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. local time.

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 KCØDGY.

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 KCØDGY.

(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 weeks 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 KCØDGY, 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, WØDHZ, 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 Minnesotas amateur radio community and inspire the next generation of operators." [endquote]

This is Kent Peterson KCØDGY.

(DALE HENNINGER, WØDHZ)

**
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, WØDHZ)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.

** Support BBS' .mp3 version of this weeks AR Newsline report availble on The Rat's Den (Amiga!).

Rug Rat (Brent Hendricks)
Blog and Forums - www.catracing.org
IMAGE BBS! 3.0 - bbs.catracing.org 6400
C-Net Amiga BBS - bbs.catracing.org 6840
--- CNet/5
* Origin: The Rat's Den BBS (1:135/250)