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2025 AUGUST 31 WIA NATIONAL NEWS BROADCAST ON VK1WIA ------------------------------------------------------------*
THE BEST NEWS YOU'LL GET ALL WEEK
THIS LINK IS A VIDEO VERSION OF NEWS COMPILED BY VK5BD BEVAN tinyurl.com/WIA-News-Videos
------------------------------------------------------------*
IN NATIONAL NEWS THIS WEEK:-
WIA Director Peter Clee VK8ZZ. -
WIA RD Contest Manager and last call for logs. -
With the dreadful news coming out of Porepunkah, a rural town 320 km
northeast of Melbourne, of the ambushing of police and the ultimate
slaying of 2, it is even more poignant to try and work VI 8 POL on air
13-29 September. It concludes on National Police Remembrance Day 29th September, a day dedicated to honouring and remembering police officers
who have lost their lives in the line of duty. -
BUT WAIT - THERE'S MUCH MUCH MORE IN THIS EDITION OF NEWS FROM THE
WIRELESS INSTITUTE OF AUSTRALIA FOR WEEK COMMENCING SUNDAY AUGUST 31.
I'M EDITOR GRAHAM VK4BB
WIA
JOIN THE WIA
tinyurl.com/yyj87b9y
WIA Director Peter Clee VK8ZZ
Last weekend I attended the TOKYO Ham Fair. It was great to see several Australian Amateurs in attendance. The Tokyo event was a major draw card
for amateurs and non-amateurs alike. Official numbers for the event was
around 40,000 people over the two days.
Saturday was the official opening of the Tokyo Ham Fair. This event was
hosted by the JARL and was officiated by President of the JARL who was
joined by representatives from JARL, IARU and IARU Region 3 in the
ribbon cutting ceremony.
The trade displays were amazing, with the release of the new
IC-7300 Mark 2. That stand was very well attended and the new rig
a major drawcard. All of their products were on display including the
IC-905 with the 24GHz module and a cutaway version of the antenna. Not to
be outdone, on display elsewhere was all of the variations for the FTX-1
series of transceivers. As well as all of their mobiles, handhelds and
the very popular DR-2X Repeater.
It was also a used equipment megafest. I must say that I managed to pick
up a few bargains on the weekend.
Saturday night was the official dinner and I attended representing the
Wireless Institute of Australia. Most of the IARU R3 societies were
represented at that dinner.
The Sunday saw a huge number of amateurs attend and it was certainly well attended.
This has been WIA Director Peter Clee VK8ZZ, JL1GBI and 9V1ZZ signing off
DISCUSSON POINT
5 MHz denied VK radio amateurs in a deal - claim debunked
A claim that the WIA quote, "made a deal," unquote, with the ACMA and
defence to deny quote, "all Australian amateurs access to the 5 MHz band" unquote, has been debunked by those very agencies.
In February, an Australian amateur radio splinter group issued an
unattributed news release with an elaborate narrative constructed to make
the claim that, among other things, quote, "The WIA made a deal with the Defense (sic) and the ACMA which included denying all Australian amateurs access to the 5 MHz band.", unquote.
This allegation was reinforced in March in a weekly amateur radio
broadcast from VK6ARN, when an announcer claimed the contents of the news release were, quote, "true", "verifiable", and that "correspondence",
unquote, exists in support.
Seeking the facts, I (Bruce VK3WL) wrote to the relevant ministers asking
if there was any truth in the claims. The Minister for Defence referred
my correspondence to the Minister for Communications, who asked the
relevant department to reply.
On 15 August, I received an official reply from the Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development, Communications, Sport
and the Arts. [ Visit: tinyurl.com/5MHZ2ru ]
Mr Andrew Irwin, an Assistant Secretary at the department, reiterates the official reasons why 5 MHz access for amateurs was not supported;
it's about balancing, quote, "the existing uses of the band against the
impacts of introducing use by the amateur service,", unquote,
after considering public submissions. You can download this letter from a
URL in the text version of this broadcast. tinyurl.com/5MHZ2ru
Of significance, is interdepartmental correspondence between the ACMA and
the department I have seen, making it abundantly clear that there is,
quote, "no such evidence", unquote, any deal took place between the ACMA, Defence, and the WIA.
Surely, the amateur radio community and the WIA deserve both a retraction
of the false allegations as well as a public apology from the discredited splinter group and VK6ARN?
73
Bruce Kendall VK3WL ------------------------------------------------------------*
INTERNATIONAL NEWS is with thanks to Amateur Radio Daily, ARRL,
DX-WORLD, eHam, Hackaday, IARU, IRTS, NEWSLINE, NZART, RAC,
Radioworld.com, RSGB, SARL and the World Wide sources of WIA.
AST SpaceMobile, which has asked the FCC for permission to use amateur
radio frequencies for a planned constellation of satellites providing cellular-based broadband service, has announced it expects to have
launched between 45 and 60 satellites by next year.
The company said that it plans satellite deployments every one to two
months into 2026 and expects to begin providing service in the United
States by the end of this year. In the first quarter of next year, the
company hopes to begin rolling out service as well in Canada, the UK
andJapan.
In two separate deals pending, the company is planning to acquire use of portions of the S-band and L-band spectrum for global delivery of
itsservices.
AST SpaceMobile, which is considered a rival to SpaceX, was recently
approved to use the amateur radio band on an experimental basis for a
low-earth orbit satellite - a prototype known as FM1. It was assigned the callsign WP2XRX, which is valid through the 1st of July, 2027. The company plans to use the 70 cm amateur frequencies to conduct telemetry, tracking,
and telecommand between ground stations and its satellites.
