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Skriven 2026-09-07 09:29:32 av Rug Rat (1:135/250)
Ärende: AR Newsline 2549 - 04SEP2026
====================================
Okay!  This should be the last late ARNewsline report for awhile.  I went out
of town Friday morning and ended up going to bed before midnight.

/// BREAK ///

Amateur Radio Newsline Report 2549 for Friday, September 4th, 2026
 
Amateur Radio Newsline Report Number 2549 with a release date of Friday,
September 4th, 2026 to follow in 5-4-3-2-1.

The following is a QST. Judges uncover fraud at the recent World Radiosport
Team Championship. Rock-penetrating radio aids a cave rescue in Canada -- and
wildfires damage a key repeater in Nevada. All this and more as Amateur Radio
Newsline Report Number 2549 comes your way right now.

**
BILLBOARD CART
**
JUDGES OVERTURN WRTC-UK SCORES, CITING FRAUDULENT SCHEMES

NEIL/ANCHOR: Our top story takes us to the UK where, in an unprecedented move
for the World Radiosport Team Championship, the judges of the prestigious event
have overturned this year's results. The judges said that they discovered that
fraudulent means, including use of pirate stations, were used to boost some
scores - including those of the winning team. Dave Lee M9TLB has that story.

DAVE: Acting on what it called "extraordinary information" from members of the
public after the awards ceremony for WRTC 2026 in July, organizers have thrown
out some of the competition's scores which they believe were achieved as the
result of an elaborate fraudulent strategy. The strategy made use of bogus
multiplier stations and introduced frequency hand-offs and release of team
identity - all prohibited practices.

Most prominent were the declared victories of the top team MB2M, and team MB2A,
which the committee said were achieved in violation of competition rules. The
organizers said that the scheme included the use of pirate stations posing as
multiplier-producing stations which favored contact with those two stations.
Other teams were disqualified after the probe also unearthed the frequency
hand-offs and release of team identity.

Organizers said they were making the announcement on September 1st "with
sadness and disappointment." They added that [quote]: "WRTC has strived to be a
competition where the outcome is based on the competitors  performance, and is
not a function of offsite helpers assisting their competitor friends."
[endquote] 

Furthermore, reviewing logs for the WRTC-2023 held in Italy, the WRTC
organizers detected the same fraud scheme and raised the possibility that the
Bologna event would be rescored too. 

Releasing the organizers' announcement, Mark Haynes, M DXR, the chairman of
WRTC-UK, said "the integrity of WRTC is of prime priority and in order to path
its future in a positive light, it is our conclusion that these steps are
absolutely necessary." [endquote]

This is Dave Lee M9TLB.

(WRTC)

**
CAVE RESCUE SUCCEEDS USING RADIO THAT PENETRATES ROCK

NEIL/ANCHOR: Sometimes when it's radio to the rescue, it's not always the kind
of radio we're used to finding in a typical shack, as we hear from Kent
Peterson KC DGY.

KENT: Low-frequency radio waves with the ability to penetrate rock are being
credited in the dramatic rescue of an explorer who was trapped for nine hours
in a cave in Alberta, Canada in August. 

The solution uses QDX-M radios from QRP Labs.

Volunteers with the Alberta/British Columbia Cave Rescue, part of Search and
Rescue Alberta, have been working with these digital radios for their light
weight since 2003.

According to a press release from the rescue group, the volunteers who built
the kit radios are caving enthusiasts with electrical engineering and amateur
radio backgrounds. The release said that the radio waves are capable of
carrying messages through more than 500 meters of solid rock.

Christian Stenner, Alberta coordinator for the rescue team, said the radio
system works underground and does not need line-of-sight to the sky as cell
phones and GPS do. The system was deployed in the August 15th rescue for the
first time, enabling team members who entered the cave on Grotto Mountain to
communicate via text messages to their colleagues. They gave progress reports
and made requests for any supplies they needed. 

The trapped person, who was not identified in any media reports, had become
stuck in a tight point inside what is known as the Rat's Nest Cave. That
section of the limestone cave is vertical and pitches downward.

It was midnight when the man was freed. Paramedics in the cave aided him
through his exhaustion, risk of hypothermia and the compression of the body
during the rescue process.

The rescue agency issued a statement afterward, praising the technology and the
team.

This is Kent Peterson KC DGY.

