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Amateur Radio Newsline Report 2468 for Friday, February 14th, 2025
Amateur Radio Newsline Report Number 2468 with a release date of
Friday, February 14th, 2025 to follow in 5-4-3-2-1.

The following is a QST. In the US, two radio-related proposals return
for consideration among lawmakers. NASA spots metallic vapors from disintegrating Starlink satellites -- and the special event honoring
the discovery of Pluto enters its 5th year. All this and more as
Amateur Radio Newsline Report Number 2468 comes your way right now.

**
BILLBOARD CART

**
DEVELOPING STORY: RIGEXPERT'S UKRAINE OFFICES DESTROYED BY MISSILE

SKEETER/ANCHOR: We begin this week with a developing story. As Newsline
went to production, the amateur radio developer and manufacturer
RigExpert reported the destruction of its administrative office at its headquarters in Ukraine. The company said on its website and in social
media posts that the offices were struck by a Russian ballistic
missile. RigExpert said that all its personnel were safe, production
remained unaffected and that its customer support operations will
continue. The company issued a statement on Wednesday, February 12th,
saying: [quote] "Even though this is difficult situation, the RigExpert
team is committed to restoring operations as soon as possible to
continue providing our great products to you. We are working tirelessly
to minimize delays and fulfill our commitments." [endquote]

**

NEW EFFORT TO SAVE AM RADIO IN US VEHICLES

SKEETER/ANCHOR: Our next two stories take us to Washington, D.C., where proposed laws have been reintroduced for yet another year's
consideration by the US Congress. The first measure tackles the debate
over whether AM radio should be required in vehicles sold in the US.
Kent Peterson KC0DGY has that story.

KENT: The US Senate is getting ready to vote on a proposed law that
would retain consumers' access to AM radio in all new vehicles sold
around the country. The AM Radio for Every Vehicle Act, which is being challenged by a number of automakers, has support from a number of
major lawmakers in both parties. The bill has a version that is also
being considered in the House of Representatives.

The act was introduced last year but lawmakers failed to move forward
on it in time before the end of the last congressional session in
December.

The bill's advocates have said that they acknowledge the important role
that AM radio plays in the nation's emergency alert system and in
transmitting lifesaving information during disasters. Proponents
include the National Association of Broadcasters and the new FCC
Chairman Brendan Carr. An article on the Radio World website
noted that this measure is one of the few to have both political
parties behind it, both among lawmakers and at the FCC.

The road has not been a smooth one, however. The RadioInk website
reported that carmakers have made a formidable investment worth $26.73
million in lobbying against the bill's passage. Disclosures in lobbying documents showed that Detroit-based General Motors was among the top 10 corporate spenders in the fourth quarter of 2024, allocating $4-million
to their efforts to win lawmakers over. Other big spenders included
Toyota, Honda and Ford. Manufacturers of electric vehicles, such as
Tesla and Rivian, have been in the vanguard of opposition, claiming
that the high-voltage electrical systems in their vehicles are not
compatible with AM radio and cause distortion and interference. Those
carmakers spent $190,000 and $40,000, respectively.

This is Kent Peterson KC0DGY.

(RADIO WORLD, RADIO INK)

**
LAWMAKERS RECONSIDER MEASURE TO PROTECT ANTENNAS IN HOAS

SKEETER/ANCHOR: The US Congress has also returned to considering a
measure giving hams the right to install antennas that, until now, have
been banned or restricted by homeowner associations. We have more on
that from Paul Braun WD9GCO.

PAUL: A proposed law has been reintroduced in Washington, D.C. to
restrict the power that homeowner associations, or HOAs, have to
prevent ham radio operators from installing antennas outside their
residences.

This is the latest version of the Amateur Radio Emergency Preparedness
Act, which has been considered by US lawmakers over the past several
years without taking any action.

The measure prohibits HOAs from writing rules that ban amateur radio
antennas, which are recognized as part of an essential disaster
communications system for public safety. The act also provides hams
with a means of resolving disputes that arise in connection with their antennas.

