From the ACMA, original post here.  10 June 2016.

The importation of mobile phone jammers and GPS jammers, also known as signal jammers, is now prohibited after an amendment to the Customs (Prohibited Imports) Regulations 1956 (the Regulations).  This new border control commenced on 10 May 2016.

The ACMA has worked closely with the Department of Immigration and Border Protection to amend the Regulations and welcomes the prohibition on the importation of signal jamming devices.

The possession, supply and operation of signal jamming devices has been prohibited by the ACMA for some time under Section 190 of the Radiocommunications Act 1992.  The change to the Regulations allows Australian Border Force Officers to seize signal jammers at the border as they are now prohibited imports.

Mobile phone jammers can be used to block, or otherwise interfere with, radio emissions between a mobile phone and a base station.  This can cause interference to mobile phone signals, which can be frustrating and have potentially dangerous consequences.  If a mobile phone user is attempting to contact emergency services, interference from mobile jammers to the call may put lives at risk.

RNSS jammers, more commonly known as GPS jammers, also cause interference to GPS and navigation type devices, which can also be essential in emergency situations.

The amendment to the Regulations applies to all jamming devices prohibited by the ACMA under Section 190 of the Radiocommunications Act 1992, unless otherwise exempted by a written declaration made by the ACMA under Section 27.

Find out more about devices prohibited by the ACMA.

From DefenceNews, original post here.  By Wendell Minnick, July 22 2016.

TAIPEI, Taiwan — A North Korean broadcast of numbers on June 24 ended a 16-year sojourn that is surprising many who thought Pyongyang had given up on the old spy trick.

The practice was halted in 2000 after the first inter-Korea summit between North Korean President Kim Jong Il and South Korean President Kim Dae Jun.

The 14-minute broadcast of two sets of numbers by a female voice appears to have been the work of the Voice of Korea (formerly Radio Pyongyang), a North Korean radio propaganda station that broadcasts accolades of the Kim family.

A retired US National Security Agency source said the fact it was a 10-11 meter frequency band in the middle of the night, considering that North Korea does not have relay stations like many other shortwave stations, would make the target local to South Korea, Japan or northern China.

“Sun Spot cycle is low to zero right now so would not expect it to be a DX [long distance] transmission,” according to the NSA source.

The station is using old Soviet transmitters that give it a distinctive humming sound when broadcasting, said Keith Perron, an expert on spy number stations who runs the international shortwave and FM station, PCJ Radio, which broadcasts news, entertainment and serves as a relay for other content.

The hum is created due to the poor quality of transmitters and the fact that North Korea does not use microwaves to relay the message to the antennas but rather old telephone wires.

Perron said that Voice of Korea has sometimes broadcast gibberish between news stories that are also designed as messages to spies.  This was a common tactic by the BBC during World War II to alert the French Resistance.

Number stations can be traced back to World War I and were made famous during the Cold War in Europe.  At the end of the Cold War, number stations began shutting down and now are occasionally broadcast by Communist remnants, such as Cuba, China and North Korea, though Israel and Taiwan still use them.

The method is simple: The broadcasts contain a set of four or five numbers that correspond to letters or words that are decipherable using a one-time pad by a deep cover spy listening to a shortwave radio. Messages are broadcast at schedules and frequencies assigned to the spy.  Perron claims North Korean one-time pads have never been broken by counter-intelligence.

There have been media reports out of South Korea that the North Koreans are using a more sophisticated method of sending secrets via steganography, a method of concealing a message within another file, image, or video, which makes the recent number broadcast by North Korea odd.

From the WIA, original post here.

Date : 30 / 07 / 2016 
Author : Phil Wait – VK2ASD

As some licensees have discovered, there has been a problem recently with the ACMA’s online licensing database not showing that a licence was current after a renewal or new licence payment had been made.

The WIA has had discussions with the ACMA over the past week concerning this issue.  Late on Friday, 29 July, the Licence Issue & Allocation Section of the ACMA provided the following statement:

“The ACMA is currently experiencing an issue with our finance system that is affecting the issue and renewal of some licences.  The issue occurs where an invoice, either a request for payment or a renewal notice, was issued last financial year but has been paid this financial year.

“Clients who have paid their invoices on or before the payment due date can consider their licences to be issued and may commence operation.  This includes payments for the renewal of licences.

“We are working with our provider to address this issue.  Until the issue is resolved, data on the Register of Radiocommunications Licences will be inaccurate.

“The ACMA suggests call sign recommendations cease until this problem is resolved as there is a risk that duplicate call signs will be issued.”

Accordingly, the Public List of Available Callsigns on the WIA website has been suspended until we are advised by the ACMA that the issue with its finance system is resolved.

For the time being, the National Office is unable to proceed with any callsign recommendations for the same reason.

In summary, if you have paid the fee for your new licence, or your renewal, before the due date, you can go on-air and operate with confidence.

If you missed the due date for payment of your renewal and paid subsequently within the 60 days grace period, you may wish to contact the ACMA to follow up.  Ensure that you have proof that you made the payment.

Our friends to the north at the Summerland Amateur Radio Club are holding their Field Day on Sunday August 28th at their Richmond Hill clubrooms, to the east of Lismore.  It’s quite a drive from here in Port Macquarie (around 4½ Hours), but still certainly manageable and it would be neat to see ORARC represented at what’s certain to be a fabulous day.  Any takers?

GENERAL INFORMATION:

The SARCfest is returning after a 2-year absence due to site works and clubroom improvements. This year, the focus is on buying and selling amateur radio equipment and electronic parts, and providing an annual social get-together.  Also John VK2JWA will have his historic radio telegraphy display.  The SARC shop will have a wide range of gear for sale, plus new and used parts and consumables.

TRADING:

A grassed outdoor space is reserved for table traders.  A limited number of tables are available, some with shelter, for a fee of $10.  Otherwise traders will need to provide their own table and shelter.  ‘Car boot’ sales can be made in the carparks.  Table bookings are available (see the SARCfest flyer).  Club (SARC shop) sales will be inside the clubrooms.

Entry is $2.  Further information is available on the SARCfest flyer, downloadable here.