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Amateur Radio Newsline Report 2513 for Friday, December 26th, 2025
  
Amateur Radio Newsline Report Number 2513 with a release date of Friday,
December 26th, 2025 to follow in 5-4-3-2-1.

The following is a QST. Success for a DMR project in India. Say goodbye to
IRCs -- and a glitch in an atomic clock shows there's no time like the
present.  All this and more as Amateur Radio Newsline Report Number 2513 comes
your way right now.

**

BILLBOARD CART

**

SUCCESS WITH STUDENT DMR PROJECT IN INDIA

STEPHEN/ANCHOR: Our top story takes us to India. Exactly one year ago, ham
radio stations were established in 20 residential schools in disadvantaged
areas of one southwestern state. A year later, teachers and their students
have become a small, thriving amateur radio community thanks to these small
digital mobile radios, or DMR. John Williams VK4JJW has that update.

JOHN: The challenge of teaching science and communication to disadvantaged
students in the Indian state of Karnataka got a big boost one year ago when
the Karnataka Residential Educational Institutions Society turned  20 of its
schools into ham shacks. Some of the teachers became hams and, in turn, guided
their young students in grades 6 through 12 along the way. Forty students
became hams and were soon using the DMR hand-held radios, participating in the
daily net and connecting to the world. 

More broadly, with the installation of DMR base stations by the Indian
Institute of Hams, the schools themselves became communication hubs that could
be used when natural disasters knocked out conventional means of contact in
their remote rural communities.

The past year has been one of challenge and innovation for Shirin, VU3DBO, one
of the 20 teachers in the school system who received her ham radio certificate
from the Ministry of Communication. The science teacher wove the radio
curriculum into the classes where she also taught about energy, technology,
the environment and space. 

Shirin told Newsline in an email that the hands-on STEM learning, the expanded
communication skills and the exposure to team work has sparked the students'
curiosity and built confidence over the past year. She said amateur radio was
[quote] "a wonderful hobby, fun in a hands-on way." [endquote]

This is John Williams VK4JJW.

(SHIRIN, VU3DBO)

**
UNIVERSAL POSTAL CONGRESS ENDS USE OF IRCS in 2026

STEPHEN/ANCHOR: Say goodbye to IRCs, the coupons that are still in use in
parts of the world by hams requesting QSL cards. Next year at this time
they'll be gone, as we hear from Graham Kemp VK4BB.

GRAHAM: Although International Reply Coupons, or IRCs, are still being used by
some DX-chasing hams in their requests for QSL cards, that option is set to
end by this time next year. Countries belonging to the Universal Postal Union
have voted to discontinue their use effective 31 December 2026. The vote was
taken in September at the 28th Universal Postal Congress held in Dubai. There
are a number of IRCs already in circulation that bear the expiration date of
31 December 2025 and they are expected to be honoured for another year.

In an era marked by a migration toward confirmations on digital platforms and
in digital QSOs, the move brings an already disappearing amateur radio
practice to its conclusion. A statement from the Universal Postal Union said
the sunset of the IRC, first put into practice in 1907, was [quote] a natural
progression within the broader transformation of international postal services
in alignment with the digital practices and modern outlook of their customers.
[Endquote]

This is Graham Kemp VK4BB.
 
(425 DX BULLETIN)

**
BOUVET DXPEDITIONER IS HAM RADIO UNIVERSITY FEATURED SPEAKER

STEPHEN/ANCHOR: Don't forget the regional amateur radio educational event
taking place on Long Island, New York: Ham Radio University which -
appropriately enough - is taking place on a university campus. Long Island
University-Post campus will be once again hosting the all-day program on
Saturday the 10th of January. Now in its 27th year, Ham Radio University draws
amateurs from around the region and also serves as the Long Island Section
Convention for the ARRL.

This year's featured speaker will be Adrian KO8SCA, who has been preparing for
a return trip to Bouvet Island as co-leader of a 24-member team. The day's
offerings will include 23 forums and, of course, a discussion about POTA,
Morse Code and STEM education.

The date is coming up fast. Admission is free but a $10 donation is suggested.
Visit hamradiouniversity dot org for more details (hamradiouniversity.org)

(HAM RADIO UNIVERSITY)

**
SILENT KEY: JIM SHAFFER, KE5AL, ADVOCATE FOR BLIND HAMS

STEPHEN/ANCHOR: An advocate for hams who are blind and for the Handiham
program that serves amateur radio operators with disabilities has become a
Silent Key. We hear about him from Travis Lisk N3ILS. 

TRAVIS: The amateur radio software developed by Jim Shaffer, KE5AL, gave hams
who are blind the ability to control and monitor their HF rigs without needing
a sighted person's assistance, providing the freedom of independent operating
in their shacks. The retired IBM software engineer knew that operating
challenge all too well: he was blind since birth.

Jim became a Silent Key on the 2nd of December. According to his online
obituary, the Texas resident died of complications from Parkinson's disease.

