The Radio Amateur Society of Thailand under The Royal Patronage of His Majesty The King (RAST) ( th, สมาคมวิทยุสมัครเล่นแห่งประเทศไทย ในพระบรมราชุปถัมภ์) is a national

non-profit organization A nonprofit organization (NPO) or non-profit organisation, also known as a non-business entity, not-for-profit organization, or nonprofit institution, is a legal entity organized and operated for a collective, public or social benefit, in co ...

for

amateur radio Amateur radio, also known as ham radio, is the use of the radio frequency spectrum for purposes of non-commercial exchange of messages, wireless experimentation, self-training, private recreation, radiosport, contesting, and emergency commu ...

enthusiasts in

Thailand Thailand ( ), historically known as Siam () and officially the Kingdom of Thailand, is a country in Southeast Asia, located at the centre of the Indochinese Peninsula, spanning , with a population of almost 70 million. The country is b ...

. The organization is founded under the royal patronage of the

King of Thailand The monarchy of Thailand (whose monarch is referred to as the king of Thailand; th, พระมหากษัตริย์ไทย, or historically, king of Siam; th, พระมหากษัตริย์สยาม) refers to the c ...

, and qualifies as a charitable entity pursuant to a Thai Ministry of Finance declaration.Radio Amateur Society of Thailand (2008)
Amateur Radio Society of Thailand
official web site. Retrieved Aug. 4, 2008. The organization was founded on August 22, 1963 by a group of

amateur radio operator An amateur radio operator is someone who uses equipment at an amateur radio station to engage in two-way personal communications with other amateur operators on radio frequencies assigned to the amateur radio service. Amateur radio operators ...

s who met at a restaurant in

Bangkok Bangkok, officially known in Thai as Krung Thep Maha Nakhon and colloquially as Krung Thep, is the capital and most populous city of Thailand. The city occupies in the Chao Phraya River delta in central Thailand and has an estimated populati ...

. Among the first orders of business was to address official objections to the communications of radio amateurs in Thailand with amateur radio operators in other countries.Radio Amateur Society of Thailand (2008)
"Proceedings of the Society"
Retrieved Aug. 4, 2008. The RAST represents the interests of Thai amateur radio operators and shortwave listeners before Thai and international telecommunications regulatory authorities. RAST is the national member society representing Thailand in the

International Amateur Radio Union The International Amateur Radio Union (IARU) is an international confederation of national organisations that allows a forum for common matters of concern to amateur radio operators worldwide, and collectively represents matters to the Internatio ...

.International Amateur Radio Union (2018)
"Member Societies"
Retrieved Apr. 19, 2018. Amateur "ham" radio operations in Thailand are permitted via an examination in the Thai language for Thai nationals OR via a reciprocal awarding of a Thailand license based on the presentation of a valid license from a few other countries (the list includes USA and is expanding; the latest list is in the licensing section of the RAST website
RAST official web site. Retrieved Apr. 19, 2018.). Each reciprocal agreement must be arranged via treaty between Thailand and other nations. Licenses have a five-year term, renewable. The international assigned prefixes for ham call letters in Thailand are HS and E2; numbers and letters are added behind these letters to identify each individual licensee or radio club (example: HS0AC and E20AAA). There are about 300,000 licensed operators in Thailand, but only a few tens of operators are active on the HF frequencies; the others use the 2 meter band. RAST usually holds monthly member meetings on the first Sunday of each month in a Bangkok venue, the Sena Place Hotel. During the pandemic, meetings have been less frequent and at different locations. Guests are welcome. Officers and Board Members are elected regularly and hold two year terms. Membership to RAST costs 300 Baht plus 200 Baht per year to renew; alternatively it costs 2,100 Baht for lifetime membership, and there is a "gold" lifetime membership for 5,000 Baht. Membership is open to anyone.

References

External links

RAST
Official ( Thai language) web site
RAST Member
Official (Thai language) site for RAST members
Radio Amateur Society of Thailand
official

English language English is a West Germanic language of the Indo-European language family, with its earliest forms spoken by the inhabitants of early medieval England. It is named after the Angles, one of the ancient Germanic peoples that migrated to the ...

web site

Clubs and societies in Thailand Organizations established in 1963 1963 establishments in Thailand Radio in Thailand Organizations based in Bangkok Organizations based in Thailand under royal patronage {{Amateur-radio-stub

See also

References

External links