The Calendar
| The Year in Review: Growth, Opportunities, and Challenges for the IARU |
The growth of the International Amateur Radio Union in Region 1 continued unabated in 1996 with the election of five more member-societies. In January 1996, we welcomed the Uganda Amateur Radio Society and the Club des Radioamateurs et Affiliés du Mali. In August, the Tanzania Amateur Radio Club and the Association Radio Amateurs of Moldova joined our ranks. Then, in September the Tajik Amateur Radio League was admitted.
In 1996 it was the turn of Region 1 to hold its triennial regional conference. The Israel Amateur Radio Club hosted in Tel-Aviv, with great success, the first Region 1 Conference to be held outside of Europe. Tel-Aviv was also the site of the year's meeting of the IARU Administrative Council.
All of the action was by no means in Region 1. Region 2 participated very successfully in the ITU TELECOM of the Americas and in the accompanying forum, which offered an opportunity to explain Amateur Radio's disaster communications capabilities. Region 3 held its executive committee meeting in Beijing, a precursor to the 1997 Region 3 Conference in that city.
The IARU continued its important function of representing the Amateur and Amateur-Satellite Services at various ITU meetings and conferences. During 1996, this included (in Geneva unless otherwise indicated) the Conference Preparatory Meeting (CPM) for WRC-97 and WRC-99, held February 12 - 14 and attended by Wojciech Nietyksza, SP5FM; the Joint Meeting of the Telecommunication Standardization Advisory Group (TASG) and the Radiocommunication Advisory Group (RAG), held February 21 and attended by Larry Price, W4RA; the RAG, held February 19-23 and also attended by Mr. Price; the Special Committee on Regulatory/Procedural Matters (SC), held February 26-27 and also attended by Mr. Price; ITU-R Task Group 1/3 on spurious emission limits, held in Paris April 1-4 and attended by Region 3 Secretary Keigo Komuro, JA1KAB, as a member of the delegation of Japan; ITU-R Task Group 8-2 on wind profiler radar systems, held May 20-24 and attended by Region 2 EC member Frank Butler, W4RH; the African Regional Telecommunication Development Conference (AF-RTDC), held in Abidjan May 6-10 and attended by Tafa Diop, 6W1KI, Jean-Jacques Niava, TU2OP, Philippe Vieira, TU2UR, and Hans Welens, ON6WQ, on behalf of IARU Region 1; TELECOM of the Americas, held in Rio de Janeiro in June and attended by the IARU Region 2 Executive Committee and by Mr. Price; and ITU-R Study Group 8 and its Working Parties, held October 28-November 8 and attended by Mr. Price.
Several committees created by the Administrative Council either began or continued important work during the year, as reported elsewhere in this Calendar or in the Summary Record of the Tel-Aviv meeting of the Administrative Council.
The rate of change in the telecommunications world is accelerating. The ITU has restructured itself in an effort to remain relevant, but restructuring is proving to be a continuing process; the IARU must work hard to keep pace. WRC-97, WRC-99, and subsequent conferences offer challenges that will require our best efforts in the coming year and beyond. The IARU offers the best means for radio amateurs throughout the world to work to protect the Amateur and Amateur-Satellite Services as we enter the new millenium.
| Administrative Council Meets in Tel-Aviv |
The IARU Administrative Council met in Tel-Aviv, Israel, October 6-8, 1996. The meeting took place after the IARU Region 1 Conference. The Summary Record of the meeting is enclosed with this Calendar. Here is a summary of the actions taken:
The members of the Administrative Council are IARU President W1RU, Vice President VK3KI, Secretary W4RA, and regional representatives PA0LOU, SP5FM, VE3CDM, YV5BPG, 9M2SS, and HL1IFM. Additional regional observers invited to be present were 6W1KI, ZS5AKV, VP9IM, and JJ1OEY.
| IARU President Emeritus Noel B. Eaton, VE3CJ, SK |
IARU President Emeritus Noel B. Eaton, VE3CJ, died at his home in Waterdown, Ontario, Canada, early on the morning of September 28, 1996. He was 86. A memorial service for family and friends was held October 9 in Waterdown.
First licensed in 1937 (although he had built his first receiver in 1922), Noel was not only an active radio amateur, usually on the air every afternoon keeping schedules with some of his many friends, but he was intensely interested in the organizational side of amateur radio. At various times he served as president of the Hamilton Amateur Radio Club and as president of the Ontario Amateur Radio Federation. He was well known for operating from the Cayman Islands, first as VP5BP and later as ZF1BP. During his travels on behalf of the IARU he held licenses or reciprocal operating permits in more than a dozen countries.
