Amateur Radio Newsline Report 2545 for Friday, August 7th, 2026 Amateur Radio Newsline Report Number 2545 with a release date of Friday, August 7th, 2026 to follow in 5-4-3-2-1. The following is a QST. A historic space-station contact for students in Nairobi, Kenya. Brazil's hams honor a priest who was a radio pioneer -- and a 10-year-old girl in Indonesia becomes a DX champion! All this and more as Amateur Radio Newsline Report Number 2545 comes your way right now. ** BILLBOARD CART ** SPACE STATION LOGS HISTORIC FIRST ARISS CONTACT WITH KENYA JIM/ANCHOR: Our top story is the historic first contact between Amateur Radio on the International Space Station and the African nation of Kenya. Kevin Trotman N5PRE brings us up to date. KEVIN: The voice from space belonged to astronaut Sophie Adenot KJ5LTN, using the callsign OR4ISS. Back here on Earth, the voices were those of students at a school in Nairobi, Kenya, selected earlier this year to be the first in an African country to participate in Amateur Radio on the International Space Station. It was hosted by the Kenya Space Agency on the 5th of August with the help of a telebridge via ON4ISS in Belgium. The students posed 11 questions, ranging over a variety of topics. The event was a big moment, not just for the students but Kenya's relatively young space agency, established in 2017 to advance that nation's agenda for using space technology to boost socioeconomic development. To view the QSO, visit the link to the Kenya Space Agency's YouTube channel in the text version of this week's newscast at arnewsline.org. [DO NOT READ: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KdggsoUBN3o&t=9569s] This is Kevin Trotman N5PRE. (ARISS, KENYA SPACE AGENCY) ** HAM STATION HONORS BRAZILIAN PRIEST AS RADIO PIONEER JIM/ANCHOR: Amateur radio station PR2LL went on the air late last month in Sao Paulo, Brazil, a fitting tribute to a radio pioneer who was both a man of God and a man of science. We have more details from Jeremy Boot G4NJH. JEREMY: Even as Guglielmo Marconi was busy making headlines with his early experiments in radiotelegraphy, a Brazilian priest named Father Roberto Landell de Moura held fast to his belief in the power of radiotelephony, the wireless transmission of the human voice. The priest's successful work advanced wireless communications at the turn of the 20th century. On the 25th of July, hams in his native Brazil celebrated his legacy with the inauguration of the Landell de Moura Memorial and its permanent on-site amateur radio station. The radio shack installation was the work of many members of the Sao Paulo chapter of the Liga de Amadores Brasileiros de Rádio Emissão, Brazil's amateur radio society, It is located inside a carefully curated memorial conceived and maintained by the priest's great-grandnephew, Sylvio Landell de Moura, It contains an array of educational displays of his inventions, patents and other scientific accomplishments. The memorial's ham radio curator is Edson, PY2FWM, a member of LABRE-Sao Paulo. On inauguration day, the priest's unwavering vision of radio telephony and all its possibilities was alive and evident: The hams' QSOs included a 40-metre contact with Father Casimiro, PY5ZHP in Curitiba, southern Brazil; and a chat with Peter, KP2US, the donor of the station's equipment, who was contacted in Florida, USA, using DMR. This is Jeremy Boot G4NJH. (BILL PY2BIL, LANDELL DE MOURA WEBSITE) JIM/ANCHOR: To learn more about the memorial and to have a look inside visit the website, which is bilingual. The link appears in the text version of this week's newscast at arnewsline.org [DO NOT READ www.landelldemoura.org site ] ** SCHOOL FOR DEAF IN PAKISTAN HOSTS EMERGENCY RADIO TRAINING JIM/ANCHOR: For the first time, a school for the deaf in Pakistan has received emergency radio training, thanks to amateur radio. Jim Meachen ZL2BHF has those details. JIM: The training session conducted in late July was a first for the Pakistan Amateur Radio Society. Although the national ham radio organisation fulfills its role frequently at universities by giving instruction in emergency communications and preparedness, this workshop was different. The instructor, Asad Ullah Marwat, AP2AUM, worked with managers, administrators and other team members at a social services group known as Deaf Reach, which assists deaf and hearing-impaired children and adults throughout Pakistan. Asad, the ham society's vice president, told Newsline that the training combined classroom instruction with practical demonstrations that included the setup of an off-grid, solar-powered communications