John, and all,
I'm pretty sure that the ITU recommendations that were revised some
years ago were accepted by the FCC.
That is, that portable designators could be used before or after a
callsign, (or both), but that before the callsign
was the preferred method, except in specific circumstances such as the
treaty between the US and Canada
that specifies that portable designators be used after the callsign.
Since the FCC now says that almost anything may be applied after the
callsign, the /M, /MM, /P etc. should
be no problem, but could create a brief moment of confusion for us OFs
that remember earlier methods. :-)
73, Gerry K8GT
John Laney wrote:
>I have read, I think in the QCWA Quarterly, a strong assertion by a
>retired FCC employee (W3BE?) that the /M and /MM designators in common
>use are illegal for FCC licenses now that England and Scotland are using
>M and MM calls. This would mean a radical change in identification for
>mobile and maritime mobile stations and I have not heard anyone adopting
>any other designation. I suppose the answer is not to send either, but
>I am pretty sure that FCC regs require Martime Mobiles using FCC issued
>callsigns to identify as such and to give the ITU Region being operated
>from. When I was first licensed, mobile stations had to identify
>themselves as mobile and give the nearest QTH, AND had to notify the FCC
>in advance in writing of the proposed mobile trip route and itinerary.
>Of course, at that time and for years afterward, English stations
>started with "G" and Scottish with "GM." For a brief period, stations
>in San Marino signed "M" calls (I remember M1IN and others), before
>being assigned "9A" as a prefix, which they later abandoned in favor of
>the current "T77." Legal or not, I can't envision US mobile CW stations
>not signing "/M." It would probably take prosecution or other
>enforcement action against some of them (us) to bring about a change.
>If the FCC is serious about this, they should put out some kind of a
>press release other than an opinion column in one magazine.
>
>73,
>
>John, K4BAI.
>
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