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Category: Youth Section

Published: Tuesday, 14 January 2020 09:01

Written by Ashraf Chabaane

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Back in March 2014, The Algerian and Tunisian Member Societies have signed a cooperation agreement to reinforce relations through joint activities. Part of the agreement was to exchange visits and conduct DXPeditions.

The idea of arranging a DXPedition in Algeria in 2019 was appreciated by both societies. Preparations started end of October 2019. The idea was to activate Algeria on low bands and benefit from the low solar cycle conditions.

We wanted to make this DXPedition a good opportunity to boost youngsters interest in the hobby so we involved 4 youngsters in the event; Sarra 7X2QV (23 years, YL), Lotfi 7X2QC (24 years), Marwa 3V8CB (24 years, YL) and Ahmed 3V1B/KG5OUE (22 years). Three of these youngsters were in YOTA events held by IARU.
The involvement of the youngsters was from the preparation work to the stations dismantle. In addition to being on the air, everyone had something to work on.

The rest of the team included Afif 7X2RO (co-Leader), Ash 3V8SF/KF5EYY (co-Leader), Mohamed 7X3TL (27 years), Redha 7X5QB and Abdelghani, 7X2TT/M0NPT. The responsibility of these OMs was to drive the event and prioritize knowledge transfer over being on-the-air.

The Tunisian team flew from Tunis to Algiers. They arrived late on December 28th to Bejaia city joining the Algerian Team. We immediately started putting up antennas.

Abdelghani 7X2TT kicked off operation through Eshail and continuously making demonstrations and providing information to the youngsters on satellite operation and set up.
The rest of the team built a 26m high inv-L for 160, a full Quarterwave vertical for 80, a 2 element Fritzel yagi for high bands, a 7 elements yagi for VHF, a K9AY receiving loop, a GP for 30m then adding a coil for it to operated on 40 as well.
We did our best to operate 2 stations at a time. We had a quite few technical issues but we overcome them.

Part of the DXPedition objectives was to socialize and build a strong team capable of making bigger plans in the future. Although we ended up with 5800 QSOs in 4 days, the operating schedule was intentionally not made tight.

On December 31st, we had a nice BBQ dinner together insitue that we really enjoyed!

The log inluded QSOs split as follows: 38% CW, 55% SSB, 7% FT8. It was nice to see youngsters favoring SSB operation over FT8.
We had 1121 QSOs on 160m and 798 QSOs on 80m. 356 US stations and 30 JAs worked on 160.

The DXPedition team highly value the support we got from NCDXF, LSDXA and MDXC along with some other individual hams. This support is a solid investment into the future of ham radio hobby. We urge all DXPeditioners to involve youngesters in their future trips and do their best to make it easy and least costly for them.

Call for applications: YOTA Summer Camp Croatia 2020

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Category: Youth - general

Published: Tuesday, 14 January 2020 18:09

Written by Lisa, PA2LS

Hits: 275

We are proud to announce that the 10th edition of Youngsters On The Air will be held in Croatia, in the city of Karlovac not far from the capital Zagreb. HRS (Croatian Amature Radio Association) will be hosting the event, which will take place in the summer of 2020.
In this YOTA Camp we will be continuing with our train-the-trainer (TTT) program, which will be the main theme of the week. Participants will be working on the future of amateur radio and will be involved in workshops where they gain skills to start similar amateur radio youth events when they are back home. With this we are aiming to create a snowball effect, there will be more and more YOTA events all over the world. This also allows other youngsters and newcomers to enjoy amateur radio.

TTT will not be the only topic of the event, there will be time to enjoy amateur radio as well, kit-building or visiting the capital and Croatian coast line. We will be enjoying Croatia and get the opportunity to see a part of the beautiful country. Since there are many nationalities visiting the event, there will also be cultural elements within the program of the event. One of them will be the intercultural evening, where all participants bring foods and drinks from their home country.
Previous events have shown that all participants are having an unforgettable week, where many new friendships are started. To obtain a better understanding of such an event you are encouraged to have a look at the gallery and video clips from previous YOTA camps at www.ham-yota.com.

Participants
Each IARU R1 member society is invited to take part with a team, of maximum 4 persons. The final team size will be dependent on the number of total applications. A team consist of a team leader and team members. We request member societies to select motivated youngsters with an organisational and hands-on mindset. This request requires a commitment from member societies to support these youngsters when they return home after the event.

Team leader
– Age 18-30 years, since we are highly focussing on a train-the-trainer program, it is preferred to select a youth coordinator or person who is eager to organize amateur radio youth events.
A person that already attended to a previous YOTA Camp is preferable.

