Administrative Council of the International Amateur Radio Union

1. The seventeenth meeting of the Administrative Council of the International Amateur Radio Union convened at 1405 local time Saturday, 13 September 1997 at the Catic Plaza Hotel, Beijing, China, with President Richard L. Baldwin, W1RU, in the Chair. Also present were the following members: Michael J. Owen, VK3KI, Vice President; Larry E. Price, W4RA, Secretary; Louis van de Nadort, PA0LOU, Chairman, and Wojciech Nietyksza, SP5FM, Vice Chairman, IARU Region 1; Thomas B. J. Atkins, VE3CDM, President, and Pedro Seidemann, YV5BPG, Secretary, IARU Region 2; and Young-Soon Park, HL1IFM, and Yoshiji Sekido, JJ1OEY, Directors, IARU Region 3. There were also present, at the invitation of the Council, Hans Ehlers, DF5UG, member, Executive Committee, IARU Region 1; Reinaldo Szama, LU2AH, Vice President, IARU Region 2; David A. Wardlaw, VK3ADW, Director-elect, IARU Region 3; R. E. Knowles, ZL1BAD, IARU Monitoring System International Coordinator; and David Sumner, K1ZZ, Executive Vice President and Secretary, American Radio Relay League, and Paul Rinaldo, W4RI, Technical Relations Manager, American Radio Relay League, for the International Secretariat.

2. The Chair noted the attendance for the first time of Mr. Ehlers and advised the observers that they were welcome to participate in all discussions, but not in the decisions of the Council. The Chair then asked that a moment of silence be observed for Carl L. Smith, W0BWJ, Alfred Müller, DL1FL, Edward P. Tilton, W1HDQ, and other radio amateurs who had passed away since the previous meeting of the Council.

3. The following agenda for the meeting was adopted:

Agenda

1. Opening of meeting by the President

2. Introduction of all present and Moment of Silence

3. Approval of Agenda of meeting

4. Reports of the officers

4.1 Report of the President - Mr. Baldwin
4.2 Report of the Vice President - Mr. Owen
4.3 Report of the Secretary - Mr. Price

16. Adjournment

Without dissent, it was agreed that the report of Mr. Knowles, listed as item 10.1, would be received after item 5.

4. Reports of the officers

4.1. Mr. Baldwin referred to his written report, which listed his travel on behalf of the IARU since the 1996 meeting of the Council. In November 1996 Mr. Baldwin went to Tokyo to take part in the 75th anniversary celebration of the Japan Amateur Radio League. In March 1997 he went to Durban, South Africa, to take part in an African Development Program seminar. The following month he attended the meeting of the IARU Region 1 Executive Committee in Stratford-upon-Avon, England.

4.2. Mr. Owen distributed his written report. His primary IARU activity has been to chair the Future of the Amateur Service Committee (FASC). Mr. Owen announced that he would not be available for renomination for another term as Vice President. He expressed his concern that an aging group is leading the IARU, and that the involvement of younger people is a necessary investment for the future. To achieve that, it is important that the responsibilities not be structured so that only retirees have the time to perform them. He said it was extraordinarily important that the Amateur Service continue to speak with one voice, as has been observed by ITU Radiocommunication Bureau Director Bob Jones, and expressed his satisfaction at how well the IARU has responded to ITU restructuring.

4.3. Mr. Price elaborated on his written report, which summarized the work of the International Secretariat and spoke of the order of priority of the work facing the Council in the coming years. He stressed that spectrum allocation matters were of the highest priority, and that the IARU should not be distracted from its basic mission; action on IARU restructuring could and should be deferred until the ITU completes its own restructuring. He called attention to the Action Plan for Africa submitted by the International Secretariat as an alternative to the report of the Africa Development Committee, which was not accepted by the Council.

5. Reports from the regional organizations

5.1. Mr. Atkins elaborated on the written report of Region 2, which consisted of the minutes of its recent Executive Committee meeting and its report to the Region 3 Conference. Progress has been slow toward widespread implementation of the International Amateur Radio Permit. Little input has been provided by Region 2 societies in response to the FASC papers, despite translation of the discussion document into Spanish.

