Amateur Radio Newsline Report 2516 for Friday, January 16th, 2026
Amateur Radio Newsline Report Number 2516 with a release date of
Friday, January 16th, 2026 to follow in 5-4-3-2-1.

The following is a QST. US financial traders renew their call to use
the HF bands. RF noise grounds flights in Greece -- and California hams
have extra large plans for Winter Field Day. All this and more as
Amateur Radio Newsline Report Number 2516 comes your way right now.

**

BILLBOARD CART

**
FINANCIAL TRADERS RENEW PLEA FOR USE OF HF BANDS

JIM/ANCHOR: In our top story, A group representing seven financial
trading firms is pressing the US Federal Communications Commission to
respond to their petition, submitted almost three years ago, asking for permanent allocation of HF frequencies for data transmissions. Kent
Peterson KC0DGY has those details.

KENT: The Shortwave Modernization Coalition is pressing the FCC for an
answer to its petition, which was filed in the spring of 2023. The
group is seeking the authorization to transmit on the bands between 2
MHz and 25 MHz under Part 90 of the FCC rules. A number of the bands
being sought either include or are adjacent to amateur radio bands.

The coalition's original filing drew substantial opposition from
amateur radio operators and the ARRL, citing the potential for
interference. The ARRL said that in 2024, the IARU's monitoring system
detected what was believed to be HF trading interference on the amateur
portion of 20 meters.

The US Coast Guard also objected to the petition, saying additional
traffic would raise the noise floor for everyone.

Last year, three of the firms were given FCC approval as experimental licensees. They were prohibited from charging fees or receiving
payments for anything related to their on-the-air operations. The
coalition believes that granting permanency will solidify their status
in business and will not create interference, as feared, because the
technology exists to locate open channels.

This is Kent Peterson KC0DGY.

(RADIOWORLD, FCC)

**
RADIO NOISE CANCELS, DIVERTS FLIGHTS IN GREECE

JIM/ANCHOR: Noise on the frequency is bothersome enough when you're
attempting to contact a much-wanted DX -- but noise on frequencies used
by commercial aircraft can shut commercial airspace down, as it did
earlier this month in Greece. Graham Kemp VK4BB has that report.

GRAHAM: Flights into Greece were temporarily grounded, delayed or
diverted this month after an unexplained noise was heard over radio
frequencies that are used to communicate with aircraft. The air-traffic
radio blackout caused a loss of all frequencies, according to reports
from the Association of Greek Air Traffic Controllers. The Hellenic
Civil Aviation Authority told the media that the cause was a [quote] "continuous involuntary emission" [endquote] disrupting communications
on the 4th of January.

Authorities said they were able to rule out any likelihood of a
deliberate attack but they were continuing their investigation into
what they called an unprecedented outage. It was suspected that the
two-hour standstill was the result of some unknown technical issue. A
report by the BBC said that one theory reported was that a station in
the mountains near Athens had failed.

Greece's Ministry of Infrastructure and Transport said that there are
plans to upgrade the country's aging air navigation systems and have
the modernization in place by 2028.

This is Graham Kemp VK4BB.

(REUTERS, BBC, ABC)

**
SILENT KEY: ADOLF SHEPHERD, VU2AF, HELPED GROW HAMFEST INDIA

JIM/ANCHOR: The ham who helped grow and shape the national event,
HamFest India, has become a Silent Key. We have those details from John Williams VK4JJW.

JOHN: An enthusiastic CW operator who was also widely known for having
a warm and dignified voice on the air, Adolf Shepherd, VU2AF, believed
in extending friendship through the airwaves. Those who joined him on
the evening HF net, AIRNET India, looked forward to the welcome they
always received from him as net control. One radio operator, Sandeep
Baruah VU2MUE, wrote in a Facebook post that Adolf had a strong and
positive presence on the net. He said [Quote] "To countless listeners,
it felt as though he was attempting to unite the entire nation of India
through a single, thirty-minute radio transmission, binding distant
operators together in a shared moment of communication and purpose."
[endquote]

Adolf's enthusiasm and hard work is also credited with having
transformed a modest regional hamfest into what is now known as HamFest
India, a popular national event.

Adolf, who was first licenced in 1966, was reported to be a Silent Key
on the 7th of January. No other details were given. On his page on
QRZ.com, he described himself as [quote] "one of the few oldtimers
still on the air." [endquote]

This is John Williams VK4JJW.

(QRZ.COM, FACEBOOK)

**
SILENT KEY: "LINUX IN THE HAMSHACK" HOST RUSS WOODMAN, K5TUX

JIM/ANCHOR: Family, friends, and followers of the popular "Linux in
the Hamshack" podcast are grieving the loss of its host Russ Woodman,
K5TUX. Russ became a Silent Key on the 14th of January. His
death came 16 days after hospitalization for complications from
influenza.

His wife, Cheryl, W5MOO, who posted daily updates on his condition on
Facebook, announced his death.

