The Calendar
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Amateur Radio events are rarely held in locations as distinguished as the Sorbonne in Paris. The IARU was accorded that honor for the ceremony on Tuesday afternoon, April 18, 2000, marking the 75th anniversary of its founding because it was there, at the Faculte des Science, that the IARU was born.
The distinction of those who gathered matched the surroundings. Present for this unique occasion were the presidents of several member-societies of the IARU, including Shozo Hara, JA1AN, JARL; Jim Haynie, W5JBP, ARRL; Karl Vögele, DK9HU, DARC; John Devoldere, ON4UN, UBA; Milos Prostecky, OK1MP, CRC; and Noel E. Donawa, 9Y4NED, TTARS. Representing RSGB was Past President Hilary Claytonsmith, G4JKS, and GRC, Leticia Estrada, HC2PM. Ake Alseus, SM5OK, who had attended the 25th anniversary celebration in the same location 50 years before, came to Paris from Stockholm for the event. Also present were the members of the IARU Region 1 Executive Committee, who had just completed their annual three-day meeting, and the IARU Administrative Council, who were just beginning a two-day meeting to prepare for the 2000 World Radiocommunication Conference. Several other amateurs from France and neighboring countries were present to share the moment.
The ceremony was opened by Elisée Bismuth, F6DRV, President of REF-Union. REF-Union was first constituted as the French Section of the IARU in 1925 and thus was celebrating its own 75th anniversary. Next to speak was IARU Region 1 Chairman Lou van de Nadort, PA0LOU, who has presided over the region for 25 years. He observed that Region 1 was founded in Paris in 1950, the first of the three regional IARU organizations to be formed, and thus was celebrating its 50th anniversary.
IARU President Larry E. Price, W4RA, traced the contributions of radio amateurs to the art and science of radio. He noted that the Nobel Prize in Physics has been awarded to two radio amateurs, Sir Martin Ryle, Ph.D., G3CY, in 1974, and Dr. Joseph Taylor, K1JT, in 1993. In both cases it was their pursuit of Amateur Radio that provided them with the insight that led to their breakthroughs. President Price expressed the hope that he would be able to return for the IARU centennial in 2025!
IARU Secretary David Sumner, K1ZZ, read messages of greetings and congratulations, including one from ITU Radiocommunication Bureau Director Robert W. Jones, VE3CTM. "During my 25 years of involvement with the ITU and now for the past more than five years as Director of its Radiocommunication Bureau, I have seen first hand how effective the IARU can be in professionally representing the interests of radio amateurs the world over," Director Jones said.
Region 1 Executive Committee member Hans van de Groenendaal, ZS5AKV, described the 1925 meeting that led to the founding of the IARU and the early history of the organization. There followed the presentation of plaques and gifts to each of the organizations observing anniversaries, a reception, and a celebratory dinner cruise on the Seine.
It was a memorable day, marked by reverence for the past and anticipation of the future.
IARU representatives were present for the entire four-week World Radiocommunication Conference in Istanbul, May 8 -- June 2, which drew 2,400 attendees from 150 countries. The principal items of business at WRC-2000 were to find spectrum for the third-generation (3G) mobile system called IMT-2000, to replan Region 1 and 3 satellite-to-home TV broadcasting, to find additional spectrum for radionavigation-satellite systems including the proposed European Galileo satellites, to replan the spectrum between 71 and 275 GHz, and various issues of sharing between services and satellite systems. Equally important, and perhaps even more important to radio amateurs, the conference was tasked with recommending an agenda for the next WRC in 2003.
The amateur services came out well on spectrum allocation issues at WRC-2000. The replanning of the spectrum between 71 and 275 GHz resulted in some realignments of amateur allocations, but no significant losses. Changes in radionavigation-satellite allocations at WRC-2000 may create future sharing issues, but amateurs did not lose any access to spectrum. The new spectrum for IMT-2000 does not directly impact us.
WRC-2003 promises to be much more challenging for the amateur services. The agenda that was recommended by WRC-2000 and accepted by the ITU Council includes several items of special significance to us. Here they are in the order in which they appear on the agenda, not in order of significance:
1.2 to review and take action, as required, on No. S5.134 and related Resolutions 517 (Rev.WRC-97) and 537 (WRC-97) and Recommendations 515 (Rev.WRC-97), 517 (HFBC-87), 519 (WARC-92) and Appendix S11, in the light of the studies and actions set out therein, having particular regard to the advancement of new modulation techniques, including digital techniques, capable of providing an optimum balance between sound quality, bandwidth and circuit reliability in the use of the HF bands allocated to the broadcasting service;
Comment: Agenda item 1.2 was championed by HF broadcasters who wish to abandon the transition to SSB mandated by WARC-92 and instead to "leapfrog" to digital modulation. The introduction of digital modulation by HF broadcasters may increase the demand for broadcasting spectrum and changes the sharing situation for other services. This item complicates the consideration of other HF agenda items, including 7 MHz (see below).
