Amateur Radio Newsline Report 2553 for Friday, October 2nd, 2026

Amateur Radio Newsline Report Number 2553 with a release date of Friday, October 2nd, 2026 to follow in 5-4-3-2-1.

The following is a QST. An international plea for stronger RFI safeguards. A new network supports student ham clubs in the Azores -- and a DXCC entity by any other name is still the same island. All this and more as Amateur Radio Newsline Report Number 2553 comes your way right now.

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BILLBOARD CART

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UN AGENCIES MAKE PLEA FOR STRONGER RFI SAFEGUARDS

JIM/ANCHOR: Our top story this week comes from Geneva, where two United Nations agencies have made a plea for governments to protect public safety through tougher protections against radio spectrum interference. Dave Lee M9TLB tells us what they said.

DAVE: The ability to monitor climate, forecast weather and deliver early warning messages faces critical disruption because the same radio frequencies these systems use are increasingly occupied by some satellites and wireless systems, according to two United Nations agencies.

At a meeting held in Geneva on the 28th of September, the International Telecommunications Union and the World Meteorological Organisation said that such spectrum interference increasingly imperils the study of and the public response to environmental dangers. The frequencies are used to monitor and collect data from the ocean, the atmosphere and the land.

Doreen Bogdan-Martin, secretary-general of the ITU, told the meeting that [quote] "Preventing harmful radio interference is a matter of public safety and can save lives." [endquote] The agencies said that the accuracy of measurements and other data and the ability to prepare for dangers could be seriously compromised.

The appeal by the UN agencies was made just as the two released their handbook offering guidance on the best ways to use and protect radio frequencies. The handbook is called "The Use of Radio Spectrum for Meteorology: Weather, Climate, Water and Related Environmental Applications."

This is Dave Lee M9TLB.

(EURONEWS)

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EXPERIMENTAL SATELLITE PUTS AI DATA CENTER IN SPACE

JIM/ANCHOR: Solar-powered amateur radio satellites are welcoming a newcomer into their low-earth orbit -- but this satellite isn't for radio - it's an AI experiment, as we hear from Kent Peterson KC DGY.

KENT: The satellite is known as MVP and its launch will allow Google to test whether its objective - to run an AI data center from space - can become reality. Operating with only 1 kilowatt of power, the solar-powered satellite is offering a trial run of Google's TPUs, or tensor processing units, to determine whether they can survive the harsh conditions of space temperatures and radiation. Their high energy consumption means that the TPUs will only be operating for 15 minutes at a time.

This experimental space-based data center marks the dawn of Project Suncatcher, which Google ultimately sees as a space-based network of AI satellites flying in close proximity, communicating with one another over laser links much like those used by the Starlink network from SpaceX.

Google hopes to have two such satellites launched sometime in 2027.

This is Kent Peterson KC DGY.

(NYTIMES, INTERESTING ENGINEERING, ARS TECHNICA)

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RESEARCHERS DETECT RADIO SIGNALS FROM ANOTHER WORLD

JIM/ANCHOR: In a first for astronomers, radio signals have been detected from another world, a giant planet outside our solar system, sixty-four light-years from earth. Travis Lisk N3ILS tells us about this discovery.

TRAVIS: South Africa's MeerKAT radio telescope has detected repeated bursts of radio signals coming from the Beta Pictoris planetary system and have traced it to a strong magnetic field surrounding the giant planet. Researchers say that these are the first auroral radio emissions in history to ever be detected from an exoplanet.

The significance of the discovery, which the researchers published two weeks ago, means that researchers have found a way to measure the magnetic field of a young planet which, until now, was only theoretical.

This is Travis Lisk N3ILS.

(WIRED, PHYS.ORG, NEW YORK TIMES)

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NEW AZORES-BASED NETWORK UNITES SCHOOL RADIO CLUBS

JIM/ANCHOR: School ham clubs in Portugal and the Azores have a new resource to draw upon - one another! Jeremy Boot G4NJH explains.

JEREMY: It's already a busy year for school amateur radio clubs in Portugal and especially in the Azores which recently began coordinating joint activities and sharing their knowledge through a newly formed group with the acronym RERA.The organisation stands for Rede Escolar de Radioamadorismo dos A ores, or Azores School Amateur Radio Network. It was established last June at a meeting coordinated by Ana Braga CU2YK, a teacher at Capelas Integrated Basic School in the Azores. In addition to its educational goals, RERA is also raising the profile of amateur radio as a public service resource and aims to assist other schools in the region to establish their own student amateur radio clubs.

