The Executive Committee of IARU Region 2 met in Curacao September 29-30. Led by Region 2 President Reinaldo Leandro, YV5AM, the following members of the Executive Committee were in attendance at the meeting: Vice-President José Arturo Molina, YS1MS; Secretary and Area C Director Ramon Santoyo, XE1KK; Treasurer and Area E Director Noel Donawa, 9Y4X; Area B Director and ARRL International Affairs Vice President Jay Bellows, K0QB; Area D Director Marco Tulio Gudiel, TG9AGD; Area F Director Gustavo de Faria Franco, PT2ADM, and Area G Director Dino Besomi, CE3PG. IARU Secretary Rod Stafford, W6ROD, represented the IARU at the meeting, while IARU Region 1 President Hans Blondeel Timmerman, PB2T, represented IARU Region 1. Area A Director Daniel Lamoureux, VE2KA, was not able to attend the meeting. Click here for a listing of all Region 2 areas.

Here are some of the activities of and actions taken by the Region 2 Executive Committee:

• Leandro reported on his participation at the 2012 World Radiocommunication Conference (WRC-12) in Geneva this past January. He requested that the Area Directors keep in close contact with the Member Societies in their areas so they can begin working on the next WRC, scheduled for 2015, with their regulators.
• Molina told the Committee that he attended three meetings of CITEL’s CCP II and improved ties with several delegations. He also attended a CITEL’s CCP I meeting in El Salvador in September. He will participate on the next CCP II meeting in Mexico City in October, where he will present an IARU Region 2 document that will recommend and encourage adherence to the International Amateur Radio Permit (IARP). Leandro and Molina will work together on a document that will consolidate and update information on the status of the IARP so Member Societies can promote it with their regulators.
• Santoyo said that he participated in the ITU Multi Sector Emergency Communication Forum in Bogota, Colombia in mid-July. He said he was pleased to confirm that Amateur Radio is still perceived as a very valuable instrument in case of emergency.
• Donawa reported that the IARU Region 2 financial situation is healthy and within budget; the Executive Committee carefully reviewed and approved the audited financial statements. He also reported an increasing number of amateurs in his area, saying that several Eastern Caribbean nations are accepting US, UK and Canadian Amateur Radio license exams as a way to obtain a local license.
• Bellows told the Committee that there has been a rise in the number of radio amateurs in the US; correspondingly, the number of ARRL members is also up. He invited Region 2 Member Societies to contact him if they want to explore the possibility of having their awards promoted in Logbook of The World (LoTW). He added that the ARRL will celebrate its centennial in 2014 and preparations for its events are underway.
• de Faria said that the Liga de Amadores Brasileiros de Radio Emissão, (LABRE) -- Brazil’s Member Society -- has already started meeting with their regulator for WRC-15. He also reported that Brazil’s Rede de Operações de Emergência de Radioamadores (Radio Amateurs Emergency Net) will receive the 2011 Golden Antenna Award from the town of Bad Bentheim, Germany, for its participation in disaster communications in the recent floods in the area.
• Besomi also reported that the number of radio amateurs in Chile is growing and commented on the efficient work of Chile’s national emergency network. He said Chile will approve use of the 10 MHz band shortly and that the Radio Club de Chile (RCCH) -- Chile’s IARU Member Society -- is working to solve the issue of the call sign of novice amateurs; it is currently formed by the CD prefix followed by four numbers, which does not agree with ITU standards.
• Leandro thanked and congratulated the IARU Region 2 team of coordinators: R2 Emergency Coordinator Cesar Pio Santos, HR2P; Monitoring System Coordinator Jorge Del Valle, TG9ADV; HF Beacon Coordinator Bill Hays, WJ5O; ARDF Coordinator Dale Hunt, WB6BYU; HST Coordinator Barry Kutner, W2UP; Award Manager Juan Hernandez, YV5JBI; Region 2 Webmaster Christian Buenger, DL6KAC, and Region 2 News Coordinator Joaquin Solana, XE1R.
• The ARRL proposed to coordinate a Region 2 Emergency Communication Workshop to be held in conjunction with the 2013 Region 2 General Assembly in Cancun, September 23-27. The Region 2 Executive Committee approved this proposal, and more details will follow as the dates for the General Assembly draw closer. The General Assembly will be hosted by the Federación Mexicana de Radio Experimentadores (FMRE), Mexico’s IARU Member Society.
• Secretary Santoyo informed the Executive Committee that a notice was sent to the Region 2 Member Societies, inviting them to participate in the revision and correction of the Region 2 HF band plans. In addition, band plans for 50 MHz and higher were also sent to Member Societies.
• The Club de Radio Experimentadores de Nicaragua (CREN), has been in arrears in its dues to the IARU for the past 10 years. At the initiative of Gudiel and the RCCH, CREN’s dues have been paid. Region 2 will request that CREN be reinstated as a full IARU Member Society at next month’s meeting of the IARU’s Administrative Council.
• At the request of the Aruba Amateur Radio Club (AARC), Santoyo and Donawa met with Aruba’s Prime Minister, the Honorable Mike Eman, to request his support in solving a decade-long problem: While foreigners visiting Aruba can obtain reciprocal licenses in an expeditious manner, Aruban nationals can’t present their license credentials in other countries to receive a reciprocal license. This has drastically impeded the growth of Amateur Radio in Aruba. Eman showed interest in the case and offered to follow up on the legal arguments that the AARC is sending to various governments.