Become a radio amateur

An ENTRY-class operator may use a personal amateur station on amateur frequency bands above 30 MHz, at power up to 2 W.

In practice this covers beginner work on VHF/UHF and higher amateur bands within the limits of the applicable Frequency Allocation Plan and other regulations.

An important difference applies when working through a club station: an ENTRY-class operator may use club stations on all amateur bands and at the permitted power levels.

Source: Rule 92/2020, article on amateur-radio classes.

A NOVICE operator may use a personal amateur station on amateur bands above 30 MHz and operate there at all permitted power levels.

Unlike the ENTRY class, the 2 W limit for a personal station no longer applies.

As with the ENTRY class, a NOVICE operator may work through a club station on all amateur bands and at the permitted power levels.

CEPT is the highest of the three classes defined by Rule 92/2020.

A CEPT-class operator may use personal and club amateur stations at all permitted power levels on all amateur bands, in accordance with the Frequency Allocation Plan for the radio-frequency spectrum and other applicable regulations.

The CEPT class therefore removes the personal-station restriction to bands above 30 MHz that applies to the ENTRY and NOVICE classes.

With a PERSONAL amateur station — no.

Rule 92/2020 limits personal stations of ENTRY and NOVICE operators to amateur bands above 30 MHz.

However, both operators may use CLUB stations on all amateur bands and at the permitted power levels.

That is why a beginner can gain practical HF experience in the club even before obtaining the CEPT class, while following the club-station operating rules.

No.

The CEPT class grants the widest amateur privileges, but the operator may still use only the frequency bands allocated to the amateur service and must observe the permitted technical conditions and power levels.

A licence does not relieve the operator of the duty to follow the Frequency Allocation Plan for the radio-frequency spectrum and other applicable regulations.

The Communications Regulatory Agency of Bosnia and Herzegovina — RAK — is competent for the right to use an amateur callsign.

After passing the matching qualification examination, the candidate obtains the right to apply for a callsign.

Under Rule 92/2020, the operator obtains the right to use the assigned callsign on the day it is published in the table of assigned callsigns on the Agency’s website.

The amateur-radio qualification examination is organised by amateur-radio organisations through an examination board.

The organiser first submits a request to RAK to hold the examination, together with the prescribed data on candidates, examination questions, the board, and the date and place of the examination.

RAK approves and publishes the harmonised examination-question list for Bosnia and Herzegovina.

According to the harmonised question list published on the RAK website:

ENTRY — 45 questions

NOVICE — 50 questions

CEPT — 55 questions

A pass requires at least 80% correct answers.

HAREC is a harmonised certificate of a passed amateur-radio qualification examination under the CEPT system.

Under Rule 92/2020, an operator who has been assigned a callsign for the CEPT class has the right to request issuance of a HAREC certificate on personal application.

HAREC makes international recognition of the amateur qualification easier in countries that apply the relevant CEPT recommendations.

CEPT Recommendation T/R 61-01 enables temporary amateur operation during a stay in countries that apply that recommendation.

But a CEPT licence is not permission to operate in every country under the same conditions as in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

The operator must observe:

the regulations of the country being visited

the amateur frequency allocation in that country

local technical restrictions

the rules for using the callsign

Before operating from another country, check its current rules and CEPT implementation.

For NOVICE there is a separate CEPT framework through ECC Recommendation (05)06 — CEPT Novice Radio Amateur Licence.

Bosnia and Herzegovina applies this recommendation.

However, its application is not the same in every country.

Before operating abroad, the operator must check whether the country being visited applies the CEPT Novice recommendation and which national restrictions apply there.

Under Rule 92/2020, registration of amateur-radio equipment is not mandatory.

An amateur may nevertheless, on personal request, report equipment to the Agency, which keeps a register of reported amateur-radio equipment.

No.

Putting an amateur repeater into operation requires first obtaining the appropriate identification callsign and the related licence.

Repeater infrastructure has special regulatory and technical obligations and should not be equated with an ordinary personal amateur station.