40 Information & egovernment Authority Resolution No. 1 of 2018 Regarding Regulation of Licenses for Radio Amateurs Service After reviewing the Telecommunications Law issued by Decree-law No. 48 of 2002, as amended by Decree No. 38 of 2017; upon Decree No. 50 of 2015 to establish and form the Spectrum Strategy and Coordination Committee; regulation regarding the fees imposed by the Telecommunication Regulatory Authority on licenses and other services issued by Decree No. 7 of 2017; and based on the presentation by the Acting Chief Executive of Information Security and Radiocommunication. Chief Executive of the Information & egovernment Authority decided the following: Chapter 1 General Provisions Article (1) Definitions The words and phrases included in this regulation shall have the same meaning as those set out in the Telecommunications Law issued by Decree - law No. 48 of 2002, and the following words and definitions shall have the meanings noted to each of them, unless the context stated otherwise: Kingdom: Kingdom of Bahrain Directorate: Wireless Licensing, Frequency & Monitoring Directorate at the Information & egovernment Authority National Frequency Plan: Kingdom's Frequency Plan issued by the Directorate Radiocommunications Service: includes transmission, emission and/or reception the radio waves for specific telecommunication purposes Radio Amateurs Service: radiocommunication service or services for purpose of self-training, intercommunication and technical investigations carried out by licensed persons (amateurs) interested in radio technique solely with a personal aim and without pecuniary interest.
41 Satellite radio amateurs' service: radiocommunication service or services using space stations on earth satellites for the same purposes as those of the radio amateurs service License of Radio Amateurs: license to use the spectrum allocated in Bahrain s National Frequency Plan issued by the Directorate for the purpose of operating the Amateurs service and satellite radio amateurs service in accordance with the provisions of this regulation, in line with the following categories: 1- Radio Amateur license (general category): A license for radio amateurs that grants its owner to establish and operate an amateurs station or satellite amateurs station located in a vehicle (car), in accordance with conditions stipulated to license radio amateurs of the General category including the technical specifications of the station 2- License for radio amateurs (Beginner category): A license for radio amateurs that authorizes its owner to establish and operate a amateurs station or satellite amateurs station located in a vehicle (car), in accordance with the conditions of the license of radio amateurs of the Beginners category, including technical specifications of the station 3- Radio Amateurs' License (Amateurs Beacon Station): a license for radio amateurs that authorizes its owner to establish and operate an Amateurs Beacon Station (Beacon) 4- Radio Amateurs' License (Radio Repeater Station): a license for radio amateurs that authorizes its owner to establish and operate an Amateurs Repeater Station Licensee: A regular or legal person who is licensed for a radio amateurs Amateurs' Station: Any equipment or radio devices installed in a radio station consisting of one or more transmitters or receivers or a set of them, including the accessories required for installation in the radio amateurs service at the station's main address, in a temporary location or during the moving as the case may be Main Address of the Station: the main address of the amateurs station is the licensee's address and mentioned in the license of radio amateurs Interference: The impact of unwanted energy due to one or a combination of emissions, radiations or induction upon reception in a Radiocommunications system. manifested by any performance degradation, misinterpretation, or loss
42 of information which could be extracted in the absence of such unwanted energy Harmful interference: means interference which endangers the functioning of a radionavigation service or other safety services or seriously degrades, obstructs or repeatedly interrupts a Radiocommunications Service operating in accordance with the radio regulations Mobile: operation of an amateurs station located within the Kingdom s territory in any vehicle (car) or on feet WideBand Emission: emission with the appropriate bandwidth that is produced by modulation techniques including - for example - fast scan television and spread spectrum techniques or pulse modulation of radio waves Qualified Operator: a person qualified to operate amateurs' stations in accordance with the terms and regulations issued by the Directorate Radiocommunication: transmission, emission or reception of messages, sounds, visual images or signals using electromagnetic waves are propagated in space and having frequencies of less than 3,000GHz Radiocommunication devices: any equipment or Apparatus designed or used for radiocommunication purposes Radioteletype Mode : a method of originating or receiving digital information transmitted by across a radiocommunication equipment Repeater Station Inputs: receiving frequencies for a radio amateurs' station that are used by other amateur Stations to communicate with that amateurs' station Repeater- Station Output: transmission frequencies that are used by an amateurs' repeater station to communicate with other radio amateurs Temporary Location: a Location other than the main address of the station that shall be in a fixed position in the Kingdom s territory Third Party: a person who does not hold an Amateur Licence. Article 2 Appendixes
