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   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-an   
   -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-   
   ay-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 t   
   rn....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.   
      
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