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Author Topic: American in the Great White North - /VE* or /VA*?  (Read 267 times)

N6MST

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American in the Great White North - /VE* or /VA*?
« on: January 18, 2022, 09:13:28 AM »

Many Canadian provinces have both a VE and a VA suffix, how does one know which to use? Is it a license class thing?
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W0CKI

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Re: American in the Great White North - /VE* or /VA*?
« Reply #1 on: January 18, 2022, 10:44:43 AM »

I think you meant prefix as in VA3/// or VE 3///. The licensee uses the prefix assigned by the Canadian licensing authority and you respond accordingly.
Does this answer your question?
Gary W0CKI
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N6MST

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Re: American in the Great White North - /VE* or /VA*?
« Reply #2 on: January 18, 2022, 11:04:43 AM »

No, according to the reciprocal operating agreement between the US and Canada I can operate in Canada using my US callsign with the /V** suffix appended. I just don't know how to figure out which suffix to use.
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WA6BJH

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Re: American in the Great White North - /VE* or /VA*?
« Reply #3 on: January 18, 2022, 11:17:02 AM »

I was looking at the treaty between Canada and the United States a few days ago, and I believe it says VE.  At the time we entered into the treaty with Canada—Harry Truman was President—VE was the only prefix.  I’ll try to dig out the treaty again and post the exact words. 
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WA6BJH

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Re: American in the Great White North - /VE* or /VA*?
« Reply #4 on: January 18, 2022, 11:35:53 AM »

Well, I was wrong.  It doesn’t specify the prefix, so I guess you can use whatever you want.  I’ve heard Canadian station in the U.S. and they always use W#. So I guess you could use VE#.  That’s what I did when I was on the Alaska Ferry going through B.C.

Article III
It is agreed that persons holding appropriate amateur licenses issued by either
country may operate their amateur stations in the territory of the other country
under the following conditions :
(a) Each visiting amateur may be required to register and receive a permit before
operating any amateur station licensed by his government.
(b) The visiting amateur will identify his station by :
(1) Radiotelegraph operation--The amateur call sign issued to him by the
licensing country followed by a slant (/) sign and the amateur call sign
prefix and call area number of the country he is visiting.
(2) Radiotelephone operation--The amateur call sign in English issued to him
by the licensing country followed by the words" fixed" "portable" or "mobile", as appropriate, and the amateur call sign prefix and call area number of the country he is visiting.
(c) Each amateur station shall indicate at least once during each contact with
another station its geographical location as nearly as possible by city and
state or city and province.
(d) In other respects the amateur station shall be operated in accordance with the
laws and regulations of the country in which the station is temporarily located.

Article IV

The present Convention shall be ratified and the instruments of ratification
shall be exchanged at Washington as soon as possible.
The present Convention shall enter into force on the day of the exchange of
instruments of ratification and shall continue in force for a period of five years
and indefinitely after that period, but may be terminated by either of the two
Governments at the end of that five-year period or at any time thereafter, provided
that at least six months prior notice of termination has been given in writing by
either Government to the other Government.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF the respective Plenipotentiaries have signed the present
Convention and have affixed hereunto their respective seals.
DoNE in duplicate at Ottawa this 8th day of February, 1951.


For the Government of the United States of America:
Stanley WOODWARD
For the Government of Canada :
Lionel CHEVRIER
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VE6SH

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Re: American in the Great White North - /VE* or /VA*?
« Reply #5 on: January 18, 2022, 12:10:00 PM »

You can use any approved prefix (including the special event ones), but have to sign USCALL/VE (or A) rather than the ITU standard VE/USCALL.

Tim VE6SH
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KA1VF

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Re: American in the Great White North - /VE* or /VA*?
« Reply #6 on: February 06, 2022, 06:22:16 PM »

I've operated analog FM on the Amateur 2 meter band in three Canadian provinces and 27 US states. When operating in Canada I signed as
KA1VF/VE# and when operating in the States I signed as KA1VF/call area# and my most interesting QTH was from the top of Pikes Peak.
                    73, and take care
                         de KA1VF/1 hi hi

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