[continued from previous message]   
      
   candidates. Recent courses have been conducted at the RAAF Association   
   clubrooms at Hawthorn, providing a consistent and well-supported venue.   
      
      
   A major highlight was a collaboration with Mitcham Council, supported by a   
   council grant, which enabled two public information sessions, two training   
   courses and a field day for newly qualified Foundation licensees. This   
   coordinated approach resulted in 20 new amateurs qualifying in a single   
   weekend, clearly demonstrating the effectiveness of combining outreach,   
   structured training and practical on-air experience. The information sessions   
   proved particularly valuable, with many attendees having had little or no   
   previous contact with amateur radio and limited   
      
   awareness of licensing requirements or the breadth of the hobby.   
      
   Building on this success, the VK5 training group is now working with Adelaide   
   Air Cadet squadrons to introduce amateur radio to young people with an   
   interest in technology and aviation. Following the training of several   
   university lecturers, discussions are also underway to explore opportunities   
   for engaging university students. Plans are in place to work with the caravan   
   and camping community in the coming year. Collaboration with local councils   
   has been a key enabler, with Mitcham Council distributing information through   
   community newspapers and electronic   
      
   communications to its 68,000 residents, significantly extending the reach of   
   amateur radio into the wider community.   
      
      
   (Paul, VK5PH via vk7tw)   
   ------------------------------------------------------------*   
   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.   
      
   "Is it snowing where you are, Mr. Thiessen?   
      
   On a quiet shoreline in Southern Maryland, a simple sentence made history   
   and the world hasnt stopped talking since. Now, 125 years later, Cobb Island   
   invites you to stand where it all began and witness the moment that launched   
   the wireless age.   
      
      
   On Tuesday, Dec. 23, 2025, the Charles County Amateur Radio Club (CCARC)   
   HOSTED a public celebration commemorating the 125th anniversary of the first   
   successful wireless transmission of the human voice, conducted by Canadian   
   inventor Reginald Fessenden on Cobb Island in 1900.   
      
      
   It was on Cobb Island, on Dec. 23, 1900, that Canadian inventor Reginald   
   Fessenden, working on behalf of the U.S. Weather Bureau, accomplished what   
   was then believed to be impossible: he successfully transmitted a brief,   
   intelligible voice message over the air from a transmitter site on the island   
   to a receiver nearly a mile away. His message, reportedly One, two, three,   
   four. Is it snowing where you are, Mr. Thiessen? marked the first known   
   instance of radiotelephony and laid the foundation for modern AM   
   broadcasting.   
      
      
   thebaynet.com/125-years-later-cobb-island-honors-birthplace-of-w   
   reless-voice-communication/   
      
      
   WE WANT HOW MANY RADIOS?   
   400   
      
   The RSGB is giving away 400 FM radio receiver kits and Morse code tutor kits   
   as part of its British Science Week 2026 activities.   
      
      
   The kits are available for school, university, Scout, Girl guiding and Cadet   
   groups as well as other youth-related Science, Technology, Engineering and   
   Mathematics groups in the UK. The project is being delivered thanks to a   
   partnership between the RSGB Outreach Team, the Radio Communications   
   Foundation and the RSGB Legacy Fund.   
      
      
   Israel's Amateur Radio Operators Used Quiet Diplomacy, Saved Lives:   
      
   In a world where trust has become a scarce resource, amateur radio operators   
   offer something different: human communication that connects people around   
   the world who share the same passion.   
      
      
   In a digital age in which screens shape reality and algorithms steer public   
   opinion, there exists another arena, quiet and largely unnoticed, where a   
   very different kind of communication takes place. It is a world in which   
   private individuals, enthusiasts, connect countries, break down barriers and   
   build bridges that at times precede official policy.   
      
      
   On October 7, 2023, an amateur radio operator named Shlomo Goldstein, who was   
   trapped in a safe room in Kibbutz Kissufim, managed to call for help via a   
   fellow radio amateur in Ramat Gan. He was saved.   
      
      
   In Israel, this contribution has received official recognition.   
      
   The Knesset has acknowledged amateur radio operators as emergency   
   communications operators, and dedicated legislation allows them to establish   
   antennas and stations in their homes with minimal regulatory barriers. The   
   law is enshrined in the state's statute book and reflects a deep   
   understanding of their national and humanitarian contribution.   
      
      
   This item takes us to Japan, where researchers studying the ionosphere have   
   discovered that the cooling of temperatures up there may cause major shifts   
   in our ability to communicate by radio. Here is that story as I filed   
   originally to NEWSLINE.   
      
      
   "The continued cooling of the ionosphere 100 km above sea level may someday   
   disrupt and reshape shortwave communications, according to scientists at   
   Kyushu University in Japan. The drop in ionospheric temperatures is the   
   result of rising CO2 levels - the same phenomenon identified as the source of   
   global warming down here on Earth.   
      
      
   The researchers' study, published in Geophysical Research Letters, found that   
   the cooling ionosphere lowers the air density and speeds up wind circulation   
   - two factors that have an impact on satellite orbits and space debris. In   
   addition, the ability to communicate by radio also changes as a result of   
   small-scale plasma irregularities. Shortwave radio, radio broadcasting, air   
   traffic control and maritime communication could all experience a variety of   
   major changes, the scientists said.   
      
      
   The study leader, Huixin Liu of Kyushu's Faculty of Science, told the Physics   
   World website: [quote] "This may be good news for ham radio amateurs, as you   
   will likely receive more signals from faraway countries more often. For radio   
   communications, however, especially at HF and VHF frequencies employed for   
   aviation, ships and rescue operations, it means more noise and frequent   
   disruption in communication and hence safety." [endquote]   
      
      
   This is Jason Daniels VK2LAW.   
      
   In the long term, the telecommunications industry may need to respond to   
   these changes by either adjusting their frequencies or changing the design of   
   their equipment.   
      
      
   In the UK, the Commonwealth Contest Community and the Radio Society of Great   
   Britain are grieving the loss of an advocate and a friend -- an active ham   
   who twice served the radio society as its president.   
      
      
   Although he made his living in the world of high-tech as a solid-state   
   physicist, Bob Whelan, G3PJT, was, in so many ways, a full time radio   
   amateur.   
      
      
   He received his licence in 1961, focusing on CW operating on HF and LF. As   
   his enthusiasm grew for contesting, he made a name for himself as a supporter   
   of the Commonwealth Contest, a CW contest for operators in British   
   Commonwealth countries such as New Zealand, Canada, here in Australia and of   
   course, the UK. He also built an online presence for its widely scattered   
   participants, eventually writing a book about the contest's evolution.   
      
      
   Bob had also been actively involved in the IARU and the First Class Operators   
   Club, with a growing involvement in the Radio Society of Great Britain over   
   the years. His participation grew from being a volunteer on the society's HF   
      
   [continued in next message]   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)