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93-518: The Waverley Amateur Radio Society ( WARS ) is an amateur radio society based in Rose Bay , a suburb of Sydney , New South Wales , Australia which operates under the call sign VK2BV. The society was founded in 1919 and is the oldest continuously licensed amateur radio club in Australia. The Waverley Radio Club was founded on 27 January 1919 by a group of 17 radio experimenters and enthusiasts living in

186-466: A call sign on the air to legally identify the operator or station. In some countries, the call sign assigned to the station must always be used, whereas in other countries, the call sign of either the operator or the station may be used. In certain jurisdictions, an operator may also select a "vanity" call sign although these must also conform to the issuing government's allocation and structure used for Amateur Radio call signs. Some jurisdictions require

279-626: A wavelength of 200 meters. Meetings until 1954 were held on Thursday evenings at the home of the club's first vice president, Mr Frank Geddes, at "Almont", 13 McPherson Street, Waverley. This was also the location of the club station. In the mid-1970s, the club changed its name to the Waverley Amateur Radio Society. The club became affiliated to the Wireless Institute of Australia in 1926 and has been so ever since. The club owns and operates two amateur radio repeaters from

372-462: A 70 cm D-STAR repeater located at Governor Phillip Tower under the callsign VK2RBV. It operates on 438.775 MHz, offset -5 MHz, bandwidth 6.25 kHz and has coverage throughout the Sydney region. The repeater stack consists of an ICOM ID-RP4000V 70 cm RF unit, an ICOM ID-RP2C repeater controller and Freestar control software running on a Beagleboard platform. Another repeater

465-452: A US citizen may operate under reciprocal agreements in Canada, but not a non-US citizen holding a US license. Many people start their involvement in amateur radio on social media or by finding a local club. Clubs often provide information about licensing, local operating practices, and technical advice. Newcomers also often study independently by purchasing books or other materials, sometimes with

558-441: A club or organization for a period of time before a higher class of license can be acquired. A reciprocal licensing agreement between two countries allows bearers of an amateur radio license in one country under certain conditions to legally operate an amateur radio station in the other country without having to obtain an amateur radio license from the country being visited, or the bearer of a valid license in one country can receive

651-464: A club or organization generally requires that an individual with a current and valid amateur radio license who is in good standing with the telecommunications authority assumes responsibility for any operations conducted under the club license or club call sign. A few countries may issue special licenses to novices or beginners that do not assign the individual a call sign but instead require the newly licensed individual to operate from stations licensed to

744-566: A complaints mechanism for Australian residents and law enforcement agencies to report prohibited online content, including child sexual abuse material . Within the scheme, which operates under Schedules 5 and 7 of the Broadcasting Services Act 1992 , content is assessed with reference to the same criteria within the National Classification Scheme that applies to films and computer games in Australia. The ACMA Hotline

837-827: A country. For example, the peak envelope power limits for the highest available license classes in a few selected countries are: 2.25  kW in Canada; 1.5 kW in the United States; 1.0 kW in Belgium, Luxembourg , Switzerland, South Africa and New Zealand; 750 W in Germany; 500 W in Italy; 400 W in Australia, India, and the United Kingdom; and 150 W in Oman . Australian Communications and Media Authority The Australian Communications and Media Authority ( ACMA )

930-608: A fee to obtain such a vanity call sign; in others, such as the UK, a fee is not required and the vanity call sign may be selected when the license is applied for. The FCC in the U.S. discontinued its fee for vanity call sign applications in September 2015, but replaced it as $ 35 in 2022. Call sign structure as prescribed by the ITU consists of three parts which break down as follows, using the call sign ZS1NAT as an example: Many countries do not follow

1023-454: A focus on agency innovation: Major program delivery – through resource and program management with fully effective corporate governance: Effective regulation – doing the 'day job' of the regulatory agency with effective and efficient regulatory administration and operations coupled with extensive stakeholder engagement: Representing Australia's interests internationally (see International Telecommunication Union ) The ACMA administers

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1116-558: A given period of time. In addition to contests, a number of amateur radio operating award schemes exist, sometimes suffixed with "on the Air", such as Summits on the Air , Islands on the Air, Worked All States and Jamboree on the Air . Amateur radio operators may also act as citizen scientists for propagation research and atmospheric science . Radio transmission permits are closely controlled by nations' governments because radio waves propagate beyond national boundaries, and therefore radio