RERA plans to hold its first regional meeting at the end of the school year in 2027 so that teachers, students and cooperating ham radio operators can present their projects and share the experiences they had during their first year of working together.

This is Jeremy Boot G4NJH.

(QRZ.COM FORUMS)

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2 US AGENCIES SEEK COMMENTS ON RF EXPOSURE

JIM/ANCHOR: RF exposure standards in the US are taking center stage as two public comment periods remain open at two federal agencies. Sel Embee KB3TZD tells us what this means.

SEL: Two US agencies have opened windows for public comment on RF exposure standards. Neither of these concurrent public comment periods are in response to any proposed changes to exposure rules; they represent additional fact-finding on behalf of the Federal Communications Commission and the Department of Health and Human Services.

The Health and Human Services Department is interested in hearing input on the health effects of electromagnetic fields, RF exposure, and wireless technology. Those comments are due no later than the 21st of October.

The FCC welcomes comments until the 22nd of October on its existing RF exposure limits. The agency's action comes in response to an order from a federal appeals court asking the FCC to further explain its RF exposure standards, which were upheld earlier by a federal court. The order from the appeals court is not looking to overturn those standards but is revisiting the issue. In response, the FCC seeks input from scientific standards professionals as well as health and safety agencies.

This is Sel Embee KB3TZD.

(FCC, HEALTH & HUMAN SERVICES)

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SILENT KEY: YACHT CO-FOUNDER EDWARD ENGLEMAN, KG8CX

JIM/ANCHOR: A ham whose years of volunteer activities included special efforts to train the next generation of amateurs has become a Silent Key. We hear about him from Andy Morrison K9AWM.

ANDY: Mention the word YACHT - an acronym for Young Amateurs Communication Ham Team - and you can't help but think of Edward Engleman, KG8CX. He had been an elementary school teacher by profession, but even in retirement, he answered the call to be a mentor.

Ed died on the 24th of September, in his home state of Michigan.

He was a cofounder of the youngsters' radio group known as YACHT which fired the imaginations and ambitions of many young radio operators through its youth net, informal chats and other activities. The group has since grown to include hundreds of members worldwide.

Always proud of the young radio operators who expanded their knowledge and their experience, Ed himself was not without high levels of achievement. He received the Hamvention Ham of the Year award in 2024 and one year later became the recipient of the Yasme Excellence Award. At both awards presentations, he credited the youngsters to whom he devoted so much of his time and caring.

Ed was 87.

This is Andy Morrison K9AWM.

(QRZ.COM, FACEBOOK)

BREAK HERE: Time for you to identify your station. We are the Amateur Radio Newsline, heard on bulletin stations around the world including the ZS MOT (Zed Ess Zero Em Oh Tee) repeater in Middelburg South Africa on Wednesdays at 7 p.m. local time.

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NOAA WEATHER RADIOS A PRIORITY IN CALIFORNIA COUNTY

JIM/ANCHOR: Volunteers and professionals involved in emergency communications can expect added help next spring when an extra tool in public awareness responds to crisis conditions in one California county. Ralph Squillace KK6ITB explains.

RALPH: Broadcast radios tuned to the VHF public service band are being viewed as a mainstay of public safety in Santa Barbara County, California. These are NOAA Weather Radios, tuned to the National Weather Service, and they are a high priority for the county's Office of Emergency Management. The broadcast receivers provide emergency information -- such as evacuation notices or orders to shelter in place -- when other forms of alerts cannot get through.

In addition to carrying weather information, the radios automatically sound an alarm tone when an emergency alert goes out, even if the radio is powered off. County officials believe that disabled people, low-income residents and residents in rural communities with poor cellular reception are among those who would benefit most from these radios. The office of emergency management expects to announce a project to get these radios distributed to residents in vulnerable communities, a project funded by a grant from the California governor's Office of Emergency Services and its Next Generation Warning System grant program.

The radios and assistive devices geared toward persons with disabilities are expected to be available by spring.

This is Ralph Squillace KK6ITB.

(THE INDEPENDENT.COM)

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PA QSO PARTY INTRODUCES TEAM COMPETITION

JIM/ANCHOR: A popular fall HF operating event is celebrating its 70th anniversary. This year, there are new incentives to promote even more radio action, as we hear from Mark Abramowicz (Abram-oh-vich) NT3V.

