Amateur Radio Newsline Report 2523 for Friday, March 6th, 2026 Amateur
Radio Newsline Report Number 2523 with a release date of Friday, March
6th, 2026 to follow in 5-4-3-2-1.
The following is a QST. Hams in Cuba assist a critically ill child.
Canada is silencing its national weather radio -- and students in
Germany plan for a QSO with Antarctica. All this and more as Amateur
Radio Newsline Report Number 2523 comes your way right now.
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BILLBOARD CART
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HAMS HELP SUMMON GIRL'S EMERGENCY CARE IN CUBAN BLACKOUT
SKEETER/ANCHOR: Quick-thinking by hams in the midst of a power outage
in Cuba are being credited with connecting a critically ill child with
urgent medical care. We have the details of that story from the newest
member of the Newsline team, Dave Lee M7TLB.
DAVE: As an outage swept through several communities in the
municipality of Rio Cauto in eastern Cuba, disabling electric power and
the telephone service, a 6-year-old girl lay feverish and in pain - her
12th hour of suffering.
The doctor treating her at the family home in Granma Province suspected appendicitis requiring emergency transport. An outage resulting from a power-grid failure prevented him from directly contacting an ambulance.
The physician turned to a father-son team of amateur radio operators,
Jorge [HORE-HAY] Bonilla [BONE-EEE-YUH] Mainegra and his son, Edgar
Bonilla Mainegra. The hams, however, found that their own radios were
also without backup power because of the fuel shortage -- that is,
until a neighbour let them make use of the battery from his motorcycle.
The general call was received by Santiago de Cuba by station CL8 YDY,
who was able to connect with the emergency system. The station is
listed on QRZ.com as being in Santiago de Cuba. The callsign holder is
Yoendrys GarcĄa RodrĄguez.
According to various media reports, surgery was performed at the
hospital and was a success.
This is Dave Lee M7TLB.
(CIBERCUBA, QRZ.COM)
**
FCC REPORTS TO CONGRESS ON 6TH YEAR OF PIRATE ACT
SKEETER/ANCHOR: Wrapping up another year of action taken against
unlicensed radio broadcasters, in the United States the FCC recently
submitted a report to federal lawmakers summing up its enforcement
activities in the fiscal year 2025. We have those details from Kent
Peterson KC0DGY.
KENT: Since Congress enacted the PIRATE Act - an acronym for Preventing
Illegal Radio Abuse Through Enforcement - the Federal Communications
Commission has been responsible for reporting its annual activities
with the enhanced power it was given through the January 2020
legislation. Its most recent report covers the government's fiscal year
for 2025, which ran from the 1st of October 2024 through to the 30th of September 2025.
According to the report, the FCC issued 28 notices to property owners
or managers for permitting illegal broadcasts from their premises.
Seventeen of those were directly related to one of the so-called
"pirate sweeps" the FCC conducts concentrating on five markets found to
have the most pirate stations.
In the same period, the FCC went directly after the radio operators
themselves, issuing six forfeiture orders and 10 notices of apparent
liability for forfeiture. Separately, it entered into three consent
decree agreements with radio pirates. Each agreement contained a
20-year compliance plan.
It is not known what the total monetary penalties will ultimately be
for any of the violations issued, even though the amounts specified in
the original PIRATE Act have increased over the years. Adjusted for
inflation, the penalties now carry a maximum of $122,661 in US dollars
per day - and a US dollar maximum of $2,453,218.
Although the FCC is responsible for these enforcement actions, the
agency does not collect the amounts. That task is given to the US
Department of Justice.
This is Kent Peterson KC0DGY. (FCC)
**
STUDENT QSO WITH ANTARCTICA PART OF FAMILY SPACE DAY
SKEETER/ANCHOR: Is there anyone who would turn down a chance for a
contact with Antarctica? A group of students will get their chance this
month in Germany. With more of those details, here's Jeremy Boot G4NJH.
JEREMY: All eyes will be on the project known as futureGEO to be
presented at Bochum Observatory's Bochum Space Day to be hosted by
AMSAT-DL. The programme is taking place on 28th March in conjunction
with Germany's Space Day and Day of Astronomy. Much anticipation
surrounds the proposed geostationary amateur radio payload, which is to
succeed the QO-100 satellite, providing access for Europe and parts of
North America.
