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Amateur Radio Licenses
The Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) is the federal authority that manages radio licenses, frequency spectrum allocation and related items in Australia and its territories.
ACMA issues licenses as set out in the current Amateur License Information Paper. Each grade of license allows access to specific frequencies modes and power limitations.
The latest qualifications and conditions can be found at the ACMA web site.
The last ACMA review of the Amateur Service in Australia simplified the requirements. There is no longer any Morse Code for any Amateur License in Australia.
Radio License Qualifications
There are 3 levels of qualification:
- ACMA recognition certificate (Foundation): the basic level for a person who wants to use amateur radio.
- ACMA recognition certificate (Standard): requires an intermediate knowledge of amateur radiocommunications.
- ACMA recognition certificate (Advanced): requires a complex knowledge of amateur radiocommunications.
Qualification levels reflect the difficulty of the subject matter. Higher levels allow more operating privileges, such as access to more frequency bands and higher transmission power.
Amateur Foundation License
In 2005, the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) introduced an Amateur Radio Foundation license, targetted at a younger and less technical audience. The examination format for this license is typically a two day seminar, followed by a multiple choice test and practical examination.
This will be the perfect license for Scouts and Guides to get started in Amateur Radio.