After the set of four stamps issued on 23rd June, Poste Magistrali is once again paying homage to the Order of Malta’s radio amateurs with a special postmark dedicated to the Italian Relief Corps of the Order of Malta (CISOM) amateur radio station operating at the Magistral Villa in Rome from 26th July to 2nd August 2023.

The postmark, used on Thursday, 27th July at the Poste Magistrali office counter in Via delle Carrozze 79, reproduces the logo of the project which, for 2023, envisages that the proceeds from the offerings of radio amateurs from all over the world will be used to support the Order of Malta’s initiatives in favour of the population of Emilia-Romagna affected by the recent floods.

While thanking via radio the many enthusiasts connected from all over the world, the Receiver of the Common Treasure, Fabrizio Colonna, visiting the Aventine transmitter station, remarked that amateur radio is not just a hobby for its own sake, but a tangible instrument to support the Order of Malta’s mission to help the sick, the poor and refugees. Expressing his intention to continue the amateur radio activity in the future, the Receiver of the Common Treasure emphasised how it can help to spread the message of peace coming from the Holy Father and shared by the Order of Malta. You can listen to the message broadcast by radio by clicking here.

The Order of Malta, as a primary body of international law, uses its own amateur radio prefix (1A), particularly sought after by enthusiasts from all over the world who, on periodic activations, crowd the airwaves to try to connect to the Magistral Villa station in Rome. In just over twenty-four hours of activation, station 1A0C was in fact contacted by over ten thousand radio amateurs from Alaska to Australia. Ten antennas were used to activate as many as five stations simultaneously, on four transmission modes, including telegraphy (the old, but still in use, Morse code).