Jim's well-known applications, JJRadio and JJ Flex Radio, attracted attention
for their promise of accessibility when used with many different radio models.
His development of the free programs brought him to the attention of host Hap
Holly/KC9RP, host of the RAIN Report, which featured an interview with Jim.
Hap, who became a Silent Key earlier this year, had also been blind since
birth -- and like Jim, also supported the Handiham progam, which trains and
serves the community of hams with disabilities.

Non-hams in Central Texas also knew Jim well for his other deep involvement:
He was a versatile musician and popular fiddler in a number of music groups,
including the Piney Grove Ramblers.

Jim was 72.

This is Travis Lisk N3ILS.

(AUSTIN NATURAL FUNERALS, HANDIHAM GROUPS.IO LIST, THE RAIN REPORT ARCHIVE)

**
SILENT KEY: JIM HEATH, W6LG, NOTED YOUTUBE ELMER

STEPHEN/ANCHOR: The host of a popular YouTube Channel that made him the Elmer
to nearly 53,000 subscribers and viewers has become a Silent Key. We hear
about him from Paul Braun WD9GCO.

PAUL: In many of the videos on his channel, Jim Heath W6LG, introduces himself
as "your YouTube Elmer for ham radio basics." In his easygoing, personable
style, Jim explained, in plain and basic language, the mysteries of  SWR,
grounding, antennas and dummy loads. A popular presence on YouTube, Jim
brought viewers directly into his radio room via a YouTube studio inside his
shack.

Jim, who had endured years of hospitalizations following a leukemia diagnosis,
became a Silent Key on December 22nd at his California home. He had been a ham
since getting his license in 1964 with the callsign WN6JZC. He had held his
well-known vanity callsign, W6LG, since 2004. He also grew to love chasing DX
and counted among his collection the QSL cards of King Hussein of Jordan JY1
and Father Marshall D. Moran 9N1MM, the first ham radio operator in Nepal.

Jim had also been the owner of High Sierra, which made one of the first
screwdriver antennas for mobile HF use. 

Over much of his adult life, Jim faced numerous health challenges -- a
disabling fall from a roof in 1998 while working as a building inspector; and
a series of health crises later, including pulmonary embolisms, congestive
heart failure and severe osteoporosis. Then came the news he had leukemia.

In his final months he appeared on Ham Smarter, the YouTube channel of Vince
D'Eon VE6LK, and the two became friends. Vince described Jim as [quote] "a
good friend to many and an Elmer to all." Announcing Jim's death, Vince urged
hams to continue visiting the W6LG channel so they can [quote] "learn from the
best." [endquote]

Jim was in his mid-70s.

STEPHEN/ANCHOR: To hear a QSO Today interview with Jim in 2020, visit
qsotoday.com

(QRZ.COM, QSO TODAY, HAM SMARTER)

**
BREAK HERE: Time for you to identify your station. We are the Amateur Radio
Newsline, heard on bulletin stations around the world, including the WB0QXW
Repeater System in Saint Louis, Missouri on 145.210 Mhz Mondays after the
World Friendship Net beginning at 7 pm Central time.

****
MINNESOTA HAM TEAM KEEPS HOLIDAY FEST SAFE AND BRIGHT

STEPHEN/ANCHOR: The sudden assembly of thousands of people in one small, rural
16-block-long Minnesota town in early December spurred swift and careful
action from first-responders and amateur radio operators - but this was no
community in crisis; it was a celebration. Kent Peterson KCØDGY explains.

KENT: The small town of Arlington, Minnesota is always happy to welcome
newcomers, particularly at its annual holiday festival, Arli-Dazzle. No doubt
there were first-timers among those attending in the estimated crowd size of
10,000 who arrived on December 5th and 6th, feeling the holiday spirit.

Perhaps more importantly, the newcomers included 10 ham radio operators - six
of them newly licensed Technicians, with handy-talkies in hand - as part of
the team of more than 34 hams who volunteered to ensure that everyone enjoyed
this holiday tradition.

Don Burgess, KCØQNA, the emergency radio coordinator for Sibley County, told
Newsline in an email: [quote] This town event is one that a lot of my radio
team really looks forward to doing each year regardless of temps or weather
conditions.   The Local Police Chief looks to us as his reserve officers in
many aspects, and we never let him or the community down. [endquote]

He said the hams traveled from as far away as Minneapolis and St. Paul - the
so-called Twin Cities an hour away - to make sure things went smoothly, from
setting up barricades for the 5K runners to setting up light generators for
the parade route. The Sibley Emergency Radio Team Club, with Don as safety and
logistics coordinator, have provided that reassuring presence for the past 16 
years.

The team is no stranger to community service at dozens of public events - even
in nearby towns such as Gaylord. This festival is one thats special, said Don.
[Quote] It really takes on the mom and pop old days family Christmas vibes for
sure. [Endquote] The team is happy to lend mom and pop a hand.

This is Kent Peterson KCØDGY.

