Welcome to the DARC International Affairs Committee
Here you will find most of the relevant information on Amateur Radio in Germany. We plan to expand this over the next few months, in order to make your visit more pleasurable.
Your comments, hints and questions are very welcome. Please contact the committee if anything is missing!
73, Thomas DF2OO
Secretary International Affairs
Visitors to DL
License Information
On this page you can find the most relevant information on Amateur Radio related issues here in Germany. The page is built up as a FAQ-page:
- Germany is a CEPT Country!
- What if I have no CEPT license?
- What bands and what power may I use in DL?
- I want to stay in DL for more than 3 months ...
- More information on Amateur Radio in DL needed?
- How do I find a local Amateur Radio Club?
- I need the address of a certain German Radio Amateur!
- I need more information on the DARC!
- How can I subscribe to the printed copy of the »CQ-DL«?
- Visitor's stations in DL If you cannot find some certain information - send a message to the committee members using the form-mailer. They will answer you as soon as possible.
Germany is a CEPT country!
The term CEPT license is based on the idea that radio amateurs are permitted to operate from other countries (including Germany) during a short-term stay of up to three months without the requirement of obtaining additional licenses or permits. There are two CEPT recommendations for this. They are valid in the respective country, provided that they have been implemented within the national law in that country. Just make sure that you bring your Amateur Radio license with you.
The CEPT recommendation T/R-61-01 describes the CEPT Radio Amateur License, which corresponds to the German Class A. The CEPT recommendation ECC/REC/(05)06 concerns the CEPT Novice Radio Amateur License, which corresponds to the German Class E.
The list provided here for download contains the operating privileges (frequency ranges, power classes, operating modes, etc.) for short-term operation in the corresponding countries.
For a list of countries accepting the recommendations, see the ECO website (CEPT License and CEPT Novice License).
What if I have no CEPT license?
Foreign Radio Amateurs without a CEPT license or a CEPT Novice license can apply for a guest license at the telecommunications authority Bundesnetzagentur (BNetzA) in Dortmund. The license will be issued for 3 months and costs 20 €uros. Please read and follow all the instructions carefully - it is reported that some applications have been returned due to missing information.
Application sheet for a Guest license (3 months) (NOT for amateurs licensed from CEPT T/R 61-01 acceptance countries!)
What bands and what power may I use in DL?
Full CEPT licenses (and equivalent, Non-CEPT licenses), CEPT license holders (even the former CEPT classes 1 and 2), as well as the equivalent guest license holders, may operate on the same terms and conditions as the German national class A .
CEPT Novice license (and equivalent, Non-CEPT Novice licenses) CEPT Novice license holders - as long as their country has implemented the ECC/REC/(05)06) - may operate on the same terms and conditions as the German national class E without any further permit. Make sure that you have the specific CEPT Novice level remark in your license (or bring a copy of the FCC's CEPT Public Notice if you are from the U.S.). Equivalent German Guest license holders may also operate on the same terms and conditions as the German national class E-license.
More information on the terms and conditions of the two German license classes, as well as important addresses, repeater and beacon lists and much more can be found on the information sheet Amateur Radio in DL. The current rules and regulations in English can be found in the menu on the left.
I want to stay in DL for more than 3 months ...
If you will be moving to or staying in DL for more than 3 months ... (non-German citizens only!), then this is normally not a problem. You can apply for a permanent German Amateur Radio license with call sign. If you have a CEPT license, submit a copy of your HAREC certificate, your passport and your working and/or residence permit (EU-citizens: submit a copy of the registration form from the local Einwohnermeldeamt) to the BNetzA office in Dortmund. If you wish, you can state the call sign that you wish to have (if it's available!). List a few possible calls. If you have no CEPT license, please submit a copy of your passport, your working and residency permits, as well as a copy of your own Amateur Radio license (if possible submit an English or French translation of it, but for U.S. licenses a translation is not necessary) to the BNetzA office in Dortmund. In either case: do not hesitate to contact the office if you have further questions. They will give you the needed information: Bundesnetzagentur (BNetzA), Alter Hellweg 56, 44379 Dortmund, Germany. Phone: +49-(0) 231 99 55 - 260, EMail: Amateurfunk@bnetza.de
Application for a German Amateur Radio License
More information on Amateur Radio in DL needed?
