2011 High Speed Telegraphy World Championship was arranged in Bielefeld, a historic town in Germany. It was my first time in any HST competition so I didn't know very much about the rules and ways to prepare myself for the competition.

The first time I heard about high speed telegraphy was when my mentor Jukka, OH2BR, told about HST as a very interesting sector of IARU. He asked me to join him, because he was invited to participate as a judge in this top event where the best telegraphers of the world gather to take measure of each other. You can guess that I did not have to think twice because CW is my favorite mode.

It appeared that I was the first ever competitor from Nordic countries. I learned many new things. I have just finished writing an article about HST in our national amateur radio journal Radioamatööri.

I hope that this sector of Amateur Radio will become more popular in Finland and of course everywhere in the world. Next time there will be more participants from Finland, I hope.

I came to the conclusion that HST is most popular and best organized in Belarus, Russia and Romania. That explains why the majority of the competitors – including many youth - came from these countries. I must tell that the young people I met in the competition are really very talented. Frankly, they are younger than I am and yet they have gone so far!

I realize that the young HST enthusiasts have practiced Morse code during many years. That partly explains their fantastic results. Sometimes I wish that I had started my own ham career many years earlier than I did. Two years in Amateur Radio is a very short period of time and there is so much to learn!

It was a pleasure to realize that HST people are very kind and helpful as hams usually are in general. That fact alone gives me much more energy to practice CW at home when I know that I have made great friends with so many pleasant hams always ready to help me to become a truly competent CW operator. Thank you!

Related pictures are posted in the IARU R1 photo gallery. 

During the meeting of the CEPT WRC-12 Conference Preparatory Group held in Bucharest between November 1st-4th 2011 an European Common Proposal was agreed.   This ECP represents the block vote of 48 administrations and was passed without dissent.   It proposes an allocation to the amateur service between 472-480 kHz on a secondary basis with a maximum power limit of 5W eirp.

This ECP will now be forwarded to the ITU as a contribution from CEPT.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank all of those who participated in the work of the working group that led to the adoption of this proposal.   Also thanks are due to those European Member Societies who helped to influence their national administrations in this matter.

Now for WRC-12.

Colin, G3PSM

CEPT Co-ordinator for Agenda Item 1.23

Following the last information on 5MHz activity from Greece we would like to spread the word. At first the beacon is ready and it has been tested for several days now. Frequency is 5398.5 MHz (CW) to avoid interference with normal use of the channel mostly in the UK. It runs 30W into a non resonant antenna for the moment.

You may look for it mostly between 1900-0600 z. It may be off for some days due to other HF activities at the test site, so try to listen regularly. The beacon is expected to run flawlessly from the beginning of 2012.  The beacon sends the following sequence at T+15 seconds (T= minute 00, 15, 30, 45 every hour)

During the past seven years Suomen Radioamatööriliitto (SRAL Finland) organised several youth activities. Before 2004 youth activities were not recognized by SRAL. A youth committee of SRAL was established, the idea was to let youth get more experience in running official meetings and matters.  Different activities were organised like: school demonstrations, summer camps, youth dxpeditions, fairs, ARDF and school clubs.

Different youth activities held by SRAL are available in a Presentation youth activities in Finland, written by Jukka Heikinheimo, OH2BR

Lisa PA2LS, currently 21 years old, obtained her first license when she was 13 years old. She received the novice call PD2LLS. In 2009 she passed the full-license exam.

In the summer of 2010 Lisa went to Romania as leader of the Dutch team to the Youngsters On the Air event. With a group of 40 youngsters, most of them radio amateurs, she participated in different radio activities under callsigns YO0YOA and YO0TSL. In 2010, together with her father PE1KL, she activated LG5LG and SJ9WL in Morokulien, located at the border of Sweden and Norway. In April/May 2011 they went together on dxpedition to Ghana. Lisa’s Ghanaian callsign is 9G5LL.

Lisa is active during contests and other events like JOTA, clubstation fieldday and in contest teams. A Product Design Engineering major, she enjoys playing piano and does this in a band with whom she performs.

With her experience, and also what she heard from other young radio amateurs, Lisa is looking to get the youth community in IARU Region 1 more active. She will be working with member societies in promoting Amateur Radio among youth, share ideas and experiences leading to an increased number of young radio amateurs.

Following the creation of a Youth Co-ordinator portfolio during the Region 1 General Conference at Sun City in August 2011, the Region called for nominations for a Region 1 Youth Co-ordinator. Three nominations were received, namely Mari Nikkilae, OH2FPK, Lisa Leenders, PA2LS and Georgi Atanasov Vodenicharov, LZ1ZF.

During the teleconference of the Region 1 Executive Committee held on 10 October 2011, it was decided to appoint Lisa Leenders, PA2LS, as the Region 1 Youth Co-ordinator. Lisa will be working with the Youth Co-ordinators from the various member societies to promote amateur radio amongst the youth in Region 1.

Congratulations to Lisa!