Participants at the 45th meeting of the International Amateur Radio Union (IARU) Administrative Council (AC) in late September discussed the organization’s role in advancing amateur radio going forward. The IARU released a summary record of the meeting this week. IARU President Tim Ellam, VE6SH/G4HUA, who chaired the AC meeting in Lima, Peru, observed that the IARU and amateur radio are reaching what he called “an inflection point.” He asserted that amateur radio is changing, but the IARU and its member-societies are not.
Ellam’s remarks prefaced a wide-ranging discussion of the challenges to be overcome if the IARU and amateur radio itself are to remain relevant. After several hours of discussion, AC participants agreed on four top-level headings to identify the challenges that must be faced:
- What is amateur radio?
- The roles of IARU and its member-societies
- Recruitment into amateur radio
- IARU finances
The AC also agreed that it is essential to involve younger people from outside the Council in determining how to address these challenges, and the three IARU regions were asked to identify individuals who “could take ownership of these topics.”
A small working group was named, consisting of IARU Region 2 Vice President Ramón Santoyo, XE1KK; Region 2 Area A Director George Gorsline, VE3YV, and IARU Region 1 President Don Beattie, G3BJ. Using topics discussed to develop a starting point, the panel will aim to have a draft version of a plan by mid-December to address the challenges that would serve as a basis for further discussion.
IARU Region 1 (Europe, Africa, and the Mideast) has been a leader in marshalling interest among next-generation radio amateurs, sponsoring Youngsters On The Air (YOTA), and other youth-related activities, including a summer camp each year attended by young radio amateurs from around Region 1. IARU Region 3 noted at the Council meeting that it plans a Youth on the Air activity in Thailand next October and expressed the hope that Regions 1 and 2 can participate.
In other matters, based on a suggestion from Fred Matos, W3ICM — a National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) spectrum manager — the AC agreed to change the objective of the IARU HF World Championship contest to read as follows: “To support amateur self-training in radiocommunications, including improving amateur operating skills, conducting technical investigations, and intercommunicating with other amateurs around the world, especially IARU member-society headquarters stations, using the 160, 80, 40, 20, 15, and 10 meter bands.”
According to an AC meeting document, Matos’ rationale is that the objective of an IARU-sponsored activity should tie directly to the ITU Radio Regulations.
In a related matter, the Council agreed to indicate to ARRL, which administers the competition, that it would favor relaxing rules for multioperator, single transmitter, mixed-mode entries — which the AC views as more restrictive and punitive than those that apply to most other contests — without affecting scoring and adjudication. Under current rules, multioperator, single transmitter, mixed-mode entries must remain on a band and mode for at least 10 minutes before changing bands or modes, and violating the band change rules will reclassify the entry as a check log. The IARU event is held each July.
To keep informed on IARU happenings, subscribe to the ARRL-IARU online group, moderated by IARU Secretary Dave Sumner, K1ZZ.
Source:ARRL
Equipment
Icom AH-705 Announced on Christmas
AH-705 HF/50 MHz Automatic Antenna Tuner Features Covers the 1.8 MHz to 50 MHz bands, using a long wire element 2-way power sources using alkaline bat... Read more
mAT-705 Tuner Introduction
mAT-705 Tuner Introduction The MAT-705 is a very small and powerful tuner for portable shortwave devices, especially designed for the Icom IC-705. The... Read more
THE NEW MOUNTAIN TOPPER MTR-4B V2 BY LNR PRECISION
MTR-4B V2 Photos COMING SOON “The Mountain Topper” The LnR Precision MTR transceivers are designed to be efficient portable CW rigs. Whether climbing... Read more
NanoVNA SAA2 Version 2 Vector Network Analyzer – Ham Radio Antenna Analyzer
NanoVNA SAA2 Version 2 Vector Network Analyzer – Ham Radio Antenna Analyzer Read more
Introducing QCX-mini 5W CW transceiver!
The miniature version of our popular QCX 5W CW transceiver, with special portable-friendly features for SOTA and other portable operators: – Sma... Read more
New RFinder B1, Advanced VHF/UHF 4 Watt DMR/Analog Ham Radio Smartphone, NO CODE PLUGS NEEDED!!
