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Amateur Radio Newsline, Thu Oct 8, 3:46 PM MDT (2146Z)
Amateur Radio Newsline Report 2554 for Friday, October 9th, 2026 Amateur Radio Newsline Report Number 2554 with a release date of Friday, October 9th, 2026 to follow in 5-4-3-2-1. The following is a QST. A milestone for ARISS in a Chile high school. A historic transmitter sends a message of peace -- and a ham is honored for his contributions in aiding broadcast RFI compliance. All this and more as Amateur Radio Newsline Report Number 2554 comes your way right now. BILLBOARD CART A MILESTONE FOR ARISS IN A CHILE HIGH SCHOOL NEIL/ANCHOR: It was a milestone for public education in Chile and it lasted exactly 10 minutes: the first direct amateur radio contact between the International Space Station and a public school in that nation. John Williams VK4JJW has the details. JOHN: It will be a long time before students at the Mary Graham Bicentennial High School forget the lessons delivered to them from space by NASA astronaut Jack Hathaway KJ5NIV, who was using the callsign NA1SS. As the space station passed into visible orbit over Chile, the teenagers read the questions they had prepared to ask on space exploration, technology and microgravity. The ARISS contact on the 28th of September was a first for a direct contact by a Chilean public school. An ARISS contact made five years ago with two schools in Chile was accomplished with the help of a telebridge with a ground radio station in Belgium. This recent contact came about with the help of the Los Molinos Radio Club CE2CQ, which had first approached the high school about it in 2025. To prepare for the moment, antennas were installed with automatic tracking rotators for 145.800 MHz. Students attended workshops to learn about the space station and the science behind their hoped-for contact. Even though the ARISS contact was over quickly, as the ISS moved along in its orbit, one contact was made that is certain to last. Club president Lorenzo Passalacqua CE2LTA said that hams in the Los Molinos club hope to continue working in cooperation with the school to promote the continued study of science and satellites. This is John Williams VK4JJW. (QRZ.COM FORUMS, ARISS) AMATEUR HONORED AS 'FRIEND OF BROADCASTERS' NEIL/ANCHOR: Vermont broadcasters are getting ready to honor one longtime radio operator who's had one foot in professional radio and another in amateur radio for much of his life. Jack Parker W8ISH tells us about him. JACK: Congratulations to Bob Shotwell, WA1KUZ, who is receiving the "Friend of Broadcasters" award from the Vermont Association of Broadcasters. Bob undertook a number of roles in his long career as a broadcast engineer, including with Spectrum Investigative Services in New England, the company he retired from in 2023. Spectrum investigated RFI issues with the goal of resolving them and under Bob's direction, advocated for broadcasters to engage in a voluntary inspection process ensuring FCC compliance. According to a report on the Radio World website, he was instrumental in the eventual establishment of the Alternative Broadcast Inspection Program, a voluntary technical review supported by broadcast associations in many states. According to his page on QRZ.com, he inspected more than 2500 radio and television stations for legal and technical compliance before retiring. Bob will be among those honored in November 14th at a ceremony in Burlington, Vermont, where the association will also induct three new Hall of Fame members. Bob has been a licensed ham since 1969 and has retained his original callsign. This is Jack Parker W8ISH. (RADIO WORLD, QRZ.COM) HISTORIC TRANSMITTER SENDS MESSAGE OF PEACE NEIL/ANCHOR: Now here's a message you don't want to miss. Its words will be sent via a transmitter that is more than a century old and the sentiment they convey is timeless. Dave Lee M9TLB explains what's happening. DAVE: When United Nations Day is marked on the 24th of October, a radio message will go out to the world via a VLF frequency from Sweden. Inside the Grimeton Radio Station, the historic Alexanderson alternator will be tuned to 17.2 kHz where, using the callsign SAQ, it will transmit, in CW, words promoting "peace, unity and global partnerships." Visitors to the radio station will experience the moment in person; others around the world can watch it live on the YouTube channel of the Alexander SAQ Grimeton Friendship Association. The time will be 12:20 UTC on the 24th of October. You can also visit the channel to see and hear last year's transmission. Find the link in the text version of this week's newscast at arnewsline.org The radio station operates the world's only transatlantic transmitter from the pre-electronic age. It was classified as a World Heritage Site in 2004 by UNESCO, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization. This is Dave Lee M9TLB. [DO NOT READ: youtube.com/channel/UC-83S-l9JKD1iuhsXx3XQ3g ] (ALEXANDER SAQ GRIMETON FRIENDSHIP ASSOCIATION, YOUTUBE) ARGENTINIAN HAMS ORGANIZE TRIBUTE TO SILENT KEY NEIL/ANCHOR: Friends and fellow club members in Argentina will be calling CQ to honor the memory of one of their own, who became a Silent Key this year. We have the details from Jim Meachen ZL2BHF. JIM: The well-known radio amateur, Carlos Almiron, LU7DSY, was a founding member of the Radio Club Grupo DX Bahia Blanca, where he is fondly remembered. The international community outside the ham radio world knew him as a high-profile TV and radio journalist in Argentina and a correspondent who had filed reports during the Falklands war. The DXer and DXpeditioner became a Silent Key last March at the age of 79 but the legacy he leaves continues to inspire his friends. The Bahia Blanca group, LU3DXG, has organized a tribute award in his name from the 20th of October through to the 3rd of November. In a press release, the club states that the event's purpose is to encourage stations throughout the Americas and Europe to remember [quote] "his career, his commitment to amateur radio and the bonds he built with fellow radio amateurs from different countries." [endquote] Hams are still registering to participate and there will be special call signs used during the event. Awards will be given in the Platinum, Gold, Silver and Bronze levels. To contact the club about the awards or participation, see the link in the text version of this week's newscast at arnewsline.org This is Jim Meachen ZL2BHF. [DO NOT READ: https://www.grupodxbb.com.ar/contagrupo.html ] (QRZ.COM) CHICAGO ATTORNEY, EARLY PROPONENT OF GMRS, DIES NEIL/ANCHOR: An influential and well-respected advocate for the growth of General Mobile Radio Service, or GMRS, has died. We learn about his life and his contributions from Jen DeSalvo, W9TXJ. JEN: It's likely that the North Shore Emergency Association, a Chicago area GMRS public service group, would not have taken shape in the way it did had it not been for Randy Knowles. A practicing attorney, Randy was also an enthusiastic proponent of GMRS and is said to have held the country's oldest GMRS callsign KAA8142. As a pro-active member of the radio community, he was among those who founded the emergency association in Chicago's north suburbs, where he also established one of the first GMRS repeater systems. Randy died on the 21st of August as a result of complications from diabetes. His influence was felt far beyond his home city, however. His name was well-known in Washington, D.C., where he often made pleadings to the US Federal Communications Commission, arguing that the operation of GMRS be allowed to thrive for use by families and communities, despite rising pressures by business interests seeking to establish their own operations on that part of the UHF spectrum. He also fought successfully to keep GMRS licenses affordable. Randy helped shape the future of GMRS from 1976-78, when he served as a task chairman of the congressionally chartered Personal Use Radio Advisory Committee to FCC. His commitment to radio also extended to his past volunteer service as a police and fire dispatcher and a former radio communications chairman of the North Region Mid America Red Cross Disaster Service. Randy was 79. This is Jen DeSalvo W9TXJ. (RADIO REFERENCE, EVANSTON 4TH OF JULY ASSOCIATION, MYGMRS.COM FORUMS) 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 northeast Ohio on Sundays at 8 p.m. local time during the Weekly Information Net. FINAL EVENTS IN 'CHASING CORNWALLIS' CHALLENGE NEIL/ANCHOR: The activations are winding down in the 2026 Chasing Cornwallis Challenge, a series of six special events that retell America's battle for independence. Travis Lisk N3ILS gives us a quick history lesson. TRAVIS: In the US, the war for independence isn't over just yet, at least not on the air, so there's still time to experience a little bit of what the battles were like. This time, you can do it with QSOs and QSL cards. Special event station K4M, marking the Battle of Kings Mountain in 1780, is currently on the air but goes QRT on Saturday, the 10th of October. Activators will then start preparing for the finale in the fight for independence. Using the callsign K4Y, they will be back on the air for the Battle of Yorktown Special Event on the 18th through to the 20th of October. That final battle marks the surrender of British Army General Charles Cornwallis. If you've been logging contacts with the Chasing Cornwallis Challenge, you know that working five of the six events, which began in July, earns you a certificate of achievement. Everyone, however, gets a history lesson and you can read more about that on the webpage history dot radio (history.radio). You'll also find a display of activators on the air in real-time, along with their frequencies and modes. All of that should help you win your own battle, logging as many contacts as you can. This is Travis Lisk N3ILS. (HISTORY.RADIO, QRZ.COM) GENERAL ADMISSION EXTENDED FOR ZERO RETRIES CONFERENCE NEIL/ANCHOR: The Zero Retries Digital Conference takes place on Friday the 16th of October at the Roundhouse Conference Center in San Ramon, California. Organizers are making the general admission ticket price of $125 available until the 12th of October; registration will remain open after that but the late registration