Posted: 9/15/2012 10:39:59 AM EDT
| Do I have to carry mine around whenever I want to operate or is it more of an honor system thing? |
|
In theory you should have a copy available if you are on the air. Photocopies are just as "valid" as original, the traditional practice when you got your license was to just make 10 or 20 photocopies then put the original away for safekeeping. I laminated a wallet card version then put a copy in vehicles I would drive and one in a little photo frame in the shack. In almost 20 years I can't remember a single person who's ever looked at it other than me. Your operating authority isn't the paper in any event, it's the entry in the FCC database, and you'd be surprised the number of people who habitually look up callsigns they QSO or just hear.
The only person I ever heard mention that they needed a physical license was an over-the-road truck driver who got hassled a few times at truck inspections due to radios installed in his truck (HF and 2m). If you happen to live in a state that prohibits mobile scanner use you might want to have it also. |
|
§ 97.7 Control operation required.
When transmitting, each amateur station must have a control operator. The control operator must be a person: (a) For whom an amateur operator/primary station license grant appears on the ULS consolidated licensee database, or (b) Who is authorized for alien reciprocal operation by § 97.107 of this part. [63 FR 68978, Dec. 14, 1998] If I'm reading this correctly, if you're in the ULS database, you're good to go. In practice, I carry a copy of the wallet-sized license for the heck of it. |