[wahl]

So I've been asked if I can work at canadian rallies over the years and I do when I can. Occasional they are short on hams. I'd like to help out, being a licensed amateur.

Is an IARP application all I need to do? Anyone experienced at this?

I looked at the ARRL and CITEL web pages a while. whew. Looks like I would request Class 2 privledges. However I also found mention of no need for this. Just add /VE3 ???

Some of this stuff is only readable by lawyers. ARGH!

Ed

 

[derek]

When I looked into it the FCC and the Canadian Equivlent have an agreement, you need to do nothing to use your licence in canada.

Derek

PLS if someone know otherwise let us know.

 

[EricW]

Nothing special to use your current, active license in canada, other than postpend the region of operation to your callsign... for example, if I were operating in Quebec, I would be K1WRX/VE2. Here in the good ol' USA, I'm just K1WRX.

You only have to identify yourself every 20 mins in Canada too. That's about the only difference.

 

[Ben]

>When I looked into it the FCC and the Canadian Equivlent
>have an agreement, you need to do nothing to use your
>licence in canada.
>
>PLS if someone know otherwise let us know.

I was a Ham at the Pacific Forest Rally in BC and I didn't do anything special/unusual. Heck, they even let me back in the States despite the fact I forgot my passport and birth certificate.

Ben
KD7 QGM

 

[jprowland]

Hey, that's funny, I was working radio at STPR and met another *WRX call sign. Can't remember what it was now, KB1WRX maybe? Don't remember...

--
JP Rowland KB1CLH jeremyrowland -at- mac.com
Co-driver, #896 Audi 4000 Quattro turbo, Open
Visit my boring web page: http://homepage.mac.com/jeremyrowland

 

[EricW]

May have been KB1WRX - I wanted the vanity sign!

 

[Lancia037Rally]

> Heck, they even let me back in
>the States despite the fact I forgot my passport and birth
>certificate.

They let me in last year with only my SCCA license.

 

[jprowland]

Are you the fella' with the blue hair? I remember some of you LDR guys stopping by the radio table at STPR while I was there talking to Rob. Anyway, maybe see you around at some of the NE rallies...Hmm, to keep this on topic, are you going to Baie next week?

--
JP Rowland jeremyrowland -at- mac.com
Co-driver, #896 Audi 4000 Quattro turbo, Open
Visit my boring web page: http://homepage.mac.com/jeremyrowland

 

[Steve McKelvie]

Ed
Be careful when you cross the border into Canada. Last year a friend of mine was traveling from the USA to Canada to "work" on a rally; I think that it might have been Tall Pines. When he was at the border the Canadian border staff asked him why he was coming to Canada. He said that he was going to "work" in a rally. Well that set them off. Here was this American trying to take jobs away from the poor Canadians. He tried to explain that it was a volunteer type of work but the Canadians would have none of it. He was refused entry into Canada and went home. The rally had lost a great "worker" as he is a rallymaster for a club rally here in the USA.

Steve McKelvie
(Canadian ex-pat in the USA)

 

[EricW]

Yep, blue hair guy is me - is a rally superstition. Our next race is going to be Maine (our home event) and we will be debuting our new car. Baie is a GREAT race - we did that last year. It's hell on codrivers... our poor codriver last year, we had to poor her out of the seat. It's notorious for making event the most resilient navigators sick to their stomach multiple times. The night stages are really tough.

 

[wahl]

ah. Heard this kind of warning before. My brother was seeing a Girl up in Guelph for a while and used to mention how that would set them off if you even remotely mentioned "work", even in relation to doing college research projects.

Ed

 

[wahl]

Ok, ARRL officially sez:

"An automatic reciprocal agreement exists between the US and Canada, so there is no need to apply for a permit. Simply sign your US call followed by a slant bar and the Canadian letter/number identifier."

Also: "If you plan on staying much longer, be polite and apply for the free IARP."

So Use /V?[X] x being the zone you are in at the end of the call sign for short term stays. "?" Being the province or Ham zone you are in, much like the US has numerics. At the front is OK as well, just not the 'correct' method.

Also see http://www.rac.ca/rcip.htm
http://www.rac.ca/faqgovt3.htm
zones in Canada: http://www.rac.ca/numap.jpg

Ed

 

[PeterWatt]

Wondering if that might also have been me VE3 WRX - that's an Ontario region identifier. I was mid 4.

On the other matter, I have received the same treatment when I mistakenly said I was going to "work a rally", but was able to talk my way in - pre 9.11. I have also been asked to remove the "for sale" in my rally car.
Cheers,
Peter Watt

 

[Bruce]

We found out going to ice races in Canada that the word "work" is a definite no-no. Practice all the way to the border: "I'm a volunteer marshal...A VOLUNTEER MARSHAL."

Another thing to remember is that anything manufactured out of the country (like that Japanese radio) MAY be assumed to have been bought in Canada and charged duty on the way back. They tried to charge duty on my race car once. If you're concerned, stop at the US side on the way in and get the paperwork that shows you brought the stuff INTO Canada. It will be good for multiple trips.

Bruce