Amateur radio international operation

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Reciprocal Agreements by Country .mw-parser-output .legend{page-break-inside:avoid;break-inside:avoid-column}.mw-parser-output .legend-color{display:inline-block;min-width:1.25em;height:1.25em;line-height:1.25;margin:1px 0;text-align:center;border:1px solid black;background-color:transparent;color:black}.mw-parser-output .legend-text{} CEPT Member Nations. IARP Member Nations. Members of CEPT and IARP. USA and Canada Treaty, CEPT and IARP. Amateur Radio International Agreements.png
Reciprocal Agreements by Country
  CEPT Member Nations.
  IARP Member Nations.
  Members of CEPT and IARP.
  USA and Canada Treaty, CEPT and IARP.

Amateur radio international reciprocal operating agreements permit amateur radio operators (hams) from one country to operate a station whilst traveling in another without the need to obtain additional licenses or permits.

Contents

When no agreement exists between countries, amateur radio operators are often required to apply for a reciprocal operating permit or a full amateur radio license and call sign from the host country. Some countries may accept a foreign amateur radio licenses as proof of qualification in lieu of examination requirements [1] whereas other host countries may provide unilateral reciprocal operating privileges without the need for additional licensing.

European Conference of Postal and Telecommunications Administrations

CEPT License

Member Nations of the European Conference of Postal and Telecommunications Administrations (CEPT) [2] all share the same amateur radio reciprocal licensing requirements. Amateurs are permitted to operate from most European countries without the requirement of obtaining additional licensees or permits.

The following countries outside of Europe also participate in CEPT Recommendation T/R 61-01: [1] [3] [4]

Peru signed CEPT Recommendation T/R 61-01 but never transferred it into national law. Operation under CEPT Recommendation T/R 61-01 is illegal and a guest operating permit is needed.

US and Canadian citizens visiting a CEPT Country

The United States and Canada currently accept CEPT licenses within areas controlled by the US Federal Communications Commission or Industry Canada respectively. [3] [5]

CEPT member countries accept:

  • US and Canadian Advanced Class Licenses; and,
  • US Amateur Extra Class Licenses.

United States licensed stations are required to carry and provide upon request:

  • A US passport;
  • A copy of the 2009 FCC CEPT notice; [6] and,
  • A valid FCC amateur radio license.

In Canada, "the Minister of Industry has delegated Radio Amateurs of Canada (RAC) to issue CEPT permits for Canadian licensed stations." [3]

Canadian licensed stations are required to provide upon request:

  • A Canadian passport;
  • A copy of the licensee's CEPT permit; and,
  • A valid Canadian amateur radio licence.

As of February 4, 2008, CEPT no longer accepts Technician or General Class Licensees for CEPT reciprocal privileges. [7] US General Class licenses are accepted under a separate agreement as CEPT Novice licensees. [3]

CEPT Novice License

In 2009 the Electronic Communications Committee (ECC) revised the 'CEPT Novice Radio Amateur license', a separate agreement, to include novice class reciprocal operating privileges in some CEPT countries under modified conditions. European reciprocal privileges have, at least in part, been restored to US General Class Operators as CEPT Novice Operators. [2]

CITEL agreement

IARP Permit

In 1995 the treaty creating the International Amateur Radio Permit (IARP) was ratified at a meeting of the Organization of American States in Montrouis, Haiti. [8] [9]

The IARP allows amateur radio operation within counties that are signatories [10] [11] [12] to the treaty [8] without the need to obtain a special license or permit, all of the counties that are a part of this treaty are located in the Americas. [13] The Inter‑American Telecommunication Commission (CITEL) agreement allows an IARP [14] to be issued, by a member-society of the International Amateur Radio Union (IARU).

Similar to the CEPT licenses there are distinct classes which bestow different levels of operating privileges base on the operators home licence. Class 1 requires knowledge of Morse code and allows operation of all of the amateur bands where Class 2 operating privileges do not require Morse code proficiency but limit users to bands above 30 MHz. [8] [14]

The United States and Canada

Domestic Licenses

Map of Canadian amateur radio prefixes/suffixes Amateur radio prefixes in Canada.svg
Map of Canadian amateur radio prefixes/suffixes

Citizens of the United States or Canada may operate in the other country as a domestically licensed station, as if their license had been issued in said country, without the requirement of obtaining any license or permission from the other government. [15] [5]

An American or Canadian amateur may allow third party use of his station and call sign, carry international third party traffic, serve as a temporary control operator for a repeater station, and identify themselves as a domestic station using the national call sign system, provided: [16] [5]

  1. The Licensee has citizenship and a valid amateur radio license from the country for their residency;
  2. The Licensee appends the local US/Canadian Zone (Region) to the END of their call sign when identifying their station; and,
  3. The Licensee adheres to the operating powers, frequency (band) allocations, and laws pertaining to the country they are currently operating in.

