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(This was translated by N6UOW from the original history document, written in Esperanto by Lazlo MATUSINKA, HA7PW.)
Esperanto and Radio came into being around the world at practically the same time. The Ham Radio movement accompanied the invention of the radio transmitter.
Ham Radio and Esperanto came together the first time in 1925, when Hams officially decided about the use of Esperanto during the first IARU conference in Paris, France. At the end of the conference, English was adopted as the practical language for International communications. But during the same year, in Paris, a club was founded: The International Radio Foundation. Enthusiastic members of the group published, in Esperanto, technical articles relating to Ham Radio in the periodical "International Radio Review". However, after a few years, this movement ended.
The second appearance of organized Esperantists in the Ham Radio movement was in Japan: The radio club JA1JAR was founded on the 21st of October, 1960. There were dozens of active Esperantists in the club, who worked hard to create to the review "EKARO" in 1963, which founded - perhaps the first time in the history of the world - a radio net for the Pacific region, operated by KH6GT. The group created the bulletin "OSCILILO" (the Oscillator) in 1970.
During the Universala Kongreso (worldwide Esperanto Congress) in
1970, 14 Hams unanimously accepted the proposal of OE3RU to create
the organization ILERA: Internacia Ligo de Esperantista
Radioamatoroj. The founding officers were;
Founder: OE3RU
President: W2CIL
Vice-President: OE5HML
Secretary: G4MR
Treasurer: G4MR, W2CIL
Bulletin Editor: W2CIL
Hams also managed to operate commemorative stations at the many of
the worldwide congresses with the following callsigns;
1969 - OH2ESP
1970 - OE1XEW
1971 - GB3ESP
1972 - WI7UKE
1974 - DK0EW
There was a 3 year period without commemorative stations. In 1980,
G4MR was elected the General Sekretary and President of ILERA. After
three years of work, G4MR and OK1AFZ resigned from their posts,
because the financial condition of the group was getting bad. The
only part of the club activities that still continued was the annual
Fall Contest, organized in 1977 by DJ4PG. More commemorative stations
opearated at other U.K.s;
1978 - LZ2KKK
1980 - SK0XAE
1982 - ON8YZ
1983 - HA5HEA
1985 - DK0EKA
1986 - JA1FXZ/BY
1987 - SP0UEA
The bulletin, edited by many members in many lands over the years
after 1978, seldom appeared regularly. In 1986, JR1ISG accepted the
post of President at large, but only stayed for one year. In 1987, at
the 100th U.K., held in Warsaw, Poland, the Hams present elected new
officers;
President: UW9YE
Vice-President: DJ4PG
Secretary: HA7PW
The most important task for the new officers was to revive ILERA: to
regulate the publication of the bulletin (3-4 times a year, since it
was the most important tool to pass information to the membership),
to catch up with the members who subscribed over the preceeding five
years by issuing membership cards, creating mailing addresses and
bank accounts in many lands where there were many members to help new
members join, and design a symbol for the group (shown above).
On the 20th anniversary of the group, they created the Diploma for
Radio Amateurs, to recognize a requisite number of contacts with
Esperantists Hams. F6LIR and DF7TZ created a dictionary of Radio
Terms. And, due to the needs of many members, a Spring Contest was
created in 1981. More commemorative stations operated at the
worldwide congresses;
1988 - DJ4PG/PA and PA3DFZ
1989 - GB0UKE
1990 - T42UK
1991 - LA1ESP
1992 - OE1XEW
1993 - ED5SPE
1994 - 6K94UK
1995 - OH3E
1996 - OL5ESP
1998 - TM8E
1999 - DF0ESP
In Vienna, during the 1992 U.K., at the end of a five-year period,
the growing membership elected a new set of officers. This included
new vice-president DL6UDX (Y23HE), and also accepted new statutes
into the organizations charter. The group grew beyond the 500 member
mark, with the help of lead members in 27 countries;
China - BY5HEY
Portugal - CT1CGE
Spain - EA5DR
France - F9ED
England - G0NUE
Hungary - HA7PW
Korea - HL1CAN
Japan - JA1FXZ
Lithuania - LY2FN
Austria - OE3FNN
Spain - EA3BKL
Czech Republic - OK2LS
Netherland - PA3FLC
Brazil - PT2CA
Sweden/Denmark/Norway/Finland - SM5DAD
Poland - SP6VGS
Russia - RW9YE
Ukraine - UT2WL / UU4JM
Austrailia - VK2ET
U.S.A. - WB4TNC (N6UOW is the current USA representative)
Germany - DL1CC
Latvia - YL2GVK / YL1ZM
Rumania - YO5OCP / YO9AGI
Isreal - 4Z4LX
With the creation of accounts in each country, the small amount of money from memberships is used for postage within the country for mailing the bulletin. Remaining funds pay for the printing of Diplomas, and other affairs that help spread the word about Esperanto throughout the world.
(Bill MUNSIL, W7WKM, forwarded this quote from the book "200 Meters & Down: The Story of Amateur Radio", by Clinton B. DeSoto, 1936, ARRL press.
P. 92:
The international aspect of amateur radio having demonstrably become
permanent, the A.R.R.L. in middle 1924 officially adopted Esperanto as
its international auxiliary language. This official endorsement was
about as much recognition as Esperanto ever received. Amateur use of
it was negligible.
I'll suggest that the use of Esperanto in the US may have been negligible, but was likely used greater in other countries. I'd further suggest that, if you are interested in hearing Hams speaking Esperanto, that you try to listen for the regular scheduled nets, and listen for yourself.
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David K. Z. Harris
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