Category Archives: News

“New” Belize Amateur Radio Club Admitted to IARU Membership

NEWS RELEASE

International Amateur Radio Union
P.O. Box 310905
Newington, CT 06131-0905 USA
Email: secretary @ iaru.org

www.iaru.org

11 May 2017

For immediate release

“New” Belize Amateur Radio Club Admitted to IARU Membership

The member-societies ofthe International Amateur Radio Union (IARU) have approved a proposal to admita new representative of the radio amateurs of Belize to IARU membership. As ofthe deadline for voting, 9 May 2017, 77 member-societies had voted in favor ofadmitting the Belize Amateur Radio Club (BARC) with none opposed. There were no
abstentions. The affirmative votes of 55 member-societies were required forapproval.

Belize previously wasrepresented in the IARU by another organization of the same name. Once the IARUAdministrative Council determined that this earlier organization no longerexisted, IARU Region 2 accepted an application for membership from the new BARCand confirmed that it satisfied the requirements of the IARU Constitution andBylaws.

The officers of BARC are:

Emil Rodriguez,V31ER, President

Dr. Andre T.Scholz, V31DL, Vice President and IARU Liaison

Steven Harp, V31SH, Secretary

Contact information:

Web: http://barc.bz

Address: PO Box159, Belmopan, Belize, Central America

Telephone: +501601 6282

Email: see listingat www.iaru.org/member-societies.html

There are now167 IARU member-societies in as many countries and separate territories.

BARC Makes Ham Radio Demonstration to the Scouts of Belize

The Belize Amateur Radio Club (BARC) successfully completed an ´Introduction to Amateur Radio´ for the Scout Association of Belize on Sunday February 26, 2017.

The demonstration, held at the Scouts National Training Grounds, near Burrell Boom, was divided into four parts: BARC´s Goals for Amateur Radio in Belize, Educational Video, Hands-On Demonstration of Radio Equipment and a Question and Answer Session.

Boys and girls of the Scouts Association from across Belize were participants in this first of its kind demonstration that represents a first step of cooperation between BARC and ScoutsBelize. This cooperation, both organizations agree, will provide beneficial results and acquired skills for everyone, especially the participating youth.

After the demonstration, members of BARC volunteered to provide radios and corresponding equipment for the Scouts of Belize to fully participate in the Annual Jamboree On the Air (JOTA) activities in October 2017. JOTA is the largest Scouting event in the world held once a year. It uses Amateur Radio to link Scouts and hams around the world. Leaders of the Scouts Association openly accepted this voluntary offer from BARC members.

Discussions at this first interactive demonstration also included establishing a permanent ham radio station for ScoutsBelize so that training can be held regularly on topics such as voice procedures, operating basics, simple theory and others.

At the end of the demonstration BARC President, Mr. Emil Rodriguez stated , ¨ As we move forward with our friendship and cooperation lets remember to use our radio skills wisely for the greater good of our nation, especially in times of emergencies such as hurricanes and flooding when we are needed most.¨

60m Band in Belize

Stations in the amateur service using the frequency band 5 351.5-5 366.5 kHz shall not exceed a maximum radiated power of 15 W (e.i.r.p.). However, in Region 2 in Mexico, stations in the
amateur service using the frequency band 5 351.5-5 366.5 kHz shall not exceed a maximum radiated power of 20 W (e.i.r.p.).
In the following Region 2 countries: Antigua and Barbuda,
Argentina, Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Dominica, El Salvador, Ecuador, Grenada, Guatemala, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras,
Jamaica, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Saint Lucia, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Suriname, Trinidad and Tobago, Uruguay, Venezuela, as well as the overseas
territories of the Netherlands in Region 2, stations in the amateur service using the frequency band 5 351.5-5 366.5 kHz shall not exceed a maximum radiated power of 25 W (e.i.r.p.). (WRC-15)

A new Band Plan for Region 2 was approved

A new Band Plan for Region 2 was approved in October 14, 2016 during the XIX IARU Region 2 General Assembly in Viña del Mar, Chile and is now published on the IARU Region 2 website in English and Spanish versions.
The HF/VHF Committees were composed by 15 delegates to discuss 6 documents and annexes covering several proposals sent by ARRL, LABRE, RAC and informative documents from IARU Region 1 and the IARU Satellite Advisory Committee.
Brian Mileshosky, N5ZGT (ARRL) was the Chairman and Flávio Archangelo, PY2ZX (LABRE) was the Secretary of the HF/VHF Committees.
The changes aimed the harmonization with Regions 1 and 3, recognizance of some band occupations in Region 2 and the contextualization of the satellite segments to encourage the use of new technologies in space communications.
The main modifications in resume are:
– Introduction of the 60 m with sub-bands, footnotes and definitions harmonized with Region 1;
– The inclusion of ACDS in 2200 m, restriction of bandwidth in 630 m, harmonization of the 160 m and 80 m, especially on digital sub-bands;
–  Recognitions of the calling frequency 144.3 MHz in 2 m and AM practice in 15 m;
– Editorial changes in the footnotes related to ACDS, additional footnotes related to AM and editorial changes in some of the footnotes, modes and bandwidths of satellites sub-bands.
The Band Plan does not have an enforcement power per se but serves as a guide to the Member Societies. According the IARU Region 2 Band Plan “it is suggested that Member Societies, in coordination with the authorities, incorporate it [the Band Plan] in their regulations and promote widely with their amateur radio communities”.