Foreign CEPT and IARP operators visiting the US and Canada

  1. Must have operating privileges in the respective country.
  2. Must identify with the appropriate US or Canadian Country Prefix and Zone (Region) PRIOR to their call sign.
  3. Must observe restrictions concerning the third party use of their equipment.
  4. Must adhere to the operating powers and frequencies of their country's license AND the country they are operating in.
  5. A reciprocal agreement must be present and in good standing between the two countries. [5] [15]

International Waters, Airspace and Extraterrestrial Operation

NASA astronaut Col. Doug Wheelock, KF5BOC, Expedition 24 flight engineer, operates the NA1SS ham radio station in the Zvezda Service Module of the International Space Station. Equipment is a Kenwood TM-D700E transceiver. ISS-24 Doug Wheelock uses ham radio system 1.jpg
NASA astronaut Col. Doug Wheelock, KF5BOC, Expedition 24 flight engineer, operates the NA1SS ham radio station in the Zvezda Service Module of the International Space Station. Equipment is a Kenwood TM-D700E transceiver.

International Waters and Air Space

Amateur radio operators in international waters or airspace are subject to the reciprocal licensing requirements pertaining to the country under which the vessel is flagged. Permission by the vessel's captain for on-board use of amateur radio equipment is often a legal requirement. [13]

Antarctica

Although Antarctica is considered international by treaty, Amateur radio operators in Antarctica are often subject to the reciprocal licensing requirements pertaining to the country under which the camp is flagged. [17]

Extraterrestrial

Stations operating from space, defined as an altitude above 50 km (31 mi) above the height of the average terrain, are subject to the terms and conditions established in conjunction with their amateur license grant. [18]


DX-pedition

A DXer operates during a holiday DXpedition to Muscat, Oman. G0RTN operating amateur radio.jpg
A DXer operates during a holiday DXpedition to Muscat, Oman.

A DX-pedition is an expedition to what is considered an exotic place by amateur radio operators, perhaps because of its remoteness or because there are very few radio amateurs active from that place. This could be an island, a country, or even a particular spot on a geographical grid.

The activity was pioneered by one-time ARRL president Robert W. Denniston. Mr. Denniston's 1948 DX-pedition was to the Bahamas and was called "Gon-Waki" ala Thor Heyerdahl's "Kon-Tiki" expedition the previous year. Arguably there were earlier trips where amateur radio was used that might have qualified as DX-peditions. An example is the voyage of the schooner Kaimiloa, which traveled the South Pacific in 1924. While the ship's wealthy owners enjoyed the islands an amateur radio operator kept contact with, and sent QSL cards to, experimenters in the United States. [19]

Related Research Articles

The American Radio Relay League (ARRL) is the largest membership association of amateur radio enthusiasts in the United States. ARRL is a non-profit organization, and was co-founded on April 6, 1914, by Hiram Percy Maxim and Clarence D. Tuska of Hartford, Connecticut. The ARRL represents the interests of amateur radio operators before federal regulatory bodies, provides technical advice and assistance to amateur radio enthusiasts, supports a number of educational programs and sponsors emergency communications service throughout the country. The ARRL has approximately 161,000 members. In addition to members in the US, the organization claims over 7,000 members in other countries. The ARRL publishes many books and a monthly membership journal called QST.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">DX-pedition</span> Amateur radio "expedition"

A DX-pedition is an expedition to what is considered an exotic place by amateur radio operators and DX listeners, typically because of its remoteness, access restrictions, or simply because there are very few radio amateurs active from that place. This could be an island, a country, or even a particular spot on a geographical grid. DX is a telegraphic shorthand for "distance" or "distant".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">60-meter band</span> Amateur radio frequency band

The 60-meter band or 5 MHz band is a relatively new amateur radio allocation, first introduced in 2002, that was originally only available in a few countries, such as the United States, United Kingdom, Norway, Finland, Denmark, Ireland and Iceland. Over a number of years however, an increasing proportion of countries' telecommunications administrations – together with their government and military users – have permitted Amateur Radio operation in the 5 MHz area on a short or longer-term basis, ranging from discrete channels to a frequency band allocation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Contesting</span> Competitive activity

Contesting is a competitive activity pursued by amateur radio operators. In a contest, an amateur radio station, which may be operated by an individual or a team, seeks to contact as many other amateur radio stations as possible in a given period of time and exchange information. Rules for each competition define the amateur radio bands, the mode of communication that may be used, and the kind of information that must be exchanged. The contacts made during the contest contribute to a score by which stations are ranked. Contest sponsors publish the results in magazines and on web sites.

