Amateur Radio Newsline Report 2542 for Friday, July 17th, 2026

Amateur Radio Newsline Report Number 2542 with a release date of Friday, July 17th, 2026 to follow in 5-4-3-2-1.

The following is a QST. The FCC approves a satellite that reflects sunlight back to earth. A GMRS repeater provides a safety net in Utah -- and a Swiss amateur's 70-year-old antenna design helps fight crime. All this and more as Amateur Radio Newsline Report Number 2542 comes your way right now.

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BILLBOARD CART

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FCC OKS LAUNCH OF "MIRROR" SATELLITE TO REFLECT SUN

PAUL/ANCHOR: Our top story takes us to Washington, D.C. where the Federal Communications Commission has cleared the way for the launch of a controversial satellite carrying a giant mirror that will reflect sunlight, illuminating the darkest regions of the Earth. Kent Peterson KCØDGY brings us the details.

KENT: The FCC has approved the right of startup company, Reflect Orbital, to use radio frequencies in the S-, X- and UHF bands, to launch and communicate with its low-earth orbit satellite, the Eärendil-1 (uh-RAN-dill One), which it has scheduled for launch later this year.

The satellite's mission is to capture and reflect sunlight into darker regions of the Earth via a giant 60-foot reflector from its orbit 600 to 650 kilometres above the planet. The company intends for this test satellite to be the first of up to 50,000 such orbiting mirrors. Reflect Orbital believes the satellite's beam, which would be 5-kilometres, or 3-miles wide on the ground, could be harnessed to power solar farms or illuminate disaster areas where rescue workers toil late into the night.

Agency approval was granted on the 9th of July despite vocal objections about light pollution from opponents such as the American Astronomical Society. A number of environmental groups have observed how nocturnal species' lives can be disrupted and perhaps imperiled by artificial light during the night. According to various media reports, opposition had been overwhelming among the more than 1,800 public comments the FCC received.

According to the company's account on LinkedIn, Reflect Orbital received a $1.2 million Small Business Innovation Research grant from the Department of Defense, through the Air Force, which sees promise in having additional sunlight transform military operations.

This is Kent Peterson KCØDGY.

(PCMAGAZINE, IFL SCIENCE, NYTIMES, SPACENEWS, FCC.GOV)

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GMRS REPEATER PROVIDES SAFETY NET IN UTAH

PAUL/ANCHOR: In many places, it is wildfire season. In Utah, an amateur radio operator has helped his region prepare for fire season by helping install a repeater that is accessible to many residents in the community. Ralph Squillace KK6ITB tells us more.

RALPH: Remembering images from a documentary he had seen about California's devastating Camp Fire in 2018, Dayne [pronounced "DANE"] Raff KM7EKQ was certain that his own home region in Summit County, Utah, needed something more robust than spotty cell service to ensure its well-being during fire season.

Working with volunteers, he relocated and repurposed an old, unused TV tower in the back yard of one of his neighbors and set about establishing a General Mobile Radio Service repeater where anyone properly licensed can check in routinely and, more importantly, in emergencies. Unlike amateur radio licenses, GMRS licenses do not require an exam and cover an entire household for $35.

It took two months to get the repeater up and running. Roll call is held on the first Tuesday of every month on 462.650 MHz.

The tower's previous owner, Alicia OMeara, told KPCW TV news that she believed the tower was a gift with an important purpose. [quote] She said: I can't think of a better reason to donate, and have [communications] access for all the community here. [endquote]

This is Ralph Squillace KK6ITB.

(KPCW-TV)

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SILENT KEY: ATLANTA RADIO CLUB'S JOHN TALIPSKI, N3ACK

PAUL/ANCHOR: Hams in the Atlanta area and beyond are grieving a prominent member of the radio community whose sudden loss came in the middle of a major World Cup special event he was helping coordinate. We have details from Travis Lisk N3ILS.

TRAVIS: Fellow hams were to host a Last Call ceremony on the air for John Talipski, N3ACK, vice president of the Atlanta Radio Club and one of 16 host-city coordinators for the massive Football on the Air special event.

Already an established leader in his local club, where he assisted with Field Day, hamfests and other activities, John stepped up to coordinate operators who were part of the W4C station in support of the World Cup Soccer tournament in North America this summer. John became a Silent Key unexpectedly on the 21st of June while he and other hams were in a local park operating for the event.

First licensed in 1981, John took special pride in having the vanity callsign, N3ACK, which was originally held by his grandfather, William B. Talipsky, who lived just outside Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

The Last Call ceremony for John was scheduled for July 19th on 20 metres, on the final day of the tournament - and special event.

John was 57.

This is Travis Lisk N3ILS.

(LEGACY OBITUARY, FACEBOOK, FOOTBALL ON THE AIR, QRZ.COM)

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AMSAT SOUTH AFRICA FOCUSES ON FUTURE SATELLITE TECH

PAUL/ANCHOR: The next AMSAT South Africa space symposium will deliver a deep dive into the technology driving satellites in the future, as we hear from Jim Meachen ZL2BHF.