ticket price will be $140 and will not include breakfast. As always, the conference highlights the latest technological advances in ham radio, many of which have been extensively covered in the Zero Retries newsletter. For more details or to view other options for attending, including via Zoom, see the link in the text version of this week's newscast at arnewsline.org. The link includes optional activities that are available for attendees who are arriving one day earlier. [DO NOT READ: http://www.zeroretries.org/p/conference] HAM RADIO IRELAND ENJOYING QSOS WITH READERSHIP NEIL/ANCHOR: Did you know that there's more than one way to enjoy the digital magazine, Ham Radio Ireland? You can actually have a QSO with it - as we learn from Jeremy Boot G4NJH. JEREMY: It's been a good year for Ham Radio Ireland, the free downloadable magazine from Collective Communications. Following its relaunch on the 24th of January 2025 after a period of absence, the magazine has extended its reach well beyond western Ireland, from where it had originally drawn its readership. To recognise the welcome it has since received across Ireland and globally, Collective Communications has been on the air with the magazine's callsign EI3HRI and will continue to call CQ right through to the end of the year. You can not only read Ham Radio Ireland - you can log it! In an online message, editorial team members Steve EI5DD and John EI3HQB urged hams everywhere to listen for them. "Do give us a call if you hear us on the airwaves," they wrote. This is Jeremy Boot G4NJH. (HAM RADIO IRELAND) WORLD OF DX In the World of DX, Aki, JK1JXZ is on the air as YJ1JXZ from Port Vila, Vanuatu, IOTA Number OC-035, from the 11th through to the 16th of October. Listen for him on 80 through 6 metres after 1700 local time during the week, and throughout the day during the weekend. John, AE5X, is operating holiday style as ZA/AE5X from various locations throughout Albania until the 30th of October. He is hoping to be active from a number of parks as well as the grounds of the old Radio Tirana shortwave transmitter site. He will be using CW with 10 watts of power on 20 through 10 metres. Jacek, SP9FIH, is on Wallis Island, IOTA Number OC-054, using the callsign FW1P through to the 17th of October. He is operating mainly FT8, on 80, 20, 15 and 10 metres. Between the 12th and 16th of October, you may also hear him on 60 metres. Listen for Tak, JR1LZK/6. and Mitsu, JE1HXZ/6 operating from Iriomote Island, IOTA Number AS-024, through to the 14th of October. They are using CW, SSB, RTTY and FT8 on 160-6 metres. For QSL and operating information, see the pages on QRZ.com for each of these stations. (425DXNEWS) KICKER: THREE VETERANS RECEIVE A SKY-HIGH WELCOME NEIL/ANCHOR: For our final story, we go to our nation's capital, Washington, D.C., where three friends - ham radio operators - are among a number of military veterans preparing to receive a long-overdue tribute. Jim Davis, W2JKD, tells us about their journey. JIM DAVIS: For six decades, three Ohio men have shared much of life: Service in the US military; playing in a US Army Reserve band; and sharing their musical talents as part of a Masonic band known as the Aladdin Shriners. Dan Merrill, KE8KJX, Steve Robeano, WD8JKX, and John Ross, KD8IDJ, also share the fellowship of amateur radio. Now they are travelers together on a chartered flight to Washington, D.C., a journey designed to honor them and 75 other military veterans. They will all be passengers on Honor Flight Mission 156 departing from Columbus, Ohio, on Wednesday the 14th of October. The trip has been arranged at no cost to the veterans by the nonprofit group, Honor Flight Columbus, which is part of the nationwide Honor Flight Network organization. As with all such Honor Flights, it celebrates veterans for their service to the country by providing a day of appreciation and a chance to visit military monuments. When Dan, Steve and John ended their active time in the military, they joined the 338th Army Band, part of the US Army Reserves. On this trip, they will again be with these fellow musicians: a number of the other passengers are their fellow bandmates. John, who is a trumpet player, will serve as the flight's official bugler. Beth Johnson, executive director of Honor Flight Columbus, told Newsline that the day is all about gratitude for their service - something she said was long denied to many returning veterans. As veterans and as hams, Dan, Steve and John have known it is an honor to serve the community. Now it is their turn to receive appreciation. This is Jim Davis W2JKD. (WIA, HONOR FLIGHT COLUMBUS) NEWSCAST CLOSE With thanks to Alexander SAQ Grimeton Friendship Association; Amateur Radio Daily, Chasing Cornwallis Challenge; David Behar, K7DB; History.Radio; Evanston Fourth of July Association; FCC; Ham Radio Ireland; Honor Flight Columbus; 425 DX Bulletin; QRZ.com; MyGMRS.com Forums; Radio Reference; Wireless Institute of Australia; YouTube; Zero Retries newsletter; 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 Neil Rapp WB9VPG in Union, Kentucky 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.