Amateur radio frequency allocation is done by national telecommunication authorities. Globally, the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) oversees how much radio spectrum is set aside for amateur radio transmissions. Individual amateur stations are free to use any frequency within authorized frequency ranges; authorized bands may vary by the class of the station license.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Amateur radio station</span> Amateur radio station

An amateur radio station is a radio station designed to provide radiocommunications in the amateur radio service for an amateur radio operator. Radio amateurs build and operate several types of amateur radio stations, including fixed ground stations, mobile stations, space stations, and temporary field stations. A slang term often used for an amateur station's location is the shack, named after the small enclosures added to the upperworks of naval ships to hold early radio equipment and batteries.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Amateur radio emergency communications</span> Fallback service

In times of crisis and natural disasters, amateur radio is often used as a means of emergency communication when wireline, cell phones and other conventional means of communications fail.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Amateur radio licensing in the United States</span> Licensing of amateur radio in the US

In the United States, amateur radio licensing is governed by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC). Licenses to operate amateur stations for personal use are granted to individuals of any age once they demonstrate an understanding of both pertinent FCC regulations and knowledge of radio station operation and safety considerations. Applicants as young as five years old have passed examinations and were granted licenses.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Amateur radio operator</span> Amateur operator of radio communications equipment

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 have been granted an amateur radio license by a governmental regulatory authority after passing an examination on applicable regulations, electronics, radio theory, and radio operation. As a component of their license, amateur radio operators are assigned a call sign that they use to identify themselves during communication. About three million amateur radio operators are currently active worldwide.

The 2200-meter or 136 kHz band is the lowest frequency band in which amateur radio operators are licensed to transmit. It was formally allocated to amateurs at the 2007 World Radiocommunication Conference (WRC-07). The band is available on a secondary basis in all ITU regions with the limitation that amateur stations have maximum radiated power of 1 watt effective isotropic radiated power.

The World Administrative Radio Conference (WARC) bands are three portions of the shortwave radio spectrum used by licensed and/or certified amateur radio operators. They consist of 30 meters (10.1–10.15 MHz), 17 meters (18.068–18.168 MHz), and 12 meters (24.89–24.99 MHz). They were named after the World Administrative Radio Conference, which in 1979 created a worldwide allocation of these bands for amateur use. The bands were opened for use in the early 1980s. Due to their relatively small bandwidth of 100 kHz or less, there is a gentlemen's agreement that the WARC bands may not be used for general contesting. This agreement has been codified in official recommendations, such as the IARU Region 1 HF Manager's Handbook, which states: "Contest activity shall not take place on the 5, 10, 18 and 24 MHz bands."

The history of amateur radio, dates from the dawn of radio communications, with published instructions for building simple wireless sets appearing at the beginning of the twentieth century. Throughout its history, amateur radio enthusiasts have made significant contributions to science, engineering, industry, and social services. Research by amateur radio operators has founded new industries, built economies, empowered nations, and saved lives in times of emergency.

The 13 centimeter, 2.3 GHz or 2.4 GHz band is a portion of the UHF (microwave) radio spectrum internationally allocated to amateur radio and amateur satellite use on a secondary basis. The amateur radio band is between 2300 MHz and 2450 MHz, and thereby inside the S-band. The amateur satellite band is between 2400 MHz and 2450 MHz, and its use by satellite operations is on a non-interference basis to other radio users. The license privileges of amateur radio operators include the use of frequencies and a wide variety of modes within these ranges for telecommunication. The allocations are the same in all three ITU Regions.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Indian Telegraph Act, 1885</span>

The Indian Telegraph Act, 1885 was the enabling legislation in India which governed the use of wired and wireless telegraphy, telephones, teletype, radio communications and digital data communications. It gives the Government of India exclusive jurisdiction and privileges for establishing, maintaining, operating, licensing and oversight of all forms of wired and wireless communications within Indian territory. It also authorizes government law enforcement agencies to monitor/intercept communications and tap phone lines under conditions defined within the Indian Constitution. The act came into force on 1 October 1885. Since that time, numerous amendments have been passed to update the act to respond to changes in technology.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Amateur radio</span> Use of radio frequency spectra for non-commercial purposes

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 communications. The term "amateur" is used to specify "a duly authorized person interested in radioelectric practice with a purely personal aim and without pecuniary interest"; and to differentiate it from commercial broadcasting, public safety, or professional two-way radio services.

