Cuba introduces new regulations on radio amateurs

Radio amateurs in Cuba scrutinize and debate the details of the new ham radio regulations for the island nation. Cuba’s Ministry of Communications adopted the new regulatory scheme on February 28. The International Amateur Radio Union Region 2 (IARU-R2) has released the new Amateur Radio Service Regulations (in Spanish) in PDF format.

The detailed regulations governing hams in Cuba consist of 17 chapters and 182 articles and would include significant changes from previous rules and regulations that affect authorized bands, license conditions, live practices and the importation of equipment, d antennas, and accessories. Rules in Cuba require license applicants to be at least 18 years old “or authorized by a parent or guardian” for potential radio amateurs over the age of 12. Those over 15 must be at least in ninth grade.

Three classes of license are available in Cuba: First Class licensees have CO prefix call signs and can operate at up to 2000 W on licensed bands; Second class licensees have CM prefix call signs and can operate at up to 100 W; Third class licensees have CL prefix call signs and can operate at up to 10W. Upgrading from second to first class requires 3 years of experience in the lower license category, while that upgrading from third to second class requires 2 years of experience in the lower license. Category.

First and second class license holders must pass a 5 WPM Morse code test.

The Federation of Cuban Radio Amateurs (FRC) develops the questions for the written tests, which must have the approval of the government body before being administered. Having a license does not automatically give permission to build a transmitting station, which must have prior approval.

The new Cuban regulations state that communications with radio amateurs from other countries be “in plain language” and limited to messages of a technical nature that do not justify the use of public telecommunications. Messages of a technical nature must refer to the exchange of information on experiments or experiments carried out during radio communications, and to the coordination of schedules. An amateur radio station in Cuba cannot engage in international communications with third parties.

Cuba has adopted an approach of enumerating authorized modes per bandspecifying up to 31 transmit callsigns for some bands. – Thanks to Southgate Amateur Radio News via Joel Carrazana, CO6JC, FRC Information System