Noel was a Royal Canadian Air Force Chief Signals Officer during World War II, retiring from military service with the rank of Wing Commander. A graduate of the University of Manchester, England, with a bachelor of science degree in Textile Technology, he retired from business in 1959 as President and General Manager of the Eaton Knitting Company, Ltd., of Hamilton, Ontario, and became Director of the Canadian Division of the ARRL, which at that time represented the radio amateurs of Canada, in 1960. He became a Vice President of the ARRL and President of the IARU in 1974 and was the League's first International Affairs Vice President, holding that post in parallel with his IARU office until his retirement from both positions in 1982.
Noel was the first President of the IARU from outside the United States. He led the successful IARU team at WARC-79 and it was at his initiative that a number of meetings held during and immediately after WARC-79 resulted in a new constitution and structure for the IARU.
IARU President Richard L. Baldwin, W1RU, observes that when anyone who knew Noel Eaton thinks of him, the phrase that comes to mind is "true gentleman." IARU Region 2 President Tom Atkins, VE3CDM, adds that Noel was "a highly respected and widely known personality in the international Amateur Radio community."
| Past IARU Vice President Carl L. Smith, W0BWJ, SK |
Carl L. Smith, W0BWJ, of Denver, Colorado, USA, died January 9, 1997, following a long illness. Carl was a member of the IARU team at WARC-79 and served as Vice President of the IARU from 1980 to 1983.
| Public Relations Initiative, Beacon Challenge Committees Formed |
At its October 1996 meeting in Tel-Aviv, the Administrative Council adopted a public relations initiative proposed by the Communications Planning Committee. Accordingly, a permanent Public Relations Committee of the IARU has been established.
IARU President Richard L. Baldwin, W1RU, has appointed the following individuals to serve on this committee, which for convenience shall be known as PRICOM (Public Relations Initiative Committee): Hans van de Groenendaal, ZS5AKV, chairman; Tom Atkins, VE3CDM; Hans Ehlers, DF5UG; David Rankin, VK3QV/9V1RH; Ray Soifer, W2RS; Dick Baldwin, W1RU, ex officio.
The prime objective of PRICOM is to ensure that amateurs in general and the member-societies of IARU have a better understanding of the strategic role that IARU plays in the protection of the Amateur and Amateur-Satellite Services.
The Administrative Council also adopted various recommendations of the Beacon Committee, including the following item: "To encourage new technical initiatives within the IARU Beacon Project, the IARU issues a challenge to the amateur community at large to develop a 'receive only' recording system with a suitable prize offered for the best design."
Accordingly, Mr. Baldwin has formed a Beacon Challenge Committee under the chairmanship of David Rankin, VK3QV/9V1RH. The committee is in the process of being staffed; the other members will be announced at a later date. The committee's work will be a two-step process. First, they will establish some guidelines for the challenge and will suggest an appropriate prize to be awarded for the best design. Once the guidelines and the nature of the prize (including agreement on any funding that may be necessary) have been agreed to by the Administrative Council, the committee will proceed with the necessary publicity to implement the challenge.
| FASC Seeks Further Input |
The IARU Future of the Amateur Service Committee (FASC) has released its first report, which has served as the basis for the discussion of WRC-99 issues at the Region 1 Conference in Tel-Aviv.
The FASC desires additional input from member-societies. If you have not already done so, please review the discussion paper that accompanied Calendar No. 171 as well as the report that is enclosed with this Calendar.
| Tanzania, Moldova Admitted to IARU |
Votes have been tallied on Proposals 224 and 225, published in Issue No. 170 of The Calendar. The International Secretariat is pleased to announce the election to membership of the Tanzania Amateur Radio Club (TARC), and Asociatia Radioamatorilor din Republica Moldova (ARM), representing Tanzania and Moldova respectively. Their membership took effect on 22 August 1996.
92 votes on each proposal were received from the following member-societies. They were all in the affirmative except that LRMD (Lithuania) was not in favor of Proposal 225.