network.The lessons were designed to help those at the school coordinate their emergency communications and make vital decisions during a crisis. Asad told Newsline that because 10 of the 90 participants were deaf, training was also given in Morse Code through the use of lights - something that he said really sparked interest during the workshop. He said that there are plans to provide training to the students. Deaf Reach was established in 1989 as an educational and vocational programme of the charitable organisation, the Family Educational Services Foundation. This is Jim Meachen ZL2BHF. (ASAD ULLAH MARWAT, AP2AUM, DEAF REACH) JIM/ANCHOR: Asad told Newsline that he attributed much of the success of the workshop to Ali Raza, a shortwave listener who is a member of the Pakistan Amateur Radio Society. He said Ali arranged for all the material and equipment to be available and was present throughout the program. ** TEN-YEAR-OLD YL CELEBRATES CQ DX MARATHON CHAMPIONSHIP JIM/ANCHOR: A 10-year-old girl in Indonesia, who received her amateur radio license in July of 2024, has been declared the World Youth Champion among operators 14 and younger who participated in the CQ DX Marathon Program. Jason Daniels has the details. JASON: Announcing the championship achievement of Nahla Aila Varisha, YD1NAV, the administrators of the CQ DX Marathon Program said [quote] "her accomplishment demonstrates that age is no barrier to success in amateur radio and international DXing." [endquote] Nahla, who is 10 years old, is being recognised for her achievements throughout 2025, in which she worked the most DXCC entities and CQ Zones during the 12-month period. She will receive a Youth Winner plaque, which is being sponsored by Ann, WA1S of the Young Ladies Radio League. This award to an especially young operator is one of numerous awards conferred during this annual operating event. The committee said that it hoped Nahla's accomplishment would inspire other youngsters. This is Jason Daniels VK2LAW. (CQ DX MARATHON AWARD) ** RADIO D A R C MARKS 600TH EPISODE JIM/ANCHOR: We at Newsline offer our congratulations to Radio D A R C, the weekly news program produced by Germany's national amateur radio society. Radio D A R C has released show number 600. Listeners throughout Europe and the Middle East are able to hear the music and news broadcast via the program's primary distribution medium, good old fashioned Shortwave Broadcast AM, transmitted out of England and Germany. The show can also be heard on local FM or DAB+stations as well as via a podcast ** BREAK HERE: Time for you to identify your station. We are the Amateur Radio Newsline, heard on bulletin stations around the world, including the KJ3LR repeater in Bradenton Florida at 10 pm local time on Fridays. ** SATURDAY MEET-UPS TO CONNECT RADIO TO HISTORICALLY BLACK CAMPUSES JIM/ANCHOR: The OMIK [OH MIKE] Amateur Radio Association will be meeting on Saturdays on both Echolink and Zoom to continue the group's initiative to build connections with Historically Black College and Universities throughout the United States. The weekly sessions will be at 1800 UTC, which is 2 p.m. Eastern Time. Guests are encouraged to attend to help OMIK [OH MIKE] fulfill its commitment to the campuses, faculty, students and friends and to support amateur radio and STEM activities on the various campuses. Hams can check in via the Echolink conference at Node 9 9 6 3 0 5. Guests who are not yet licensed amateurs can check into Zoom using the room number and passcode that appears in the text version of this week's newscast script at arnewsline.org [DO NOT READ: Zoom 812 4356 8803 Passcode: Quad2026 ] (JESSE ALEXANDER, WB2IFS) ** AMAZON EYES SATELLITE SERVICE FOR SMARTPHONES JIM/ANCHOR: In its latest filing with the US Federal Communications Commission, Amazon has become the latest company hoping to join the field of providers offering direct-to-device smartphone services. Kent Peterson KCØDGY brings us up to date. KENT: Using a constellation of more than 5,000 low-earth orbit satellites, Amazon is looking to provide global mobile network services, delivering direct-to-device connection via the Globalstar spectrum. The company has filed an application with the FCC, seeking approval for use of spectrum bands at 1.6 GHz and 2.4 GHz for mobile phones and the Internet of Things devices. Satellite tracking, control and telemetry, as well as links to gateways, would be provided via the Ka- and V-band spectrum. The filing on July 24th was made on behalf of what is called the Amazon Leo D2D System and has a primary purpose of filling in gaps