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Ärende: ARNewsline Report 2528 10 APR 2026
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Amateur Radio Newsline Report 2528 for Friday, April 10th, 2026
 
Amateur Radio Newsline Report Number 2528 with a release date of Friday, April
10th, 2026 to follow in 5-4-3-2-1.

The following is a QST. The FCC explores using more radio spectrum for space
technology.  Two cosmonauts join a tribute to the first man in space -- and a
deal secures funds to upgrade an emergency-response phone network. All this and
more as Amateur Radio Newsline Report Number 2528 comes your way right now.

**

BILLBOARD CART

**
FCC REVIEWS GROWING SPACE SECTOR'S NEED FOR SPECTRUM

STEPHEN/ANCHOR: We begin this week in Washington, D.C. An official posting on
the website of the Federal Communications Commission refers to potential new
spectrum users as - and this is their terminology - weird space stuff. Kent
Peterson KCØDGY explains whats going on.

KENT: Expecting that orbital laboratories, inhabitable spacecraft, in-space
repairs and many other related uses are going to have a need for greater access
to the RF spectrum, the Federal Communications Commission is seeking comment on
ways to make that happen. The agency voted last month to address new ways to
support tracking, telemetry and command for a variety of on-the-horizon
initiatives.

The FCC published the proceeding on its website, referring to the uses as
[quote] weird space stuff. [endquote] The agency said that the proposed
rulemaking is part of a larger effort to modernize policies in support of the
quickly growing space sector. It encouraged comments in particular from
companies involved in different aspects of lunar missions, satellite-servicing
or related operations.

One of the potential frequency ranges referenced in the Notice of Proposed
Rulemaking is frequency range 2305 MHz to 2315 MHz, which overlaps part of the
amateur radio allocation on 13cm. The proposal is Docket Number 26-54.

This is Kent Peterson KCØDGY.

(FCC)

**

STATION'S EXPERIMENTS EXPLORE USE OF 4M and 8M BANDS

STEPHEN/ANCHOR: A ham in Florida with an experimental license is busy exploring
propagation and its impact on 4 meters and 8 meters. As we hear from Jack
Parker W8ISH, he hopes this work will stir more interest in amateur access.

JACK: In the hope of gaining insights into seasonal propagation trends,
Sporadic-E, Trans-Equatorial Propagation and low-band VHF path behavior, the
experimental station WQ2XDM has been conducting experiments using the digital
weak-signal modes WSPR and FT8 on the 4 metre and 8 metre bands. The license
was granted to John K9JMS, who is asking fellow hams to monitor reception and
send him reports for data collection. He recommends using PSK Reporter and
station logs and screenshots to record time, SNR, grid and frequency details
while monitoring FT8 on 40.680 MHz.

The station's website says John will publish a final white paper and an open
dataset. The location in Florida is key to the experimental activity because of
the region's recurring tropospheric ducting in the Gulf/Atlantic region.
Florida's low latitude makes it especially suitable for capturing
Trans-Equatorial Propagation and equatorial ionospheric phenomena.

According to the station's page on QRZ.com, the project is aimed at
strengthening the case for more interest in and access to 8 metres. Unlike hams
in a number of other countries, such as Ireland, Slovenia and South Africa,
licensed amateurs in the US do not have access to either 8 metres or 4 metres.

Signal reports or queries can be sent to John at the email address WQ2XDM dot
EFF ELL at gmail.com (WQ2XDM.fl@gmail.com).
         
This is Jack Parker W8ISH.

(QRZ.COM. WQ2XDM.COM) 

**

SILENT KEY: TEACHER RITA WRIGHT, KC9CDL, LED 1ST SCHOOL ISS QSO

STEPHEN/ANCHOR: She was the first teacher to make contact with the
International Space Station by Ham Radio. Remembering Rita Wright, who is now a
Silent Key, is Jen DeSalvo, W9TXJ.

JEN: Rita Bauer Wright, KC9CDL, taught math and science for 38 years at
District 111 in Burbank, Illinois, USA, where she always encouraged her
students to reach for the stars.

Rita wrote educational materials for NASA, so in 1988, she challenged her
students to come up with a name for the next space shuttle. Her student
projects also included solar-powered cars and robot prototypes for Mars
exploration.

But it was on December 21st, 2000, that Rita led 14 elementary school students
to make the first school contact by ham radio with the International Space
Station.

It took years to coordinate through the ARISS application and ARRL educational
proposal processes. Leading up to the set date, the suburban Chicago school was
covered with space-themed projects made by kids in all classrooms from
kindergarten to eighth grade.

The first attempt was set for December 19th, with Charles Sufana, AJ9N.
assisting the contact with Commander William Shepherd, KD5GSL. aboard the ISS.
That didnt go as planned. A successful re-try came two days later. Rita wrote
in her post-contact report that:

At 20:28 UTC, Bill Shepherd and the ISS came up over the horizon for what
turned out to be a near direct overhead pass! Charlie and his team made a
connection within seconds and continued up to 20:39 UTC.

