From Newsgroup: rec.radio.amateur.misc

Amateur Radio Newsline Report 2492 for Friday, August 1st, 2025 Amateur
Radio Newsline Report Number 2492 with a release date of Friday, August
1st, 2025 to follow in 5-4-3-2-1.

The following is a QST. A worldwide response to broadband satellite's
proposed use of the ham bands. New callsigns in Sweden and India -- and
HamTV is back on the air! All this and more as Amateur Radio Newsline
Report Number 2492 comes your way right now.

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BILLBOARD CART

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INT'L RESPONSE TO FCC FILING FOR HAM RADIO FREQUENCIES

JIM/ANCHOR: Our top story takes us to Washington, D.C., where the FCC
has been receiving filings from individuals and groups speaking out in
response to the proposed use of amateur frequencies by a broadband communications business. The response has gathered international
momentum, as we hear from Jeremy Boot G4NJH.

JEREMY: Several International Amateur Radio Union societies and more
than 2,000 individuals have filed their concerns with the US Federal Communications Commission over a request by a US broadband
communications company' to use frequencies between 430 and 440 MHz for
a planned constellation of 240 commercial satellites.

AST SpaceMobile was recently approved for the use of the amateur radio
band on an experimental basis for a low-earth orbit satellite known as
FM1, which is the prototype for the company's planned mobile phone
connectivity from space. The FCC has assigned the callsign WP2XRX,
which expires on 1st July, 2027.

The Texas-based company, a rival of SpaceX, is developing its network
in association with AT&T and Verizon. SpaceX is partnering with
T-Mobile.

The Radio Society of Great Britain, referring on its website to its own
filing to the FCC, said that the company's proposal for its
constellation has stirred [quote] "an unprecedented response from the
amateur radio community." [endquote]

This is Jeremy Boot G4NJH.

(RSGB, FCC)

**
INDIA, SWEDEN INTRODUCE NEW CALLSIGN SUFFIXES, PREFIXES

JIM/ANCHOR: If you've been listening around on the bands during the
past few months, you may have heard some new personal callsigns on the
air that have very different prefixes or suffixes - with good reason.
Jason Daniels VK2LAW explains what's going on.

JASON: Hams who'd made contact with radio operators in India or Sweden
- or who have perhaps just heard them on the air - have been hearing
these operators identify themselves with callsigns that, until this
year, did not exist. In India, newly licensed amateur stations have
been assigned new suffixes since the 25th of June. Although the
existing, older callsign forms have not changed, new General Grade
licenses, which are assigned a VU2 prefix, now get a combination of
numbers and letters, creating callsigns such as VU22DX or VU29AR.
Likewise, Restricted Grade licenses, which are assigned a VU3 prefix,
are receiving suffixes of two numbers and three letters, creating
callsigns such as VU33ABS.

Jose Jacob, VU2JOS, the assistant director of the National Institute of
Amateur Radio, told Newsline that the changes are a direct result of
ham radio's growth in India. He wrote, in an email: [quote] "These new
prefixes are a practical measure to accommodate the increasing number
of amateur radio enthusiasts in India by expanding the available
callsign combinations while still adhering to the country's
internationally allocated prefix block." [endquote]

Meanwhile, in Sweden, amateurs who have received the new entry level
class certificate are identifying themselves with the country's new
callsign prefix, "SH." These amateurs can be heard on 40, 20, 15, 10, 6
and 2 metres, where they are permitted to use a maximum of 25 watts
ofpower.

This is Jason Daniels VK2LAW.

(DX INDIA, QRZ,COM FORUMS, SWEDISH SOCIETY OF RADIO AMATEURS)

**
BOUVET ISLAND TEAM PACKS FOR 2026 TRIP

JIM/ANCHOR: The Bouvet Island 3Y0K team begins packing for the long
trip starting in August, hoping to complete this part of the
preparation by the end of September. According to their July 27th press release, equipment is being shipped from Italy, Bulgaria and the US to
Norway where the team plans to meet later in Oslo for two workshops.

Activators expect to be on the island for at least 21 days. Their
scheduled departure date from Cape Town South Africa is the 1st of
February, 2026. The team is still looking for additional operators. For details, send an email to admin dot 3 WHY ZERO DOT EN OH
[admin@3y0.no.]

(DX WORLD)

**
MEXICAN STATION HONORS HAM RADIO'S PATRON SAINT

JIM/ANCHOR: Hams embrace the story of one Catholic friar's ultimate
sacrifice in a World War II concentration camp. This martyr, who became
the patron saint of amateur radio, is being honored throughout August,
as we hear from Jim Davis, W2JKD.

