From Newsgroup: rec.radio.amateur.misc

Amateur Radio Newsline Report 2503 for Friday, October 17th, 2025
Amateur Radio Newsline Report Number 2503 with a release date of
Friday, October 17th, 2025 to follow in 5-4-3-2-1.

The following is a QST. The IARU shines a spotlight on hams with
disabilities. More license changes for amateurs in the UK -- and a
Halloween event that might just scare the life back INTO your radio!
All this and more as Amateur Radio Newsline Report Number 2503 comes
your way right now.

**

BILLBOARD CART

**
IARU URGES MORE INCLUSION OF HAMS WITH DISABILITIES

JIM/ANCHOR: We begin this week with an important call to action from
the IARU. Amateur radio is for everyone, as we know, but not everyone
has the same access to what they need to succeed. Some operators, or
those who wish to get their license, have disabilities that can get in
their way. Jeremy Boot G4NJH tells us about an effort to shine the
spotlight on this situation - and the need for change.

JEREMY: One of the greatest challenges of amateur radio ought to be
getting a rare DX, logging an all-time-new-one or mastering a new skill
or new operating mode. It should not be the act of trying to get on the
air itself.

To ensure that radio amateurs with disabilities have the same chance at
all the other challenges and adventures, the Program for Disabled Radio Amateurs in IARU Region 1 is encouraging a celebration on and off the
air to reflect ham radio's welcoming spirit.

This event will take place on the 3rd of December, which the United
Nations has declared to be the International Day of Persons with
Disabilities. In an announcement about the programme, its coordinator
Riri Azrak OD5RI encourages ham radio societies to plan awareness
events, nets or special events using a special call sign incorporating
the letters PDRA. Hams are also being urged to identify and support
radio operators with disabilities or persons with disabilities who are
seeking their licence.

He wrote: [quote] "Together, we can demonstrate that amateur radio
truly belongs to everyone regardless of physical or sensory ability." [endquote]

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

[DO NOT READ: https://www.iaru-r1.org/about-us/committees-and-working-groups/ipha/]

This is Jeremy Boot G4NJH.

(IARU REGION 1)

**
AFTER DELAYS, SUCCESSFUL LAUNCH OF PROJECT KUIPER SATELLITES

JIM/ANCHOR: There was liftoff at last in Florida as a much-delayed
rocket carried the latest installment of satellites into space for
Project Kuiper. Andy Morrison K9AWM has that update.

ANDY: Amazon's Project Kuiper satellites finally made it into space
aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket after more than a week of
weather-related delays. The rocket departed Florida's Cape Canaveral
Space Force Station on Monday, the 13th of October, at 9:58 p.m.
localtime.

The 24 broadband internet satellites are part of a planned
constellation considered to be a rival service to Starlink, which
already has had more than 90 missions this year to bring its satellites
into space. Monday's Kuiper Project launch brings that constellation's
total to 153 such satellites in space. Ultimately, 3,236 are expected
to be deployed at three altitudes of low earth orbit - 590 km, 610 km
and 630 km.

Meanwhile, China has been building its own counterpart projects, which translate into English as the "National Network" and the "Thousand
Sails". Both of these planned networks are expected to contain about
13,000 satellites apiece.

This is Andy Morrison K9AWM.

(SPACEFLIGHT NOW, SPACE.COM)

**
FCC COMMISSIONER PUSHES FOR ACTION AGAINST COPPER THEFTS

JIM/ANCHOR: We all know how precious copper can be in our antennas and elsewhere in our shacks. Our broadcast colleagues know it too and have
suffered in recent years from vandalism and theft involving copper -and
it has taken them off the air. One FCC commissioner recently called
publicly for a tougher response, as we hear from Kent Peterson KC0DGY.

KENT: There is a "growing epidemic" of attacks on communications sites
- and the response needs to include sharper federal penalties and more sophisticated preventive action from the industry, according to the
newest commissioner to join the FCC.

