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Amateur Radio Newsline Report 2480 for Friday, May 9th, 2025 Amateur
Radio Newsline Report Number 2480 with a release date of Friday, May
9th, 2025 to follow in 5-4-3-2-1

The following is a QST. The FCC proposes changes for testing
electronics made overseas. A "first" for a disaster-training workshop
in India -- and weather balloons litter a scenic beach in Australia.
All this and more as Amateur Radio Newsline Report Number 2480 comes
your way right now.

**

BILLBOARD CART

**
FCC TO PUSH FOR US-BASED TESTING OF SOME IMPORTED ELECTRONICS

NEIL/ANCHOR: Our top story this week is all about electronics that are
made for the US market but tested overseas. The US regulator is
preparing to change where that testing can - and cannot - be done.
Here's Kent Peterson KC0DGY with the details.

KENT: The FCC plans to tighten its requirements for the testing of
electronic devices manufactured in countries such as China before they
can be sold to US consumers. The commission will review an order this
month that bans device-testing conducted by labs that are [quote]
"owned, controlled or directed by entities that pose national security
risks," according to a statement by FCC Commissioner Brendan Carr. He identified China as one example of such a country,

He said it was important that US-based labs begin taking on the
responsibility to certify such equipment. According to Carr's
statement, Chinese labs test about three-quarters of all electronics
sold in the US.

The commission will consider the new order at its open meeting on
May22nd.

This is Kent Peterson KC0DGY.

(FCC)

**

WEATHER-BALLOON WASTE CHALLENGES AUSTRALIAN COAST

NEIL/ANCHOR: Never mind space junk from decommissioned satellites.
Right here on earth, pieces of weather balloons have been found
littering one beach in Australia. John Williams VK4JJW brings us up
todate.

JOHN: Remnants of latex rubber weather balloons and foam boxes with
scientific instruments washed up recently on the southwest coast of
Victoria, where they were discovered by beach patrol crews. According
to local media, the half-dozen or so balloons were carrying a
radiosonde to measure temperatures, wind speed, wind direction and
relative humidity. The balloons had been launched from Tasmania for a
research project hosted by the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial
Research Organisation, the Australian Bureau of Meteorology and the US Department of Energy. The launch site on the northwest tip of Tasmania
is considered the location of the planet's purest air, making it a
preferred spot for scientists' climate studies.

Heath Powers, the project's operations manager, said in an Australian Broadcasting Corporation report that scientists are testing more
eco-friendly ways to conduct these studies without creating such an
impact on marine life.

This is John Williams VK4JJW., (AUSTRALIAN BROADCASTING CORPORATION,
WIRELESS INSTITUTE OF AUSTRALIA)

**
WEATHER-WATCHING SATELLITES ENTERING END-OF-LIFE STAGE

NEIL/ANCHOR: In a little more than a month, the US will stop supporting
three satellites in its important group of weather observers. Sel Embee
KB3TZD tells us what that means.

SEL: Three US government weather-watching satellites have been
scheduled to formally enter the end-of-life stage on June 16th by the
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. NOAA has announced
that the satellites - 15, 18 and 19 - which are part of the Polar
Operational Environmental Satellites, or POES system, will no longer be
updated or repaired.

As quoted in the blog USradioguy.com, NOAA said that this means signals
will continue to be transmitted but should not be used by anyone for
purposes involving safety or other critical matters. Hobbyists will
still be able to download weather satellite imagery either via
Automatic Picture Transmission on 137 MHz with a V-dipole antenna or
via High Resolution Picture Transmission on 1.7 GHz with a tracking
dish antenna.

Like the other POES satellites, this trio had provided data that was
used in monitoring the environment, forest fires, volcanic eruptions
and global vegetation.

This is Sel Embee, KB3TZD.

(AMSAT, USRADIOGUY BLOG)

**
HAMVENTION PREPARES FOR OPENING DAY

NEIL/ANCHOR: As the days wind down towards opening day of Hamvention in
Xenia, Ohio, organizers report brisk ticket sales and the hope to match
or exceed last year's attendance of more than 35,000 guests over the
three days. A team of 700-plus volunteers will be there starting on May
16th to make everyone welcome. This year's theme is "Radio
Independence" and for three days it will pervade the four meeting halls
where the forums are taking place.

