Following a successful presentation in the press I am now happy to report that the ARBF (Burkina Faso) Board has decided to officially open their ham radio club to visitors. This event will take place on January 21, 2012. This radio club will have a special call sign XT2CEFIG. While waiting for STARS donated equipment the club will start operating with equipment borrowed from a kind radio amateur.  The gear will essentially consist of a wide band dipole, an HF transceiver and a VHF station to remote all the QSO to a local radio station. Numerous politicians are expected to attend this event.  We hope that many of you will be able to put XT2CEFIG in your logbook. Burkina Faso is back on the air again!

Look for them on 7.085 LSB on 40, 14.120 to 14.240, 21.120 and all the SSB part of the 10-meters. Be not too harsh with them; be indulgent because you will have to deal with novices without any experience. Good DX.

Amateur radio of Burkina Fasso meet the press

The Association of the radio hams of the Burkina Faso (ARBF) met the press on Tuesday, December 6th, 2011 in Ouagadougou, with the goal to present the structure and to display its activity program for 2011-2012. For its president Hugolin Pooda, XT2HB, it\'s time that the amateur radio of Burkina make themselves known through the organization of various activities. He so hopes to recruit and to train new members.

The radio hams are people who practice, without pecuniary interest, a technical leisure allowing to establish radio links with the other radio hams of the world. The activity allows to acquire technical skill and knowledge in the domains of radio and the  electronics, and develop friendship between radio hams. On the waves, the radio hams refrain to discuss politics and religion matters to avoid, according to them, useless divisions.

" If Japan and  America have the largest number of amateur radio worldwide, it is because they have understood that the amateur service can contribute considerably to the development of their countries. In France for example, this service was classified in the public interest ". It is strong of this conviction that the president of the ARBF indicated to the people of media that his association intends to bet on the youth, in the years to come. "If we were many on September 1st, 2009, we would be of a very big contribution during the big flood we faced, from the point of view of the coordination of the first aids ", indicated Hugolin Pooda.

That\'s why, in the next days, the ARBF intends to introduce training courses for the benefit of the journalists, the high school students and the academics of Ouagadougou so that this communications tool is within the reach of the largest number. " The cities Boho Dioulasso, Koudougou and Ouahigouya will receive us very soon ", Mr Pooda promised. Besides, the president of the ARBF explained that his structure intends to show solidarity with the persons in difficulties. "We are going to make various donations to an orphanage, because the radio hams are also persons with big heart".

You may remember that STARS donated ARDF equipment to MRSF, our Member Society in Mongolia.

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On 3 June MRSF organized the "Spring Leader" ARDF Event for beginners. They had five foxes with no categories. The event had two female and fifteen male competitors. Eight Referees led this event. The youngest competitor was the 11 years old Shijirbat.

On 30 May 2011 the reopening of the club station of EARS, our Ethiopian member society took place. Professor Doctor Heiko Schroeder, Head of the Technical Faculty of the University of Addis Ababa and Hans Blondeel Timmerman, President of IARU Region 1 cut the ribbon. Donations from STARS and others helped to enable the revival of ET3AA. Led by Sid ET3SID the club installed their shack and built antennas on top of the roof of the Technical Faculty of the University of Addis Ababa. Not an easy job, because before they could safely install equipment in the shack they had to repair the roof with flame and tar. To be allowed to do this they had to repair the water pumps of the fire extinguishing system that had not been used for almost 15 years. The team did a great job fixing it all and they now look at a station crowned by their “dream beam”, a 17 element 6-30 MHz log-periodic antenna that once belonged to one of the Embassies in Addis and that was saved from the scrapyard.

By the end of July more than 25 club members will take the Radio Amateur Exam. Among the candidates are many young students and all hope to receive their individual licenses soon. Unfortunately Ethiopian Security still controls the licensing system. I am afraid that more work has to be done to convince the authorities that today’s students are tomorrow’s leaders and that in principle they are good Ethiopians who deserve their government's confidence. Another hurdle to overcome is the examination fee of 25 UK Pounds, a one month's salary in Ethiopia. Club members plan to have an activity week. Green stamps that come with the QSL cards will be used to pay for their RAE. The mail to their new P.O. Box is safe.

The opening was shown on the national television and the club received a great number of applications for membership.