![]() This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional". The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Analytics". Set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin, this cookie is used to record the user consent for the cookies in the "Advertisement" category. This cookie is set by Windows Azure cloud, and is used for load balancing to make sure the visitor page requests are routed to the same server in any browsing session. These cookies ensure basic functionalities and security features of the website, anonymously.ĪRRAffinity cookie is set by Azure app service, and allows the service to choose the right instance established by a user to deliver subsequent requests made by that user. Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. Hear Lisa Leenders speak about her amateur radio experience on ITU’s Technology for Good podcast here. ![]() The International Telecommunication Union (ITU) recognizes the IARU as the global representative for the interests of amateur radio. 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 IARU has subsequently succeeded in expanding the frequency allocations for amateur radio, so that amateur radio operators are now able to experiment and communicate in specified frequency bands throughout the radio spectrum.įrom 25 founding countries in 1925, the IARU has grown to include 160 member-societies in three regions. Two years later, at the International Radiotelegraph Conference of 1927, amateur radio received the radio frequency spectrum allocations – 160, 80, 40, 20, and 10 meters – still recognized today. Yet in the rush that followed to use these shorter wavelengths, amateur radio operators were “in grave danger of being pushed aside,” notes the IARU’s official history. Since then, on 18 April every year, radio amateurs worldwide have taken to the airwaves to celebrate World Amateur Radio Day.Īmateur operators had discovered the potential of the short-wave spectrum, previously overlooked in the development of radiocommunications. On this day in 1925, the IARU was formed in Paris. While in-person meetings are now on hold, the essential on-air interaction continues. Before COVID-19, operators would gather from all over the world at major club meetings and fairs, often the occasion to meet on-air friends in person for the first time. The key is to meet people sharing similar interests. While amateur radio is a technical hobby, most radio operators come to be captured by the social aspect. Building and maintaining your own radio equipment is a whole other aspect. Licensed operators can engage in the hobby in many ways: making contacts near and far, entering contests, and – when conditions allow – travelling to remote countries to help keep on-air activity going. And it inspired me to pursue my own license, which I obtained by age 13. It all happened with just a simple wire antenna located in our garden. I remember how, as a small child, I would hear voices from all over the world coming out of my father’s transceiver. Sociable distancingĪmateur radio is magic. Today, the hobby is more popular than ever, with more than 3 million licensed operators worldwide, according to the International Amateur Radio Union (IARU). Amateur radio contests are attracting record-breaking numbers of entries. Over the past year, on-air activity has reached unprecedented levels. Special event stations, mostly transmitting from people’s homes, shared the message “Stay Safe” in dozens of countries and languages, reminding us all to help limit the spread of the virus. ![]() These days, local clubs in Europe and other regions are meeting on-the-air, more frequently than they have in decades, providing familiar, friendly voices, as well as regular check-ins on those, such as the elderly, who may be confined at home. In those early days and weeks of the pandemic, radio amateurs reached out to each other spontaneously via the airwaves at the local, national, and global levels. ![]() Amateur radio lets people interact socially, intensively, without ever meeting in person. Early last year, when the outbreak of coronavirus (COVID-19) first pushed much of the world into lockdown, one traditional – some might even say old-fashioned – hobby experienced a spectacular revival.
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