From the WIA, original post here.

Date : 12 / 01 / 2017 
Author : WIA Board

Some WIA members noting accusations and criticisms on social media and elsewhere, have sought a response from the WIA Board to those claims.

In answer to the WIA membership, the WIA Board has issued a series of Fact Sheets to give all WIA members the relevant facts and explanations.

[Content below is from the webpage linked to from the WIA news post – Paul, VK2ICQ]

Why this is necessary?

Some WIA members have noted accusations and criticisms on social media and elsewhere, and asked that the WIA Board make detailed responses to these issues.  The Board has decided to produce this series of Fact Sheets to address the various issues raised.

In the Board’s view, many issues are either exaggerated, misrepresented, or without foundation.  Some statements are totally inaccurate.  When reiterated in the echo-chambers of social media, such misinformation tends to be taken as “fact”.

This unprecedented action has become necessary to ensure that all WIA members have the relevant facts and explanations.

The WIA continues to be an effective advocate for Amateur Radio, and is in the process of developing strategies to address the current and future needs of the hobby.  It is essential that radio amateurs continue to support the hobby by joining or renewing your membership to ensure a strong and effective WIA.  That is not to say that there isn’t room for improvement..  A primary function of the Board of any company is to periodically review its services and operations with a view to positive improvement.  The digital edition of Amateur Radio magazine is an example.  Restructuring of the National Office to improve customer service was driven by this principle.  Other positive innovations are in progress: the STEM initiative, the Volunteer Charter, and others to follow.

The following Fact Sheets are not all of the issues that some have raised, and more may be added later:

Fact Sheet – Foundation Licence Manual into profit

Fact Sheet – Claims WIA in trouble with ASIC and ACMA without foundation

Fact Sheet – WIA licence assessment system complies

Fact Sheet – WIA Directors undergo training

Fact Sheet – The WIA Club Insurance Scheme

From the WIA, original post here.

Date : 08 / 01 / 2017 
Author : Roger Harrison – VK2ZRH

The latest Australian Radiofrequency Spectrum Plan – ARSP 2017 – was published on the Australian Communications and Media Authority’s (ACMA) website on 3 January 2017.  It was registered by the ACMA on 20 December 2016 and came into effect the next day, with a commencement date of 1 January 2017.

Only minimal changes have been made to the previous Spectrum Plan, principally those arising from the outcomes of the 2015 World Radiocommunication Conference – WRC-15.  Most of the updates involve changes to Footnotes relating to specific allocations, while relatively few comprise changes to allocations.

Of chief interest to Australian amateurs is the addition of the allocation of a 15 kHz band for the Amateur Service at 5351.5-5366.5 kHz, now widely known as the 60 metre band.  This was approved at WRC-15 as a word-wide Amateur band.  The WRC set different maximum radiated power specifications applying in different regions and countries, ranging from 15 watts effective isotropic radiated power (eirp) to 25 W eirp.  Specifying ‘eirp’ takes account of the efficiency of different antenna systems, which can be rather inefficient at these frequencies.  In Australia, Footnote 133B in the Spectrum Plan specifies 15 W eirp.  The only other update to the Spectrum Plan of interest to amateurs is the addition of Radiolocation as a primary service in the 77.5-78 GHz band.  The Amateur and Amateur-satellite services are also primary in this band.  The new primary service is limited to short-range radar for ground-based applications, including automotive radar, according to the updated Footnote, no. 559B.  Sharing studies conducted for the ITU over recent years demonstrated that the two services could reasonably co-exist as primary allocations.

The purpose of the Spectrum Plan is to guide the ACMA in making decisions on the use of radiofrequency spectrum.  The key feature of the ARSP is its Table of Frequency Allocations from 8.3 kHz to 420 terahertz (THz) that divides-up the spectrum to show the general purpose of each band, to which services the bands are allocated, and associated footnotes relevant to particular allocations.  The ACMA updates the ARSP following each WRC, which are held about every three years. Continue reading →

From the WIA, original post here.

Date : 02 / 01 / 2017 
Author : Jim Linton – VK3PC

All radio amateurs may substitute their normal VK callsign prefix with the letters AX, on Australia Day – Thursday January 26.  The ACMA automatically allows this privilege which was negotiated by the WIA.

The day commemorates the First Fleet’s arrival in 1788 at Sydney Gove and the establishment of a European settlement at Port Jackson, with the raising of the British flag by Governor Arthur Phillip. On Australia Day many celebrate our country and culture.  This includes the granting of awards, honours and the welcoming to citizenship of many immigrants.  National flags will be flown and the celebrations include fireworks displays.

The AX prefix is popular among prefix hunters and others while the use of a special QSL card is encouraged by the WIA.

From the WIA, original post here.

Date : 02 / 01 / 2017 
Author : WIA Board

The Special-Purpose Grants Program of the Wireless Institute of Australia (WIA), will not proceed for 2017.  The first WIA Special-Purpose Grant was awarded in support of the GPS-Locking of VHF-UHF Beacons Project, proposed by Alan Devlin VK3XPD, and run jointly by Alan and the WIA over 2014-15.

The project added GPS-locking to an additional 23 beacons on the 2m, 70cm, 23cm, 13cm, 9cm and 3cm bands across VK3, VK4, VK5, and VK6, ensuring frequency accuracy and stability to within a few Hertz.  And what a success that has been.  More recently, the Geelong Amateur Radio Club received a WIA grant to help complete an Amateur Radio educational attraction project at the Queenscliff Maritime Museum.  A story on the Marconi hut and antenna mast built by the club has been sent for publication in Amateur Radio magazine.

It is anticipated that the 2017-18 Board will review the Special-Purpose Grants Program in late 2017.

Date : 02 / 01 / 2017 
Author : Peter Mill VK3APO

Australian Communications and Media Authority licence applications for Amateur Radio repeaters and beacons are now handled differently to speed up issuing and reduce errors that may occur.  The ACMA was having a problem with such licences under its SPECTRA system.  All applications for Amateur Radio repeaters and beacons had caused a problem in its software, due to the unique nature of the applications.

At a meeting in Canberra the ACMA explained the problem it had to two WIA representatives.  It was then mutually agreed that the ACMA would receive from the WIA a spreadsheet that had suitable formatting, to make the processing and issuing of licences run very smoothly.