Amateur Radio Newsline Report 2551 for Friday, September 18th, 2026

Amateur Radio Newsline Report Number 2551 with a release date of Friday, September 18th, 2026 to follow in 5-4-3-2-1.

The following is a QST. Indonesian hams take action during deadly volcanic eruptions. Gibraltar continues two year-long ham radio anniversaries -- and HF radio comes to a 12,000-year-old site in Turkey. All this and more as Amateur Radio Newsline Report Number 2551 comes your way right now.

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BILLBOARD CART

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DEADLY INDONESIAN VOLCANO SPURS ACTIVATION OF EMERGENCY NET

STEPHEN/ANCHOR: We begin this week in Indonesia where hams quickly organized a net for emergency communication amid violent volcanic activity. Graham Kemp VK4BB has that story.

GRAHAM: Emergency communications were activated and expected to stay in place in Indonesia through the 24th of September, following volcanic eruptions at Anak Krakatau earlier in the month. The national amateur radio organisation, ORARI, cautioned hams to stay off 7.110 MHz to allow for phone traffic and 7.100 MHz for JS8 Call. The emergency amateur radio net was also making use of the LAPAN-A2 satellite. ORARI was asking that the uplink and downlink frequencies, 145.880 MHz and 435.880 MHz, respectively also be kept clear.

Ageng Aditya, YB1BTM, chairman of IARU Region 3's disaster communication committee, advised amateurs to monitor all of those frequencies whenever possible.

This is Graham Kemp VK4BB.

(IARU, WIRELESS INSTITUTE OF AUSTRALIA, EHAM.NET)

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LASERS FROM SPACE SEEN AS DELIVERY MEANS FOR SOLAR POWER

STEPHEN/ANCHOR: Beaming resources, such as sunlight or energy, from space is nothing new. In fact, even after the FCC approved a mirror-equipped satellite to deliver sunlight to earth on demand, a startup company in Virginia is shaping a space-based pathway for infrared lasers to deliver solar power around the clock. Kent Peterson KC╪DGY has the details.

KENT: Working with a self-imposed deadline of January 2028, Overview Energy is working on a constellation of satellites in geosynchronous orbit where solar panels would harvest sunlight to be sent to earth using infrared laser beams. The light, not visible to the human eye, would be guided by beacons to solar farms wherever the need is greatest at any given time. The promise of this technology has already inspired an agreement between Overview and Meta so that Meta's data centers can become a major consumer. Overview executives believe the technology would ultimately support a system that could lower electricity prices without compromising safety or health on earth.

Skeptics question the economics of the project, noting that the satellites alone - each the size of two football fields - makes the cost untenable. Others question the reality of this level of wireless transmission of power.

Overview Energy is also not the only one in a crowded field. There are numerous such young companies formed to meet the challenge of harvesting the sun amid the proliferation of data centers and other potential consumers. Some projects are studying the feasibility of microwave beams instead.

This is Kent Peterson KC╪DGY.

(WASHINGTON POST, TECH CRUNCH)

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STAMPS, COINS TO MARK MILESTONES FOR GIBRALTAR AMATEURS

STEPHEN/ANCHOR: In Gibraltar, it's a double anniversary year for amateur radio operators and some keepsakes are in the works to mark the occasion, as we hear from Jeremy Boot G4NJH.

JEREMY: This has been a big year for the Gibraltar Amateur Radio Society, which has been marking its 50th anniversary. It is also a big year for amateur radio, which became active in the British overseas territory 80 years ago with the issuance of the first licence bearing the ZB2 prefix. The callsign ZB2A belonged to the RAF Amateur Radio Club, which years later became part of the Gibraltar Amateur Radio Club.

The Gibraltar club's dual celebration this year included a one-week event hosted by members in May -- an exhibit at which they got on the air with the special-event callsign ZB2FTY.

Now, before the year winds down, the group is looking forward to keepsakes being made available for everyone. The Gibraltar Philatelic Bureau will issue a 50p commemorative coin and a set of four postage stamps on or about the 20th of November.

This is Jeremy Boot G4NJH.

(GIBRALTAR AMATEUR RADIO SOCIETY)

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INDIAN STUDENTS BUILD FLIGHT-READY EAGLESATS

STEPHEN/ANCHOR: A project that is part of India's 75 Student Satellites Mission is about to take flight, as we learn from Jim Meachen ZL2BHF.