Olivia Trusty, who was confirmed to the agency in June, called on
telecom companies and broadcasters to fortify their sites with
tamper-proof housings, cameras and alarms - and said the government
must likewise step up the penalties for theft and vandalism. She made
her remarks in a video presentation this month at the Telecom Industry
Incident Management and Prosecutorial Collaboration Summit in
California.

The past two years have seen a number of high-profile copper thefts in
the United States, disabling Internet and television services and
knocking broadcast stations off the air. For some radio stations, the
result was tens of thousands of dollars' worth of damage.

Trusty noted that in some instances, the "911" emergency service was
disrupted by similar attacks on telecom sites.

With the US Department of Homeland Security calling communications
systems a top infrastructure sector, a bipartisan measure has been
introduced in Congress to address these concerns. It is known as the
Stopping the Theft and Destruction of Broadband Act of 2025 and was
introduced by a Democrat and a Republican lawmaker with support from
the industry.

This is Kent Peterson KC0DGY.

(RADIO WORLD)

**
SILENT KEY: ED HARE, W1RFI, MAINSTAY OF ARRL LABORATORY

JIM/ANCHOR: Newsline sends its condolences to the ARRL and the family
of Ed Hare, W1RFI, who had a long tenure as an engineer in the league's
lab. Ed became a Silent Key on the 10th of October after a long
illness, according to the ARRL's website. A specialist in radio
frequency interference and product testing, Ed had retired in 2023 but
was still volunteering his time in the lab at the time of his death.
His career had many milestones, including the ARRL's RFI Program which
helps hams resolve interference issues,

A devoted and proficient CW operator, Ed was 75.

(ARRL)

**

UK REGULATOR IMPLEMENTS MORE LICENSE CHANGES

JIM/ANCHOR: There are more changes for ham radio operators in the UK,
as we hear from Jeremy Boot G4NJH.

JEREMY: Ofcom has moved ahead with Phases 2 and 3 of changes announced
earlier that affect amateur radio licensees. These actions follow those
made in Phase 1 of February 2024 which adjusted power limits and
expanded operating freedoms.

This month, hams with intermediate callsigns have the option to replace
their number "2" series call prefixes with an M8 or M9 and can either
retain or replace their existing suffix. These are voluntary changes at
the moment but in five years, the regulator will change all remaining
calls. The regulator is also limiting licence-holders to a single
personal callsign and will be revoking all but the one chosen to be
kept. Hams are also getting the option to change their callsigns every
five years. Other changes, including those affecting special-event
stations, can be found by following the link in the text version of
this week's newscast script at arnewsline.org

[DO NOT READ: https://tinyurl.com/2xxdbxa9 ]

This is Jeremy Boot G4NJH.

(OFCOM)


**'
HISTORIC TRANSMITTER'S MESSAGE OF PEACE

JIM/ANCHOR: A beloved, historic transmitter in Sweden is once again
being prepped to send an important message - in this case, a message of
peace. Sel Embee KB3TZD tells us why.

SEL: The world will be listening on Friday, the 24th of October, for a
message of peace to be transmitted from a radio station that secured
its place in history more than a century ago. The Grimeton Radio
Station in Sweden, a World Heritage Site, will deliver a message to the
world on the occasion of United Nations Day, a day set aside for
promoting global unity - one of the goals for which the UN was founded
eight decades ago.

The message will go out on the VLF frequency 17.2 kHz from the
Alexanderson alternator that dates to 1924. As always, the mode will be
CW. Where possible, listeners will tune their receivers, their SDRs or
navigate to YouTube. Ham radio operators, of course, will be able to
mark the occasion by doing some transmitting of their own on the HF frequencies. Amateur Radio Station SK6SAQ will be on the air on 80, 40
and 20 metres, both CW and SSB for those who wish to make contact.