Team member
– Age 15-25 years
– Have not been on previous YOTA summer camps
If a member society has a valid reason to select a participant who has been to a previous YOTA event, the IARU R1 Youth WG needs to be aware of this and will make the final decision.
All participants, including team leaders, are required to take part in the entire program.

When: 8 to 15 August 2020

Location: city of Karlovac, 56km from the capital Zagreb

Fees: €25 per participant
All other costs (accommodation, food, activities) are covered.
Teams will be picked up at the airport/railway station and transported to the venue, or shall come to the venue with their own transportation.

After the event
It is expected from all participants to take after the event actively part in the TTT program of IARU R1 and that they submit their youth programs and plans. This will be shared as well on the TTT website. All participating teams are committing to write an article about the event for the magazine and/or website of their member society.
Should your member society be interested to participate, please respond by filling in the form (https://forms.gle/2KLBmT8xqF3V24Cd6) before 16th of February 2020. Remember, there is a limit of 80 participants. Make sure that you apply in time. We will announce the participating countries, including number of team members, shortly after the deadline date.

Balkans On The Air 2020 – A YOTA Sub-Regional Ham Camp – Open for All Youngsters

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Category: Youth - general

Published: Tuesday, 14 January 2020 18:03

Written by Lisa, PA2LS

Hits: 176

After 4 successful Serbian national YOTA camps, Amateur Radio Union of Serbia (SRS) decided to host first Balkan sub-regional YOTA event. It will be held from 3rd to 6th of April 2020. near Belgrade, capital city of Serbia. We invite all the Balkans youngsters to participate in this event and have fun weekend full of activities related to radio hobby and meet new people that share same interest. Balkans region is big so youngsters from Balkans will have priority, we will try to save some seats for youngsters from countries outside the Balkans.

Who?
Are you 15–25 years old and interested in amateur radio? You are welcome to this event. Newcomers to radio hobby are welcome. We only ask you to be a member of one of the IARU member societies.

Where?
The event will take place in the Deliblato Sands nearby Pančevo and Belgrade, Serbia. There is a youth camp complex with all required facilities (sleeping rooms, space for activities etc.).

Activities
At the moment, we are completing the full program. We can say that it’s going to be very interesting. It will be packed full with workshops and other activities, we want to introduce newcomers to hobby and also teach experienced radio amateurs some advanced stuff. Also there will be all famous Intercultural Evening – one of the most known activities form Youngsters On The Air events.

There will be at least 2 radio stations available at any time during your stay, covering HF, VHF and UHF.

You will definitely have fun and meet new people.

Costs?
Biggest part of the event is funded by IARU R1 and the SRS funds. We ask all participants to contribute a fee of €20. We recommend participating members’ societies to cover their participants’ travel costs.

Accommodation, 3 meals a day and activities are covered.

How to apply?
We have limited amount of spots available so we recommend applying as soon as possible. You can apply via this link. Applications are accepted from January 10th to February 10th.

We will send more detailed information to participants after the application deadline. Do you have any questions, feel free to contact Ljuba YU5EEA at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

See you soon!

73, Balkans On The Air Organizing Team

NOTA Norway 2020

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Category: Youth - general

Published: Friday, 10 January 2020 18:08

Written by Trond, LB4IH

Hits: 187

Nordics On The Air in Norway Easter 2020 – a YOTA sub-regional ham camp – open for all youngsters

This year, the annual Nordics On The Air ham youth camp will be held in Norway during Easter, the 10th-13th of April 2020. We invite all the Nordic youngsters to take part in a fun weekend full of radio related activities, meeting new friends and having a great time! Since this is a sub-regional YOTA camp, we have a few seats reserved also for you outside of the Nordic countries!

What will we do?
The program is mainly centered around amateur radio activities, introducing newcomers to the hobby as well as advanced exercises for seasoned radio amateurs. In addition to get the opportunity to go on air from the LA1YOTA station the program also includes an Intercultural Evening – one of the most beloved activities known from former annual Youngsters On The Air events. Do you want to advance your knowledge about the hobby? What about operating LA1YOTA? If that sounds exciting we encourage you to join us!

Where?
The event will take place in Camp Killingen, Killingsholmen, an islet south-west of Oslo. The campsite is on the south side of the islet where we are mostly to ourselves, surrounded by nature.