All ears, however, will be on the scheduled contact to be made between
students and the Neumayer-III research station, DP0GVN, in Antarctica.
The observatory's director, Thilo Elsner, DJ5YM, will lead that
activity.
Youngsters and their families are also being invited to participate in
a full day of activities organised by the European Space Education
Resource Office of the European Space Agency. ESERO Germany was
established at Bochum in 2018.
This is Jeremy Boot G4NJH.
(AMSAT-DL, AMATEUR RADIO DAILY)
**
HAMS IN THE SPOTLIGHT AT NATIONAL HURRICANE CONFERENCE
SKEETER/ANCHOR: The 2026 National Hurricane Conference, taking place in Orlando, Florida from March 29 to April 2 will again include amateur
radio workshops. Randy Sly, W4XJ has the details
RANDY: Amateur radio workshops at the National Hurricane Conference
will include presentations by such leaders from the ham community as
Rob Macedo, KD1CY of the VoIP Hurricane Net, Josh Johnston, KE5MHV,
ARRL Director of Emergency Management, Julio Ripoll, WD4R, Assistant Coordinator at WX4NHC, and Bobby Graves, KB5HAV, Net Manager of the
Hurricane Watch Net.
Graves gave Newsline a preview of a new program he will be presenting,
built around the theme "Impact." While Category 5 hurricanes may get
more attention from the media, some tropical storms may make a greater real-world impact than bigger weather events. For amateur radio
operators, one report can make a difference... can make an impact. As
Graves said, "Your reports matter."
With Julio Ripoll scheduled to step down this year, he may be
introducing his successor at WX4NHC during the workshops as well.
If you can't attend in person, the forum will be live-streamed on the
Hurricane Watch Net YouTube Channel.
This is Randy Sly, W4XJ
**
CANADA ENDING NATIONWIDE WEATHERADIO SERVICE
SKEETER/ANCHOR: The United States isn't the only country enduring cuts
to its weather-forecasting programs and services: This month marks the
end of Weatheradio,. a service of the Canadian government's environment
and climate agency. John Williams VK4JJW has those details.
JOHN: Canada's national weather centre is ending its Weatheradio
service which has been available on VHF since 1976. In a decision
driven by budget priorities and what the agency called declining usage,
the forecasts are going silent on the 16th of March. Officials are
instead encouraging the use of a free mobile app or an interactive
weather map on their website.
Upgraded in 2004 to accommodate digitally encoded signals, the
nationwide system has provided local and regional forecasts in English
and French. The reports have been transmitted on the same frequencies
used in the US by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's
Weather Radio, in the 162 MHz frequency range
Amateur radio operator Michael Iszak VE3HA, who is also a
radiocommunications consultant. told the Toronto Sun that he was
concerned about the weather service's demise. He told the newspaper:
[quote] "These stations are often used by people who travel to areas
where there is no cell service, it's invaluable for getting updated
weather forecasts." [endquote]
This is John Williams VK4JJW.
(TORONTO SUN, CTV, SWLING POST)
**
BREAK HERE: Time for you to identify your station. We are the Amateur
Radio Newsline, heard on bulletin stations around the world, including
the AA9JR repeater in Milwaukee, Wisconsin on Fridays at 6 pm,
Saturdays at 10 am and on Sundays at 8 a.m. via Allstar Link 47970 and
Allstar Link 50508 and the W3QV repeater.
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ADJUSTMENTS TO AUSTRALIA BAND PLAN RECOMMENDATIONS
SKEETER/ANCHOR: The committee reviewing recommended changes to
Australia's amateur band plan has released a set of new revisions, as
we hear from Graham Kemp VK4BB.
GRAHAM: The Wireless Institute of Australia's Technical Advisory
Committee has fine-tuned its recommendations for changes to the amateur
radio band plan after reviewing more than three dozen submissions. It
is now recommending that the emergency communications channel on 40m be
aligned with IARU Region 3 on 7.110 MHz, that the SSB portion of the 6m
band be widened and that 1.87 MHz and 3.686 MHz be chosen as the AM
centres of activity for 160m and 80m.