5.2. Mr. van de Nadort introduced the three-page (with 33 pages of annexes) written report of Region 1, in which recent developments are reviewed. Region 1 is involved in CEPT Working Groups, and is represented as follows: in Radio Regulatory by John Bazley, G3HCT, and Frequency Management by Mr. Nietyksza, both on a regular basis and in some of their sub-bodies on a case-by-case basis; and in Spectrum Engineering by Julian Gannaway, G3YGF, on a case-by-case basis. Mr. van de Nadort referred to Mr. Bazley's written report to the Region 3 Conference in which the results of the FASC discussions throughout Region 1 are reviewed. He referred also to European EMC and Standardization legislation which has triggered some amateur concern and in which the Region 1 EMC and EUROCOM Working Groups are involved. He also reviewed briefly developments in Africa, highlighted the progress in the Region 1 African Development Program (ADP) and especially emphasized the Memorandum of Understanding now signed between IARU Region 1 and the Pan African Telecommunication Union (PATU).

Attached to the Region 1 report is an extensive Spectrum Summary, with attachments, prepared and introduced by Mr. Nietyksza for the purpose of sharing Region 1 experiences with the Administrative Council and the other Regions. Mr. Nietyksza pinpointed the elements of IARU global strategy that had been achieved in Region 1: the CEPT-wide Recommendation to allocate a narrow segment in the low-frequency (LF) range to the Amateur Service on a secondary basis; the Region 1 presentation at a civil-military spectrum management forum; and progress in the formation of the European Allocations Table.

5.3. Mr. Park presented a brief oral report on behalf of Region 3, noting that everyone present had participated in the just-concluded Region 3 Conference.

At this point, the report of the International Coordinator of the IARU Monitoring System was received from Mr. Knowles (agenda item 10.1). His report consisted of a six-page written report distributed earlier, and a one-page supplement distributed in Beijing. Mr. Knowles said it would be desirable for the IARU M/S participants to receive letters of thanks from an IARU officer. He observed that it would be desirable for a Deputy Coordinator to be appointed to ensure continuity. He asked for clarification of how action should be taken when a Monitoring System matter straddles regions. Mr. Owen called attention to Resolution 91-1. After discussion of a recent instance in which the appropriateness of traffic between two amateur stations using an amateur satellite had been questioned, Mr. Baldwin announced that he would appoint a Monitoring System Review Committee "to review the terms of reference of the IARU Monitoring System and make such suggestions as they may deem appropriate." The committee will consider the question of a Deputy Coordinator. Mr. Knowles departed the meeting at 1550.

6. Reports of IARU participation in ITU meetings during the preceding year

Mr. Price led the discussion.

6.1. ITU-R Working Party 8D, 29 October - 8 November 1996. Mr. Price represented the IARU at this meeting. Working Party 8D is of special interest because it is responsible for low-Earth orbit satellites including the so-called "Little LEOs" below 1 GHz. Little LEOs are hungry for additional spectrum, and their requirements are on the agenda for WRC-97.

6.2. Mr. Price also represented the IARU at the meetings of the Joint Working Party on Refinement and the Radiocommunication Advisory Group, 10 - 15 March 1997. These groups are playing important roles in defining the future evolution of the ITU. Under the present ITU Convention, the IARU is one of very few international organizations that is invited to participate in Radiocommunication Conferences but not in the Plenipotentiary Conference. Admission to Plenipotentiary Conferences would be desirable, but is not as high a priority as maintaining our ability to participate in Radiocommunication Conferences. At the present time the ITU Council has exempted the IARU from payment of a contribution toward ITU expenses, but the ITU budget is always a concern and it may become more difficult to maintain the exemption. In response to a question, Mr. Price said that if such a contribution was required it might be on the order of $50,000 per year.