1209-498: A location in Paddington operating under the call sign VK2ROT. On the 2-metre band the repeater operates on 147.025 MHz FM output / 147.625 MHz input using a 91.5 Hz CTCSS tone while on 70 cm the repeater is assigned to 438.575 MHz FM output / 433.575 MHz input using a 91.5 Hz CTCSS tone. The 70 cm repeater works with analogue transmissions and has access to Echolink and ALLSTAR . The club runs

1302-537: A manufacturer of internet filtering software, contained 2395 sites. Approximately half of the sites on the list were not related to child pornography, and included online gambling sites, YouTube pages, gay, straight, and fetish pornography sites, Misplaced Pages entries, euthanasia sites, websites of fringe religions, Christian sites, and even the websites of a tour operator and a Queensland dentist. Colin Jacobs, spokesman for lobby group Electronic Frontiers Australia , said that there

1395-453: A national licensing process and may instead require prospective amateur radio operators to take the licensing examinations of a foreign country. In countries with the largest numbers of amateur radio licensees, such as Japan, the United States, Thailand, Canada, and most of the countries in Europe, there are frequent license examinations opportunities in major cities. Granting a separate license to

1488-508: A new agreement for sharing of information about serious child abuse material, including an arrangement whereby the ACMA can report content through INHOPE based on where content may be produced, as well as where it is hosted During National Child Protection Week 2013, the ACMA Hotline conducted 418 investigations involving over 4,700 images of abused children to Australian police agencies or through

1581-432: A nuisance. The use of "ham" meaning "amateurish or unskilled" survives today sparsely in other disciplines (e.g. "ham actor"). The amateur radio community subsequently began to reclaim the word as a label of pride, and by the mid-20th century it had lost its pejorative meaning. Although not an acronym or initialism, it is often written as "HAM" in capital letters. The many facets of amateur radio attract practitioners with

1674-463: A number after to indicate the political region; prefix CY indicates geographic islands. Prefix VA1 or VE1 is Nova Scotia , VA2 / VE2 is Quebec , VA3 / VE3 is Ontario , VA4 / VE4 is Manitoba , VA5 / VE5 is Saskatchewan , VA6 / VE6 is Alberta , VA7 / VE7 is British Columbia , VE8 is the Northwest Territories , VE9 is New Brunswick , VY0

1767-409: A pool of at least 350. To pass, 26 of the 35 questions must be answered correctly. The Extra Class exam has 50 multiple choice questions (drawn randomly from a pool of at least 500), 37 of which must be answered correctly. The tests cover regulations, customs, and technical knowledge, such as FCC provisions, operating practices, advanced electronics theory, radio equipment design, and safety. Morse Code

1860-550: A quarterly basis. The Waverley club has partnered with Amateur Radio NSW to hold Foundation Licence Courses and Assessments (for all levels) at the Dural facilities. In 2009, the club celebrated its 90th anniversary and the ACMA allocated the club a special event call sign, VI2BV90, for use over the period from 24 January to 1 February 2009. Amateur radio The amateur radio service ( amateur service and amateur-satellite service )

1953-436: A separate license and a call sign in another country, both of which have a mutually-agreed reciprocal licensing approvals. Reciprocal licensing requirements vary from country to country. Some countries have bilateral or multilateral reciprocal operating agreements allowing hams to operate within their borders with a single set of requirements. Some countries lack reciprocal licensing systems. Others use international bodies such as

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2046-409: A webform on the ACMA's website. Popularly held misconceptions about the ACMA's regulatory role include that it investigates and takes action on whole websites (it investigates specific URLs, images or files) and that the ACMA causes blocking of content at an ISP level (it notifies overseas hosted content to optional end-user filters). In February 2013, the ACMA and Australian Federal Police announced

2139-551: A wide range of interests. Many amateurs begin with a fascination with radio communication and then combine other personal interests to make pursuit of the hobby rewarding. Some of the focal areas amateurs pursue include radio contesting , radio propagation study, public service communication , technical experimentation , and computer networking . Hobbyist radio enthusiasts employ a variety of transmission methods for interaction . The primary modes for vocal communications are frequency modulation (FM) and single sideband (SSB). FM

2232-555: A wide range of responsibilities, it does so against a backdrop of rapid change. Many of the controls on the production and distribution of content and the provision of telecommunications services through licensing or other subsidiary arrangements, or by standards and codes (whether co-regulatory or self-regulatory) are subject to revision and adaptation to the networked society and information economy. Moreover, there are new platforms, applications, business models, value chains and forms of social interaction available with more to come in what

