International Amateur Radio Union Region 2 (IARU R2) virtual emergency communication workshops got under way on April 29, when the first of the programs in English and Spanish, “What is Winlink and its Importance during Emergency Communications,” was presented in Spanish. Workshop presenter Alfonso Tamez, XE2O, of the Mexican Federation of Radio Amateurs, offered insights into the usefulness and application of WinLink during emergencies, based on his ample experience, offering participants an understanding of the importance of having such a tool available during an emergency.

Workshop attendance was far greater than expected, with more than 180 participants from at least 18 IARU Region 2 countries on hand. A question-and-answer session followed the formal presentation, conducted using the Zoom platform as well as through IARU Region 2’s YouTube Workshops channel. The workshops are free of charge.

Workshop participants expressed their satisfaction as well as a desire to continue with more workshops as soon as possible. An English-language presentation of the same workshop took place on May 6. Signing up for future workshops must be done online and not via email.

The IARU-R2 Executive Committee appointed Augusto Gabaldoni, OA4DOH, as workshops coordinator to set up processes for the initial group of workshop sessions and to develop and manage ongoing workshops for radio amateurs in IARU-R2.

Here is the schedule for the remaining workshops:

• Wednesday, May 13, 2300 UTC (tentative): EmCom — Winlink 101 in English, targeting US and Canadian radio amateurs. Instructors are Mike Burton, N6KZB, and Jason Tremblay, VE3JXT.

• Wednesday, May 20, 2300 UTC (tentative): Satellite Communications 101 in Spanish, aimed at radio amateurs in Latin America and the Caribbean. Instructors are Matias Graino, LU9CBL, and Guillermo Guerra, XQ3SA.

• Wednesday, May 27, 2300 UTC (tentative): Satellite Communications 101 in English, targeting radio amateurs in the US, Canada, and the Caribbean. Instructor will be announced.

Contact Gabaldoni with requests for future workshop topics, volunteer speakers, or other comments or suggestions.