The news hit family, friends, and his followers hard. On his YouTube
channel, Russ tells viewers that although he first began Linux in the
Hamshack to give amateurs options beyond using closed-source software,
his efforts gained momentum and expanded into podcasts, video
tutorials, and other activities. As his constituency grew, he proudly
called Linux in the Hamshack (quote) "a podcast, a state of mind, and a phenomenon" (endquote)

For more than 15 years, his podcast has been co-hosted by numerous
fellow amateurs, including his wife, Cheryl.

Russ, who was first licensed in 1993, was 56.

(FACEBOOK, QRZ.COM, YOUTUBE)


**
UK REGULATOR EYES FREQUENCY-SHARING BY DEVICES

JIM/ANCHOR: Changes are proposed in the UK that would allow
frequency-sharing by certain devices, as we hear from Jeremy BootG4NJH.

JEREMY: In the UK, the regulator Ofcom has proposed changes in
radio-spectrum that would make it Europe's first country to implement
the sharing of the same frequencies between two different technologies.
The proposal looks specifically at the upper portion of the 6 GHz band,
where priority usage would be given in one portion to Wi-Fi devices
such a routers and another to mobile devices, such as cell masts.

Ofcom said the move to this so-called prioritised spectrum would most
directly benefit businesses, households and the UK economy in general.
The change would affect indoor and lower-power Wi-Fi, and any
higher-power Wi-Fi under the control of an Automated Frequency Control
system as protection against interference.

The regulator will be accepting comments on the proposal no later than
20 March.

This is Jeremy Boot G4NJH.

(OFCOM)

**
FCC SET TO OK NEW UNLICENSED DEVICE CATEGORY ON 6 GHz

JIM/ANCHOR: Meanwhile, in the US, the 6 GHz band is getting new users.
They are a new category of unlicensed devices, as we hear from Kent
Peterson KC0DGY.

KENT: The Federal Communications Commission intends to approve
unlicensed operation on 6 GHz by a new category of devices known as
"GVP" devices - which stands for geofenced variable power. The devices
are commonly used with short-range hotspots, indoor navigation,
automation and augmented or virtual reality devices. A number of tech companies, such as Apple, Microsoft and Qualcomm, have been advocating
for the move.

The FCC will grant the devices a higher power than previously permitted
for other unlicensed devices, and require them to use geofencing
systems so they do not interfere with radio astronomers and fixed
microwave links

The FCC's vote is set for the 29th of January.

This is Kent Peterson KC0DGY.

(RADIOWORLD, ARS TECHNICA)

**
BREAK HERE: Time for you to identify your station. We are the Amateur
Radio Newsline, heard on bulletin stations around the world. This week,
we welcome the Caribbean Amateur Radio News Network, which carries our
newscast on Thursdays at 1030 UTC on 7.139 MHz.

**
CALIFORNIA HAMS BROADEN WINTER FIELD DAY PARTICIPATION

JIM/ANCHOR: While some amateur radio groups in North America are
getting ready for Winter Field Day - the cold-weather equivalent of the
ARRL's annual emergency preparedness event in the summer - one club in California is taking the exercise a few steps further. Ralph Squillace
KK6ITB has those details.

RALPH: The Tehachapi Amateur Radio Association, AC6EE, is calling the
event the inaugural Wintertide Disaster Outreach. This year's exercise
on January 24th is combining all the basics of this important
amateur-radio preparedness drill with roles for the public safety and
disaster response agencies that they customarily work with during
crises. That means the Salvation Army, local search and rescue and representatives from the city of Tehachapi will be among those on hand.

The group's Field Day coordinator Theresa Scott, W5ILP, and its public
affairs officer, Micah Martin, KN6VUT, told the Tehachapi News that
including the community partners simply made sense this year since they
are part of the realtime response team with the hams when calamity
strikes.

The group is also hoping that bringing this expanded public visibility
to Winter Field Day might also inspire more people, including
spectators who come to learn more, to pursue their amateur radio
licenses.

Micah told the newspaper that the Winter Field Day Association, which
supports this exercise every January, was not aware of any other Winter
Field Day events that had planned such a wide-ranging involvement
thisyear.

It's being done for a good purpose, according to Theresa, who told the newspaper [quote]: "We really want to encourage people to get on board
with this...It can be a lifesaving tool." [endquote]

This is Ralph Squillace KK6ITB.

(TEHACHAPI NEWS)

**
APRS DIGIPEATER TO BE FEATURED AT HAMCATION

JIM/ANCHOR: One of the many things visitors can look forward to at
Hamcation next month in Orlando, Florida, is using a digipeater
dedicated to users of APRS. Jack Parker W8ISH gives us the details.

JACK: If you're visiting the Hamcation fairgrounds between the 13th and
15th of February and you're bringing along an APRS-enabled device, tune
it to 147.585, using a path of TEMP1-1. That will get you into the
digipeater being set up by the Daytona Beach Amateur Radio Association, enabling you to connect with others at Hamcation, sending and receiving messages.

