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The Colombian government has formally stated that no license was ever issued to Russian contester Dimitri Kryukov RA3CO, raising fresh questions about the legality of his CQ WW contest operations in that country in 2007 and 2008, and prompting renewed calls for his disqualification.
"We think you have the sufficient evidence to take the appropriate actions," wrote Juan Camilo Rodriguez HK3CQ to CQ WW Contest Committee Director K3EST, on behalf of a group of Colombian contesters and DX'ers .
"Rest assured that we will continue to safeguard our country’s regulations from illegal and fraudulent operations," he wrote.
In 2007, RA3CO used the station of Tony Rogozinski HK1AR/W4OI in Colombia, signing as HK1AR, and finishing second in the world in Single Op Low Power category of CQ WW CW.
According to Colombian amateur radio rules, that operation was illegal, as Colombia calls cannot be "lent" to another ham for use.
"No permitir el uso de sus indicativos de llamada cualquier otra persona," says the rule.
In 2008, Kryukov was back in Colombia, using the call HK3RA, as he claimed the fourth highest score in the world in Single Op High Power in the CQ WW SSB test.
Kryukov says he was given permission to use that call by Wolfgang Torres HK3RA.
But in a notarized letter sent to the Colombian Ministry of Communications on January 16, Torres flatly denied that he gave Kryukov the okay to use his call during the 2008 CQ WW SSB.
The dustup has already created an ongoing international spat between some high profile contesters, who claim it is more of a power play by a group of HK hams to control foreign operators contesting from Colombia.
"I think in this situation asking to DQ RA3CO is crazy," says Al Telmurazov 4L5A, who accused the HK hams of trying to "blackmail" the CQ WW CC, by threatening not to compete in CQ WW contests unless RA3CO's results are tossed out.
In emails to radio-sport.net, Kryukov said he enlisted the help of Julio Barriga HK3JE to get him a license in 2008, and paid him $200 for that assistance.
"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. Unless of course HK3JE just lied to me outright," Kryukov said.
In other words, Kryukov said he tried to get the proper paperwork in order, but he might have been double crossed.
"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. I don't particularly care what the Colombians think, I just want my name out of this mess."
Also caught up in this is Girts Budis YL2KL, who operated from the QTH of HK1AR in the 2006 CQ WPX RTTY and ARRL CW DX contests.
The HK hams have also asked that Budis be disqualified from those past contests as well, as the Colombian PTT said it never issued any license to Budis.
The matter is now in the hands of the CQ WW Contest Committee and K3EST.
"The question you raise is a serious one and the CQWW contest committee is interested in more information as it is developed," Cox wrote HK3CQ 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.
You can find the documents about this at:
http://www.scribd.com/mincomco14544398.
Rule XII of the 2008 CQ WW Contest rules clearly states that "Violation of amateur radio regulations in the country of the contestant...will be deemed sufficient cause for disqualification."
Late last year, CQ WW CC Chair Bob Cox K3EST said he would need to see concrete action by the Colombian government before taking any action to disqualify RA3CO.
"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.
A review of the documents from the Colombian PTT shows that may now exist.
"Por lo que no es legal que el senor DIMITRI KRYUKOV - RA3CO, quien no posee ni permison ni licencia de radioaficionado por parte de este Ministerio, opere desde Colombia con indicativos otorgados a otras personas," states the response of the Ministry of Communications.
A rough English translation would be, "it is not legal that DIMITRI KRYUKOV - RA3CO, who does not possess neither permission nor a ham radio license on the part of this Department, operate from Colombia."
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.