Call signs in the Middle East are unique identifiers for telecommunications and broadcasting in the Middle East. Call signs are regulated internationally by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) and nationally by local government and international agencies in Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, The Palestinian Authority, occupied territories and other nations or DXCC entities.

Call signs in Argentina are unique identifiers for communication. Call signs are regulated internationally by the ITU as well as nationally by the Comisión Nacional de Comunicaciones of the Argentine government.

Amateur radio call signs are allocated to amateur radio operators around the world. The call signs are used to legally identify the station or operator, with some countries requiring the station call sign to always be used and others allowing the operator call sign instead.

Call signs in Korea are unique identifiers for telecommunications and broadcasting on the Korean peninsula. Call signs are regulated internationally by the ITU as well as nationally in South Korea by the Korea Communications Commission in the Ministry of Information and Communication. Not much is known outside of North Korea how amateur radio is regulated, although a foreign amateur was asked to appear before the "Radio Regulation Board" in 2002. Also, North Korea's Cultural Relations with Foreign Countries recently issued an operating permit, which was countermanded by the Ministry of Telecommunications and Posts.

The 630-meter amateur radio band is a frequency band allocated by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) to amateur radio operators, and it ranges from 472–479 kHz, or equivalently 625.9–635.1 meters wavelength. It was formally allocated to amateurs at the 2012 World Radiocommunication Conference (WRC-12). The band is available on a secondary basis in all ITU regions with the limitation that amateur stations have maximum radiated power of 1 watt effective isotropic radiated power (EIRP); however, stations more than 800 km from certain countries may be permitted to use 5 watts EIRP.

References

  1. 1 2 "Guest / Reciprocal Licensing". Sarl.org.za. 2011-11-13. Retrieved 2012-10-16.
  2. 1 2 "Recommendation T/R 61-01" (PDF). CEPT. 4 October 2011. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2022-04-16. Retrieved 2012-10-16.
  3. 1 2 3 4 "RIC-3 - Information on the Amateur Radio Service - Spectrum Management and Telecommunications". Ic.gc.ca. Archived from the original on 2012-11-28. Retrieved 2012-10-16.
  4. ↑ "Main Page – Israel Amateur Radio Club". Iarc.org. Retrieved 2012-10-16.
  5. 1 2 3 4 "Part 97 - Amateur Radio". Arrl.org. Retrieved 2012-10-16.
  6. ↑ "Public Notice DA 09-2031" (PDF). FCC. September 10, 2009. Retrieved 2012-10-16.
  7. ↑ "CEPT Licensing information". Qsl.net. Retrieved 2012-10-16.
  8. 1 2 3 Inter-American Telecommunication Convention on an International Amateur Radio Permit, Organization of American States, June 8 1995. http://www.oas.org/EN/PINFO/RES/RESGA95/agd1316.htm
  9. ↑ "Federal Register, Volume 61 Issue 196 (Tuesday, October 8, 1996)". www.govinfo.gov. Retrieved 2022-05-16.
  10. ↑ Organization of American States (2009-08-01). "Signatories and Ratifications to the Inter-American Telecommunication Convention on an International Amateur Radio Permit". www.oas.org. Retrieved 2022-05-16.
  11. ↑ "OAS - Organization of American States: Democracy for peace, security, and development". August 2009.
  12. ↑ "OAS - Organization of American States: Democracy for peace, security, and development". August 2009.
  13. 1 2 Archived February 3, 2009, at the Wayback Machine
  14. 1 2 "IARP". Arrl.org. Retrieved 2022-05-16.
  15. 1 2 "RIC-3 — Information on the Amateur Radio Service". ic.gc.ca. Archived from the original on 2012-11-28. Retrieved 2010-01-07.
  16. ↑ http://www.ic.gc.ca/eic/site/smt-gst.nsf/eng/sf01701.html Archived 2012-11-28 at the Wayback Machine >
  17. ↑ "Amateur Radio Prefixes". Ac6v.com. Archived from the original on 2017-06-27. Retrieved 2012-10-16.
  18. ↑ "Part 97 - Amateur Radio". Arrl.org. Retrieved 2012-10-16.
  19. ↑ "Kaimiloa" (PDF). oldqslcards.com. Retrieved 2012-10-16.
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