Using your amateur radio licence in Estonia

The Estonian Consumer Protection and Technical Regulatory Authority (ECPTRA) have co-ordinated with ERO the conditions concerning the participation of Estonia in the CEPT radio amateur licensing system and Estonia has implemented CEPT T/R 61-01 as of 1.01.1994.  

If you hold a valid CEPT amateur radio licence, then please be acquainted with the terms of its usage in Estonia here. In all other cases please check the conditions of applying a licence from ECPTRA authorities directly (Frequency Management Dept) - contacts can be found here. Before planning your trip please also check some useful web-pages about Estonia, e.g. using help by Google etc.   

Estonia became the full member of the European Union on May 1st, 2004, thus the citizens of most European countries (and of course all EU members) can freely travel to Estonia without any visa. Furthermore, Estonia has also joined the Schengen visa treaty and thus, if you are a citizen of a Schengen "state", the travelling is fairly easy for you! Yet, you should have your passport or ID-card along, though nobody usually asks for it. If you are from another country not mentioned above, please check the web-page of the Estonian Ministry of Foreign Affairs here - you will find useful info and links there! 

While arriving with your amateur radio devices, please be aware that all the common regulations on importing and exporting your own radio equipment accepted in the EU are valid also in this country. Still, for temporary import of an amateur radio equipment into Estonia, the following information must be acknowledged:

Persons traveling to Estonia from countries outside of Europe or from non-EU member states with their own HAM-equipment (larger than e.g. a hand-held FM-rig) are kindly asked to fill in two custom declarations with the indication of their rig(s) (types, serial numbers etc.) and to prepare also two copies of their valid national (or CEPT) licence. If your equipment is brand new, then it is advised that you do not keep it in the original packing to avoid it look like a merchandise.

Please also write an application in free style addressed directly to the customs authority where you indicate that you are a radio amateur, will bring into Estonia the following declared equipment for amateur radio purposes and will take it all back while leaving the country. At the customs you should choose the "red line" and ask stamps on the declarations, one of which you should give away together with the copy of the licence and the above mentioned application. Please ask for another stamp on the declaration when leaving Estonia to secure yourself on the way back to your own country / customs, in order to prove the ownership of the once imported equipment.

Some practical hints to help you to operate in Estonia are as follows:

     - Estonia is divided into 9 call-areas, please check your potential prefix from here;

     - Data about active VHF/UHF repeaters in Estonia can be found here;

     - Other centres of local activity on the bands are – 80m local LSB traffic and calling frequency is 3.670 MHz; 
       2m FM calling frequency (simplex) is 145.500 MHz.

For additional assistance you can also turn to the Estonian Radio Amateurs Union officers, our mailing list address is erau@erau.ee

73 & WELCOME TO ESTONIA!

Guide for using an amateur radio station by a foreign radio amateur during a temporary visit to Estonia

A foreign radio amateur, who is the holder of a valid CEPT Amateur Radio Licence (see CEPT Recommendation T/R 61-01), can operate his amateur station up to three (3) months in Estonia with the rights granted by the national B class qualification without any extra registration, application or charge. For operating an amateur radio station with the rights granted by the national A class qualification, also for more than three months stay in Estonia a licence from Estonian Consumer Protection and Technical Regulatory Authority (hereinafter ECPTRA) is required (the application procedure is given below). 

The licensee shall observe the provisions of CEPT Recommendation T/R 61-01 and relevant parts of the Estonian Amateur Radio Regulations. The holder of a valid CEPT amateur radio licence can use amateur radio equipment in Estonia during his(her) temporary stay in the country on all allocated frequency bands from 1.8MHz to 1.3GHz (incl. 70.0-70.3 MHz) in accordance with the IARU Region 1 band plan and recommendations. The maximum transmitting output power regardless of mode is limited to 20dBW (100W).

The call sign of a visitor shall consist of the following parts:

prefix letters «ES» and a digit showing the location of an amateur station in territory of Estonia* during the temporary stay <stroke> ( / ) own home call sign and <stroke> ( / ) «M» (when mobile) or «P» (when portable - used only when operating with VHF/UHF/SHF handheld equipment) or prefix letters «ES» and <stroke> ( / ) own home call sign <stroke> ( / ) «AM» (when airborne mobile).