6.3. The Conference Preparatory Meeting for WRC-97, 5 - 16 May 1997, was large and lengthy and provided a preview of WRC-97. Working together, Mr. H. Ono, JA1BU, of the JARL staff and delegation of Japan, Mr. Rinaldo of the ARRL staff and delegation of the United States, and Mr. Price on behalf of the IARU, with assistance from other delegations including Australia, were able to effect some modest improvements in the CPM report.

6.4. ITU-R Study Group 8 met 9 - 12 June 1997. Mr. Price again attended for IARU. A Chairman's Paper that had addressed the possibility of creating a new Task Group for Article S25, in anticipation of its being on the WRC-99 agenda, was not adopted on the grounds that it was premature. The issue may be dealt with via a Correspondence Group.

Mr. Nietyksza observed that when IARU representatives are being registered for an ITU conference or meeting, their home addresses should be given in order to emphasize the international nature of the organization.

The Council was in recess from 1700 until 0838 Sunday, 14 September.

7. Discussion of IARU participation in future ITU meetings

Draft IARU delegation position papers for WRC-97 had been prepared by the International Secretariat. After review, these positions were accepted as instructions to the IARU WRC-97 delegation, subject to updating by the International Secretariat as new information becomes available.

7.1. Mr. Price will represent the IARU at the Radiocommunication Assembly, 20 - 24 October 1997. Messrs. Price, Nietyksza, and Owen were initially selected as the IARU representatives for WRC-97. It was agreed that Tafa Diop, 6W1KI, Abdi Al-Shahwarzi, A41JT, and Eduardo Estrada, HC2EE, are authorized to serve as additional IARU representatives for training purposes, at regional expense and to the extent that their personal schedules permit. The IARU will host a reception on 6 November on the top floor of the ITU Tower.

At this point the Chair named the following to serve as the Monitoring System Review Committee, created the previous day during the discussion of agenda item 10.1: Messrs. Seidemann (chairman), Ehlers, and Sekido.

7.2. The ITU meeting schedule for 1998 is tentative at this time and will be the subject of further work at the meeting of Chairmen and Vice Chairmen (CVC) following WRC-97. Mr. Price has been designated to represent the IARU at meetings of the Radiocommunication Advisory Group (RAG), 12 - 16 January; Study Group 8 Working Parties 8B and 8D, 9 - 20 March; Working Parties 8A, 8B, and 8D, 23 November - 2 December; and Study Group 8, 3 December.

IARU representation at meetings of Task Group 1/5 will be considered when the full schedule of meetings is known. Mr. van de Nadort noted that Peter Chadwick, G3RZP, has already attended a meeting of TG 1/5 as a member of the United Kingdom delegation and has identified possible problems for the Amateur Service, particularly with regard to spurious emissions standards above 30 MHz. Region 1 offered Mr. Chadwick's services as an expert.

7.3 Other ITU Meetings scheduled for 1998

7.3.1. IARU participation in the Second World Telecommunication Policy Forum (WTPF-98) was discussed. No recommendation for participation was made because the theme, "Trade in Telecommunications," is not closely related to our objectives.

7.3.2. IARU participation in the Second World Telecommunication Development Conference (WTDC-98) in Malta, 23 March - 1 April, was discussed. Mr. Price expressed the opinion that a four-person delegation as had been sent to Buenos Aires in 1994 is larger than necessary for WTDC-98. The International Secretariat has budgeted for attendance by two persons. After discussion, it was agreed that one of the two should be Tafa Diop, 6W1KI, and that the second person would be named later. Region 1 may send a third representative at its own expense; Regions 2 and 3 do not plan to send representatives.

7.3.3. The ITU Council meets 20 - 29 May. The IARU does not attend Council meetings as they are reserved for administrations. The results of this Council meeting are expected to include important inputs to the Plenipotentiary Conference.

7.3.4. The 1998 ITU Plenipotentiary Conference (PP-98) is scheduled for Minneapolis, 12 October - 6 November. The ARRL has formed a planning committee to arrange an exhibition amateur radio station, courtesy licensing for delegates who are licensed amateurs, and social events. As noted earlier in the discussion of agenda item 6.2, the ITU Convention has no specific provision under which the IARU would receive an invitation to participate.