For a schedule of the transmissions and information about the ham radio station, visit the link that appears in the text version of this week's Newsline script at arnewsline.org

[DO NOT READ: https://alexander.n.se/saq-scheduled-to-air-on-un-day-oct-24th-2025/)]

This is Sel Embee KB3TZD.

(GRIMETON RADIO STATION)

**
BREAK HERE: Time for you to identify your station. We are the Amateur
Radio Newsline, heard on bulletin stations around the world, including
the J88CU 2-metre repeater in St. Vincent and the Grenadines on Fridays
at 6:30 pm. local time.

**
GRANT HELPS IDAHO HAMS UPGRADE OUTDATED EMERGENCY COMMUNICATIONS

STEPHEN/ANCHOR: When it comes to ensuring public safety, obsolete radio equipment is a liability for hams whose priority is emergency
preparedness. Thanks to a grant to help them pay for an overdue
refresh, one club in Idaho expects to be better prepared from now on.
George Zafiropoulos KJ6VU has those details.

GEORGE: A grant from Amateur Radio Digital Communications has brought
good news for seven fire stations in Boundary County and an
underperforming antenna in the North Idaho repeater group: The $9,394
in funding will help the Boundary Amateur Radio Club W7BFI install new
radios and power supplies at the fire stations and replace the antenna
on Black Mountain - all part of a necessary upgrade of obsolete
equipment.

Club board member Dan Parrent K7ZFR told the Bonners Ferry Herald that
the radios were already 15 years old when the club received them as a
donation from the railway 15 years ago. He said [quote]: "They can't be programmed. One of them doesn't work but those radios were deployed at
each of the seven main fire stations." [endquote]

He told the paper that the club can also install a better antenna at
Boundary County Hospital, shoring up a necessary connection between
radio operators and the hospital in an emergency.

This is George Zafiropoulos KJ6VU.

(BONNERS FERRY HERALD)

**

NEW ATTENDANCE RECORD FOR NORTH STAR RADIO CONVENTION

JIM/ANCHOR: Just three years old, Minnesota's North Star Radio
Convention is growing in prominence, size and importance, as Kent
Peterson KC0DGY, tells us.

KENT: The 11th of October was a busy day on the Hennepin Technical
College campus in Brooklyn Park, where an attendance of more than 250
set a new record for the North Star Radio Convention in its third year,
putting the convention more prominently on the state ham radio map.

Program manager, Dale Henninger, W0DHZ, told Newsline [quote] "The
convention has successfully revived the tradition of a statewide
amateur radio convention in Minnesota - something the community had
been without for more than two decades." [endquote]

This was also the 2025 ARRL Minnesota State Convention, organized with
the support of 11 local ham clubs whose members provided volunteers and financial sponsorship, through the Minnesota Amateur Radio Consortium.
The agenda included a transmitter hunt, a QRP QSO Party, a Get on the
Air station and 25 educational sessions covering a range of topics.

Dale said that the convention is one way in which the groups work
together to [quote] "strengthen Minnesota's amateur radio community and
inspire the next generation of operators." [endquote]

This is Kent Peterson KC0DGY.

(DALE HENNINGER, W0DHZ)

**
AMATEUR TRIO PLANS MALDIVES 'WET SQUARES' ACTIVATION

JIM/ANCHOR: If you like hunting grid squares and want something
different, you may want to try getting your feet wet, in a manner of
speaking, by chasing these stations activating so-called "wet squares."
We have those details from Jim Meachen ZL2BHF.

JIM: Operational plans are under way to activate around the Maldives
but don't expect to log any contacts from Islands on the Air locations.
The grid squares for 8Q7OS are being activated as "wet squares" during
an ocean-diving safari led by Sergey R9OOF with Mariya UB9OGC and
Dmitry UB9OFY. Listen for the callsigns 8Q7OS/mm, 8Q7DD/mm and 8Q7MD/mm
from the 26th of October through to the 2nd of November. They'll be on
the air using SSB on 20, 17, 15 and 10 metres.