We want you to come!
NOTA is a camp for youngsters by youngsters. You all are welcome to join us. If this is your first youngster activity in the hobby we especially encourage you to apply and also if you have never been to a NOTA or YOTA sub-regional camp before! You don’t need to already have an amateur radio license, just be enthusiastic about the hobby! The goal of camps such as these is to activate youngsters in the sub-region. Please note that we prioritize participants under 26 years of age.

Applying through your own IARU member society
The application to participate has to go through your country’s member society (e.g. SRAL, SSA, NRRL, ÍRA, EDR). Applications are accepted from January 9th to February 9th. The amount of attendees is limited, so we recommend contacting your member society quickly if you are wondering whether to participate! If you are not yet a member, now is a good chance to join!1 Some of you might be contacted about NOTA by your association.
Please contact your national member society for applying.

Fees and further info
There is a symbolic participation fee of 20 euros / 200 NOK including all meals and accommodation. We recommend participating members’ societies to cover their participants’ travel costs.

More detailed info will be sent to the participants soon after the application deadline. With any further questions, please contact us at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Stay tuned!

73, we hope to see you in April!
The Nordic NOTA organizing team

1 About International Amateur Radio Union (IARU) member societies
IARU member societies in the Nordic countries are:
Denmark: EDR, edr.dk
Faroe Islands: FRA, fra.fo
Iceland: ÍRA, ira.is, e-mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Norway: NRRL, nrrl.no, e-mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Finland: SRAL, sral.fi, e-mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Sweden: SSA, ssa.se, e-mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

All other IARU member societies worldwide can be found at iaru.org/member-societies.html. See the web page of your home country’s association on how to join it. Youth memberships are usually not costly and IARU member societies warmly welcome you aboard! If you have trouble contacting your association or need any assistance with applying to NOTA, don’t hesitate to drop us an email. We’d be glad to help.

IARUMS Region 1 Newsletter December 2019 available!

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Category: IARUMS

Published: Wednesday, 08 January 2020 20:56

Written by DK2OM

Hits: 406

The IARUMS Region 1 Newsletter December 2019 is now available.  Click here!

Tunisia issues personal licences to operate

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Category: Latest

Published: Tuesday, 07 January 2020 12:44

Written by Don Beattie

Hits: 923

The first three Authorizations to Operate have been issued to 3 Tunisian amateurs. These are the first issued since 1956. 3V8HB, 3V8MN and 3V1MB will soon be on the air from their homes rather than being restricted to operating from a club station.

Issuing individual authorisations to operate is a new process in Tunisia and involves a number of stages, including equipment conformity checks.

This is great news for Tunisians that the process now exists so that radio amateurs can practice their hobby from homes in full compliance with the Tunisian Laws. The IARU Member Society ARAT extends its thanks to the National Agency of Frequencies, the Ministry of Telecommunications and all involved parties for making this happen.

Right to left in the picture are Hannibal 3V8HB and Nizar 3V8MN

HST 2020

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Category: HST

Published: Sunday, 05 January 2020 10:31

Written by Oliver Tabakovski

Hits: 386

The main event this year is the 17^th IARU HST world championship. It will take place from 20-24 August.

The venue will be Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia and the event center will be Hotel Grand Hill, Ulaanbaatar.

Web page: http://mrsf.mn/pages/hst2020

Wishing to spread HST to as much as possible countries, IARU R1 HSTWG  decided this year Cup of Europe&Balkan HST to be held in Albania.

The venue will be Elbasan, Abania and the event center will be Hotel Imperial, Elbasan. 

Although not an IARU recognized event, this international competition is widely accepted by HST community as an opportunity for best competitors to check their form before the world championship, teams to test new candidates for national team, those who are not able to participate at world championship can still enjoy top level competition and for everyone else a nice opportunity to feel the "HST adrenaline" and enjoy friendship.

DK2OM receives IARU Diamond Award

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Category: Latest

Published: Monday, 30 December 2019 12:45

Written by Don Beattie

Hits: 534

After many years’ involvement in monitoring intruders on the amateur bands, Wolf Hadel, DK2OM, has decided to retire at the end of 2019. Wolf has worked for the DARC monitoring system in Germany for more than 30 years and since 2005 has also coordinated the IARU Monitoring System of Region 1 (IARUMS).

Wolf has made a name for himself over the years as a committed radio amateur and competent band guard, and he is known for his excellent contacts with the official spectrum monitoring units. At Ham Radio 2016, it was my pleasure to award him the IARU Region 1 medal for his fight against illegal intruders on our bands and to recognize his ongoing exceptional leadership of the successful IARU monitoring system.

Wolf has worked closely with monitoring activities in the other IARU Regions and has built an excellent reputation amongst his colleagues around the world.