2325-700: A year in the national capital and can be inordinately bureaucratic (for example in India) or challenging because some amateurs must undergo difficult security approval (as in Iran ). Currently, only Yemen and North Korea do not issue amateur radio licenses to their citizens. Some developing countries, especially those in Africa, Asia, and Latin America , require the payment of annual license fees that can be prohibitively expensive for most of their citizens. A few small countries may not have

2418-411: Is Nunavut , VY1 is Yukon , VY2 is Prince Edward Island , VO1 is Newfoundland , and VO2 is Labrador . CY is for amateurs operating from Sable Island (CY0) or St. Paul Island (CY9). Special permission is required to access either of these: from Parks Canada for Sable and Coast Guard for St. Paul. The last two or three letters of the call signs are typically the operator's choice (upon completing

2511-471: Is a VHF / UHF contest which encourages participants to make contacts from Sydney Ferries or any of the 36 wharves around Sydney Harbour . Operation is open to any mode , either simplex or through repeater, using hand-held transceivers . The club provides training and assessment services to the amateur radio community on behalf of the Australian Maritime College and holds sessions on

2604-920: Is a converged regulator, created to oversee the convergence of telecommunications, broadcasting, radio communications and the internet. ACMA is an independent government agency managed by an executive team comprising the Chair (who is also the Agency Head), Deputy Chair (who is also the chief executive officer). ACMA collects revenue on behalf of the Australian Government through broadcasting, radiocommunications and telecommunications taxes, charges and license fees. It also collects revenue from price-based allocation of spectrum. The corporate structure comprises four divisions – Communications Infrastructure, Content, Consumer and Citizen, Corporate and Research, and Legal Services. ACMA has responsibilities under four principal Acts –

2697-419: Is a dynamic, innovative environment. Other challenges for regulators include cross-jurisdictional issues and the need for engagement and collaboration with stakeholders locally, regionally and internationally. ACMA has developed a 'converged communications regulator' framework which seeks to bring to the global discussion a 'common ground' to deliver outcomes in the public interest. The four cornerstone parts to

2790-660: Is an Australian government statutory authority within the Communications portfolio . ACMA was formed on 1 July 2005 with the merger of the Australian Broadcasting Authority and the Australian Communications Authority. ACMA is responsible for collecting broadcasting, radiocommunication and telecommunication taxes, and regulating Australian media. It does this through various legislation, regulations, standards and codes of practice. ACMA

2883-621: Is established by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) through the Radio Regulations . National governments regulate technical and operational characteristics of transmissions and issue individual station licenses with a unique identifying call sign , which must be used in all transmissions. Amateur operators must hold an amateur radio license which is obtained by passing a government test demonstrating adequate technical radio knowledge and legal knowledge of

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2976-590: Is in the Turks and Caicos Islands, VP6xxx is on Pitcairn Island, VP8xxx is in the Falklands, and VP9xxx is in Bermuda. Online callbooks or call sign databases can be browsed or searched to find out who holds a specific call sign. An example of an online callbook is QRZ.com . Non-exhaustive lists of famous people who hold or have held amateur radio call signs have also been compiled and published. Many jurisdictions (but not in

3069-508: Is no longer tested in the U.S. Once the exam is passed, the FCC issues an Amateur Radio license which is valid for ten years. Studying for the exam is made easier because the entire question pools for all license classes are posted in advance. The question pools are updated every four years by the National Conference of VECs. Prospective amateur radio operators are examined on understanding of

3162-562: Is now offline due to software incompatibilty rules. The club operated P25 digital mode (NAC 293) through the 70 cm repeater but the Motorola Quantar has failed, so this function is offline. The club operated an APRS iGate from the Rose Bay club house, call sign VK2BV-3, which serviced APRS traffic across the whole central Sydney region. However, having exited the Scout Hall, this node

3255-466: Is of international concern. Both the requirements for and privileges granted to a licensee vary from country to country, but generally follow the international regulations and standards established by the International Telecommunication Union and World Radio Conferences . All countries that license citizens to use amateur radio require operators to display knowledge and understanding of key concepts, usually by passing an exam. The licenses grant hams

3348-688: Is offline. Society meetings are held at the clubhouse in the Rose Bay RSL Club in Vickery Avenue on the third Wednesday of every month from 7.30 p.m and project days on the first Saturday of the month from 1:30 p.m. The Club radio net operates every Monday at 8:00pm on the VK2RBV repeater in Governor Phillip Tower The club organises the annual Sydney Amateur Radio Ferry Contest in March. This