The sponsors are US Senators Roger Wicker, a Mississippi Republican,
and Richard Blumenthal a Connecticut Democrat. Opponents of the measure
in previous years have raised concerns that large antennas spoil the
aesthetics of a community. Many of the measure's supporters have
countered that ham radio antennas should be given the same
consideration as satellite dishes and TV antennas, which many HOAs
permit.

This is Paul Braun WD9GCO.

(SEN. ROGER WICKER WEBSITE)

**
METALLIC VAPORS DETECTED AFTER STARLINK RE-ENTRIES

SKEETER/ANCHOR: The oldest of the Starlink satellites are coming back
to Earth - and NASA has detected metallic vapors in the atmosphere as
they disintegrate. We have more details from Andy Morrison K9AWM.

ANDY: The disintegration of retired Starlink satellites has introduced
vapors containing aluminum and other metals as they re-enter the
atmosphere and burn up, NASA has found.

These are among the so-called "Generation 1" satellites that were
launched starting in 2018.

According to Jonathan McDowell, an astronomer at Harvard University's
Center for Astrophysics, four or five of these satellites are
incinerated daily. He told the SpaceWeather website that [quote] "the
sustained rate of daily reentries is unprecedented." [Endquote] He said
that the fireballs are not a surprise to the constellation's planners,
who are removing the oldest satellites and replacing them with the next generation.

All that debris is adding up and apparently having other effects: The SpaceWeather website said that just one of these satellites can produce
about 30 kilograms, or 66 pounds, of aluminum oxide. This compound is
known to erode the Earth's ozone layer.

This is Andy Morrison K9AWM

(SPACEWEATHER.COM)

**
HAM RADIO OPERATOR IS FRONT-RUNNER TO LEAD GERMANY

SKEETER/ANCHOR: Amateur radio and politics may not always mix but
almost everyone knows a few names of public officials who have led
their nations. In Germany, one amateur radio operator has set his hopes
high too. We hear more about him from Jeremy Boot G4NJH.

JEREMY: Although there are numerous amateur radio awards, such as DXCC
and Worked All Europe, Frederich Merz, DK7DQ, is hoping for an
achievement that could be thought of as "Worked All Germany" even
though, in this case, it's outside the realm of amateur radio.

Frederich Merz is leader of Germany's CDU party and a possible
front-runner in this month's elections to replace Olaf Scholz. A win
would make the political conservative the nation's new Chancellor and
as such he would join the ranks of other licensed heads around the
world - most notably the late King Hussein of Jordan, who held the
callsign JY1, and the present King of Thailand, whose callsign isHS10A.

This is Jeremy Boot G4NJH.

**
HAMS INTERCEPT "SUSPICIOUS" RADIO SIGNALS ON INDIA'S BORDER

SKEETER/ANCHOR: In India, hams have intercepted questionable radio
signals on the border with Bangladesh, as we hear from Jason Daniels
VK2LAW.

JASON: Amateur radio operators have told the Ministry of Communications
in India that they have been hearing radio signals late at night in
South Bengal near the Indo-Bangladesh border, in an area of
international unrest. The transmissions are reportedly in coded Arabic,
Urdu and Bengali. They have been intercepted by hams since December of
last year, according to news reports.

The Ministry of Communications has forwarded the information to the International Monitoring Station in Kolkata and hams have been advised
to continue monitoring and reporting what they hear. Various news media
in India said that the radio transmissions have spurred concern over
possible activities by extremists, amid escalating Bangladeshi
hostilities toward India.

This is Jason Daniels VK2LAW.

(ASSAM TRIBUNE, MILLENNIUM POST)

**
PLUTO SPECIAL EVENT IN ITS 5TH YEAR OF ORBIT

SKEETER/ANCHOR: If you have enjoyed the past four years of logging
contacts with W7P, the Pluto Special Event station, you now have your
chance to work it again. The Northern Arizona DX Association is putting
W7P back on the air from the 15th through to the 23rd of February. This
is year five of a 10-year-old special event marking the 100th
anniversary of the discovery of Pluto in 1930 from the Lowell
Observatory in Flagstaff, Arizona. One of the operators will be Doug
Tombaugh, N3PDT, the nephew of astronomer, Clyde Tombaugh, who
discovered Pluto. Doug will be using the callsign W7P/0. See QRZ.com
for QSL and certificate details.

