Amateur Radio in DR

A Cool Link

Doreen said:

Now he wonders if there are any requirements or documents necessary to bring this equipment and if anything is necessary to operate amateur radio in the DR ...

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I don't know the answer to the licensing issues here. I know that if you bring in a lot of equipment they probably will make you pay a type of import tax that will be refunded when you leave the country with the equipment at the end of your stay.

While you're waiting for a real answer, share this link with your dad:


It's an on-line museum of SWL-QSL cards, direct to their page of replies from Domnican SW radio stations. It's fascinating. Most of the returned cards are quite old. An intersting note is that apparently the Dominican Republic had a functioning mail service at the time to actually write responses back to listeners from other parts of the world. My how things have changed ...

Tom aka XR If you look like your passport picture, you probably need the trip.

On the other hand:

Dominican Republic's "Amateur" radio is for the most part comprised of ex-military personnel with heavy radio communication training and use and civilians with ties to their local "defensa Civil" or as you may understand it: Civil Defense.

The use of "11 Metros" or 11 Meter radio is prohibited to the general population and only allowed to certain individuals by permit or general authorities prior understanding. By this however I don't mean he would get locked up in jail for using it but could get into some lukewarm water a bit too warmer for his taste to put it mildly...

There're several radio enthusiasts in the DR whom enjoy the everyday cracking of high wattage micro radios all over the country and others not so close to the island. Yet it remains a delicate matter that of bringing his radio equipment with him to pass muster by customs standart rules change on the fly when it comes to importing(bringing with you inside your luggage) that kind of equipment. I would advise him to get in contact with the local Dominican Consulate and request information for the type of equipment he wants to bring along with him to the DR.

Other than that I used to have plenty of fun blasting away with my brother's Civil Defense 11 Metro back in the early 80's, I can quite remember the time we climbed a radio-Tv repeater tower and hotwired his 11 Metro to the repeater plant after a few blasts of wild squelch we could hear the voice from some lady in the Yukon area quite astonished to hear that we were in a Caribbean island and still she could hear our radio like those in her 25 mile radius, we camped that day at the foot of the tower in Alto Bandera in the central mountains of the DR, with about 2,800 meters in altitude a quite breezy and cold place for this warm blooded kid at that time!

Dorren

OK to monitor BUT you need local DR licence to transmit. You have lots of time to apply. Check RAC if Canadian or ARRL web site if American for details on application.
Art
VE6AC