For years I’ve had a series of “Operators” permits based on my American Ham License. This permit allowed me to use any Taiwan Ham’s station but not own my own equipment.
Since there are no Hams where I live, that permit was just about useless.
Last year, I was talking to a representative of the CRRL and he said that anyone with a legal permission to reside in the ROC can take the test.
He said that since Taiwanese are welcome to take the test in English in America, we are welcome to take it in Chinese with no interpretors.
I took a look at the test and nearly fainted. Where the US uses international symbols etc. on the test, the Chinese test spells every thing out in Chinese words. “O-Moo” Ohm… etc. No chance of bluffing with pictures and tables!!
Anyway… Can foreigners still take the test? Has anyone made it? Did they liberalize the rules of the reciprocal permit? :?:
You have to do 25 words per minute morse code, and that’s five times faster than is required in Canada and the U.S.
I suggest you set up a rig and simply use a stealth antenna, like the one Outback makes from Australia. I have a Hustler antenna on the roof over my head, and the Radio Police have not visited me yet… By the way, they actually have an organization called the Radio Police here. My advice is stick mostly to DXing and if you choose to talk, just speak a few words of French and pretend you are in New Caledonia or something like that… Or just pretend you are in Guam, and nobody will know the difference…
I wanted to try this too. The last time there was a huge earthquake, no phone lines were working (jammed) ditto for mobile phone systems. I wanted to get a message to my family that I was safe. I thought if I had a ham radio, I could relay a message and some kind soul would email my family.
Otherwise, I was thinking of getting a Satellite phone and never using it except in an emergency. Just having it for standby.
Besides earthquakes, there are typhoons and then of course possible invasion, blockade or other mistreatment by the Communist bully just west of here.
Like Star Trek’s Vulcan… I am incapable of breaking the radio rules unless there was an imminat threat to life or propety.
In that States for example, that means if a police man is down, anyone can grab his radio and call for help. You are allowed to break the rules.
(In Taiwan, you’d probably get congratulated for saving lives, then quietly deported for violating your main reason for being here.)
Seriously, as a third generation ham, whose father is an Extra-Class and a Volunteer Examiner (VE) I wouldn’t be welcome home.
Anyway… the FCC prime directive states, an Amateur Radio Operator is a Radio Ambassador of the US and must obey the local rules of the country he happens to be in. Hence, if busted… I could loose my ticket back home. I’ll have to do this the legal way.
I’m a bit busy now, but in the future, I’m willing to participate in a study group. But for any foreigner who can read and write Chinese, please go for your ticket to keep this new door open.