3441-721: Is one of a global network of international bodies within INHOPE – the International Association of Internet Hotlines that exchange information on child abuse images, pinpointing the hosting countries to help eradicate them from the web. INHOPE consists of 44 members in 38 countries, with members including the Internet Watch Foundation (UK), the National Centre for Missing and Exploited Children (USA), Cyberia (Canada), Friendly Runlet Foundation (Russian Federation) and

3534-522: Is recognized for its superior audio quality, whereas SSB is more efficient for long-range communication under limited bandwidth conditions. Radiotelegraphy using Morse code , also known as "CW" from " continuous wave ", is the wireless extension of landline (wired) telegraphy developed by Samuel Morse and dates to the earliest days of radio. Although computer-based (digital) modes and methods have largely replaced CW for commercial and military applications, many amateur radio operators still enjoy using

3627-496: Is sent with consent, contains sender identification and contact information and includes a functional unsubscribe facility. Some exemptions apply. Members of the public are able to make complaints and reports about commercial electronic messages to ACMA which may conduct formal investigations and take enforcement actions. The ACMA developed the Australian Internet Security Initiative (AISI) to help address

3720-419: Is similar to Voice over IP (VoIP), but augments two-way radio communications rather than telephone calls. EchoLink using VoIP technology has enabled amateurs to communicate through local Internet-connected repeaters and radio nodes, while IRLP has allowed the linking of repeaters to provide greater coverage area. Automatic link establishment (ALE) has enabled continuous amateur radio networks to operate on

3813-656: Is the Wireless Institute of Australia , formed in 1910; other notable societies are the Radio Society of Great Britain , the American Radio Relay League , Radio Amateurs of Canada , Bangladesh NGOs Network for Radio and Communication , the New Zealand Association of Radio Transmitters and South African Radio League . ( See Category:Amateur radio organizations ) An amateur radio operator uses

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3906-556: Is the Yaesu Fusion repeater co-located next to the D-star repeater. This operates on 438.1125, 5.4 MHz negative offset, with 91.5 CTCSS. It also support Yaesu Fusion and Wires-X in Auto-Auto mode. The repeater will follow the mode it receives. The club operates Echolink node 725953 linked to the 70 cm repeater. The club operated IRLP node 6250 through the 70 cm repeater but

3999-470: Is the merging of the previously distinct services by which information is communicated – telephone, television (free-to-air and subscription) radio and newspapers – over digital platforms. ACMA also works with industry and citizens to solve new concerns and mitigate risks arising in the evolving networked society and information economy, recognizing that Australians are interacting with digital communications and content in changing ways. Not only does ACMA address

4092-684: Is typically found in the 70 cm (420–450 MHz) wavelength range, though there is also limited use on 33 cm (902–928 MHz), 23 cm (1240–1300 MHz) and shorter. These requirements also effectively limit the signal range to between 20 and 60 miles (30–100 km). Linked repeater systems, however, can allow transmissions of VHF and higher frequencies across hundreds of miles. Repeaters are usually located on heights of land or on tall structures, and allow operators to communicate over hundreds of miles using hand-held or mobile transceivers . Repeaters can also be linked together by using other amateur radio bands , landline , or

4185-619: Is valid only in the country where it is issued or in another country that has a reciprocal licensing agreement with the issuing country. In some countries, an amateur radio license is necessary in order to purchase or possess amateur radio equipment. Amateur radio licensing in the United States exemplifies the way in which some countries award different levels of amateur radio licenses based on technical knowledge: three sequential levels of licensing exams (Technician Class, General Class, and Amateur Extra Class) are currently offered, which allow operators who pass them access to larger portions of

4278-923: The Broadcasting Services Act 1992 , the Telecommunications Act 1997, the Telecommunications (Consumer Protection and Service Standards) Act 1999 and the Radiocommunications Act 1992. There are another 22 Acts to which the agency responds in such areas as spam, the Do Not Call Register and interactive gambling. The ACMA also creates and administers more than 523 legislative instruments including radiocommunications, spam and telecommunications regulations; and license area plans for free-to-air broadcasters. ACMA's main offices are located in Canberra , Melbourne and Sydney . Communications convergence

4371-708: The Internet . Amateur radio satellites can be accessed, some using a hand-held transceiver ( HT ), even, at times, using the factory "rubber duck" antenna. Hams also use the moon , the aurora borealis , and the ionized trails of meteors as reflectors of radio waves. Hams can also contact the International Space Station (ISS) because many astronauts are licensed as amateur radio operators. Amateur radio operators use their amateur radio station to make contacts with individual hams as well as participate in round-table discussion groups or "rag chew sessions" on

