Amateur Radio Newsline Report 2487 for Friday, June 27th, 2025

Amateur Radio Newsline Report 2487 for Friday, June 27th, 2025 Amateur
Radio Newsline Report Number 2487 with a release date of Friday, June
27th, 2025 to follow in 5-4-3-2-1

The following is a QST. A mobile cellular service provider applies to
use ham radio frequencies for its satellites. LogBook of the World goes
offline for upgrades - and mystery signals are heard from The Great
Beyond.  All this and more as Amateur Radio Newsline Report Number 2487
comes your way right now.

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BILLBOARD CART

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MOBILE BROADBAND PROVIDER SEEKS AMATEUR FREQUENCIES FOR SATELLITES

PAUL/ANCHOR: Our top story takes us this week to Washington, D.C. where
the Federal Communications Commission has received a request from the
5G broadband service provider AST SpaceMobile to modify its license so
that it can transmit on the portion of the 70cm band used by amateur
radio. The Texas-based company is seeking the frequencies between 430
and 440 MHz for telemetry, tracking, and telecommand between ground
stations and its satellites. At the same time, the company is seeking
FCC approval for its operation of 248 low-earth orbit,
non-geostationary satellites. It is presently licensed for five.

The company's request to use the 70cm band is not insignificant: In
2023, the German regulator, BNetzA [pronounced: BEE NETS EH] ordered
AST SpaceMobile to shut its operations when in range of the country,
citing harmful interference that violated ITU regulations. In March of
2024, the company said it had "updated" its constellation's filings
with the ITU and the FCC. It also reduced some of its power levels and
changed the heights of its orbits, according to the Advanced Television
website.

AST SpaceMobile is a rival of SpaceX, which operates the StarLink
satellite constellation, which is testing direct-to-cell with T-Mobile.
Earlier this year AT&T and AST SpaceMobile received FCC permission to
test direct-to-cellular satellite connectivity.

Public comments are due by July 21st.

For a link to the filing, see the text version of this week's newscast
at arnewsline.org

[DO NOT READ: https://docs.fcc.gov/public/attachments/DA-25-532A1.pdf]

(FCC, ADVANCED TELEVISION, ZERO RETRIES NEWSLETTER)

**
LOGBOOK OF THE WORLD GOES OFFLINE FOR UPGRADES

PAUL/ANCHOR: The ARRL has been busy with much more than Field Day. In
fact, just as Field Day gets under way, Logbook of the World will be
moving to a cloud-computing platform and getting some technical
upgrades. Jack Parker W8ISH has those details.

JACK: Just as hams were making their final preparations for ARRL Field
Day here in the US and in Canada, the ARRL was scheduling downtime for
Logbook of the World, beginning on June 27th. The ARRL called the
process part of the [quote] "ongoing modernization of the ARRL systems
infrastructure." [endquote] When completed, the system is to be fully
operational on the cloud. The ARRL said the move will ensure that users
are protected from physical and network-based security risks.

The last major service disruption for LoTW was last year, when it was
one of several ARRL services that were compromised by a ransomware
attack. The ARRL announced its return to service not quite two months
later, on July 1st. In making the announcement of this year's upgrade,
CEO David Minster, NA2AA said on the ARRL website that LoTW would
return to full online operations on the 2nd of July -- or sooner, if
possible.

This is Jack Parker W8ISH.

(ARRL)

**

SATELLITE PAINT EXPERIMENT TACKLES 'LIGHT POLLUTION'

PAUL/ANCHOR: The paint that BMW used six years ago on one of its cars
as an experiment, is now being looked at as a way to reduce
light-pollution from satellites that has been plaguing
radioastronomers. Randy Sly W4XJ has the details.

RANDY: What is blacker than black? It's the super black paint known as
Vantablack and its creator, Surrey NanoSystems, designed it to absorb
98 percent of light. BMW tested it out on one of its crossover model X6
cars just as an experiment in 2019. According to Space.com, the paint
reflects only 2 percent of visible and infrared light.

Now AMSAT-UK is preparing to launch Vantablack on its Jovian-1 CubeSat
mission to test its ability to avoid interference with space
telescopes. The Jovian-1 goes into space sometime next year. Attendees
at this year's AMSAT-UK Colloquium in October can expect to learn more
about this adventure in light-pollution reduction.

Meanwhile if things work out, Vantablack might provide a solution for
the private satellite constellations that researchers say have been
interfering with ground-based astronomical research. As more satellites
are being sent into space, that's not insignificant to observatories
here on the ground

This is Randy Sly W4XJ.

(LIVESCIENCE, SPACE.COM, AMATEUR RADIO DAILY)

**
UNHEARD-OF DATA SPEED REPORTED FROM CHINESE SATELLITES

PAUL/ANCHOR: Scientists in China are claiming they have achieved
unprecedented speed in sending data from satellites - using low-power
laser. Jim Meachen ZL2BHF has that story.

