General Conference 1999

The host society Norsk Radio Relae Liga - NRRL -was founded 8 August 1928. The number of members was 32. The requirement for membership of IARU was 25 members, and an application for membership was immediately put in. In QST for December 1929 the IARU HQ announced that NZART, NRRL, and EDR by a majority vote had been elected members of IARU. The membership of IARU was 14.

9 April 1940 Nazi Germany attacked Norway and occupied the country for 5 years. At that time the number of radio amateurs in Norway was only about 200. In September 1940 the radio amateur equipment was confiscated by the occupants, except for some receivers and transmitters kept in hiding places. In October 1941 NRRL was dissolved by order of reichskommissar Josef Terboven and its property was confiscated.

Relatively many of the radio amateurs contributed to the liberation of their country, first in the campaign in 1940, later in the Resistance, in the Norwegian armed forces in Sweden and the UK, and in the merchant navy. To mention presidents of NRRL only:

LA1D Gunnar Hammerik, also cofounder of NRRL in 1928: In the Resistance Movement, arrested, imprisoned in a German concentration camp in Norway.

LA3Q Finn Norman, president 1938-1946, Chief Signal Officer in Milorg - the military organisation of the Resistance.

LA4L William Pallvik: Together with his friend LA7U Sverre Joergensen he operated the radio communication between the supreme commander of Milorg and the Norwegian authorities in Sweden for more than two years until the liberation in May 1945, without being revealed by the Germans!

LA6A Lars Heyerdahl: In the resistance, arrested, fled from the prison, escaped to Sweden with his wife. In the Norwegian forces in the UK until the end of the war.

LA3XA Karl Boman Braathen: In the Resistance's intelligence organisation XU. (XU is supposed to be acronym for XUkjent (XUnknown).

LA8M Lars Inge Vatne: In the Resistance, fled to Sweden.

Only 10 days after the end of the war, 18 May 1945, the Board held its first meeting. The forced dissolution by the occupants was of course declared not legally valid, and it was decided to retrieve the work immediately. This was a difficult task. The society's property including documents, minute books, and membership registers was lost. (The foundation document was found in 1955).

However, the interest in amateur radio was great, and soon the organisation was built up again During the next four years the membership increased to 1300. After a decrease in the next decade, a new crest of 3891 was reached in 1984. Since then there has been a steady decrease to 3006 members in 1998. In 1995 a technical licence was introduced This licence class has to a certain degree reduced the downward trend.

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Lay-out: Ingun Nerlie LA1LIA (e-mail: nerlie@online.no)

Last updated 10. januar 1999