An article has appeared on the BBC News website describing amateur radio’s role during social distancing.
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The International Amateur Radio Union has been the worldwide voice of radio amateurs, securing and safeguarding the amateur radio spectrum since 1925. Read more about us →
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The local radio amateur club LA3F, south of Oslo, had just completed its annual course for would-be radio-amateurs. The latest 3 participants were just ready for their exam when the corona virus struck. We can all imagine their frustration when Norway started to shut down activities and meetings for an indefinite period.
A normal exam was not possible due to the strict rules of physical distance and limitations on the number of people who could meet. At that time Norway had strict rules of not more than 5 people together, minimum 2m physical distance and frequent hand wash.
So in order to get these 3 new amateurs on board, LA2RR, Ole, agreed with the Norwegian regulator to hold an outdoor exam where all these guidelines were obeyed. Armed with all the necessary paperwork and with Antibac for hand disinfection, he meet with the three candidates in the forest outside the local scout cottage. Here, in the open air, there are tables a minimum of 5 m apart, so with just the four of them, it was “corona safe” to hold the written exam.
Although early spring in Norway, the temperature was around 10 degrees Celsius and everybody had dressed warmly so that the temperature out in the forest could not be used as an excuse should any of them fail. Ole is happy to report that all 3 candidates passed and we can all welcome LA5EUA, LB8QI and LB8RI to the world of amateur radio.
The photo shows the three new amateurs at their tables and with their own thermos with coffee!
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Some new initiatives are listed on the COVID-19 page further down in this News section. RSGB has made available the May copy of its monthly publication RadCom. If your society has something to add, please let us know.
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An interview with Tim Ellam, VE6SH, IARU President on World Amateur Radio Day 2020 has been published by ITU news. The Director of the ITU Radio Bureau has also sent a tweet to promote the interview on social media.
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Every April 18, radio amateurs worldwide take to the airwaves in celebration of World Amateur Radio Day. It was on this day in 1925 that the International Amateur Radio Union was formed in Paris.
Amateur Radio experimenters were the first to discover that the short wave spectrum — far from being a wasteland — could support worldwide propagation. In the rush to use these shorter wavelengths, Amateur Radio was “in grave danger of being pushed aside,” the IARU’s history has noted. Amateur Radio pioneers met in Paris in 1925 and created the IARU to support Amateur Radio worldwide.
Just two years later, at the International Radiotelegraph Conference, Amateur Radio gained the allocations still recognized today — 160, 80, 40, 20, and 10 meters. Since its founding, the IARU has worked tirelessly to defend and expand the frequency allocations for Amateur Radio. Thanks to the support of enlightened administrations in every part of the globe, radio amateurs are now able to experiment and communicate in frequency bands strategically located throughout the radio spectrum. From the 25 countries that formed the IARU in 1925, the IARU has grown to include 160 member-societies in three regions. IARU Region 1 includes Europe, Africa, the Middle East, and Northern Asia. Region 2 covers the Americas, and Region 3 is comprised of Australia, New Zealand, the Pacific island nations, and most of Asia. The International Telecommunication Union (ITU) has recognized the IARU as representing the interests of Amateur Radio.
Today, Amateur Radio is more popular than ever, with more than 3,000,000 licensed operators!
World Amateur Radio Day is the day when IARU Member-Societies can show our capabilities to the public and enjoy global friendship with other Amateurs worldwide.
Groups should promote their WARD activity on social media by using the hashtag #WorldAmateurRadioDay on Twitter and Facebook. IARU will list all WARD activities on this page. To have your WARD activity listed, send an email to IARU Secretary David Sumner, K1ZZ.
April 18 is the day for all of Amateur Radio to celebrate and tell the world about the science we can help teach, the community service we can provide and the fun we have.
We hope you will join in the fun and education that is World Amateur Radio Day!
The theme for 2020 is :
“Celebrating Amateur Radio’s Contribution to Society.”
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