The Malaysian Amateur Radio Transmitters Society (MARTS) has once again
made history by sending an official delegation to participate in the
Japan Amateur Radio League (JARL) Ham Fair 2025.
MARTS President Mohd Aris Bernawi said the JARL Ham Fair, the largest
amateur radio exhibition in Asia, was held in Tokyo. He said MARTS's involvement in the exhibition highlights its important role in the international amateur radio community, in line with MARTS's slogan of "providing service through radio."
Still at the Japanese Hamfest and exciting news last weekend especially
if you are into Icom
Up first, there's a new Icom IC-7300 MK2 on the way.
The IC-7300 MK2 is a next-generation compact HF transceiver, building on
the worldwide success of the IC-7300 which has already sold over 100,000
units globally. There has been no official price announcement from Icom
as yet.
A couple of features of the IC-7300MK2 include:
Lower Heat Generation and Lower Power Consumption along with an HDMI Port
Up next was the Icom ID-5200, a successor to the popular Icom ID-5100.
The ID-5200 is a versatile 144/430 MHz dual-band transceiver with support
for both FM and DV (Digital Voice) modes. A key feature is its ability to perform simultaneous dual reception of FM - FM, FM - DV and DV - DV
signals.
In India, officials are taking aim against the sale and marketing of
hand-held radios that they say violate consumer and telecommunicationsregulations.
Yes the authorities in India have announced a crackdown on the listing and
sale of hand-held transceivers from China that they say break laws
governing consumer protection and the unauthorised use of radiofrequencies.
Stories in various Indian media outlets identify some of the 13 e-commerce sellers in question as Facebook, Amazon, Flipkart and IndiaMART, amongothers.
The nation's consumer affairs commissioner Pralhad Joshi said that the violations of the Indian Telegraph Act, the Wireless Telegraphy Act and
rules governing the use of low and very low power short-range RF devices
were being broken. Acting as an advocate for radio users, the West Bengal
Radio Club's secretary, Ambarish Nag Biswas VU2JFA, told the Statesman
website that users of these radio sets could interfere with police and
other agencies' communications and gather sensitive information relatingto national security.
-------------------------------------------------------------------
OPERATIONAL NEWS - A FELIX VK4FUQ PRESENTATION
--------------
--------------
Alan VK4SN the Remembrance day contest manager reminded us last weekend
that logs for the RD must be received by 03ooz TODAY AUG 31.
Alan went on also to remind us:-
"Remember for those who try and submit ADIF files, logs require
conversion to Cabrillo format before submission is accepted.
On vklogchecker.com there is a link to a converter designed by
Peter VK2PR, specifically for VK contests.
This is the only converter that works for VK logs.
Please do not email me the ADIF as there is nothing I can do with it." -------------------
A.L.A.R.A. CONTEST always the last FULL weekend of August which means
it's on NOW,
One contestant, OM Geoff Smart is really honouring ALARA with his QTH for
the contest.
It seems an Elizabeth Hutchings, VK3HM, had the distinction of being the
first YL licensed as an amateur radio operator in the state of Victoria.
Radio was in the family's genes -- in the 1920s, her son Alan held the
callsign VK3HL and her daughter, Marjorie, was licensed as VK3HQ.
Some 100 years later on the Callawadda land where the family's old radio
shack still stands, Geoff Smart, VK3GCM, is putting amateur radio back
into action. He chose this property, known as Bryn Avon, as his QTH for
the Australian Ladies Amateur Radio Association's annual competition.
(newsline)
--------------------
ALSO THIS WEEKEND SEES THE WW DIGI DX CONTEST
Yes this year's edition of the World Wide Digi DX Contest will
take place on 30-31 August (from 12:00 UTC to 11:59 UTC).
The objective is for amateurs around the world to contact as many
other amateurs in as many Maidenhead Grid Locations as possible using
the FT4 and FT8 modes on 160, 80, 40, 20, 15 and 10m.
ww-digi.com
(425dxnews)
------------------
WESTLAKES CUP
13th of September 8:30pm until 9:30pm local time
that's 1030 to 1130UTC.
Operation is Phone on 80 and 40 metres, and all Australian stations may
be worked.
(vk2wi news)
------------------------------
Oceania DX (OCDX) Contest
Everyone is invited to the 2025 Oceania DX Contest party!
The focus of the contest is on promoting HF contacts between stations in Oceania and the rest of the world. For operators outside the region, it's
a chance to work many Oceania stations, from remote Pacific islands to the outback here in Australia and jungles of Indonesia.
The SSB portion of the contest runs from 06:00 UTC on Saturday, the 4th of October to 06:00 UTC on Sunday, the 5th of October 2025.
CW operation then runs from 06:00 UTC on Saturday, the 11th of October to
06:00 UTC on Sunday, the 12th of October 2025.
2025 is the 82nd birthday of the contest. It has become the signature
event for operators across Oceania and around the world, combining DX excitement, technical capability, and operating skills.
(IRTS)
-----------------------------------------------------------------
NOW THE DX WINDOW TO THE WORLD.-----------------
-----------------
VI 8 POL on air 13-29 September.
QSL is via VK5PAS.
More information on VI8POL can be found on QRZ.com
----------------
Once again special callsign 4 A 2 MAX will be activated August 1 - 31
in remembrance of St. Maximilian Maria Kolbe.
