From ARVic, original post here.

Following complaints of poor service and interference at Deer Park in Melbourne’s west the Australian Communications and Media Authority has seized an authorised phone repeater.

The ACMA has been successful in tracking down the devices and is still investigating the latest incident.  Phone extenders of the type seized and other GPS and phone jammers are imported through the mail, but are unlawful in Australia to possess or sell.

The ACMA in conjunction with Australian Border Control is using a sophisticated x-ray machine of international mail packages to the detect devices.  Despite this some may slip through, resulting in the ACMA working with telcos and customers to track down the errant radio equipment.

Follow the ACMA Operations Twitter feed here.

Paul VK2ICQ notes ACMA inspectors were looking for a (potentially) similar source of interference in the Port Macquarie industrial area in the last fortnight.

From the WIA, original post here.

Date : 24 / 09 / 2016 
Author : Roger Harrison – VK2ZRH

The Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) has opened consultation on its proposed update of the Australian Radiofrequency Spectrum Plan.  The ACMA announced it on its website on 22 September 2016.

The Authority has issued a discussion paper and related documents, referring directly to possible changes, and invites submissions before 24 October 2016.  The Spectrum Plan includes a table of frequency allocations from 8.3 kHz through to 420 terahertz (THz) that divides up the spectrum to show the general purpose of each band, to which services they are allocated, and associated footnotes relevant to particular allocations.  It was last reviewed in 2013.

The Spectrum Plan reflects Australia’s treaty obligations following the International Telecommunications Union’s World Radiocommunications Conference in late 2015.  The ACMA acknowledges that Australia was a signatory to the decisions of that ITU conference, was working with those affected domestically, but due to various factors, all foreshadowed changes may not occur by the end of 2016.

Also expected to be reflected in the remake is the Federal Government’s proposed new legislation that removes prescriptive process to replace these with a simpler, more flexible licensing system.

The updated Australian Radiofrequency Spectrum Plan is expected to begin on 1 January 2017.  Once the Spectrum Plan is amended subordinate legislation, such as licence conditions, will also be amended subsequently, as necessary.  Any individual or group with an interest in radiofrequency spectrum allocations and use can make a submission.

As the peak representative body for the Australian radio amateur community, the WIA is preparing a submission.  See the ACMA’s announcement on its website, via this link.

From the WIA, original post here.

Date : 24 / 09 / 2016 
Author : Phil Wait – VK2ASD

The Australian Communications and Media Authority has reset the qualification equivalency of the US Technician Licence for new applications to that of the entry level Australian Foundation Licence.  The majority of submissions to the ACMA inquiry fully agreed that the Foundation Licence was the most appropriate for reciprocal licensing purposes.  Before the review it was set at the highest Advance Licence.

The ACMA said a report prepared by the Wireless Institute of Australia (WIA) indicated that the US Technician Class Licence was no longer equivalent to the Advanced Licence.  The WIA sought to lower the level of reciprocity to the Foundation Licence.  It also reflected the ACMA’s confirmation by independent inquiry that the basis on which the US Technician Class Licence was conferred had changed over time.  The ACMA review asked: Do you support the ACMA and the WIA’s stance that the US Technician Class licence is no longer equivalent to the Advanced Licence and that the Foundation Licence is the most appropriate for reciprocal licensing purposes?

A total of 23 submissions received, 15 agreed, seven disagreed and one neither agreed nor disagreed with the proposal.

Among those agreeing was the American Radio Relay League (ARRL) that stated that the US Technician Class Licence was very close to the Foundation Licence, but not higher (It was downgraded in 1999).  Four respondents who agreed to the downgrade believed existing licensees should have their licences reviewed and possibly downgraded to Foundation Level.  However five submissions who agreed to the downgrade, also felt that existing reciprocal licences already issued should remain, and that the downgrading start from the date of the ACMA decision.  Those against the downgrading felt that the US Technician Licence was more aligned to the Australian Standard Licence than the Foundation Licence.

