I know some hams are skeptical about clubs and associations. It's normally due to personal difficulties with others members. However, at least on a theoretical point of view, associationism is the natural dimension for our hobby. If, as I strongly believe, ham radio grows only through gathering between operators to share informations and knowledge, doing this under the form of an association, a subject that can be recognized also from the outside, remains the best choice. Let alone that an association is a perfect partner for Institutions and Authorities when discussing matters of common interest.
Thanks to the friends at DXCoffee.com (and we're now engaged also in a new challenge, with an English "distilled" version of the site), I had the chance to interview Hans Blondeel Timmerman, President of IARU, Region 1 (in the picture). It has to be recalled that IARU is a Federation grouping all the national ham radio associations (like ARRL in the US, A.R.I. in Italy, REF in France, USKA in Switzerland, and so on…). Well, not to auto-advertise myself, but read the story (in Italian here, and in English here), and tell me – at the end – if you don't share my same feeling. Were we, ham operators, more united, our hobby would have reached nowadays other heights. Something to mumble about for a bit…

73,
Chris

Yours truly isn’t much of a contester. I always preferred quality, than quantity. However, last week-end offered an opportunity not to be missed. The IARU HF Championship was open to hams all over the world, its goal being always the same: the one who makes more QSO wins. There is a particularity, making this contest unique: each nation has one (or several) HQ station(s), active in different modes and bands, ran by the national hams association. When would you have a chance to work the whole Europe in just a couple hours? I’d say it’s rare, and it’s also a nice chance to give your set-up some testing. So, I gladly launched myself into the on the air struggle. No particular goals, no incredible expectations. First was to have fun, second to allow IX1 area to be worked by others operators. I ended up working some 24 HQ stations: basically all the Europeans ones (less Switzerland, Holland and Denmark), plus LR6F in Argentina, and some other contesters, for a final log of 43 QSOs, on 40 and 15 meters. It’s true we’re speaking, in the HQ case, about “dream stations” (i.e. it’s them who hear you, thanks to their five stars set-up), but I have to admit I was surprised once more about the 10 mt. fishing rod performance (and I went on the air with less than 50 Watt!). Log, as witnessed by the picture above, has been already sent. I’m pretty sure I’ll be in the last ranks of the Italian classification. I don’t care. IX1 will be ranked, and that’s what mattered to me. In the last week-end, in my opinion, those who’ve been on the air are all world champions. Of the best hobby the world itself has ever seen.

73,
Chris