Activity is on 80-6 metres SSB, CW and digital.
Born in 1894, Father Kolbe (SP 3 RN) was killed on 14 August 1941 at Auschwitz.
QSL via LoTW, eQSL, QRZ Logbook, or via EA5GL.
qrz.com/db/4a2max
(425dx)
--------------
Celebrating its 26th anniversary, the Route 66 special event will be on
the air September 6 - 14 from September 6 through 14.
The event commemorates the history of the "Mother Road," connecting east
and west areas of the US from Illinois to California. This year, there
will be 22 stations participating with their 11 callsigns, W6A - W6V.
Each station has its own schedule and is on the air as operators are
available and bands allow. Not all stations will be on the air 24/7. A certificate and decal are available but operators must work at least one station before either item can be requested and it may take up to 10 weeks
to process. The Route 66 special event is hosted by the Citrus Belt
Amateur Radio Club - W6JBT.org
(arrl)
----------
The RSGB Awards Manager has introduced a new awards series for amateur
radio contacts with stations across all UK country and crown dependency prefixes. The Worked All UK and Crown Dependency Prefixes Award offers
several different sub-sets with the rules varying slightly for each. The
idea for the award was put forward as a way of encouraging, or tapping
into, intra-UK activity as well as encouraging contact with UK amateurs.
Get involved with this new award by going to rsgb.org/awards and selecting 'Worked All UK and Crown Dependency' from the right-hand menu. You can
find details of other awards offered by the RSGB using the same link. -------------------------------------------------------------
WW SPECIAL INTEREST GROUPS --- ASTRONOMY (and Wireless Weather)
With the retirement of NOAA-15, NOAA-18, and NOAA-19, the long-running
POES (Polar-orbiting Operational Environmental Satellites) series has officially ended service. Some in the community worry this marks the end
of easily accessible weather imagery, but the outlook for amateur
reception remains bright.
Russia's Meteor-M satellites are now the mainstay for 137 MHz reception.
Their LRPT signals are strong and reliable, and with additional Meteor-M launches planned, service is expected to continue well into the 2040s. Higher-resolution imagery is also available on the 1.7 GHz band for those
with modest upgrades in equipment.
(AMSAT)
The newly launched NASA-ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar (NISAR) satellite
has successfully deployed a record-breaking 39-foot-wide radar antenna in orbit, unfolding it like a blooming umbrella after weeks of
carefulpreparation.
Launched on July 30 from India's Satish Dhawan Space Centre, the satellite carries two powerful radar systemsL-band from NASA and S-band from ISROcapable of penetrating clouds, vegetation, and snow to track changes
on Earth's surface. The massive gold-plated wire mesh reflector, weighing
142 pounds, was released through a carefully staged process involving joint-by-joint boom extension and the firing of explosive bolts. It took
four days for the structure to fully extend before motors and cables
pulled it into its final drum-like shape.
NISAR will provide three-dimensional, high-resolution images of Earth's
land and ice, detecting surface shifts as small as fractions of an inch.
By late fall, scientists expect the satellite to begin delivering transformative data, including 3D "movies" of environmental changes across
the globe. (ANS thanks Gizmodo for the above information)
(AMSAT)
WW SPECIAL INTEREST GROUPS - BALLOONS
Hi, this is Mark VK5QI from the Amateur Radio Experimenters Group, AREG,
here in Adelaide South Australia.
Coming up on Sunday the 7th of September will be AREG's 65th Project
Horus high altitude balloon launch. On this launch we're going to take
another attempt at flying our cross-band repeater payload which we were
unable to fly in July, The aim of the flight being to get it high enough,
about 35 kilometres altitude, to provide repeater coverage all the way
from Adelaide to Melbourne.
There's plenty of ways to get involved with the flight, including
receiving our telemetry and imagery payloads, and tracking the progress
of the flight live online. All the details on the launch, including
frequencies and repeater access information, is available on our website
areg.org.au
we hope to hear you via the repeater on launch day - good luck and happy tracking!
73
Mark VK5QI
WW SPECIAL INTEREST GROUPS ---- MARITIME.
LIGHT HOUSES ON THE AIR IS LIGHTING UP AGAIN.
OK we know ILLW was held a few weeks back BUT an event known as the
"Dutch Lighthouse Hunt" will run all September, when members
of the Dutch Radio Group will use eleven special callsigns,
each representing a different lighthouse in the Netherlands:
All 11 have LO H as their suffix
qrz.com/db/PA01LH
(425dxnews)
The Maritime Radio Historical Society in the United States, in cooperation
with the Cipher History Museum, has arranged to transmit an Enigma message
via the maritime radio coast station KPH, near San Francisco. The
transmission will take place on Saturday the 30th of August at 2000UTC.
KPH listeners, intercept operators and codebreakers everywhere are invited
to try their hand at receiving the transmission and decrypting themessage.
The CW frequencies are (in kc): 425.0, 6477.5, 8642.0, 12808.5, 17016.8,and 22477.5 .
Upon completion of the CW transmissions, the broadcast will be repeated on
the KPH RTTY frequencies at 2015Z. The RTTY transmission will be 170cps
shift Baudot, 45 baud. The RTTY frequencies are (in kc): 6324.5, 8427.0and 12585.5.