NEIL/ANCHOR: For a closer look at how the cave rescue happened, see the link
that appears in the text version of this week's newscast at arnewsline.org

[DO NOT READ:   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DrsuT64SFB4  ]

(WIA, CBC. CA: CALGARY HERALD, CTV NEWS)

**
SUCCESS IN EARTH-MOON COMMUNICATION BY LASER

NEIL/ANCHOR: In China, researchers are praising what they consider a milestone
in two-way communications with deep space - via laser. Graham Kemp VK4BB tells
us how it came about.

GRAHAM: Chinese researchers have announced the successful completion of two-way
communications between the moon and the Earth using laser.

The Chinese Academy of Sciences believes this could signal the beginning of a
so-called "information highway" for high-speed data transmission that can
eventually serve missions to the moon.

The distance covered was 400,000 km or more than 248,000 miles. The move from
near-Earth orbit testing to deep space was a milestone for researchers in the
academy's Technology and Engineering Center for Space Utilization. The
scientists had previously used only in-orbit tests.

The greater bandwidth, faster speed and increased security offered by laser
communication have all been viewed as great benefits but they were offset by
such obstacles as the need for precise beam alignment, weakness of the signal
and speed of transmission.

To get improved results researchers developed high-speed superconducting
single-photon detection technology to assist with copying the signals; they
also made use of high-bandwidth signal processing technology, reporting
transmission rates of 1.25 Mbps uplink and 100 Mbps downlink.

This is Graham Kemp VK4BB.

(XINHUA NEWS AGENCY)

**
SILENT KEY: DXPEDITIONER, CONTESTER DIEGO THOBIE, F4HAU

NEIL/ANCHOR: An accident has taken the life of an active DXpeditioner and
contester in France. We hear about him from Jeremy Boot G4NJH.

JEREMY: Diego Thobie, F4HAU, loved to operate portable from the islands and
added to the team spirit of many of those DXpeditions over the years. 

Diego, a member of the Radio Club de Provins F6KOP, was killed in a motorcycle
accident on the 23rd of August. According to a social media post from his
friend Patrick F2DX, he was killed in a head-on collision with a truck on a
small rural road and died on the scene. His 13-year-old son is reported to have
survived but was taken for hospital treatment..

In social media posts, Diego's friends and fellow amateurs recalled him as an
adventurer and a proud member of many DXpedition teams,  including last year's
FP5KE trip to St. Pierre & Miquelon.

A licensed amateur since 2012, he had also been part of the teams in such major
DXpeditions as 9L5A to Sierra Leone in 2024, XW4DX to Laos in 2023, 3B7A to St.
Brandon in 2018 and FT4JA to Juan de Nova in 2016.

Diego was 48.

This is Jeremy Boot G4NJH.

(425 DX NEWS, FACEBOOK)

**
WILDFIRE DAMAGES CRITICAL REPEATER IN NEVADA

NEIL/ANCHOR: Hams in Nevada area are assessing the damage to an important
repeater after a wildfire hit, knocking it off the air. Kent Peterson KC DGY
brings us up to date.

KENT: Amateur radio repeater KA7ZAU became a victim of a raging wildfire that
consumed much of the region near Reno, Nevada last month. The 2-metre repeater
provides important connections for hams checking into the weekly Weather Net
for SKYWARN and it is a link between amateur radio and the Red Cross.

Hams were still evaluating the repeater recently when they updated Newsline
through email. Greg Krantz, NT7Q, a director of the Sierra Nevada Amateur Radio
Society, said that the building itself suffered no damage but it appeared that
the radiant heat burned the feedline leading to the antennas. The hams were
still needing to inspect the equipment to see if anything there was damaged.

He told Newsline that the plan was to make repairs and get the site back on the
air by Labor Day weekend if the local utility, Nevada Energy, restores power to
the building.

The repeater's owner, Arlan Duwayne Robinson KA7ZAU, said that the Hawk Fire
had knocked a number of repeaters off the air when the blaze began, affecting
both amateur and commercial communications across the region for VHF and UHF
analog, P25 digital, the Fusion system and 900 MHz systems. He said that the
2-metre and 220-MHz repeater that serves Reno, Sparks and the surrounding area
have been on the air for 16 years and operate to support ARES, SKYWARN and
numerous events. Arlan is also the Washoe County emergency coordinator for
ARES.

He said: [quote] "It will take time to replace damaged equipment and install
new feedlines. The work will help restore coverage, improve reliability, and
return systems to full operational status as quickly as possible." [endquote]

This is Kent Peterson KC DGY.