Region 1 -- AARA (Albania), ARA (Algeria), OEVSV (Austria), BFRR (Belarus), UBA (Belgium), SRABiH (Bosnia and Herzegovina), BARS (Botswana), BFRA (Bulgaria), HRS (Croatia), CARS (Cyprus), CRK (Czech Republic), EDR (Denmark), EAWC (Egypt), ERAU (Estonia), FRA (Faroe Islands), SRAL (Finland), RSM (Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia), DARC (Germany), GARS (Ghana), RAAG (Greece), MRASZ (Hungary), IRA (Iceland), IRTS (Ireland), IARC (Israel), ARI (Italy), RSK (Kenya), KARS (Kuwait), RAL (Lebanon), LARS (Lesotho), AFVL (Liechtenstein), LRMD (Lithuania), RL (Luxembourg), MARL (Malta), ARM (Monaco), MRSF (Mongolia), ARRAM (Morocco), VERON (Netherlands), NARS (Nigeria), NRRL (Norway), ROARS (Oman), PZK (Poland), FRR (Romania), SRR (Russia), ARRSM (San Marino), ARAS (Senegal), SARA (Slovakia), ZRS (Slovenia), URE (Spain), RSS (Swaziland), SSA (Sweden), USKA (Switzerland), TIR (Syria), TRAC (Turkey), LRT (Turkmenistan), UARL (Ukraine), RSGB (United Kingdom), and ZARS (Zimbabwe).
Region 2 -- RCA (Argentina), AARC (Aruba), RSB (Bermuda), BVIRL (British Virgin Islands), RAC (Canada), RCCR (Costa Rica), FRC (Cuba), GRC (Ecuador), CRAS (El Salvador), GARA (Guyana), RCH (Haiti), RCH (Honduras), JARA (Jamaica), FMRE (Mexico), VERONA (Netherlands Antilles), LPRA (Panama), RCP (Paraguay), RCP (Peru), TTARS (Trinidad and Tobago), TACARS (Turks and Caicos Islands), ARRL (USA), and RCV (Venezuela).
Region 3 -- BARL (Bangladesh), CRSA (China), FARA (Fiji), ARSI (India), JARL (Japan), KARL (Republic of Korea), MARTS (Malaysia), NZART (New Zealand), PARA (Philippines), SIRS (Solomon Islands), CTARL (Taiwan), RAST (Thailand), and ARCOT (Tonga).
| Tajikistan Admitted to IARU |
Votes have also been tallied on Proposal 226, published in Issue No. 171 of The Calendar. The International Secretariat is pleased to announce the election to membership of the Tajik Amateur Radio League (TARL), representing Tajikistan. Its membership took effect on 12 September 1996.
There were 91 votes, all in the affirmative, received from the following member-societies:
Region 1 -- AARA (Albania), ARA (Algeria), URA (Andorra), OEVSV (Austria), BFRR (Belarus), UBA (Belgium), SRABiH (Bosnia and Herzegovina), BARS (Botswana), BFRA (Bulgaria), HRS (Croatia), CARS (Cyprus), CRK (Czech Republic), EDR (Denmark), ERAU (Estonia), FRA (Faroe Islands), SRAL (Finland), RSM (Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia), REF (France), DARC (Germany), GARS (Ghana), GARS (Gibraltar), RAAG (Greece), MRASZ (Hungary), IRA (Iceland), IARA (Iraq), IRTS (Ireland), IARC (Israel), ARI (Italy), RSK (Kenya), KARS (Kuwait), RAL (Lebanon), LARS (Lesotho), AFVL (Liechtenstein), LRMD (Lithuania), RL (Luxembourg), MARS (Mauritius), ARM (Monaco), MRSF (Mongolia), ARRAM (Morocco), VERON (Netherlands), NARS (Nigeria), NRRL (Norway), ROARS (Oman), PZK (Poland), SRR (Russia), ARRSM (San Marino), ARAS (Senegal), ZRS (Slovenia), URE (Spain), RSS (Swaziland), SSA (Sweden), USKA (Switzerland), TIR (Syria), TARC (Tanzania), TRAC (Turkey), LRT (Turkmenistan), UARL (Ukraine), RSGB (United Kingdom), and ZARS (Zimbabwe).
Region 2 -- RCA (Argentina), AARC (Aruba), RAC (Canada), LCRA (Colombia), RCCR (Costa Rica), FRC (Cuba), GRC (Ecuador), CRAS (El Salvador), GARA (Guyana), RCH (Haiti), RCH (Honduras), JARA (Jamaica), VERONA (Netherlands Antilles), LPRA (Panama), RCP (Paraguay), RCP (Peru), TTARS (Trinidad and Tobago), TACARS (Turks and Caicos Islands), ARRL (USA), and RCV (Venezuela).