JIM: Emerging technology's impact on the next generation of amateur radio satellites will be among the subjects explored at the AMSAT South Africa Space Symposium. Attendees will learn the outcome of proposals that were made for new geostationary amateur satellites and will hear about ground-based systems linking low-earth orbit and geostationary satellites.

Technology is driving this symposium in yet another way: the four-hour event, which is set for Saturday the 1st of August, will take place online, enabling more people to attend without incurring costly travel fees. Guests who belong to IARU member societies are admitted free; there is a small fee for nonmembers.. The symposium theme is "The new Amateur Radio World in Space."

For details visit or to register, see the link the text version of this week's newscast at arnewsline.org

[DO NOT READ: amsatsa.org.za/ ]

This is Jim Meachen ZL2BHF.

(AMSAT NEWS SERVICE, AMSAT-SA)

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BUNKERFEST EVENT BRINGS HISTORY TO HAM RADIO

PAUL/ANCHOR: The worldwide event known as Bunkerfest is almost here - it's not just ham radio, it's a history lesson for hams in each nation involved, as we hear from Dave Lee M9TLB.

DAVE: Organisers are calling the event three days of history over ham radio. It's the annual Bunkers on the Air Bunkerfest, bringing hams and shortwave listeners closer to the national defence heritage of 23 nations around the world. Hams will be activating bunkers from 0000 UTC on the 24th of July through to 2359 on the 26th of July in the hopes of calling attention to fortifications and bunkers that have been used in more troubled times throughout various nations' history. Much of the operation will be done QRP. To encourage growth of the activity in new countries, radio operators will be encouraged to call CQ from bunker sites in countries that may not have joined the WWBOTA programme yet. WorldWide BOTA's continued growth enabled it to add the United States among its participating countries earlier this year.

Bunkerfest is also an educational opportunity for everyone. As noted on the event website [quote] "Every activation is an act of historical engagement. We invite you to join us and to know a little about the bunker you visit, not just its reference number." [endquote]

There are awards and other certificates of recognition but this is not a contest.

As always, the programme urges caution. Some bunker sites may still be deemed sensitive areas, so activators are encouraged to visit the BOTA website in each of their participating countries to determine the size of the activation zone in which permitted activations can occur without having to infringe on the bunker itself.

For more details about Bunkerfest, or to register and see the rules, visit the two websites listed in the text version of this week's newscast at arnewsline.org

[DO NOT READ: https://wwbota.net/bunkerfest26/ wwbota.net ]

This is Dave Lee M9TLB.

(BUNKERFEST2026)

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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 KV3B repeater in Rockville, Maryland on Sundays after the net at 7:30 p.m. local time.

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ARCTIC'S LEGENDS RADIO TEAM TACKLES RARE IOTA GROUPS

PAUL/ANCHOR: It's time to break the ice - literally - with a radio team from Russia making their way through the Arctic. We have the details from Jeremy Boot G4NJH.

JEREMY: The Russian radio team known as Arctic's Legends is well under way in its 31-day voyage. Their yacht, Apostol Andrey, is making its way through the challenging Arctic region so the team can fulfill its goal of completing activations from five IOTA groups in different locations. They are using what are considered rare callsigns, including RIØBU after the 18th of July; and RIØBI from IOTA Number AS-050 after the 23rd of July.

They expect to travel more than 3,500 nautical miles, covering four rare locations.

Because the operating schedule is so dependent on the weather and the sea-ice forecast, chasers are advised to follow the group's channel on Telegram and to visit their ClubLog livestream. There is a live map of their journey available by following the link that appears in the text version of this week's newscast at arnewsline.org

[DO NOT READ: https://share.garmin.com/ua9kdf. ]
[DO NOT READ: https://www.rt9k-club.ru/en/index.html ]

This is Jeremy Boot G4NJH.,

(RT9K CLUB)

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OPS NEEDED FOR PETER THE FIRST ISLAND DXPEDITION

PAUL/ANCHOR: A whole lot farther to the south - and in another hemisphere entirely - preparations are being made for a DXpedition to Peter the First Island. Graham Kemp VK4BB tells us the team is also looking for operators to join them.

GRAHAM: With the Bouvet Island 3YØK Dxpedition behind them, organisers are looking for activators to join the trip next year to Peter the First Island, the seventh-most wanted DX entity. The callsign, 3YØL, will be used for the activation from the remote, glacier-covered Norwegian dependency in the Bellinghausen Sea off the coast of Antarctica.

The team writes on the DX-World.net webpage that the team is most interested in hearing from hams who work well as part of multi-operator teams, have experience in cold climates and are able to contribute toward the venture.