4464-530: The Internet . Amateur radio is officially represented and coordinated by the International Amateur Radio Union (IARU), which is organized in three regions and has as its members the national amateur radio societies which exist in most countries. According to an estimate made in 2011 by the American Radio Relay League (the American national amateur radio society), two million people throughout

4557-529: The Waverley area and allocated license number N249 by the navy department. In 1922, when the Postmaster-General's Department took over licensing, the club call letters (as they were then known) were changed to 2BV and in 1929 national prefixes were adopted so becoming the call sign VK2BV. Within a year of foundation, the club obtained its first licence for a one valve receiver and spark-gap transmitter on

4650-479: The high frequency bands with global coverage. Other modes, such as FSK441 using software such as WSJT , are used for weak signal modes including meteor scatter and moonbounce communications. Fast scan amateur television has gained popularity as hobbyists adapt inexpensive consumer video electronics like camcorders and video cards in PCs . Because of the wide bandwidth and stable signals required, amateur television

4743-568: The ACMA blacklist. He was backed up by ISP Tech 2U, one of six ISPs involved in filtering technology trials. Conroy's denial was called into doubt by the Internet Industry Association (IIA), who publicly condemned the publishing of the list, chief executive Peter Coroneos saying, "No reasonable person could countenance the publication of links which promote access to child abuse images, irrespective of their motivation, which in this case appears to be political." Conroy later claimed

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4836-433: The ACMA to law enforcement in Australia, or, in the case of child sexual abuse material hosted overseas, through INHOPE for rapid police notification and take-down in the host country. The ACMA publishes comprehensive statistics and information about the ACMA Hotline on its website. The majority of investigations the ACMA conducts concern online child sexual abuse material. Complaints to the ACMA Hotline are usually made via

4929-649: The Amateur Radio spectrum and more desirable (shorter) call signs. An exam, authorized by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), is required for all levels of the Amateur Radio license. These exams are administered by Volunteer Examiners, accredited by the FCC-recognized Volunteer Examiner Coordinator (VEC) system. The Technician Class and General Class exams consist of 35 multiple-choice questions, drawn randomly from

5022-521: The CW mode—particularly on the shortwave bands and for experimental work, such as Earth–Moon–Earth communication , because of its inherent signal-to-noise ratio advantages. Morse, using internationally agreed message encodings such as the Q code , enables communication between amateurs who speak different languages. It is also popular with homebrewers and in particular with "QRP" or very-low-power enthusiasts, as CW-only transmitters are simpler to construct, and

5115-476: The INHOPE international network for action overseas. During the week, the ACMA announced it is now working more closely with CrimeStoppers in Australia to make it easier to report illegal online content. The ACMA's online role is not connected to ISP blocking 'worst of the worst' child abuse material, which was operated by ISPs and the Australian Federal Police . In July 2015, this function moved to

5208-580: The ITU convention for the numeral. In the United Kingdom the original calls G0xxx, G2xxx, G3xxx, G4xxx, were Full (A) License holders along with the last M0xxx full call signs issued by the City & Guilds examination authority in December 2003. Additional Full Licenses were originally granted to (B) Licenses with G1xxx, G6xxx, G7xxx, G8xxx and 1991 onward with M1xxx call signs. The newer three-level Intermediate License holders are assigned 2E0xxx and 2E1xxx, and

5301-478: The Internet Hotline Center Japan. If prohibited online content is found in Australia, it is issued with a take-down notice after being formally classified; if it is hosted overseas it is notified to optional end-user Family Friendly Filters that are accredited by industry through the Internet Industry Association (these are available at cost from ISPs). All potentially illegal content is reported by

5394-499: The Isle of Man, "GJ" & "MJ" are Jersey and "GU" & "MU" are Guernsey. Intermediate licence call signs are slightly different. They begin 2#0 and 2#1 where the # is replaced with the country letters as above. For example "2M0" and "2M1" are Scotland, "2W0" and "2W1" are Wales and so on. The exception however is for England. The letter "E" is used, but only in intermediate-level call signs. For example "2E0" & "2E1" are used whereas

5487-596: The Office of the Children's safety Commissioner. ACMA operates Australia's Do Not Call Register, which is a scheme to reduce unsolicited telemarketing calls and marketing faxes to individuals who have indicated they do not want to receive such calls by registering their private and domestic telephone (including mobile) and fax numbers on the Register. The scheme has been in operation since May 2007. Since mid-2013, Salmat has managed

