The International Amateur Radio Club (IARC) maintains and operates the amateur radio station

Amateur radio station

An amateur radio station is an installation designed to provide radiocommunications in the amateur radio service for an amateur radio operator. Radio amateurs build and operate several types of amateur radio stations, including fixed ground stations, mobile stations, space stations, and temporary...

 4U1ITU at the International Telecommunications Union building in Geneva

Geneva

Geneva In the national languages of Switzerland the city is known as Genf , Ginevra and Genevra is the second-most-populous city in Switzerland and is the most populous city of Romandie, the French-speaking part of Switzerland...

, Switzerland

Switzerland

Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....

. Intended to serve as a model of amateur radio

Amateur radio

Amateur radio is the use of designated radio frequency spectrum for purposes of private recreation, non-commercial exchange of messages, wireless experimentation, self-training, and emergency communication...

 operation, the station was created under the auspices of the Secretary-General

Secretary-General

-International intergovernmental organizations:-International nongovernmental organizations:-Sports governing bodies:...

 of the United Nations

United Nations

The United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...

 and the Secretary-General of the International Telecommunications Union (ITU).

In many radio contests

Contesting

Contesting is a competitive activity pursued by amateur radio operators. In a contest, an amateur radio station, which may be operated by an individual or a team, seeks to contact as many other amateur radio stations as possible in a given period of time and exchange information...

, amateur radio operator

Amateur radio operator

An amateur radio operator is an individual who typically uses equipment at an amateur radio station to engage in two-way personal communications with other similar individuals on radio frequencies assigned to the amateur radio service. Amateur radio operators have been granted an amateur radio...

s are allowed to consider the International Telecommunications Union station 4U1ITU a special entity and because of its significance to world telecommunications and it is given similar status to a separate country when making a radio contact. No other UN location is given this honor.

External links

• IARC Homepage
• 4U1ITU Licence data from QRZ
• Not Your Grandfather's Amateur Radio
• ARLB024: Saturday is World Telecommunication Day
• DXCC Rules & 4U1ITU
• Radio History is Made at WRC-03 with 7-MHz Realignment Compromise
• ITU Headquarters, Europe - QSL Card Gallery

Publications

• Telecommunication Journal International Telecommunication Union
  International Telecommunication Union
  The International Telecommunication Union is the specialized agency of the United Nations which is responsible for information and communication technologies...
  
  Geneva, International Telecommunication Union ISSN:0497-137X, OCLC: 1779312