SB DX @ ARL $ARLD003
ARLD003 Information on FJ/OH2AM

ZCZC AE03
QST de W1AW  
DX Bulletin 3  ARLD003
From ARRL Headquarters  
Newington CT  January 11, 2008
To all radio amateurs   

SB DX ARL ARLD003
ARLD003 Information on FJ/OH2AM

This operation by OH2BH and OH0XX was conducted under CEPT
Recommendation T/R 61-01. This Recommendation makes it possible for
radio amateurs from CEPT countries (and certain non-CEPT countries)
to operate in other CEPT countries without obtaining an individual
temporary license from the visited CEPT country.

Complaints were received from several individuals. The main thrust
of the complaints is that the operators used a club call for which
Laine is station trustee, rather than their individual callsigns.

The intention of the operators in using a single callsign was to
limit the number of duplicate contacts. Many DXpeditions use club or
special-issue callsigns for this reason. The Recommendation makes no
mention of club callsigns but says that the visiting license holder
"must use his national call sign preceded by the call sign prefix of
the visited country." Other operations using club callsigns from
French territory, including in the Caribbean, have taken place under
provisions of the Recommendation and have been credited for DXCC.

Since the question was raised, checking with various CEPT
administrations and with the European Radiocommunication Office
(ERO) has revealed different views regarding the use of club
callsigns under the Recommendation. The ERO observes that the use of
a club callsign could prevent an administration from determining
whether a particular operator is qualified and concludes, "Club
members, including the holder of the club call sign, should use
their national personal call signs when abroad."

In the case of FJ/OH2AM, the two operators clearly were qualified to
operate in St Barthelemy under the Recommendation. They utilized a
call authorized to them by their national authority. The purpose of
a radio station callsign is to identify the administration and the
licensee responsible for the operation of the station. The use of
FJ/OH2AM rather than FJ/OH2BH and FJ/OH0XX did not thwart this
purpose.
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