The IARU Region 3 Newsletter Issue 4/2005, December 2005 There has been another natural disaster in our Region. This time it has been an earthquake of immense proportions in Azad Kashmir & North Western Frontier Province of Pakistan. 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 <<< Working Party 6E at its meeting 5-14 October 2005 reviewed the draft CPM text on Agenda item 1.13. It was noted that in general, the use of radio frequencies between 4 and 10 MHz include voice and data transmissions over intermediate and long-range distances, HF communications has specific attributes that make it a viable solution for many requirements. The lower bands are ideal for short and medium-range coverage (up to 2 000 km) during daytime and are also needed to support longer-range services at night, and are most effective during the years of low sunspot cycles. Propagation criteria decisively influence the availability of HF spectrum and the number of individual frequencies. Propagation concerns make it essential that the frequency channels or sub-bands of an HF pool be evenly spaced over the entire lower part of the HF range to allow communications over various conditions in the ionosphere. This spacing is another factor driving the need for spectrum in an environment that is unknown ahead of time. >>> IARU Plans for the Future <<< Following an instruction from the AC meeting in 2004, officers of the IARU have been considering the future role and organization structure of the IARU. A preliminary paper was presented to the R3 Directors Meeting held in Bangalore in October 05. The officers focused at what IARU should be like in the year 2025 which will be the 100th anniversary year of IARU. Despite the declining numbers of Amateur Radio licensees, there is confidence that Amateur Radio will exist in some form 20 years from now. The future of Amateur Radio will be brighter if the IARU makes the right decisions for using its energies and resources. The officers welcomed the opportunity to consider how the structure could be improved now, in order to give the IARU the best possible leadership in the future. The officers considered certain environmental trends and other attributes that are likely to affect amateur radio and amateur-satellite services. These were: a) Technical Environment. Technical advances will continue to expand the opportunities for communication over the next 20 years. Whilst some of these technical advances will be available to the amateur service, they may make Amateur Radio seem less relevant to the general public. b) Economic Environment. Whilst there may not be serious disruptions in the major economies of the world, natural disasters, civil and religious strife, and population growth may retard and disrupt the economies of some countries. c) Political Environment. There is a correlation between political stability and economic development. Political trends in certain parts of the world are difficult to predict. However, regional telecommunications organizations will continue to grow in significance as they have over the past 15 years. The ITU will continue to provide the mechanism for international telecommunication agreements governing the use of the radio spectrum. d) Regulatory Environment. It is likely that administrations will have little interest in regulating Amateur Radio beyond what is necessary to avoid interference to commercial and government telecommunications. The Amateur Radio status as an internationally recognized, licensed radio service has been vitally important to radio amateurs. The maintenance of that status is likely to absorb an increasing amount of time and attention of those who represent the interests of Amateur Radio. The foregoing and other related issues are continuing to receive consideration. It is very probable that a "Position Paper" will be presented at the next Region 3 Conference scheduled for August 2006, and will provide an opportunity for an in-depth discussion on the proposals. >>> The 13th IARU Region 3 Conference <<< The next Region 3 Conference will be held in Bangalore, India from Monday 7th August to Friday 11th August 2006. The meeting of Heads of Delegations will be held on Sunday evening 6th August. Member Societies may wish to make note of these dates and plan ahead to attend. >>> Region 3 Directors Meeting October 2005 <<< A meeting of R3 Directors was held in Bangalore from 5th to 7th October 2005. The papers to be circulated before the 13th Conference in August 2006 will include a list of the specifications and requirements for hosting a Conference. That document will better enable Member Societies (MS) considering hosting a Conference to know what is expected of them. The papers will also have a sample proxy letter for appointment by MS of a Proxy to the Conference to minimize any doubt on its format. A further report on highlights of the Directors Meeting will be published when the minutes of the meeting are available. >>> AC Meeting Sept 2005 <<< An Administrative Council (AC) meeting was held in Zurich, Switzerland 17th to 18 Sept 2005. Bob Knowles, ZL1BAD, IARU Monitoring System International Coordinator stepped down after more than 20 years of volunteer service. His final written report was received with thanks. The full Summary Record of the discussions may be viewed at the web site: http://www.iaru.org/ac-0509min.html >>> Seanet 2005 <<< Seanet 2005 was held in Bangalore, India from 7th to 9th October 2005 and was attended by 35 delegates from 10 foreign countries together with 40 delegates from the home country. At the session on the Sunday, Mr. J P Gupta Project Director Indian Satellite Research Organization gave an in depth Powerpoint presentation on the Hamsat. The final version of the transponder was based on the designs developed by Subbi VU2UV and Kumar VU2BGS. >>> Earthquake Disaster in Azad Kashmir & North Western Frontier Province of Pakistan <<< The devastation that resulted from the recent earthquake was horrendous. PARS members are still working in the disaster locations. Since the authorities took prompt action to restore communication facilities in most of the affected areas, there was minimal need for amateur radio emergency communications. Volunteers from many countries have joined in the rescue and relief operations in the very difficult terrain. Snow and rain expected in early December will hamper relief work. The total loss may only be known in spring when a real count can be taken. >>> International YL Meeting <<< The International YL Meet will be held in Mumbai, India, from the 27th to the 30th of October 2006. This event will be held under the aegis of the Amateur Radio Society of India (ARSI). Pre registration is not mandatory. A Conference Visa to India will be organized through the Indian Government for which a form should be filled and emailed to the Organizing Committee to facilitate the issue of a visa. For further information contact: sarla.yl@gmail.com >>> Average Age of the Amateur Radio Operator <<< The age of the operator was the 'exchange' for the JARTS RTTY contest held from 15 to 16 Oct 05. Bob WA6BOB had 380 qso's and released the statistics that the ages spread from 23 to 87 years. The weighted average of the operators works out to 55.5 years. As against that, the Sept 2005 issue of R3 Newsletter referred to the HST Championships where half the participants, licensed amateur radio operators, are older than 18 years and go up to over 50 years. The rest are less than 18 years, and about 20% - 25% of them are also licensed operators. >>> Training via the "Long Path" <<< The NZART Administration Liaison Officer (and past Chairman of Directors of IARU Region 3) Fred Johnson ZL2AMJ who has had a lifelong interest in training, and the development of amateur radio got a message of thanks in August 2005 from a Malaysian amateur radio operator. The email that Fred received mentioned: "My name is Richard and I am from Malaysia. I have just got my call sign 9W2RCJ. One of the reasons that I passed my exam was due to fact that I used your 'Study Guide'" Fred replied to Richard with his congratulations and best wishes. He noted that the New Zealand Amateur Radio Study Guide had assisted, even though it is not optimized for the Malaysian Radio Regulations. The Study Guide is available online on the NZART web site. It was amazing to Fred and others in NZART that their training information was being used successfully as far away as Malaysia. See the NZART web site: www.nzart.org.nz 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. iaru-r3@jarl.or.jp Tel: +81 3 3944 3322 Fax: +81 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-05-12.doc