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A dispute over a contest operation in Colombia has sparked a formal complaint to that nation's Communications Ministry, alleging that a Russian contester used a Colombian callsign without permission in the 2008 CQ WW SSB test.
"This is a very serious matter," said Juan Camilo Rodriguez HK3CQ, who lodged the complaint against Dimirti Kryukov RA3CO.
Kryukov operated as HK3RA in the 2008 CQ WW SSB contest, an effort that was labeled by some on the internet as a "pirate" operation.
"HK3RA is assigned to another ham, Mr. Wolfgang Torres, who is not a contester," said Rodriguez, who said Colombian regulations do not allow HK calls to be used by someone else.
"It is absolutely clear that one cannot lend a call sign to other people even if you have a ham license from another country," as he cited Chapter VII, Article 76, section 9 of the Colombian law regulating ham radio activity.
"No permitir el uso de sus indicativos de llamada cualquier otra persona," says the rule.
"We have filed a complaint to the Colombian Ministry of Communications," he said, adding "it has endorsements from over 20 other respected Colombian hams and FRACOL, among others, the club that unites all Colombian ham clubs."
But the story isn't so clear from across the Atlantic, as Kryukov told radio-sport.net that he had done nothing wrong in his past contest operations in South America.
"I used HK3RA with the knowledge of Wolfgang," said Kryukov.
Kryukov told radio-sport.net that he did submit paperwork for a license, aided by Julio HK3JE.
"I think there was a genuine screw up at the PTT where he had been told that my license is ready and then they found out they double issued it," said Kryukov.
"Bottom line is - I was operating under the assumption that my license had been approved and only found out about the error after the test."
The complaint also charges that Kryukov did not follow Colombian ham radio rules in 2007, when he operated HK1AR to second place in the world in the Single Op Low Power category of CQ WW CW.
Also caught up in the HK complaint is HK1AR, better known as Tony Rogozinski W4OI, who let Kryukov use his station in the 2007 CQ WW CW contest.
"When people come to use my station...they are responsible for licensing and I take no responsiblilty in obtaining a special call sign," Rogozinski told radio-sport.net.
The HK complaint also singles out Girts Budis YL2KL for operating from Rogozinski's station in the 2006 CQ WPX RTTY and ARRL CW DX contests, claiming YL2KL also did not have the proper license to operate.
The complaint asks that RA3CO and YL2KL not be allowed to conduct future contest operations in Colombia.
For now, the CQ WW CC is waiting to see whether any official action is taken by the Colombian government.
"In order for us to act, the CQ WW committee needs an official PTT/regulatory body letter declaring the operation(s) as illegal," said CQ WW Director Bob Cox K3EST in an email to HK3CQ.
Rodriguez provided radio-sport.net with his recent CQ WW email exchange with K3EST on the matter.
"The question you raise is a serious one and the CQWW contest committee is interested in more information as it is developed," Cox wrote on November 22.
"The policy of the CQ WW is to strictly enforce legal operations and to make sure a country's regulations are complied with completely," Cox added.
"The CQ WW committee is ready to cooperate fully with HK officials."
Kryukov's operation as HK3RA in the 2008 CQ WW SSB test netted him a claimed score of 7.1 million, a strong placing in the Single Operator High Power category.
In 2007, RA3CO claimed 7.4 million points in his CQ WW CW effort from HK1AR. He finished second in the world in the SOAB Low Power category.
"Mr. Kryukov did not file for a Colombian ham license when he was in Colombia or beforehand; therefore his operation in Colombia was illegal," Rodriguez told the CQ WW Contest Director.
"As the contest rules say, a reason for disqualification is a violation of the ham rules of each country," added Rodriguez.
"In the case we are talking about, there was no license, but a corrupt use of a call sign allotted to another ham."
"I hope you understand and reason and sense of urgency to resolve this issue as many Colombian hams and specially those that participate in CQ contests are very worried and are requesting a swift and effective response from the CQ contest committee," HK3CQ wrote to K3EST.
"The situation is so severe that many have said they will no longer participate in CQWW contests until the committee takes action."
