Radio Amateur Association of Greece
Encyclopedia
The Radio Amateur Association of Greece (RAAG) (in Greek
, Ένωσις Ελλήνων Ραδιοερασιτεχνών) is a national non-profit organization
for amateur radio
enthusiasts in Greece
. The society was founded in February 1958, facing great difficulties due to negative attitude of the Greek Government of the time towards amateur radio. RAAG represents the interests of Greek amateur radio operators before national, European, and international telecommunications regulatory authorities. RAAG is the national member society representing Greece in the International Amateur Radio Union
. Key membership benefits of RAAG include the sponsorship of amateur radio operating award
s and radio contests
, and a QSL
bureau for those members who regularly communicate with amateur radio operators in other countries.
On the first weekend of June the society organizes a regular annual Hamfest
in Athens area.
RAAG is active in emergency radio communications in cooperation with a number of local radio clubs and societies, under the name HARES or Hellenic Amateur Radio Emergency Service .
Greek language
Greek is an independent branch of the Indo-European family of languages. Native to the southern Balkans, it has the longest documented history of any Indo-European language, spanning 34 centuries of written records. Its writing system has been the Greek alphabet for the majority of its history;...
, Ένωσις Ελλήνων Ραδιοερασιτεχνών) is a national non-profit organization
Non-profit organization
Nonprofit organization is neither a legal nor technical definition but generally refers to an organization that uses surplus revenues to achieve its goals, rather than distributing them as profit or dividends...
for 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...
enthusiasts in Greece
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
. The society was founded in February 1958, facing great difficulties due to negative attitude of the Greek Government of the time towards amateur radio. RAAG represents the interests of Greek amateur radio operators before national, European, and international telecommunications regulatory authorities. RAAG is the national member society representing Greece in the International Amateur Radio Union
International Amateur Radio Union
The International Amateur Radio Union is an international confederation of national amateur radio organisations that allows a forum for common matters of concern and collectively represents matters to the International Telecommunication Union...
. Key membership benefits of RAAG include the sponsorship of amateur radio operating award
Amateur radio operating award
An amateur radio operating award is earned by an amateur radio operator for establishing two-way communication with other amateur radio stations. Awards are sponsored by national amateur radio societies, radio enthusiast magazines, or amateur radio clubs, and aim to promote activity on the amateur...
s and 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...
, and a QSL
QSL
QSL is one of the Q codes used in radiocommunication and radio broadcasting. A Q code message can stand for a statement or a question . In this case, QSL? means "do you confirm receipt of my transmission?" while QSL means "I confirm receipt of your transmission". Some also take it to mean "Query...
bureau for those members who regularly communicate with amateur radio operators in other countries.
Activities
The RAAG organizes the national Field Day on the first full weekend of September and issues awards to participating greek amateur radio stations.On the first weekend of June the society organizes a regular annual Hamfest
Hamfest
A Hamfest is a convention of amateur radio enthusiasts, often combining a trade show, flea market, and various other activities of interest to amateur radio operators . In the United Kingdom the term rally is more commonly used for amateur radio conventions...
in Athens area.
RAAG is active in emergency radio communications in cooperation with a number of local radio clubs and societies, under the name HARES or Hellenic Amateur Radio Emergency Service .