JIM: In 1938, a Franciscan friar named Maximillian Kolbe began
shortwave radio broadcasts from his homebuilt station in a monastery to
share his words of faith during a troubled time in the world Three
years later, he was a prisoner of the Nazis in Auschwitz. On the 14th
of August, 1941, he traded his own life to save that of a doomed Polish
army sergeant. Maximilian Kolbe, SP3RN, was declared a saint by the
Roman Catholic Church in 1982 - and is considered the patron saint of
amateur radio.

The days surrounding August 14th have grown to be important ones for
more than a decade at the San Max Church in Mexico where, with the help
of a homebrew rotating dipole installed at the church, hams from around
the country team up to call CQ using the special callsign 4A2MAX. The
presence of the saint is prominent at the church in more than just its
given name and callsign. Some relics that once belonged to him are
housed in a small museum inside the church building. The museum also
displays some of the awards the amateurs have won while operating in
contests with this callsign as a way to pay tribute to St. Maximillian.
The operators are on the air this month from the 1st through to the
31st using all modes on all HF bands through to the end of the month.

The station's operations manager, Chuy, XE2N/N5MEX, told Newsline
[quote]: "We want to celebrate what we love on the radio." [endquote]

This is Jim Davis W2JKD.

(CHUY, XE2N; QRZ.COM)

**
HAMTV BACK ON THE AIR FROM THE ISS

JIM/ANCHOR: The most popular digital amateur TV show in space is back
and better than ever. With its installation completed recently by ISS astronauts, HamTV resumed its transmissions on Tuesday, the 29th of
July. In Salisbury, Southern England, Dave G8GKQ was among the happy
radio operators to report to the British Amateur TV Club that he had
good copy during the first pass of the ISS with HamTV turned on again.
HamTV had been out of service since 2019, so its welcome-back from Dave
and other fans was clearly a warm one.

To see a live stream of HamTV when it is near the receiver stations,
follow the link in the text version of this week's newscast at
arnewsline.org

[DO NOT READ: https://live.ariss.org/hamtv/ ]

(BRITISH AMATEUR TV CLUB, AMATEUR RADIO DAILY)

**
FIELD DAY WAS 'MERIT BADGE DAY' FOR THEM

JIM/ANCHOR: Most of us remember the big weekend in June known as Field
Day. For 14 Scouts who attended the activation with one ham club in
Southern California, it will always be remembered as Merit Badge Day.
Ralph Squillace KK6ITB explains.

RALPH: Operators with the San Fernando Valley Amateur Radio Club W6SD
do a lot of planning each year for Field Day but this year their plans
included something else for the first time - the inclusion of Scouts
from Troop 415 who were there to observe, learn about amateur radio and
perhaps qualify for scouting's Radio Merit Badge. Fourteen of them did
just that - in a single day - as they learned about radio communication
and watched the hams make QSOs at the activation site at the First
Presbyterian Church of Granada Hills. Some of the Scouts even
experienced the thrill of HF by getting on the GOTA station - the
so-called "Get On The Air" station provided at many Field Day sites to
allow them to have a QSO or two under supervision of a licensed ham.

The Scouts had other inspiration to draw on too. Club secretary Bernard
KG6FBM told Newsline that one of the Scout's fathers, Eric Arevalo,
KO6KFL, had just received his Tech license after taking a class with
Roozy, W1EH.

Bernard said the club is very proud of the Scouts, whose ages range
from 11 to 17. As to whether a merit badge eventually leads to a
license, Bernard said: "Some scouts did show interest. Maybe someday
they'll follow up."

(BERNARD FALKIN KG6FBM)

**
BREAK HERE: Time for you to identify your station. We are the Amateur
Radio Newsline, heard on bulletin stations around the world, including
the W4HPL repeater in Cookeville, Tennessee on Tuesdays at 8:30 p.m.
local time.

**
PAKISTAN HIKES RADIO-RELATED FEES

JIM/ANCHOR: It's going to cost more for radio amateurs to get on the
air in Pakistan. Jim Meachen ZL2BHF brings us up to date.

JIM: Calling its existing fee structure outdated, Pakistan's
government has approved its first change to the fee structure for
radio-based services in 25 years. More than 1,100 licence holders,
including amateur radio operators and private radio networks, are being affected by a fee hike. According to media reports, fees remained
unchanged until now despite Pakistan's inflation rising by more than
700 percent.

Pakistan's amateur licence is initially issued for a one-year period
but can be renewed for a five-year period afterward. The fee is
increasing from 450 rupees to 5,000 rupees - or, in US currency, from
$1.60 to $18 for the term of the licence.

The change was approved in late July by the Economic Coordination
Committee. The ECC acted after being told by the Pakistan
Telecommunications Authority that fees no longer cover the expenses for managing licenses and overseeing use of the spectrum.

This is Jim Meachen ZL2BHF.

(DAWNTODAY.COM, PROFIT.PAKISTANTODAY.COM)

**
HAMS COACH INDIAN POLICE ON AMATEUR RADIO'S CRISIS ROLES

JIM/ANCHOR: Ham radio training for police officers? In India, it's
considered an essential tool, as we hear from John Williams VK4JJW.'