JIM: In a development that some observers say could someday replace
satellites' reliance on RF, scientists in China are claiming that they
have developed a transmission method using minimal laser power. The
method is known as "AO-MDR synergy" and utilises a 2-watt laser.
Scientists at Peking University and the Chinese Academy of Sciences
have said that by employing this technique, they recently accomplished
a 1 Gigabit-per-second data transmission to Earth from a geostationary
satellite.

Researchers praise the development, adding that it addresses a common
challenge for satellite downlinks - the distortion caused by
atmospheric turbulence. The developers of the process said that
"AO-MDR" addresses this by stabilizing the laser signal even when it
faces atmospheric turbulence. The technique combines  Adaptive Optics
and Mode Diversity Reception.

This is Jim Meachen ZL2BHF.

(MSN, INTERESTING ENGINEERING)

**
FROM THE BBC, FOR ANTARCTICA'S EARS ONLY

PAUL/ANCHOR: Scientists on the frozen Antarctic continent got a good
warm feeling listening to the shortwave radio recently. Graham Kemp
VK4BB tells us why.

GRAHAM: The shortwave broadcast wasn't aiming for big global
listenership. Indeed, there were perhaps only a few dozen pairs of ears
for whom the special programme was intended. Still, the BBC's Antarctic
Midwinter Broadcast is a shortwave tradition Down Under. This year, its
70th anniversary year, was no different. Scientists and support staff
of the British Antarctic Survey Team were tuned in on the 21st of June
to hear welcoming messages from home - including a pre-recorded
greeting from King Charles, the first monarch to participate in the
tradition.

The show only lasted a half-hour but has been a big part of a midwinter
at British research stations on the frozen continent for decades.

This is Graham Kemp VK4BB.

(BBC, SWLING POST)

**
YOUNGSTERS ON THE AIR CAMP GEARS UP IN EUROPE

ANCHOR: Here in the US, the Youth on the Air Americas Camp has just
wrapped up in suburban Denver, Colorado. Soon, it will be France's turn
to host eager young amateurs. Jeremy Boot G4NJH has the details.

JEREMY: Youngsters on the Air - also known this year as YOTA France -is
getting ready for its 13th edition. The camp will be taking place at
the Chateau de Jambville near Paris from the 18th through to the 25th
of August. It is being hosted by the French national amateur radio
society, R�(c)seau des Émetteurs Français or REF.

Although the camp serves primarily youngsters from throughout IARU
Region 1, guest campers will be welcomed from Regions 2 and 3. About
100 young amateurs attend these camps each year, participating as teams
representing their countries. Previous YOTA summer camps have been held
in such countries as Czechia,  Hungary, Croatia, Bulgaria, South Africa
and Great Britain.

This is Jeremy Boot G4NJH.

(YOTA.COM)

**
BREAK HERE: Time for you to identify your station. We are the Amateur
Radio Newsline, heard on bulletin stations around the world, including
the CQ0UARS UHF and CQ0EARS VHF repeaters in Portugal on Saturdays and
Sundays at 12 noon local time.

**
SWEDEN'S GRIMETON RADIO STATION TO SEND JUBILEE MESSAGE

PAUL/ANCHOR: In Sweden, the Grimeton Radio Station is marking its
jubilee year in the most appropriate way possible - can you guess how?
Jeremy Boot  G4NJH has some answers.

JEREMY: The Jubilee Year for the Grimeton Radio Station in Sweden is
well under way, having begun last December. The highest point of the
year, however, will come on the 2nd of July - the exact date, 100 years
ago, that the station's 200kW alternator sent a message across the
Atlantic Ocean for receipt by the US president, Calvin Coolidge. The
message reached the receiving station in Riverhead, New York - on Long
Island - and the president had a reply sent, praising the new
broadcaster and sharing his hopes for good relations between Sweden and
the US.

July 2nd is nearly here and the 100-year anniversary of that historic
message is being celebrated with a telegram to be transmitted from the
station on 17.2 kHz using CW at 0900 UTC. The station will be using the
original callsign, SAQ, .

The broadcast can be heard on a receiver with VLF capability and will
also be live streamed on YouTube.

In the meantime, hams wishing to make contact with the amateur radio
station SK6SAQ in CW or SSB should be listening on 80, 40 and 20
metres.

Details are available at alexander dot n dot se (alexander.n.se)

This is Jeremy Boot G4NJH.

(THE ALEXANDER ASSOCIATION, AMATEUR RADIO DAILY)

**
BE LISTENING FOR 13 COLONIES SPECIAL EVENT STATIONS

PAUL/ANCHOR: Just a reminder that the popular 13 Colonies Special Event
runs from the 1st of July through to the 8th, UTC. Certificates are
available at all levels of achievement. Shortwave listeners and hunters
outside the US are welcome, Operators will be using all modes on all HF
bands except for 60 metres. Be listening as well on 2 and 6 metres.

See the link in the text version of this week's Newsline script at
arnewsline.org

[DO NOT READ:   13colonies.us ]

**
LIFESAVING SKILLS LEARNED ATOP SOME SOTA SUMMITS

PAUL/ANCHOR: Being a SOTA activator has given one ham in Australia much
more than memorable QSOs, spectacular summit views and some outdoor
adventures. It has provided him with some lifesaving skills, as we hear
from Jason Daniels VK2LAW.