Although February 2027 seems a long way off, organisers are conducting their search diligently now so that planning and preparation can be thorough and complete. The shipping container has already been sent out with supplies for the DXpedition.

Interested hams should contact the team at the email address: admin at Three Why Zero El dot com (admin@3y0l.com)

This is Graham Kemp VK4BB.

(DX-WORLD.NET)

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WRTC 2026 CHAMPS REPEAT THEIR 2022 VICTORY

PAUL/ANCHOR: In England, it's all over but the celebrating now that the World Radiosport Team Championship has wrapped up. Yuri VE3DZ and teammate Yarik UW7LL savoured victory again as Gold Medalists, as they did at WRTC 2022, held in 2023. Silver went to Manfred DJ5MW and Uli DM5EE, with the Bronz going to Emir E77DX and Sven DJ4MX. Congratulations to the organizers for a successful event and, of course, to the top three teams who, no doubt, are feeling like Olympians at the moment.

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WORLD OF DX

In the World of DX, Seby, IT9KWE, is calling CQ as IG9/IT9KWE from Lampedusa Island, IOTA Number AF-019, until the 22nd of July. Seby is operating QRP on 40, 20, 17, 15, 12, and 10 metres SSB.

Listen for 5K4IC, the special callsign celebrating Colombia's Independence Day on the 20th of July. Operators from the Radioaficionados Unidos, HK4RAU, have been on the air throughout the month for the celebration, using all bands and all modes.

The special callsign DQ3ØGDXF is on the air until the 31st of December, marking the German DX Foundation's 30th anniversary. Contacts made between the 1st of July and the 30th of September with this callsign or DFØGDX and DX foundation members count toward a special 30th anniversary award.

Gunter, DK2WH, will be on the air from Namibia as V51WH starting August 25th. His activation will continue through to October 10th. Listen for him on 160 through 6m, but not 60m. He will be using the callsign V55Y during the CQWW RTTY contest on the 26th and 27th of September.

For additional operating details or QSL information, visit the QRZ.com pages for these stations.

(425 DX BULLETIN, DXWORLD)

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KICKER: WHEN AN ANTENNA CAN OUTFOX CRIMINALS

PAUL/ANCHOR: We wrap up this week's newscast with the story of an antenna with a simple design that's proven itself capable of tackling a complex task - solving vehicle theft. John Williams VK4JJW tells us how.

JOHN: The late Swiss radio amateur, Rudolf Baumgartner HB9CV, might never have been able to predict, more than 70 years ago, the popularity that his simple, portable antenna would gain among enthusiasts of amateur radio direction-finding.

Known widely as the HB9CV antenna, his design has offered fox-hunters the ease of grab-and-go usage, making it a go-to antenna for low-power VHF signal-hunting in the field.

Rudi would be pleased to see it being used by hams who want to out-fox the fox, but imagine his reaction upon learning that the simple two-element antenna has also been used to outfox criminals.

A recent episode of the UK-based TV programme, "Trace, Track, Get My Car Back," aired on BBC-One, showcased recently how versatile this popular transmitter hunter can be when vehicles, including rental cars and even building-site machines, go missing -- that is to say, when they are stolen. While typically, many companies outfit their vehicles with GPS for tracking, when that is shielded, the system defaults to an RF-based backup for the last mile. That's when car-recovery experts - in this case, from Global Telemetrics - are deployed with Rudolf's reliable creation.

Like eager hams on a fox hunt, they begin their careful search. Unlike eager hams, there are no trophies or certificates but it's something of a prize anyway if they locate the vehicle before it can be shipped out of the country.

This is John Williams VK4JJW.

("TRACE, TRACK, GET MY CAR BACK"; BBC-ONE)

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NEWSCAST CLOSE

With thanks to Amateur Radio Daily, AMSAT News Service; AMSAT-South Africa; BBC-One; Bunkerfest2026; David Behar, K7DB; DXWorld.net; Facebook; FCC.gov; 425DX News; Football on the Air; IFL Science; KPCW-TV News; Legacy obituaries; NewYork Times; PC Magazine; QRZ.com; the RT9K Club; shortwaveradio.de; SpaceNews; "Trace, Track, Get My Car Back;" Wireless Institute of Australia; World Radiosport Team Championship; and you our listeners, that's all from the Amateur Radio Newsline. We remind our listeners that Amateur Radio Newsline is an all-volunteer non-profit organization that incurs expenses for its continued operation. If you wish to support us, please visit our website at arnewsline.org and know that we appreciate you all. We also remind our listeners that if you like our newscast, please leave us a 5-star rating wherever you subscribe to us.

For now, with Caryn Eve Murray KD2GUT at the news desk in New York, and our news team worldwide, I'm Paul Braun WD9GCO in Valparaiso Indiana saying 73. As always we thank you for listening. Amateur Radio Newsline(tm) is Copyright 2026. Amateur Radio Newsline retains ownership of its material even when retransmitted elsewhere. All rights are reserved.

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