JOHN: In India, law enforcement personnel from the remote region of
Darjeeling and the coastal area of the Sunderbans joined with police in
Kolkata for a one-day session on how amateur radio can assist them when conventional communications systems are compromised.

The regulations governing radio - and the technical side of operating
-were covered in the one-day session held on Friday the 25th of July in Kolkata. The training was conducted by Jayanta Baidya VU2TFR, Arnab Roy Chowdhury VU2TFT and Ambarish Nag Biswas VU2JFA - all from the West
Bengal Radio Club.

Remote regions of India can be particularly challenged when natural
disasters strike but even in the heart of a city like Kolkata, law
enforcement has concerns about how useful their radios are. The hams
noted that high rise buildings, such as those under construction in
Kolkata, can interfere with the wireless frequencies used by the police
radios.

The seminar is the latest to be organised and hosted by the club, which
often does such training for law-enforcement personnel.

This is John Williams VK4JJW.

(MILLENNIUM POST)

**
SOUTH AFRICAN AWARDS SCHEME FOCUSES ON HERITAGE, HISTORY

JIM/ANCHOR: Lightwaves and radio waves have much in common - perhaps
most notably the fact that they share a home on different parts of the
same spectrum. In South Africa, however, a popular operating awards
scheme unites light and amateur radio in a very different way. Graham
Kemp VK4BB explains now.

GRAHAM: HOTA - an awards programme that originated with the Bo-Karoo
Amateur Radio Club in South Africa - has its origins as Heliographs on
the Air. The original concept, credited to Jannie Smith, ZS3CM, was to encourage amateur radio operators to activate sites where members of
the military once sent coded messages to the troops by reflecting
sunlight off mirrors. Other club members soon expanded the programme's
scope to focus on a broader array of historical sites. What was renamed
History on the Air soon morphed into Heritage on the Air, the programme
as it is known today. Using a spreadsheet developed by Steve Brooks
ZS3SB, activators and chasers alike keep track of their contacts and
ultimately their cumulative score which they submit at the end of each
year.

Organisers believe that the exercise offers a greater opportunity to
learn about history, either by chasing, activating or proposing new
sites for inclusion. Proposals are required to be well-researched
applications that explain the historical significance of the location,
which must be connected to war, telecommunications or general history.
The sites must have a significance dating back at least 75 years.

As for modes, well, that's a nod to history too: operators can use SSB,
AM, FM CW and yes, even heliographs. Of course.

This is Graham Kemp VK4BB.

(SARL, HERITAGE ON THE AIR)

**
WORLD OF DX

In the World of DX, the Radio Amateur Association of Western Greece,
SZ1A, is on the air as special event station SX17ASTRO until the 8th of
August for the 17th Panhellenic Expedition of Amateur Astronomers. Be
listening on the HF bands. Certificates are available. See QRZ.com for
QSL details.

Antonio, IK7WUL, will be on the air from different locations in Africa
during a mission trip in his spare time. Mainly operating on 10 metres
SSB as 9U0DX from Burundi until the 10th of August, Rwanda as 9X0DX
through to the 18th and between the 18th of August and the 7th of
September as TY2AA from Benin. See QRZ.com for QSL details.

Steve, ZL2KE is using the callsign E51KEE from Rarotonga, IOTA Number
OC-013, in the South Cook Islands between the 3rd and 18th of August.
He is using CW and some SSB on 40, 30, 20, 17, 15, 12 and 10 metres.
QSL direct to IK2DUW.

To highlight the plight of mistreated dogs and cats and the work of
their rescuers a group of amateur radio special event stations will be
on-air with an award scheme during August. For International Cat day on
August 8th, DA0CAT, DL0CAT will be on-air during the whole month while
GB4CAT, GB9CAT,YL1CAT and W1C will be on for shorter periods. See catdayradio.org and qrz.com for details. For International Dog day on
August 26th, DA0DOG, DL0DOG will be on-air during the whole month while
GB4DOG, YL1DOG and K2D will be on for shorter periods. See
dogdayradio.org and qrz.com for details.

(425 DX BULLETIN, WIA)

**
We hope you've been enjoying the ham radio haikus that our listeners
have sent in - have you written one yet? The Newsline haiku challenge
is as easy as writing a QSL card. We can only accept the correct haiku
format - that is, 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; ARRL; Bernard Falkin, KG6FBM;
British Amateur TV Club; Chuy, XE2N; David Behar K7DB; DX India; DX
World; 425DX Bulletin; FCC; Heritage on the Air; Millennium Post; ProfitPakistanToday.com; QRZ.com; Radio Society of Great Britain; Shortwaveradio.de; South African Radio League; Swedish Society of Radio Amateurs; 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 Jim Damron N8TMW in Charleston West
Virginia 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.

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