Adding /QRP, /mobile or /portable to your call sign. Every time you go on-air a new addition to the stroke brigade finds its way into a call sign. I'm /portable, /marine, /mobile, /QRP and in a /helicopter eating a /bagel. You might be surprised to learn that none of those things are legal, none of them are required and the regulator, at least in Australia, only makes some suggestions about what you might consider about indicating your location. Foundations of Amateur Radio is a weekly podcast about the wonderful hobby of Amateur or Ham Radio. In short weekly segments I discuss different parts of this wide ranging community and help explain some of the trickier parts. You can find this podcast on your podcast library of choice, on iTunes if you search for my call sign, VK6FLAB, or on the web at http://podcasts.itmaze.com.au/ Click to hear this weeks episode: http://podcasts.itmaze.com.au/foundations/20170402.foundations-of-amateur-radio.mp3 Onno VK6FLAB
"at least in Australia..." I believe that sums it up, right there. In South Korea, where I am currently operating as HL1ZIX, we add a / plus the number of the district we are visiting, if out and about in another ham district.
In the podcast I point out that the regulator here suggests that as a method to indicate your state when away from your home state, but it isn't a legal requirement. I'd be interested to learn if in South Korea the stroke is required by law, or a convention that is suggested.
It certainly isn't a legal requirement here in the US either. But that doesn't mean that it is of no significance if someone chooses to identify as such and I seen a disturbing trend where people simply ignore or who have decided the correctly log someone is by their base call only. As a general rule one should log stations as they identify and identify as one wishes to be logged. There are contests where portable ops must identify as /P (portable) if they operate in the portable category. Similarly /m (mobile) for that category or/R (rover) for that category. Not logging that and sending in logs or check logs for the competition without having logged those modifiers can torpedo a station. I identify /5 in my alternate QTH to segregate out those contacts in my QRZ log. Similarly my mobile contacts. For anyone to get digital confirmation for QRZ or LOTW they need to log me as I identify. Stations that want to be logged by their base call only always have the ability to simply identify that way if that is what they want. It is so bad these days that if someone identifies as QRP or mobile there is about even odds (at least in the US) they want to be logged with the modifier as without. In a perfect world the stations could easily state their preference but too often those QRP and mobile stations are dug out of the noise and it is hard to convey that preference.
http://www.acma.gov.au/Citizen/TV-Radio/Radio/Marine-and-Amateur-Radio/amateur-operating-procedures When a station is operated as a portable or mobile away from the licensed address, each callsign or reply is suffixed with the locality of operation A CAR OR PORTABLE LOCATION ISN'T YOUR LICENSED ADDRESS CHECK ACMA WEB SITE ABOVE UNDER CALL AND REPLY FOR WHEN YOU ARE AWAY FROM YOUR LICENSED ADDRESS
This seems like opinion. Why do people keep posting opinion and non-newsworthy threads in the news section? Can I post that I built my KX3 in the news section when I'm finished? I want to share it with the world.
It would be nice if there was actual news posted here in the news section. I don't mean just this thread either. It seems that there has been quite a lot of this lately. I guess it is 'fake news'?
In the podcast I specifically point to that page and you'll notice that: It is not a legal document. It states that it aims to "help prospective amateur operators studying for amateur exams" It uses the word "should" (rather than "must" - since it has no way to compel the reader) in relation to operating Mobile or portable operation.
Utter and total crap again Onno. Please write something that is of some value instead of promoting your podcasts at the detriment of amateur radio. You are now on a mission of no return, enjoy the trip. Until clowns like you started dictating terms we were able to operate under a gentlemen's agreement, a code of practice and the governments legislation. Now you have drawn a line in the sand that stops meaningful discussions between genuine hams the WIA and ACMA.
WELL MAYBE HAM COLLEGE SHOULD STOP TEACHING IT. AS WHEN I SAT THE STANDARD COURSE IT WAS TAUGHT TO US TO SAY PORTABLE/MOBILE. WE WERE ALSO TAUGHT, JUST BECAUSE IT'S NOT IN THE LCD DOESN'T MEAN IT'S NOT LAW ACCORDING TO THE ACMA
VK6NO your attitude is substandard. Take your bitterness elsewhere because we don't need to see it here. gregW OH2FFY
Sorry, I didn't feel the need to listen to your podcast, in order to find the correction of your statement. If you want to verify what I stated, feel free to look it up.
Most hams here in the USA do ID as portable, mobile, E-power or QRP station ect ect. Not doing so would make mobile, portable or QRP on HF potentially useless. A lot of people love contacting QRP, portable or mobile stations. Like myself! When I am up in the hills I talk to as many people as I can. Including lots of base stations. However it really helps out when stations use that little extra bit after their call. To me it helps all ham users be heard. Not just the kilowatt base stations. It helps keep the spirit of ham radio alive. There is something very magical about tossing up a wire and talking around the world on 5watts. That extra little bit of ID really levels the playing field. Otherwise we would all haft to run 1500w to be heard. Just my .02 cents. Can't speak to the legality of ham radio operations in Australia. Just remember to be civil gentleman. This forum is not the 11 meter CB band...... R
It is certainly true that license holders may be subject to more rules or regulations than what they cover in the course material. As a Ham goes up in class levels more of these minor details may come out in their course material. , or maybe not. It is likely the Ham College information was just a viewpoint or an accepted belief as how that Op understood it to be. , but Onno is right , there is no legal requirement to sign /QRP when running low power. In fact /QRP added to the end of the callsign by us verbally , doesn't add anything legally to our callsign. We are NOT changing our legally assigned callsign with the addition of /QRP on the end of it. It's not recognized by the ACMA therefore we are under no obligation to use it. This usage may have crept in to common use as being an accepted practice. , just as ending a QSO with '73'. 73 is universally used , but no where is it a legal requirement. Just because a lot of people do something , it doesn't mean that it is required under law , and there are MANY ways of accepted operating practice in Ham Radio ,, that is not much more than tradition. http://www.acma.gov.au/Citizen/TV-Radio/Radio/Marine-and-Amateur-Radio/amateur-operating-procedures gregW OH2FFY
