On 9 Feb 2004 06:12:11 GMT, Alun wrote:

Leo wrote in
news
On 8 Feb 2004 18:21:54 GMT, Alun wrote:

snip

Have the Canadian rules changed? The last time I read it you had to be
both a US citizen and a US resident to qualify. I'm not an American (or
a Canadian either) so I couldn't operate in Canada using my US call.


The rules I read were certainly not reciprocal, though. An American
with a US call and residing in the US could operate in Canada for only
2 months within the terms of the nearest Canadian licence (No WARC
bands or 40m for Generals!), whereas a Canadian with a Canadian call
could operate indefinitely in the US, even living here permanently,
under the terms of their Canadian licence (not to exceed Extra).

Not sure if they have changed, Alun - just discovered them when I
bacame a ham a couple of years ago! The link to the RAC page with
info on the current reciprocal agreement is:

http://www.rac.ca/regulatory/rcip.htm

and IC RIC-3, which contains the details on the various agreements, US
and other, is at:

http://strategis.ic.gc.ca/epic/internet/insmt-gst.nsf/vwapj/ric3.pdf/$FI
LE/ric3.pdf

From what I read in these documents, one need only possess a US
licence to gain full Canadian privileges appropriate to the licence
class. For countries other than the US, CEPT and IARP permits are
acceptable.

Hope that helps!

73, Leo

The first page talks about 'Americans operating in Canada', but I am not an
American, just someone with a US licence! That is the problem.

Reading further, RIC-2 limits operation under the bilateral agreement to US
citizens who are US residents, just as the previous rules did.

You're right - I missed that completely. I should have looked it up
RIC-2 as well, I suppose!


However, in RIC-3 it says that operating in Canada is possible under CEPT.

I cannot use my US licence under CEPT, as the CEPT letter that the FCC
publish says that it is only valid for US citizens (I've no idea why, as
the CEPT treaty does not mention citizenship anywhere).

However, if I got my UK licence re-activated it would automatically be
valid in Canada under CEPT. Someone who wasn't British would still be able
to do that, although I am actually a British citizen. I often go across the
border to Windsor when I visit Detroit, but I have never operated on the
Canadian side. It seems if I did so it would have to be as VE3/G8VUK, after
first getting my UK licence back.

Which seems like a pretty cumbersome process - I wonder why the
citizenship rules were placed in the US/Canada agreement? One would
think that the licence would be sufficient to prove competence, and
residency to prove QTH...


73 de Alun, N3KIP

73, Leo