IOTA – GUIDE TO VALIDATING YOUR OPERATION

Yes, if the IOTA group from which your operation has or will take place is currently listed as provisionally numbered in the latest IOTA Directory, for example OC-288P, or is listed and marked with a #, signifying a rare group, in the listing of Most Wanted IOTA Groups.

Note: This applies even if there has, since publication of the Directory, been a valid operation that, in the case of a provisionally  numbered  group,  has  resulted  in  the  number being confirmed.

Yes, if the island or the island group as a whole is  known  to  have  restrictions  for  whatever  reason  on landing or operating an amateur radio station, or is exceptionally difficult to reach, e.g. requiring an extended or costly or dangerous journey, or is known to present far greater than average political or licensing problems.

Note:  You  are  required  to  take  all  reasonable  steps  to ascertain if any of these circumstances apply. If they do, you will need to show evidence as to how you have overcome the problems  and,  where  permissions  are  necessary,  that  you have obtained them. If they do not apply, you may need to give account if the IOTA Committee receives contrary information.

Yes, if the IOTA Committee asks you to do so.

Note: Rule F.4.1 deals with the special case of operations by yachtsmen with access to on-board amateur radio stations.

No, in all other cases. However, even if your operation falls into  a  category  that  does  not  require  validation,  you  are advised  to collect  and retain  evidence  of presence on the island   and   any   local   permission,   for   example   from   a landowner or a lighthouse management trust, to support your position in case of a challenge.

Yes, if you think that there are special reasons to do so, for example where local permission has not always been easy to obtain in the past.

In all other cases we prefer you not to validate since it is unnecessary. Voluntary validation is particularly discouraged in the case of operations from islands in groups that are easily reached   or   regularly   activated   and   /   or   have   resident amateurs.

WHAT HAPPENS IF I FAIL TO VALIDATE WHEN ASKED? 
Your operation will be recorded in the ‘long term pending’ category and Checkpoints will be instructed not to accept your cards for credit. You are free to choose whether or not you wish your cards to count for IOTA. We have that choice also.

It  means  providing  written  evidence  that  you  were  o n  the island on the dates claimed, that you had permission, if required, to be there and to operate an amateur radio station and  that  you  were  properly  licensed.  Note  that  having  a licence to operate does not necessarily mean that you have permission to do  so in a particular location. They are two different things.

It depends on a lot of factors. Let’s take it in stages.

Transportation

Where people take public transport, e.g. a scheduled flight, ferry, train or bus, to reach an island, they normally provide a ticket, counterfoil or receipt for monies paid, suitably dated and showing the name of an island or a town on it. Ideally we would like to see the passenger’s name also but with some forms of public transport this is not possible. Where they charter a boat or airplane for the final stage of the journey to the island, they normally provide a signed statement from the boat or airplane captain confirming transportation of  the  named passengers  to  and  from  the island on specified dates. Many DXpeditioners prepare a suitable statement in advance – this should always include space for the full name, address and telephone / fax / e-mail number of the signatory. A receipted invoice on headed paper confirming the booking is the next best thing.

Where they hire a fisherman to transport them in his boat,

they normally try to obtain a signed statement but experience shows that for various reasons this may not be possible. In such cases a photograph of the boat taken with the DXpeditioner will help but other evidence of presence will usually be expected (see below).

Where they use their own boat or car, or swim (!), they are expected also to provide some other form of evidence of presence.

Presence

Where  the  island  is  inhabited,  most  have  no  difficulty in providing a receipted invoice on headed paper from a hotel, village hut complex, campsite or other lodgings, issued in their name. Alternatively, a signed statement from someone in authority on the island, e.g. immigration officer, post office manager, lighthouse keeper or local headman will suffice. Where the island is uninhabited, increasingly people prove presence by taking a photograph of a GPS reading! Others provide a photograph of themselves against a well-known feature on the island, natural or man-made, or against a sign or plaque with the island name. If there is absolutely nothing to  distinguish  the  island  –  it  happens  quite  often,  then photographs of the island taken from the sea, if possible including  nearby  islands  or  mainland,  will  help  as  will photographs  of  the operating site with  antennas  and  the team. In such cases the names and call-signs of all team members (include  addresses where there are non-licensed members) should be provided.

We would like evidence under both these headings if possible and particularly if your operation was from an uninhabited island. With careful planning this should not be difficult, expensive or particularly time-consuming to arrange.

This depends on who has control of entry to the island. This is not always solely the owner. In many countries the final decision rests with a governmental or quasi-governmental organisation charged with responsibility for the preservation of the island’s flora and fauna, historical sites and the general environment. Particular care needs to be taken where an island is under military control. Generally, where permission to land and / or operate a radio station is required, you should obtain this in writing and include a copy when submitting your other validation material.

Do not try an ‘undercover’ operation! If you are not totally satisfied that you have permission to be there, don’t go. Not only could you be prejudicing permission being given for future operations but you could anyway find your operation rejected for IOTA on grounds of inadequate validation. Worse still, you could during the operation expose yourself to personal danger, not least in an emergency if no one in the locality knows that you are there.

No, if you use your standard call-sign with or without /P or a routine island prefix or suffix (and if, of course, it’s legal). If, however, you use a special call-sign issued for this operation and / or island operations generally, you should send a copy with your validation material. The Committee recognises that this might be felt to be intrusive but it considers that the effect of the validation exercise would be negated if it ignored the licence used.

Well, it really should not be. Validation is required of very few operations. Where it is necessary, we have found during the many years that we have been applying the procedure that there have been very few significant problems with compliance. DXpeditioners have been able to provide in many cases first- class validation at the cost of a few minutes of their time. The secret  is  to  incorporate  the  requirements  into  the  detailed planning of an operation from the outset. Nowadays, all material can be scanned and sent as an attachment to an e-mail, so costs are negligible.

The IOTA Committee operates on a basis of trust and will normally take at face value validation provided. If however it receives information that an operation did not take place from a claimed island, did not have the necessary permissions or was unlicensed, it is bound to treat such allegations seriously, investigate them and, if it finds them proven, take whatever action is required to safeguard the integrity of the Programme. Luckily cases of this sort occur very infrequently.