During this not-uncommon way to combine boating adventure with amateur
radio, the hams won't just be fishing for QSOs but diving for
recreation from a chartered yacht.

So if the Maldives archipelago is on your list of All Time New Ones,
Sergey writes on his page on QRZ.com that you're bound to be
disappointed. He wrote: [quote] I am not on air from any islands."
[endquote]

This is Jim Meachen ZL2BHF.

(QRZ.COM)

**
SUNDERBANS DXPEDITION TO FEATURE YOUTH OPERATORS

JIM/ANCHOR: Young amateurs from Bangladesh are preparing for the trip
of a lifetime at a UNESCO World Heritage site. For some, it will be
their first major DXpedition, as we learn from Jason Daniels VK2LAW.

JASON: Organisers from the Amateur Radio Club of Khulna are calling the Sundarbans DXpedition a "milestone event" that will combine the talents
of newly licensed ham radio operators from Bangladesh under the
coordination of Shuvo S21CMD.

Operating from what is considered the world's largest mangrove forest,
the youthful team of as many as 20 will be putting the callsign S21SDX
on the air from the 13th through to the 15th of November. Shuvo said in
an email: [quote] "Bangladesh's few young amateur radio operators are
not only connecting voices across continents but also carrying the
spirit of nature in every transmission, whether calling CQ or sharing
stories over HF." [endquote] They will be operating on most of the HF
bands using SSB and FT8. The activation in the west forest division of
the Khulna Range will be a POTA activation as much as a DXpedition. The Sundarbans is a UNESCO World Heritage site and a sanctuary for the
Bengal tiger.

Shuvo said [quote] "Our target is to test and prove the potential of
young amateur radio operators of Bangladesh and to spotlight the
beauty, biodiversity, and cultural richness of the Sundarbans to the
world through the universal language of radio." [endquote]

This is Jason Daniels VK2LAW.

**
KICKER: WHEN ZOMBIES COME TO LIFE - AT LEAST, ON THE AIR

JIM/ANCHOR: For our final story this week, we encourage you to turn....your....lights.....out, in the spirit of the Halloween season.
Get ready for something special from Jim Davis W2JKD.

JIM DAVIS: Popular operating events, like zombies, never seem to die
--but what happens when one long-running popular operating event is, in
fact, full of zombies? It's an event that rises from its eternal
slumber for one day every year in the hopes that the bands may not be
dead. Welcome to the Zombie Shuffle, which is marking its 28th year of
bringing CW operators back to life by inviting them into the slow lane
of QRS while operating QRP.

You will find the QRP Zombies in their usual HF haunts on the 24th of
October - one a week before Halloween. They will be on the air from
1500 local time to local midnight anywhere in North and South American
time zones. This is considered a contest, so no one stands a ghost of a
chance grabbing a contact on 60, 30, 17 or 12.

By the way, the organizers want you to know that there's no point to
this event except - as they say on their website - [quote] "to get on
the air and have some goofy fun with fellow Zombies and QRPers."
[endquote] In other words, this is just a little exorcise....er,
exercise in radio fun.

To learn more or to register for your official Zombie number, visit the
event website at the link in this week's newscast script at
arnewsline.org

[DO NOT READ: https://www.zianet.com/qrp/ZOMBIE/pg.html ]


The zombies are coming. You could be one of them. Be not afraid.

This is Jim Davis W2JKD.

(ZOMBIE SHUFFLE WEBSITE)

**
If you haven't sent in your ham radio haiku yet, what's been stopping
you? 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; Bonners Ferry
Herald; David Behar K7DB; Dale Henninger, W0DHZ)DXNews; 425DX Bulletin;
FCC; Grimeton Radio Station; IARU Region 1; Ofcom; QRZ.com; Radio
World; Shuvo, S21CMD; shortwaveradio.de; SpaceflightNow; Space.com;
Wireless Institute of Australia; YouTube; Zombie Shuffle website; 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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