7.3.5. Monitoring of ITU Telecommunication Standardization Sector (ITU-T) meetings is being accomplished by means other than attendance by IARU representatives. The next World Telecommunication Standardization Conference (WTSC) is scheduled for the year 2000.

7.4. TELECOMs

7.4.1. The only TELECOM scheduled for 1998 is the Africa TELECOM and Forum in Johannesburg, 4 - 10 May. Hans van de Groenendaal, ZS5AKV, is organizing participation on behalf of IARU Region 1.

7.4.2. The International Secretariat is responsible for organizing participation in TELECOM 99 in Geneva. Mr. Ehlers has agreed to assist with on-site arrangements with local amateurs. New brochures in at least four languages, English, French, Spanish and Arabic, will be needed by then; Tafa Diop, 6W1KI, Mr. Seidemann, and Abdi Al-Shahwarzi, A41JT, have volunteered to take care of the translations. Several hotel rooms have already been reserved for IARU use during the TELECOM.

7.5. Mr. Price presented a paper on how the IARU can develop support for amateur positions at WRC-99. He proposed making the IARU delegation responsible to the Administrative Council for IARU preparations for WRC-99. At the request of Mr. van de Nadort, the chairman deferred discussion until after consideration of the revision of the Strategic Plan (agenda item 9.2).

8. Reports by Chairmen of IARU Ad Hoc Committees

8.1. Mr. Owen reported on behalf of the Future of the Amateur Service Committee (FASC). Following the Region 1 Conference, a second report following release of the April 1996 discussion paper was prepared and distributed. Now that the Region 3 Conference has provided additional input, a third report is in preparation and will be released shortly. Some members of the Administrative Council expressed concern about possible misinterpretations that might arise from making IARU discussion documents available on the World Wide Web; some contents of such documents, if taken out of context and misrepresented as IARU policy, could cause confusion. Other members expressed the view that public discussion of evolving IARU policy is healthy and constructive.

The Council was in recess for luncheon from 1200 to 1405.

8.2. The report of the 7 MHz Strategy Committee was generated by the Secretary at the request of the committee. Fred Johnson, ZL2AMJ, is Chairman. Mr. Sekido noted that the Region 3 Conference strongly supported the objective of a 300 kHz minimum worldwide allocation. Mr. Nietyksza called attention to paragraph 7 of the minutes of the 5 April 1997 meeting of the committee, where it is observed that improved data communications techniques suitable for the HF environment may revive interest in HF fixed and mobile services. He also cited increasing demand for HF spectrum from the Aeronautical (OR) and other military users as evidence that further postponement of the 7 MHz issue at WRCs may not best serve the IARU objective.

8.3. The written report of the Beacon Challenge Committee, submitted by Chairman David Rankin, 9V1RH, was discussed. Mr. Price noted that the excellent work of the committee had been overtaken by events: amateurs have already begun to develop automatic monitoring mechanisms for the IARU/NCDXF beacon network, for example, an article by a German amateur in October 1997 QST and New Zealand's contribution, Document 23, to the Region 3 Conference. It was agreed that the Beacon Committee's work is considered complete and the members are thanked for their valuable contributions.

8.4. The written report of the Public Relations Initiative Committee (PRIcom), submitted by Chairman Hans van de Groenendaal, ZS5AKV, was discussed. The report noted that the committee has gotten off to a slow start. The President was instructed to contact the committee with the objective of revitalizing its work.

8.5. The report of the Ad Hoc Committee on Africa Development was distributed to the Administrative Council by Chairman Hans van de Groenendaal, ZS5AKV, on 31 March and discussed by electronic mail. Its adoption was not brought to a vote because representatives of each Region had indicated that they would vote against adoption.

Mr. Baldwin noted that the African Development Program training seminars, one in Abidjan and two in Durban, have trained 18 Amateur Radio Ambassadors for the task of explaining the benefits of amateur radio to administration officials. He said he would be contacting the Ambassadors to encourage them to put their training to use.

