GAREC 2015 Tampere Finland - CANCELLED -

[IK0ZCW]

Written by Greg Mossop

The only international conference on Amateur Radio Emergency Communications will be held in June at Tampere, Finland, with the theme of ‘Cooperating with Authorities’.

Tampere saw the birth of the annual Global Amateur Radio Emergency Conference (GAREC) in 2005. This vital conference has returned to that city, with all involved in emergency communications throughout the world being invited.

A prestigious keynote address will be given during the conference that is hosted by the Finnish Amateur Radio League (SARL) and organised by Finland’s national emergency communications society Suomen Radioturva (SRT).

The third largest city in Finland, Tampere has a lively engagement in providing emergency communications through SRT to the authorities.

Program Committee Chairman Dr. Seppo Sisättö OH1VR will review GAREC from 2005 to 2015, along with a non-government emergency relief agency.

The IARU Regional 1 Emergency Communications Coordinator, Greg Mossop G0DUB will chair a very interesting discussion on ‘Cooperating with Authorities - What have we done?’

The ‘Tools for Amateur Radio EmComms’ will be discussed, along with a ‘Long Range Provincial EmComm Repeater’ to be introduced by Juha Hartikka OH7HJ.

Reports are to be delivered from the IARU Regions 1, 2 and 3, in a session chaired by Jyri Putkonen OH7JP the SRT President.

Among the GAREC 2015 moderators are Merja Koivaara OH1EG, SRAL President, and a National Emergency Supply Agency Representative.

GAREC 2015 will be in the Hotel Cumulus, Koskikatu 5, Tampere, Finland on June 23-24. Many delegates can also travel to Friedrichshafen, Germany, and enjoy Europe’s largest Hamfest that starts on June 26.

A preliminary GAREC 2015 program, accommodation and registration are available at http://www.radioturva.fi/garec-2015/

[IK0ZCW]

Thursday, 16 April 2015 09:55
Written by Greg Mossop

The organisers of the Global Amateur Radio Emergency Conference (GAREC) 2015 have taken the difficult decision to cancel this years conference.

The projected attendance for the conference which was to have been held in Tampere, Finland between June 23-24 was below last year's and so was not adequate to justify the participation of external speakers and presented a financial risk to the organisers.

Rather than take a chance that attendance will increase substantially leading up to the Conference, a difficult decision has been made to cancel. All registered participants will be contacted by the organisers shortly.

Cancellation of the conference is a loss to the Amateur Radio Emergency Communications community and thoughts are now turning to how to continue with what was started 10 years ago and maintain the good working relationships which have been developed, as well as providing a place for those positive achievements to be promoted.