43 The appendixes of this decree are considered as an integral part. Chapter II License Article (3) Submitting License Application A) Radio amateurs shall not operate or use radio amateurs equipment of any kind, establish them in any form or possess them by any means within the territory of the Kingdom or in its regional waters or airspace; except after obtaining a license from the Directorate. The license shall also include data of the station and the licensee. B) The license application for the radio amateurs service shall be submitted in writing or electronically to the Directorate in accordance with the form prepared for this purpose, provided that it is accompanied by the following documents: 1. A copy of the identity card or passport. 2. A copy of the residence in the Kingdom valid for a period not less than 6 months if the applicant is a foreigner. 3. A copy of any radio amateurs certificates previously granted to the license applicant from other countries; and the license applicant is exempted from performing the practical examination once the applicant submits these certificates to the Directorate. 4. Name of the device, manufacturer and model in the event of requesting to import a device with specifications of the device to be used accompanied with a copy of the Declaration of Conformity (DOC). 5. Name of the entity or local company - if any - through which the application is submitted. 6. The approval of the concerned entities in the event of applying for establishing, constructing or use of a tower for a radio amateurs station. 7. The payment receipt of the prescribed fees for the license. Article 4 Terms of License
44 To grant the license, the license applicant shall pass the practical examination of the Directorate, which demonstrates the ability of the applicant to properly use and operate the radio amateurs equipment. The Directorate may authorize another entity to carry out the practical examination in accordance with the mechanism followed by the Directorate. In the event that the examination cannot be performed for any reason, the applicant shall submit a proof of his/her performance for a number of 500 correspondences under the supervision of one of the licensees selected by the Directorate. Article 5 Decision on License Application The Directorate shall decide upon completed applications after marking them by the date of their acceptance within a period not exceeding 90 days from the date of submitting the application, following coordination with concerned authorities and according to the nature of each individual application. Failure to stick to the specified period is regarded as an implicit rejection of the request. Article 6 Granting License A) The Directorate shall grant the license of the radio amateurs to the licensee after satisfying the conditions and procedures stated for in this regulation and the appendixes attached thereto. B) The Directorate shall assign a particular call signal to the license applicant upon granting the license, and shall be renewed when renewing the license. C) This license allows the licensee to install, operate and use the radio amateurs' station at the main address of the station specified in the license, which uses the radio devices specified in the license. Article 7 Modifying License Data
45 The licensee shall notify the Directorate in writing or electronically in case of changing the main address of the station in coordination with the relevant concerned authorities, provided that the licensee submits all the required supporting documents. The licensee shall - after obtaining the necessary approvals from concerned authorities - ensure that a station can be established in the new address, provided that a new license is issued. Article 8 Validity of the License A) The license shall be effective from the date of its issuance or renewal until the end of the same year, unless it has been amended in writing by the Directorate. The license shall be renewed annually with the same procedures as it is issued for the first time. B) The licensee shall deliver the Directorate all the devices registered in licensee s name as per the records; transfer the ownership of all the devices to another destination in the Kingdom after obtaining the approval of the Directorate; export them outside the Kingdom and handing the Directorate the export certificate issued by the Customs Affairs; or cancel them at the Ministry of Interior. C) If wishes to return to be an amateurs, the licensee shall submit a new license application to the Directorate in accordance with the followed terms and procedures for obtaining the license stated in this resolution. Chapter 3 Terms and Procedures Article 9 Licensee s Operation and Utilization of Licensed Amateurs Station Each license of radio amateurs shall be subject to the terms and conditions stated in this Article in regards to operating any licensed amateurs station by the licensee. First: General Provisions:
