For operation within the U.S. it seems to me that there are only two
sets of rules that are relevant here ... the WPX rules and the FCC
regulations ... and links or quotes for both have already been posted
here previously by other folks.
A. The WPX rules state in bold letters that you may not make up your
own prefix.
B. The WPX rules state that you use your own prefix unless you are
operating from a different DXCC entity than the one that issued your
license, in which case you use the proper portable identifier that
becomes your WPX prefix.
C. The FCC regulations state that if you are operating in the U.S.
under a reciprocal licensing agreement you must sign Prefix/Callsign,
unless you have a Canadian license in which case you must sign
Callsign/Prefix. This same regulation contains an entire paragraph that
spells out in detail exactly which prefix you must use depending upon
where you are operating. For a Canadian operating anywhere within the
4th call area the prefix is W4 and no other (not even K4). Whatever you
might want to read into the WPX rules, the FCC rules are pretty clear
and of course take precedence.
I did find one source of ambiguity for operations within the U.S.,
however. Per the WPX rules, someone licensed by the FCC in a DXCC
entity other than the U.S. (such as Hawaii or Alaska or Guam, etc) but
operating from mainland U.S. is still required to sign Callsign/Prefix,
where Prefix is an "authorized prefix" for the call area they are
operating within. The example given shows either KH6XXX/W8 or KH6XXX/K8
for Ohio, which kind of opens the door for most any prefix since the FCC
regulations don't seem to require any prefix at all in such a case (at
least none that I could find) and the WPX rules don't specifically state
that it must be a single-letter prefix ... only that it be
"authorized". The FCC does, of course, state that any "/identifier" you
append to your call (such as for a special event or just because you
feel like it) cannot conflict with any prefix or identifier reserved for
use by any other country.
73,
Dave AB7E
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