A progress report on the implementation of outcomes of the review of the amateur serv

The enabling documentation to allow the changes and additions relating to the new Licensing Conditions Determination, called the LCD and the foundation licence enabling regulations are still in the hands of the legal people in Canberra. The WIA has been advised that it is expected to be back in the hands of ACMA very shortly.

The next step in the procedure after it�s return to ACMA is that the changes need to be approved by the ACMA board. This is scheduled to happen at the ACMA board meeting scheduled for October 13.

If these steps occur as expected then the most likely implementation date for the changes would be somewhere between October 15 and October 20. The crunch line is, that this may not happen and it may in fact slip back further. Let us all hope it does not.

After ACMA finally completes this process, then they will release the details of the changes and the date and time that they will be implemented. They will first appear on their website at www.acma.gov.au and this website.

So what does the WIA still have to do?

As of Monday 19 we will have the training of assessors completed in Adelaide, The Gold Coast and Melbourne and by Sunday afternoon, September 25 the Sydney training will be completed. We will then have around 95 WIA accredited assessors in most major towns and city and in several smaller towns across the country.

We then have to formally notify those successful candidates of their appointment as WIA assessors or Nominated assessors. We also need to issue the assessor audit procedure and issue a certificate to each assessor. The WIA assessors and nominated assessors will be accredited for a 3-year period commencing on October 14, 2005.

The foundation licence question bank containing 250 questions and the practical assessment procedure are completed and ready to roll. Software has written to randomly select questions and is currently being installed in the WIA computer. This will allow us to produce the 25 multiple choose questions used by each candidate.

We have to complete training of the examination staff on the new procedure, iron out any unexpected problems, and we will then be ready to hit the go button in time for the foundation licence starting date.

The WIA will shortly release a foundation licence manual. This manual is currently in the process of page layout before the final edit and then it�s off to the printer. The best estimate is it will be completed and ready to go by mid to late October.

The manual will be produced in color, it contains around 90 pages. As well as all the information needed to complete a foundation licence course it also as lots of general information included. Information such as the foundation licence band plan, operating procedures, how to find you nearest club and how to contact the WIA. We expect to sell the manual in the same way we sell the callbook, via the clubs and through the WIA bookshop that should commence trading late next month.

Below you will be able to view a draft of the first few pages of the manual.

What do perspective candidates need to do?

From the date the new assessment procedure commences it will effect all three-licence assessments.

Firstly let�s look at a person who holds a current novice or novice limited and wishes to upgrade.

You will need only to complete the 50 question advanced theory paper The Advanced syllabus has been upgraded and within 6-8 weeks of the starting date of the changes the 1000 questions in the question bank will be modified to reflect the new syllabus.

The regulations paper will be changed on the day the changes come into force. Regulations assessment will not be required by someone upgrading form Novice to Advanced.

What happens if I do not have a licence and I am intending to sit for an advanced licence?

You will have to complete the practical assessment, which is common to all 3 grades. You will also need to complete the 50 question advanced theory paper and regulations paper. Please note that there is only one regulations paper for Standard and Advanced � that is, it is the same paper, just as it is now.

What happens if I wish to sit for a standard licence and I do not have a foundation licence?

You will have to complete the practical assessment, which is common to all 3 grades. You will also need to complete the 50-question standard theory paper and the Regulations paper.

What if I hold a foundation licence and want to upgrade to Standard?

You will also need to complete the 50-question standard theory paper and the Regulations only.

I would like to study for a foundation licence, how do I do this?

The WIA website will contain pages that list all the clubs and any other organization that offer foundation licence training and assessment. All you need to do is look up you nearest club, contact them and you are underway. You will also need to purchase a copy of the foundation licence manual.

Can I sit for an assessment with out attending a training course?

Yes you can, just look up your nearest club contact them and they will advise you of a time when an assessment can be arranged.

What happens if I live a long distance for a club or an assessor?

Shortly after the introduction of the foundation licence the WIA will, using nominated assessors conduct remote assessments. The candidate will need to find a suitable local person such as a government appointed teacher, policeman, JP, or the like, who is willing to assist. The WIA will then arrange for a nominated assessor to conduct a remote assessment using the third party and the phone. You will not need to travel great distances to obtain an assessment.

What happens if ACMA are not ready on the expected date?

If this happens the WIA and the clubs can still commence training and the holding of assessments for the foundation licence, the results will be sent to the WIA office processed and then held till ACMA are ready to issue certificates of proficiency and licences.

If there is a delay, and we all hope there will not be, it is not expected to be more than 2 or 3 weeks.

Were do I find more information?

Take a look at the WIA website in the education pages, if you still have a question then e-mail the WIA at secretary@wia.org.au or contact your nearest radio club. A comprehensive list of clubs and how to contact them can be found on the WIA website.

This years callbook which was held back to allow us to add information on the new licensing and the new assessment procedures contains a full list of group leaders, WIA assessors and radio clubs. The callbook should be available mid to late October.

And now some information on some of the other changes that will occur at the same time as the new foundation licence is introduced.

When the first of the new foundation licences appears on air you will notice that they are using 4 letter suffixes. All foundation licences suffixes start with the letter F, so as an example might be VK2FABC. And before we have a rush on people trying to obtain certain callsigns. ACMA have advised that they will block the release of some letter combinations, which may be considered as inappropriate of profane.

Foundation licences are limited to 10 watts output power, SSB and hand keyed Morse code on 80M, 40M, 15M and 10M and as well FM on 2M and 70CM and they do have access to the total band allocation on the bands they are authorized to use.

The standard grade licensee will gain full band access to their existing bands and the additional bands of 40M 20M and 6M. They will also be able to transmit the same modes as the advanced grade to a maximum bandwidth on the HF bands is 8kHz The band segments allocated to the old novice and novice limited will be scrapped and you will be authorized use the entire band segment.

Your maximum transmit power will remain as it is now, 100 watts.

The callsign allocation group will remain the same as it is now for the novice and novice limited.

The Unrestricted, intermediate and limited licences become the one Advanced licence. This means that if you currently hold an intermediate or limited licence you may if you wish and if any are available change you callsign to a 2 letter callsign or alternatively apply for a second two letter callsign.

The information on the changes to the LCD that I have just told you about is only part of the changes and additions that the new LCD contains. The LCD is the equivalent of the drivers manual issued by the traffic authorities in each state. It is very important that we all have a copy of the LCD available. It is also import that we familiarize ourselves with all the new regulations.

If you wish to obtain a copy of the new LCD it will be available on the ACMA website at www.acma.gov.au as soon as ACMA announce the changes.

Click Here To Return To Previous Page