46 1. The licensee shall comply to the provisions of the Convention of the International Telecommunication Union and Radio Regulations, in a manner that does not conflict with the rules and regulations of the Directorate. 2. The Directorate has the right to inspect radio amateurs' stations at any time and whenever situated in the Kingdom, taking into account the conditions required to obtain authorization from the Public Prosecution. 3. Importing, purchasing or selling of radio devices is prohibited unless obtaining the approval of the quality of the radio transmitters and a prior authorization from the Directorate. 4. The use or possession of radio equipment unauthorized by the Directorate is contrary to the terms of the radio amateurs license. 5. The licensee shall - if requested by concerned authorities - present the license of the radio amateurs and radio equipment licensed by the Directorate. 6. Radio amateurs' license is non-transferable. 7. All notices exchanged between the licensee and the Directorate shall be in writing and sent via registered mail accompanied by an acknowledgment of receipt or by email at the below addresses: A. For a licensee, the notices shall be sent via postal address specified in the license of the radio amateurs. B. For the Directorate, shall be sent to PO Box 26627, Manama, Kingdom of Bahrain. Second: Communication via the Radio Amateurs' Station 1- It is not permitted for a licensee to request a message for the purpose of transmitting on behalf of a third party except in case of emergency or relief from natural disasters. 2- The licensee may not transmit any message on behalf of a third party, such that: a) Allowing any person to obtain a financial gain or other return - directly or indirectly; b) Related to financial or commercial matters to any person. 3- The licensee shall not transmit messages to the radio amateurs in a foreign country if the Directorate publishes a notification that indicates that the Government of
47 that country has submitted an objection to the transmission and reception of messages between the radio amateurs' stations inside and outside its territory. 4- It is prohibited for the licensee to transmit messages related to security aspects and anything that conflicts with the national interests of the Kingdom. 5- The licensee may not transmit messages on behalf of a third party to a radio amateurs' station in a foreign country unless the Government of that country has special arrangements with the Kingdom to transmit and receive messages on behalf of third parties between radio stations in the Kingdom and those in the other country. 6- The licensee is prohibited from contacting unlicensed stations while being aware of this or in stations located in countries that are prohibited to communicate with. 7- It is prohibited for the licensee to transmit messages while being aware that: a) These messages are false or misleading and are likely to threaten the safety of people, public security or properties; b) Extremely hostile, inappropriate, obscene, threatening or offensive. c) False alarms. 8- The licensee shall not communicate in any way with any country not considered by Bahrain s Government as a friendly country. Third: Use of Radio Amateurs' Station 1- The licensee shall use the radio amateurs' station for the purpose of sending and receiving messages to and from other radio amateurs licensed for the following purposes only: a) Self-training b) Interconnection c) Technical verification and study in the field of radiocommunication d) Transmitting news and information services related to the operation of radio amateurs' stations as a means of facilitating interconnection 2- Messages shall not be encrypted by any means for the purpose of concealing their meaning, except for the signals of mutual control between earth stations and the satellite stations in the amateurs-satellite service.
48 3- The Directorate and security authorities are entitled to temporary acquisition of radio amateurs stations after coordination with concerned parties when necessary and in order to achieve the public interest when all means of communication affected by hurricanes, earthquakes, floods or other natural disasters. Radio amateurs may also establish fixed and mobile radio stations utilizing very simple antennas and devices by linking them with concerned authorities to transfer and send all messages between the various specialized and operating authorities during these cases - all this must take place in coordination with concerned authorities. Fourth: Interference The licensee shall ensure that the design, installation, maintenance and use of the radio station equipment are conducted in a manner that does not cause harmful interference with the transmission of other radio stations. The licensee shall, if harmful interference occurred from its station, modify the operating mode or provide its station with technical means to prevent interference with other radio services. Fifth: Operation of Radio Amateurs' Station 1. The licensee shall send the call signal at the beginning of the call to any radio station assigned or connected to it, followed by sending alarm signal of the radio amateurs' station of the licensee (except for a guided radio station for the radio amateurs Beacon or Repeating of radio amateurs station), as follows: a) At the beginning when ending the transmission. b) For any transmission of more than 10 minutes and for at least one time within 10 minutes of transmission. c) By sound using any of the Arabic or English languages - either in its visual form or by any recognized international code. 2. A licensee is prohibited from operating any radio amateurs stations, if operating them may cause harmful interference with radio communication services as a result of transmitting which the Directorate considers to be: a) Unacceptably differs from nominal frequency b) Produces high noise or side-frequencies resulting in unacceptable broadband emissions c) Contains consensual frequencies d) Produces other non-essential radiation
