The GPSR enactment is mentioned, for example, by Kanga Products “A sad day for Ham Radio!”
Paul@Kanga confirmed that for customers in non-EU countries everything will (fortunately) remain as it was.
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I was under the impression that they lost most of our business on 31/01/2020, but I might be wrong.
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Indeed a sad day.
The published guidelines do not offer any specifics (usual government gobbledegook) so the easiest solution, which seems to be the only way to comply is to prohibit the export into the EU of any products, is to stop sending anything.
For the record: This will not apply to SOTA merchandise, please continue to order as normal
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Unfortunately, those of us in Northern Ireland have received the worst of all worlds. Nominally in the UK, but with UK businesses refusing to sell to us, and counted by many EU businesses as in the UK and so not eligible to buy.
Depressing.
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But I saw everyone on the TV news saying that the deal was the BEST of both worlds for Northern Ireland…
Politicians making promises they knew they couldn’t keep - who’d have ever imagined that?
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I know, right?
It is interesting how it illustrates the difference between being technically right, versus the practical reality. Technically, both the UK and the EU should be able to trade with NI much more simply, so technically, NI should be able to get the best of both worlds.
The practical reality is though that there are so many hoops to jump though, and such poor documentation on how to do that and in which order, that most (especially in the UK) won’t bother. For shipping to NI from the EU, for many the fact that most items bought by individuals use Royal Mail, and the fact that most of this travels through England, means that there is confusion over what paperwork is required and how to fill it in correctly, that the headaches are simply not worth it.
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I wonder how much is folk taking a precautionary position because the regulation’s so well drafted that it’s nigh on impossible to be in any way clear whether something complies or not, and nobody wants to be the test case…
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That’s probably true, and is the real difference I was trying to illustrate between what is technically correct vs what is the practical reality.
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I figure Mick MacConnell’s “The Politicians Song” (quite likely sung by Colm Sands) probably fits in here…
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this
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These pictures are coming in to us live from the offices of Shein, Wish and Temu where we are expecting Kate Adie on the scene at any minute…
This also just in from EU HQ:
Meanwhile back at Shein, Wish and Temu…
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Can anyone summarise what these regulations actually say?
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GPSR mainly tells that the consumer should be aware of what they are buying and from whom, I don’t think it would have a big impact on the radio world because we are not dealing with dangerous products like chemicals and so (there are coming UFI signs there right now requiring registration in European Chemical Agency). For entities from outside Europe, especially from Asia, this may be a complication because they must indicate in Europe the entity responsible for import. Nevertheless this regulation is a small penny against deforestation which was fortunately postponed for a year - it is much more restrictive, fortunately it applies only to selected products.
73, Jarek
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I flick read the guidelines fact sheet before, and noticed one of the conditions was that all goods sold in the EU must have an EU based comnpany to be traceable back too! So alot of import radio gear is immediately counted out, as well as the likes of Wish, Temu, ali exprees, bits of Amazon, ETC ETC ETC…
“GPSR makes it obligatory for all products it covers to have information on an economic operator responsible for it located in the EU.”
Alan
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Yep, it’s that need for a responsible economic operator witin the EU that makes life difficult for small companies like Kanga.
I’m sure there are other FAQ pages covering the issues, but I found this one informative: https://www.bestforbritain.org/what_is_gpsr
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Here is what SOTABEAMS is saying:
https://www.sotabeams.co.uk/eu/
Glad that I retired a few years ago.
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This is understandable, especially if one should understand “components” at the level of electronic components such as resistors, capacitors, semiconductors, …
If I remember correctly, the Elecraft K2 basic kit consists of just over 1000 components …
Businesses must provide health and safety information, origin tracing of components, and compliance certifications for all products.
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I think one of the outcomes of this will be a “black market” in people outside of the EU ordering stuff for people inside the EU and forwarding it on marked as “gift” etc etc… lets face it, the likelihood of any parcel marked as such being stopped is slim to nowt!
I get it, its not Ideal for UK businesses trading in the EU, but in a way, im glad we’re out of it!
Alan
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Well bother, was just about to push the button on a new linked dipole for more bands.
Seems like POTA/SOTA on 30m will remain a pipe dream for now…
Make a dipole, it’s not difficult and way cheaper. The wire is 7/0.2 PVC. Use 2mm banana plugs/sockets, they don’t rust like the croc clips do. A piece of 3mm acrylic sheet is easily cut with a hacksaw to make the insulators and dipole centre. Crimp style BNCs are pretty easy to attach to RG-174 coax. I’ve switched to fishing braid for the cord as it’s very strong and can be bought in long length very cheaply.
Once you buy the parts and tools, you’ll be able to make other antennas, all at less than the cost of a single linked dipole than buying from a specialist supplier. The quality of your finished antenna is potentially better too.
73, Colin
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