Thursday, April 18, is World Amateur Radio Day

WORLD AMATEUR RADIO DAY 2019
MARKS INTERNATIONAL AMATEUR RADIO UNION
FOUNDING

NOTE:  Fair Lawn ARC  W2NPT  will be on the air from 14:00 to about 21:00 EDT on April 18th to make QSOs celebrating WARD. Come and visit us!  http://Location.FairLawnARC.org

Thursday, April 18, is World Amateur Radio Day (WARD
<http://www.iaru.org/world-amateur-radio-day.html&gt;), this year
marking the 94th anniversary of the International Amateur Radio Union (IARU <http://www.iaru.org/&gt;), which was founded in Paris in 1925. Each year, WARD celebrates Amateur Radio’s contribution to society. Groups in the US and around the world will celebrate WARD 2019 with on-air activities.

“I am pleased to extend my greetings for World Amateur Radio Day,” IARU President Tim Ellam, VE6SH, said. April 18 is the day for all of Amateur Radio to celebrate and tell the world about the science we can help to teach, the community service we can provide, and the fun we have. I would encourage all radio amateurs to join in the celebrations and promote Amateur Radio on the air or in your community.”

Amateur Radio experimenters were the first to discover that the
shortwave spectrum was not the wasteland experts of the time
considered it to be, but a resource that could support worldwide propagation. In the rush to use these shorter wavelengths, Amateur Radio was “in grave danger of being pushed aside,” the IARU’s history notes. Amateur Radio pioneers met in Paris in 1925 and created the IARU to support Amateur Radio around the globe.

Two years later, at the International Radiotelegraph Conference,
Amateur Radio gained allocations still recognized today — 160, 80,
40, 20, and 10 meters. More bands have followed, and the IARU has been working to defend and expand Amateur Radio frequency allocations ever since.

From the 25 countries that formed the IARU in 1925, the IARU has
grown to include 160 member-societies in three regions. 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 International Telecommunication Union (ITU
<https://www.itu.int/en/Pages/default.aspx&gt;) has recognized the IARU as representing the interests of Amateur Radio.

Groups are encouraged to promote their WARD activity on social media by using the hashtag #WorldAmateurRadioDay on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook. Visit <http://www.iaru.org/world-amateur-radio-day.html&gt; the IARU World Amateur Radio Day web page for a listing of on-the-air activities.