Mr. Price called attention to the two-volume Strategic Plan for the Development of Support for Amateur Radio that had been distributed with the meeting notebook. Volume 1 sets out the broad goals of the IARU; Volume 2 is an Action Plan for 1998-99 that concentrates on Africa. He noted that future Action Plans might have a different focus, but this is the focus that the International Secretariat is recommending for the next two years in order to have some effect prior to WRC-99. When the report of the Ad Hoc Committee on Africa Development did not find favor with the Administrative Council, the International Secretariat recognized an obligation to offer an alternative. Tafa Diop, 6W1KI, was invited to come to Newington as an expert on Africa; the Action Plan reflects his recommendations. Mr. Price said that the Action Plan can be incorporated within the existing budget of the International Secretariat for 1998-99 without additional regional contributions. If the Action Plan is adopted, he said, Region 1 should be urged to continue and renew its efforts through STARS and the Amateur Radio Ambassadors because these programs are complementary to the Action Plan. Carrying out the Action Plan will involve a number of individuals in Region 1. In closing, he reminded the Council that delegating the ongoing management of the Action Plan to the WRC-99 delegation would be a policy change for the IARU.

Mr. van de Nadort spoke in support of the Action Plan and expressed gratitude for the willingness of the International Secretariat to budget for specific actions in Africa to help Region 1. He recommended that the Action Plan be carried out as a joint venture between the WRC-99 team and Region 1.

Whereupon, it was agreed that the Strategic Plan for the Development of Support for Amateur Radio and its associated Action Plan for 1998-99 are approved with the understanding that implementation will be coordinated between the International Secretariat and IARU Region 1.

9. ITU and Regulatory Matters not previously discussed

9.1. Mr. Price introduced a one-page summary of the status of regional telecommunications organizations. CEPT has been important for several years. CITEL and APT are becoming forces to put forward the concerns of the administrations in their respective areas. PATU may someday play a similar role in Africa. He noted that it is becoming even more urgent that IARU have a clear set of objectives to be sought on a global basis, a coordinated strategy to achieve the global goals, the cooperation of the IARU regional organizations, adequate and effective representation in the activities of regional telecommunications organizations, and full and complete reporting of activities on a timely basis.

Mr. Seidemann expressed appreciation on behalf of Region 2 for the support of its efforts with CITEL that is being provided by the ARRL. Mr. Atkins noted that Region 2 has followed a strategy of involving several of its directors in CITEL liaison, to give everyone more experience.

Mr. van de Nadort and Mr. Nietyksza spoke on the importance of regional telecommunications organizations where common positions and policies are being developed by large groups of administrations prior to ITU conferences. Mr. Nietyksza reminded the Council that Region 1 deals with three of those, the third being the Organization of Arab States. He shared the experience from CEPT that effectiveness depends greatly on the credentials of the individual participant. Region 1 is seeking a way to introduce more representatives within the existing rules of procedures.

9.2. Revision of Strategic Plan. Action on this topic was completed under agenda item 8.5.

9.3. Review of IARU spectrum requirements and regional status. Six specific changes to the existing document dated October 1996 were proposed by the International Secretariat. The revisions were approved, subject to minor editorial amendments to be offered by Mr. Nietyksza, and the International Secretariat was requested to use them as the basis for modification of the October 1996 document.

9.4 Status of international licensing arrangements. A one-page summary of the status of such arrangements, prepared by the International Secretariat, was reviewed. CEPT Recommendation T/R 61-01 has been joined by administrations outside of Europe, notably Israel, Peru, New Zealand, and Canada. Action on participation by the USA is expected during 1998. In Region 2, Uruguay, USA, Venezuela, Canada, Argentina, Peru, and Trinidad & Tobago have become signatories for the International Amateur Radio Permit (IARP). The Memorandum of Understanding on GMPCS Roaming has been investigated as a model for a possible global international amateur licensing arrangement, but does not appear promising in that regard.