The ACMA said what must be assessed was the relative levels of each qualification – what level of knowledge was the best fit for each class of licence.  Based on this test, the US Technician Class licence aligns best with the Foundation Licence.  However, the ACMA ruling was not retrospective.  Existing licensees who obtained their Advanced Licence based on the US Technician Class Licence were grandfathered and may continue to operate at the Advanced Level.

From the WIA, original post here.

Date : 24 / 09 / 2016 
Author : Jim Linton – VK3PC

The search continued to solve the enduring mystery disappearance of an aircraft VH-MDX last heard from 35 years ago in the rugged Barrington Tops National Park, about 200 kms north of Sydney.  It is a regular WICEN (NSW) event who with the Bushwalkers Wilderness Rescue Squad and several others look for the plane wreckage.

WICEN (NSW) President Steven Heimann VK2BOS said the exercise searches for the Cessna 210 missing with five people on board in stormy night in August 1981.  WICEN was involved in the original search and in the 35 years since.  The pilot of VH-MDX took off from Coolangatta in Queensland for Bankstown in New South Wales.  Over Barrington Tops he radioed that his aircraft was unstable, losing altitude, may have had a lightning strike and ice on the wings.

Steven VK2BOS said about 50 were involved last weekend, but unable to find a trace.  In many places they had to cut through thick vines while avoiding Gympie stinging trees that can result in severe pain for humans that last days or months.  An ambulance stood by in case any searcher was injured in the exercise on September 16-18, but their services were not needed.

Some 12 from WICEN (NSW) met the communication challenges posed by the extremely rugged terrain.  Each volunteer has rain-proof communications and in contact with WICEN (NSW) at several command posts.

A Bush Walkers Wilderness Rescue Squad team along with WICEN (NSW) have been conducting a review to narrow down the search area.  It also uses LIDAR, a surveying technology of laser scanning or 3D imaging.  WICEN (NSW) used a mix of commercial and amateur frequencies on UHF, VHF, and HF along with APRS tracking and messaging.

Steven VK2BOS said the plan was to solve the mystery disappearance of VH-MDX.  Viewers of Channel 7 news saw an overview report on the search and rescue exercise, with WICEN (NSW) shown as we played an important role.

Here is a link to the news release (and here for a link to the ORARC story).

From the WIA, original post here.

Date : 21 / 09 / 2016 
Author : Roger Harrison – VK2ZRH

The Wireless Institute of Australia (WIA) in its submission to the Australian Communications and Media Authority on licence conditions sought as a priority a review of maximum permitted powers for each of the Advanced, Standard and Foundation licences.  The WIA has proposed that such a review be carried out in a sensible, pragmatic approach to enable licensees to pursue their interests commensurate with their established knowledge – as measured by the assessment process – and within reasonable bounds of public and personal safety considerations.  The submission acknowledged that the WIA is aware of differing views on the issue and notes the disparity in current permitted powers of all three Australian licence grades compared to the similar licence grades in other countries.

While the WIA submission covers in detail all licence grades and is well worth a read, this article touches only the proposed six key changes to Foundation Licence conditions.

These are: 
• Use of digital modes 
• Access to more bands 
• Increased power 
• Relaxation of the restriction to commercially made rigs 
• More permitted bandwidths, and 
• A review of the Foundation Licence callsign

Top of the list is permitting the use of digital modes.  The WIA seeks the inclusion of a range of digitally-produced data modes – and not limited to the well-known digital voice modes.  The WIA also advocates inclusion of digital text transmission modes and image transmission modes.

In researching background for the submission, it emerged that entry-level licence conditions in a number of other countries have included digital modes and image transmissions since inception, and no evidence arose that this gave rise to reports of negative issues or serious incidents.  The submission points out that entry-level licences in Argentina, Canada, Japan, UK and the USA are cases in point.  When comparing the entry-level licences of other countries, the number and variety of bands permitted for Australian Foundation Licensees is small – just five bands.  The UK Foundation Licence, on which the Australian qualification was modelled, provides three times the number of bands permitted.  Both Argentina and Japan provide four times the number of bands.

The underlying principal is this: Enabling access to more bands provides a wider range of opportunities for Foundation licensees to learn and gain experience in communications across the radiofrequency spectrum.

Continue reading →