[CQ-Contest] license class and m-m op's

[Gerry Hull]

The FCC is VERY clear about third party rules and contesting.   I'm sure
this FCC Enforcement Letter was what started this thread.
>From the text of the letter, it is VERY clear that a US ham operating
outside his privledges, even with a higher-license-class control
Operator present, is operating in third-party mode...  Which is about
useless for a DX contest.

73,

Gerry, W1VE/VE1RM

Quoted from http://www.arrl.org/news/enforcement_logs/2005/0416.html

I removed the callsign... Read the actual web page if you want to know who
this was directed at:

"Furthermore, on October 14, 2004, the American Radio Relay League, to which
you had submitted contest logs, disqualified your KXXX entry, with KCXXXX as
operator, for the 2004 ARRL International DX CW Contest. That action was
based upon logs you submitted that showed your operation of KF0R as a
"Single-Operator Low-Power" entry. At the time of the radio operation,
February 21-22, 2004, you were a Technician Plus class licensee, KCXXXX. 


The logs that you submitted to the ARRL for the 2004 ARRL International DX
Contest (CW) show numerous contacts made on 20 meters and 160 meters. Many
contacts on 20 meters were with countries with which we have no third-party
agreement. One contact on 160 meters was also made with a country with which
we have no third-party agreement. 


>As a Technician Plus, you would have been authorized to operate on 10-meter
SSB and all Novice CW frequencies. You could have also participated under 
>the direction of a control operator, but you would have been limited to
making contacts as a third party, and any contacts with countries with which
>
>the United States does not have a third-party agreement would have been in
violation of our rules. 


In summary, if you claim that you were operating under the direction of a
control operator, you apparently violated the third-party agreement rule. If
you claim you did not operate under the direction of a control operator,
then you apparently violated the terms of your Technician Plus privileges,
which do not allow operation on 20 meters or 160 meters. "