Tickets can be purchased at the box office outside the main entrance
gate. For additional details visit www.hamvention.org

The ARRL is also encouraging visitors to download the Hamvention app
which includes the full program and affiliated events. Find the link to download the app in the text version of this week's newscast at
arnewsline.org

[DO NOT READ: https://www.tripbuilder.net/html5/arrl/multi_home.php]

(JAMES GIFFORD, N8KET)

**
NEW GRANT BOOSTS DIGITAL LIBRARY OF AMATEUR RADIO & COMMUNICATIONS

NEIL/ANCHOR: Thanks to an infusion of money from Amateur Radio Digital Communications, the massive collection at the Digital Library of
Amateur Radio & Communications can keep growing - and growing. Randy
Sly W4XJ has those details.

RANDY: The collection of digitized newsletters, magazines and online
media at the Digital Library of Amateur Radio & Communications keeps on
growing Γ-" and now the library has something else to add to its hefty collection: a second grant from Amateur Radio Digital Communications,
the group that provided the original grant that first helped bring this
library of amateur radio's international history to life.

Kay Savetz, K6KJN, the library's curator, said in the Zero Retries
newsletter that the funding will permit the free library's continued
operation for another two years. He said phase two of the library's
operation will include acquiring and digitizing material from the
California Historical Radio Society and the SPARK Museum of Electrical Invention. The library's most recent acquisitions include the Wireless Institute of Australia's Amateur Radio Magazine from 1933 through 2012
and dozens of new issues of the DX Bulletin.

Still celebrating the support, Kay wrote in the newsletter: [quote]
"Excuse the mess, there's still confetti all over the floor of DLARC
World Headquarters." [endquote]

This is Randy Sly W4XJ.

(ZERO RETRIES NEWSLETTER, AMATEUR NEWS DAILY)

**
THREE INDUCTED INTO CQ AMATEUR RADIO HALL OF FAME

NEIL/ANCHOR: The CQ Amateur Radio Hall of Fame, which is now overseen
by Hamgallery, has announced the trio of inductees for 2025. We hear
more about them from Travis Lisk N3ILS.

TRAVIS: The three newest CQ hall of famers, who were chosen following a nomination process that ended in April, include one Silent Key.The
inductees are Wayne Overbeck, N6NB, who became a Silent Key last month,
Angel M. Vazquez, WP3R and Jim Breakall, WA3FET.

Wayne, who became a Silent Key on April 18th of this year, was well
known as a co-creator of the Quagi antenna, which is part-Yagi,
part-quad. A top-performing contester, he was honored as Radio Amateur
of the Year at the Dayton Hamvention in 1980 for his years of
contributions to ham radio. Wayne was an educator and a former vice
director with the ARRL's Southwestern Division.

Angel, who was named Amateur of the Year at Dayton Hamvention in 2021,
had worked at the Arecibo Observatory in Puerto Rico since 1977. He had
served as head of telescope operations and was the lead operator for
2010 moonbounce project at Arecibo -- a project that included, among
others, fellow hall of fame inductee Jim Breakall. Angel works as the
Puerto Rico Coordination Zone Administrator, managed by the National
Radio Astronomy Observatory. Jim is a professor emeritus of electrical engineering at Pennsylvania State University and a leader in
cutting-edge antenna technology. He is credited for his work with the
Numerical Electromagnetics Code used in antenna analysis. A prolific
author and busy contester, Jim has been involved in antenna designs at
Arecibo and the HAARP facility in Alaska.

For more details about the recipients visit hamgallery.com

This is Travis Lisk N3ILS.

(HAMGALLERY.COM)

**
HAM2K PORTABLE LOGGER RECEIVES SOFTWARE AWARD

NEIL/ANCHOR: Congratulations to the winner of the 2025 Amateur Radio
Software Award. If you do a lot of portable operating, you may already
be very familiar with this program and its developer. Andy Morrison
K9AWM tells us about them both.

ANDY: Ham2K Portable Logger has been a mainstay in the field for a
growing number of portable operators since its development by Sebastian Delmont, KI2D. The Amateur Radio Software Award committee has chosen to
honor the free downloadable logger, citing its [quote] "intuitive, user-friendly interfaces and a suite of convenient features."
[endquote] The software's support of Worldwide Flora & Fauna, Summits
on the Air, Parks on the Air and the ARRL Field Day has helped grow its popularity. Details about the logger can be found at polo dot ham2k dot
com (polo.ham2K.com).