The Dayton group is sponsoring the digipeater activity and calling it
APRS Day Out, allowing radio operators to practice the kind of
networking skills that would come in handy during events like Hamcation
- or during a crisis.

Once you're connected, your first message should, of course, be "CQ,"
to let everyone know you've arrived on the network.

See more details about APRS Day Out by following the link in the text
version of this week's newscast at arnewsline.org

[DO NOT READ: https://www.aprs.org/APRS-day-out.html ]

This is Jack Parker W8ISH.

**
WORLD OF DX

In the World of DX, Ji, DS1TUW is operating holiday style as 8Q7JI from
the Maldives, IOTA Number AS-013 from the 18th through to the 24th of
January. He will be using mostly FT8, with some CW and SSB. Listen for
him on 80-10 metres.

Jacek, SP5APW, is on the air holiday style as CE7/SP5APW until the 18th
of January from Chiloe Island, IOTA Number SA-018. He will be on the
air on the 23rd and 24th of January as CE8/SP5APW from Tierra del
Fuego, IOTA Number SA-008. Jacek will be using FT8 and SSB on 20-10
metres. He will also be on 6 metres using FT8.

SOTA chasers may want to listen for Brian, VK3BCM, who has FT8
activations coming up in Chile and the Falklands. He will use the
callsign CE/VK3BCM on Cerro San Cristobel, SOTA summit CE3/SA-019, on
the 25th of January. In the Falklands, listen for the callsign VP8EBY
on the Two Sisters Summit, SOTA Number VP8/EF-013, the site of the 1982
war with Argentina. Check SOTAWatch for the activation date, between
21st & 23rd of January. If possible, he will add phone to these
activations. Listen for the special event callsign DA2026SKI being used
by a D A R C Team. Operators are on the air from the 15th of January
through to the 15th of February. This event celebrates the FIS
Ski-Flying World Championships to be held in Oberstdorf.

See QRZ.com for QSL details of all stations.

(425 DX BULLETIN, SOTA REFLECTOR)

**
KICKER: STUDENTS IN RURAL INDIA WITNESS QSOS VIA ISS REPEATER

JIM/ANCHOR: Imagine more than 12,000 young people gathered, wide-eyed
and eager, awaiting an unprecedented superstar event. There was no
movie headliner or rock band on stage but - in the sky, the
International Space Station where an FM repeater was allowing a ham on
the ground to make connections via amateur radio. Jason Daniels VK2LAW
tells us about it.

JASON: The outdoor assembly of young people may well have been the
largest of its kind - more than 12,000 students on hand to watch ham
radio contacts being made via the International Space Station's
repeater -- during a science and space program in Gujarat, India.

The two-way contacts, arranged with support from AMSAT-India and the
Indian Space Research Organisation, was demonstrated by Rajesh Vagadia,
VU2EXP, AMSAT-India's regional coordinator. It happened in late
December as the ISS passed overhead. Using a portable satellite ground
station, Rajesh began calling CQ using the space station's crossband FM repeater. The first successful contact - with VU2MZT in Maharashtra
-was heard by the students as the downlink audio was amplified through
a PA system. The young crowd erupted in applause. Two other contacts
followed during the space station's brief overhead pass.

Writing in one of the forums on QRZ.com, Rajesh noted the significance
of the moment, saying that many of the students were hearing live
signals being transmitted via the space station for the first time in
their lives. Rajesh, who called the size of the outdoor ham radio
demonstration unprecedented, wrote: [quote] "The event stands as a
testament to careful planning, technical expertise, teamwork, and
unwavering commitment." [endquote]

To watch the contacts being made, see the short YouTube clip on his
channel. The link appears in the text version of this week's newscast
at arnewsline.org

[DO NOT READ: www.youtube.com/watch?v=qSIoRCAPbJg&t=4s ]

This is Jason Daniels VK2LAW

(YOUTUBE, QRZ.COM FORUMS)

**
Are you ready to write a ham radio haiku? It's easy - even if you've
never written a single line of poetry in your life. Visit our website
at arnewsline.org and as you compose your ode to your favorite
on-the-air activity, we will help you use the correct number of
syllables to make an authentic haiku. Submit your work and then sit
back and wait to hear whether your inspired haiku will be highlighted
on our website, where everyone can read it.

NEWSCAST CLOSE

With thanks to ABC News; Amateur News Daily; Ars Technica; BBC; David
Behar, K7DB; DX News; 425DX Bulletin; Ofcom; QRZ.com Forums;
RadioWorld; Reuters; SOTA Reflector; shortwaveradio.de; Tehachapi News; Wireless Institute of Australia'; Facebook; YouTube; 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 Jim Damron N8TMW in Charleston West
Virginia saying 73. As always we thank you for listening. We wish all
our listeners the very best for the year ahead in 2026. Amateur Radio Newsline(tm) is Copyright 2026. Amateur Radio Newsline retains
ownership of its material even when retransmitted elsewhere. All rights
are reserved.


--- PyGate Linux v1.5.2
* Origin: Dragon's Lair, PyGate NNTP<>Fido Gate (3:633/10)