U-S hams who want to operate in countries that have CEPT universal licensing and want to use that reciprocal system had better hold an Advanced or Extra class license.

I'm Bill Pasternak, WA6ITF, with word that the European Conference of Postal and Telecommunications Administrations which administers the CEPT licensing scheme feels that the United States Technician and General class licenses no longer meet the requirements to permit reciprocal operating CEPT agreement nations.

The CEPT license was created to minimize the need for hams licensed in one nation to operate from another without requesting a reciprocal license in each country. The decision to disenfranchise United States General and Technician class hams from CEPT licensing came at a January 29th meeting held in Basel, Switzerland. At that gathering the CEPT's Radio Regulatory Working Group re-evaluated current United States license standards versus those of the other CEPT signatories. It apparently found the recently revised US licensing standards for Technician and General no longer have any equivalent in the European community of nations.

This change dopes not mean that United States Technician and General class license holders cannot operate from Europe. It does however require that a US Tech or General may have to apply for a reciprocal operating permit in that nation. Its also suggested that this be done well in advance of departing on that trip because some administrations are very slow in responding.

One last note. The decision by the United States to drop all Morse testing had nothing to do with the CEPT decision. Most CEPT signatories dropped Morse testing long before we did here in the USA. (AR News Extra - DL, ARRL, QRZ.com, eHam.net, others)