For more information, including details of certificates that are available
for decrypting the message, visittinyurl.com/mrhs2025
WW SPECIAL INTEREST GROUPS --- RADIO AMATEUR OLD-TIMERS
qcwa.org
raotc.org.au
Hello everyone, this is Peter VK7PD reminding you that tomorrow is the
first Monday of the month, time for the Radio Amateurs Old Timers Club
of Australia's September bulletin to go to air.
This month, as well as the details of the upcoming luncheons in both
Perth and Melbourne, we will offer an historical broadcast from years
past by Allan Doble, VK3AMD from February 2003. The usual news and
information will be broadcast next month.
Everyone, RAOTC members and non-Members alike, is most welcome to listen
to the program and join in the call backs afterwards.
Full details of all transmissions times and modes can be found on the
RAOTC website at www.raotc.org.au or just Google RAOTC broadcasts.
If none of the transmission times suit you, you can download the audio
file at any time from today from the club website.
The Perth RAOTC luncheon is held on the second Tuesday of the month, at
a new venue, and full details are available on the RAOTC website.
Once again, tune in tomorrow for the September RAOTC bulletin, enjoy the program and please join in the call backs afterwards.
73 from Peter VK7PD.
WW SPECIAL INTEREST GROUPS - FINAL FRONTIER
AMSAT-VK Secretary -
secretary@amsat-vk.org
The United States is racing to be the first nation to deploy a nuclear
reactor on the lunar surface, following new orders from Acting NASA Administrator Sean Duffy.
His directive calls for fast-tracking lunar nuclear power to stay ahead of China and Russia, who have announced joint plans to build a reactor by the mid-2030s. Duffy warned that if rivals succeed first, they could impose "keep-out zones" that would threaten U.S. access and undermine the Artemis program, which aims to return astronauts to the moon in 2027. T
(AMSAT)
WW SPECIAL INTEREST GROUPS --- RADIO AMATEUR YOUNG TIMERS - YOTA
(Youngsters On The Air)
WIA committee:- Steve VK6SJ, Alec VK2MV and Pete VK2LP. ham-yota.com/category/yota-region-3/
facebook.com/groups/YOTAOC/
youtube.com/channel/UClAapljf0VQ751sOgu2IzaA
The I A R U Region 1 YOTA Summer Camp 2025 has started in Jambville,France on 20 August!
Youngsters from all over the world arrived to attend the YOTA camp.
They met new friends and attended the opening ceremony to official startthe camp.
The first morning of the camp was full of lively ice-breaking games to
have a fun way to get to know each other and begin the friendshipbuilding.
This was followed by an interesting lecture on Amateur Radio Direction
Finding, delivered by Marija Yankee Uniform 3 Alpha Whiskey Alpha.
After that, a group of 20 participants were selected to read questions to astronaut Mark Fincke K E 5 A I T aboard the ISS.
Since they had a short time window for the contact, they rehearsed the questions before the contact.
When the moment arrived for the ISS contact, silence fell across the room, broken only by the static of a clear frequency.
After a few calls, a voice came through: "Welcome to the ISS!"
Mark's greeting to the YOTAs filled their hearts with joy.
It was a truly emotional moment for all who participated.
Other activities at the YOTA camp were soldering their own CW paddle,
rocket building and operating a station.
Hopefully we can have our own YOTA Camp here in VK in the future.
Until then, thank you to the Fisher's Ghost Amateur Radio Club for
establishing the VK YOTA contest.
I am looking forward to it in December.
Find out more about the contest by going to the link in the text editionof
our WIA News.
For WIA National News, I am Alan VK2COD in Sydney. Now back to you Bruce. yota.fgarc.org.au/ ------------------------------------------------------------*
IT'S A DATE
Clubs are welcome to email text with audio for this section,
nationalnews@wia.org.au
Details of all WIA affiliated clubs and societies can be found
on the WIA website, including email addresses and website links.
----------------------------
2025
VK4 -SunFest at Beerwah Community Hall 25 Peachester Rd 9.30 Sept 13
(wiacal)
VK - Sep 14 4-5pm AEST WIA Affiliated Clubs briefing webinar (wiacal)
VK2 - Westlakes Field Day 8am October 26 on club grounds. (vk2wi)
VK5 - AREG's Amateur Radio & Electronics Sale Sunday 26th October
at David Roche Park, Kilburn (VK5QI)
VK - VKFF National Get Together October 24-27 Canberra. (vk5pas)
VK4 - Qtech2025 a two-day conference Saturday 1st and Sunday 2nd
November at Kedron-Wavell RSL (vk4uh)
VK4 - GOLD COAST AMATEUR RADIO SOCIETY - 2025 HAMFEST NOV 9
Country Paradise Parklands 231 Beaudesert Nerang Road. (vk4dmh)
VK7 - Miena HamFest Saturday November 15 10am (vk7news)
VK3 - Rosebud RadioFest, Eastbourne Primary School, Rosebud (wiacal)
November Sixteen.