(ARLAN DUWAYNE ROBINSON, KA7ZAU; GREG KRANTZ, NT7Q)

**

BREAK HERE: Time for you to identify your station. We are the Amateur Radio
Newsline, heard on bulletin stations around the world, including WA5AIR, the
Texas Link System which carries Newsline on seven repeaters on Wednesdays and
Saturdays at 7 p.m. local time.

**
ARISS-USA INVITES SCHOOLS TO APPLY FOR ASTRONAUT CONTACTS IN 2027

NEIL/ANCHOR: Amateur Radio on the International Space Station is once again
hoping to give students a window into space. ARISS-USA is already planning its
schedule of contacts for the first six months of 2027 and is looking for
educational institutions in the US to host a QSO between their students and a
member of the crew. The window for educators to submit their proposals opened
in July and will close on the 30th of September.

The schools or other educational organizations, are expected to incorporate the
radio contact into a educational plan that exposes the students to radio
science, satellite communication, wireless technology and, of course, space
travel.

The 10-minute QSOs are voice-only contacts and provide students with a chance
to ask questions directly to the astronauts or cosmonauts.

For additional details about requirements for submitting a formal proposal,
visit the link in the text version of this week's newscast at arnewsline.org

[DO NOT READ:  
https://ariss-usa.org/us-educators-talk-to-an-astronaut-on-the-space-station-f 
 ]

(ARISS-USA)
 
**
TOKELAU ZK3ZL DXPEDITION POSTPONED UNTIL 2027

NEIL/ANCHOR: If you have been waiting for the DXpedition to Tokelau in
November, you're going to be waiting a bit longer. Jim Meachen ZL2BHF shares
the team's latest announcement.

JIM: Only weeks after announcing that they were bringing a team of operators to
Tokelau for a DXpedition in November, organizers have announced the trip to the
New Zealand island territory has been postponed for a year.

The ZK3ZL DXpedition would have been the first to Tokelau since the ZK3A
activation in 2019. Organizers said that the cancelled plans were the result of
"an administrative error" that caused the operators to lose their bookings for
the return trip by ferry. The team issued a statement saying: [quote] "With no
other reasonably priced transportation alternative, the project must be
rescheduled." [endquote]

The Perseverance DX Group and the Western Washington DX Club will coordinate
their new plans with the administration on the island. Donors can request
refunds of their contributions or they will be held in escrow.

This is Jim Meachen ZL2BHF.

(425 DX BULLETIN)

**
COUNTY TO DONATE SURPLUS TOWER TO ALABAMA HAM CLUB

NEIL/ANCHOR: An Alabama ham club is getting a gift from the county that's a
tall order - in fact, it's so tall that it's a tower, as we hear from Jack
Parker W8ISH.

JACK: The Jackson County Amateur Radio Club in Alabama will soon have a new
tower to help it continue to fulfill its mission of public service. County
commissioners have approved a proposal by county emergency management agency
director Joshua Whitcomb to donate the surplus tower to the ham club. He told
the commission that it wasn't worthwhile for the county to take on $30,000
worth of repairs that the tower needs. The tower has already been taken down
and the club would need to transport it to their headquarters.

The tower is being viewed as a useful addition to the club's network to support
the county's emergency backup communications. County attorney John Porter told
the commission that he approved the donation because the tower would be used
for emergency notification and public safety.. 

The club's website notes that a big part of the mission of Jackson County ARES
is to coordinate during disasters with the emergency management agency and
other public service agencies.

This is Jack Parker W8ISH.

(JACKSON COUNTY SENTINEL, JACKSON COUNTY AMATEUR RADIO CLUB)

**
FOR 11-YEAR-OLD CW OP, A MILESTONE MEMBERSHIP NUMBER

NEIL/ANCHOR: What's in a number? Ask a young radio operator from upstate New
York. Daniel Garcia W2DIY tells us about her.

DANIEL: Congratulations to Maggie Flowers, KE2AIZ, who has been declared member
number 10,000 in the Long Island CW Club. The 11-year-old New York amateur, who
is a fifth generation ham, received her license at age 7 and quickly developed
a fascination for CW, which she pursued. She has since become an avid CW
contester and a mentor to other youngsters. She says on her page on QRZ.com:
"CW is my first language."

