Amateur Operators Around the World (Including 8,087 in Nevada) Celebrate World Amateur Radio Day on April 18, 2020
Every April 18, radio amateurs worldwide take to the airwaves in celebration of World Amateur Radio Day (WARD) as it was on this day in 1925 that the International Amateur Radio Union (IARU) was formed in Paris.
This year marked their 95th anniversary. Thus April 18 is the day for all of amateur radio operators to celebrate and tell about the fun we have making friends literally round the world, the community service we can provide in case of emergency or supporting special events, and to reach out and help the next generation of amateur operators become interested in the hobby.
The theme for this year is “Celebrating Amateur Radio’s Contribution to Society”. Today, amateur radio is more popular than ever, with more than 3,000,000 licensed operators worldwide; 764,843 in the United States, and 8,087 in the State of Nevada.
In face of the current pandemic, amateur radio operators (or hams) are staying socially connected by getting on the radio and checking in with their fellow hams across the country and around the world.
To celebrate WARD, there will be a special radio event hosted by Kent Johnson, W7AOR, and the Nevada Amateur Radio Repeaters, Inc. (NARRI) on the *WORLD* Conference server via EchoLink (Node 9251) starting at 12 Noon EDST and running for 12 hours. Hams will connect literally around the world using several amateur radio modes to communicate, many of them digital, staying connected now more than ever.
To learn more about Amateur Radio, visit www.arrl.org/what-is-ham-radio .