10. Consideration of Reports of International Coordinators and Liaison Officers

10.1. Action on the report of the IARU Monitoring System International Coordinator was completed earlier.

10.2. The written report of the IARU Beacon Project International Coordinator, Mr. John G. Troster, W6ISQ, was considered. Mr. Atkins reported that the VE8AT beacon now operating from Edmonton, Alberta, is to be moved to its ultimate location next spring or summer. He also noted that OA4B is now on the air. Mr. Sekido observed that during the Region 3 Conference there was no indication that a beacon would be activated in China any time soon. The Conference had recommended support for the International Beacon Project as resources permit.

10.3. The written report of the IARU Satellite Adviser, Hans van de Groenendaal, ZS5AKV, was accepted.

10.4. The written report of the IARU EMC Adviser, Christian M. Verholt, OZ8CY, was accepted.

10.5. Under provisions of Resolution 93-1, the following international coordinators and advisers were reappointed for the 1998 term: Monitoring System, Mr. Knowles; International Beacon Project, Mr. Troster; EMC Adviser, Mr. Verholt; Satellite Adviser, Mr. van de Groenendaal.

11. Organizational matters

11.1. In May, President Baldwin had circulated a discussion paper to the Council identifying what he perceived as structural problems in the IARU, largely related to financing. Mr. van de Nadort had asked that the subject be made a separate agenda item and had submitted a proposal, with the unanimous support of the Region 1 Executive Committee, to review the future financial viability of our organization by means of an ad hoc committee. Mr. Baldwin noted that Mr. Price had commented on this subject under agenda item 4.3, and had advocated not giving further consideration to IARU restructuring until the ITU has completed its restructuring.

Mr. Atkins said he was concerned that the IARU not divert any of its efforts into matters of internal structure until the immediate needs for the protection of the Amateur Services are met. Mr. van de Nadort responded that this is a joint responsibility of all member-societies, and the financial burden now is unfairly placed primarily on the International Secretariat; it is not too early to begin investigating the issue.

Mr. Nietyksza supported Mr. van de Nadort that indefinite postponement can hardly lead to improvements and may only create impatience. He said there should be an ongoing mechanism for giving a critical and constructive look at IARU structures and operations. Changes cannot happen overnight, but continuous review is needed so that appropriate changes, if any, can be initiated in the most appropriate time frame.

Mr. Seidemann supported Mr. Atkins. He noted that the International Secretariat is not requesting additional financial participation by others; that the regional organizations are properly concerning themselves with their own responsibilities for the defense of amateur radio in their regions; and that successful organizations do not make frequent adjustments to their internal procedures.

Mr. Owen noted that there was some risk of such a study being misinterpreted, and that timing was an important consideration.

Mr. van de Nadort expressed the view that the Council should be capable of providing leadership on more than just the defense of frequencies. The three different ways in which the regional organizations finance their affairs impedes our ability to act as a global organization, he said.

Mr. Sumner echoed Mr. Owen's earlier statement that the IARU has responded well to ITU restructuring. He observed that the financing of activities on behalf of amateur radio comes from individuals and flows through the member-societies. Most of it stays with the member-societies, who presently have their own problems with declining numbers of new amateurs and members. The resources that are available to the IARU in the future will depend on how well the member-societies cope with these problems.

Mr. Sekido confirmed that these problems have surfaced in Japan, where the effects of the Internet are being felt: young children can now be in touch with the world without amateur radio.

Mr. van de Nadort requested that a vote be taken on the proposal he had submitted.

Mr. Baldwin suggested that further discussion be deferred until the following day. This was agreed.

11.2. Mr. Sekido said there were no urgent matters requiring Council attention arising from the Region 3 Conference. He noted that the Chinese Radio Sports Association supports no change in the membership status of the Hong Kong Amateur Radio Transmitting Society. He also noted the presence at the conference of visitors from Vietnam. In response to a question, Mr. Price said that the status of the Hong Kong society was a regional matter; since Region 3 has no recommendation for a change there is no need for the Council to consider the matter.

