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IARU WRC-03 Final Report from Geneva
NEWS RELEASE
International Amateur Radio Union
P.O. Box 310905
Newington, CT 06131-0905 USA
FAX: +1 860 594 0259
E-Mail: iaru@iaru.org
12 April 2004
For immediate release
IARU Begins 80th Year With Special Recognition for
Radio Amateurs as Pioneers in Bridging Barriers to World Understanding
Each year on the anniversary
of its founding, 18 April, the International Amateur Radio Union (IARU) marks
World Amateur Radio Day. It was on that date in 1925 that the inaugural meeting
of the IARU was held in Paris.
At the time, exploration of
the "short waves" was just beginning. Radio amateurs were well ahead of their
commercial counterparts in exploiting the long-distance capabilities of this
unique part of the radio spectrum.
The technical contributions
of the amateurs were very important to subsequent telecommunication
development, and remain so today. Equally significant are the personal
relationships that have developed between amateurs, often across geographical,
political, cultural, and other barriers.
Today there are nearly three
million Amateur Service licensees located in nearly every country in the world.
Radio amateurs continue to build and maintain personal ties in a world that is
in ever greater need of mutual understanding.
As it begins its 80th
year, the IARU is a worldwide federation of national Amateur Radio
organizations representing radio amateurs in 159 countries. The IARU is a
Sector Member of the International Telecommunication Union and is the
recognized representative of the Amateur and Amateur-Satellite Services at the
ITU.
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