World Radio Communication Conference Starts Monday #ARRL #hamradio

From K1ZZ, 

The World Radiocommunication Conference 2019 is due to open in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt, on Monday 28 October. The meeting, which lasts four weeks, will be attended by three thousand delegates from most of the countries around the world, and will discuss and agree changes to the ITU Radio Regulations.

IARU and its member-societies will be there, representing the amateur and amateur satellite services with a team of 14 people from 10 countries.

Of particular interest to IARU are the positions on:

-              Agenda Item (AI) 1.1, to allocate spectrum in the 50-54 MHz Region in Region 1 to the amateur service

-              AI 1.13 to consider new spectrum of International Mobile Telecommunications, which potentially might impact amateur spectrum at around 47 GHz

-              AI 1.16 which could impact the 5 GHz amateur spectrum

-              AI 9.1.6 on Wireless Power Transmission, where harmonics of WPT systems can impact the MF/HF radio spectrum

-              AI 10 – where it is possible that future agenda items at WRC-23 could impact the amateur service, including the 1240-1300 MHz band.

What does it take to be an International Amateur Radio Union member?  Again K1ZZ explains:

To be eligible for IARU membership the organization must be a noncommercial association of radio amateurs, devoted to the objectives of the IARU and "substantially covering by influence and recognition the country and/or territories which it represents." The quote is from the IARU Constitution. The Bylaws are a bit more specific. An applicant must supply evidence that it "adequately represents the interests of amateurs throughout the country and/or separate territory which it proposes to represent, has the ability to meet its financial obligations as a member of the Union, and is legally able to act in the furtherance of IARU objectives within its country and/or separate territory." There can only be one IARU member-society representing a country or separate territory.

The "or separate territory" language makes it possible for, for example, Bermuda and Gibraltar (among others) to be members of the IARU separate from the UK, which is ably represented by the RSGB.

NO other amateur radio organization in the United States meets those conditions.  This is only ONE of over 50 reasons an amateur radio operator in the United States should be a member of the American Radio Relay League.  Do YOU want some other country telling YOU where you can operate your amateur radio station?