This week 26-30 April the IARU Region 1 EUROCOM working group organises an exhibition in the European Parliament. With the title European Amateur Radio Benefits Society the exhibition focuses on Emergency communications and Education & Space, with the aim to raise awareness amongst European politicians. The exhibition is sponsored by MEP Mrs Brigit Sippel and was opened by IARU Region 1 President PB2T. The opening was attended by the Euro Commissioner responsible for International Cooperation, Humanitarian Aid and Crisis Response Dr Kristalina Georgieva together with many MEPS and their assistants.

The photo shows Panayot LZ1US, Claude ON7TK, MEP Mrs Brigit Sippel, Thilo DL9KCE, Dr Kristalina Georgieva and Hans PB2T.

More pictures available in the photo album.

Commissioner Georgieva mentions the exhibition in her blog at http://blogs.ec.europa.eu/georgieva/the-wave-heroes/

At its General Assembly meeting held in Port Elizabeth, SOUTH AFRICAN RADIO LEAGUE (SARL), elected Dennis Green ZS4BS as its new President with Mark  Zank  ZS6YES as Vice Chairman. Henry Chamberlain ZS1AAZ was appointed by the new Council as Secretary and Louw Erasmus ZS6LME as the legal adviser.

The Council will meet in the next two week to assign portfolios to the other councillors. Rassie Erasmus ZS1YT, the immediate past President will continue as Treasurer.

Elected council members are: Dennis Green ZS4BS, Laurie  Deveraux ZS5DL, Henry  Chamberlain ZS1AAZ,Hans  van de Groenendaal ZS6AKV, Mark Zank ZS6YES, Francois  Botha ZS6BUU, Fred Scheepers ZS1FCS, Gerhard Coetzee ZS3TG, Ivan Newman ZS2ILN, John Willescroft  ZS6EF, Riaan Greeff ZS4PR, Frik  Wolff ZS6FZ, Willem Weideman ZS6WWJ,  Louw Erasmus ZS6LME.

More information is available on the SARL Homepage.

On 13^th-15^th April 2010, the 21st International Fair of Electronic Communication INTERTELECOM 2010 was organised in Łódź, in the center of Poland. INTERTELECOM 2010 took place under the patronage of the Ministry of Infrastructure, President of the Office of Electronic Communications, Marshal of the Łódź Voivodship and President of the City of Łódź.

On this occasion, the Łódź Regional Section of the Polish Amateur Radio Union (PZK) prepared a special exhibition commemorating the 80^th anniversary of the PZK and the 85^th anniversary of the IARU. On 10^th-18^th April 2010, a special event station HF21ITC was active on the air. See the photo gallery: http://www.enduro.idl.pl/MTL2010_OT15/index.html

The European Parliament Brussels hosts cultural exhibitions, sponsored by Members of the European Parliament. These cultural events are not open to the general public, but reserved to the members of the Parliament and of the European Commission and their personnel.

April 26-30, 2010 an exhibition is set up by the International Amateur Radio Union in collaboration with the European Space Agency and sponsored by MEP Birgit  Sippel, Germany. The Exhibition\'s name is "European Amateur Radio Benefiting Society" and the thematics are Emergency, Education and Space.

Tuesday 27 April, students of the European School, Brussels will visit the Exhibition. An ARISS contact is planned at 12.50 UTC, which is 14.50 CEST.

Monday 12 April 2010, the Abramowski School SN0ISS in Katowice, Poland, established a radio contact with astronaut Soichi Noguchi, KD5TVP, on board the International Space Station.

Edward Abramowski Technical and Comprehensive Schools Complex no. 3 in Katowice consists of a Technical High School offering two faculties, Photography and IT Electronics, and a Comprehensive School with teaching programmes covering mathematics, IT, journalism and photography. In 1999 the Abramowski School established an Amateur Radio Club, SP9ZHQ. At present, more than 440 students attend the school.

The radio contact coordinator Jerzy Zajda SP9BGS and his technical team set up a satellite station with automatic antenna tracking as well as a backup vertical antenna.

A “Combined Action” by  Uli DJ9KR led to the removal of Radio Kuwait on 7150 and 7190 kHz: From 12 to 19 April 2010 the broadcaster had been transmitting programs in Arabic language with up to S9+30dB signals blocking almost 20 kHz of the 40-m-Band. Many national coordinators had requested their telecoms. authorities to send “International Complaints” to the State of Kuwait. OM Faisal Al-Ajmi, 9K2RR rang up Radio Kuwait and asked for a frequency change.

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Jubilee ceremony on the occasion of the 80th anniversary of the Polish Amateur Radio Union – PZK (Polski Związek Krótkofalowców) and the 85th anniversary of the International Amateur Radio Union

On 26th February 2010, the Polish Amateur Radio Union (PZK) celebrated the 80th anniversary of its founding. It is to be remembered that the PZK was formally established on 24th February 1930, at the Radio Research Institute in Warsaw. A solemn ceremony on the occasion of the 80th anniversary of the PZK took place in the District Centre of Cultural Promotion in Warsaw.

The celebration was officially opened by Ms Anna Streżyńska – President of the Office of Electronic Communications. Among all the present guests, many persons of merit were decorated with organisational medals and distinctions by PZK President – Piotr Skrzypczak, SP2JMR. Moreover, Tim Ellam VE6SH – President of the IARU conveyed in the meantime on the air his best occasional congratulations to the PZK. On the one hand the whole event was full of atmosphere of nostalgia, and on the other hand – ambitious plans for the future.

More information on PZK Homepage