Importing UTF-8 multibytes file

Hi all,

Hope you are all fine!

For a new customer of mine, I need to import into IBM i running V7R3 a
UTF-8 multibyte file. So, the UTF-8 multibyte file is on IFS and has CCSID
set to 1208, whereas the DB2 flat file is set to CCSID = 655535.

The UTF-8 file is multibyte because it may contain worldwide addresses.

No matter what command do I use, be it FTP or CPYFRMIMPF, the hexadecimal
correspondence for a multibyte character (i.e. C5A0) is just one byte (in
our example is 3F); right after, if I FTP the same DB2 flat file back to
IFS, using TYPE C 1208, the resulting file is different from the original
one: while in the original file there is a multibyte (i.e. C5A0) now there
is a single byte (1A).

In your opinion and experience, is there a way to import and then export a
UTF-8 file to and from the Power system so that the resulting file is the
same as the original one?

Should I really be obliged to read the UTF-8 file from the IFS byte per
byte and make a conversion, sort of?

I already made an unsuccessful search in the mailing list and I resolve to
ask, because I am pretty sure this is a common issue.

Thank you all for any suggestions, hints or experience by hand
Lucia