Amateur Licence.

[Jon_G4MDC]

I'm being controversial here - yes well it's late.
I have listened and I have learned.

If I want to call CQ lately I fear what or who will come back.

On CW, usually a formula QSO, = no problem.
For DX, most always a formula QSO, = the same.

I don't want a painful phone rag chew that almost was.

I should get my coat and go I think. It's negative I acknowledge that and there are exceptions.
The exceptions are not generally the rule. Sorry - how I view it.

[G4YVM David]

Jon
Why do you fear what will.come back? There's be some rubbish cw, some good cw, some rubber stamp and (especially on fists or QRP frequencies) some conversational qso cw. If it's too fast send qrs. If he doesn't then swing the dial. If it's awful bug cw, swing the dial.

It's all out there.

D

[raditechman]

I still keep a paper logbook. Also I recently started using the on line logbook at QRZ.com.
With amateur radio as with other hobbies it is how much time we give to it.
I heard on the news today that the average person spends 25 hours a week on the internet.
I think it is that which is making the amateur bands less active.

John

[G4YVM David]

That might be true but I wonder whether TV use has declined in proportion. It seems a lot, 25 hours, but manynpeopple used to spend that watching the box. Quite how anyone can be amused for 25 by telly beats me but there you have it. Maybe they now surf the web.

I remember once talking to someone about our respective habits, she watched telly every night whereas I said I was in my workshop so never saw the TV progs. She asked me whether I ever got bored not watching telly. Ahem.

D

[carnivalpete]

My interest in ham radio started around 60yrs ago when I was given a crystal set and later started to build my own sw radio kit from any components I could scrounge. Enormous fun. Apart from a few slightly illegal experiments I never did have any interest in transmitting. These days i am still hooked but only as a swl and only with vintage (eddystone) kit but I can't imagine a time when i won't have access to the amateur bands. Dead keen on 20m, less so on 40m and only an occasional visitor to 80m.
On a more serious front I think it is important that serious amateurs continue to practice the craft. Well behaved amateurs are more or less free from state interference and are absolutely invaluable at times of disasters around the world, and regretably there is still plenty of potential for those.
But here's a question for you. I once heard that in the event of a nuclear ''accident'' that most modern transistor based equipment would be blown out and that only valve based gear would be likely to survive a radiation storm. Further, I also heard that there are various state run centres with valve based kit installed, just in case. Does anyone know if this is just another urban myth or is is there any truth in it? Rgds, pete

[Radio Wrangler]

look up EMP or "Electromagnetic pulse"

Someone had the nice idea that detonating an atomic bomb well above ground level would create field strengths which would damage unprotected electronics. Since then the military have been protecting and testing their stuff.

Valve gear isn't immune, but was found to be a lot more resistant than unprotected transistor stuff of the period.

Civil aviation electronics has to be designed and tested to survive a lightning strike through the plane it's on and to still work afterwards on the general principle that the occupants would prefer the engines to keep running and the plane to be able to navigate and land normally. There are duplicate antennae and radios for stuff blasted to vapour by being the point of attachment. The rest has to survive the induced surges.

Folklore says all valves will survive, all semiconductors will fail.

David

[G8HQP Dave]

The snag is that most valve equipment needs more power than solid-state (all those heaters, for a start). You will need a lot of batteries to run your valves, as mains power will have gone. A transistor radio in a biscuit tin might be a safer bet.

[Richard - F4VPR]

Oh dear. I composed a reply previously to assist the OP but it vanished when submitting, however, as he has just moved there is plenty going on presently without getting into the paperwork of a French permit perhaps.

Anyway, and apologies if this is a suck-eggs piece but there are some nuances to getting a French reciprocal licence.

France officialdom likes paper, the more the better, keep everything or at least copies. A well ordered filing cabinet is an essential here.

French law is also unreadable and refers to all the previous legislation, et al; expect local "interpretations" differing from place to place.

You will need your HAREC from OFCOM, usually emailed as a pdf against a copy of your passport for identity.

The French application form from the ANFR website and elsewhere.

