On Mon, 16 Jul 2007 07:41:23 -0400, dxAce wrote:
jdp wrote:

Logged W1AW/4 @ 0900 UTC 7/15/07 working a contest. Have never heard them
sign as portable.

They've been lending their call to some contest operations for at least a few
years now. I'm not familiar with the rule(s) that allow that.

W1AW is generally operated portable in the IARU Contest (which was held
this past weekend) every year. It was here in Tennessee last year. (I
don't know where they were this year but I suspect the Atlanta area) In
the IARU Contest, each country's national amateur radio society's
headquarters station - in the USA's case, W1AW - counts as a special
score multiplier. An attempt is made to activate that station on all HF
amateur bands, both Morse Code and voice, simultaneously. The normal W1AW
station in Connecticut doesn't have that capability. (in fact, I don't
know of *any* single amateur station that has that capability) Multiple
sites are used.

These days, FCC regulations allow an amateur station to be operated from
any point under FCC jurisdiction without notice, as long as the station
licensee consents. It's not even necessary to identify as portable
anymore. (W1AW *could* operate from Puerto Rico and simply identify as
"W1AW", though a lot of people would be wondering why they were saying
they were in ITU Zone 11!)