The IARU Region 3 Newsletter January-March 2007, Released April 2007 Communication to members is a big concern facing our Region and in this issue our Chairman and also the Disaster Communications Committee Chairman have highlighted the problem. Individual societies are urged to send the e-mail addresses of all their members to the Secretariat so that IARU Region 3 communications can go directly to them from the secretariat. This may shorten the time frame in which an individual member gets to know of what is happening in IARU Region 3 on matters which concern them and their privileges. I also request the individual societies to please keep me posted on happenings within their respective areas so that the information can be included in the Newsletter for wider circulation. >>> A Word from the Chairman of IARU Region 3- Michael Owen VK3KI <<< The great challenge facing Region 3 is communicating with its member societies, and through them, to amateurs generally. The Directors held a meeting in early December last, at the JARL Headquarters in Tokyo. We did this because we were very conscious of the need to make IARU Region 3 meaningful. We needed to get together, as a very new team, to identify priorities and tasks. We saw participation in the Asia-Pacific Telecommunity and particularly its preparation for WRC-07 as an immediate need. We saw better communicating what were doing as another need. We decided to continue the production of this Region 3 Newsletter, so ably managed by Selva 9V1UV, now the responsibility of Gopal VU2GMN. We saw the need to circulate very brief new releases, without detail, just telling people the sort of things that we are doing. The funds of Region 3 come from every member of every Region 3 member society. We want them to know what we are doing. But all of that is not much good if we don't send our circulars, our newsletters, our releases, even our requests for information to the right address, or if we do, we don't have any responses. I draw your attention to the message from Jim Linton VK3PC, Chairman of the IARU Region 3 Disaster Communications Committee, asking for a response to his email seeking information about the regulations in each country affecting emergency communications and preparing for emergencies. The Directors have decided to send out emails to the President and Secretaries of member societies as well as to the respective Liaison Officers. We know that Liaison Officers may change. We know Liaison Officers may be sick, away on holidays, or sometimes, just tired. So, in case that happens, we are sending our information to someone else as well in each society. But I ask you to let our secretary know ALL the addresses we should send emails containing Newsletters, or Releases or other general information. We want to communicate. We are happy to send information to as many addresses as possible. Please communicate back to us (and to Jim!) Please tell us where to send information. >>> WIA reports growth in membership <<< The WIA started the year 2006 with 3,675 members and by the end of 2006 there were 4,113 members of the WIA. WIA feels it is mainly because of the introduction of the Foundation license, a better image of the organisation and the production and distribution of attractive brochures to attract new members. >>> Call for ham emergency network in Sri Lanka <<< Scientists in Sri Lanka have called on the government to develop an effective amateur radio voice communication network to be used during disasters. According to Victor 4S7VK "uncomplicated short wave radio helped save many lives" as was demonstrated during the aftermath of the last Tsunami when the Prime Minister was cut off from the outside world till a ham station was set up inside his operational room. >>> IARU committee for common HAM license systems <<< The IARU Council is in the process of establishing an IARU exploratory committee for the purpose of investigating ways to progress a commonly adopted amateur license so that radio amateurs of one country are able to operate in another country without the need for a permit being issued by the administration of the country visited. It recognizes the importance of such arrangements for operation to the amateurs of the world and the need for amateurs to travel to other countries for the purpose of carrying out emergency communications. Suggestions are now being looked at for a suitable person, well versed in the subject to head the committee. >>> A message from IARU Region 3 Disaster Communications Committee - Chairman Jim Linton VK3PC <<< In December 2006 an email was sent to the listed members of the IARU Region 3 Disaster Committee representing the ARRL, ARSI, CRSA, CTARL, HARTS, JARL, KARL, NZART, PARS, PNGARS, RAST, RSGB, RSLL and VARS. It sought information from those radio societies in relation to the policy decided at the IARU Region 3 Conference in Bangalore. That policy encouraged member societies to approach their administrations in respect to ITU RR Nos. 25.3 and 25.9A seeking adoption of them in national regulations, if that has not already occurred. The information needed is advice on the progress made or action still to be taken by radio societies in having 25.3 and 25.9A adopted in your national regulations. The IARU Region 3 Board of Directors at its Tokyo meeting 5/6 December 2006 also asked that I provide information to committee members explaining the purpose of a Simulated Emergency Test (SET) and to find out more about amateur radio emergency communications preparations in their country. Basically a SET is a radio message handling exercise simulating what would happen during an actual emergency or disaster. The SET could either be an amateur radio emergency