In this Issue:

- Regional Conference on Amateur Radio, Qatar
- Wireless Institute of Australia Celebrates 100 Years
- Bill Wilson, VE3NR, SK
- IARU Region 2 Assists Radio Club de Chile (RCCH)
- IARU Questions Whether Certain Member-Societies Still Exist
- Fun Stuff: IARU Operating Award For Worked All Continents

== REGIONAL CONFERENCE ON AMATEUR RADIO 2010 (RCAR 2010)

The following information is from Ole Garpestad, LA2RR, IARU
Vice-President.

The Regional Conference on Amateur Radio will be held April 4 - 6,
2010 in Doha, State of Qatar and will be the biggest Regional
Symposium on Amateur Radio in the Middle East in 2010.

The Conference is organized by the QATAR AMATEUR RADIO SOCIETY
(QARS) jointly with the International Amateur Radio Union (IARU). So
far the kind invitation from the QARS Chairman
http://tinyurl.com/ybecgf6 H.E. Abdullah bin Hamad Al-Attiyah,
A71AU, has been accepted by a number of IARU societies in the Middle
East as well as one from Region 3 together with Telecom Regulators
and Administrations from the GCC area. Participation is also
expected from ITU officials as well as local Qatar officials. The
IARU team will consist of: IARU Vice President Ole Garpestad, LA2RR,
IARU Region 1 President Hans Blondeel Timmerman, PB2T and IARU
Region 1 EC-member Hani Raad, OD5TE.

The symposium gives the delegates the opportunity to exchange
information related to the Amateur Radio Service in the Arab World
along with the regulatory aspects in connection with the Amateur
Radio Service. The program consist of presentations on Regulatory
issues, preparation for WRC-12, Amateur Radio Emergency and Disaster
Communication, national regulations of Amateur Radio in the GCC
States combined with panel discussions and workshops with the aim to
assist in building and maintaining good working relationship between
the National Regulators and the Amateur Radio Societies.

Doha has been launched by UNESCO as the capital of the Arab culture
and a celebration of "Al-Doha Capital of Arab Culture 2010" with
H.E. Minister of Culture, Arts and Heritage will take place during
the RCAR 2010 event.

More information on the invitation, program, hotel and visa may be
found in related documents available on the IARU Region 1 web or
obtained from any of the IARU team members listed above.

== WIRELESS INSTITUTE OF AUSTRALIA CELEBRATES 100 YEARS

The Wireless Institute of Australia (WIA) is celebrating 100 years
of organized amateur radio in Australia.

On 11 March, 1910 a meeting of like-minded people in the Hotel
Australia, Martin Place, Sydney, formed the Institute of Wireless
Telegraphy of Australia, and soon after dropped the word
'telegraphy' from its name. Chairman of the founding meeting, George
Taylor, proposed "the formation of an institution amongst
experimenters and enthusiasts in wireless for their mutual benefit."

A similar organisation was formed in Melbourne - the Amateur
Wireless Society of Victoria, on 30 November 1911 at a meeting
attended by 50 enthusiasts. In 1913 it changed its name to the
Wireless Institute of Victoria, and then became the Wireless
Institute of Australia, Victorian Division. Then followed The
Wireless Institute of Queensland (1912), the West Australian Radio
Club (1913) became the Wireless Institute of Australia, Western
Australia Section.

In May 1924 the Institute at a federation meeting held in Melbourne
resulted in a nation-wide organisation to represent the
experimenters, an outcome that had been desired for some time by the
Postmaster General who had responsibility for wireless. Exactly 100
years on from that first meeting in Sydney, the experimenters, now
known as radio amateurs, can legitimately celebrate the
establishment of their representative organisation, the Wireless
Institute of Australia - the oldest such group in the world.

A range of initiatives and activities are to happen in 2010
providing an opportunity for every radio amateur to be involved in
what will be a memorable celebration. Special event callsign
VK100WIA will be very popular. Make it a personal aim to make
contact this station, consider your plan to achieve the WIA
Centenary Award and if a club member support its involvement in the
celebration. A commemorative logo is now available for use by WIA
members on their QSL cards. Want to know more? Full details are
available on the WIA website through its homepage at www.wia.org.au
and look under the 'WIA Centenary Celebrations' section. It contains
a lot of information including activities, the commemorative logo,
Centenary Award, the VK100WIA special event callsign -its roster,
online log and QSL card - plus a range of affordable centenary
merchandise. Credit-WIA web site.

== BILL WILSON, VE3NR, SK

The International Amateur Radio Union expresses its profound regret
of the recent passing of Bill Wilson, VE3NR. Bill was a strong
supporter of the amateur radio service with his work for the
Canadian regulator at the International Telecommunications Union. He
provided support and guidance to the Canadian IARU member society
for many years. Bill mentored a number of prominent individuals
including Robert Jones VE7RWJ, the former Director of the
Radiocommunication Bureau at the ITU.

IARU President Tim Ellam VE6SH remembers Bill was instrumental in
assisting Canadian amateurs with planning for WARC-92. "Bill Wilson
was one of the best friends amateur radio could have. His guidance
and support to Radio Amateurs of Canada and its predecessor
societies cannot be underestimated" Ellam said. IARU President
Emeritus, Larry Price W4RA, recalled that WARC-92 was a turning
point in the future relationship between CARF and CRRL when neither
organisation could agree on a single spokesperson for amateurs in
Canada and this eventually resulted in proposals to combine the two
to have a single national Society, R.A.C. "Bill Wilson was a strong
leader who did not lose sight of the eventual goal of representing
well the radio amateur's interests, he is sorely missed."

The IARU and its member societies express its deepest sympathies to
Bill Wilson's family.

== IARU REGION 2 ASSISTS MEMBER SOCIETY WITH EARTHQUAKE DAMAGE

At the 2007 Triennial IARU Region 2 Conference, the General Assembly
established a Region 2 Relief Fund. Like many other areas around the
world, portions of R2 are situated in areas that are subject to
numerous hurricanes, severe storms, floods, earthquakes and other
types of natural disasters. During some of these natural disasters,
Region 2 national amateur radio societies have suffered severe or
extreme damage to their society stations and buildings, including
antenna systems. The societies in Region 2 felt there was a need for
a process of collecting donations and distributing donations to
Region 2 Member Societies who have suffered damage to their national
society stations or buildings that are due to natural disaster.

The resolution passed unanimously by the Region societies at the
conference directed that funds accumulated in the Region 2 Relief
Fund shall be distributed by the R2 Executive Committee solely to
assist Region 2 Member Societies for repairing or rebuilding
stations and buildings, including antenna systems, because of
damages resulting from natural disasters. Member Societies that
receive funds from the Region 2 Relief Fund must provide a report
with the R2 Executive Committee detailing for the use of such funds.
The conference set aside an initial 5,000 USD for the fund.

In February of this year, Chile suffered a severe earthquake which
registered 8.8 on the Richter scale. The headquarters station for
the Chilean member-society, Radio Club de Chile, suffered major
damage to its building and its antenna system. RCCH asked the R2 EC
for monetary assistance from the R2 Relief Fund and the R2 EC agreed
to assist the society with funds to help repair its HQ building and
antenna system.

This is an excellent example of the IARU stepping in to help one of
its member-societies in a time of need.

If your national society would like to assist the RCCH with a
donation, please contact the Region 2 Secretary, Ramon Santoyo XE1KK
at .

== IARU QUESTIONS WHETHER CERTAIN MEMBER-SOCIETIES STILL EXIST

At the IARU Administrative Council meeting in October, 2009, a
procedure was adopted to deal with the situation of non-existent or
non-functioning member-societies. Under this newly adopted
procedure, if the IARU regional organization determines that there
is no evidence of the continued existence of the society for a
period of 5 years then the regional organization may request that
the Administrative Council publish a notice in the IARU /Calendar/
its belief that the society has ceased to exist and calling for the
submission of any evidence to the contrary within 180 days of such
publication. If no evidence of the continued existence is presented
to the AC within the 180-day period then that Member-Society shall
be deemed to no longer exist. After that, if there is an amateur
organization within the country that believes it can perform the
duties of an IARU Member-Society then it can apply for IARU
membership.

Three IARU Member-Societies in Region 3 will be listed in the IARU
/Calendar/ number 189 that fall within this category of non-existent
or non-functioning societies. They a Papua New Guinea (PNGARS),
French Polynesia (CORA) and Burma (BARTS). IARU /Calendar/ number
189 will likely be published about the same time this E-Letter is
received.

== IARU OPERATING AWARD FOR WORKED ALL CONTINENTS (WAC)

The IARU issues Worked-All-Continents certificates to amateur radio
stations around the world that work all six continental areas.

Qualification for the WAC award is based on an examination by the
International Secretariat, or a member-society, of the IARU of QSL
cards that the applicant has received from other amateur stations in
each of the six continental areas of the world. All contacts must be
made from the same country or separate territory within the same
continental area of the world.

All QSL cards (no photocopies) must show the mode and/or band for
any endorsement applied for.

Contacts made on 10/18/24 MHz or via satellites are void for the
5-band certificate and 6-band endorsement. All contacts for the QRP
endorsement must be made on or after January 1, 1985 while running a
maximum power of 5 watts output or 10 watts input.

For amateurs in the United States and in an area without IARU
representation, the WAC application forms are available in MS Word
http://www.iaru.org/wac/wac.doc and Adobe PDF
http://www.iaru.org/wac/wac.pdf format. Once completed,
applications should be directed to the WAC Awards Manager, ARRL, 225
Main Street, Newington, CT USA 06111. After verification, the cards
will be returned and the award sent soon afterward. Also, approved
DXCC card checkers can verify WAC program applications. For the
latest list of DXCC card checkers visit
http://www.arrl.org/awards/dxcc. There is a $13.00 fee for US
applicants. Sufficient return postage, or, a self-addressed stamped
envelope, is required for the return of QSL cards. US amateurs must
have current ARRL membership. At the present time credits in the
ARRL LogBook of The World (LoTW) system cannot be claimed for WAC
credit. Applicants who have a current DXCC award in the DXCC
computer system can apply for WAC by completing the WAC application
form and sending it to the address noted above, listing credits to
be claimed on the application form. In this case QSL cards are not
required. Send questions to .

For all other amateurs, applicants must be members of their national
amateur radio societies http://www.iaru.org/iaru-soc.html
affiliated with IARU http://www.iaru.org/, and apply through the
society.

------------------------------------------------

If you have any information that would be appropriate to publish in
this electronic newsletter, please contact me at .

Rod Stafford W6ROD
IARU Secretary

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The IARU E-Letter is published on behalf on the Administrative Council of
the International Amateur Radio Union by the IARU International
Secretariat. Editor: Rod Stafford, W6ROD, IARU Secretary.

Material from The IARU E-Letter may be republished or reproduced in
whole or in part in any form without additional permission. Credit
must be given to The IARU E-Letter and The International Amateur Radio
Union.