VK2 - PICTON HAMFEST November 23 Picton Show Ground 8AM (vk2xqx)
VK8 - Darwin Amateur Radio Club Xmas Party 6:30pm Dec 3 (wiacal)
VK - Dec 7 WIA Affiliated Clubs briefing webinar (wiacal) --------------------- SOCIAL SCENE 2026 ------------------
VK - WIA AGM May 2 at 2pm Albury VK2 (wiacal)
final final
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2025 AUGUST 31 WIA NATIONAL NEWS BROADCAST ON VK1WIA ------------------------------------------------------------*
THE BEST NEWS YOU'LL GET ALL WEEK
THIS LINK IS A VIDEO VERSION OF NEWS COMPILED BY VK5BD BEVAN tinyurl.com/WIA-News-Videos
------------------------------------------------------------*
IN NATIONAL NEWS THIS WEEK:-
WIA Director Peter Clee VK8ZZ. -
WIA RD Contest Manager and last call for logs. -
With the dreadful news coming out of Porepunkah, a rural town 320 km
northeast of Melbourne, of the ambushing of police and the ultimate
slaying of 2, it is even more poignant to try and work VI 8 POL on air
13-29 September. It concludes on National Police Remembrance Day 29th September, a day dedicated to honouring and remembering police officers
who have lost their lives in the line of duty. -
BUT WAIT - THERE'S MUCH MUCH MORE IN THIS EDITION OF NEWS FROM THE
WIRELESS INSTITUTE OF AUSTRALIA FOR WEEK COMMENCING SUNDAY AUGUST 31.
I'M EDITOR GRAHAM VK4BB
WIA
JOIN THE WIA
tinyurl.com/yyj87b9y
WIA Director Peter Clee VK8ZZ
Last weekend I attended the TOKYO Ham Fair. It was great to see several Australian Amateurs in attendance. The Tokyo event was a major draw card
for amateurs and non-amateurs alike. Official numbers for the event was
around 40,000 people over the two days.
Saturday was the official opening of the Tokyo Ham Fair. This event was
hosted by the JARL and was officiated by President of the JARL who was
joined by representatives from JARL, IARU and IARU Region 3 in the
ribbon cutting ceremony.
The trade displays were amazing, with the release of the new
IC-7300 Mark 2. That stand was very well attended and the new rig
a major drawcard. All of their products were on display including the
IC-905 with the 24GHz module and a cutaway version of the antenna. Not to
be outdone, on display elsewhere was all of the variations for the FTX-1
series of transceivers. As well as all of their mobiles, handhelds and
the very popular DR-2X Repeater.
It was also a used equipment megafest. I must say that I managed to pick
up a few bargains on the weekend.
Saturday night was the official dinner and I attended representing the
Wireless Institute of Australia. Most of the IARU R3 societies were
represented at that dinner.
The Sunday saw a huge number of amateurs attend and it was certainly well attended.
This has been WIA Director Peter Clee VK8ZZ, JL1GBI and 9V1ZZ signing off
DISCUSSON POINT
5 MHz denied VK radio amateurs in a deal " claim debunked
A claim that the WIA quote, “made a deal,” unquote, with the ACMA and defence to deny quote, “all Australian amateurs access to the 5 MHz band” unquote, has been debunked by those very agencies.
In February, an Australian amateur radio splinter group issued an
unattributed news release with an elaborate narrative constructed to make
the claim that, among other things, quote, “The WIA made a deal with the Defense (sic) and the ACMA which included denying all Australian amateurs access to the 5 MHz band.”, unquote.
This allegation was reinforced in March in a weekly amateur radio
broadcast from VK6ARN, when an announcer claimed the contents of the news release were, quote, “true”, “verifiable”, and that “correspondence”,
unquote, exists in support.
Seeking the facts, I (Bruce VK3WL) wrote to the relevant ministers asking
if there was any truth in the claims. The Minister for Defence referred
my correspondence to the Minister for Communications, who asked the
relevant department to reply.
On 15 August, I received an official reply from the Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development, Communications, Sport
and the Arts. [ Visit: tinyurl.com/5MHZ2ru ]
Mr Andrew Irwin, an Assistant Secretary at the department, reiterates the official reasons why 5 MHz access for amateurs was not supported;
it(tm)s about balancing, quote, “the existing uses of the band against
the
impacts of introducing use by the amateur service,”, unquote,
after considering public submissions. You can download this letter from a
URL in the text version of this broadcast. tinyurl.com/5MHZ2ru
Of significance, is interdepartmental correspondence between the ACMA and
the department I have seen, making it abundantly clear that there is,
quote, “no such evidence”, unquote, any deal took place between the ACMA, Defence, and the WIA.
Surely, the amateur radio community and the WIA deserve both a retraction
of the false allegations as well as a public apology from the discredited splinter group and VK6ARN?
73
Bruce Kendall VK3WL ------------------------------------------------------------*
INTERNATIONAL NEWS is with thanks to Amateur Radio Daily, ARRL,
DX-WORLD, eHam, Hackaday, IARU, IRTS, NEWSLINE, NZART, RAC,
Radioworld.com, RSGB, SARL and the World Wide sources of WIA.
AST SpaceMobile, which has asked the FCC for permission to use amateur radio frequencies for a planned constellation of satellites providing
cellular-based broadband service, has announced it expects to have launched between 45 and 60 satellites by next year.
The company said that it plans satellite deployments every one to two
months into 2026 and expects to begin providing service in the United States
by the end of this year. In the first quarter of next year, the company hopes to begin rolling out service as well in Canada, the UK and Japan.
In two separate deals pending, the company is planning to acquire use of portions of the S-band and L-band spectrum for global delivery of its
services.
AST SpaceMobile, which is considered a rival to SpaceX, was recently approved to use the amateur radio band on an experimental basis for a low-earth orbit satellite - a prototype known as FM1. It was assigned the callsign WP2XRX, which is valid through the 1st of July, 2027. The company plans to use the 70 cm amateur frequencies to conduct telemetry, tracking, and telecommand
between ground stations and its satellites.
