(False?) Turkish Government Revokes 3k+ Ham Radio Licenses

If nothing else, this shows the power of amateur radio as a worldwide communications tool and how certain government actors can see it as a threat to have reliable, infrastructure-free communication available to the people.

As the coup – which has now resulted in a third of the Turkish military being “jailed” –  was unfolding, I saw at least one Turkish station spotted on dxwatch.  Although I could not hear the station, I was able to listen in to the emergency net on 20M controlled by an Israeli operator whose callsign I won’t post here.

How enforceable this is is up for debate, but I would imagine that consequences would be harsh for anyone caught seeking to operate without their now-revoked licenses.

Update: Some sources are now reporting that the announcement below regarding revocation of licenses in Turkey does not affect amateur radio operators.

Source: Turkey gouvernement revokes 3213 ham radio licenses:
(the linked post has now been updated to reflect that the information about ham licenses being revoked has been disproved)

It has been confirmed by Supreme Council of radio and television of Turkey (RTUK) the news that Mr. Erdogan – the president of Turkey has revoked 3213 national ham radio licenses. The HF radio in Turkey is now silent. No transmissions are allowed.

Following the coup d’etat – of July [1]5th – many things are changing in Turkey. TV , Radio licenses have been cancelled and this involved also our colleagues : ham radio amateurs. The number of amateur radio operators in Turkey is not too much, but according to the site TRAC.org it looks like that around 3000 licenses have been revoked. Who’s transmitting outside turkey without licence should be considered a pirate – said Mr Erdogan.

The Supreme Council of radio and television of Turkey (RTUK) has cancelled the licenses of over 20 radio and television broadcasters as well ham radio operators.

The Telsiz ve Radyo Amatörleri Cemiyeti (TRAC) is the national non-profit organization for amateur radio enthusiasts in turkey. The TRAC was founded in 1962 as the Türkiye Radyo Amatörleri Cemiyeti, adopting its current name in 1980. It’s located in Istanbul, with branches in 44 locations across Turkey. TRAC is the national member society representing Turkey in the IARU. Now, it has been closed down.

We look forward to have news from Turkey ham radio league.