will soon find refuge there in another kind of storm - hurricane season -
with the help of amateur radio. Jack Parker W8ISH tells us about creation of
a new church radio network-in-progress.
JACK: His role as the associational mission strategist for the Marion Baptist
Association doesn't require Mark Weible, N4GPA, to have a ham license - but
Mark, a former pastor, took his FCC test successfully a year ago and since
then he has been finding ways to harness ham radio's power for churches'
emergency communications during hurricane season.
The Ocala, Florida Baptist association has already added a radio shack and
has plans for a tower. Under Mark's direction, the group is also looking to
create a network of hams within its 67 member churches. Pastors are helping
Mark locate licensees within their congregations. Meanwhile, the association
has a telescoping radio antenna donated after an upgrade done by the Marion
Emergency Radio Team, a radio group Mark belongs to which handles disaster
communications at the county's Emergency Operations Center.
Mark plans to give church leaders a tour of the association's radio shack in
the hopes it will inspire them to install a shack for their own local
congregations. He told the Baptist Press that church involvement makes good
sense. He said [quote]: "If we were to have a hurricane, I’d need to know
which churches have power, which churches are not damaged and which churches
can host disaster relief teams. I’d need to know which churches need help and
which ones can help.ö [endquote] Meanwhile, he is busy being helpful even
without a radio in hand. His chaplaincy training assists him in helping
distraught families cope during or after disasters.
This is Jack Parker W8ISH.
(BAPTIST PRESS, FLBAPTIST.ORG)
**
BREAK HERE: Time for you to identify your station. We are the Amateur Radio
Newsline, heard on bulletin stations around the world, including the AA7WI
repeater in Tucson, Arizona on Fridays at 7 pm local time.
**
FCC CHARGES HAM WITH ILLEGAL 40M OPERATION
STEPHEN/ANCHOR: Even with the government shutdown here in the US, the clock
is still ticking for the FCC to receive a response from the Florida ham
charged with illegal one-way communications on the air.
A notice of violation was issued in late September to Mike F. Conte; KA2FPZ,
for having operated last March on 7.200 MHz, engaging in apparent one-way
communication with a station for which there is no active amateur radio
callsign. According to the Notice of Violation, he confirmed to the agent
from the Enforcement Bureau that his transmission was a one-way
communication.
The FCC has ordered him to submit a response and explanation in writing
within 20 days of the notice, which was dated the 29th of September.
According to a notice on the FCC website, the shutdown has no impact on
filings related to enforcement matters. A statement on the website reads:
[quote] "Except as specified by the Enforcement Bureau, there are no
extensions of deadlines relating to enforcement investigations and other
enforcement proceedings that involve specific parties." [endquote]
(FCC)
**
IARU FORUM HOSTS TOP DX CONTESTER, OFFERING TIPS
STEPHEN/ANCHOR: This month, contesters who are used to hearing a familiar
callsign on the air from Japan will get a chance to hear him off the air - in
a forum designed to help them sharpen their own contest scores. We have those
details from John Williams VK4JJW.
JOHN: There's no guarantee that Katsuhiro Kondou, JH5GHM, will be giving away
any of the secrets that have made him one of Japan's top DX contesters
but....you never know. Don, as he is also known, is presenting a one-hour
virtual talk to DX contesters - or those aspiring to become one - on the 19th
of October. His presentation on Zoom begins at 0600 UTC.
IARU Region 3 is hosting the workshop because, according to the region's
website, the number of contesters in Asia has been steadily growing. Don had
been an avid contester as a teenager in the 1970s but after a hiatus of a
decade or so in the '90s, he returned to ham radio and to contesting in 2010.
To hear his tips and maybe give yourself an edge in the next big event,
register by following the link that appears in the text version of this
week's newscast at arnewsline.org
[DO NOT READ: https://forms.gle/xL74BfWALEHoDmDD9 ]
This is John Williams VK4JJW.
(IARU REGION 3)
**
HURRICANE WATCH NET LAUNCHES PODCAST
STEPHEN/ANCHOR: Most of you have certainly heard the Hurricane Watch Net on
the air but.....have you heard it as a podcast or even seen it on YouTube?
Now you can do either - or both - as we hear from Randy Sly W4XJ. But first,
listen carefully:
<INSERT CLIP> [sounds of storm building, followed by voice] "Hello everyone
and welcome to the very first episode of HWN Report, the official podcast of
the Hurricane Watch Net. I'm Bobby Graves."
RANDY: With that introduction - and some stormy sound effects - the
Hurricane Watch Net celebrates 60 years of service to the United States
National Hurricane Center by entering the world of podcasting. What you heard
is the introduction to this new program which brings stories, people, and the
history of the net to viewers and listeners. Episode 1 of “The HWN Report,ö
hosted by net manager, Bobby Graves, KB5HAV, premiered in early September on
YouTube, featuring a tribute to Jerry Murphy, K8YUW, the founder of the net.