* digits used for formation of a call sign in the different administrative districts of Estonia (see the map here):

        ES1   Tallinn (The Capital City Area);

        ES2   Harju county (except Tallinn);

        ES3   Lääne, Rapla and Järva counties;

        ES4   Lääne-Viru and Ida-Viru counties;

        ES5   Jõgeva and Tartu counties;

        ES6   Põlva, Valga and Võru counties;

        ES7   Viljandi county;

        ES8   Pärnu county;

        ES0   Hiiu and Saare counties.

For all other cases not mentioned above the amateur radio licence from ECPTRA is required in order to install and use an amateur radio station in Estonia. For full information please contact the ECPTRA Frequencies Management Dept - see info below.

When applying for an amateur radio licence in Estonia the following documents must be submitted:

1. Application form (see here);

2. Copy of the Qualification Certificate:

2.1.  ECPTRA shall recognise a Harmonised Amateur Radio Examination Certificate (HAREC) issued in a foreign country in accordance with CEPT Recommendation T/R 61-02;

2.2.  ECPTRA may fully or partly recognise the qualification certificates issued by other countries if the requirements for examination certificate meet the requirements of the amateur radio examination in Estonia.

The application documents shall be addressed to:

  Estonian Consumer Protection and Technical Regulatory Authority 
  Frequencies Management Department
  Ms Ulvi Valdaru
  Endla 10A, 10122 Tallinn, ESTONIA
  Telephone:   +372 667 2124
  e-mail:  ulvi.valdaru@ttja.ee       
  

The applicant will receive the licence from the office of ECPTRA after the payment of the licence fee.

For information about the payment details please contact ECPTRA - info above.

 

This award, instituted by the ESTONIAN RADIO AMATEURS UNION (ERAU) is available to all licensed radio amateurs and SWLs World Wide. Contacts with ES-stations are valid since Jan 1st 1990. An extract of a station log serve as the proof of the validity of the contacts. Each station may be contacted once. Stations outside of their own/home call area like ES1QD and ES1QD/0 or ES5GP and ES5GP/8 count as different ES-stations. Contacts via relay stations and/or automatic stations are not allowed. 

Every QSO = 1 point. QSOs with the EARU HQ stations like ES9A to ES9Z, ES9EFF and like ES##HQ, ES#JOTA, as well as with the special event stations with any two figures in the prefix like ES60, ES75, ES80 etc. count 2 points.

A. Needed points for EUROPEAN STATIONS, all classes: 

HF - 20 pts. on 10...160m HF bands, incl. QSO-s with at least 5 different ES call-areas;
VHF - 15 pts. on 2m band, incl. QSO-s with at least 5 different WW QTH-loc squares of Estonia;
UHF - 10 pts. on 70cm band;
SHF -  5 pts. on 23cm or any higher SHF band; 
SIX - 10 pts. on 6m band, incl. QSO-s with at least 5 different WW QTH-loc squares of Estonia; 
FOUR - 5 pts. on 4m band;
SAT - 5 pts. via any amateur radio sattellite.

B. Needed points for STATIONS OUTSIDE OF EUROPE, all classes:

HF - 10 pts. on 10...160m HF bands;
VHF/UHF/SHF - 2 pts. on any VUSHF bands, incl. EME;
SIX - 5 pts. on 6m band, incl. EME;
FOUR - 3 pts. on 4m band, incl. EME;
SAT - 3 pts. via any amateur radio sattellite.

The cost of the ESTONIA AWARD is 10 USD or 10 EUR (incl. postal charges). Special awards for QSOs with 50 and 100 ES-stations are also available in all award classes. Send a request together with the extract of your log and corresponding fee to:

ERAU 
Rävala pst 8-111B
p/k 80  
10143 Tallinn
E S T O N I A

Estonia Award contact:

via ERAU
award@erau.ee