49 e) The result of improper or inadequate operating procedures 3. If the licensee wishes to retransmit a signal from another radio amateurs station, the licensee shall: a) Obtain the consent of the other licensee to retransmit the signal b) Transmit the caller's call sign at the beginning and end of each transmit c) As part of the transmission, refer to it as a re-transmission process from another radio amateurs station. Sixth: Monitor of the Devices at a Radio Amateurs Station 1. The licensee shall at all times ensure that the operation of the radio amateurs station is carried-out by a qualified operator or under its supervision, unless the station was: a) A re-peating station for radio amateurs b) A guide radio amateurs station Beacon 2. The qualified operator referred to in the preceding paragraph shall mean: a) The licensee personally b) A person who holds a radio license issued by the Directorate, this person is not required to have installed and maintained a previously operated radio amateurs station, such as newly licensed operators who have not purchased wireless transmitters c) A person who passed the examination and met the requirements for obtaining a license for radio amateurs in the Kingdom d) A licensed radio amateurs from any other country after obtaining the necessary license from the Directorate 3. When an amateurs radio station uses automatic transmissions or computer patterns - for example AX25, RTTY and WSJT - or left unattended, the licensee shall verify the following: a) The transmit shall be ceased in the event of a malfunction that leads to continuous unintentional transmitting for more than 10 minutes b) Immediate suspension of transmitting from the radio amateurs station if harmful interference is caused with another radio communication service
50 Seventh: Operating a Radio Amateurs Station in a Temporary Location 1- Subject to the terms of the licenses set in this resolution, the licensee is prohibited from operating a radio amateurs station for a continuous period other than the main address of the station: a) For more than 7 days, if the station was a beacon radio amateurs station Beacon or a repeating- station for radio amateurs b) For more than 21 days in other cases 2- In temporary sites, the licensee shall: a) Use the symbol "P" (Stroke p) with the station's call sign for telegraphic communication and the word "Portable" for telephone communication while clarifying the location of the station every 30 minutes at a resolution of up to 5 km (at least) by the general location (direction North and East) b) Provide prior written notice to the Directorate about the site (address or geographical Northern and Eastern coordinates) Eighth: Operation of Mobile Radio Amateurs stations (Terrestrial) If the licensee operates a mobile radio station, the symbol "/ M" (Stroke m) should be used together with the telegraphic communication call sign of the station and the word (Mobile) for telephonic communication, and the mobile station data shall be provided to update the Directorate s records. Ninth: Records The licensee shall have a permanent record of all transmitting performed at the main address of the station, the mobile station and all temporary sites; provided that the record includes dates and time - local or globally coordinated time - the first and last transmission in respect to the mode of transmitting, frequency and the purpose (such as testing or calling), and to provide the Directorate with an electronic version during the renewal of the license. Article 10 Use of Radio Amateurs License (General Category) Every license shall be subject to additional requirements in this Article along with other terms included in this resolution- and related to the use by the licensee of any
51 radio amateurs station, in accordance with the terms and conditions of the radio amateurs license (the general category). First: Authorized Frequency Bands The licensee shall operate the radio amateurs station so that transmitting and receiving is within the frequency band specified in Column 2 of Table 1; while receiving the frequencies shall be added according to the bands mentioned in the footnote in the same table attached to this regulation. Second: Emissions 1. The licensee shall be obliged to use the general emission specified in Column 3 and transmit power that does not exceed the limits specified in Column 4 of Table 1. 2. The licensee shall not operate the radio amateurs (general category) with a wideband emission and at frequencies below 2400 MHz. 3. The licensee shall not operate the radio amateurs (general category) with wideband emission if operating them causes interference with another radio communication service or with a radio amateurs station that does not use wideband emissions in the same frequency band. Article 11 Use of Radio Amateurs License (Beginners Category) Each license of the radio amateurs (Beginners Category), as well as other requirements in this resolution, shall be subjected to the additional requirements of this Article related to the use of the licensee for any radio amateurs station according to the terms and conditions of the radio amateurs license (Beginners Category). First: Authorized Frequency Bands The licensee is obliged to operate the radio amateurs station (Beginners Category) so that the transmission is only within the frequency band - explained in Column 2 of Appendix 2. Second: Emissions The licensee shall be obliged to use the general emission specified in Column 3 and the transmit power shall not exceed the limits specified in Column 4 of Schedule 2.
