From Newsgroup: rec.radio.amateur.misc

Amateur Radio Newsline Report 2547 for Friday, August 21st, 2026
Amateur Radio Newsline Report Number 2547 with a release date of
Friday, August 21st, 2026 to follow in 5-4-3-2-1.

The following is a QST. Parks on the Air begins a review of thousands
of sites in France. A grant gives a boost to the Youth DXpedition set
for Christmas Island -- and new hams in India get their first
disaster-drill experience. All this and more as Amateur Radio Newsline
Report Number 2547 comes your way right now.

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BILLBOARD CART

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SWEEPING REVIEW PLANNED FOR FRENCH POTA DESIGNATIONS

JIM/ANCHOR: We begin this week's report in France, where sweeping
changes are expected to affect a vast number of parks' continued
eligibility. Jeremy Boot G4NJH brings us up to date.

JEREMY: In a statement that has been stirring global controversy, the
POTA board has said that it has begun a review of thousands of French ZNIEFF-recognised parks which, according to board members, may not be
qualified to continue under POTA's rules. The statement explained that
the board is looking at the "legal and administrative authority behind
the designation," which is the core argument behind the review. ZNIEFF,
which stands for Zone Naturelle 'Int|(c)r|-t |ecologique, Faunistique
et Floristique, is a national designation given to ecologically
important sites featuring biodiversity.

According to the statement, if a park loses its designation,
activations that have already taken place will remain credited for both
hunters and chasers. The POTA board said, however, it has no intention
of continuing to maintain former status for any parks that do not meet
POTA's eligibility. The statement said: [quote] "Historical operating
credit can be preserved without requiring an ineligible reference to
remain active indefinitely." [endquote]

POTA said that France is not being singled out, as some public
statements have suggested. Although different nations have different
government frameworks and manage their parks differently, other
countries' parks could likewise come under the same scrutiny. The board
said that [quote] "the challenge is making sure that growth occurs
within a framework that can be applied fairly and sustainably around
the world." [endquote]

This is Jeremy Boot G4NJH.

(PARKS ON THE AIR)

**
RHODE ISLAND POTA ENTHUSIASTS PLAN 'ACTIVATION-A-THON'

JIM/ANCHOR: Meanwhile, in the US, Rhode Island may be the smallest
state but next month it will have the biggest ambitions - at least as
far as Parks on the Air is concerned. Sel Embee KB3TZD explains.

SEL: How do you activate all 61 POTA-designated parks in the state of
Rhode Island? You plan a POTA "activation-a-thon" - which is what Rhode
Island Parks on the Air is calling the three-day event next month. This
is a formal, organized challenge by the community-based group, which
has its own website and schedule of activations, encouraging all US and
DX stations to work as many of the parks as possible. The activity will
be focused on September 11th, 12th and 13th but some operators will be
on the air as early as the 10th.

Those watching the action will be able to monitor a realtime dashboard
of who is on the air and see what parks will be activated next.

Visit the website r i p o t a.org for details or, if you happen to be
in Rhode Island that weekend, be sure to register.

This is Sel Embee KB3TZD.

(RHODE ISLAND PARKS ON THE AIR, WIA)

**
ACTIVATOR LIST GROWS FOR CHURCHES AND CHAPELS EVENT

JIM/ANCHOR: At churches and chapels in the UK, the US and elsewhere, a
popular event returns next month blending the ecumenical spirit with
some electromagnetic strength. Dave Lee M9TLB has those details.

DAVE: Few things are more powerful than the combined presence of two fellowships. Next week, many in the worldwide amateur radio community
are going to church. They are calling CQ on the second Saturday of
September, just as they first did in 2013. The popular event, Churches
and Chapels on the Air, has its roots with the Huddersfield South
Methodist Radio Club, G3LQK. It was there that the Rev. Arthur W.
Shepherd, G3NGF, created an organisation that later came to be known as
the World Association of Christian Amateurs and Listeners, an
ecumenical group with the callsign M1CRA.

So many years later, the tradition continues. Outside the same venue in communities where congregants often bring their faith and their
prayers, hams will be setting up portable stations on the 12th of
September, from 10 am to 4 pm local time. Event organisers are
encouraging amateurs radio operators to talk to their vicars, ministers
and church elders and request permission to activate there for the day.
In some years, churches have even permitted antennas to be installed temporarily on their towers. Stations are encouraged to register for
the one-day event. An email address for registration - and the event
website - can be found in the text version of this week's newscast at arnewsline.org

This is Dave Lee M9TLB.