1.3 to consider identification of globally/regionally harmonized bands, to the extent practicable, for the implementation of future advanced solutions to meet the needs of public protection agencies, including those dealing with emergency situations and disaster relief, and to make regulatory provisions, as necessary, taking into account Resolution 645 (WRC-2000);
Comment: Agenda item 1.3 was very popular with developing countries. Our interest is in ensuring that amateur bands are not regarded as a reservoir from which disaster communications channels can be drawn.
Comment: Changes to allocations to these services in the band 5 650 -- 5 725 MHz could affect the amateur and amateur-satellite services.
1.7 to consider issues concerning the amateur and amateur-satellite services:
1.7.1 possible revision of Article S25;
1.7.2 review of the provisions of Article S19 concerning the formation of call signs in the amateur services in order to provide flexibility for administrations;
1.7.3 review of the terms and definitions of Article S1 to the extent required as a consequence of changes made in Article S25;
Comment: Revision of Article S25 has been anticipated by the IARU for some time and was the reason the Future of the Amateur Service Committee (FASC) was formed. Through the work of FASC, the IARU has been able to achieve consensus on what the new Article S25 should contain. Work on a companion ITU-R Recommendation on amateur operator qualifications will proceed in parallel with WRC-2003 preparations in ITU-R Working Party 8A and Study Group 8.
1.20 to consider additional allocations on a worldwide basis for the non-GSO MSS with service links operating below 1GHz, in accordance with Resolution 214 (Rev.WRC-2000);
Comment: Agenda item 1.20 represents one of the more serious potential spectrum challenges for us at WRC-2003. It is possible to interpret Resolution 214 (Rev. WRC-2000) as identifying 430-440 MHz as a target for Little LEOs.
1.23 to consider realignment of the allocations to the amateur, amateur-satellite and broadcasting services around 7MHz on a worldwide basis, taking into account Recommendation718 (WARC-92);
Comment: Item 1.23 is, of course, the major agenda item for us at WRC-2003.
Comment: All of the services with allocations between about 4 and 10 MHz have a stake in the item. The 80-meter amateur band is not exempt from possible impact. Furthermore, the existence of this agenda item is likely to make it more difficult to achieve consensus on 7-MHz realignment.
1.38 to consider provision of up to 6MHz of frequency spectrum to the Earth exploration-satellite service (active) in the frequency band 420-470MHz, in accordance with Resolution 727 (Rev.WRC-2000);
Comment: Considerable work already has been done to demonstrate the incompatibility of EESS with the amateur service at 430-440 MHz.
The IARU Administrative Council reviewed these items at its meeting in Darwin, Australia, 3-4 September 2000 (see below). A five-member core delegation for WRC-2003 was appointed: President Larry E. Price, W4RA, chairman, Wojciech Nietyksza, SP5FM, Ken Pulfer, VE3PU, David Wardlaw, VK3ADW, and Secretary David Sumner, K1ZZ, administrative officer. The members of the core delegation will make WRC-2003 a major focus between now and the conference and will deal with the details of preparation. As preparation goes forward, the delegation will be expanded as required. In addition, it is very important that there be effective representatives of the amateur services on national delegations; the regional organizations and member societies must make this a priority.
The IARU Administrative Council has released the 8-page Summary Record of its meeting in Tours, France, 18-19 April 2000, and the 10-page Summary Record of its meeting in Darwin, Australia, 3-4 September 2000. Copies are enclosed with this Calendar. Summary Records of the Administrative Council meetings of the past five years are available at the IARU Web site.
Votes have been tallied on Proposal 231, published in Issue No. 179 of The Calendar. The International Secretariat is pleased to announce the election to membership of Association des Radio-Amateurs de Nouvelle-Caledonie (ARANC). The membership took effect on March 22, 2000.
73 votes were received from the following member-societies. They were all in the affirmative.