11.3. Mr. Price presented a report on International Secretariat expenditures and regional contributions for 1996, a review of performance against the 1997 budget, and a three-year budget for 1998-2000 prepared by the International Secretariat. He emphasized that the summary of 1996 expenses does not include staff salaries or overhead. The proposed budget includes provision for financial contributions from the three regional organizations, per Resolution 91-3, to defray a portion of the expenses that are assumed by the International Secretariat beyond its constitutional obligation. The 1998-2000 budget plan was approved.

11.4. Operational matters

11.4.1. Growth of the Internet and implications for amateur radio. Mr. Price introduced a paper produced by the International Secretariat that concludes: "As more and more individuals come to have access to worldwide communication through the Internet, the unique nature of the Amateur Service will diminish.... As the boundaries between wired/wireless become meaningless from both a technical and a regulatory standpoint, the pressure on microwave spectrum is likely to increase dramatically." He observed that the ITU has embraced the Internet to the point of holding conferences and becoming a top-level domain name registrar. Manufacturers and publishers expect amateur radio to rebound with the return of sunspots, but there is reason to question whether the rebound will occur with as much vigor as in the past unless amateur radio can be made more attractive.

Mr. Nietyksza commented that the effects of the Internet are not being felt as strongly in areas where inexpensive local connections are not available. For a number of reasons, amateur radio continues to respond to a human need.

The Council was in recess from 1713 until 0832 Monday, 15 September, whereupon the discussion of the implications of the Internet was resumed. There followed a lengthy discussion of the perceived effects, both present and future, of the Internet and other emerging telecommunications technologies on amateur radio. A wide variety of views was expressed.

It was agreed that an Amateur Radio Outlook Committee be established in the light of changing technology and the Internet, to make recommendations as to the future growth and development of amateur radio. Mr. Baldwin appointed Mr. Atkins as chairman, with Messrs. Sekido and van de Nadort as additional members.

11.4.2. Mr. Price introduced a three-page paper on "Digital Technology and the Amateur Services." He observed that the emissions used in the Amateur Service have not changed much in 30 years, and that an Administrative Council resolution to promote the use of digital technology might be desirable. Whereupon, the following resolution was adopted:

RESOLUTION 97-1 The IARU Council, Beijing, September 1997, considering a) that radio amateurs have experimented with automatic digital communication techniques since the late 1940s; b) that amateurs developed equipment and protocols that made packet radio practical, particularly at VHF, for amateur services and other radio services both terrestrial and satellite; c) that amateur designers have taken TOR techniques beyond those for commercial services and developed efficient HF data communications systems; noting that the amateur services have been slow in developing digital voice, digital image and multimedia systems, resolves 1. to call to the attention of the regional organizations and member-societies the urgent need to promote development of amateur digital technology; 2. to urge technical clubs and individual amateurs to give attention to this need; 3. to recognize, encourage and reward such work; and 4. to request the International Secretariat to provide the Council with timely information about new developments in amateur digital communication.

The Council then returned to agenda item 11.1, where no consensus previously had been developed. Mr. Owen offered a draft resolution which served as the basis for further discussion. Ultimately, the following resolution was agreed:

RESOLUTION 97-2 The IARU Council, Beijing, September 1997, recognizing a) the need to review the structure of the IARU to ensure its long term viability and the need to investigate how the financial situation of the IARU can be improved; b) the complexity of the issues that may be relevant; c) the necessity to balance the importance of this task against the importance of not diverting effort from the other tasks presently facing the IARU which are of fundamental importance, resolves that as a first step and with the object of defining the issues and the approach appropriate to resolve the issues to provide a basis for the further consideration of this matter by this Council, all of the members of the Administrative Council and not more than three others designated by the President shall exchange papers raising the issues and options as each perceives them and then responding each to the other's views, this group to provide a preliminary report for the next meeting of this Council.

