ACMA AR update – Nov 21

26 November 2021

Amateur radio update: November 2021

26 November 2021 Amateur radio update: November 2021 In our final newsletter for 2021, we cover: the outcome of the consultation on our review of non-assigned amateur and outpost licensing arrangements a request for your views on our proposal to make changes to the call sign template and update the Advanced Syllabus.

Outcome: Consultation on review of non-assigned amateur and outpost licensing arrangements We recently requested your feedback on our review of non-assigned amateur and outpost licensing arrangements. We appreciate the high level of engagement from the amateur radio community — over 800 submissions were received from individual amateurs, amateur radio clubs, the Wireless Institute of Australia and the Radio Amateur Society of Australia.

A Response to submissions paper, which summarises the key issues, concerns and recommendations raised during the consultation and the ACMA’s response to each, as well as the submissions are available on the ACMA website.

After considering the matters raised in submissions, we are confident that we can modify the proposed arrangements to address the main concerns identified, so that we can implement the proposed amateur class licence.

This way, we can address the key issues and other suggestions made by the amateur community that will enhance the proposed class licence, while meeting our objective to simplify the regulatory arrangements and reduce administrative, regulatory, and financial burdens on amateur licensees.

We will continue to work on incorporating these changes into the class licence and will update the amateur community regularly as we finalise our position on these matters.

Survey: Changes to call sign template and update to Advanced Syllabus

We are proposing to restrict the use of SOS and PAN call sign suffixes by adding them to the list of reserved call signs. SOS and PAN are internationally recognised distress and urgency signals.

There is a risk that the use of these suffixes as part of an amateur radio call sign could be confused with emergency calls. Under our proposal, amateur radio operators who have already been allocated call signs with these suffixes will not be required to return their call sign.

The ACMA is also proposing to update the Amateur Operator’s Certificate of Proficiency – Advanced (AOCP–A) Syllabus by adopting the syllabus in CEPT ECC Recommendation T/R 61-02 (HAREC).

The AOCP–A issued by the AMC states that the holder of the certificate has passed an examination that meets the requirements described in HAREC. However, the current Advanced Syllabus does not align with the HAREC syllabus.

To address this, we are proposing to directly reference the HAREC syllabus in the Advanced Syllabus. We are also taking this opportunity to update the Australian regulation components of the syllabus to refer to the current ACMA regulatory instruments.

We welcome your views on the short survey, which closes COB, Monday 13 December 2021.

Electronic invoicing Have you switched to email yet? To receive your invoice faster and reduce paper waste, email info@acma.gov.au to switch to email correspondence. We thank all of our amateur radio community for their support and involvement over 2021, and wish you and your families a safe and happy festive season. 73!