International Third-Party Traffic -- Proceed With Caution

Occasionally, DX stations may ask you to pass a third-party message
to a friend or relative in the States. This is all right as long as
the US has signed an official third-party traffic agreement with
that particular country, or the third party is a licensed amateur.
The traffic must be noncommercial and of a personal, unimportant
nature. During an emergency, the US State Department will often
work out a special temporary agreement with the country involved.
But in normal times, never handle traffic without first making
sure it is legally permitted.

For a list of countries that have third party traffic agreements
with the United States, go to:

www.arrl.org/third-party-operating-agreements

For a list of countries that have reciprocal operating agreements
with the United States, go to:

www.arrl.org/reciprocal-permit

International Operating

Overview

Amateurs sometimes visit other countries and naturally want to operate
their amateur stations. The three types of reciprocal operating
authority are 1) a CEPT license; 2) an IARP; and 3) a reciprocal permit
from a country which does not participate in either of these two
multilateral agreements. Always follow all of the communications rules
of the country visited. To operate under CEPT or IARP, the amateur must
be a licensee in the country of citizenship.

Canada is the exception to the above. The US and Canada share an
automatic reciprocal operating agreement. US amateurs must carry proof
of their US citizenship and their valid US license. Identification for
US amateurs is the US call separated by a stroke and the appropriate
Canadian prefix identifier (e.g. N1KB/VE3). In all other instances, or
as specified by the national licensing body, the prefix goes before the
call sign. For further information on US/Canadian operation, visit the
RAC Web site.


Posted by VPost v1.7.081019