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A Lesson for Australia?
The
following article shows the tremendous success of innovation in the UK. No
doubt, WIA (Wireless Institute of Australia) is on the same wavelength? All it
needs to do, is to convince ACA (Australian Communications Authority) that the
"Foundation License" (and Winlink) are in Australia's national
interest.
QUOTE
(With acknowledgements to the American Radio Relay League)
RSGB DELEGATION REPORTS ON FOUNDATION LICENSE SUCCESS IN UK
Great Britain's new Foundation license http://www.arrl.org/news/stories/2002/01/10/1/
has reversed the slide in
licensee numbers and reinvigorated Amateur Radio in the UK. That was the assessment of Radio Society of Great Britain (RSGB) <http://www.rsgb.org>
President Bob Whelan, G3PJT, who headed an RSGB contingent that visited ARRL Headquarters April 29-30.
"We had some pretty alarming statistics," Whelan told his audience of ARRL staff members. He said the RSGB realized that if nothing changed, the
number of Amateur Radio exams given would drop to zero in five years, "and time was marching on." That trend, coupled with a rising median age in the
Amateur Radio population in the UK and RSGB members' desire for a "practical, progressive" approach to licensing prompted the RSGB to
rethink the licensing structure, Whelan said.
As a result, the RSGB conceived of and convinced the Radiocommunications Agency to approve the Foundation license as a "radically different"
entry-level approach to Amateur Radio and the first step in a three-tiered licensing structure. Among other new requirements, Foundation applications
must demonstrate the ability to make an on-the-air contact. Because the RSGB considered HF access "essential" to newcomers, it devised a Morse
assessment--rather than a proficiency examination--to qualify applicants.
Since the Foundation license became available January 1, 2002, Great Britain has seen the number of amateurs rise by 4000--approximately a
quarter of them under age 21. "It was slightly unexpected," Whelan conceded. The RSGB had planned on an initial rush of 1000 candidates, but
three months into the new program, the organization found itself inundated with 3000 applications. There are 50,000 amateur licensees in the UK.
Foundation licensees sport M3-prefix call signs and have privileges on all bands from 136 kHz to 440 MHz--except 10 meters--with a 10 W power limit.
Foundation license classes often are offered through weekend sessions sponsored by local radio clubs. In addition to the Morse assessment, which
has no specific code speed requirement, applicants must pass a 20-question (soon to be 25-question) written examination.
More information on the Foundation License is available on the RSGB Web site http://www.rsgb.org
(click on "Foundation Licence Courses").
The RSGB delegation also included General Manager Peter Kirby, G0TWW, and Commercial Manager Mark Allgar, M1MPA. While at ARRL Headquarters, the
RSGB team also discussed with ARRL staff members preparations for World Radiocommunication Conference 2003, International Amateur Radio Union
concerns, power line communications, sales and marketing issues and other topics of mutual
interest.
UNQUOTE
It is
understood that ACA will take the opportunity of this year's World
Radio Communications Conference, to review the operations of amateur
radio in Australia. Given the international lead given by countries such as
Great Britain with the introduction of the Foundation License and numerous
countries, among which the United States, Canada and New Zealand, that allow
Winlink operation from their territories, there's great hope that Australia will
soon join this international trend.
AussieWinlink
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