5580-455: The Organization of American States to facilitate licensing reciprocity. When traveling abroad, visiting amateur operators must follow the rules of the country in which they wish to operate. Some countries have reciprocal international operating agreements allowing hams from other countries to operate within their borders with just their home country license. Other host countries require that

5673-575: The RF spectrum, usually allowing choice of an effective frequency for communications across a local, regional, or worldwide path. The shortwave bands, or HF , are suitable for worldwide communication, and the VHF and UHF bands normally provide local or regional communication, while the microwave bands have enough space, or bandwidth , for amateur television transmissions and high-speed computer networks . In most countries, an amateur radio license grants permission to

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5766-457: The Register on behalf of ACMA. ACMA is responsible for enforcing the Spam Act 2003 which prohibits the sending of unsolicited commercial electronic messages with an Australian link. A message has an Australian link if it originates, or was authorised, in Australia, or if the message was accessed in Australia. Anyone who sends commercial email, SMS, or instant messages must ensure that the message

5859-428: The UK & Europe) may issue specialty vehicle registration plates to licensed amateur radio operators. The fees for application and renewal are usually less than the standard rate for specialty plates. In most administrations, unlike other RF spectrum users, radio amateurs may build or modify transmitting equipment for their own use within the amateur spectrum without the need to obtain government certification of

5952-552: The United Kingdom and Australia, have begun requiring a practical assessment in addition to the written exams in order to obtain a beginner's license, which they call a Foundation License. In most countries, an operator will be assigned a call sign with their license. In some countries, a separate "station license" is required for any station used by an amateur radio operator. Amateur radio licenses may also be granted to organizations or clubs. In some countries, hams were allowed to operate only club stations. An amateur radio license

6045-763: The air. Some join in regularly scheduled on-air meetings with other amateur radio operators, called " nets " (as in "networks"), which are moderated by a station referred to as "Net Control". Nets can allow operators to learn procedures for emergencies, be an informal round table, or cover specific interests shared by a group. Amateur radio operators, using battery- or generator-powered equipment, often provide essential communications services when regular channels are unavailable due to natural disaster or other disruptive events . Many amateur radio operators participate in radio contests, during which an individual or team of operators typically seek to contact and exchange information with as many other amateur radio stations as possible in

6138-508: The basic Foundation License holders are granted call signs M3xxx, M6xxx or M7xxx. Instead of using numbers, in the UK the second letter after the initial 'G' or 'M' identifies the station's location; for example, a call sign G7OOE becomes GM7OOE and M0RDM becomes MM0RDM when that license holder is operating a station in Scotland. Prefix "GM" & "MM" are Scotland, "GW" & "MW" are Wales, "GI" & "MI" are Northern Ireland, "GD" & "MD" are

6231-511: The blacklist after the ACMA blocked several WikiLeaks pages following their publication of the Danish blacklist. Assange said that "This week saw Australia joining China and the United Arab Emirates as the only countries censoring WikiLeaks." Three lists purporting to be from the ACMA were published online over a seven-day period. The leaked list, which was reported to have been obtained from

6324-446: The call signs beginning G or M for foundation and full licenses never use the "E". In the United States, for non-vanity licenses, the numeral indicates the geographical district the holder resided in when the license was first issued. Prior to 1978, US hams were required to obtain a new call sign if they moved out of their geographic district. In Canada, call signs start with VA, VE, VY, VO, and CY. Call signs starting with 'V' end with

6417-501: The classroom to teach English, map skills, geography, math, science, and computer skills. The term "ham" was first a pejorative term used in professional wired telegraphy during the 19th century, to mock operators with poor Morse code -sending skills (" ham-fisted "). This term continued to be used after the invention of radio and the proliferation of amateur experimentation with wireless telegraphy; among land- and sea-based professional radio operators, "ham" amateurs were considered

6510-755: The early 20th century. The First Annual Official Wireless Blue Book of the Wireless Association of America , produced in 1909, contains a list of amateur radio stations. This radio callbook lists wireless telegraph stations in Canada and the United States, including 89 amateur radio stations. As with radio in general, amateur radio was associated with various amateur experimenters and hobbyists. Amateur radio enthusiasts have significantly contributed to science , engineering , industry, and social services . Research by amateur operators has founded new industries, built economies, empowered nations, and saved lives in times of emergency. Ham radio can also be used in

6603-408: The equipment. Licensed amateurs can also use any frequency in their bands (rather than being allocated fixed frequencies or channels) and can operate medium-to-high-powered equipment on a wide range of frequencies so long as they meet certain technical parameters including occupied bandwidth, power, and prevention of spurious emission . Radio amateurs have access to frequency allocations throughout