JIM MEACHEN: The next two student-built CubeSats to be launched in India are known as EagleSats and they'll be sent into low-earth orbit this month carrying amateur radio payloads.

Both will have a real-time AX.25 digipeater with a 435.170 MHz uplink and 436.547 MHz downlink. SSTV will be available as command-activated Robot36 SSTV demonstrations. The transmissions wiill be sent over the 9600 bps GFSK downlink as packetized data.

The small satellites, built at the Military College of Electronics and Mechanical Engineering, are part of the country's 75 Student Satellites Mission, a national programme created in 2022 to celebrate the nation's 75 years of independence that year from British rule.

The satellites' launch dates are set for Tuesday the 22nd and Wednesday the 30th of September.

This is Jim Meachen ZL2BHF.

(AMSAT)

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HF RADIO COMES TO 12,000-YEAR-OLD ARCHAEOLOGICAL SITE

STEPHEN/ANCHOR: One of the last things you'd expect to see at a nearly 12,000-year-old archaeological site are modern amateur radio rigs, particularly radios calling CQ on the HF bands and via satellite. You're about to hear about it in this next story from Dave Lee M9TLB.

DAVE: Archaeologists believe the wheel had not even been invented yet when the sanctuary known as Karahantepe was carved into the bedrock almost 12 thousand years ago in what is now the Turkish province of Sanliurfa/

Special event station TC8KHT will be the first ham radio activation at the site since its creation around 9400 BC. A team of operators from the Turkish Amateur Radio Society will be active on the 18th through to the 20th of September. Where there was once no writing, agriculture or pottery, there now exists a GridSquare designation of KM97PC. From there, the operators will be using CW, SSB, FT8/FT4 and the geostationary satellite QO-100. Any operator completing at least one contact will be eligible for the free Amateur Radio Karahantepe (pronounce: carra hon TEP pay) Heritage Award.

Although the Cradle of Civilisation will never be the cradle of amateur radio, operators will make the most of those three days and then depart, as scientists continue their work through the Karahantepe (pronounce: carra hon TEP pay) Research Support Association. There are always new discoveries to be made - something amateur radio operators can surely relate to.

This is Dave Lee M9TLB.

(QRZ.COM, TURKISH AMATEUR RADIO SOCIETY)

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ARDC SEEKING VOLUNTEERS TO SUPPORT GRANTS, 44NET SYSTEM

STEPHEN/ANCHOR: Support for research and development, for education and for the 44Net ham radio internet address system continues to play a vital role in the future of amateur radio. This is why ARDC, Amateur Radio Digital Communications, is asking for volunteer input on one of several committees and teams. The private foundation is accepting applications through to the 30th of October for participation by qualified individuals. Applicants do not have to be in the United States to be a part of these teams.

The Grants Advisory Committee reviews applications for ARDC grants; the Grants Evaluation Team evaluates reports submitted by grant recipients and the Technical Advisory Committee deals with projects and policies related to 44Net. There is also a need for volunteers to serve on the Conduct Review Committee, which is open to individuals who are also serving ARDC in another volunteer capacity. Committee members evaluate incident reports involving ARDC's code of conduct.

See the link in the text version of this week's newscast at arnewsline.org for additional information.

[DO NOT READ: https://www.ardc.net/volunteer-with-ardc-in-2027 ]

(ARDC)

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BREAK HERE: Time for you to identify your station. We are the Amateur Radio Newsline heard on bulletin stations around the world including the Montgomery Amateur Radio Club's KV3B repeater in Rockville Maryland on Sundays at 7:30 p.m. local time.

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SPECIAL EVENT URGES SAFETY WITH LITHIUM BATTERIES

STEPHEN/ANCHOR: Get ready for Fire Prevention Week - and a special message about some of those lithium batteries many of you have been using. We hear more from Andy Morrison K9AWM.

ANDY: Hams who rely on lithium batteries for portable operations and emergency communication may want to check into a special event next month that highlights safe use and charging practices for these batteries.

Radio operators in North America are activating for Fire Prevention Week, carrying this public service message from the 4th through to the 10th of October. All stations will have 1x1 callsigns with the N prefix and F suffix. The number in between will be for each of the ten US geographic call regions.

There are also two wildcard stations: KF2IRE in the US and VE3FIRE in Canada.

Anyone working ten or more of the twelve stations will be eligible for a downloadable certificate.