JASON: As record-breaking fires consumed huge sections of the Canadian
province of Alberta, Wade Smith VK1MIC, was preparing for an activation
that would take him into the heart of the destruction. As captain of
the communications brigade in the New South Wales Rural Fire Service,
Wade responded to Canada's request by traveling from Sydney with the
Australian contingent. Wade added his specialised skills in air radio
and dispatch to assist the joint Australian-Albertan Incident
Management Team operating in the remote northern region of Alberta.

Facing the challenge of several large fires raging, Wade and his team
handled more than 500 radio calls daily. The fire-fighting effort
mustered more than 20 aircraft involved in operations across several
large fires,

Wade, who is also the VK1 SOTA Association Manager, said his years of
SOTA experience have served as great practice for staying focused,
handling several stations at once and managing fast-moving
communications pile-ups. He said [quote]" "These same skills are
directly transferable to coordinating air operations under pressure."
[endquote]

The fires posed hazards on the ground locally as well as for the air
quality in much of North America. Weather experts attribute the
conditions in the region to an ongoing trend of dry, warm conditions
that have been worsened by the global climate crisis.

This is Jason Daniels VK2LAW.

(WADE SMITH, VK1MIC, CBC)

**
WORLD OF DX

In the World of DX, Laurent, FM5BH will be on the air as J79BH from
Dominica, IOTA Number NA-101, from the 25th through to the 29th of
June. Listen for him on 80 through 10 metres where he will operate CW
and SSB. See QRZ.com for QSL details.

Harry, JG7PSJ, is using the callsign JD1BMH from Chichijima [CHEE CHEE
JEE MUH], IOTA Number AS-031, Ogasawara [OH-GAH-SAH-WARRA] from the
26th of June through to the 4th of July. Harry is using CW, SSB and
RTTY on 40-10m. See QRZ.com for QSL details.

Listen for the callsign KP4NET from Vieques Island, also known as Isla
Nena, IOTA Number NA-249. A team of operators will be on the air with
that callsign on the 27th through to the 29th of June, mainly on 40, 20
and 10 metres, using  SSB and CW.  See QRZ.com for QSL details.

Kimmo, OH3DJP, is operating holiday style as OH0/OH3DJP from the Aland
Islands, IOTA Number EU-002, until the 1st of July. Kimmo is on various
HF bands - also listen on 6 metres. See QRZ.com for QSL details.

(425 DX BULLETIN)

**
KICKER: MYSTERY SIGNALS FROM THE GREAT BEYOND?

PAUL/ANCHOR: It's pretty well-known that some scientists study outer
space in search of extraterrestrial life - but what happens when
researchers believe they have instead stumbled upon...the afterlife?
Kent Peterson KC0DGY tells us what did - and didn't -- really happen in
this week's final story.

KENT: Rest in peace, NASA Relay 2 satellite. The spacecraft was one of
two launched at different times in the 1960s by the US space agency to
serve as experimental communication satellites. Unlike NASA's Relay 1,
which transmitted American TV signals into Japan and Europe, Relay 2
was used for barely a year. It stopped operations in 1965 and its
transponders were believed to have died in 1967

The key word here is "believed" - because one year ago this month,
researchers in Australia were certain they'd heard Relay 2 returning
radio pulses to earth in much the same way some so-called "zombie"
satellites, like the famous AMSAT OSCAR-7, have been known to do.

In this case, no seances or Ouija boards were necessary to understand
this message from The Great Beyond. Some scientists theorize that the
pulses came from the discharge of electrostatic energy, or ESD, that
had built up on Relay 2 over time. Another theory is that its impact
with a micrometeoroid released a cloud of plasma capable of sending
such a signal.

Researchers plan to study both ESD and the micrometeoroid effect in the
hope of a better understanding in the future. It's not about alien life
or afterlife, then: Just breathing new life into solving more mysteries
of space.

This is Kent Peterson KC0DGY.

(NEW SCIENTIST)

**
A good QSO can be like poetry - sometimes! So why not write a haiku
about amateur radio and join the Newsline haiku challenge? It's as easy
as writing a QSL card. We can only accept the correct haiku format
-that is, a three-line verse with five syllables in the first line,
seven in the second and five in the third. Submit your work on our
website at arnewsline.org - each week's winner gets a shout-out on our
website, where everyone can find the winning haiku.

NEWSCAST CLOSE

With thanks to Advanced Television; Alexanderson Association; Amateur
News Daily; AMSAT; ARRL; BBC; CBC; David Behar K7DB; DX World; 425DX
Bulletin; FCC; Interesting Engineering; LiveScience; MSN; New
Scientist; QRZ.com; Radio Society of Great Britain; Radio World;
Shortwaveradio.de; Space.com; SWLing Post; Wade Smith, VK1MIC; Wireless
Institute of Australia; YOTA.com; 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 Paul Braun WD9GCO in
Valparaiso Indiana saying 73. As always we thank you for listening.
Amateur Radio Newsline(tm) is Copyright 2025. All rights reserved.