All fourteen students chosen to ask questions got their chance. Chicago-area
students were greeted by their teachers in the morning, and by the afternoon
were welcomed aboard the ISS.

Rita is survived by her loving OM of 68 years, Billy, KC9HRM and a member of
the Chicago-area STARS Radio Club. Thanks to president Dennis Calderone KC9DSP
for helping Rita keep her license active in recent years, and for sharing her
legacy.

Rita Wright became a Silent Key on the 8th of March.

This is Jen DeSalvo, W9TXJ.

**
SILENT KEY: ARGENTINE BROADCAST JOURNALIST CARLOS ALMIRÓN LU7DSY

STEPHEN/ANCHOR: In Argentina, broadcasters and amateur radio operators together
are grieving the loss of a prominent member of both communities. We hear more
about him from Dave Lee M7TLB.

DAVE: Carlos Almirón, LU7DSY, enjoyed a long and busy career on both the
professional and amateur sides of radio. Over the years, he became well-known
as a TV and radio journalist for a number of media outlets in Argentina. A
former sports journalist, he later moved on to covering news and had served as
a war correspondent in the Falklands. Across oceans and continents, the radio
amateur became known as a successful DXer and DXpeditioner. He was a member of
the DXCC Honor Roll.

Locally, Carlos' talents were put to good use during the annual American
Lighthouse Weekend organised each February by members of the Radio Club Grupo
DX Bahia Blanca, which he helped found.

Carlos became a Silent Key on the 21st of March. He was 79.

(YL BEAM, FACEBOOK, QRZ.COM


**

RED CROSS NVIS NET DRAWS IMPORTANT REGIONAL RESPONSE

STEPHEN/ANCHOR: In Pennsylvania, an important net has been connecting with
others in the region having a Near Vertical Incident Skywave antenna. Travis
Lisk N3ILS tells us about this net.

TRAVIS: Using the properties of the Near Vertical Incident Skywave antenna to
their best advantage, members of the Red Cross of Southeast Pennsylvania have
been running a successful monthly net enabling other EmComm stations, municipal
emergency centers and interested radio operators to check in. The calls come
from as close by as the immediate region and from as far away as northern New
Jersey, Delaware and the Greater New York area.

The net is, in fact, all about check-ins. Participants ask for callsign, name,
location and an accurate signal report. According to Cliff Hotchkiss, KC3PGT,
the regional lead for the American Red Cross' Disaster Services Training in
southeast Pennsylvania, these important records have been logged on this NVIS
net since its startup almost a year and a half ago.

Using the southeast Pennsylvania Red Cross callsign, WA3ARC, the net operates
from its communications trailer and welcomes anyone who wants to check in.
Cliff told Newsline: [quote]: "We started it for a dual purpose. First, we need
to exercise and practice setting up our NVIS antenna and operating from our
communications trailer.  Second, we wanted to establish a frequency range and
protocol to communicate with our neighboring Red Cross regions in case of a
widespread communication outage."

Like so many other NVIS nets around the country, this net relies on the
antenna's ability to establish connections with local and regional stations and
has a maximum range of about 400 miles. Cliff said that it is useful for
emergency communications on HF because unlike UHF/VHF nets, it does not rely on
repeaters.

The net takes place on the third Thursday of every month which, this month,
will be April 16th. Calls for check-ins begin at about 10 a.m. Eastern Time on
40 meters, on or below 7.235 MHz.

This is Travis Lisk N3ILS.

(CLIFF HOTCHKISS, KC3PGT)

**

BREAK HERE: Time for you to identify your station. We are the Amateur Radio
Newsline, heard on bulletin stations around the world, including the K6SIS
repeater of the Siskiyou County Amateur Radio Association in Yreka, California 
on Fridays at 7:30 pm local time.

**

DEAL WILL UPGRADE EMERGENCY-RESPONSE PHONE NETWORK

STEPHEN/ANCHOR: Funding has been approved for a phone network that is relied
upon by public safety agencies throughout the US. Andy Morrison K9AWM explains
what happens next.

ANDY: A mobile phone network created to provide public safety agencies around
the United States with reliable emergency communications, is poised for service
upgrades after reaching an agreement with the federal government and the
networks private-sector partner AT&T.

Under the deal, AT&T, which built and maintains the network known as FirstNet,
will cover the cost of $1 billion worth of the networks improvements. At the
same time, AT&T will reduce its bill to the federal government by another $1
billion for its continued support to FirstNet. The government selected AT&T to
build the network in 2017, when the service was first known as the Nationwide
Public Safety Broadband Network. Its creation was driven by the breakdown in
emergency communication for public safety agencies and first responders in the
aftermath of the terror attacks of September 11th, 2001.

This is Andy Morrison K9AWM.

