[continued from previous message]   
      
   TV images from some satellites. To verify his success, he provided us a   
   panoply of pictures.   
      
      
   Maintaining the trend of technical topics in this issue, Gary Gibson VK2DBN   
   exposes the myths behind S-meter readings, setting out the real world of   
   signal strength standards and the truth about how various contemporary   
   transceiver measure up.   
      
      
   Thats all from me for this week. This issue of Amateur Radio magazine is   
   brought to you by the numbers 5 and 9, and the letter B. More news next week.   
      
      
   More guts. Less gab. Serving hams across Australia since 1933. Proudly   
   produced and printed in Australia.   
      
      
   By the way, I was well prepared for my date with the scoutmasters daughter  I   
   gave her a bunch of flowers and a small packet from my wallet  containing the   
   concert tickets.   
      
      
   Im Roger Harrison VK2ZRH for WIA National News.   
      
   ACMA NEWS   
   ACMA remakes Amateur Licence Conditions Determination and thanks all   
   those involved in the consultation process.   
      
   In April 2025, ACMA consulted on their proposal to remake the   
   Radiocommunications Licence Conditions (Amateur Licence) Determination   
   2015.   
      
   They have now made the  Radiocommunications Licence Conditions   
   (Amateur Licence) Determination 2025 which will commence on   
   30 September 2025.   
      
   You can find full details on the  ACMA website   
      
   tinyurl.com/2phwztum   
      
   The Australian Communications and Media Authority is making changes to the   
   Citizens Band Radio Station Class Licence Rules of 2015, which are about to   
   sunset.   
      
      
   The regulator is remaking the rules, with minor changes, saying that they   
   reflect new developments in technology in the ensuing years. The ACMA   
   characterised the changes as "minor" says ARNEWSLINE.ORG which filed this   
   item.   
      
      
   Changes include permission to use, on 27 MHz FM, which was previously   
   restricted to AM or SSB. This aligns CB in Australia with operations in much   
   of the rest of the world   
      
      
   The rules also remove the requirement that calls be initiated only on   
   specific call channels, giving operators the freedom to begin contacts on   
   channels they customarily use. The ACMA also declared it would no longer be   
   responsible for taking action against such on-air behaviour as harassment and   
   threats, leaving enforcement issues instead to police and other authorities.   
      
      
   ------------------------------------------------------------*   
   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.   
      
   On August 29th, 2025, the FCC Space Bureau granted a license to   
   AST Space Mobile for using the 430  440 MHz amateur radio allocation   
   for Telemetry, Tracking and Command for 20 additional satellites.   
      
   The FCC Space Bureau commented: At this time, to address the concerns   
   raised by amateur radio operators and the petitioner, we issue a limited   
   grant to AST to conduct emergency operations in the 430440 MHz band when   
   no other bands are available for the 20 additional satellites authorized   
   herein for a period not to exceed 24 hours.   
      
   This decision is the result of over 2500 comments to the FCC by ARRL and   
   several IARU member societies, these, as the WIA Secretary told our   
   editor included our own WIA.   
      
   The IARU maintains its view that the use of Article 4.4 of the ITU Radio   
   Regulations is inappropriate in this matter, in particular as there are   
   existing allocations in the UHF spectrum for Telemetry, Tracking and   
   Command operations. There are no technical or operational requirements   
   for AST & Science LLC to intrude the 430440 MHz spectrum which is a   
   primary amateur and amateur satellite service allocation in ITU Region 1   
   and in several countries in Region 2.   
      
   The IARU and its member societies will continue to monitor the further   
   development of this issue.   
      
   The UK is poised to become Europe's first country offering legal satellite   
   connectivity for smartphones. The regulator Ofcom has released a consultation   
   authorising the move and is requesting comments no later than the 10th of   
   October.   
      
      
   Making this service available to standard mobile phones would provide the   
   most remote parts of the UK with the access needed to send texts, make phone   
   calls or even connect to the Internet - functions presently not possible in   
   areas without mobile phone coverage.   
      
      
   This is known as "direct-to-device" and operation would be permitted after   
   Ofcom has provided a variation to the licences of Mobile Network Operators.   
   The change would also grant such use to mobile handsets and any other devices   
   that make use of SIM cards.   
      
      
   Data centers and the electrification of devices that previously ran on fossil   
   fuels is driving increased demand for electricity around the world. China is   
   addressing this with a megaproject that is a new spin on their most famous   
   piece of infrastructure.   
      
      
   At 250 miles long with a generating capacity of 100 GW, the Great Solar Wall   
   will be able to provide enough energy to power Beijing, although the energy   
   will more likely be used to power industrial operations also present in the   
   Kubuqi Desert. NASA states, The Kubuqis sunny weather, flat terrain, and   
   proximity to industrial centers make it a desirable location for solar power   
   generation. As an added bonus, previous solar installations in China have   
   shown that they can help combat further desertification by locking dunes in   
   place and providing shade for plants to grow.   
      
      
   The Great Solar Wall is expected to be completed by 2030 with 5.4 GW already   
   installed in 2024.   
      
      
   hackaday.com/2025/08/18/chinas-great-solar-wall-is-a-big-deal/   
      
   FCC EYES GIVING OK TO MOBILE PHONE JAMMING AT PRISONS   
      
   Jamming is illegal in the United States but the FCC  is considering   
   whether to give prisons permission to jam cell phones of inmates.   
      
   The commission has scheduled a vote this month to remove a restriction   
   that keeps the prisons from such jamming. The inmates are not authorized   
   to have the phones, which the commission said are being used to assist   
   them in conducting  criminal activity while behind bars.   
      
   US law prohibits the use - and even the sale or distribution - of any   
   equipment that can jam authorized signals such as radio communication,   
   police radar, GPS devices and cell phones.   
      
   The vote is scheduled for September 30th.   
      
   The Young Ladies Radio League has announced six scholarship recipients for   
   this year - two each for the Ethel Smith K2LMB Memorial Scholarship, the Mary   
   Lou Brown NM7N Memorial Scholarship, and The Martha Wessel KEPE Memorial   
   Scholarship.   
      
      
   Congratulations to Grace Papay, K8LG and Neeti Sonth, KN6JJ for their   
   selection as recipients of the Ethel Smith scholarship. Grace, who was   
   Amateur Radio Newsline's Young Ham of the Year in 2024, is a top contester   
   and youth mentor. She is studying electrical engineering at Cedarville   
   University in Ohio. Neeti is a PhD student at the University of Colorado   
   Boulder, where she is studying toward her PhD in aerospace engineering   
   sciences. She is the communications officer for the school's amateur radio   
   club.   
      
      
   Madison Clogher, KC1KJT, and Camrynne Ellis WX5CAM, have been chosen for the   
   Martha Wessel scholarship. Madison is active in public service and emergency   
   communications and worked recently with the Federal Emergency Management   
   Agency in its office of planning and preparedness. She has a bachelor's   
   degree in emergency management and is pursuing her master's in cybersecurity.   
   Camrynne is entering her final year at Texas A&M University where she is   
      
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   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)