Back in September, I took a trip to Peru with some college buddies. Although none of these friends are hams, it seemed obvious to me that this trip had to include some ham radio, so I decided to bring along my satellite gear.
A late-night attempt to work AO-92 from the pool deck of the Hilton Lima Miraflores.
I started with visiting the ARRL website that provides details on getting a reciprocal license in Peru. Their instructions were to write to Radio Club Peruano (RCP), the national Peruvian amateur radio organization, with a bunch of information at least 40 days before arriving in Peru. I actually first sent a message using the contact form on the Radio Club Peruano website about three months before my trip, but never received a reply. I then decided to send a physical mailing with all the requested information to Radio Club Peruano about 60 days before my trip. A couple weeks later, I followed up with an email copied to every RCP official’s email address I could find. I never received a response to any of these messages which was very disappointing.
Finally, I realized after some more digging that as a US ham I did not need a formal reciprocal license but instead could apply for an International Amateur Radio Permit (IARP) through the ARRL. By this point, I was less than a month from departure day, so I was pleased when I got a prompt response from Amanda at the League who was able to quickly process and turn around my IARP. Within about a week or so, I got my permit in the mail. Awesome!
The next hurdle was the customs regulations. Peru actually has fairly strict rules for what items you can bring in without paying a duty. They specifically call out that only one broadcast radio can be brought in, and although it does not mention ham radios in particular, I did not feel it was worthwhile to argue with a customs agent. This prevented me from using the Ailunce HD-1/Kenwood TH-D74 combination I typically like to use for FM satellites. I decided to bring along my Shorty Arrow and an Alinco DJ-G7 HT which is a full-duplex radio. I also brought some cabling so I could use my iPhone as an audio recorder. The G7 is known to be only a mediocre radio for VHF/UHF full-duplex, but I was hoping it would be good enough for this trip.
Interestingly, in hindsight, I could have easily gotten away with my preferred setup due to the customs process at Lima’s airport. After collecting your luggage, you could either walk towards the green sign which means you had nothing to declare or the red sign which meant you were declaring something and had to go up to a desk. However, the green sign simply led you outside with no check by anyone; I suppose you could be randomly searched, but the crowd was so big that this would practically have not been an issue. Still, I do not recommend you try to lie in this process since the fines can be pretty big.
Although I planned to operate in Puno, Cusco, and Lima, time and altitude sickness prevented me from doing so except in Lima. We were staying at the Hilton Lima Miraflores (which is a fantastic hotel, by the way) which had a rooftop pool that was closed for renovation. This seemed promising at first though since they left the doors unlocked and it was totally empty up there. I attempted a decent AO-92 pass out over the ocean, but it was a total bust. The noise floor was so high that I couldn’t hear a thing despite having perfect line of sight for much of the pass. Oh well, I tried.
In the end, it was frustrating to not get a single grid in the log from this once-in-a-lifetime trip. However, it was still a lot of fun and very memorable overall. I got to go out on Lake Titicaca, see Machu Picchu, and explore Lima with a few college friends. Oh, and I also nearly got stuck in Lima due to American Airlines canceling my flight and almost leaving me stranded for three more days. Exciting to say the least!
I am heading to Peru at the end of April 2022. I did a quick Google search and this article was at the top. Besides the IARP, that recently applied for and the customs line, are there any other suggestions? I won’t have much time for ham radio and I plan on bringing old faithful, my FT-60, and a roll up antenna. I will also have a few hours to kill in Panama, also covered in the IARP. I am guessing my radio should get through on my carry-on, maybe not.
W7TML
Hi Ty,
Sorry for the delay! Can’t say I have any other suggestions really. Everything went really smoothly for me sans RCP never responding and the noise floor in downtown Lima. I don’t think you’ll have any problems with your FT-60 in the carry on as I’ve traveled dozens of times domestically and internationally with a radio and never once had an issue there. Enjoy your trip and hope you make some contacts while you’re there!
Tony, KD8RTT
Thank you for this information. I am a total newby, studying for my technician and general licenses. I will be volunteering in Peru for 3 months (Sept-Dec). I am currently living in Mexico and will be in the US for a couple of weeks before departing for S. America for 12 months. What equipment would you recommend I look for! I am a carry-on only traveler. Thanks again for the information
Hi Marsha,
Enjoy Peru! There are a ton of options for radio depending on what you want to do. Any handheld radio (“HT” for handie-talkie is the name in the hobby) that supports VHF/UHF will let you listen to a lot and talk to locals if you can find activity. I have never had issues with TSA or customs with ham radio gear, but I usually am ready with a copy of my license in case there are questions. Do you have any specific plans with regard to ham radio during your travels?
Great info!
So, I am a USA natural born citizen married to a Peruvian woman and we permanently live in Cusco with our daughter. Because I have been living in Perú for 10 years I obtained my Peruvian citizenship.
My sister is into Ham radio and wants me to get set up in Perú to communicate with her and her church members.
I don’t have any licenses for ham in the USA nor Perú. Any idea what I would have to do to be able to get started in Perú with ham?
Would I be able to bypass the USA and just get my license in Perú?
Would I need to get my license in the USA first and then get the international license like you did?
Any advice or pointers would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks!
Hi Cody!
I can’t say I have any real insight specific to Peru other than to say it will be up to whatever the Peruvian regulations are. Since you are a Peruvian citizen and live there permanently, I don’t see a reason to pursue a US license at all though unless you intend to spend significant amounts of time in the states and want to use the license there. Some countries have citizenship requirements for a license (the US and Canada do not), but given that you are a Peruvian citizen that should be a moot point anyway.
in response to your question.. in the usa you aren’t allowed to use your ham radio license for à business activity. you would have to apply for a business radio which might be easier anyway. if you’re going to say prayers over the air, its probably better to keep it off the ham waves. peru might have different laws. let me know what you find out.