The International Amateur Radio Union (IARU) was founded on April 18, 1925. Because of that, the date has been universally established as World Amateur Radio Day.
IARU is a worldwide organization representing federations of diverse nationalities, bringing together more than 153 countries, with Cuba among them, represented by Federación de Radioaficionados de Cuba (FRC), founded on July 15, 1966 with the objective of bringing together radio amateurs in the country and to facilitate their improvement in this non-profit hobby.
Radio experimenter amateurs were the first ones to use the short-wave radio spectrum for the benefit of mankind. In the race for using shorter wavelengths, amateur radio was in serious danger of being displaced. Therefore, amateur radio pioneers gathered in Paris in 1925 and created IARU to support amateur radio throughout the world, becoming at the same time, a forum for matters of common interest and to represent radio amateurs collectively before the International Telecommunications Union (ITU).
Two years later, at the International Radiotelegraphy Conference, amateur radio obtained several allocations, still in force to this day, among them, those frequencies corresponding to the 160, 80, 40, 20 and 10 meter bands. It is worth mentioning that since it was founded, IARU has worked towards the defense and promotion of allocations of frequencies for radio amateurs.
Of the 25 countries that formed IARU in 1925, the organization has grown to include 160 member societies in three regions: IARU Region 1 comprises Europe, Africa, the Middle East and Northern Asia; Region 2, the Americas, our region, and Region 3 comprises Australia, New Zealand, Pacific island nations and most of Asia. ITU recognizes that IARU represents the interests of amateur radio throughout the world.
Amateur radio, as it is known nowadays, started at the beginning of the 20th century, achieving formal recognition at the International Radiotelegraphy Conference of 1927 in Washington D.C. Currently, the service operates essentially under the same general mandate, which has remained unchanged since then.
Congratulations therefore to all Cuban radio amateurs, those of Region 2 and throughout the world on this April 18, 2018.
Oscar Hernández Moliner (CM7OHM)
FRC Information System
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