The Malaysian Amateur Radio Transmitters Society (MARTS) has once again
made history by sending an official delegation to participate in the
Japan Amateur Radio League (JARL) Ham Fair 2025.
MARTS President Mohd Aris Bernawi said the JARL Ham Fair, the largest
amateur radio exhibition in Asia, was held in Tokyo. He said MARTS's involvement in the exhibition highlights its important role in the international amateur radio community, in line with MARTS's slogan of "providing service through radio."
Still at the Japanese Hamfest and exciting news last weekend especially
if you are into Icom
Up first, there's a new Icom IC-7300 MK2 on the way.
The IC-7300 MK2 is a next-generation compact HF transceiver, building on
the worldwide success of the IC-7300 which has already sold over 100,000
units globally. There has been no official price announcement from Icom
as yet.
A couple of features of the IC-7300MK2 include:
Lower Heat Generation and Lower Power Consumption along with an HDMI Port
Up next was the Icom ID-5200, a successor to the popular Icom ID-5100.
The ID-5200 is a versatile 144/430 MHz dual-band transceiver with support
for both FM and DV (Digital Voice) modes. A key feature is its ability to perform simultaneous dual reception of FM - FM, FM - DV and DV - DV
signals.
In India, officials are taking aim against the sale and marketing of
hand-held radios that they say violate consumer and telecommunications regulations.
Yes the authorities in India have announced a crackdown on the listing and
sale of hand-held transceivers from China that they say break laws governing consumer protection and the unauthorised use of radio frequencies.
Stories in various Indian media outlets identify some of the 13 e-commerce sellers in question as Facebook, Amazon, Flipkart and IndiaMART, among
others.
The nation(tm)s consumer affairs commissioner Pralhad Joshi said that the violations of the Indian Telegraph Act, the Wireless Telegraphy Act and rules governing the use of low and very low power short-range RF devices were being broken. Acting as an advocate for radio users, the West Bengal Radio Club(tm)s secretary, Ambarish Nag Biswas VU2JFA, told the Statesman website that users of these radio sets could interfere with police and other agencies(tm) communications and gather sensitive information relating to national security.
-------------------------------------------------------------------
OPERATIONAL NEWS - A FELIX VK4FUQ PRESENTATION
--------------
--------------
Alan VK4SN the Remembrance day contest manager reminded us last weekend
that logs for the RD must be received by 03ooz TODAY AUG 31.
Alan went on also to remind us:-
"Remember for those who try and submit ADIF files, logs require
conversion to Cabrillo format before submission is accepted.
On vklogchecker.com there is a link to a converter designed by
Peter VK2PR, specifically for VK contests.
This is the only converter that works for VK logs.
Please do not email me the ADIF as there is nothing I can do with it." -------------------
A.L.A.R.A. CONTEST always the last FULL weekend of August which means
it's on NOW,
One contestant, OM Geoff Smart is really honouring ALARA with his QTH for
the contest.
It seems an Elizabeth Hutchings, VK3HM, had the distinction of being the
first YL licensed as an amateur radio operator in the state of Victoria.
Radio was in the family's genes -- in the 1920s, her son Alan held the
callsign VK3HL and her daughter, Marjorie, was licensed as VK3HQ.
Some 100 years later on the Callawadda land where the family(tm)s old radio shack still stands, Geoff Smart, VK3GCM, is putting amateur radio back
into action. He chose this property, known as Bryn Avon, as his QTH for
the Australian Ladies Amateur Radio Association's annual competition.
(newsline)
--------------------
ALSO THIS WEEKEND SEES THE WW DIGI DX CONTEST
Yes this year's edition of the World Wide Digi DX Contest will
take place on 30-31 August (from 12:00 UTC to 11:59 UTC).
The objective is for amateurs around the world to contact as many
other amateurs in as many Maidenhead Grid Locations as possible using
the FT4 and FT8 modes on 160, 80, 40, 20, 15 and 10m.
ww-digi.com
(425dxnews)
------------------
WESTLAKES CUP
13th of September 8:30pm until 9:30pm local time
that(tm)s 1030 to 1130UTC.
Operation is Phone on 80 and 40 metres, and all Australian stations may
be worked.
(vk2wi news)
------------------------------
Oceania DX (OCDX) Contest
Everyone is invited to the 2025 Oceania DX Contest party!
The focus of the contest is on promoting HF contacts between stations in Oceania and the rest of the world. For operators outside the region, it's a chance to work many Oceania stations, from remote Pacific islands to the outback here in Australia and jungles of Indonesia.
The SSB portion of the contest runs from 06:00 UTC on Saturday, the 4th of October to 06:00 UTC on Sunday, the 5th of October 2025.
CW operation then runs from 06:00 UTC on Saturday, the 11th of October to
06:00 UTC on Sunday, the 12th of October 2025.
2025 is the 82nd birthday of the contest. It has become the signature event
for operators across Oceania and around the world, combining DX excitement, technical capability, and operating skills.
(IRTS)
-----------------------------------------------------------------
NOW THE DX WINDOW TO THE WORLD.-----------------
-----------------
VI 8 POL on air 13-29 September.
QSL is via VK5PAS.
More information on VI8POL can be found on QRZ.com
----------------
Once again special callsign 4 A 2 MAX will be activated August 1 - 31
in remembrance of St. Maximilian Maria Kolbe.
Activity is on 80-6 metres SSB, CW and digital.
Born in 1894, Father Kolbe (SP 3 RN) was killed on 14 August 1941 at Auschwitz.