Meanwhile, mark your calendars for the 7th through the 17th of
November, when the committee will activate special-event stations K6A
K6R and K6S - that spells ARS for Amateur Radio Software - to honor
this year's winner and to solicit nominees for next year's award. The international award is given for open-source software projects that
promote innovation and freedom in amateur radio.

This is Andy Morrison K9AWM.

(AMATEUR RADIO SOFTWARE AWARD)

**

BREAK HERE: Time for you to identify your station. We are the Amateur
Radio Newsline, heard on bulletin stations around the world including
the W9BCC repeater in Wausau Wisconsin on Sundays at 9 p.m. during the
Rib Mountain Repeater Association's Sunday Night Swapnet.


**
NOMINATE OUR NEXT YOUNG HAM OF THE YEAR

NEIL/ANCHOR: Nominations close on the 31st of this month for Newsline's
Bill Pasternak Memorial Young Ham of the Year Award. Do you know a
promising young amateur who is a potential candidate? Consider
nominating an amateur radio operator 18 years of age or younger here in
the continental United States. If they have talent, promise and a
commitment to the spirit of ham radio they might just be this year's
award winner. Find application forms on our website arnewsline.org
under the "YHOTY" tab.

**
APRS POSTPONES MAY SUMMIT, RESCHEDULES FOR FALL

NEIL/ANCHOR: The APRS Foundation's inaugural education summit,
originally scheduled to take place in May, has been postponed until the
autumn of this year. The nonprofit group is developing a full day of programming that is geared to both seasoned operators and beginners
-anyone interested in using the Automatic Packet Reporting System.

Discussions about packet radio will include the fundamentals but will
also address cutting-edge applications and what's in store for the
future. Best of all, guests can attend the online seminars and
interactive Q&A sessions right from their home QTH.

Registration details will appear on the foundation website at aprsfoundation.org when they are available.

(APRS FOUNDATION)

**
IMAGE TRANSMISSION A HIGHLIGHT OF DISASTER TRAINING

NEIL/ANCHOR: The mountainous terrain of the Indian state of Nagaland is daunting - but it is never more daunting than in an emergency when communication cannot afford to fail. An amateur radio training program
has been helping state officials train in the latest communication technologies, as we learn from Jim Meachen ZL2BHF.

JIM: Open Source Classes for Amateur Radio, also known as OSCAR India,
has been working with the Nagaland State Disaster Management Authority
to sharpen responders' communication skills. In the most recent
session, held in late April, participants celebrated a first for
responders in the region in northeast India - they successfully used
radio signals for image transmission, using the callsign AT2NE.
District project associates who work for the disaster management
authority were able to see the benefit of this image-transmission mode.
They also received training in antenna-building and Morse Code.

OSCAR India's convenor, Nilkantha Chatterjee, VU2OII [Vee You Two Oh
Eye Eye], told local media [quote] "This demonstration proves radio's
vital role when modern networks fail. While we have conducted similar transmissions elsewhere, bringing this capability to Northeast India's
unique landscape is particularly rewarding." [endquote]

This is Jim Meachen ZL2BHF.

(NAGALAND POST)

**
CITY POLICE STATIONS PREPARE TO ADD AMATEUR RADIO

NEIL/ANCHOR: In West Bengal, India, law enforcement officials in one
city are adding amateur radio shacks to police stations. Now they are
busy getting volunteers trained and licensed to use them. We have an
update from Graham Kemp VK4BB.

GRAHAM: Two months of ham radio training began in late April for civic volunteers who assist at the 26 police stations throughout the city of Barrackpore. The sessions are being conducted by Srayan Mondal, VU3ZHF, Pashupati Mondal, VU3ODQ, Dipak Chakraborty, VU2TLW and Jayanta Baidya,
VU2TFR -- all members of the West Bengal Radio Club.

The training is designed to prepare the volunteers for the exam leading
to the ham radio certificate from the Ministry of Telecommunications.
Radio shacks are expected to be set up at each of the 26 police
stations and the police central office.

The police commissioner told local media that adding wireless
communication to the various modes used by law enforcement will be
especially helpful for disaster response.

This is Graham Kemp VK4BB.

(TIMES OF INDIA, AMBARISH NAG BISWAS, VU2JFA)

**
SPECIAL STATIONS CELEBRATE MAJOR HAM EXPO IN JAPAN

NEIL/ANCHOR: The Osaka-Kansai Expo 2025 is a major event by the Japan
Amateur Radio League that showcases cutting-edge technology and focuses
on training and education for the ham community. JARL is inviting hams
around the world to get involved in the months ahead, as we hear from
Jason Daniels VK2LAW.