Region 3 -- BARL (Bangladesh), CRSA (China), FARA (Fiji), HARTS (Hong Kong), JARL (Japan), KARL (Republic of Korea), MARTS (Malaysia), NZART (New Zealand), SIRS (Solomon Islands), CTARL (Taiwan), RAST (Thailand), and ARCOT (Tonga).
| Missing VERON Votes Explained |
Kees Murre, PA2CHM, IARU Liaison Officer for VERON, has written to request that it be noted that VERON would have voted in the affirmative on Proposals 222 and 223. Unfortunately, Calendar No. 169 was not received by VERON, and so the society had no opportunity to cast its votes.
| IARU Club Station License Issued |
Last year, the Federal Communications Commission implemented a program under which radio amateurs can request specific call signs. A club station license with the call sign NU1AW has been issued in the name of the IARU, with David Sumner, K1ZZ, of the International Secretariat serving as trustee.
Why NU1AW? We're glad you asked. When transoceanic amateur communication started becoming commonplace in 1924, a problem immediately became apparent: call signs were all of the "one numeral followed by two or three letters" format, with no built-in means of determining who was where. At first, an informal system of prefixes (called "intermediates" at the time) was used by amateurs where "a" stood for Australia, "b" for Belgium, "c" for Canada, "f" for France, "g" for Great Britain, "j" for Japan, "u" for United States, "z" for New Zealand, etc. The single-letter system was fine until it became apparent that Amateur Radio was spreading to too many countries for this system to accommodate.
In January 1927 QST, a new intermediate list was unveiled as the work of the Executive Committee of the International Amateur Radio Union. The new list took effect at 0000 GMT (UTC) February 1, 1927. It was a two-letter system with the first letter indicating the continent (E for Europe, A for Asia, N for North America, F for Africa, etc.) and the second letter indicating the country (mostly following the old system). Thus, stations in the 48 United States used the intermediate "NU."
The new system was quickly overtaken by events. The regulations adopted by the Washington International Radiotelegraph Conference later the same year included the allocation of a series of "call signals" such as K, N, and W for the United States, and mandated that stations have a call signal from the series. The Washington regulations were to become effective on January 1, 1929, but August 1928 QST noted that Canadian amateur calls had changed to VE in April and September 1928 QST announced the effective date of October 1, 1928, in the United States for the W prefix (K outside the 48 states). Thus, United States amateurs sported voluntary NU prefixes for just 20 months before they became Ws.
The founding president of the IARU was, of course, Hiram Percy Maxim, 1AW, who remained in that office until his death in 1936. The call sign NU1AW commemorates HPM and the IARU's creative, if short-lived, solution to the problem of international identification of stations.
NU1AW will be used as a "permanent special event station" call sign operating in connection with World Telecommunication Day, significant IARU anniversaries, the IARU HF World Championship, and other events that will call attention to the contributions of the IARU to organized Amateur Radio.
| Address Changes for Croatian, Polish QSL Bureaus |
HRS asks that no QSL cards for 9A amateurs be sent to Box 564, HR-41000 Zagreb. The new address of its QSL bureau is:
The Central QSL Bureau of PZK has been relocated from Warsaw to the following:
| Address Change for Ugandan Society |
UARS has a new address, which is:
| Annual Progress Reports Due |
A new year has arrived, and so once again it is time for member-societies to submit their yearend progress reports. Please complete the enclosed form as soon as possible, and return it to the International Secretariat in the envelope provided. A copy will be sent from Newington to the secretary of your regional organization.
This year, two questions about arrangements for operating in your country by radio amateurs visiting from other countries have been included. This information is required for our WRC-99 preparations, with regard to the IARU objective of achieving global recognition of amateur licenses. Your cooperation is sincerely appreciated.
| Other Enclosures |
In addition to the enclosures referenced above, also enclosed for your information are updated versions of the List of Active Member Societies and the List of QSL Bureaus; the revised Spectrum Requirements of the Amateur and Amateur-Satellite Services adopted by the Administrative Council; and the Action Plan for 7 MHz and accompanying timeline adopted by the Administrative Council.
In closing, permit me to extend best wishes for a pleasant and successful New Year to all. I look forward to working with you for the betterment of Amateur Radio throughout the coming year.
Sincerely,
Larry E. Price, W4RA
Secretary
Enclosures:
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