ACMA : US General Class operator licence equivalence in Australia under review

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Visiting Amateurs, and overseas Amateurs who are residents in Australia are granted an Australian licence based on their overseas qualification in accordance with the 'Table of Equivalent Qualifications and Licences', which is published on the ACMA website. Previously, a holder of a US General Class operator licence was generally granted an Australian Advanced Licence.

The ACMA has advised the WIA that the equivalency of the US General Class operator licence to an Australian Advanced amateur licence is now under review. Applications for Advanced amateur licences, or for transfers of such licences, received by the ACMA after 26 April 2017, and applications for amateur certificates of proficiency or callsign recommendations received by the WIA after the 26 April, 2017, made on the basis of the equivalence of the US General Class operator licence to an Australian Advanced amateur licence, may be affected by the outcomes of this review.

Any person considering making such an application is invited to make submissions to the ACMA on whether a US General Class operator licence ought to continue to be treated as equivalent to an Australian Advanced amateur licence.

The amended table is on the ACMA website. http://www.acma.gov.au/theACMA/australia...ns-table-a

In September last year, following a period of public consultation, the ACMA amended the licence eqivalency table to align the US Technician Class licence to the Australian Foundation licence.


See also this excerpt for those who weren't already aware of it: (From http://www.acma.gov.au/Industry/Spectrum...ustralia#Q )

"Class licences are open, standing authorities that allow anyone to operate particular radiocommunications equipment provided that the operation and the device comply with the conditions of the class licence. Class licences do not have to be applied for and no licence fees are payable.

Overseas amateurs visiting Australia may operate an amateur station under the Radiocommunications (Overseas Amateurs Visiting Australia) Class Licence 2015 (the Class Licence).

The Class Licence authorises operation for up to 90 days after each entry to Australia. If the operation of the amateur station starts or finishes more than 90 days after the overseas amateur enters Australia, that operation must be authorised by an apparatus licence. For example: If an overseas amateur visits Australia for a period of 91 days, that person may operate an amateur station for the first 90 days under the Class Licence and not operate the amateur station on the 91st day. Alternatively, that person may apply for an apparatus licence to cover the entire 91 days.

The Class Licence sets out conditions that apply to operation of an amateur station. The Class Licence provides for five different levels of operation. Each of these levels corresponds to the qualification or licence held by the overseas amateur.

The level of operation permitted under a particular overseas qualification or licence has been determined following comparative assessments of the qualifications and licences listed in the tables of equivalent qualifications and licences.

The Class Licence applies in Australian territories in the same way it applies to mainland Australia."

If a person operates an amateur station under the Class Licence, the person must meet all the relevant conditions, otherwise the operation of an amateur station is unauthorised and is subject to the offence provisions of the Radiocommunications Act 1992.

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From WIA News for 9 July 2017:

"ACMA re-sets US General Licence equivalency

 Following a public review the Australian Communications and Media Authority  (ACMA) has re-set the US General Class Licence as equivalent to Australia’s  middle grade Standard Licence.

 This change has been made to the ACMA ‘Tables of Equivalent Qualifications and  Licences’ which lists Australian equivalents to overseas amateur qualifications.
 
 Visiting radio amateurs and those from overseas who are residents in Australia,  are granted an Australian licence based on their overseas qualification  identified on the ACMA website.

 In another review, the ACMA in September last year re-set the US Technician  Licence to be equivalent to the entry level Foundation Licence. It had ruled  that the qualification equivalency of the US Technician Licence granted after
 22 September 2016, be that of the entry level Australian Foundation Licence.  Previously it had been granted the top class Advanced Licence.

 Among those agreeing with the ACMA re-set was the American Radio Relay League  that stated that the US Technician Class Licence was very close to the  Foundation Licence, but not higher. (It was downgraded in 1999). Existing  licensees who obtained their Advanced Licence based on the US Technician  Licence were grandfathered and the ACMA would allow them to continue to operate  at the Advanced Level.

 The ACMA, in the just completed review, said: “These changes are due to changes  to the US licence structure which resulted in a misalignment between Australian  and USA equivalent qualifications.”

 The review received two submissions. One was from the WIA who was made aware  of the issue by a US Volunteer Examiner (VE) and others that there was concern  the US General Licence was inappropriate to Australian Amateur Licence   examination standards. This view was supported by the WIA Board.

 The WIA believed that the standard of some of the foreign country exams had  changed in recent years, and no longer reflected equivalence to Australian  Amateur Radio qualifications.

 The WIA Board had analysed the US General Licence question bank in relation to  where each question would fit into the Australian Amateur Radio Syllabus.
 Basically, the WIA found it had a single theory and regulations paper of
 30 questions (21 needed for a pass), compared to Australia’s Standard Licence
 50 question theory paper (35), 30 question regulations paper (21), and a
 20 question practical test with a 100% pass mark.

 The other submission received believed the US General Licence was close to the  Advanced examination, and the US Technician Licence (re-set to Foundation  Licence equivalent in 2016) should result in the granting of a Standard  Licence.

 The ACMA assessed both submissions in its US General Licence review, and the one it held last year on the US Technician Licence, on the relative levels of  each qualification, and the outcomes related to the level of knowledge that was  the best fit for each class of licence. While the ACMA held its recent review,  it froze all US General Licence applications and advised the WIA to not accept  callsign recommendations after 26 April 2017 on that qualification.

 Now that the ACMA review is complete, those people with a US General Licence  submitted to the WIA after that date (26 April 2017) will be eligible for the Standard Licence.

 The issue of equivalency was first raised by the WIA with the ACMA in late 2015, and has resulted in the two reviews involving a public consultation process.

 The ACMA consultation on the US General Licence may be read at:
 http://www.acma.gov.au/theACMA/changes-t...ifications

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