“My switch back from iPhone to RFinder happened in this video. A dual band VHF/UHF radio with a newly designed receiver for better sensitivity,... Read more
Connecting the MX-P50 amplifier and LDG Z11 pro tuner to the IC-705
Connecting the MX-P50 amplifier and LDG Z11 pro tuner to the IC-705. Read more
Airspy HF+ Discovery is the Most Refined HF/VHF SDR
The Airspy HF+ Discovery sets a new standard in terms of reception performance with extra pre-selectors for all the supported bands and a New DSP Core... Read more
Newly released pictures of the new FTDX10 SDR
Newly released pictures of the new FTDX10 SDR Read more
ICOM IC-705 Antenna Mounting Bracket & Patch lead
NEVADA RC-105 A beautifully made bracket, complete with, BNC to SMA patch lead and mounting mounting screw, for connecting a PL-259 style portable ant... Read more
VHF
AMSAT/Vanderbilt RadFXSat-2/Fox 1E Set to Launch
Virgin Orbit’s LauncherOne is a go for launch on Wednesday, January 13, at 1500 UTC, carrying the AMSAT/Vanderbilt RadFXSat-2/Fox-1E CubeSat into spac... Read more
144 MHz signal from the Faroe Islands heard 3000kms away in Bulgaria during Geminid Meteor Shower – Dec 2020
Every year, the Geminid meteor shower peaks around the 14th of December and many VHF radio amateurs make contacts by bouncing signals off the meteor t... Read more
QYT KT-780 Plus 100 Watts 2 meter Mobile Radio Review and Demo
The QYT KT-780 Plus is a 100 watt mobile radio on the 2 meter Amateur Radio Band, and works on FM mode. Today we will walk through the menu of the rad... Read more
6000km TEP path on 144 MHz opens up between Buenos Aires and the Dominican Republic
Hot on the heels of the last post about the 5400km TEP opening on 144 MHz between Argentina and the island of Aruba, we have details of some more cont... Read more
Retevis RT95 Budget Dual Band Mobile Transceiver
Specifications GENERAL Frequency Range VHF:144-148MHz UHF: 430~440MHz Number of Channels 200 channels Channel Spacing 25K (Wide Band) 20K(Middle Band)... Read more
ARRL Asks FCC to Allow 3.4-GHz Operation until Spectrum is Occupied
In comments to the FCC, ARRL has argued that radio amateurs be allowed to continue shared operation in the 3.4 GHz band until 5G licensees who purchas... Read more
OH2BC installs large InnovAntennas 50MHz array
Every now and then, a really special antenna system gets installed and usually it is a result of desire, commitment and dedication of the station owne... Read more
3000km plus contact made on 433 MHz from St.Helena to South Africa
On the 16th of October 2020, there was a remarkable 3000+ km contact made on the 70cms band between South Africa and St.Helena in the South Atlantic.... Read more
Baofeng BF-F8+ III Tri Band HT Radio | Tri Band Ham Radio Handheld
The BF-F8+ is the first UV-5R radio to get a full internal upgrade.It has the updated internal components of the GT-3 but also full backward comp... Read more
RSGB Radio Communication Handbook
14th Edition Edited by Mike Browne, G3DIH This new edition of the RSGB Radio Communication Handbook has as always been updated and re-written so that... Read more
News
Capture the MAGIC of Six Meters — eBook
Have you ever wondered about the “Magic” of Six Meters? After all, you’ve probably pressed the six meter button on your rig and failed to find any mag... Read more
Eastern Iowans Rely On Ham Radio When Severe Weather Strikes
A derecho with winds of 80 to 100 MPH struck eastern Iowa last August, disrupting power and telecommunications for some 400,000 residents. But, as... Read more
David A. Duncan, K7DUN, Wins the January 2021 QST Cover Plaque Award
The winning article for the January 2021 QST Cover Plaque award is “CW-ELMER – An Advanced Morse Code Learning System,” by David A... Read more
ISS SSTV 145.800 FM Jan 28-29
Russian cosmonauts on the International Space Station (ISS) are planning to transmit Slow Scan TV images on 145.800 MHz FM using the SSTV mode PD-120.... Read more
Contest University to Host Propagation Summit on January 23
Contest University (CTU) is holding a Virtual Propagation Summit on Saturday, January 23. The Zoom-platform event will get under way with introductory... Read more
FCC Notice: What You CAN And CANNOT Do With Ham Radio
FCC Notice: What You CAN And CANNOT Do With Ham Radio Read more
ARRL on the Purpose of Amateur Radio
For over 100 years amateur radio and ARRL — the National Association for Amateur Radio® — have stood for the development of the science and art of com... Read more
FCC Warns Amateur Radio Operators To Not Commit Crimes [ VIDEO]
“In a bizzare warning issued by the FCC and followed by a warning from the Association for Amateur Radio, The ARRL, ham are warned on a Sunday m... Read more
Amateur & Personal Radio Users Reminded Not to Use Radios in Crimes
Full Title: Warning: Amateur and Personal Radio Services Licensees and Operators May Not Use Radio Equipment to Commit or Facilitate Criminal Act... Read more
SL8SUB – 1st Submarine Flotillas official military amateur radio call sign
Here is a brief information release regarding Radio SL8SUB, the 1st Submarine Flotillas official military amateur radio call sign: The 1st Submarine F... Read more
Antenna
Testing My Mini 64:1 Half-Wave End-Fed Antenna Transformer.
Testing My Mini 64:1 Half-Wave End-Fed Antenna Transformer. Read more
100 ft Tilting Tower
Raising a 100 ft tower with a winch on a 35 ft pole. Read more
I Found & Eliminated My QRM / RFI (Radio Frequency Interference)!
This is the third in a series of videos following my efforts to track down a source of local QRM / Radio Interference. Following the build of a succes... Read more
HF Antennas for Beginners: Tuesdays with Tim and Jeff
“We are bringing in 2021 with Tuesdays with Tim, K3LR and Jeff,KB8ZWT discussing HF antennas. Did you recently upgrade from tech to general? Tha... Read more
New Product MFJ-4713
This MFJ-4713 HF 4-Position Remote Antenna Switch lets you switch between four antennas remotely. Covers 1.8 to 30 MHz. Run one coax from the indoor s... Read more
New portable antenna from Comet Japan
We are pleased to announce the release of a new portable Antenna system from Comet Japan covering 1.8 to 50 MHz – ideal for the new Icom IC-705 and ot... Read more
How To Make a Doublet Antenna for Ham Radio – No Talking – ASMR style
How To Make a Doublet Antenna for Ham Radio – No Talking – ASMR style Read more
Build your own Roll Up Slim Jim Antenna for the 2 Meter Ham Radio Band.
Build your own Roll Up Slim Jim Antenna for the 2 Meter Ham Radio Band. Read more
New Antenna Physics Book from ARRL!
Written to bridge the gap between basic theory and graduate-level engineering texts, the second edition of Antenna Physics: An Introduction includes n... Read more
KM4ACK End Fed Half Wave Antenna Build And Review
KM4ACK End Fed Half Wave Antenna Build And Review Kit includes everything you need to build a 49:1 end fed half wave antenna. Antenna works without ne... Read more