(GOVERNMENT TECHNOLOGY, FIRSTNET)

**
COSMONAUTS CALL CQ IN TRIBUTE TO YURI GAGARIN

STEPHEN/ANCHOR: Hams wishing to pay tribute to the first man in space have a
chance to do so by making radio contact with two cosmonauts who followed the
pioneering path of Yuri Gagarin. We have details from Jeremy Boot G4NJH.

JEREMY:: A pair of cosmonauts, each in their own time, brought value to the
realm of space exploration for their country. Alexander Volkov, U4MIR, now
retired, is a veteran of three launches who later served as commander of the
cosmonaut detachment at the Yuri Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Centre.  Roscosmos
cosmonaut, Alexander Grebenkin, R3HP, who has a radio communications
engineering background, served as a mission specialist for SpaceX Crew 8 in
2024.

Now the two are adding value to an event here on Earth that pays tribute to
Yuri Gagarin and the trip 65 years ago that made him the first man in space.
Both cosmonauts will be among the activators seeking QSOs with chasers on the
11th and 12th of April as part of an international DX contest honouring the
Soviet cosmonaut and bearing his name.

Contacts will be on HF via CW and SSB. The cosmonauts aren't just worth double
multipliers for chasers but earn them QSL cards bearing their autographs.

This is Jeremy Boot G4NJH.

(DMITRI KOLENCHUK, R3GM)

**
WORLD OF DX

In the World of DX, Elvira, IV3FSG  is on the air as 3X3A from Roume/Rooma
Island, Guinea, IOTA Number AF-051, from the 11th through to the 25th of April,
using SSB, CW and the digital modes. Listen for her on 80-6 metres where she
will be operating with one of two low-power stations.

A team of operators using the callsign GBØOH will be on the air from the Island
of Lewis in the Outer Hebrides, IOTA Number EU-010. Listen for them from the
11th through to the 17th of April. Three operators will be calling QRZ on 40-10
metres. They will operate SSB with some FT8.

The Hungarian Amateur Radio Society is marking the 235th anniversary of the
birth of Samuel Morse and has nine special-event callsigns on the air, all
making use of the numbers two three and five. The calls include HA235MSE,
HA235S, HA235A and HA235M and operators will be using CW and SSB. The special
event will take place from the 17th through to the 27th of April and an award
is available.

Marking World Amateur Radio Day, which is the 18th of April, members of the HF
Committee and the Board of Directors of Belgium's IARU society, the UBA, will
be on the air throughout April. Listen for the callsign OO26WARD [OH OH TWO SIX
W A R D).

For QSL and other information about these stations, visit their pages on
QRZ.com

(425 DX BULLETIN)

**

KICKER: HAM TUNES UP - AND PLAYS SOME TUNES -  IN THE SMOKY MOUNTAINS

STEPHEN/ANCHOR: In the Carolinas, a special brand of homebrew is being made -
music that celebrates some amateur radio traditions with some help from "AI."
Jim Davis W2JKD tunes up with our final story for the week.

JIM: Zach Thompson, KM4BLG, believes there's something lyrical about the
regional hamfest hosted by his club, the Western Carolina Amateur Radio
Society. It's a day that's popular with local families and attracts those from
Tennessee, South Carolina and beyond who gather each year at the Smoky Mountain
Event Center in Waynesville.

This year's event on July 25th is shaping up to be even more lyrical because it
actually has lyrics - its own promotional theme song set to bluegrass music.
Zach told Newsline that while he's a music-lover. he's not a musician so he got
some help with the writing and composing. He outsourced both tasks to "AI."
Even the song's performance on the amateur radio society's YouTube channel is
by a fictional group called CQ DX and the 73s - again, created by AI.

What he got are lyrics like this: "Coax coil shining in the Carolina sun."
"Antennas reaching like pines to the sky." That's the kind of magic that
happens when AI meets RF. Besides, not everything here is artificial: The event
itself offers very real feelings of fellowship and the beauty of the Smoky
Mountains.

Zach told Newsline that he was so surprised at how well the song turned out
that he partnered up with AI to generate a tribute to Parks on the Air. It can
be found on his KM4BLG YouTube channel. The same fictional musicians are back
with more lyrical inspiration that, according to the YouTube blurb, will
[quote] "have you wanting to drop everything and go activate." [endquote] Best
of all, getting out and doing POTA isn't something you can do using AI - at
least not yet.

This is Jim Davis, W2JKD.

(ZACH THOMPSON, KM4BLG; YOUTUBE, WIA)

**

NEWSCAST CLOSE

With thanks to Amateur Radio Daily, AMSAT News; Cliff Hotchkiss, KC3PGT; David
Behar, K7DB; Dmitri Kolenchuk, R3GM; FCC; 425DX News; FirstNet; Government
Technology; QRZ.com Forums; shortwaveradio.de; Wireless Institute of Australia;
Experimental Station WQ2XDM; YouTube; YL Beam; Zach Thompson, KM4BLG; 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 Stephen Kinford N8WB in Wadsworth Ohio 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.

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