From the WIA, original post here.

Date : 31 / 08 / 2017
Author : Jim Linton – VK3PC

Hurricane Harvey began in the Caribbean, watched by the Emergency and Weather Net with radio amateurs activating 3.815 MHz, then it moved to the Gulf of Mexico and intensified into a Category 4 storm to come ashore in Texas.  The weather system arrived with damaging winds in Texas, but also with heavy rain and the flood emergency continues – it has been likened to Hurricane Katrina of August 2005 but some say the disaster is much worse.

In preparation for landfall in Texas the Hurricane Watch Net activated on 14.325 MHz and 7.268 MHz, where radio amateurs shared their on-the-spot observations.  The rescue and recovery work continues in Texas with responding authorities hard at work lifting thousands of people to safety.

ARRL South Texas Section Public Information Officer Mike Urich KA5CVH took to a news-talk radio station WGMD to describe the situation.  He also took the time to explain how Amateur Radio is able to provide a public service during emergencies and disasters.  Spending many hours in the Harris County Emergency Operations Centre, he reported that local radio amateurs were able to help the rescue and recovery work by spotting and reporting problems that require official attention.

The Amateur Radio Emergency Service (ARES) found that there had been minimal impact on communications infrastructure, although an Amateur Radio contingency was in place should there be a major communications outage.  South Texas ARES remained on standby as the response phase continues and sheltering becomes a growing need.  Also involved was the radio amateurs attached to the Red Cross and the Salvation Army.

It had been declared a state of disaster in 50 Texas counties, some 271,000 were without power, while the Red Cross shelters housed more than 3,000 people.  There was also concern that Harvey may cause more damage and weather systems in the Gulf of Mexico are being closely watched.

From the WIA, original post here.

Date : 26 / 08 / 2017
Author : Jim Linton – VK3PC

Over a million Scouts and Girl Guides in 150 plus countries are getting ready for the 60th Jamboree On The Air (JOTA) and the 21st Jamboree On The Internet (JOTI). National Coordinator JOTA/JOTI for Scouts Australia, Brett Nicholas VK2BNN, writes in the September edition of Amateur Radio magazine about the event’s history, its purpose, and how to be involved.

Brett VK2BNN said: “JOTA-JOTI provides a fantastic opportunity to show off our great hobby.  To survive in the future we need to grow our ranks.  Our radio spectrum has become a valued commodity and if we do not make good use of our allocated spectrum we will lose it.”  The article is recommended reading particularly for those who can get involved in this major worldwide event that occurs on the third weekend of October.

One such opportunity comes from the Northern Region Scouts, Echuca Airport, on Sunday October 22.  Scouts Air Activities Victoria Leader, Paul McLennan VK3HGZ said: “We need Amateur Radio operators to setup up a station at the airfield to support this event and JOTA.”

If you are able to assist contact Paul VK3HGZ at state.airactivities@vicscouts.asn.au or on 0419 872 097.  Contacts for all Scouts Australia Branches can also be found here.

From the WIA, original post here.

Date : 22 / 08 / 2017
Author : Jim Linton – VK3PC

The WIA website has expanded its coverage and explanation of how the International Amateur Radio Union (IARU) is working for the Amateur Radio and Amateur Satellite Services.  For a number of years the WIA representative dealing with those matters has been Dale Hughes VK1DSH, who is well respected and chairman of the ITU Working Group 5A.  WP 5A is responsible for the Land Mobile Service, and the Amateur and Amateur-Satellite service.  It works with all stakeholders and includes frequency sharing studies to show how radio amateur activities can be compatible with other users of the spectrum.

Dale VK1DSH also attends a number of Asia-Pacific Telecommunity Preparatory Group (APG) meetings in the lead up to the ITU World Radiocommunications Conference due in 2019.  There is enormous pressure on spectrum usage, things are changing, making the work of our IARU volunteers even more important.

The WIA has negotiated with the IARU that due to the importance and effectiveness of the role, the majority of its funding be from the IARU’s budget.