The information published on this web page is far from complete. Nor is that the intention. Therefore it may be that specific information that may be very important for you is missing. Therefore do not hesitate and ask your questions to the commitee members by using the form mailer. The committee members will help and answer as best as they can.
German Amateur Radio Law, terms and conditions (in German) (see left menu for English translation)
Current IARU R1 HF Bandplan
How do I find a local Amateur Radio Club?
If you are planning to go to Germany and you are looking for a local Amateur Radio club in your neighborhood, please have a first look at this web site. Here you can click on the certain district you want to visit - and you'll get an overview of all local Radio Clubs of that district. If you have more questions, please feel free to send a message to the committee members by using the form-mailer. Thank you!
I need the address of a certain German Radio Amateur!
No problem. If you know his call sign, you can visit the callsign search engine of the BNetzA. There you can type in the call sign. But note that the engine only will give you the address of the current call sign holder - and not the older ones (and only if the holder has given permission to publish the address - in Germany you can remove the publishing of personal data due to the data protection law!). If you can not find the address you are looking for there, try to Google for it or send a message to the committee using the form mailer. The committee members will try their best to help you.
I need more information on the DARC!
No problem. Please visit the homepage of DARC. If you need some special information, or the address of a contact person within the DARC, you may take a look at the different DARC committee web pages. Here again: If you can not find the information you are looking for there, feel free to ask the committee members by using the form-mailer. They will try to help you as best as they can!
How can I subscribe to the printed copy of the »CQ-DL«?
1) If you want to get all copies for a year or more, and live outside Germany, you can sign up for a special abroad membership. It costs 99 Euros per year and you will get 12 printed copies and have access to the web services of DARC. Unfortunately you can not use the German QSL service. For more information, please send an e-mail to: dxabo@darcverlag.de or send a telefax to: +49-(0)561-949-8855
2) We have now added a menu with membership information on the left
Visitor's stations in DL
There are several visitor's stations for Radio Amateurs in Germany. Some of them even allow you to be QRV as a Guest operator. But anyway, call or write to the stations managers in advance.
DLØDPM - German Postal Museum in Frankfurt/Main
Repeater use, Clubs etc.
Repeater use, Clubs etc.
Specific Information for U.S. Visitors
Specific Information for U.S. Visitors
Rules & Regulations in English
Rules & Regulations in English
History of DARC
History of DARC
The History of DARC
The Deutscher Amateur Radio Club e.V. (DARC) was founded on September 8th, 1950 in Kiel. But this was not the start of Amateur Radio in Germany. It was just the start after World War II and the time before from the beginning in the 1920s.
The pre-war time under the Nazi-regime will not be described here by the author. There are several more or less historical stories and books available on it. The time of Amateur Radio under a communist system in Eastern Germany is also not mentioned here.
The road to the foundation of DARC was made easier by several hams from the allied occupation forces. The same counts for the first official DL licenses which have been granted a year earlier in 1949. It should not be forgotten that 1949 was also the foundation of the Federal Republic of Germany. A main task was the Amateur Radio Act which was a first Act of such a kind in Europe.
The first ham magazine was the “QRV”. In 1951 it got the new name “DL-QTC”. From the beginning it was only produced by members for members and never sold at kiosks. A further interesting matter which should be mentioned is that the DARC constitution clearly states that qsl service is only granted to members. This was and is based on a postal law.