[DO NOT READ: Register at jhwresdell@gmail.com Visit website at: https://wacral.org/chota )

(CHURCHES AND CHAPELS ON THE AIR)

**
DXPEDITIONERS SHARE PREVIEW OF CAMBODIA 2027

JIM/ANCHOR: The XU7X DXPedition to Cambodia is still more than a year
away, but it is already foremost in the minds of those looking to make
contact with this coveted DX entity. DXpedition leaders revealed
details of their plans recently to the Sao Paulo chapter of Brazil's
national amateur radio society. We hear more from Jeremy Boot G4NJH.

JEREMY: The action behind the scenes is already very intense for the 20 DXpeditioners from Brazil, Ecuador, Japan, the United States and Bosnia
& Herzegovina. They plan to activate Koh Rong Island, off the Cambodian
coast, operating all the major modes around the clock for 10 days in
November of 2027.

Providing a preview on the YouTube channel of the Sao Paulo chapter of
the Liga de Amadores Brasileiros de R|idio Emiss|uo, the DXpedition's leadership confirmed said that things are moving forward. They learned
in June from the Cambodian telecommunications regulator that their
licence would be granted soon. Although they have found the bureaucracy challenging, access to the site itself is expected to be simple: They
will navigate to the island by water taxi. The team's HF antennas will
benefit from being near the salt water.

Expectations are high. Both Mario PY2DV and Alex, PY2WAS, said they
expected to surpass the QSO count of 50,000 from last year's Galapagos
HD8G activation,

The interview, in Portuguese, can be found on the YouTube channel of
LABRE-SP. (BILL, PY2BIL)

**
CHRISTMAS ISLAND YOUTH DXPEDITION GETS GRANT

JIM/ANCHOR: The VK9XY Youth DXpedition to Christmas Island in November
has gained support from the Northern California DX Foundation. The
foundation announced in early August that it was giving a grant for the
18-day activation, which is being planned, led and operated by young
operators. Eight of the DXpeditioners will be on the island and another
30 or 40 will operate remotely from around the world using two
radio-in-a-box stations paid for by the foundation.

The team expects to be calling CW around the 16th of November.

(NCDXF)

**
TIME RUNS OUT FOR SPACE STATION ANTENNA SWAP

JIM/ANCHOR: If you think swapping out an antenna here on Earth is a
challenge, try doing it while you're floating in space for several
hours, as two astronauts tried to do outside the International Space
Station -- before they ran out of time. Kevin Trotman N5PRE has
thatstory.

KEVIN: Astronauts Anil Menon and Sophie Adenot KJ5LTN teamed up outside
the ISS for some lengthy and delicate antenna work early on Tuesday the
18th of August. Their spacewalk focused on swapping out a
space-to-ground antenna, a task that was covered live on NASA's website
and the European Space Agency's YouTube channel.

Like its predecessor, the new high-speed data and communications
antenna was to provide a vital connection between the ISS and NASA's
Mission Control Center in Houston. However, the pair ran out of time:
Removing the failed antenna took longer than expected. Fortunately, the
ISS has two of these antennas so communication can proceed normally
even though the replacement is not in place. Another spacewalk is on
the schedule for Tuesday, August 25th but it's not clear whether the
new antenna will be installed then.

This is Kevin Trotman N5PRE.

(NASA.GOV, SPACEFLIGHT NOW)

**

BREAK HERE: Time for you to identify your station. We are the Amateur
Radio Newsline, heard on bulletin stations around the world, including
the K0AMA repeater in Glenwood Springs, Colorado and the linked KD0NU
repeater in Aspen, on Sundays at 10:30 a.m. Mountain Time.

**
DISASTER DRILL TRAINS INDIA'S NEWEST HAMS

JIM DAMRON/ANCHOR: Some of the newest amateur radio operators in one
part of India got the best training tool they could want: a scripted
emergency drill. Jim Meachen ZL2BHF tells us how it went.

JIM MEACHEN: Some of the newest licensed hams in West Bengal, India,
got to put their privileges to the test recently during a disaster
management communication drill in Kolkata.

Although this was a mock disaster, the exercise placed the same demands
on the radio operators that they would face during a real crisis. They
had to quickly set up 10 temporary stations and establish communication
with one another.

Ambarish Nag Biswas, VU2JFA, secretary of the West Bengal Radio Club.
said that classes had been held before the drill so that the hams could
be confident in knowing every procedure necessary - from checking the
radios, cables and antennas, to measuring and ensuring an
acceptableSWR.

