From Newsgroup: rec.radio.amateur.misc

Amateur Radio Newsline Report 2497 for Friday, September 5th, 2025
Amateur Radio Newsline Report Number 2497 with a release date of
Friday, September 5h, 2025 to follow in 5-4-3-2-1.

The following is a QST. US amateurs learn how tariffs will affect, or
halt, deliveries from overseas. New Zealand considers changes to its
band plan -- and the ocean washes away radio equipment from an IOTA
expedition. All this and more as Amateur Radio Newsline Report Number
2497 comes your way right now.

**
TARIFFS SPUR HALT IN RADIO EQUIPMENT DELIVERIES TO US

PAUL/ANCHOR: Our top story takes us to the global marketplace where US customers learned from many retailers around the world how America's
tariffs will affect their ability to order imports. In France, one
leading ham radio equipment supplier announced it was among those
companies halting deliveries to the altogether. Jeremy Boot G4NJH has
that story.

JEREMY: Founded in France in 2014, Passion-Radio.com has become a
leading online seller of ham radio receivers, antennas and other
equipment to customers around the world. As from the 25th of August,
however, the company suspended all shipments to the US, noting that the
French national postal operator has stopped accepting US-bound parcels.

The company's director, David, F1JXQ, told visitors to its website:
[quote] "With constant changes in tariffs, shipping costs, and carrier processes, we cannot guarantee fair or transparent conditions for our
US customers any longer. Our priority is to restore a reliable and cost-effective shipping solution as soon as possible." [endquote]

He added that import duties are paid by the buyer, not the seller, when
the purchased goods arrive in the US; the seller has no control over
that. United Parcel and other shipping services are also reviewing
their deliveries to the US. UPS expects to apply an extra international processing fee to all imports from anywhere outside the US starting on
the 8th of September.

Imports to Europe from the US remain unaffected, David said. [quote]
"Our collaboration with five US-based suppliers continues without
disruption, as the European Union has not imposed any retaliatory
tariffs or reciprocal 15% import duties on products arriving from the
United States." [endquote]

This is Jeremy Boot G4NJH.

(PASSION RADIO, AMATEUR RADIO DAILY)


PAUL/ANCHOR: US hams have also begun to feel the impact of another
sweeping marketplace change: low-cost purchases from overseas that were
once not subject to such tariffs have lost that longstanding exemption.
These so-called "de minimus" (DEE MINNA MUSS) parcels are estimated to
make up as much as 97 percent of packages imported. The elimination of
this exemption also affects awards or merchandise ordered through SOTA.
Awards manager Barry GM4TOE wrote on the SOTA Reflector on the 29th of
August that he was unable to process any orders for low-value shipments
to the US.

(SOTA REFLECTOR)

**
NEW ZEALAND HAMS EYE BAND PLAN CHANGES FOR 30M

PAUL/ANCHOR: The New Zealand Association of Radio Transmitters is
advocating for a new band plan giving space to single sideband on 30
metres. Jim Meachen ZL2BHF has more details.

JIM: Following the lead of the amateur bandplan in place in Australia,
the New Zealand Association of Radio Transmitters is recommending the establishment of a new 10 kHz-wide sub-band for SSB on 30 metres. This
change would divide the CW-only band in half, giving it 20 kHz at the
bottom of the band. Digital mode operators would get 20kHz of spectrum
-- double their current allocation - at the top of the band. Sideband's proposed 10 kHz would be found between 10.120 and 10.130 MHz.

With SSB operation already legal in New Zealand, the association notes
that only the approval of this revised bandplan stands in the way of
the change taking place. The proposal is for this to occur on a
12-month trial basis, with a review to take place in the final months.

This is Jim Meachen ZL2BHF.

(NZNET NEWS, NZART)

**
SILENT KEY: BA-MA-TECH OWNER MARKUS BASELER, DL6YYM

PAUL/ANCHOR: The owner of a popular German company making CW keys has
become a Silent Key and his company is closing. We hear more from
Jeremy Boot G4NJH.

JEREMY: Ba-Ma-Tech, the maker of precision keys popular with CW ops
around the world, has announced the sudden death of its owner Markus
Baseler DL6YYM and the company's plan to close its doors. No details
about his death have been immediately provided but there is a message
posted on the business website saying that it is reviewing existing
orders to determine whether they can be fulfilled.

Markus was known as an enthusiastic CW op, operating QRP in POTA. He
had made plans to operate in Greenland in August but called off the
trip, writing on his QRZ.com page [quote] "Due to unexpected illness, unfortunately I have had to cancel everything." [endquote]

The company website includes an earlier message posted by Markus
himself, noting that DHL had temporarily halted its shipments to the
US.

