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

Thu Apr 21 22:49:18 EDT 2011

OK, one more story...

My dad was a sea captain for Weyerhaeuser Steamship Company which the Weyerhaeuser Company used to ship all their lumber products.  During the 1950s he used to regularly contact home via ham radio.  Our neighbor behind our house in San Jose California was a ham and the radio operator on my dad's ship was also a ham radio operator.  So, he would use the ship's radio gear to contact this neighbor ham who would then send his son or wife through the backyard to our house to get my mom who would rush over for a bit of a QSO with my dad.  Often my dad's ship was out in the Pacific or maybe the Caribbean and other places but usually only 3 to 5 miles off of the coast (except on international runs to Asia about every other year).  That neighbor's call sign was W6VIQ.  He has been a silent key for a number of years now.

phil, K7PEH

On Apr 21, 2011, at 6:31 PM, Lu Romero wrote:

> 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
> 
> 
> 
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