Your complete UK licence, schedule and all; I made that mistake twice as only the first three pages are really a licence and got all the papers returned with the very useful cover sheet having the box: "Dossier incomplet" marked.

Three months of EDF electricity bills, and most importantly showing a consumption commensurate with permanent habitation. EDF only bill bi-monthly and the initial two, after moving into a permanent residence really don't show normal usage - two more "dossier incomplet" returns.

I did also send an attestation confirming residence from the maire, but this is useless, the rules are 3 months of EDF bills.

You also need a statement of measured distance to your nearest neighbour and band by band, of aerial used, ERP power (PAR in French) and with a calculation to prove you are giving them below the legal W/m² field strength limit. There are on-line calculators for this, I will try to find the one I used.
Note, this should be re-submitted whenever there is a change to aerial(s) and power.

Lots of grunt and big arrays on 70cm can be a problem though, as you might imagine.

[Part of my house location choice was distance from aerial complainers and noise; at 1km from aanyone my theoretical limit on HF with a beam is 33kW. . . . . . . . IIRC. The other part was 6m availability which effectively used to finish in Dept. 87, but that has all changed now.]

You'll need a cheque for €46 also and expect this licence fee demand in December every year to be paid on or before Jan 1st now that ANFR have given the procedure over to the Trésor Public who are quick off the mark.

What none of the documents mention, and ANFR called me specially when finally all the heap of papers were acceptable, a copy of your passport.

You will get just one sheet of paper in return, you will have to find out for yourself what you can do and where, the French schedule would eclipse "War and Peace" as a single document. The local club will help.

I wonder if you'll get F4VP?, the suffix leading V is for reciprocals only, the question is whether they have used up some 260 calls in 3 years, if so expect F4VQ?

I don't use 160m but IIRC it's only 1.81 to 1.84 and 10m is limited still to 250W as a protection for the very long gone B&W low-band TV.

It is not commonly known, but there is a blanket cover for 12m towers/masts everywhere for your personal fan/windmill/turbine. [Another subject] No reason you cannot hook an aerial on there.

But the French are very easy-going, what you put in your garden within reason is entirely your business. Best though for anything slightly substantial to have the neighbours and the maire round for the usual "apero" and mention your interest.

In fact you should have the maire round for a pastis ASAP, it will go a long way to your benefit; I did, he looked at the tower for all of 10 secs and then became totally diverted after mentioning "un aperitif?"

You will see many quite huge towers and aerials in dense and compact housing areas, doesn't seem to be a problem.

Bon chance!

R.

[G4YVM David]

I love the idea of mast planning with an aperitif.

You mention the maire. Is this a mayor, or something different. Can one simply invite, and get, the mayor round?

D.

[Andy - G8MNM]

Richard,

Thanks for the detailed reply!

We are busy house renovating at the moment but do have plans to get back into Radio related pursuits soon.
I know all about the French liking for paperwork - the more the better!
I have the requisite EDF factures - at least a years worth - more valuable than Euros!

We have a large village house towards the end of the village, with good sized garden so have space for aerial(s)

Pastis anyone?

Andy - in Sainte Alvere

[Peter.N.]

Shouldn't that call sign have an 'F' in it?

Peter

[Andy - G8MNM]

G8MNM is my UK call sign.

I still have to get a French one.

Andy

[Signals Command]

Richard - F4VPR.
This is very helpful, thanks for the post. I relocated to France in early June along with a lorry load of vintage and military wireless equipment and sent off my French licence application, with a copy of my passport, at the beginning of August, requesting a start date in September. Following an exchange of e-mails with Elizabeth at ANFR, my application was returned "dossier incomplet" due to insufficient EDF bills so I will have to leave it for a few more months.

I have managed to get up a 100m horizontal loop and regularly work into the UK on AM on 3615Khz in the mornings when conditions allow, usually using a Heathkit DX100U transmitter. While I can choose from a vintage RA17, National HRO 5T or Collins 390A receiver I generally use a modern Perseus SDR receiver because of the superb range of filtering available to cope with various degrees of qrm.

