20-03-2018, 03:57 AM
"The first survey showed that future Amateur Radio licencing must not be less than what is in the current apparatus licencing."
Dare I ask why? Looking at the US, the UK, and now Sweden, many people in the amateur radio community wonder why this is such a necessity? After all, the WIA gets their cut every time a callsign is allocated.
Is the real reason because the WIA sees any decrease in licensing costs to be a threat to its very existence? - and any move to reduce licensing costs and thus promote our hobby, would be seen as a conflict of interest?
As it stands, the cost (of licensing and callsign allocation) is a barrier to encouraging young people to take up amateur radio.
In other countries, amateur radio is seen as an asset. We should look closely at the number of radio amateurs per 100,000 in Australia compared to other developed countries, and ask ourselves the question of why we lag so far behind.
Dare I ask why? Looking at the US, the UK, and now Sweden, many people in the amateur radio community wonder why this is such a necessity? After all, the WIA gets their cut every time a callsign is allocated.
Is the real reason because the WIA sees any decrease in licensing costs to be a threat to its very existence? - and any move to reduce licensing costs and thus promote our hobby, would be seen as a conflict of interest?
As it stands, the cost (of licensing and callsign allocation) is a barrier to encouraging young people to take up amateur radio.
In other countries, amateur radio is seen as an asset. We should look closely at the number of radio amateurs per 100,000 in Australia compared to other developed countries, and ask ourselves the question of why we lag so far behind.