Z60K Re-Launch of Amateur Radio in Kosovo
Two CDXC Members (Nigel G3TXF and
Bob MD0CCE) were pleased to be able to play a small part in the
recent re-launch of Amateur Radio in Kosovo.
CDXCers may be wondering why there has not been an earlier
posting on this Reflector about the operation. Both of us were
late invitees to the special event, on which Martti OH2BH, has
been working with the Kosovar Telecommunications Regulatory
Agency continuously for several years. Martti had asked us to
treat the information as confidential until the operation started
and to allow him to issue the Press Releases under the control of
Hans Blondeel Timmeran PB2T the President of IARU Region 1. This
was not only sensible from an accuracy standpoint , but it was
also only right as Hans PB2T of the IARU was involved, and also,
of course, considering the sensitivities around the whole topic
of Kosovo. We now have their permission to provide this short
report to the CDXC Reflector.
The undoubted highlight of our visit to Kosovo was attending a
ceremony hosted by the Kosovar telecoms regulator (TRA), where
the first of the country's new Amateur Radio licences were
awarded. These licences were no ordinary licences. These radio
amateurs are no ordinary radio amateurs. Most of them had been
off the air for the past 23 years or more, and each was keen to
get back on the air again, following Kosovo's move into the new
era of full sovereign statehood on 10 September 2012.
These eleven Kosovar radio amateurs had each been active as YU8s
back in the 'old days' of Yugoslavia. However during the period
of the various conflicts which engulfed their region, most
Kosovar radio amateurs were unable to operate at all. For the
most part their equipment had been confiscated. With the issue of
these brand new licences, the presentation ceremony on 17
September was indeed the start of a new era in amateur radio in
Kosovo. The event was covered by the main TV station in Kosovo
and shown on the 7:30 news; the first QSOs made by the new
amateurs were shown on the 11:00 news.
Through their newly formed national society (SHRAK) it is hoped
that this group will be the nucleus for the re-emergence of
amateur radio as a self-training hobby throughout Kosovo, and
particularly for the younger generation. The seminar which was
organised by the TRA for the presentation of these new licences
was attended by the Kosovo MP who is also the Cabinet Minister
for Economic Development (which includes Telecommunications), the
Chairman of the TRA (the telecoms regulator), and a
representative of the Ministry of Education (who sees Amateur
Radio as a positive theme that could be usefully introduced both
into schools and into technical colleges). The potential benefits
of Amateur Radio as a foundation for further studies in
electronics and telecommunications were evidently appreciated by
those attending the callsign licence presentation ceremony.
Hans PB2T, spoke at the ceremonies and also spent a full-day with
the TRA (regulator) discussing regulatory and licensing matters.
The Kosovar government had been advised by Croatia, Finland and
Turkey in the drafting of their telecommunications legislation,
and Nik 9A5W had been specifically involved in the legislation
related to Amateur Radio.
When asked by the newly-licenced amateurs, Hans PB2T told them
that Kosovo was not recognized by DXCC at this time, and that
this ceremony and his visit had nothing to do with DXCC, but that
the purposes of the trip were:
- to help insure that plans were in place for the
re-establishment of an amateur radio infrastructure consisting of
regulations similar to those in other IARU countries,
- the establishment of a radio society open to all amateurs in
Kosovo,
- the development of new licensees and new entrants into amateur
radio,
- and the development of a robust society in all aspects that
would eventually allow them to apply for IARU membership.
Hans PB2T accepted the licence for Z60K and became the trustee
for the callsign related to this special event. The purpose of
the Z60K special event operation was to help to raise awareness
of the re-emergence of amateur radio in Kosovo.
