Thursday, April 18, is World Amateur Radio Day (WARD), this year marking the 94th anniversary of the International Amateur Radio Union (IARU), 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-the-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 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) 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.

On-the-Air Activities

Brazil: LABRE Roraima, PV8AA, will sponsor various activities and satellite operations with participation by Scouts, including young Venezuelan refugees.

Denmark: Operators in Denmark will be permitted to use the call signs 5P0WARD and 5P0WHD on April 18. Single operators will be assigned a special suffix extension (00 to 99) to distinguish individual stations, e.g., 5P0WARD/36 or 5P0WHD/7. Danish Contest Academy station OZ5E will be active as 5P0WARD/60. Awards will be available for contacts with stations on all modes and bands.

France: TM94WARD will mark World Amateur Radio Day, under sponsorship of the REF, France’s IARU member-society. It will be on the air on April 13 – 21.

Malaysia: 9M4CMN will be on the air from Segamat, in southern Malaysia, and 9M4CKK will be active from Tumpat, on the east coast of Malaysia, from 0230 until 1530 UTC on April 18.

Portugal: The Rede dos Emissores Portugueses (RED) will hold an open house at its headquarters on April 18, demonstrating an installation of a portable and low-power amateur station, as well as how to operate it and how to transport it.

United States: The Fair Lawn (NJ) Amateur Radio Club (FLARC) will hold an open house on April 18, from 2 PM until 9 PM EDT at the FLARC clubhouse at the Fair Lawn Recreation Center, 10-10 20th Street, in Fair Lawn, New Jersey. Club members will be available to demonstrate the stations, and to discuss the many interests of Amateur Radio operators and the role that individual hams and clubs play by providing public service communication.

Worldwide: The World Radio Network and the World Friendship Net will participate in World Amateur Radio Day 2019 using special event call sign W2W. A commemorative QSL card will be available, and a 12-hour net will be convened with net controllers from around the world. Join the commemoration at 1600 UTC via Echolink on the World Conference server (IRLP 9251) and on Allstar Node #47620 – World Conference Hub.