QSL via LoTW, eQSL, QRZ Logbook, or via EA5GL.
qrz.com/db/4a2max
(425dx)
--------------
Celebrating its 26th anniversary, the Route 66 special event will be on the
air September 6 - 14 from September 6 through 14.
The event commemorates the history of the “Mother Road,” connecting east and west areas of the US from Illinois to California. This year, there will
be 22 stations participating with their 1×1 callsigns, W6A - W6V.
Each station has its own schedule and is on the air as operators are
available and bands allow. Not all stations will be on the air 24/7. A certificate and decal are available but operators must work at least one station before either item can be requested and it may take up to 10 weeks to process. The Route 66 special event is hosted by the Citrus Belt Amateur
Radio Club " W6JBT.org
(arrl)
----------
The RSGB Awards Manager has introduced a new awards series for amateur radio contacts with stations across all UK country and crown dependency prefixes.
The Worked All UK and Crown Dependency Prefixes Award offers several
different sub-sets with the rules varying slightly for each. The idea for the award was put forward as a way of encouraging, or tapping into, intra-UK activity as well as encouraging contact with UK amateurs. Get involved with this new award by going to rsgb.org/awards and selecting ‘Worked All UK and Crown Dependency(tm) from the right-hand menu. You can find details of
other awards offered by the RSGB using the same link.
-------------------------------------------------------------
WW SPECIAL INTEREST GROUPS --- ASTRONOMY (and Wireless Weather)
With the retirement of NOAA-15, NOAA-18, and NOAA-19, the long-running POES (Polar-orbiting Operational Environmental Satellites) series has officially ended service. Some in the community worry this marks the end of easily accessible weather imagery, but the outlook for amateur reception remains bright.
Russia(tm)s Meteor-M satellites are now the mainstay for 137 MHz reception. Their LRPT signals are strong and reliable, and with additional Meteor-M launches planned, service is expected to continue well into the 2040s. Higher-resolution imagery is also available on the 1.7 GHz band for those
with modest upgrades in equipment.
(AMSAT)
The newly launched NASA-ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar (NISAR) satellite has successfully deployed a record-breaking 39-foot-wide radar antenna in orbit, unfolding it like a blooming umbrella after weeks of careful preparation.
Launched on July 30 from India(tm)s Satish Dhawan Space Centre, the
satellite carries two powerful radar systems"L-band from NASA and S-band
from ISRO"capable of penetrating clouds, vegetation, and snow to track changes on Earth(tm)s surface. The massive gold-plated wire mesh reflector, weighing 142 pounds, was released through a carefully staged process
involving joint-by-joint boom extension and the firing of explosive bolts. It took four days for the structure to fully extend before motors and cables pulled it into its final drum-like shape.
NISAR will provide three-dimensional, high-resolution images of Earth(tm)s land and ice, detecting surface shifts as small as fractions of an inch. By late fall, scientists expect the satellite to begin delivering transformative data, including 3D “movies” of environmental changes across the globe.
(ANS thanks Gizmodo for the above information)
(AMSAT)
WW SPECIAL INTEREST GROUPS - BALLOONS
Hi, this is Mark VK5QI from the Amateur Radio Experimenters Group, AREG,
here in Adelaide South Australia.
Coming up on Sunday the 7th of September will be AREG's 65th Project
Horus high altitude balloon launch. On this launch we're going to take
another attempt at flying our cross-band repeater payload which we were
unable to fly in July, The aim of the flight being to get it high enough,
about 35 kilometres altitude, to provide repeater coverage all the way
from Adelaide to Melbourne.
There's plenty of ways to get involved with the flight, including
receiving our telemetry and imagery payloads, and tracking the progress
of the flight live online. All the details on the launch, including
frequencies and repeater access information, is available on our website
areg.org.au
we hope to hear you via the repeater on launch day - good luck and happy tracking!
73
Mark VK5QI
WW SPECIAL INTEREST GROUPS ---- MARITIME.
LIGHT HOUSES ON THE AIR IS LIGHTING UP AGAIN.
OK we know ILLW was held a few weeks back BUT an event known as the
"Dutch Lighthouse Hunt" will run all September, when members
of the Dutch Radio Group will use eleven special callsigns,
each representing a different lighthouse in the Netherlands:
All 11 have LO H as their suffix
qrz.com/db/PA01LH
(425dxnews)
The Maritime Radio Historical Society in the United States, in cooperation
with the Cipher History Museum, has arranged to transmit an Enigma message
via the maritime radio coast station KPH, near San Francisco. The
transmission will take place on Saturday the 30th of August at 2000UTC. KPH listeners, intercept operators and codebreakers everywhere are invited to try their hand at receiving the transmission and decrypting the message.
The CW frequencies are (in kc): 425.0, 6477.5, 8642.0, 12808.5, 17016.8, and 22477.5 .
Upon completion of the CW transmissions, the broadcast will be repeated on
the KPH RTTY frequencies at 2015Z. The RTTY transmission will be 170cps
shift Baudot, 45 baud. The RTTY frequencies are (in kc): 6324.5, 8427.0 and 12585.5.
For more information, including details of certificates that are available
for decrypting the message, visittinyurl.com/mrhs2025
WW SPECIAL INTEREST GROUPS --- RADIO AMATEUR OLD-TIMERS
qcwa.org
raotc.org.au
Hello everyone, this is Peter VK7PD reminding you that tomorrow is the
first Monday of the month, time for the Radio Amateurs Old Timers Club
of Australia's September bulletin to go to air.