As with any Amateur Radio station, the callsign is an important
feature. The callsign uniquely identifies the operator and the
location. As part of the process of establishing its independence
Kosovo (which is now recognised by 91 countries including the
USA, the UK and most of the industrialised world) the telecoms
regulator (TRA) has already set in train both formal and informal
processes so that it be allowed to use the currently unallocated
national prefix Z6. We were advised that this process was started
by a letter sent to the ICAO (the UN's specialised aviation
agency) in November of 2011 and that the 25-nation steering group
appointed under the UN Settlement Process was still in an
advisory and approval position in August 2012 when the Prime
Minister announced Kosovo's intention to use Z6. This Z6 prefix
would be used for aircraft registration numbers and for amateur
radio stations in the usual prefix+number+letter(s) combination.
Given that the country is not seeking UN membership at this time
- with its attendant automatic ITU prefix allocation - Kosovo has
relied on advice by its own experts and advisors and approval by
the steering group. Z6 is not currently an ITU allocated prefix
but is a free prefix that was selected in order to avoid clashing
with other nations' allocations. We understand that the ITU has
been notified about the use of the Z6 prefix in Amateur Radio in
addition to the earlier November 2011 notification to ICAO. The
eleven newly issued licences of 17 September were all in the
series Z61xx. Most of the new licencees chose to use the same
suffix that they had with their former YU8 calls more than 20
years earlier, eg ex-YU8FF is now Z61FF.
As part of the formal re-launch of Amateur Radio in Kosovo, the
special event group callsign Z60K was issued to Hans PB2T, IARU
Region 1 President. The first QSOs with the new callsign Z60K
were made by the new Kosovar operators themselves during the
evening following the presentation of the new licences.
Unsurprisingly after over two decades of absence from the bands,
many were quite microphone-shy at first. However that will soon
wear off once they get used to modern amateur radio equipment and
as they catch up on the latest techniques and Amateur Radio
operating practices. The Z60K shacks set up in hotel rooms were
frequently visited by the new amateurs (and other non-amateurs
from government and industry), sometimes several times per day as
their work schedules permitted, so they could become more familar
with operating. At least two of the new amateurs are already on
the air from their own stations with their new callsigns, with
more expected to follow soon. One not-yet licensed enthusiast who
is very computer savvy was given several hours of tuition in
Internet and computer related software, including downloading
computer logging programs and demonstrations of various websites;
he will provide tuition for the others in the Albanian language.
RSGB licence manuals and an RSGB Yearbook were left as resource
materials for the new Kosovar society.
Meanwhile the group special event callsign Z60K was operated on a
demonstration basis by a number of the visiting amateurs,
including 9A5W, 9A9A, 9A6AA, G3TXF, N2BB/MD0CCE, OH2BH, OH2KI,
OH2TA and PB2T.
This was not intended to be an all-bands, all-modes major
DX-pedition. It was primarily a demonstration activity, and
definitely not a major full-blown operation. There were no
announced frequencies. The duration of the operation was
uncertain. Not all bands and modes were used. There were many
interruptions to the operation when there were visitors in the
shack or when there were outside meetings, training sessions, and
social functions. The various Z60K stations used relatively
simple antennas. Nevertheless the callsign Z60K was successfully
activated on CW and SSB on 40m-30m-20m-17m-15m. The newly
formalised regulations for operating Amateur Radio in Kosovo do
not yet include all the amateur bands used elsewhere. For example
80m is still missing, although in the longer term this band may
well be introduced.
The TRA (the Kosovar telecoms regulator) is now able to issue
Z6/xxxx callsigns to visiting radio amateurs. The formalities are
very straightforward (eg copy of licence, completion of a
one-page application form in English and payment of a €50
fee). We can probably expect a wave of Z6 activity from visiting
radio amateurs during the up-coming CQWW DX contests where Kosovo
is now a "country multiplier".
Full details on the Z6 visitors' licences can be found at http://www.art-ks.org/?cid=2,1
We would like to thank the many CDXC members who worked the Z60K
special event station (including some of the new local hams!) and
offered supportive comments; they were much appreciated.
73 - Nigel G3TXF and Bob MD0CCE
Visit Nigel's photo page at http://www.g3txf.com/dxtrip/Z60K/Z60K-Sep-12.html
Used with permission from G3TXF