The committee's full document, which reaffirms its other original
proposals and clarifies use of the FM Analogue ATV band, has been
published online. Visit the consultation webpage using the link
provided in the text version of this week's newscast at arnewsline.org
[DO NOT READ:
https://www.wia.org.au/members/tac/consultation/ ]
This is Graham Kemp VK4BB.
(WIA)
**
DX INDIA FOUNDATION MAKES NEW TRY ON ARNALA ISLAND
SKEETER/ANCHOR: It's been 20 years since amateur radio had a presence
on one small island in the Arabian Sea off western India's coast. The
DX India Foundation is renewing the attempt it made last year to put
the island back on the ham radio map. Jim Meachen ZL2BHF tells us what
to expect next.
JIM: Heavy rainstorms last year cancelled the plans of the DX India
Foundation to activate Arnala Island. The island, one of India's most
coveted sites in the IOTA programme, carries the designation of AS-169.
Sarath, VU2RS, announced recently on the DX World website that he is
hoping to bring a three-day activation there starting on the 1st of
May. There has been no amateur radio activity on the island since 2006.
A successful activation would not only fulfill one of the relatively
new foundation's objectives - to activate rare IOTAs - it would also
put Arnala Island in the logs of eager chasers everywhere.
This is Jim Meachen ZL2BHF.
(DX WORLD)
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WORLD OF DX
In the World of DX, Claudio, HB9OAU, will be operating holiday style as
D44OA from Boa Vista, IOTA Number AF-086, Cape Verde, from the 18th
through to the 25th of March. He will be operating CW, SSB, RTTY and
FT8 in fox-hound mode on 40-6 metres.
Tom, AA9A, is on the air as PJ7AA from Sint Maarten, IOTA Number
NA-105, from the 8th of March through to the 4th of April. Listen for
him on 40-6 metres where he will be using CW, FT8, FT4 and some SSB.
Listen for the callsign T31TTT. That's the Rebel DX Group on the air
from Central Kiribati starting on the 25th of March. This activation
could last as long as two weeks. Their main modes will be FT8/FT4, MSHV
Super Fox and MSHV multi-stream. There will be several stations on the
air and on various HF bands.
John, W5JON, will be on the air as V47JA from St. Kitts, IOTA Number
NA-104, from the 10th through to the 18th of March, using SSB and FT8
on various bands.
For QSL information on each of these stations, visit their pages on
QRZ.com
(425 DX BULLETIN)
**
KICKER: A TOWERING RESCUE FROM HOT AIR BALLOON
SKEETER/ANCHOR: Ask anyone whose home station includes a tower and
they'll probably tell you that sometimes being all the way "up there"
in the clouds has its drawbacks. The owner of a mobile phone tower in
Longview, Texas - and two passengers in a hot-air balloon - would no
doubt agree. Kevin Trotman N5PRE has our final story for this week.
KEVIN: A hot-air balloon, with two passengers aboard, was blown into a
cell phone tower standing 925 feet, or more than 280 meters, high in
Longview, a city east of Dallas, Texas. The crash on February 28th left
the two passengers dangling near the top of the tower as the balloon
became entangled in its guying cables.
Emergency crews from police and fire departments responded. As rescuers
climbed using several ropes, they battled the same strong winds that
had led to the crash, working for more than an hour to free the
passengers in what was deemed [quote] "a rare, high-risk operation."
[endquote] They were brought down safely.
The scene in Texas was reminiscent of an incident in Albuquerque, New
Mexico in 2024 when a hot-air balloon crashed into the tower of radio
station KKOB-AM. The three passengers on board that balloon were also
rescued safely.
This is Kevin Trotman N5PRE.
(CBS NEWS, KSDK-TV. NBC NEWS, ASSOCIATED PRESS)
**
NEWSCAST CLOSE
With thanks to Amateur Radio Daily, AMSAT-DL; AMSAT News Service;
Associated Press; CBS News; CiberCuba; CTV; David Behar, K7DB;
DX-World.net; FCC; 425DX Bulletin; KSDK-TV; NBC News; QRZ.com Forums;
Radio Society of Great Britain; shortwaveradio.de; SWLing Post; Toronto
Sun; Wireless Institute of Australia; Zero Retries; 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 Skeeter Nash N5ASH in Jonesboro Arkansas
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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