Region 1 -- AARA (Albania), ARA (Algeria), URA (Andorra), OEVSV (Austria), BFRR (Belarus), ARABiH (Bosnia and Herzegovina), BFRA (Bulgaria), HRS (Croatia), CARS (Cyprus), CRK (Czech Republic), EARS (Egypt), EARS (Ethiopia), SRAL (Finland), RSM (Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia), DARC (Germany), GARS (Gibraltar), MRASZ (Hungary), IRTS (Ireland), ARI (Italy), RSK (Kenya), KARS (Kuwait), RAL (Lebanon), AFVL (Liechtenstein), RL (Luxembourg), MARS (Mauritius), ARM (Moldova), VERON (Netherlands), NARS (Nigeria), NRRL (Norway), ROARS (Oman), PZK (Poland), SARA (Slovakia), ZRS (Slovenia), URE (Spain), SSA (Sweden), TIR (Syria), ASTRA (Tunisia), TRAC (Turkey), LRT (Turkmenistan), UARL (Ukraine), SRJ (Yugoslavia), and RSZ (Zambia).
Region 2 -- RCA (Argentina), LABRE (Brazil), BVIRL (British Virgin Islands), RAC (Canada), CARS (Cayman Islands), LCRA (Colombia), RCCR (Costa Rica), FRC (Cuba), GRC (Ecuador), RCH (Honduras), FMRE (Mexico), RCP (Paraguay), TACARS (Turks and Caicos Islands), ARRL (USA), and RCV (Venezuela).
Region 3 -- WIA (Australia), CRSA (China), CTARL (Chinese Taipei), FARA (Fiji), HARTS (Hong Kong), ARSI (India), JARL (Japan), KARL (Republic of Korea), MARTS (Malaysia), NZART (New Zealand), PARS (Pakistan), PARA (Philippines), SARTS (Singapore), SIRS (Solomon Islands), RSSL (Sri Lanka), and RAST (Thailand).
After an examination of information submitted by Region 3, the Administrative Council has lifted the temporary suspension of the rights on a member-society that was imposed on the Brunei Darussalam Amateur Radio Association in 1994. The officers and members of BDARA are congratulated on their success in reactivating the association.
IARU Region 3 and the Hong Kong Amateur Radio Transmitting Society (HARTS) are collaborating on a display on behalf of the IARU at ITU TELECOM ASIA 2000, Hong Kong, 4-9 December.
The IARU Administrative Council has selected the theme "Providing Disaster Communications: Amateur Radio in the 21st Century" for World Amateur Radio Day, April 18, 2001. It is not too early to begin planning for this event, which will coincide with the 76th anniversary of the founding of the IARU.
Three recent developments offer opportunities to publicize the disaster communications theme.
First, the IARU International Secretariat and the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) have renewed an Operational Agreement on emergency telecommmunications. We agree to cooperate and to keep each other informed about our activities in the field of emergency telecommunications, to evaluate and share information about new technologies and their appropriateness for emergency telecommunications, and to work closely together in the event of a sudden disaster. The revision and renewal of the agreement was signed in Geneva in August 1999.
Second, in September 2000 Study Group 2 of the ITU Development Sector adopted a Recommendation on the effective utilization of the amateur services in disaster mitigation and relief operations. Specifically, ITU-D Study Group 2 recommends:
1 that administrations include the amateur services in their national disaster plans and telecommunication assistance information inventories;
2 that administrations are invited to reduce and, where possible, remove, barriers to the effective utilization of the amateur services for disaster communications;
3 that amateur and disaster relief organizations are invited to develop memoranda of understanding (MoU) between themselves and with Administrations as well as to co-operate, together with other concerned parties, in developing and making available model agreements and best practices in disaster telecommunications.
Third, ITU-D Study Group 2 has approved the publication of a Disaster Communications Handbook for Developing Countries. The IARU is the principal contributor to the Handbook, which consists of three parts: one for policy makers, one dealing with operational matters, and the third a technical annex. The role of the amateur service in disaster communications is one of the main focal points of the Handbook. It is hoped that the Handbook will be published next year in three languages, English, French, and Spanish.
What benefits does your country derive from the ability of the amateur services to provide communications in the event of natural disasters? Plan now to tell your story on April 18, 2001!
The World Wide Web is providing the IARU with improved means of communicating with member-societies and with individual radio amateurs. At the IARU Web site, www.iaru.org, you will find a wealth of information including:
We can distribute information much faster via the IARU Web site than we can by printing and mailing. For example, a news release summarizing the results of an IARU Administrative Council meeting is posted within a few days after the meeting.
We encourage IARU liaisons to check the IARU Web site often. If you need information but are not able to reach the Web site, let us know and we will get it to you as quickly as possible.
Sincerely,
David Sumner, K1ZZ
Secretary
Enclosures: