Radio License
 

Gday all, bit of an odd question, but with the flight radio license, does it allow me to set up my own HF/Vhf amateur radio on our property, or do I need to do all the licensing for an amateur radio license?

The licence you get when operating as a pilot is an operators licence which entitles you to use an aircraft radio, the apparatus licence belongs to the aircraft.

If you are operating outside these parameters you need a Amature Radio Operators licence, or if in the airband an appropriate apparatus licence.

Technically a pilot cannot operate a handheld airband radio outside of the aircraft without an apparatus licence either.

A Flight Radiotelephone Operator Licence/Certificate only permits you to operate on aeronautical frequencies using radio equipment that is type approved for the aeronautical service.

Aircraft licences - Guidelines | ACMA

The Amateur Service is an entirely different service and licence, and does not permit operation on other than frequency bands allocated to the amateur service.

Amateur licensing | ACMA

And what callsign would you use on your property ?? :rolleyes:

'VH-??? left base for the verandah beer fridge'

You need an Amateur Operators Certificate of Proficiency to operate on Amateur radio frequencies unless you are directly supervised by someone else who is so qualified. Once you've passed the exams, the qualification remains with you for life. There are some acceptable alternative qualifications, mostly overseas amateur radio licence exams or professional technical qualifications.

You need to licence your station if you own your own Amateur radio equipment and wish to use it. You won't get a licence for the station if you don't have an appropriate certificate of proficiency. The station licence is renewed annually.

I currently own several old Amateur band radios. My station licence lapsed many years ago, but my certificate of proficiency remains valid. I cannot operate my own radios at home, but I can operate any amateur radios at someone else's licensed station, using their station's call sign.

Neither an Amateur station licence nor an Amateur operators certificate of proficiency permits you to operate on an air band frequency, a marine radio frequency, nor the local taxi company's frequency, even if your Amateur radio gear is able to transmit on frequencies allocated to those services.

Surely that would have been covered when you got the flight radio licence.

If you're thinking of getting a ham licence, there is now what's called a foundation licence. You're restricted to certain bands and a max of 10 watts, but you can pretty much do the theory and regs course over a weekend. You'd be surprised how far you can communicate with only 10 watts.

Have a look at the WIA website.

Yep, sure is. A method to move the 'Chicken Band' good buddies onto the amateur bands.

But of course. They wouldn't even consider going 1 watt over this or using linear amps, now would they. :rolleyes:

Held an Amateur Radio license for over 45 years and never knew that! Live and learn........

Naughty! := What Amateur would ever modify an amateur HF transceiver so it will operate across the entire 3 Mhz to 30 MHz HF Band, so it will work Marine and other HF frequencies? :\

Just curious
 

I owned a pastoral station in the Upper Gascoyne back in the 1970s when the only communication was HF SSB through the RFDS. Our call sign was 8NQ Cobra and we had a 100W Codan Homesteader which was pretty swish compared to the older Traeger sets.

I remember the base station was licensed, but I don't recall any sort of individual certificate to operate. My kids used it for school of air including my baby son, now 40, who was a sometime participant in kindy of the air.

The radio was our only lifeline to the rest of the world back then and we "knew" other squatter families and small communities a thousand miles away.

Does this mean I am still able to use a radio other than an aircraft radio if the opportunity arises?

Kaz

No, unless:

• you hold an ACMA-issued licence covering the frequency(s) you want to operate on, or
• you hold an Authority to Transmit or Licence Authority from the service you wish to use e.g. VKS737 4WD radio network, or
• the service is covered by particular arrangements for which no licence is required but the radio equipment itself is type approved for that service e.g. CB.

The ACMA website outlines all radio communications licensing requirements.

Further here:

Marine, amateur & CB radio | ACMA

Spectrum: what it is & why you need it | ACMA

While your Amateur OCP as such doesn't expire, it means nothing unless you have a current licence, as Capt Midnight says. And I doubt you can march in to ACMA with a 40 year old AOCP and get a new licence without re-doing at least some exams. Still, they look pretty basic now: I doubt most hams these days know which end of a soldering iron gets hot. But I keep paying my licence fee, as I have since I was a teenager. The 25 wpm morse (no longer needed for an AOCP) turned out to be useful in aviation, too.