The IARU Region 3 Newsletter Issue 3/2005, Sept 2005 We record our sympathy to the Amateur community and all others who have suffered from the hurricane Katrina disaster in Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama, USA. The Amateur Service is reported as having been called towards assisting with emergency management and search-and-rescue operations. We express our condolences to the families and loved ones of those who lost their lives in that disaster. K C Selvadurai 9V1UV Director IARU Region 3 >>> Meetings at ITU Geneva <<< Our spectrum protection efforts made a significant advance on 30 June 2005, when the ITU announced approval of Recommendation ITU-R M.1732 entitled Characteristics of systems operating in the amateur and amateur-satellite services for use in sharing studies. This is now a standard reference for technical and operational characteristics of LF through microwave bands, and analog and digital systems. It includes parameters for CW Morse, PSK-31, RTTY, PACTOR 2 and 3, Clover 2000, MFSK16, analog and digital voice, multimedia systems, and amateur-satellite systems. Recommendation ITU-R M.1732 becomes an important building block for studies leading to World Radiocommunication Conferences, particularly those considering the possibility of sharing between the amateur services and other radio services. Recommendation ITU-R M.1732 is the result of several years of work by the IARU led by President Larry Price. It includes data supplied by its member societies. A draft was introduced at Working Party 8A in 2003. It was resubmitted to and approved by WP 8A in 2004, sent to administrations in March 2005 and approved by them on 15 June 2005. IARU was selected as one of the observer organisations from the ITU Radiocommunication Sector for ITU Council 2005. Larry Price, W4RA the IARU President, represented IARU at a meeting of the 46 member ITU Council in July 2005. >>> Region 3 M S Coordinator's Report <<< The "long term" intrusions as monitored in Region 3, by the participating National Societies, until July 2005, are summarised as follows: 160m Band: A few of the drift net buoys carrying beacons were reported between 1806 and 1862 kHz. 80m Band: Voice of Korea, Pyongyang, DPR-Korea is a very long time intruder on 3560 kHz with international broadcasting carried through. L9CC eternally calling CP17, in A1A mode, was reported on many frequencies. 40m Band: There are more intrusions in this exclusive band, than any other one. Voice of Korea, Pyongyang, DPR-Korea, the Voice of Broad Masses, Eritrea, both on 7100 kHz are the prominent intruders, carrying International and Domestic services respectively. The Indonesian pirates continue unabated use of the lower CW segment, for their personal conversations with lots of laughing and singing etc., using J3Eu mode. Sri Lankan fishing trawlers are also there, very regularly on many frequencies. Russian maritime single letter beacons like C,D,F,M,P etc., are active around 7039 kHz. Parallel channels of L9CC are heard here also. A severe menace is from the unidentified OTHR (over the horizon radar) They are new entrants, believed to be either from NATO, Cyprus or the Australian Area. 30m Band: Some unidentified South East Asian stations, Sri Lankan fishing trawlers and data stations are using random frequencies. (But this is a shared band that amateurs only have on a "secondary" basis - Editor) 20m Band: Several harmonic and spurious emissions from Voice of Korea, Pyongyang, DPR-Korea, are regularly reported. Several Indonesian pirates on 14100 kHz, the IARU beacon frequency, and thereabouts, cause severe interference, as also do some South East Asian stations. Data stations, Sri Lankan fishing trawlers and contraband-carrying boats also use this band. OTHR was also reported. 17m Band: The "Havana Gurgle" on 18090 kHz from Cuba (3 x 6030 kHz), and the Indian para military stations on 18075 and 18100 kHz, telephone patching on 18100 kHz by Indonesians, continue and occasional data stations with multi channel transmissions. 15m Band: Voice of Korea, Pyongyang, DPR-Korea is found here with 3rd harmonic and spurious emissions. Data stations, and OTHR are also regular. 12m Band: Not many openings. Some CODAR activity was reported. 10m Band: SE Asian CB type stations, Chinese dialect transmissions in A3E, F3E and J3Eu modes are reported. Concerted efforts by the National Societies and the Administrations are required to contain piracy of amateur radio frequencies, worldwide. Report by Manohar Arasu VU2UR Regional Monitoring Systems Coordinator >>> High Speed Telegraphy (HST) <<< High Speed Telegraphy (HST) is an amateur radio activity with a more than a 40-year history in Europe. It is a sport adapted to amateur radio, a real challenge for the lovers of Morse code (CW). The sportsmen compete in three tests. The first test is reception and transmission of letter text, figure text and mixed text. The computer generates the reception texts, starting from an initial speed of 80 marks per minute and increasing the speed until everyone gives up. In the transmission test any kind of Morse key/keyer is allowed. The aim (both in reception and transmission) is reaching as high as possible speed with as few as possible errors. The second test is reception of call signs generated by the computer (the so called RUFZ test). After any correctly received call sign the next one comes with higher speed, and the opposite - after any wrongly received call sign the next one comes with lower speed. The aim is to receive correctly as many as possible call signs within three minutes. The third test is pile-up test (the so called PED test). The computer simulates a real HF contest with a typical noise as on the air, with numerous contestants calling you simultaneously and thus creating a strong QRM. The aim is to make as many as possible real QSOs within three minutes with correctly received and sent call signs of the correspondents and correctly exchanged RST reports. To practise, the equipment needed is a computer and a Morse key/keyer. HST is very beneficial for self education. Activity on the air is the best training but there are lots of software or interactive sites in the Web, especially designed for mastering the HST abilities. The biggest events in HST are the World HST Championships, held in the odd years. Six World Championships are already in history showing an increasing number of participants from all three IARU Regions. It should be underlined that Japanese, Korean and Chinese societies have already participated in some of them. At the same time there are lots of CW clubs all over the world, including those in Region 2, that are not only possible participants in the future, but, furthermore, the abilities of their members can easily lead them to the winning position. Report from Panayot LZ1US >>> QSL bureaus <<< In 1985, the IARU Administrative Council (AC) recognized that the exchanging of QSL cards is a "final courtesy" in an Amateur Radio communication. The AC recognized that the cost of exchanging cards between individual amateur stations is prohibitive in most cases, unless an efficient international bureau system is in operation. They also recognized that an amateur who sends a card via the bureau usually has no way of knowing if the amateur to whom it is addressed is a member of his national IARU society. Most IARU Member Societies operate incoming QSL Bureau systems that are available to members and non-members alike. Some are unable, for good and sufficient reason, to provide service to non-members even if the expenses of doing so are fully reimbursed. Therefore Member Societies are strongly encouraged, whenever possible, to provide incoming QSL bureaus service to non-members within their operating territory, if such non-members agree to pay the full cost of this service. Member Societies should not forward QSL Cards to bureaus operated by non-members of IARU, if there is an IARU member-society in the country concerned that forwards cards to non-members who agree to pay the full cost of this service. >>> Arthur Godfrey ZL1HV (Jumbo) now Silent Key <<< Jumbo Godfrey, who was a Director of IARU Region 3 from 1982 to 1985 became a SK on 27 August 05 at the age of 92. Jumbo was President of NZART from 1977 through 1983, a term of six years which, at the time, was a record. He was awarded Amateur of the Year by NZART in 1973 and awarded Honorary Life membership of NZART in 1983. Jumbo was an exemplary amateur radio operator who contributed his time and skills in various aspects and in service to others. The Region 3 Web Site Go to: http://www.iaru-r3.org/ Newsletter Editor: K C Selvadurai 9V1UV, Director IARU Region 3, kcselva@starhub.net.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. MS Word version of this newsletter is available at http://www.iaru-r3.org/news/r3nl-05-09.doc