The IARU Region 3 Newsletter Issue 1/2002, March 2002 Thank you to the Societies that submitted a response to our Survey seeking your views about this newsletter. There were 12 responses and at 44.4%, it is very meaningful feedback. There were a couple of observations that need further consideration. Apart from the answers themselves, the exercise provided a window for Societies to express views and comments and it thereby provided a two-way communication opportunity. The analysis together with the data will be circulated to member Societies for their information. K C Selvadurai 9V1UV Director IARU Region 3 >>> Spectrum, the Life Blood of Amateur Radio <<< To exist, Amateur Radio must have access to the radio frequency spectrum. Without it, our radio equipment is like an automobile without a road or a boat without water - interesting to look at, perhaps, but utterly useless. Amateur Radio exists for the purpose of self-training, intercommunication and technical investigations. To accomplish these broad objectives, amateurs must be afforded reasonable access to the spectrum from the lowest frequencies to the highest. Yet, spectrum access is an increasingly valuable commodity. Commercial interests willingly pay billions of dollars for access to the frequencies they require in order to be able to sell telecommunications services. The radio spectrum is so valuable that even government and military users are under great pressure to relinquish frequencies for commercial exploitation. In such an environment, how can we radio amateurs defend and expand our spectrum access? By definition, our interest in radio is not financial. We can hardly afford to compete, dollar for dollar, with commercial interests. Nor can we compete with them for attention; our individual voices are too weak to be heard over their extravagant claims and frenzied bidding. The future may look bleak, but let us remember this: It has happened before, and Amateur Radio survived and prospered. In the early 1920s it was generally assumed that radio communication could only take place over long distances using very long waves - the lower the frequency, the better. Very large antennas and very high power were the rule at commercial and government stations. Then, radio amateurs found that short-wave signals could be heard all over the world. The rush soon began to exploit this newly discovered phenomenon. Radio amateurs, the very people whose experiments had revealed the value of the short waves in the first place, were in grave danger of being pushed aside. At the time there were very few countries in which radio amateurs had been able to organize themselves into national associations. In many countries, Amateur Radio operation was actively discouraged or even illegal. Fortunately, there were far-sighted individuals who understood the problem and were able to find a solution. In 1925 they met in Paris and formally created the International Amateur Radio Union, or IARU. Initially the IARU had individual members. Once there were enough members in a given country to do so, a section of the IARU would be formed. Soon there were enough sections of the IARU that it became a federation of national associations. The first major challenge for the IARU occurred in 1927 at the Washington International Radiotelegraph Conference. Radio amateurs easily could have been forced into bands that would have been too narrow to support future growth. Instead, allocations were won that we still know today as 160, 80, 40, 20, and 10 meters, with a 5-meter band that was moved to 6 meters after World War II. The other amateur bands we now enjoy were the result of decades of patient effort through the IARU. From less than 30,000 radio amateurs who were licensed as of 1927, the Amateur Radio movement has grown to three million. From the representatives of 25 countries who formed the IARU in 1925, the IARU has grown to include 150 national associations representing virtually every country with enough amateurs to form an organization. Individual radio amateurs support the work of the IARU through their membership in their own national IARU member-society. That support is vital to the future of Amateur Radio. The IARU is recognized by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) as the representative of the interests of radio amateurs throughout the world. It is our voice in the offices and meeting rooms of the ITU and regional telecommunications organizations, where the decisions affecting our future access to the radio spectrum are made. Most representatives of the IARU are volunteers. The combined budgets of the IARU and its regional organizations amount to just pennies per month per licensed radio amateur. Unfortunately, not all radio amateurs are members of IARU member-societies so the burden falls onto those who are. All licensed radio amateurs benefit from the work of the IARU, whether or not they are members of their national IARU member-society. But every licensed radio amateur should be a member. Only by combining our efforts in this way can we ensure the future health of Amateur Radio, for ourselves and for future generations. David Sumner, K1ZZ Secretary, IARU >>> Minutes with annexes of 11th Regional Conference <<< All member societies will have received the bound volume of the proceedings of the 11th Conference. Member societies should take note of the motions as listed out in the flyleaf sent with the bound volume. >>> Strategic Plan for Region 3 <<< In the bound volume of minutes and annexes, the Strategic Plan for Region 3 is included at Document No: 00/XI/008. The problems and issues needing attention have been identified and recorded as matters requiring priority attention. The 1st strategic program is to publicize IARU and IARU Region 3 by all amateur radio societies in the Region. This program requires the active cooperation and assistance from all member societies. Please would all member societies publicize IARU in the best way possible and appropriate for their environment. The Region 3 Newsletter has highlighted some aspects of IARU. Assistance is available for any society that may request it. The 2nd strategic program is the maintenance of close liaison with the Asia-Pacific Telecommunity. (APT) The importance of such liaison is underscored during this period of the run up to WRC 2003. The countries represented at APT appear to desire a common stand. As reported in this Newsletter, Issue 3/2001 September 2001, all APT meetings are attended by a delegation from IARU. The next meeting of APT will be held from 10th to 15th June 2002 in Bangkok Thailand to be followed by another meeting from 2nd to 7th Sept in Pusan Korea. The frequency of these meetings is indicative of its importance. It is essential that all societies follow up with their respective administrations to ensure their commitment to support the recommendations of IARU at the next APT meeting. The 3rd strategic program is to encourage every member society to have an "Administration Liaison Officer". By having one office bearer especially responsible for handling matters pertaining to the administrative authority, it will be possible to enhance the authority's awareness of amateur radio issues. A workshop on that topic was conducted at the 11th Region Conference held in Darwin in Aug/Sept 2000. >>> New Radio Regulations in New Zealand <<< The computer-based study and amateur radio examination system in New Zealand is described in Document No.00/XI/017 and on page 27 of the Minutes of the Darwin Region 3 Conference. New Radio Regulations took effect in New Zealand from October 2001. The Study Guide and the Question-bank have been updated. The NZART web site has full details of the changes: www.nzart.org.nz/nzart/exam/ As suggested in Motion 11-N, this training and testing system could be adapted for use in other countries. >>> President of USA speaks via Amateur Radio <<< Mr. George W Bush, the President of the United States of America spoke via amateur radio on 31 January 2002. The President was in Florida, USA, and spoke on the 75-meter amateur radio band to members of the Amateur Radio Emergency Service to thank them for their help. His message took about 30 seconds. The station was arranged as a demonstration of Amateur Radio's role in emergency preparedness. That experience demonstrates that community service through emergency communications is a wonderful way to reach the head of state and others at high levels in the establishment. Perhaps Societies seeking favor of their regulatory authority may wish to give further thought to the matter. >-< The Region 3 Web site >-< Go to: http://www.www.iaru-r3.org/ Newsletter Editor: K C Selvadurai 9V1UV, Director IARU Region 3, 9v1uv@sarts.org.sg Publisher: The International Amateur Radio Union Region 3, P.O. Box 73, Toshima, Tokyo 170-8691, Japan. E-Mail: iaru-r3@jarl.or.jp Tel: +81 3 3944 3322 Fax: +81 3 3943 8282 The statements or opinions in this Newsletter do not, unless otherwise stated, necessarily reflect the views of IARU Region 3, the Directors or the Secretariat. Items from this Newsletter may be freely copied for publication by member societies of IARU.