BARC Clarifies Recent Press Release From IARU

San Ignacio
Belize

June 3, 2016

A recent press release issued by the International Amateur Radio Union that may have caught the interest of some of our members has been clarified.

The statement made in the IARU Press Release that “BARC does not exist” refers to a previous entity that called itself the Belize Amateur Radio Club, which has been dormant since at least 1993. As an administrative procedure the IARU issued the press release to the public so as to inform them that the previous entity calling itself the Belize Amateur Radio Club is not recognized as a functioning organization within the regional union.

The “old” Belize Amateur Radio Club has therefore been dissolved and is not recognized. Along with the dissolution of the “old” BARC, any obligations that may have been incurred or outstanding to the IARU have also been struck out.

Within the same Press Release an invitation has been extended to any group of Belizeans who may want to submit an application for a “new” club under the guidelines and procedures of the IARU.

A “new” BARC, registered as a non-government organization under the laws of Belize and having obtained sufficient membership, has been in correspondence with the IARU since its official activities commenced in September 2015. The “new” BARC seeks to gain official recognition and affiliation with the IARU so as to better serve our members and extend our membership base; especially with young people of Belize.

We are confident of our objectives and we hope this clarification of the IARU Press Release that was an administrative procedure is well received by our members and the radio community.

END.

World Amateur Radio Day 2016 Will Celebrate Amateur Radio’s Contribution to Society

World Amateur Radio Day (WARD), observed every April 18, marks the founding of the International Amateur Radio Union (IARU) in 1925. As they do every year, radio amateurs worldwide will take to the airwaves to celebrate Amateur Radio’s contribution to society.

“April 18 is the day for all of Amateur Radio to celebrate and tell the world about the science we can help teach, the community service we can provide, and the fun we have,” the IARU said in announcing World Amateur Radio Day 2016. “We hope you will join in the fun and education that is World Amateur Radio Day!”

Amateur Radio experimenters were the first to discover that — far from being a wasteland — the shortwave spectrum 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 has noted. Amateur Radio pioneers — ARRL co-founder Hiram Percy Maxim, 1AW, among them — met in Paris in 1925 and created the IARU to support Amateur Radio worldwide.

As Maxim and his counterparts envisioned, the IARU is an international confederation of national Amateur Radio organizations that allows a forum for common matters of concern and collectively represents matters to the International Telecommunication Union (UIT).

Just 2 years later, at the International Radiotelegraph Conference, Amateur Radio gained several allocations still recognized today — 160, 80, 40, 20, and 10 meters. Since its founding, the IARU has worked to defend and expand the frequency allocations for Amateur Radio.

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 ITU has recognized the IARU as representing the interests of Amateur Radio.

Today, Amateur Radio is more popular than ever, with over 3,000,000 licensed operators!

The IARU has provided a World Amateur Radio Day poster. Any club may download it to promote WARD. The poster comes in two sizes (61cm x 91cm) (small (A4) flyer).

Groups should promote their WARD activity on social media by using the hash tag #WARD2016 on Twitter and on Facebook. The IARU will list all WARD activities (scroll below the announcement). To have your WARD activity listed, e-mail ARRL Media and Public Relations Manager Sean Kutzko, KX9X. Read more.

(Source: www.arrl.org)

Elementary Students Deploy School SSTV CubeSat from ISS

Students from Saint Thomas More Cathedral School (STM), located in Arlington, VA, have developed a Slow Scan TV ( SSTV) CubeSat and is set to be deployed from the International Space Station ( ISS) on March 7, 2016.

STM students designing antenna to receive data from STMSat-1 – Credit STM

STM takes pride in what is thought to bet the first Elementary school to devise their own satellite. The project consisted of Pre-Kindergarden, Kindergarden and First Grade students being involved in this milestone.

This satellite, a 1U CubeSat called STMSat-1, will transmit a SSTV Robot36 mode signal on 437.800 MHz.

Middle School Students took the initiative to begin the exploration on how to receive data from the CubeSat and thus a Ham Radio Club was formed. As a result of the club, they learned the basics of operating a Ham Radio Station and explored the field of Slow Scan Television as an option for receiving images from this satellite.

Its a wonder… How did 400 Grade School Students build a Nano Satellite?

Possibilities for Belize….

Reference