Representatives of the countries comprising IARU Region 1 (Europe, Africa, the Middle East, and Northern Asia) will gather this month for the Region 1 General Conference. The Bulgarian Federation of Radio Amateurs, (BFRA) will host the meeting September 21-26 in Albena on the Black Sea Coast. Regional general conferences are held every 3 years.

“At General Conferences IARU Region 1 makes major decisions on the future of Amateur Radio and determines the way ahead with administrative, operational, technical, and financial matters,” Region 1 Chairman Hans Blondeel Timmerman, PB2T, explained. Conference delegates will elect the Executive Committee as well as working group chairmen, and coordinators. General Conference participants will tackle a plethora of papers on a wide variety of Amateur Radio topics — from administrative to operational and technical.

The Radio Society of Great Britain (RSGB) will raise the issue of malicious QRM, especially in the wake of intentional interference to well-publicized DXpeditions that have attracted huge pileups. “It is now time for all Region 1 Member Societies to treat malicious QRM as a major and urgent priority and to take positive action against this form of anarchy that threatens the future of Amateur Radio,” the RSGB said in its paper, “Malicious QRM — Time for Action.” Among other approaches, the RSGB will recommend that member societies use their media outlets to “highlight the self-regulatory ethos of Amateur Radio, to condemn the actions of the malicious QRMers, and to publicize where direct action has been taken.” The RSGB also will recommend that Region 1 appoint an Amateur Radio Observation Service (AROS) network.

The topic of transnational Amateur Radio remote-controlled operation also will come up for discussion. A recommendation from the Irish Radio Transmitters Society (IRTS) would mandate the incoming Executive Committee to set up a working group of individuals experienced in radio regulatory affairs “to examine the question of transnational remote-controlled operation and to establish under what conditions such operation might be regulated.”

IARU Region 1 Youth Coordinator Lisa Leenders, PA2LS, has submitted a proposal to form a Region 1 Youth Working Group, which would be responsible for Youngsters on the Air (YOTA) activities in addition to promoting Amateur Radio youth activities within the region. Leenders will recommend that IARU Region 1 become the “main funder” of a week-long YOTA summer camp, where youngsters take part in Amateur Radio activities.

Other presentations that delegates to the IARU Region 1 General Conference will hear include a presentation on CW operating procedure by the Icelandic Radio Amateurs (IRA) — Iceland’s IARU member-society.

The IARU Administrative Council will meet September 27-28, following the Region 1 General Conference.