communications training exercise or carried out with other agencies, such as the Red Cross. It may be known differently in your country such as an Emergency Preparedness Drill. If it involves radio message handling then it is the same as a SET. Unfortunately the response to the email in December has been minimal. Can those responsible for emergency communications or member society administration please assist by providing the requested information? >>> IARU Region 3 Assistant Secretary attends CPM07-2 in Geneva <<< Jay Oka, our Assistant Secretary, attended the CPM07-2, a two-week meeting held in Geneva from 19th February to 2nd March 2007 attended by over 1,000 participants from all over the world as part of the Japanese delegation IARU was represented by President Larry Price, W4RA and Expert Ken Pulfer, VE3PU. The Provisional Report of the CPM to WRC-07 can be found at: http://www.itu.int/md/R07-CPM-R-0001/en Agenda Items 1.13 and 1.15 are in Chapter 5 of the document and are of special interest for radio amateurs. >>> High Speed Telegraphy Championship <<< The 7th World HST Championship will take part in Belgrade, Serbia during September 19-23rd 2007. Further details from web site www.hst2007.org >>> Hams aid rescue effort at sea <<< Radio amateurs from Australia assisted in bringing ashore a ham whose yacht had a broken mast and other troubles- yet another example of how the amateur radio service becomes invaluable in situations when nothing else works! >>> ARDF Region 3 Championship <<< The Mongolian Radio Sport's Federation (MRSF) will be hosting the 7th IARU Region 3 Amateur Radio Direction Finding (ARDF) Championships, 16 - 21 August 2007, Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia. Details available from www.mrsf.mn E-mail contact < contact@mrsf.mn > >>> APT Conference Preparatory Group (APG) Activities <<< As reported in the "News Release" at the time, Directors Peter Lake ZL2AZ and Shizuo Endo JE1MUI represented IARU Region 3 at the "APG2007-4" meeting in Bangkok, Thailand from 8 - 12 January 2007. The APG as a part of the Asia-Pacific Telecommunity (APT) is the key organisation leading preparations for the World Radiocommunication Conference (WRC-07) to be held at the end of this year. This 4th meeting was part of the series leading up to WRC-07. An "Information Paper" was submitted to the APG, and the Directors worked hard in the Drafting Groups. The key Agenda Items (1.15 and 1.13) affecting the Amateur Service were retained in the conference output document, but not unanimously supported. A proposed secondary allocation in the LF band 135.7-137.8 kHz did receive general support. However, the still unsatisfied requirement for a harmonized band at 7 MHz, which could be met by an allocation from 7.2 to 7.3 MHz was not generally accepted. It has survived on the agenda at this point, however, due to very fortunate support from the Malaysian Ministry (MCMC) supported by MARTS. A new matter, seeking access to a secondary allocation at around 5 MHz for emergency communications was also not generally supported, but also survived due to support from Malaysia. These issues are very complex and all the users want access to more HF spectrum. A number of different "Methods' a have been proposed to solve a number of diverging "Issues". We need to get more support for our more modest requests. One new issue emerged in Agenda Item 7.2 (Agenda for the next WRC in about 2011) where New Zealand added an item to consider re-planning the 500 kHz Maritime Distress Channel spectrum for use by the Amateur Service. The two Directors are tasked to follow through on these issues at the 5th and final APG in Busan, Korea from 16 - 21 July; before the WRC-07 in October. A further Circular is to be released to Member Societies, re-stating the APG outcomes and the current situation now that the ITU has completed its "CPM07-2" meeting in Geneva (see related items in this Newsletter). Yet another reminder will be given on the need for action by every Society to advise its Administration, to help to protect our radio spectrum allocations and progress known requests. >>> International Telecommunication Union (ITU) Activity <<< The Conference Preparatory Meeting "CPM07-2" meeting was held in Geneva, from 19 February to 2 March 2007. This final meeting completed the "Technical" document that will be used to guide and advise WRC-07 in Geneva, from 22 October to 16 November 2007. The 7 "Chapters" cover all of the Agenda items. It is a very large and complex document. Those items concerning the Amateur Service are in Chapter 5, with some "Future conference" items included in Chapter 7. The CPM Report includes those items that could not be resolved and agreed, including our amateur requirements. This puts the responsibility onto the WRC to try and find agreement and resolve some very difficult issues. As reported elsewhere, Jay Oka JA1TRC, Assistant Secretary of Region 3, managed to attend the CPM07-2 meeting as a part of the Delegation from Japan. An IARU Observer team of two people also attended. Unfortunately IARU Region 3 did not have the funds to send a Director to this critical meeting. Member Societies now need to be urgently taking the final steps to meet with and influence their Administration as the final preparations are made in each country for WRC-07. Plans should now be firmed up to get amateurs included on national delegations to WRC-07, where possible. This is costly and demanding, but essential to protect and progress our interests. The Region 3 Web Site: Go to: http://www.iaru-r3.org/ Newsletter Editor: Gopal Madhavan VU2GMN, Director IARU Region 3 E-mail: gopalmadhavan@vsnl.com 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.