The August 9th drill was was attended by officers from the National
Disaster Response Force of the Indian government; the Disaster
Management Officers from the state of West Bengal; Civil Defence
volunteers; and the local municipality - all of whom, no doubt, may one
day need the skills of these new hams if disaster strikes.

This is Jim Meachen ZL2BHF.

(AMBARISH NAG BISWAS, VU2JFA)

**
AMSAT CANADA BEGINS MEMBERSHIP EFFORTS

JIM/ANCHOR: As it increases its presence and its plans in the amateur
radio satellite world, AMSAT-Canada is looking to grow a membership
base for support, as we hear from John Williams VK4JJW.

JOHN: AMSAT-Canada has begun offering memberships to help promote
amateur radio in space. The organisation recently celebrated the
designation of MARMOTSat, a university-built CubeSat, as Canada's first official OSCAR designated satellite.

AMSAT-Canada hopes to continue its development and promotion of
satellites and amateur radio and is preparing for a major role in the
futureGEO project. The European Space Agency initiative is intended to
provide digital and multi-mode satellite coverage for amateur radio in
Europe and parts of North America.

Full membership and affiliate membership are both available on an
annual basis. For membership benefit details and other information,
visit the link in the text version of this week's newscast at
arnewsline.org

This is John Williams VK4JJW.

[DO NOT READ amsat-ca.org/membership ]

(AMSAT-CANADA)

**

WORLD OF DX

In the World of DX, special event callsign 4A2MAX is on the air through
to the 31st of August in memory of St. Maximilian Maria Kolbe, SP3RN,
the priest who is regarded as the patron saint of amateur radio. He
died at Auschwitz on the 14th of August after offering to give up his
life so that a fellow prisoner would be spared. Listen on various HF
bands where hams will be calling CQ using different modes.

Gunter, DK2WH, will be on the air as V51WH or using the contest
callsign V55Y from Namibia from the 25th of August through to the 10th
of October. Gunter will be using SSB, FT8, RTTY, and some CW on 160-6
metres.

Listen for Alex, SQ9UM, using the callsign 3B8/SQ9UM from Mauritius,
IOTA Number AF-049, from the 21st through to the 27th of August. He
will be using FT8/FT4 and CW with some SSB on 40-10 metres.

Several special event stations in different federal territories and
Malaysian states are marking their National Day on the 31st of August
and Malaysia Day on the 16th of September. Be listening for their
activations between the 22nd of August and the 30th of September.
Callsigns include 9M26MS from Sabah and 9M26MQ from Sarawak in East
Malaysia and 9M26MA, 9M26MB, 9M26MC and 9M26MD, among others, in West
Malaysia.

(425 DX BULLETIN)

**
KICKER: LIKE MOTHER, LIKE SON - OR NOT

JIM/ANCHOR: There's nothing like a little friendly competition in
amateur radio - especially when you're keeping it in the family, as we
hear from Ralph Squillace KK6ITB.

RALPH: April 21, 2023 was a proud day for Margie Anderson and David
Boynton of Phoenix, Arizona. Mother and son received their ham radio
licenses that day after studying together and testing successfully
together. Now they were no longer just a family; they were an amateur
radio team. Togetherness prevailed once more a short time later as they
studied and upgraded from Technician Class to General.

Then, Margie, KK7MGK, and David, KK7MGJ, discovered DXing the same way
they discovered amateur radio - together. That's when things changed
-and the race was on. Her HF rig and a flagpole antenna was putting her
on the map of the world, news she shared with her son who, is working
hard to keep up with his mom's DX record."

While many mothers like to promise their sons and daughters the world,
it soon became apparent that David was going to have to work hard to
get his own piece of the planet.

For now, however, David can take comfort in one thing. Their FCC
licenses put him in front of mom in one respect. His callsign ends in
"J." Mom's ends in "K." So he will always be one letter ahead.

This is Ralph Squillace KK6ITB.

(GREYLINE ANTENNA, FCC)

**
NEWSCAST CLOSE

With thanks to Amateur Radio Daily, Ambarish Nag Biswas, VU2JFA;
AMSAT-Canada; AMSAT News; Bill, PY2BIL; Churches and Chapels on the
Air; David Behar, K7DB; 425 DX Bulletin; FCC; Greyline Antenna; NASA;
Northern California DX Foundation; Parks on the Air; Rhode Island Parks
on the Air; QRZ.com; Spaceflight Now; 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 2026. Amateur Radio Newsline retains
ownership of its material even when retransmitted elsewhere. All rights
are reserved.

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