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WIA: Permitted Equipment For Amateur Use - VK4ADC - 05-05-2017
There has virtually always been a grey area about equipment modified for amateur use. This has been clarified by the WIA as below.....
Permitted Equipment For Amateur Use
Introduction
Sometimes a radio amateur is unsure of the type of transmitting equipment they can possess. This doubt may arise as the result of ACMA compliance activities involving station inspections, for example.
The WIA has successfully argued to the ACMA that compliance issues are, in almost all cases, one of behavior (illegal acts), rather than defining compliance with what type or classes of equipment a radio amateur may possess or operate.
Every amateur licensee needs to read and understand the Amateur Licence Condition Determination ( http://www.wia.org.au/members/legislation/determinations/ ). This sets out, in detail, the conditions under which licensed amateurs can operate their stations. The term 'operate', for the purposes of the LCD, means to cause a transmitter to transmit or cease to transmit.
In Australia, the ACMA has powers to make Standards (technical specifications) for radiocommunications equipment under the Radiocommunications Act 1992. However, the primary tenets of the Amateur Radio service are technical investigation, experimentation and self-training; hence, Australian Standards for radiocommunications equipment are not applicable to amateur stations.
There are no specific standards for equipment that is manufactured specifically for the world-wide amateur market. Note, however, there are some general technical conditions that apply to every amateur licence, and these are found in the LCD.
Put simply:
. an amateur transmitter, while required to meet certain technical standards in the LCD, does not have to comply with an Australian Standard, or be 'type approved';
. an amateur (other than a Foundation licensee) may build a transmitter;
. an amateur (other than a Foundation licensee) may modify a transmitter built for other services, so that it can work on an amateur band or bands; and
. all amateur licensees must operate any transmitter in accordance with the LCD, or any other condition printed on the licence issued to them.
Therefore, no matter what amateur licence (Foundation, Standard or Advanced) you hold, you may possess any piece of equipment manufactured specifically for the global amateur market, provided that you operate it in accordance with the type of licence you hold, even if the item of equipment is capable of operating in certain spectrum segments that are not available to amateurs in Australia.
A Foundation licensee may build or modify transmitting equipment to operate on the amateur bands for their own self-training, but can not operate it. Such equipment can only be operated by an amateur holding a licence appropriate to the equipment's capabilities.
See even more detail at http://www.wia.org.au/licenses/licensing/amateurequipment/
Make sure you also read the topic "Station Inspections" at http://www.wia.org.au/licenses/licensing/stationinspections/ as there is relevant information there too.
RE: WIA: Permitted Equipment For Amateur Use - VK3RX - 16-08-2017
I note a post today on the Codan Outback Radio Yahoo group from someone questioning the value of a Codan 9360, stating that it has the front panel programming feature. This I take to mean frequencies can be entered from the front panel anywhere in it's frequency range coverage.
The response from the group moderator (a Kiwi) in part is:
Quote:The only thing you need to remember, but probably know, is that the 9360 cannot legally be used in Aus/NZ for either amateur use or on commercial frequencies.
It's my understanding that the radio can in fact be legally used in Australia in the Amateur Service - at least by Advanced and Standard licensees - operating within the terms of their licence of course.
But it is correct to say that it cannot be used in the Land Mobile and other services because the radio does not comply with their Standards. That is, it is a "Non-Standard Device" WRT those other services, at least due to the fact it has the FPP feature.
Am I correct?
RE: WIA: Permitted Equipment For Amateur Use - VK3HZ - 17-08-2017
Yes, amateurs (but not Foundation) could use two sticks rubbed together if the emissions complied with our license conditions. So the Codan, on an amateur frequency, should definitely be legal.
Regards,
Dave
RE: WIA: Permitted Equipment For Amateur Use - VK2ZRH - 17-08-2017
I concur with Dave's explanation.
RE: WIA: Permitted Equipment For Amateur Use - VK5KA - 20-09-2017
If you remove the appropriate internal link it will disable the front panel programming and then it just has the fixed channels that you can use that you have programmed before.
As you have to "use tools" to access this link to make it front panel programmable again it is "legal" to the letter of the law.....
Neil VK5KA
RE: WIA: Permitted Equipment For Amateur Use - VK2CSW - 20-09-2017
(20-09-2017, 05:10 PM)VK5KA Wrote: If you remove the appropriate internal link it will disable the front panel programming and then it just has the fixed channels that you can use that you have programmed before.
As you have to "use tools" to access this link to make it front panel programmable again it is "legal" to the letter of the law.....
Neil VK5KA
When you say "letter of the law", which law or laws do you refer?
Whether it is programmable from the front panel or not should be no impairment to use in the amateur service.
I also doubt that simply inhibiting front panel programming will ensure it meets type approval for other services. Most obviously as it has not been tested and approved in that configuration.
RE: WIA: Permitted Equipment For Amateur Use - VK5KA - 20-09-2017
Hi Colin
The "laws" are AS/NZS 4770:2000 and FCC part 90 type approval documents that cover this subject very clearly...
and that is exactly what they say.
73 ...Neil
RE: WIA: Permitted Equipment For Amateur Use - VK3HZ - 21-09-2017
AS/NZS 4770:2000 and FCC part 90 are both for Land Mobile Service which is not Amateur Radio.
No, you can't use an IC-9100 on Land Mobile Service because it doesn't have those type approvals.
But yes, you can use a Codan 9360 on Amateur Service because no type approvals are required for Amateur use of the equipment.
Regards,
Dave
VK3HZ