In 1956 the DLD and the WAE awards were created and reached world wide acceptance within the following years. DARC members joined or initiated the first AR RTTY traffic in 1959, the first Moon-Bounce QSOs in 1960 and the first contacts with the AR satellite Oscar 1 in 1961. Also in 1959 a first IARU Region 1 conference was hosted by DARC in Bonn. A year later a the predecessor of the HAM RADIO Exhibition started at Lake Constance.
In 1962 a natural disaster “storm flood in the North Sea” showed that engaged DARC members may be good communications servants in such a time. In 1965 Oscar III brought a larger access to hams via the 2 m band and became a good tool to bring Amateur Radio to the acceptance of a broader audience. QSL became a more and more working load for DARC. In 1966 the first bigger sorting machine was constructed in Wuppertal, Rhineland. It became an interesting subject to a lot of visitors from other societies.
In 1967 the first VHF-licenses – only – have been introduced by the German P&T authorities. The opinion to that was very divided not only in Germany. 1969 DARC started to plan building the Headquarters in Baunatal near Kassel. The construction started in May 1971. In 1972 the DL-QTC got a new form and became “CQ-DL”.
1975 the Lake Constance Meeting was renamed to “Ham Radio” and was organized in Friedrichshafen, Bodensee. The WARC 1979 set new signs also for DARC. It was well acknowledged by DARC that some few members did a great international job by lobbying in Geneva. As a result out of this knowledge the DARC executive committee decided to give the international work together with the sister societies and the IARU more attention.
A year later the author was asked to build up a special “International Liaison Committee” with concrete liaisons world wide. The IARU Region 1 conference 1981 in Brighton became a good training ground and platform for future connections. In 1982 the first “Informal International Meeting” at the Ham Radio Exhibition was initiated by this committee. 1985 became the year of the Space Mission D 1. It was a high light for those being engaged in it.
After the German Democratic Republic (Eastern Germany) joined the Federal Republic of Germany in 1990 also the hams from there – former organized in RSV – became members of DARC. In 1993 the Space Shuttle Mission D 2 started again with the remarkable engagement of German Hams. In 1997 the ARDF World Championship was organized by DARC in St. Englmar, Bavaria.
The year 2000 was not only the 50th anniversary of DARC but also the 25th of the Ham Radio, Friedrichshafen.
Written by Hans Berg, DJ6TJ, September 2002
Moving to DL
If you will be moving to or staying in DL for more than 3 months ... (non-German citizens only!), then this is normally not a problem. You can apply for a permanent German Amateur Radio License with call sign. If you have a CEPT License, submit a copy of your HAREC certificate, your passport and your working and/or residence permit (EU-citizens: submit a copy of the registration form from the local Einwohnermeldeamt) to the BNetzA office in Dortmund. If you wish, you can state the call sign that you wish to have (if it's available!). List a few possible calls. If you have no CEPT license, please submit a copy of your passport, your working and residency permits, as well as a copy of your own Amateur Radio license (if possible submit an English or French translation of it, but for U.S. licenses a translation is not necessary) to the BNetzA office in Dortmund. In either case: do not hesitate to contact the office if you have further questions. They will give you the needed information:
Bundesnetzagentur (BNetzA)
Alter Hellweg 56
44379 Dortmund
Germany
Phone: +49 231 9955 - 260
E-Mail: Amateurfunk@bnetza.de
Application for a German Amateur Radio License
For more information, please look at the "Visitors to DL" page
Become a member
Interested in becoming a member of DARC?
DARC offers a special membership for HAMs who live outside of Germany.
The price of the membership is for one year.
- The membership class 01b does include the monthly delivery of the club magazine CQ DL. CQ DL is published in the German language. This membership does not include: liability insurance and QSL-Service. 99 Euros
- The membership class 02e is for members, who constantly live outside of Germany. This class includes the membership-service on our website, including the monthly digital version of the CQ DL. This membership does not include: liability insurance, QSL-Service and the monthly postal delivery of the CQ DL. 49.20 Euros
Please contact darc(at)darc.de for the application form.