6696-435: The framework, each divided into two sub-streams, are outlined below along with the main functions of ACMA under each task. Bridging to the future – active engagement with the currents of change and proactive development of responses through thought leadership and regulatory development: Transforming the agency – adapting the organization to the changing world of convergence by ensuring a structural fit with convergence and

6789-535: The grounds that Whirlpool, a customer of Bulletproof Networks, posted a link to a blacklisted, anti-abortion web site. There was a controversy that the material hosted by Whirlpool was the response notification from ACMA stating that the website had been blacklisted (the notice included the address of the website that had been blacklisted). On 19 March 2009 it was reported that the ACMA's blacklist of banned sites had been leaked online, and had been published by WikiLeaks . Julian Assange, founder of WikiLeaks, obtained

6882-423: The help of a mentor, teacher, or friend. In North America, established amateurs who help newcomers are often referred to as "Elmers", as coined by Rodney Newkirk, W9BRD, within the ham community. In addition, many countries have national amateur radio societies which encourage newcomers and work with government communications regulation authorities for the benefit of all radio amateurs. The oldest of these societies

6975-598: The host government's radio regulations. Radio amateurs are limited to a specific set of frequency bands, the amateur radio bands, allocated throughout the radio spectrum , but within these bands are allowed to transmit on any frequency using a variety of voice, text, image, and data communications modes. This enables communication across a city, region, country, continent, the world, or even into space. In many countries, amateur radio operators may also send, receive, or relay radio communications between computers or transceivers connected to secure virtual private networks on

7068-818: The human ear-brain signal processing system can pull weak CW signals out of the noise where voice signals would be totally inaudible. A similar "legacy" mode popular with home constructors is amplitude modulation (AM), pursued by many vintage amateur radio enthusiasts and aficionados of vacuum tube technology. Demonstrating a proficiency in Morse code was for many years a requirement to obtain an amateur license to transmit on frequencies below 30 MHz. Following changes in international regulations in 2003, countries are no longer required to demand proficiency. The United States Federal Communications Commission , for example, phased out this requirement for all license classes on 23 February 2007. Modern personal computers have encouraged

7161-570: The key concepts of electronics, radio equipment, antennas, radio propagation , RF safety, and the radio regulations of the government granting the license. These examinations are sets of questions typically posed in either a short answer or multiple-choice format. Examinations can be administered by bureaucrats , non-paid certified examiners, or previously licensed amateur radio operators. The ease with which an individual can acquire an amateur radio license varies from country to country. In some countries, examinations may be offered only once or twice

7254-591: The leaked blacklist published on WikiLeaks closely resembled the official blacklist, admitting that the latest list (dated 18 March) "seemed to be close" to ACMA's current blacklist. In an estimates hearing of the Australian Federal Government on 25 May 2009 it was revealed that the leak was taken so seriously that it was referred to the Australian Federal Police for investigation. It was further stated that distribution of further updates to

7347-417: The license holder to own, modify, and operate equipment that is not certified by a governmental regulatory agency. This encourages amateur radio operators to experiment with home-constructed or modified equipment. The use of such equipment must still satisfy national and international standards on spurious emissions . Amateur radio operators are encouraged both by regulations and tradition of respectful use of

7440-571: The licensing test, the ham writes three most-preferred options). Two-letter call sign suffixes require a ham to have already been licensed for 5 years. Call signs in Canada can be requested with a fee. Also, for smaller geopolitical entities, the numeral may be part of the country identification. For example, VP2xxx is in the British West Indies, which is subdivided into VP2Exx Anguilla, VP2Mxx Montserrat, and VP2Vxx British Virgin Islands. VP5xxx

7533-467: The list have been withheld until recipients can improve their security. Nerida O'Laughlin of the ACMA confirmed that the list has been reviewed and as of 30 April consists of 997 URLs. In 2021, Schedules 5 and 7 of the Broadcasting Services Act 1992 were repealed as part of the enactment of the Online Safety Act 2021 . This Act established the eSafety Commissioner (section 26) and, under part 3 of

7626-447: The list published on WikiLeaks and the ACMA blacklist were the same, saying "This is not the ACMA blacklist." He stated that the leaked list was alleged to be current on 6 August 2008 and contained 2,400 URLs, where the ACMA blacklist for the same date contained 1,061 URLs. He added that the ACMA advised that there were URLs on the leaked list that had never been the subject of a complaint or ACMA investigation, and had never been included on