Her recognition, published in the LICW Club's most recent newsletter, comes
after the club decided that conferring this milestone member number should
represent the future. The newsletter announcement states: [quote] Member number
10,000 represents not only Maggie and what she has already accomplished, but
also the future of Morse code and the importance of passing this wonderful
tradition from one generation to the next." [endquote]

This is Daniel Garcia W2DIY.

(QRZ.COM; RON PANETTA, WB2WGH, LICW)

**
WORLD OF DX

In the world of DX, listen for special event station W2T which will be on the
air on Friday, September 11th from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Eastern Time to mark the
25th anniversary of the terror attacks in the United States. The NorthEast
Wireless Radio Club NW2C will be operating from Fort Totten in the borough of
Queens. Listen for them calling CQ on the HF bands using SSB, CW and FT8.

Luca, IK5AEQ, is using the callsign IA5/IK5AEQ from Giannutri Island, IOTA
Number EU-028, from the 9th through to the 14th of September. He will be using
SSB, the FT modes and RTTY on 40-6 meters.

Jacek, SP5EAQ, will be calling CQ as 5W0AF from Apia, Samoa, IOTA Number
OC-097, from the 21st of September through to the 12th of October. He will
operate SSB on 80-10m.

Operators using the callsign CS5AIRA/M will be on the air on the 12th of
September from 10 am to 5 pm local time, activating at the Aveiro base of
Infantry Regiment No. 10, in Portugal. A.I.R.A is an Aveiro, Portugal, based
association supporting ham radio operators.

Antonio, who is in Uganda doing humanitarian work, will be active in his spare
time as 5X3M through to the end of December of 2027. Antonio is operating on
SSB and can be heard on various HF bands.

Special-event operators from the D A R C are using two special event callsigns
for different events from the 1st through to the 30th of September. Listen for
DB26YLBB, marking the F I B A Women's Basketball World Cup, which is being
hosted in Berlin from September 4th through the 13th. Listen also for DM CRACY,
commemorating the International Day of Democracy, which the United Nations
declared to be the 15th of December.

For information about any of these stations, or QSL instructions, see QRZ.com

(425 DX BULLETIN) 

**
KICKER: HAMS HIT THE ROAD FOR 200 MILES OF SAFE CYCLING

NEIL/ANCHOR: For our final story, we travel to the western US, where ham radio
operators in four US states are preparing to support the longest bicycle race
in North America to be sanctioned by the organization, USA Cycling. Ralph
Squillace KK6ITB tells us what's involved.

RALPH: The numbers are daunting: an estimated 1,700 cyclists; a distance of
more than 200 miles; three mountain passes along a course that, at some points,
approach 9,800 feet. 

None of this can be done on the 12th of September without the more than 100
amateur radio operators who have helped to support this event since 1991. The
race is known as the LoToJa.Classic, a shorthand for Logan, Utah to Jackson,
Wyoming, which is the beginning and endpoint of a course with limited cellular
coverage and plenty of risks along the way.

The ham radio safety net is being coordinated by the Bridgerland Amateur Radio
Club. One of the organizers, Kevin Reeve, N7RXE, said in a press release that
hams are deployed in various ways throughout the course to keep the support
continuous. That requires 35 radio-equipped vehicles along the course, some of
them roving while others follow the packs of cyclists. They often spend as many
as 14 hours on the road.

The course itself is covered by 10 ham repeaters in addition to two portable
mountaintop repeaters and one portable canyon repeater. Whether there is a
mechanical breakdown, a medical incident or a lost rider, the goal is to keep
track of - and assist - everyone as necessary.

According to the race director, Brent Chambers, the ham volunteers are
essential to the event because their communication goes on, uninterrupted. They
are perhaps just as important as the bicycles and the road beneath their
wheels.

This is Ralph Squillace KK6ITB.

(KEVIN REEVE, N7RXE; TYLER GRIFFITHS, N7UWX)

**

NEWSCAST CLOSE

With thanks to Amateur Radio Daily, AMSAT News; ARISS-USA; Calgary Herald; the
CBC; CTV News; David Behar, K7DB; 425 DX Bulletin; Jackson County Amateur Radio
Club; Jackson County Sentinel; Kevin Reeve, N7RXE; LICW Club; QRZ.com; Ron
Panetta, WB2WGH; Tyler Griffiths, N7UWX; Wireless Institute of Australia; World
Radiosport Team Championship; Xinhua News Agency; 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.

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