We welcomed Peter Chadwick, G3RZP, back to our club as he explained to us where our wavelengths come from.
The standardisation of international telecommunications started in 1865 from a proposal of the French government for the introduction of standards to allow telegrams to be sent internationally without the necessity of writing them down and then re-sending on a different system. Regulation of radio started more than 110 years ago with the first radio telegraph convention meeting in Berlin. Following the Titanic disaster, the 1912 convention provided more standardisation, although still aimed primarily at the maritime service. By the 1920s with the dawn of international amateur radio, it was apparent that amateurs would have more influence as a body than individually and thus in Paris in 1925, the International Amateur Radio Union was formed.
IARU members are national amateur radio societies from around the world and provide lobbying and technical input to meetings not only of the ITU – the oldest Agency of the UN – but also to the regional telecommunications organisations such as the CEPT (Conference of European Post and Telecommunications). For example, a number of people are currently engaged in the technical issues of an input to the CEPT on Wireless Power Transmission.
G3RZP is a Senior Member of the IEEE, a Past President of the RSGB, a Honorary Life Vice President of RSGB, a member of the RSGB Technical and Spectrum forums, a Technical Consultant to the IARU and Secretary of the Vintage and Military Amateur Radio Society, and has held his callsign continuously since April 1963. He has a number of operating awards and is in the number one position on the DXCC Honor Roll, with all current entities worked and confirmed. He has 16 patents and over 40 publications in various places. Now retired, he was employed at Plessey Semiconductors through its various changes of ownership for 32 years. He is married to Lynne, G4FNC.