Dale VK1DSH and all volunteers are mindful of expenditure and find themselves out of pocket financially, including taking employer leave or using their accrued holidays to the benefit of radio amateurs.  The WIA has set a budget for the vital expenditure and is fully aware of developments as it makes representations to the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA).  The WIA board and the WIA Spectrum Strategy committee receive reports from him.

To further raise awareness of the IARU purpose, structure, and reports from Dale VK1DSH, the WIA website’s IARU section has been updated and expanded.  Keep an eye on the IARU webpages, and the IARU Liaison Report in Amateur Radio magazine, which contain information that affects us internationally and regionally now, and in the future.

Select the he IARU option under the MEMBERS ONLY dropdown menu or click here.

From the WIA, original post here.

Date : 22 / 08 / 2017
Author : Spectrum Strategy Committee

Stakeholder responses to the draft radiocommunications legislation, released in late May, have been made available for download on the Department of Communication and the Arts website.  Thirty one stakeholders, including the WIA, made submissions on the Radiocommunications Bill 2017 and its accompanying package of information papers.

Industry associations, federal and state government agencies, telcos, broadcasters, consultants, not-for-profits and some individuals make up the profile of submitters.  The Department has not revealed if, or how many, submissions were requested not to be published.  Five organisations made several submissions addressing different aspects of the proposed legislative arrangements.  The Bureau of Meteorology, the CSIRO and Optus each sent two submissions, while Vodafone sent three and Telstra, five.

Of note is a submission by Michael Hammer VK3GMH on the societal benefits of Amateur Radio, in which he provides eloquent coverage of the range of Amateur Radio activities that have had, and still have, benefits for society.

All available submissions can be downloaded here.

From the WIA, original post here.

Date : 11 / 08 / 2017
Author : Spectrum Strategy Committee

The WIA has lodged a submission responding to the ACMA’s Options paper on the “Future approach to the 3.6 GHz band”, published in June, which would see another 25 MHz carved out of the 9 cm amateur band if plans proceed.

The ACMA’s Options paper identifies a range of possible replanning options to facilitate moving licensing of the 3.575-3.7 GHz band (dubbed the “3.6 GHz band”) to its highest value use.  The ACMA’s preferred option “. . is to establish arrangements optimised for wide-area broadband deployments (be they mobile or fixed) over the entire 125 MHz of the 3.6 GHz band available in metro and regional areas.  The expected licensing regime under this approach would be spectrum licences allocated via auction.”

The current amateur allocation is listed in the Australian Radiofrequency Spectrum Plan (ARSP) as 3300-3600 MHz, known to us as the 9 cm band.  Amateurs are a secondary service in this band, which Advanced licensees are permitted to use, with substantial geographic restrictions set out in the current licence conditions affecting 3400-3575 MHz.  Outside the restricted areas, amateurs are still able to use that 175 MHz.  Currently, the Fixed, Mobile and Radiolocation services have primary access between 3400 and 3600 MHz.

From 2015, the segment 3400-3575 MHz (designated by the ACMA as the “3.4 GHz band”), became restricted for amateur access across substantial geographical areas around state and territory capital cities (except for the Northern Territory), along with major regional cities in the four eastern states, arising from Apparatus licensing of fixed wireless access systems for the NBN, as primary users (co-primary with Radiolocation and Mobile).  The amateur allocation throughout the most-populated areas of Australia contracted to 3300-3400 MHz and 3575-3600 MHz.

The WIA expressed concern that spectrum licensing will effectively embargo secondary users, in particular the Amateur Service, from access to 3575-3600 MHz across the most populous metropolitan and regional areas, where radio amateurs predominantly live and conduct their activities.

In keeping with established policy, the WIA seeks retention of amateur access to 3575-3600 MHz outside the specific geographic areas where future licensed services are deployed.  This is in line with current conditions applying to 3400-3575 MHz.

The submission was prepared by the WIA Spectrum Strategy Committee. The WIA submission can be downloaded here and the ACMA Options paper can be downloaded here.