Sunday, April 18, is World Amateur Radio Day (WARD), with this year marking the 96th anniversary of the International Amateur Radio Union ( IARU), which was founded at the 1925 International Radiotelegraph Conference in Paris. ARRL cofounder and first president Hiram Percy Maxim, 1AW, was there, and today ARRL is the International Secretariat of the IARU. ARRL has resources members can use to celebrate World Amateur Radio Day, including graphics for social media posts and radio club websites, as well as a printable flyer.
IARU has chosen “Amateur Radio: Home but Never Alone” as the theme for World Amateur Radio Day 2021. The theme acknowledges
that during our physical distancing to reduce the spread of COVID-19, amateur radio stands out as a welcome respite for its variety of activities and opportunities.
Amateur radio experimenters were the first to discover that the HF spectrum was not the wasteland experts of the time considered it to be, but a resource that could support worldwide communication. In the rush to use these shorter wavelengths, amateur radio was “in grave danger of being pushed aside,” IARU history has noted, prompting the founding of the IARU. At the 1927 International Radiotelegraph Conference, amateur radio gained allocations still recognized today — 160, 80, 40, 20, and 10 meters. Over the years, the IARU has worked to defend those allocations and to give all radio amateurs new bands at 136 kHz, 472 kHz, 5 MHz, 10 MHz, 18 MHz, 24 MHz, and 50 MHz.
The 25 countries that formed the IARU in 1925 have grown to include more than 160 member-societies in three regions. The International Telecommunication Union ( ITU) has recognized the IARU as representing the interests of amateur radio.
On World Amateur Radio Day, all radio amateurs are invited to take to the airwaves to share global goodwill with other amateurs. ARRL encourages members to promote the value of amateur radio to family and friends, and in their communities. Many volunteer ARRL Public Information Officers and Public Information Coordinators throughout the US use the run-up to WARD as an opportunity to reach out to the media to share information about amateur radio.
“The amateur radio community has a great story to tell on the occasion of World Amateur Radio Day,” ARRL Product Development Manager Bob Inderbitzen, NQ1R, said. “While the pandemic has kept many of us at home, radio amateurs have still been able to get on the air.”
“Over the last year, many ARRL-affiliated radio clubs and in-person ham radio events have moved their group activities online. This has helped to keep radio amateurs active and involved in the common pursuit of skill, service, and discovery in radio communication and radio technology,” Inderbitzen added.
Coincidentally, the SSB running of the ARRL Rookie Roundup falls on World Amateur Radio Day (1800 – 2359 UTC). The event is aimed at hams licensed for 3 years or less. Take the opportunity to wish participants “Happy World Amateur Radio Day 2021” on the air. Read an expanded version.
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