in areas where terrestrial coverage does not exist. In a deal announced in April and expected to close in 2027, Amazon will be acquiring Globalstar for $11 billion. In the US, the UK and Europe, increasing numbers of providers are rolling out direct-to-device capability. Carriers currently covering the US include Verizon and T-Mobile. This is Kent Peterson KCØDGY. (SPACENEWS.COM, AMAZON, CNET) ** GOVERNMENT GRANTS ACCESS FOR TOKELAU DXPEDITION JIM/ANCHOR: The DXpedition to Tokelau has been given access to the island territory this November from the government, as we learn from Jim Meachen ZL2BHF. JIM: The Tokelau DXpedition team has received the necessary written permission to bring the team to the New Zealand island territory in November. The Perseverance DX Group and the Western Washington DX Club made the announcement in late July, saying that plans are going forward for the 14-day activation on the atoll, where the operators will be on the HF bands using CW, SSB, RTTY and FT8 in fox/hound mode. This will be the first DXpedition to Tokelau since the ZK3A activation in 2019. Organisers said that they are now coordinating with the government to handle the logistics for sleep and meal accommodation as well as their operating location. A callsign has not yet been announced. Tokelau is about 480 kilometres, or 300 miles, north of Samoa. This is Jim Meachen ZL2BHF. (TOKELAU DXPEDITION TEAM) ** WORLD OF DX In the World of DX, The team of operators with the callsign C37EME is using EME to make QSOs from the Principality of Andorra through to August 10th. Lance, W7GJ, will be on a 6-metre EME DXpedition using the callsign H44GJ from Lola Island, IOTA Number OC-149, in the Solomon Islands from the 28th of August through to the 11th of September. He will be monitoring 50.313 and using FT8 occasionally. Listen for Eric, K9GY, is using the callsign C6AYM from Eleuthera, IOTA Number NA-001, in the Bahamas through to the 10th of August. Eric is using CW on 80-6 metres and will be active in the CW portion of the WAE DX Contest on the 8th and 9th of August. Jacek, SP5APW, will be using the callsign 3W9C from Hon Son/Hon Rai, IOTA Number AS-128, in Vietnam from the 4th through to the 12th of September. He will be using SSB and FT8 on 20, 15, and 10 metres but his primary operation will be on 6 metres. For additional operating information about these stations or for their QSL details visit QRZ.com. (425 DX BULLETIN) ** KICKER: CAMPERS IN AUSTRIAN ALPS REACH NEW HEIGHTS JIM/ANCHOR: There are few amateur radio experiences that are higher than even a SOTA summit in the Austrian Alps - and the youthful participants in the recent Youngsters on the Air camp in Region 1 got to experience both, as we hear from Dave Lee M9TLB.". DAVE: By bus, by hiking and even by cable car, young campers representing 29 countries enjoyed a view from the Austrian Alps and a taste of activating Summits on the Air on the 31st of July, after almost a full week of a Youngsters on the Air camp. They field-tested the QRP rigs they had built in a workshop and they simply took in the panorama, some 2,000 metres above sea level. Although they found the vistas breathtaking, the highest-altitude experience during their week at the camp was already behind them: Two days earlier, the 94 campers made contact with astronaut Sophie Adenot, KJ5LTN, aboard the International Space Station with the help of the VK1 ISS telebridge station in Australia. Their camp stay included a visit from another prominent figure - this time, back home on Earth: Hans Summers, GØUPL, founder of QRP Labs, spent time guiding the campers in a workshop where they built his company's QMX+ transceivers. Campers spent their final day fox-hunting in search of five hidden transmitters with the help of the Austrian ARDF team. Perhaps too, with a full week of YOTA behind them, the campers also found something else: a bigger place in the world of amateur radio. This is Dave Lee M9TLB. (YOUNGSTERS ON THE AIR, OK2YLQ BLOG) ** NEWSCAST CLOSE With thanks to Asad Ullah Marwat, AP2AUM; Amateur Radio Daily, Amazon; AMSAT News; ARISS; ARRL; Bill, PY2BIL; CNET; CQ DX Marathon Award; David Behar, K7DB; Deaf Reach; 425DX News; Jesse Alexander, WB2IFS; Kenya Space Agency; Landell de Moura website; OK2YLQ Blog; QRZ.com; shortwaveradio.de; SpaceNews; Tokelau DXpedition Team; Wireless Institute of Australia; Youngsters on the Air; 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. Amateur Radio Newsline(tm) is Copyright 2026. Amateur Radio Newsline retains ownership of its material even when retransmitted elsewhere. All rights are reserved.