Yes, Cambodia has banned the FT-891 and every other radio you can think of. The following message comes to us from a New Zealander who works in Cambodia. Apparently, the situation is that the government there has decided that their inspectors must approve every piece of ham equipment for use. Here's the message in its entirety: Cambodia Amateur Licence We are the group of amateur operators resident in Cambodia and up until 2020 we renewed our Cambodia Amateur Certificates every year. In 2020 the Telecommunications Regulator of Cambodia (TRC) introduced the new requirement to only renew certificates for hams with a transceiver that had a Cambodia Type Approval (TA). At the moment there is no Cambodia TA for an amateur transceiver. As the TA process looks to be quite expensive, we have decided to just apply for the Yaesu FT-891. We have provided the TRC with the Conformity Certificates from the rear of the American and European FT-891 Manuals, together with other information, but they require more information including the TA Test Results for 1) EMC Test report, 2) Health and Safety Test reports & 3) Radio Frequency Test Report. We have approached Yaesu in Japan and they say they cannot supply the TRC with the TA Test results and at present there is no facility in Cambodia able to carry out the tests. We have been trying to obtain these docs for the TRC but so far have been unable. As a result, the resident amateurs here and any visiting hams have been unable to renew their Cambodia Amateur Certificates. Would any QRZ members know of where we might obtain a copy of the FT-891 test results? We ourselves don’t need to see them and if they are available, they would just need to be sent directly to the below: Sokharath Penh, Director, Dept Radio Frequency Regulation, TRC. sokharath.penh@trc.gov.kh and Vannak ICH, Technician, Radio Frequency Licence Office, TRC. ich.vannak@trc.gov.kh, or please let me know and we can follow up. We would greatly appreciate it if any ham knows where we might be able to get a copy of the docs for the TRC. Thank you 73 Dave Capt Dave Taylor C&T Capt / AMEL +855 888313414 XU7AKG / ZL3AIK Kingdom of Cambodia
since when did Ham radios Deserve to be this scrutinized Compared to billion other Electronic do dads seems something is underfoot there And it has to do with free worldwide Communication abilities without wires ♂️ Jojo W0IW
Well, their regulators are allowed to do what they deem necessary. They are a sovereign nation with their own rules and laws. Who are we to question them? Let's not be hypocritical.
What if all countries followed Cambodia's lead? The whole world seems to be generating shade lately. Perhaps to combat global warming?
I think you can find some of that stuff if you look up the US FCC ID number. Just put the ID in Google.
This is basically the same system we have here in neighboring Thailand. All transmitters for licensed radio amateurs must be selected from a Thai government approved "whitelist" of acceptable models. If a model has not been specifically approved by the Thai National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission, it cannot be imported or used, and possession of any unregistered gear is a jailable offense. Every single licensed amateur rig must have a separate and distinct government ID number attached to it, and it must be assigned to a specific station license. An operators license does not give authority to put a station on the air, a separate station license and manifest of approved numbered gear must be approved and issued first. Unfortunately, only a very few modern rigs are on the approved list (most approved rigs are 20-40 yrs old), and while new models may be submitted to the authorities for inspection, testing, and (potential) approval, it is a long and troublesome process with no guarantees, and all costs must be born by the applicant. Broad international lab testing and acceptance is of no consequence, as only testing and acceptance by Thai authorities is considered reliable... pretty much all of Southeast Asia functions under similar restrictions for amateur radio operators, and Thailand is probably the ham friendliest of the lot. Yes a very tough step backwards for Cambodia based hams (nearly all foreign ex-pats) but unfortunately about par for the course given the nature of governments in this region. Condolences to those hams affected, this one won't be easy. Gordo HS0ZPC K5ABB
Licensing here in the Philippines is ok. They only want the make model and serial number, that's added to the license. Rob DU3/G8MFV
I don't recall the friend in Cambodia making any criticism of the Cambodian government, which, of course, does what it wants to do. Rather, he asked for help in finding the necessary certifications to try to unblock a complex bureaucratic mechanism with the hope of getting back on air. He's doing a good job, credit must be given to him. Good luck Dave! Fabrizio - IW2ILQ
Government wants to control all means of communication between the citizens. Beginning Communism. Beware free world.
It's extortion burocrats find ways to generate income from any institution or product or service these money's go into general funds of corrupt regimes where there used as political favors or pensions... Asian governments are historically adept at this... Even in commie China bribery extortion and bureaucratic regulation are rampant
