Now I have my full call am starting to plan activating a summit while on holiday in Germany and possibly some other countries on the way through this year.
While I learnt the information during the course there is nothing like real world advice and experience, so far I have worked out the following:
I will need a printed copy of my OFCOM lic inc. page 2 with the CEPT information.
When in Germany I would be DL/M1RTB
When in France I would be F/M1RTB/P (the /p seems to be mandatory)
I plan to just take my IC-705 with a slim G and EFHW possibly the MU-12 but unsure at the moment, I don’t see that any of these will be an issue.
I would appreciate any information people can share and am happy to be corrected if I have understood something wrong.
This is probably targeted more towards UK operators but I welcome any advice from those in Europe as you will know the rules and regs much better than anyone.
First off, congratulations on gaining your full amateur radio license - this is great news, and I look forward to working your new callsign in my log soon.
I’ve done quite a few summits overseas, especially in Germany, and reading your above information all sounds correct to me.
Just make sure you have a copy of your license in your bag when out activating, and use the callsigns you have already stated in Germany and France.
Well done.
I always opt to use /P when portable whether compulsory or not. (e.g. DL/M0RWX/P)
I have operated in Europe in several counties over the last few years without any issues; just carry a copy of the paperwork you mentioned.
If you go by car and plan your route well, you should be able to string together some associations along the way: ON, PA, LX, F, DL, OK.
You may struggle with your Slim G on 2m depending on location.
Congrats on the Advanced pass and your Full Licence.
You’ve summed it up well.
I’ve carried my licence on more than a hundred overseas activations across a score of countries and never been asked for it once. I had a warden ask me what I was doing on a summit once, that’s the most “official” interest I have had.
I gave up on 2m, except in English speaking countries. I may try 2m SSB this year though.
By sticking to the main 10m, 15m, 20m and 40m bands where Amateur Radio is the Primary User I haven’t had any issue with band plans and frequencies I can use. I do take a look at the info for each country to make sure.
Here’s the site I use.
The bandplans are the same all over Region 1, but power and license restrictions will be an issue. For a very good overview keep the DARC Länderliste handy as bookmark in your webbrowser.
Yes, take a photocopy of your UK licence, including the page that refers to the licence being HAREC compatible. A good idea, in case you lose the paper copy while travelling, is to load a PDF or JPEG scan of it onto your smartphone.
I would also take a copy of CEPT 61/01 regulations document - as that is what you are operating under - this is quite a large document (13 pages), I tend to print it in booklet format from Adobe reader, again, a copy on your smartphone is a good backup. https://docdb.cept.org/download/4541
The /P is no longer mandatory in Germany, but I don’t know about the other countries, so you may as well be consistent and always use /P when operating portable.
The bandplan in Germany is the IARU region 1 one.
If also packing external Lithium batteries to power that IC705, check the latest IATA and your airline’s maximum capacity values for carriage (which will be in your carry-on baggage).
It is highly unlikely that you will be questioned by the authorities about your radio gear either in the airport or while operating portable, but, as always, take the polite, explanatory approach in your response to them and you will not have any issues.