JASON: Members of the Japan Amateur Radio League are showing their
support for the Osaka-Kansai Expo 2025 in a big way: For the 184 days,
they are calling QRZ with the callsign 8K3EXPO. The expo opened on
April 13th with the first QSOs made by JARL president Koji Morita,
JA5SUD. Volunteers throughout the organisation will continue the
activation until its conclusion on the 13th of October.

According to the expo website, all the radio equipment for this station
is being operated remotely, utilising optical fibre. A radio booth is
set up next to one of the expo halls in the East Gate Zone and linked
to the antenna tower elsewhere on the site.

Not everything is happening on site. At the same time the 8K3 station
is on the air, the mobile station JA3XPO is also being operated by
JARL. This is a special callsign that has been re-activated 55 years
after its first use at the previous Osaka Expo in 1970. The mobile
operation will travel to the six prefectures in the Kansai region.

Of course, if you think this expo is a big deal, wait until next year
when JARL marks 100 years since its founding.

For additional information about the expo, see the link in the text
version of this week's newscast at arnewsline.org

[DO NOT READ: https://www.expo2025.or.jp/en/ ]

This is Jason Daniels VK2LAW.

(JARL)

**
WORLD OF DX

In the World of DX, listen for callsigns with the special prefixes 4X77
and 4Z77 until the 10th of May. Hams in Israel are celebrating the 77th anniversary since the founding of the Israel Association of Radio Communication and the establishment of the State of Israel. See QRZ.com
for more details.

Kasimir, DL2SBY, will be using the callsign HB0/DL2SBY from
Liechtenstein from the 11th to the 18th of May. Listen for him on the
HF bands and on 6 metres. See QRZ.com for details.

The callsign II3IARU [EYE EYE THREE IARU] is being activated by Alex,
IV3KKW to mark the 100th anniversary of the IARU and the 75th
anniversary of IARU Region 1. He will be on the air until the 18th of
May. QSL via his home callsign.

(425 DX BULLETIN)

**
KICKER: A PULSAR PACKS A PUNCH INTO OUR GALAXY

NEIL/ANCHOR: Finally, we hear about a distress call that came in via
radio - but this wasn't exactly a local call or even a conventional DX
call. How about.... 26,000 light-years from Earth? Ralph Squillace
KK6ITB goes the distance with this story.

RALPH: It's known as the Snake, the nickname by which astronomers
identify one dense, elongated filament in the center of our Milky Way
galaxy. It apparently has suffered fractures in two places. As best as scientists can tell, a fast-rotating neutron star known as a pulsar
collided with the Snake at a not-too-shabby 1-2 million miles per hour
and caused a fracture that disrupted the Snake's magnetic field,
releasing radio emissions from the site of the impact.

NASA's Chandra X-ray observatory and the MeerKAT radio array in South
Africa studied the Snake, which is 230-light-years long, to get a
better picture of what scientists compare to fractures in bones. Radio astronomers combined their findings with those of an observatory in San Agustin, Mexico and recently released a paper in the Monthly Notices of
the London-based Royal Astronomical Society describing the event.
Scientists study filaments such as the Snake to understand their roles
in how stars are formed.

Whether the Snake can heal is another question altogether. Cosmic
veterinarians don't make long-distance house calls.

Meanwhile, patient-privacy rules do not apply here - so you can see
images of the injury on the CHANDRA X-Ray Observatory website. The link
is in the text version of this week's newscast at arnewsline.org,

[DO NOT READ: https://www.nasa.gov/missions/chandra/nasas-chandra-diagnoses-cause-of- fracture-in-galactic-bone/ ]

This is Ralph Squillace KK6ITB.

(IFL SCIENCE, NASA)

**
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 Amateur News Daily; Amateur Radio Software Award;
Ambarish Nag Biswas, VU2JFA; AMSAT; Australian Broadcasting
Corporation; David Behar K7DB; FCC; HamGallery.com; IFL Science; JARL;
QRZ.com; Nagaland Post; NASA; Radio World; shortwaveradio.de; Times of
India; USRadioGuy blog; Wireless Institute of Australia; YouTube; Zero
Retries Newsletter; 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 Neil Rapp WB9VPG in Union Kentucky saying 73. As always
we thank you for listening. Amateur Radio Newsline(tm) is Copyright
2025. All rights reserved.

--- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
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