I have been unable to source the French amateur radio rules. regulations and band plans on the internet and if you, or anyone else on this forum, are able to point me towards a link where thisinformation can be obtained, I would be most grateful.

Ian - F/m0ymk

[Richard - F4VPR]

Originally Posted by G4YVM David

You mention the maire. Is this a mayor, or something different. Can one simply invite, and get, the mayor round?

Yes, the Mayor.

He/she is a public servant who is there to run the commune and help in every and any aspect you can imagine, they will get to know everything about you.

It is exceedingly beneficial to have the Maire on your side and you may vote for Maire and the council in your commune, it is not a political office either.

It would be polite and well received to make an introduction at the Mairie (town hall) at earliest moment and have the Maire round in a few days.

That said, it is probably quite different though in major cities!

R.

[Richard - F4VPR]

Originally Posted by Signals Command

Richard - F4VPR.
This is very helpful, thanks for the post.

You are more than welcome. Having jumped all the hoops, keep the questions coming if you want.

Following an exchange of e-mails with Elizabeth at ANFR, my application was returned "dossier incomplet" due to insufficient EDF bills so I will have to leave it for a few more months.

Yup, there's the trap! Elizabeth is very helpful and speaks acceptable English; she called me and actually said it mattered not that my residence attestation was signed and stamped by the maire, M.Hollande or M. N. Bonaparte, the rules are 3 months of EDF bills.

I have managed to get up a 100m horizontal loop. . . . . .

Horizontal loops of any shape work very well if over 1WL at the lowest freq of interest and out perform dipoles etc., until over a wavelength high, it is ideal to keep the enclosed area at least 2/3rds of that obtained by a circle of the same circumference.

For most of us just "wire in the sky" is the best we can do on the lower bands with "wire" and "sky" being the maximum you can manage.

I have 246m of loop balance fed with open wire from a BT1500A for 80/40m.
Incidentally don't try translating "balanced line" or "open wire feeders" for the French; it's «échelle grenouilles» ~ "frogs ladder" don't ask me why!
(and they use « » as we would use " ")

I have been unable to source the French amateur radio rules. regulations and band plans on the internet and if you, or anyone else on this forum, are able to point me towards a link where this information can be obtained, I would be most grateful.

You will not find it.

I cannot find it even on the REF (French RSGB) website or on the ANFR site.

As I have said, the "schedule" is a vast compendium of legal reference to previous laws and the changes over time ever since amateur radio was licensed in France. Your radio club is the best source.

You may fairly consider it identical to the UK (with 500W feed point power) now they have released all of 6m but with these nuances:

1.81 ~ 1.84/5? I will check with my club as I never use 160m.
10m only 250W to the aerial . . . . . . . . . . .
6m only 120W to the aerial . . . . . . . . . .

R.

[m0cemdave]

Hi Ian,

If you haven't found them already, the band plans are here:

http://hf.r-e-f.org/planhf/plan_des_bandes_hf.pdf

These are the IARU plans, but the restrictions specific to France have been added in red type.

HTH,
Dave.

[Richard - F4VPR]

Well done Dave!!!

I have been looking for that for ages, but not well enough apparently!

As you see I had Top Band wrong, but it's largely useless as all the UK stations are "hiding" above 1.9MHz.

Still need to check power limits, it states some ERP (PAR) limits for VLF but not the specific French requirements elsewhere. This is generally not a problem with typical transceivers unless you have an additional box of personal lightning with a couple of huge thermionic devices in it; or shamefully modern as I do with eight 150W O/P solid state triodes. . . . . . . . . .

I need to mail my club president and very close friend, so I'll ask.

73QRO (French. . . .)

R.

[G4YVM David]

There are many top band stations well below 1900. I operate around 1818ish.

D

[Richard - F4VPR]

Ah, the CW end David; I did the metal tapping stuff in 1970 for the GPO slip to get my G3 and not used it since. . . . . . .

R.

was returned "dossier incomplet" due to insufficient EDF bills

What if you are off grid?