7719-454: The list was not the real blacklist and described its leak and publication as "grossly irresponsible" and that it undermined efforts to improve "cyber safety". He said that ACMA was investigating the incident and considering a range of possible actions including referral to the Australian Federal Police , and that Australians involved in making the content available would be at "serious risk of criminal prosecution". Conroy initially denied that

7812-892: The privilege to operate in larger segments of the radio frequency spectrum, with a wider variety of communication techniques, and with higher power levels relative to unlicensed personal radio services (such as CB radio , FRS , and PMR446 ), which require type-approved equipment restricted in mode, range, and power. Amateur licensing is a routine civil administrative matter in many countries. Amateurs therein must pass an examination to demonstrate technical knowledge, operating competence, and awareness of legal and regulatory requirements, in order to avoid interfering with other amateurs and other radio services. A series of exams are often available, each progressively more challenging and granting more privileges: greater frequency availability, higher power output, permitted experimentation, and, in some countries, distinctive call signs. Some countries, such as

7905-437: The problem of computers being compromised by the surreptitious installation of malicious software (malware). 'Malware' enables a computer to be controlled remotely for illegal and harmful activities without the owner's knowledge. Malware can: The Telecommunications Sector Security Reform (TSSR) commenced on 18 September 2018. TSSR introduces four new measures: In 2000, a legislative framework for online content regulation

7998-497: The spectrum to use as little power as possible to accomplish the communication. This is to minimise interference or EMC to any other device. Although allowable power levels are moderate by commercial standards, they are sufficient to enable global communication. Lower license classes usually have lower power limits; for example, the lowest license class in the UK (Foundation licence) has a limit of 10 W. Power limits vary from country to country and between license classes within

8091-442: The use of digital modes such as radioteletype (RTTY) which previously required cumbersome mechanical equipment. Hams led the development of packet radio in the 1970s, which has employed protocols such as AX.25 and TCP/IP . Specialized digital modes such as PSK31 allow real-time, low-power communications on the shortwave bands but have been losing favor in place of newer digital modes such as FT8 . Radio over IP , or RoIP,

8184-506: The visiting ham apply for a formal permit, or even a new host country-issued license, in advance. The reciprocal recognition of licenses frequently not only depends on the involved licensing authorities, but also on the nationality of the bearer. As an example, in the US, foreign licenses are recognized only if the bearer does not have US citizenship and holds no US license (which may differ in terms of operating privileges and restrictions). Conversely,

8277-627: The world are regularly involved with amateur radio. About 830,000 amateur radio stations are located in IARU Region 2 (the Americas) followed by IARU Region 3 (South and East Asia and the Pacific Ocean) with about 750,000 stations. A significantly smaller number, about 400,000, are located in IARU Region 1 (Europe, Middle East, CIS , Africa). The origins of amateur radio can be traced to the late 19th century, but amateur radio as practised today began in

8370-640: Was amended further in 2007 by the Communications Legislation Amendment (Content Services) Act (2007) as Schedule 5 only applied to stored content made available over the Internet but did not apply easily to "ephemeral" content such as streamed material. A new schedule (schedule 7) was introduced to regulate this content consistently with the national classifications system. On 10 March 2009, the ACMA issued an "interim link-deletion notice" to Bulletproof Networks, an Australian web-hosting company, on

8463-517: Was designed to be consistent with the national classifications system (the Code and Classification Guidelines established by the Classification (Publications, Films and Computer Games) Act 1995). Through this mechanism of establishing what content is prohibited or possibly prohibited, ACMA effectively creates a "blacklist" of content to which Internet service providers must deny users access. This framework

8556-717: Was established by adding a new schedule (schedule 5) to the Broadcasting Services Act 1992 . The Australian Broadcasting Authority was responsible for managing and enforcing the framework, and this responsibility passed to ACMA in 2005. The key element to the framework was the establishment of a complaints mechanism under Part 4 of the Schedule. Members of the public could complain to ACMA about offensive material online, ACMA could investigate, and then notify Internet service providers to prevent access to prohibited content. The framework also permitted ACMA to initiate an 'own-motion' investigation into potentially prohibited content. The framework

8649-508: Was no mechanism for a site operator to know they got onto the list or to request to be removed from it. Australia's Communications Minister, Stephen Conroy later blamed the addition of the dentist's website to the blacklist on the "Russian mob". Associate professor Bjorn Landfeldt of the University of Sydney said that the leaked list "constitutes a condensed encyclopedia of depravity and potentially very dangerous material". Stephen Conroy said

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