(QRPer.com, Ba-Ma-Tech WEBSITE, QRZ.com)

**

NASA SEEKS VOLUNTEER TRACKERS FOR ORION SPACECRAFT

PAUL/ANCHOR: If you like keeping one eye on the sky, you may want to
think about helping NASA keep track of the signals coming from the
Artemis II test mission next year. Andy Morrison K9AWM has those
details. ANDY: NASA is looking for volunteers to track next year's
Artemis II Orion spacecraft during the crewed mission's roundtrip
journey between the Earth and the Moon.

The US space agency is asking for those with the necessary capabilities
to observe the Doppler shift on the Orion's S-band return link carrier
signal. The monitoring is designed to achieve and keep a carrier lock
solely for purposes of tracking the spacecraft. Volunteers will not be transmitting or uplinking signals. Orion's S-band range is between 2200
and 2290 MHz.

The crew aboard the Artemis II test mission will be NASA astronauts
Reid Wiseman KF5LKT, the commander; Victor Glover KI5BKC, the pilot;
and Christina Hammock Koch [pronounced "COOK"] as well as the Canadian
Space Agency's astronaut Jeremy Hansen KF5LKU. The launch is expected
to be no later than April of 2026 and the flight will last an estimated
10 days.

This planned flight follows the Artemis I mission of 2022 which
featured an uncrewed Orion spacecraft that was tracked by 10
volunteers.

NASA hopes to hear from prospective candidates no later than 5 p.m. EDT
on Monday, October 27th.

For more details see the link in the text version of this week's
newscast at arnewsline.org

This is Andy Morrison K9AWM.

[DO NOT READ: https://sam.gov/workspace/contract/opp/50d4e81f54e34118a8164fb786b554a6
/view ]


(AMSAT NEWS SERVICE)

**
NASA DEPLOYS LARGEST ORBITING RADAR ANTENNA REFLECTOR

PAUL/ANCHOR: We all know that when it comes to receiving signals well,
it's all about the antenna, the antenna, the antenna. Few people know
that better than the scientists at NASA, which recently completed the deployment of the largest radar antenna reflector ever put into orbit -
one that will keep an eye on conditions here on Earth. Travis Lisk
N3ILS tells us more about it.

TRAVIS: Unfolding, some say, like a huge hidden flower emerging in
bloom, a radar antenna with a 39-foot, or 12-metre diameter has been
unfurled aboard a satellite in low Earth orbit, following its launch in
late July from India.

The mission is known as NISAR, an acronym reflecting the partnership
between NASA and the Indian Space Research Organisation, ISRO.

NISAR will be capturing detailed data about forest and wetland
ecosystems undergoing change, about the impact of earthquakes on the
Earth's crust and the motion of glaciers and sheets of ice over time.

The mission is designed to help communities around the world plan ahead
for natural disasters and implement recovery from them more
efficiently. Karen St. Germain, director of NASA's Earth Science
Division in Washington, DC, said this project will go a long way toward
using science to assist in decision-making under these difficult
circumstances -- from responding to disasters to formulating
agricultural policy.

The antenna reflector, made of gold-plated wire mesh, has been compared
to the "eye," of the system and it operates on both the L-band and the
S-band. According to NASA, the system that operates on the L-band is particularly suited to penetrate forest canopy and clouds. The S-band
system has particular sensitivity to light vegetation and moisture in
snow.

The unprecedented joint satellite project will collect an estimated 80 terabytes of data daily.

This is Travis Lisk N3ILS.

(NASA JET PROPULSION LABORATORY; WIRED)

**

BREAK HERE

Time for you to identify your station. We are the Amateur Radio
Newsline, heard on bulletin stations around the world including the
North Coast Amateur Radio Club's N8NC repeater in Brunswick, Ohio on
Sundays at 8 p.m.

**
CANADIAN STRAIGHT KEY MONTH IS ON THE AIR

PAUL/ANCHOR: To some, this month is known as September - but a good
many CW operators, especially those in North America, know it as
Canadian Straight Key Month. Randy Sly W4XJ tells us how to get
involved.

RANDY: This year it takes just four letters - C S K and M - to let
everyone on the air know that they're hearing a CW operator in one of
Canada's provinces who's taking part in the Canadian Straight Key Month
of the Straight Key Century Club. The event has eliminated the use of
special callsigns. Now, hams will be heard calling "CQ C S K M,"
followed by their own callsigns.

According to the SKCC website, the change was made to make it easier
for everyone to enjoy the event, which runs through to the 31st of
September. Operators who work at least six different provinces are
eligible for a special downloadable award.

The annual event is similar to the SKCC's Straight Key Month featuring
US stations. That event, which uses the callsign K3Y, takes place every January.

This is Randy Sly W4XJ.

(SKCC, RAC)

**

GAINS FOR JAPAN's OPEN-SOURCE MULTI-MODE LINEAR TRANSPONDER

PAUL/ANCHOR: Satellite enthusiasts in Japan are optimistic about their
new open-source multi-mode linear transponder - and John Williams
VK4JJW tells us why.