(AMATEUR NEWS WEEKLY)

**

BREAK HERE: Time for you to identify your station. We are the Amateur
Radio Newsline, heard on bulletin stations around the world, including
the CQ0UAR repeater in Arestal Mountain, Portugal, on Saturdays and
Sundays at noon local time.

**

ISS CONDUCTS "REHEARSAL" OF FRAM2 IMAGE TRANSMISSIONS

SKEETER/ANCHOR: The International Space Station is helping with a
rehearsal for an important SSTV event sometime this spring. John
Williams VK4JJW explains.

JOHN: TV fans have grown accustomed to previews but most of the time
that means they are watching scenes from popular shows or movies from
the comfort of their couches. The International Space Station is giving
hopeful viewers a different kind of preview via SSTV. To help educators
and students prepare to copy transmissions from the Fram2 mission
sometime this spring, the ISS is transmitting images on 437.550 MHz
beginning February 13th through to the 17th. This is a departure from
the ISS' customary 2m frequency but it is designed as a practice
session to get participants accustomed to the receiving equipment and
Doppler effect they will encounter on 70cm. The Fram2 mission aboard
the SpaceX Dragon will be the first spaceflight to orbit the Earth over
the North and South poles.

This is John Williams VK4JJW.

(AMATEUR NEWS WEEKLY)

**

AM RADIO STATION BACK ON FREQUENCY AFTER REPORTED TOWER THEFT

SKEETER: Alabama AM radio station WJLX, which reported the mysterious
theft of its broadcast tower and destruction of its transmitter one
year ago, has gone back on the air on its assigned frequency of 1240AM.

According to a story on the Radio World website, the station's signal
was restored quickly before the one-year expiration date of the special temporary authority the FCC granted it after the incident was reported.
The station has come under different management following the
subsequent death of Brett Elmore, the general manager who had reported
the theft and vandalism. The station has been back on the air on AM
since the 1st of February using a temporary setup transmitting 100
watts. A 195-foot tower is expected to be installed soon. The station
also has a new 1kW transmitter. It can also be heard via an iHeartMedia translator on FM and will soon be taking over FM operations at 90.1MHz.

The case of the missing transmitter and 200-foot tower has not been
solved.

(RADIO WORLD)

**

AMATEUR ASTRONOMER ACTIVATES METEORITE'S LANDING SPOT

SKEETER/ANCHOR: Meet a ham radio operator who loves astronomy so much
that he's activating a very old meteor crater in India. We learn more
from Jim Meachen ZL2BHF.

JIM: As an amateur astronomer and astrophotographer, Datta VU2DSI
enjoys catching meteors with the lens of his telescopes or camera. As
an amateur radio operator, he also chases after them with his radio
signal. Here on earth, he often shares his love of the heavens with
students by presenting "Sky Watching" programs in schools and colleges
around India.

So when a meteorite falls to earth, as it did millions of years ago,
Datta is not likely to ignore what it left behind. He has traveled to
Lonar Lake in the Buldhana district of India's Maharashtra state for
his first-time encounter with what he calls an "astronomical wonder,"
the crater that the massive impact left behind, with the meteor buried
600 metres below. Researchers from the Physical Research Laboratory of
India, the Smithsonian Institution and the Geological Society of India
have probed its mysteries. Now it is Datta's turn to do some
exploring. At the edge of the crater, he hopes to discover the wonder
and the appeal it holds for amateurs around the world.

Using the callsign AU6LON, Datta is calling CQ from Lonar Meteor Lake. Operating from what has since been declared a wildlife sanctuary, he
will call CQ from the 20th through to the 24th of February. He will be
joined by two other radio enthusiasts, Ajay [Uh-JIE] VU3LPQ, and Suhas [Sue-HOSS], a short-wave listener. QSL information and other details
about the activation can be found on the QRZ.com page of AU6LON.

This is Jim Meachen ZL2BHF.

(DATTA, VU2DSI)


**
RULES PUBLISHED FOR WORLD RADIOSPORT TEAM CHAMPIONSHIP 2026

SKEETER/ANCHOR: If you've got your eye on the World Radiosport Team Championship 2026 in the UK, you may want to read the competition rules
which have just been published by the championship's committee. The
rules have been adjusted slightly from the previous competition to
ensure that this a fair test of operator skills. Questions may be
submitted to the committee via social media, on the WRTC reflector or
at amateur radio conventions.