Graves told ARNewsline that the purpose of the podcast is to [quote] “help
others understand the full role of amateur radio during disasters, home or
abroad, helping the Hurricane Center and forecasters gather more data -
near-real-time ground-truth weather data – and help people to be better
prepared before a hurricane. [endquote]
He announced later that by popular demand, in addition to YouTube, an audio
version of each program will be available on services such as Apple, Spotify,
Amazon Music and iHeart Podcasts.
This is Randy Sly, W4XJ
(BOBBY GRAVES, KB5HAV)
**
WORLD OF DX
In the World of DX, listen for the Radio Club d'Haiti using the callsign
4V1SB through to the end of October. This is a special callsign commemorating
the role Haiti played in assisting the revolutionary efforts of Simon
Bolivar, who helped win independence from Spain for many South American
countries. The callsign bears his initials. QSL via N2OO.
Mitsuru, JE1HXZ, is on the air as JE1HXZ/6 from Kita-Daito Island, IOTA
Number AS-047, from the 8th through to the 15th of October, using CW, SSB,
RTTY and FT8/FT4 on 160-6 metres. QSL via LoTW.
Listen for the Mediterraneo DX Club which is sending a large multinational
team to Sierra Leone using the callsign 9L8MD. They will operate from the
30th of October through to the 10th of November, using CW, SSB, RTTY and
FT8/FT4 on 160-6 metres. QSL via IK2VUC.
Six members of the DX Obsessed Group will be calling QRZ as FW5K from Wallis
Island, IOTA number OC-054, from the 19th through to the 31st of October.
Listen for them on 160-6 metres using CW, SSB, FT8/FT4 and RTTY. QSL via Club
Log's OQRS.
(425 DX BULLETIN)
**
KICKER: A TRIBUTE TO THE HELPING HAMS
STEPHEN/ANCHOR: For our final story, we honor our mentors, our Elmers - all
those more experienced hams who are there to help newcomers. This is the
story of one ham's THANK YOU to them all, as we hear from Paul Braun WD9GCO.
PAUL: One of the most time-honored traditions in amateur radio is that of
being an Elmer - a more experienced ham willing to answer questions and pass
on knowledge to newer hams.
The origin of the term is still up for discussion, but the impact they have
on the hobby is not.
On October 3rd, 4th and 5th, Rich Guerrera, KB1FGC, was on the air with a
special event celebrating Elmers - particularly the ones who shaped his own
life as a ham.
In an email to Newsline, Guerrera said that two things inspired him to do the
event — articles he’d read on QRZ.com about hams who had helped others get
into the hobby and the positive impact that they had on their early years as
hams. He also drew from his personal experience with those hams who had given
him a warm response and encouragement when he first started out.
Guerrera said that operators had confirmed approximately 100 QSOs during the
event and received positive responses from hams they worked. He’s planning on
doing it again next year, and said that there might be a European team as
well.
On a personal note, I was fortunate to have two exceptional Elmers as a
teenager - Bob Heil, K9EID and Steve Ramsey, K9SR who had been friends since
they were kids. Sadly, I lost Bob last March and Steve on September 26th of
this year. But the lessons they taught me and their memories continue to
drive me as a ham, and inspire me to pass along what knowledge I have when
someone asks a question. Elmering should continue - there’s always something
to learn in this hobby that someone else has already tried.
I'm Paul Braun, WD9GCO
**
If you haven't sent in your ham radio haiku yet, what's been stopping you?
Visit our website at arnewsline.org and as you compose your ode to your
favorite online activity, we will help you use the correct number of
syllables to make an authentic haiku. Submit your work and then sit back and
wait to hear whether you are the winner of this week's challenge. The winner
gets a shout-out on our website, where everyone can find the winning haiku.
NEWSCAST CLOSE
With thanks to Amateur News Daily;ARRL; Baptist Press; Birds-X Project; Bobby
Graves, KB5HAV; David Behar K7DB; DXNews; 425DX Bulletin; Facebook; FCC;
FLBaptist.org; 425DXBulletin; IARU Region 3; Legacy.com; The Morning; Ofcom;
QRZ.com; SatNogs.org; Scottish Microwave Roundtable; TheRegister.com;
shortwaveradio.de; Tony Jones N4ATJ; Wireless Institute of Australia; and you
our listeners, that's all from the Amateur Radio Newsline. We remind our
listeners that Amateur Radio Newsline is an all-volunteer non-profit
organization that incurs expenses for its continued operation. If you wish to
support us, please visit our website at arnewsline.org and know that we
appreciate you all. We also remind our listeners that if you like our
newscast, please leave us a 5-star rating wherever you subscribe to us.
For now, with Caryn Eve Murray KD2GUT at the news desk in New York, and our
news team worldwide, I'm Stephen Kinford N8WB in Wadsworth Ohio saying 73. As
always we thank you for listening. Amateur Radio Newsline(tm) is Copyright
2025. Amateur Radio Newsline retains ownership of its material even when
retransmitted elsewhere. All rights are reserved.
73 de Bill, PY2BIL
PY2BIL@PY2BIL.SP.BRA.SOAM
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------+
BBS: PY2BIL - Timed 10-Oct-2025 08:28 E. South America Standard Time
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