MARK: The Pennsylvania QSO Party has aged well and has been growing in recent years to become a leader among state QSO parties around the country. This year, it's offering an innovative new enticement to increase activity - team competition.

Anthony Goody Good, K3NG, vice president of the PA QSO Party Association, says this latest enhancement was the result of thinking outside the box.

GOOD: Two-to-four single operators can get together and call themselves a team you have to register on the website: paqso.org and we re offering awards and certificates for the team competition. There s four categories stations in Pennsylvania, United States outside of Pennsylvania, Canada and DX.

MARK: Team members don t have to operate from the same location. They can get their team score by combining scores from their individual locations. Good says this idea follows last year s push to get PA stations to spend more time on the high bands 10, 15 and 20 meters to draw more out-of-PA competitors.

GOOD: One of the biggest pieces of feedback we got from stations outside of Pennsylvania over the years, especially West Coast folks, was Hey, we want to work more stations in the party. But, we can t hear them on 40 and 80 and, you know, we d work the party more if you had more high band activity.

MARK: Last year, awards were introduced for PA stations spending more time on the high bands and that produced a 55 percent increase there along with more out-of-state participation. Good is optimistic that figure could grow this year.

For more about the PA QSO Party, check out the link to the group s website in the text version of this story at arnewsline.org.

I m Mark Abramowicz, NT3V.

[DO NOT READ: PAQSO.ORG]

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ARISS SSTV EVENT CELEBRATES EDUCATION

JIM/ANCHOR: The crew for ISS Expedition 75 are hosting their first Slow Scan TV event and true to the mission of Amateur Radio on the International Space Station, the focus is on images of students and education. Transmissions will be on UHF starting from the 2nd of October at 0900 UTC, through to the 6th of October. The team will be transmitting on 437.500 MHz plus or minus Doppler shift and using Robot 36 mode.

(AMATEUR NEWS DAILY, ARISS)

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WORLD OF DX

In the World of DX, listen for members of the Calabria DX Team using the callsign 9H6C from Malta, IOTA number EU-023, on the 10th through to the 12th of October. The team will be using CW, SSB and FT8/FT4 on 80-10 metres.

Listen for Gunter, DK2WH, operating as V51WH on SSB and FT8 from Namibia until the 10th of October. He is on 160-6 metres, including 60 metres.

Kazu M CFW will be on Rodrigues Island using the callsign 3B9/M CFW between the 20th and 28th of October. Listen for him calling as 3B9KW on the 24th and 25th of October in the CQ WW SSB contest.

John VK1AX is on the air from Deal Island, IOTA Number OC-195, through to late November. He is operating on 80-10 metres. He is using mainly FT8 but some SSB.

For QSL and operating details on any of these stations, visit QRZ.com

(SARL, 425 DX BULLETIN, DXWORLD)

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KICKER: A TOP DX ENTITY, BY ANY OTHER NAME....

JIM/ANCHOR: Our final story takes us to a newly named DX entity that's been a coveted DX entity for quite some time - just by a different name. Graham Kemp VK4BB takes us to this tiny island now.

GRAHAM: Licensed as C21DA for more than a decade, Darren VK4MAP has been busy since the 23rd of September activating a tiny island country in the Central Pacific - an atoll that was recently declared the nation of Naoero. The landscape is hardly new to Darren, however; he's operated there before. Of course the island was known then as Nauro.

Its name change was formally announced in August as a tribute to the original name it received from its earliest settlers. Darren will be there until the 5th of October, operating 100 watts SSB holiday style. The island still carries the IOTA designation of OC-031.

Whatever you call it - and you really should honor its official name - once you log this Queensland ham, you should be able to call it a very good contact indeed.

This is Graham Kemp VK4BB.

(QRZ.COM, YOUTUBE)

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NEWSCAST CLOSE

With thanks to Amateur Radio Daily, ARISS; ARS Technica; David Behar, K7DB; Euronews; FCC; 425 DX Bulletin; DX World; Health and Human Services; the Independent.com; Interesting Engineering; NY Times; Phys.org; QRZ.com; South African Radio League; WIRED; Wireless Institute of Australia; YouTube; 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 Jim Damron N8TMW in Charleston, West Virginia saying 73. As always, we thank you for listening. Amateur Radio Newsline(tm) is Copyright 2026. Amateur Radio Newsline retains ownership of its material even when retransmitted elsewhere. All rights are reserved.

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