(DON BURGESS, KCØQNA)

**
RAY SOIFER W2RS/SK HONORED AGAIN IN AMSAT CW EVENT

STEPHEN/ANCHOR: The new year brings an opportunity to honor the memory of a
satellite enthusiast who left the lasting legacy of a popular CW event. We
have those details from Randy Sly W4XJ.

RANDY: Ray Soifer, W2RS, loved CW and he also loved satellites. Before
becoming a Silent Key in March of 2022, Ray gave a gift to both the CW and
satellite communities: AMSAT's CW Activity Day, formerly known as AMSAT
Straight Key Night.

The annual event has since been renamed the W2RS Memorial AMSAT CW Activity
Day and, as always, the on-air action is taking place on January 1st, the same
day that the ARRL holds Straight Key Night. Participants use any amateur radio
multi-mode satellite to make QSOs using CW on that day between 0000 and 2359
UTC. Although the use of a straight key or a bug is not required, it is
strongly encouraged.  So are photos and video clips, which operators are
invited to share on various social media platforms with amsat as the tag. As
for logs, they're not necessary either, but AMSAT would like operators to
submit reports to the AMSAT-BB.

One word of caution: operators are urged to use the minimum power necessary to
complete their contacts. Constant carrier modes such as CW are capable of
disrupting transponders.

This is Randy Sly W4XJ.

(AMSAT NEWS)

**
WORLD OF DX

In this holiday season there is still plenty to celebrate in the World of DX.
Listen for the Israel Amateur Radio Club callsigns 4X25X,  4X25M, 4X25A  and
4X25S on the air from the 25th through to the 31st of December using CW, SSB
and FT8. QSL via 4X6ZM, through the bureau or direct.

Throughout the new year 2026 the special callsign DB1ØØFT will be on the air
to celebrate the 100th birthday of the Berlin Radio Tower, which has played a
major role in Germany's radio broadcast history. 

Ken, JO1VRK is on the air from Saipan IOTA Number OC-086, from the 29th of
December through to the 3rd of January. Listen on 40-10 metres where Ken will
be using CW and digital modes. See QRZ.com for QSL details.

Two special callsigns are celebrating Bulgaria's admission into the Eurozone
and the nation's adoption of the euro as currency. Listen for LZ2Ø25ZONE  and 
LZ2Ø26EURO starting on the 1st of January. QSL via LZ2VP. An additional
callsign, LZ1EURO, will be active from the 1st through to the 6th of January.
QSL via LZ3SCO.

(425 DX BULLETIN)

**
KICKER: NO TIME LIKE THE PRESENT ... MAYBE

STEPHEN/ANCHOR: With the old year ending, and a new year starting up, it might
seem to some of us that time is out of sorts. Well, it actually WAS out of
sorts here in the US - in Boulder, Colorado, home of the F-4 atomic clock that
delivers the official time with precision, right down to the microseconds.
Kent Peterson KCØDGY explains.

KENT: A storm-related power cut by the electric utility serving the Boulder
campus of the National Institute of Standards and Technology caused a drift in
time of 4 millionths of a second in the official time-keeper, the F-4 atomic
clock. Those moments are immeasurable and of little importance to most of us -
except for those who rely on precision in data centers, global positioning
systems, aerospace, telecommunications and the Network Time Protocol service,
the timing resource for computer systems.

In the wake of the storm, Jeff Sherman, the physicist who maintains the atomic
clocks, reported in a mailing-list post on Google groups that [quote]: "The
atomic ensemble time scale at our Boulder campus has failed due to a prolonged
utility power outage." [endquote]

By some reports, then, in late December, time literally stood still -- however
briefly  -- until the switch was made to a backup generator. That cost the F-4
atomic clock its accuracy.

Anticipating the storm with winds of hurricane strength, the NIST had
previously advised users to connect to redundant systems at other campuses
such as WWV/Fort Collins Colorado, or Gaithersburg, Maryland which would
remain unaffected.

As for the F-4 atomic clock in Boulder, the time discrepancy was resolved with
the clock's recalibration after power was back on by Sunday, December 21st. It
was, of course, just a matter of time.

This is Kent Peterson KCØDGY.

(CBS NEWS, DENVER POST, NIST GOOGLEGROUPS)

**
HAIKU AND CLOSE

If you haven't sent in your ham radio haiku yet, what's been stopping you?
Visit our website at arnewsline.org and as you compose your ode to your
favorite online 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 you are the winner of this week's challenge. The winner gets a
shout-out on our website, where everyone can find the winning haiku.

NEWSCAST CLOSE

With thanks to Amateur News Daily;  AMSAT News Service; ARRL; ARISS; Austin
Natural Funerals; CBS News; David Behar, K7DB; Denver Post; Don Burgess,
KCØQNA; Facebook; Federal Register; 425DX Bulletin; Handiham groups.io; NIST
Googlegroups; the RAIN Report Archive; shortwaveradio.de; Wireless Institute
of Australia; 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 Stephen Kinford N8WB in Wadsworth Ohio 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 2025. Amateur
Radio Newsline retains ownership of its material even when retransmitted
elsewhere. All rights are reserved.

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