Find a link to the rules in the text version of this week's newscast
script at arnewsline.org

[DO NOT READ:
https://www.wrtc2026.org/2025/02/10/wrtc-uk-competition-rules/ ]

**
WORLD OF DX

In the World of DX, a team of operators from the D A R C are using the
special event callsign DA0IARU to celebrate the 100th anniversary of
the IARU. They are on the air through to the 27th of April. See QRZ.com
for QSL details.

In France, Georges, F6IMD, is activating with a team using the callsign
TM06CDN between the 15th of February and the 2nd of March to celebrate
the Nice [pron: NEECE] Carnival. Only downloadable eQSLs will be
provided.

Yuri, VE3DZ, is on the air until the 18th of February using the
callsign FM/VE3DZ from Martinique, IOTA Number NA-107. Yuri will take
part in the ARRL DX CW Contest as TO4A [Tee OH four Ay]. See QRZ.com
for QSL details.

The special callsign IR0APTT is on the air to mark the 50th anniversary
of the ARI Porto Torres radio club, IQ0AK, in Sardinia. Listen on all
bands through to the 12th of May. See QRZ.com for QSL details.

Herbert, DL5AXI, is operating holiday style as OZ/DL5AXI from Fano
Island, IOTA number EU-125, until the 20th of February. Herbert is
using CW and SSB on 40 through 10 metres. QSL via his home callsigns.

(425 DX BULLETIN)

**
KICKER: FOR POLISH YL, 50 YEARS OF MAGIC AND ADVENTURE

SKEETER/ANCHOR: Our final story takes us to Poland where a devoted
amateur is celebrating a half-century on being on the air by...................going on the air! Jeremy Boot G4NJH introduces us
to her.

JEREMY: Wanda, SP5IWA/SP7IWA cannot imagine what her life would be like
without amateur radio. Fortunately, since the age of 15, she hasn't had
to. Curious about the magic and the science behind it all, she enrolled
in a course offered by the local radio club, SP5KMB, while she was
still a secondary-school student in Poland. By June of 1975, her first
license in her hand, bearing one of the two callsigns she still uses
today, with a radio, a microphone and a telegraph key, Wanda was on
her way. Before too long she was DXing, operating in contests and going
off into the mountains of southern Poland for a radio adventure.

So many years later, Wanda is embarking on another adventure - special
event station SN50IWA, marking the 50 years that have passed since she
first went on the air as a ham. The years between have been marked by
QSOs and making friends. She fell in love with CW and ultimately, she
fell in love with the man who was to become her husband - another
amateur radio operator.

She is most active these days on CW but to Wanda, the most important
thing is just to be on the air, which is exactly what she will be doing
until the end of 2025 with her special-event callsign on the HF bands.
Though amateur radio has certainly changed in the decades since she
first touched a telegraph key or picked up a microphone, Wanda still
believes that the old-fashioned QSL card is relevant. To her it has
always been the final courtesy of a QSO - and it remains so, 50
yearslater.

This is Jeremy Boot G4NJH.

(YL BEAM, QRZ.COM, WANDA SP5IWA/SP7IWA)

**
Have you sent in your amateur radio haiku to Newsline's haiku challenge
yet? It's as easy as writing a QSL card. Set your thoughts down using traditional haiku format - a three-line verse with five syllables in
the first line, seven in the second and five in the third. Submit your
work on our website at arnewsline.org - each week's winner gets a
shout-out on our website, where everyone can find the winning haiku.

NEWSCAST CLOSE: With thanks to the Assam Tribune; Amateur Radio Daily;
Datta, VU2DSI; David Behar K7DB; Millennium Post; QRZ.com;
RadioWorld.com; Sen. Roger Wicker; shortwaveradio.de; SpaceWeather.com;
Wanda SP5IWA/SP7IWA; 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
Skeeter Nash N5ASH in Jonesboro, Arkansas saying 73. As always we thank
you for listening. Amateur Radio Newsline(tm) is Copyright 2025. All
rights reserved.

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