JOHN: The Japan Amateur Satellite Association, or JAMSAT, has announced progress in its development of an open-source multi-mode linear
transponder for amateur radio on CubeSats. The project is called
Blueberry JAM.

The international team working on the project believes it will have a
model available by the middle of 2026 and hopes to make it available to satellite developers and universities where CubeSats are being prepared
for flight. According to a report by AMSAT News, Blueberry JAM will
support linear operation and will have the potential for delay modes,
data handling and other digital capabilities.

Because of the project's fully open-source design, the ham radio
community can expect to have access to design documents and details
about the transponder's development. The ultimate goal is to have up to
10 spacecraft in flight with the transponder on board.

This is John Williams VK4JJW.

(AMSAT)

**
WORLD OF DX

In the World of DX, members of the Gwangju [GUH WAN JOO] DX Club,
6L0NJ, are going on the air with the callsign D73G from Imja Island,
IOTA number AS-060, from the 12th through to the 14th of September.
They will operate on various bands between 160m and 70 cm using CW, SSB
and FT8/FT4. See QRZ.com for QSL details.

Masa, JK1JXZ, is on the air until the 12th of September using the
callsign A35JK from Tonga, IOTA number OC-049. Be listening on 17 and
15 metres, where Masa has been using FT8. QSL via LoTW.

Listen for Rikk, WE9G, operating as WE9G/KH2 from Guam, IOTA number
OC-026. Rikk will be on the air from the 11th through to the 26th of
September as a single operator using two radios. His activation will be
mostly digital modes with some CW and SSB. Be listening for Rikk, who
will operate on various bands from 160-6m. See QRZ.com for QSL details.

In Sweden, eight special callsigns will be on the air from the 10th of September through to the 12th of October to mark the 100th anniversary
of the SSA, Sweden's IARU member society. The callsigns, which will be
heard on 160 through 6 metres, include 7S100SSA, 8S100SSA,
SB100SSA and others - all containing the suffix 100SSA. Visit the
QRZ.com page for any of these callsigns for more details.

(425 DX BULLETIN)

**
KICKER: SWEPT AWAY AT IOTA EXPEDITION TO PAJAROS ROCKS

PAUL/ANCHOR: An enthusiastic team of operators felt swept away by the
challenge of their recent Islands on the Air Expedition to the Pajaros
[PAH hah rose] rocks off the Chilean coast. Then something else was
swept away -- almost all of their equipment - by a steadily rising sea.
Jason Daniels VK2LAW concludes our newscast with their story.

JASON: A Honda generator. An IC 7000. Seven bandpass filters. Two
multi-band antennas. A 500-watt amplifier. This equipment -- and more -
are all gone now from the Pajaros rock where the team on IOTA Number
SA-100 began operating on the 18th of August as 3G1P. Ocean swells of
up to 3 metres - considered the worst seen in five years - forced
Cezar, VE3LYC; Felipe, XQ7IR and Johan PA3EXX to be evacuated by the
Chilean Coast Guard three days later. Wearing wetsuits, the hams swam
to the rescuers' boats, eyeing the carefully packed-up equipment they
had to leave behind on the rock. Already they were making plans to
return for its retrieval.

Sea conditions prevented anyone from gaining access to the rock again
until the 26th of August. Afterward, the team wrote on their website:
[quote] "VERY BAD NEWS." [endquote] adding [quote] "There is absolutely
nothing there except for the beam antenna that we left anchored, which
has been damaged." [endquote] They believe that all else was swept away
by the sea.

Now instead of QSOs, the trio has been collecting words of
encouragement. In one of their most recent messages to chasers and
supporters, they wrote: [quote] "We want to express our gratitude to
all those who helped and will continue to help. They are living proof
that the ham spirit is alive and well." [endquote]

To see the team's daily blog, detailing their challenges, follow the
link in this week's newscast script at arnewsline.org

[DO NOT READ: https://3g1psa-100.weebly.com/ ]

This is Jason Daniels VK2LAW.

(425 DX BULLETIN, 3G1P WEBSITE)

**

It's now even easier to send in your ham radio haikus to us here at
Newsline! 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; AMSAT News Service; ARRL; Ba-Ma-Tech Website; David Behar K7DB; DXNews; 425DX Bulletin; FCC; NASA Jet
Propulsion Laboratory; NZNET News; NZART; Passion Radio; QRZ.com Radio
Amateurs of Canada; Radio Club of America; shortwaveradio.de; Straight
Key Century Club; 3G1P Website; Wired; Wireless Institute of Australia; YLHarmonics; 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
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visit our website at arnewsline.org and know that we appreciate you
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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 Paul Braun WD9GCO in Valparaiso Indiana
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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