12.1 Review of resolutions and policies. Mr. Price noted that in the July 1997 edition of this working document of the Council, the terms of reference of the international coordinators and liaison officers have been included.

Mr. van de Nadort noted for the record that the Region 1 Conference in Tel-Aviv did not ratify Policy #3, item F, regarding the exclusive responsibility of the Council to ensure proper liaison with amateur radio groups outside the IARU organization.

Policy #4 concerning Administrative Council voting procedures by electronic mail was discussed, but no changes in the policy were adopted.

Mr. Nietyksza requested that the wording of Policy #2, point 1, be considered later in the meeting.

13. Other business

13.1. Mr. Price conveyed the invitation of ARRL President Rod Stafford, KB6ZV, to consider holding the Council meeting in the year 2000 in Dayton, Ohio, just before the ARRL National Convention/Dayton Hamvention. Council members expressed appreciation for the invitation but postponed consideration until the 1998 meeting.

13.2. Mr. Price called attention to the "Census of Amateurs & Amateur Stations of the World" prepared periodically by the International Secretariat. He asked how the document could be made more helpful. The following was agreed:

1. When a member-society does not supply updated information the International Secretariat should request this information from them, sending a copy of the request to the regional secretary.

2. When information supplied by a member-society is obviously obsolete, it should be replaced with the best available information from other sources along with a notation that it comes from an independent source.

3. For countries where there are radio amateurs but no member-society, the best available information from other sources should be included with a suitable notation.

4. The name of the "Census" should be changed to something like "Status Summary of Radio Amateurs & Amateur Stations of the World."

Mr. Nietyksza expressed a desire that information be collected regarding the cost of an amateur license and the cost of membership in the national member-society.

13.3. World Amateur Radio Day

13.3.1. The theme for World Amateur Radio Day, 19 September 1998, was set as: "Amateur Radio: Communicating Worldwide for Three Quarters of a Century." This theme is in honor of the first two-way transoceanic amateur radio contact, 27 November 1923, between French station 8AB and American stations 1XAM and 1MO. This contact was quickly followed by many others and ushered in the "short wave era."

13.3.2. The most appropriate date on which to observe World Amateur Radio Day had been discussed over a period of years. It was agreed that beginning with the year 2000, which will mark the 75th anniversary of the founding of the IARU, World Amateur Radio Day will return to its original date of 18 April to coincide with this anniversary.

Returning to agenda item 12.1, Mr. Nietyksza suggested amending Policy #2. However, after discussion, the following statement was agreed: "Having carefully reviewed Policy #2 (1993) concerning responsibility for representation at ITU meetings with a special view toward the method of implementation of point 1 regarding IARU participation in World meetings, the Council reaffirms that appropriate consultation with the regional organizations shall take place." During the course of this discussion, the Council was in recess for luncheon from 1218 to 1256.

Returning to agenda item 7.3.2, it was agreed that in addition to the two representatives to the WTDC to be funded by the International Secretariat, Region 1 may at its own expense send Hans Welens, ON6WQ, to participate in the IARU delegation.

13.4. IARU HF World Championship. Mr. van de Nadort proposed that in addition to IARU headquarters stations, contacts with Administrative Council and regional Executive Committee members also count as multipliers. This was agreed.

14. It was agreed that the next meeting of the Council will take place beginning at 1400 local time Saturday, 3 October 1998, in Venezuela, to conclude by the early afternoon on Monday, 5 October. Mr. Sekido announced that the representatives of Region 3 designated to attend that meeting are himself and Mr. Wardlaw, with Fred Johnson, ZL2AMJ, as observer.

Mr. van de Nadort expressed the appreciation of the group for the detailed preparation by the International Secretariat that helped the meeting proceed smoothly. It was agreed that a letter of thanks and appreciation should be sent to the Chinese Radio Sports Association in recognition of their excellent support of the meeting.

15. A draft news release describing the meeting was reviewed, revised, and adopted.

16. There being no further business, the meeting was adjourned at 1546 local time.

Respectfully submitted,

Larry E. Price, W4RA
Secretary