ARI Sanremo (IQ1SM): Fostering Amateur Radio and Public Service

Sanremo, Italy – The A.R.I. (Associazione Radioamatori Italiani) Sezione di Sanremo, identified by its call sign IQ1SM, is a dedicated local chapter for amateur radio enthusiasts.

The section is located at CORSO CAVALLOTTI 1, 18038 SANREMO IM. For inquiries, you can contact President I1NVU Di Pietro Claudio.

Meetings are held on the 1st and 3rd Tuesday of each month, from 9:00 PM to 11:00 PM.

For more information, visit their website: www.arisanremo.it.

What is Amateur Radio (Radiantismo)?

Amateur radio operators are individuals who use radio transmitting and receiving equipment to communicate with others possessing similar devices, on specific frequency bands authorized by competent authorities. The use of these devices is subject to a special authorization issued by the Compartmental Directorates of the Ministry of Communications.

The Associazione Radioamatori Italiani (A.R.I.) was recognized as a Moral Entity by Presidential Decree no. 368 on January 10, 1950, by then-President of the Republic Luigi Einaudi. Its purpose is to develop, for personal and non-profit aims, radiotelegraphic transmission techniques in various forms, making its experiences available to the community. This specifically means ensuring an efficient emergency radio transmission service, especially during natural disasters or whenever necessary. A key institutional activity of ARI is also to prepare individuals for the exams required to obtain a radio operator's license, which are held annually according to procedures defined by the Ministry of Communications.

Guglielmo Marconi, by inventing the "radio," opened up the historical possibility of "wireless communication," utilizing theories and experiences of previous and contemporary scholars who, however, had not grasped this characteristic of electromagnetic waves.

Amateur Radio vs. CB Radio

Radio amateurs are often confused with CB (Citizen Band) operators, and vice versa, but there are significant differences between these two types of transceiving equipment users:

• CB (Citizen Band): To be a CB operator, one simply needs to request a concession from the Ministry, which allows the use of equipment for the Citizen Band (operating on 27 MHz) for casual conversation with friends, as a hobby, or even for work.
• Amateur Service: The Amateur Service, on the other hand, is a service for personal instruction, intercommunication, and technical research, carried out by amateurs (OMs), i.e., duly authorized individuals interested in radio technology purely for personal interest and without pecuniary gain. This definition is established by the Radio Regulations of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU).

Amateur radio operators are authorized to operate from their residence or another location, as well as from a vehicle, boat, or outdoors. The license authorizes the use of specific frequency ranges, assigned to the Amateur Service by international agreements, and assigns the holder a call sign, coded according to globally recognized standards that immediately identify the station's nationality.

Diverse Communication Modes

Communication among radio amateurs, which constitutes a true international "Service" formally recognized in 1927 by the ITU Washington Convention, can occur in various ways:

• Morse Code (Telegraphy)
• Direct voice (Telephony)
• Teletypewriter (RTTY)
• Digital modes (Packet Radio)
• Slow-scan television (SSTV)
• Normal-scan television (ATV)
• Via satellite, such as ITAMSAT, the satellite launched by Italian radio amateurs on September 26, 1993.
• Even with astronauts aboard the MIR and now the International Space Station, thanks to the ARISS project.