[Elecraft] KX1 strikes again - Cruise Ship Bootleg Operations (OT)

[Lu Romero]

I cant speak for Cruise Ships, but I can speak for my
company's policies.  We recently chartered a 310ft British
Flagged research vessel.  I asked permission to operate from
her while she was being refit in Singapore (and I was
installing a HD video system for our Remotely Operated
Vehicle) and therefore created our Ham Radio On Board
policy!

After working with my company principals, who encouraged my
operation, and the charter company, who referred me to the
ship's Master, we made the following decisions:

I was to operate from the ship's bridge when the ship was
not underway (quayside, at anchor or under Dynamic Station
Keeping).  I could only operate if I had a Singaporean
license and only while in Singapore national waters (we
ventured offshore into international waters then into
Indonesian waters during sea trials, where I had to go QRT).
 Our reasoning was that since the ship was British
territory, I could not operate on the high seas with my US
license unless I used CEPT or had a British license.  This
is also true on our owned Bahamas flagged and Panama flagged
ships.  According to our Marine Operations folks, the ship's
masters would insist I had C5A and HP licenses on the high
seas and a local license when inside a given country's
territorial waters.  That's just the way we do it, I dont
know if its "law" or not, but it makes sense.

For the Singapore operation, I was told that I could use
only a maximum of 100 watts into my portable vertical
antenna, which I had to install myself on the comms bridge
of the ship on the same plane as the exiting ship HF
antennas.  If I created any interference with any shipboard
equipment, I had to either rectify it or go off the air.

Upon my arrival in Singapore, I received my Singapore
license and operated from dry dock, floating quayside and 2
km off of downtown Singapore from mid June to mid July of
last year, with no issues.  I even operated IARU from Zone
54 and came in 2nd in the contest SOLPABM! :) 

I also became the crew's friend when I used my 3G wireless
internet dongle to allow the ship's network (slow) internet
access while the InMarSat terminal was down and used my
antenna building skill to make a small UHF yagi so that the
crew could watch the World Cup off the air from a TV station
in Indonesia while at anchor.

Your marine milage will vary, but this is worked for me.  If
it was legal or not is anyone's guess, all I know is that on
board any of the ships my company owns or charters, the
Ships' Master word is God.

-lu-W4LT (9V1/W4LT last year)-

===========================

Message: 36
Date: Thu, 21 Apr 2011 18:33:31 -0400 (EDT)
From: Mike Morrow <kk5f at earthlink.net>
Subject: [Elecraft] KX1 strikes again - Cruise Ship Bootleg
Operations
    (OT)
To: elecraft at mailman.qth.net
Message-ID:
   
<23877255.1303425212002.JavaMail.root at elwamui-karabash.atl.sa.earthlink.net>
    
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=UTF-8

Chip wrote:

> While a ship's master may choose to prohibit your use of a
QRP rig
> on board,

He *definitely* has that authority.  In fact, what is very
questionable
is his authority to *allow* ham operation.  It doesn't
matter that QRP
is to be used.

> the likelihood of it actually interfering with any ongoing
communication
> at any given moment is exceedingly low to nonexistent,
IMHO.

And you have the engineering studies to substantiate that in
court?
The same argument can be applied to in-flight cell phone
use.

> If you are operating amateur maritime mobile (i.e. in
international waters)
> I don't think there is a requirement to identify yourself
with anything
> other than your amateur call sign.

That is incorrect, as nice as it seems it would be were it
true.  The FCC has
absolutely NO authority or influence on a foreign flag
vessel at sea.  Your
US call has no standing.

The country of ship's registry has jurisdiction on the high
seas.  If you
are operating on a foreign flag vessel with a US call, you
quite simply are
bootlegging, even if you have the master's permission,
unless you can take
advantage of some of the relaxed CEPT reciprocal licensing
requirements,
and identify if you were in the country of ship's registry
as required
under CEPT.

Even those QCWA cruises should (but I guessing do not)
follow this.  The
ship's master has no *authority* to allow any deviation in
this area.  And,
as I mentioned above, should any adverse consequence result
from the ham
station operation, a master would have no defense for
allowing an activity
for which he really has no authority to permit, but all
authority and
responsibility to prohibit.

It is also not legal to operate as maritime mobile while
*in* a foreign
port.  In port, the host country's rules for radio operation
apply
even while on board a ship of another country's registry.

In any event, this is taking the list off topic.  However,
it appears
that there is some interest in using Elecraft rigs in
operations that
are technically bootleg, and worst case harmful to SOLAS
considerations.
I only suggest that those considering use of their Elecraft
rigs at sea
investigate how to do that legally.  It is, after all, only
a hobby
and there's nothing *bad* about not being able to ham during
a cruise.
Were it me, I'd forget at-sea operation, but arrange for
bona fide
operating authority in the ports of call for the cruise and
have some
sort of portable kit like a K1 or KX1 to exploit that
authority.

73,
Mike / KK5F