This is both a special event and an educational one and is scheduled each year to coincide with the Great Chicago Fire of 1871. That deadly blaze raged from October 8th to 10th of that year, destroying 17,000 structures, leaving 100,000 people homeless - and killing 300 people.

This is Andy Morrison K9AWM.

(QRZ.COM, AMATEUR RADIO DAILY)

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FCC TO VOTE ON GIVING HIGH-SPEED SATELLITE MORE SPECTRUM

STEPHEN/ANCHOR: Operators of high-speed satellites are eager to hear what the FCC has to say about expanding their use of some parts of the radio spectrum. Daniel Garcia W2DIY brings us those details.

DANIEL: The FCC's calendar for September 30th includes a vote that is expected to have an impact on space-based broadband services by making more of the spectrum available to them. Commissioners will consider authorizing high-speed satellite's use of parts of the 12 GHz and 42 GHz bands. If approved this could open as much as 1,000 MHz to airplanes, ships and vehicles on land.

The FCC states on its website that [quote] "Spectrum abundance fuels innovation and investment in the American space economy. It creates additional capacity for in-home satellite broadband for video, gaming, and AI, improves how traffic is routed on the ground, provides better connectivity to ships and planes, and opens the door to a wide range of industrial and commercial innovations in space." [endquote]

The commission has been moving ahead on measures designed to help a variety of space-based services improve their position in the marketplace. Commissioners voted in the spring to relax power limits on satellites' use of the spectrum. The goal is to allow more of the spectrum to be available for activities such as space-based broadband - a move that by some estimates could generate as much as $2-billion in economic benefits.

This is Daniel Garcia W2DIY.

(REUTERS, FCC.GOV)
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WORLD OF DX

In the World of DX, the 125th anniversary of the birth of German engineer Rudolf Hell will be celebrated with the activation of special event callsign DA125RH from the 1st of October through to the 31st of December. Rudolf Hell developed the Hellschreiber, considered a precursor to fax machines and dot-matrix printers. Amateur radio still enjoys using the transmission method named after him. Operators will be using all modes, including Hell.

In France, special event callsign TM26SP will be activated by Nicolas, F4HZS, to mark the upcoming apostolic journey of Pope Leo XIV to France. Nicolas will be on the air from the 25th through to the 28th of September.

Listen for Juergen, DL3JH using the callsign 8Q7JH from the Maldives, IOTA Number AS-013, from the 20th of September through to the 10th of October. Juergen will be using CW, SSB, and FT8 on 20, 15 and 10 metres.

In Bermuda, Al K7AR, Ron WJ7R, and Lee N7NU will be on the air as N7NU/VP9 from the 23rd to the 29th of September. They will be using various modes, including FT8, and will participate in the CQ WW RTTY DX Contest on the 26th and 27th of September using the callsign VP9I (VEE PEE NINE EYE).

(425 DX BULLETIN)

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KICKER: TWIN TOWERS, A TRANSMISSION AND A TRIBUTE

STEPHEN/ANCHOR: A special transmission from Alaska was beamed directly toward New York City and Washington, D.C. from the High-frequency Active Auroral Research Program at the University of Alaska Fairbanks on the 11th of September. This wasn't part of the usual research transmissions scientists use for ionospheric studies, as we hear from Jim Davis W2JKD.

JIM DAVIS: The transmission took only five minutes but it marked the passage of 25 years, a painful milestone and a reminder of the devastating terror attacks on the United States on September 11th, 2001. The research facility known by the acronym HAARP tuned its transmitter to 9.11 MHz on the evening of Friday, September 11th when its first message went out in CW: "QST de KL7ERP," its ham radio callsign.

What followed was the transmission of a Slow-Scan TV of an image that forever changed the NYC skyline, showing lower Manhattan and its so-called "Tribute in Light." The twin beams stand against the night sky as a radiant symbol, reaching up from where the Twin Towers had been. Having sent its message, the station returned to CW and sent its signoff before going QRT.

This is Jim Davis W2JKD.

(HAARP)

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NEWSCAST CLOSE

With thanks to Amateur Radio Daily, Amateur Radio Digital Communications; David Behar, K7DB; eHam.net; 425 DX Bulletin; FCC.gov; High-frequency Active Auroral Research Program; QRZ.com; Reuters; Turkish Amateur Radio Society; Wireless Institute of Australia; 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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