This month, as well as the details of the upcoming luncheons in both
Perth and Melbourne, we will offer an historical broadcast from years
past by Allan Doble, VK3AMD from February 2003. The usual news and
information will be broadcast next month.
Everyone, RAOTC members and non-Members alike, is most welcome to listen
to the program and join in the call backs afterwards.
Full details of all transmissions times and modes can be found on the
RAOTC website at www.raotc.org.au or just Google RAOTC broadcasts.
If none of the transmission times suit you, you can download the audio
file at any time from today from the club website.
The Perth RAOTC luncheon is held on the second Tuesday of the month, at
a new venue, and full details are available on the RAOTC website.
Once again, tune in tomorrow for the September RAOTC bulletin, enjoy the program and please join in the call backs afterwards.
73 from Peter VK7PD.
WW SPECIAL INTEREST GROUPS - FINAL FRONTIER
AMSAT-VK Secretary -
secretary@amsat-vk.org
The United States is racing to be the first nation to deploy a nuclear
reactor on the lunar surface, following new orders from Acting NASA Administrator Sean Duffy.
His directive calls for fast-tracking lunar nuclear power to stay ahead of China and Russia, who have announced joint plans to build a reactor by the mid-2030s. Duffy warned that if rivals succeed first, they could impose “keep-out zones” that would threaten U.S. access and undermine the
Artemis program, which aims to return astronauts to the moon in 2027. T
(AMSAT)
WW SPECIAL INTEREST GROUPS --- RADIO AMATEUR YOUNG TIMERS - YOTA
(Youngsters On The Air)
WIA committee:- Steve VK6SJ, Alec VK2MV and Pete VK2LP. ham-yota.com/category/yota-region-3/
facebook.com/groups/YOTAOC/
youtube.com/channel/UClAapljf0VQ751sOgu2IzaA
The I A R U Region 1 YOTA Summer Camp 2025 has started in Jambville, France
on 20 August!
Youngsters from all over the world arrived to attend the YOTA camp.
They met new friends and attended the opening ceremony to official start the camp.
The first morning of the camp was full of lively ice-breaking games to have a fun way to get to know each other and begin the friendship building.
This was followed by an interesting lecture on Amateur Radio Direction
Finding, delivered by Marija Yankee Uniform 3 Alpha Whiskey Alpha.
After that, a group of 20 participants were selected to read questions to astronaut Mark Fincke K E 5 A I T aboard the ISS.
Since they had a short time window for the contact, they rehearsed the questions before the contact.
When the moment arrived for the ISS contact, silence fell across the room, broken only by the static of a clear frequency.
After a few calls, a voice came through: “Welcome to the ISS!”
Mark(tm)s greeting to the YOTAs filled their hearts with joy.
It was a truly emotional moment for all who participated.
Other activities at the YOTA camp were soldering their own CW paddle, rocket building and operating a station.
Hopefully we can have our own YOTA Camp here in VK in the future.
Until then, thank you to the Fisher(tm)s Ghost Amateur Radio Club for establishing the VK YOTA contest.
I am looking forward to it in December.
Find out more about the contest by going to the link in the text edition of
our WIA News.
For WIA National News, I am Alan VK2COD in Sydney. Now back to you Bruce. yota.fgarc.org.au/ ------------------------------------------------------------*
IT'S A DATE
Clubs are welcome to email text with audio for this section,
nationalnews@wia.org.au
Details of all WIA affiliated clubs and societies can be found
on the WIA website, including email addresses and website links.
----------------------------
2025
VK4 -SunFest at Beerwah Community Hall 25 Peachester Rd 9.30 Sept 13
(wiacal)
VK - Sep 14 4-5pm AEST WIA Affiliated Clubs briefing webinar (wiacal)
VK2 - Westlakes Field Day 8am October 26 on club grounds. (vk2wi)
VK5 - AREG's Amateur Radio & Electronics Sale Sunday 26th October
at David Roche Park, Kilburn (VK5QI)
VK - VKFF National Get Together October 24-27 Canberra. (vk5pas)
VK4 - Qtech2025 a two-day conference Saturday 1st and Sunday 2nd
November at Kedron-Wavell RSL (vk4uh)
VK4 - GOLD COAST AMATEUR RADIO SOCIETY " 2025 HAMFEST NOV 9
Country Paradise Parklands 231 Beaudesert Nerang Road. (vk4dmh)
VK7 - Miena HamFest Saturday November 15 10am (vk7news)
VK3 - Rosebud RadioFest, Eastbourne Primary School, Rosebud (wiacal)
November Sixteen.
VK2 - PICTON HAMFEST November 23 Picton Show Ground 8AM (vk2xqx)
VK8 - Darwin Amateur Radio Club Xmas Party 6:30pm Dec 3 (wiacal)
VK - Dec 7 WIA Affiliated Clubs briefing webinar (wiacal) --------------------- SOCIAL SCENE 2026 ------------------
VK - WIA AGM May 2 at 2pm Albury VK2 (wiacal)
final final
Reception Reports
No we DO like to hear where in the world you are listening to this,
the WIA NATIONAL NEWS SERVICE.
WIA News rebroadcasters often give Short Wave Listeners a
welcome to the broadcast as they commence call-backs
* Message split, to be continued *
--- MBSE BBS v1.1.2 (Linux-x86_64)
* Origin: Wireless Institute of Australia (3:633/280.2@fidonet)