52 Article 12 Use of Radio Amateurs License (Beacon Station for Radio Amateurs) Each license of the radio amateurs (Beacon), as well as the other requirements of this resolution, shall be subjected to the additional requirements of this Article related to the operation of the licensee by any beacon station for radio amateurs "Beacon" according to the amateurs radio license provisions. The licensee is obliged to operate a radio amateurs station "Bacon" by transmitting a designated call sign at least once every 10 minutes from the operation of the station. The "/B" symbol may be added to the call sign if the licensee wishes to do so. Article 13 Use of Radio Amateurs License (Repeating Station for Radio Amateurs) Each one of the radio amateurs station licenses (Repeating Station for Radio Amateurs), as well as the other requirements of this resolution are subject to the additional requirements of this Article and related to the use of the following Radio Amateurs License (Repeating Station for Radio Amateurs): First: Using a Repeating Station for Radio Amateurs 1. The licensee shall be obliged to operate a repeating station of radio amateurs for the following purposes: a) Repeat signals received by the station at certain frequencies b) Transmit a signal periodically on the specified external frequencies of a repeating station for radio amateurs, provided that the time interval between all transmitting processes shall not be less than 10 minutes including the repeating radio station call sign for radio amateurs and optional geographical and/or technical information 2. A repeating station for radio amateurs shall include a device that prevents the transmitting of a signal in the absence of an incoming or receiving signal, except for the information mentioned in sub-paragraph (b) of Clause 1 in Paragraph (i) of this Article.
53 3. Subject to Clause 2 of Paragraph 1 in this Article, a repeating station for radio amateurs may be connected to other repeating stations via a relay link such as IRLP (Internet Radio Linking Project), Echolink, or VOIP. Licensees may also permit other licensed amateurs to connect directly to a radio amateurs repeating station by using Echolink or any other program that has the means of verifying the use of a valid amateurs call sign before transmitting the signal to the outputs of a repeating station. 4. A repeating station for radio amateurs shall not be established on nominal frequencies less than 29 MHz. 5. If the licensee receives an order from the Directorate to stop the transmitting from a repeating radio amateurs station, the licensee shall ensure that there are effective means of stopping the transmit within 15 minutes of receipt of the order, which shall be documented and updated when necessary. Second: Access Control System 1- The Directorate may request the licensee to operate a repeating station for radio amateurs by using an access control system described in Clause 2 of paragraph (b) in this Article; if the repeating station for radio amateurs uses external frequencies that differ from the station's incoming frequencies. 2- The access control system should be: a) One or both of these systems: The tone burst system with frequency of 1750 Hertz Continuous tone coded squelch system utilizes the frequencies shown in Table 3 b) The access control system shall prevent any transmit from a repeating station of radio amateurs on the outbound frequencies in the event that the access control signals are not received correspondent to either of the two systems mentioned in sub-paragraph (a) of paragraph 2 of this Article. Third: The Call Sign The licensee is obliged to operate a repeating station for radio amateurs by transmitting the authorized signal of the station to use it at least once every 10 minutes from the operation of the station. The symbol "/R" may be added to the call sign if the licensee wishes to do so.
54 Chapter 4 Measures Article (14) Without prejudice to criminal liability, the Directorate may terminate or temporarily suspend the license in one of the following cases: 1. If public interest entails 2. If one or more of the conditions for granting the license is not met 3. If the licensee violates any of the provisions of this regulation Article 15 Enforceability The concerned parties shall implement the decree and the appendix attached thereto, and shall come into effect from the following day of its publication in the Official Gazette. Chief Executive of Information & egovernment Authority Mohammed Ali AlQaed Issued: 6 th Shawwal, 1439 AH Corresponding: 20 th June, 2018
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