Licensing information for Australia - VK, Including Islands
Prepared by: OH2MCN - Veke & PA0GAM - Gerben & 9M2/VK2CZ - David & VK4DU - Glenn
Status: March-97, May '98, July '99, Jan'00 & Sep '01 & Oct 2002 &
Aug '05
Intro: If you have a foreign ham license, you can get a license for Australia. This gives
only the addresses needed. VK is non CEPT.
Newly formed Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) is the licensing authority and provides information for visitors on their web pages and the very old Radiocommunications Technical Licence Specification TLS 5/1995 Amateur can be found on my Web server. ACMA has a page for Equivalents to Overseas amateur Qualifications but these new ACMA web pages are not made to have any external links to them! You have to surf there and find what you want with search commands! I have purposely taken all the other http addresses off from here to guarantee up-to-date information. (They have changed so too often lately, and once again, and once again.)
There are also very good but old SMA Information booklets (maybe now ACMA booklets): RIB 70 Information for Prospective Amateur Operators, RIB 71 Amateur Service - Licence Conditions and Regulations, RIB 72 Amateur Service - Operating Procedures (Nov '95) that may be ordered from ACMA and are most probably given to you with your Australian licence.
Addition From: "Glenn VK4DU"
<vk4du@gmdss.com.au>
Subject: Overseas amateurs visiting VK
Date: Sat, 19 Oct 2002 13:10:32 +1000
Dear OM,
Just an additional note for VK.
You CAN NOT operate with your overseas license in VK, even on 2 m. You MUST get a
VK call before you can operate. (i.e. no CEPT)
73
Glenn VK4DU
WIA/ex ACA liaison committee
Good information about Norfolk Island and Lord Howe Island can be found on the Web. Accomodation information
elsewhere in Australia is also available. PG5M (ex PA5NT and PA0GAM) Gerben
has made a nice and useful homepage on
Christmas Island and his operation as VK9GA (follow DXpeditions).
For Cocos (Keeling) Islands try THE COCOS
(KEELING) ISLANDS, Travel Docs, Out of Bounds
For Christmas Island try Christmas Island Tourism
Association, Travel Docs
Some older information said that apply VK9 via Capital Territory office. The experience so far has been that ACMA (ex ACA) office in Perth handles licenses for Cocos Keeling Islands and Christmas Island. This is very convenient because the flights to VK9C/X depart from Perth (and Jakarta).
Wireless Institute of Australia [WIA]
Location: Suite 10, 229 Balaclava Rd., North Caulfield, Victoria 3161
Address: P.O. Box 2175, Caulfield Junction, Victoria 3125
Tel: +61 (3) 9528-5962 <National Office>, (8) 9409-9680
<VK6NE>, (3) 9802-6137 <VK3KI>
Fax: +61 (3) 9523-8191 <National Office>
Email: nationaloffice@wia.org.au
<National Office>, president@wia.org.au
<VK3KI>
Web: http://www.wia.org.au
President: Michael Owen, VK3KI
Secretary: Chris Jones, VK2ZDD
IARU liaison: Neil Penfold, VK6NE
Last updated: 28-Apr-2005
Countries with which Australia has Reciprocal Licensing
Arrangements (Sept 2001):
CEPT, VE, OZ, F incl. FK, DL, SV, VU, 4X, JA, 9M, ZL, P29, SP, H44, EA, HB, G*, W
and countries with no reciprocal arrangements but which have a class of certificate or
licence accepted as equivalent to an Australian Qualification:
CEPT, LU, ZF, VR2, YB, EI, I, LX, 9H, A35, PA, LA, DU, 9V, ZS, 4S7, SM, YJ, West Indies
(meaning what ?)
Paperwork needed:
- Photocopy of current license
- Photocopy (if not applying in person) of current passport authenticated by some local
authorities such as police, embassy or consulate, etc.
- Completed application form (can be faxed to you from ACMA offices).
License fee is AUS dollars 40 (Autumn 2001). Payment by money order is not preferred because of bad experiences and it takes too long (sometimes up to 6 months). ACA suggests to ask a friend in Australia to make the initial payment for you or second best is to send a bank cheque.
Veikko Komppa (Veke) < oh2mcn@sral.fi >
and
"Gerben A.Menting" < gam@wxs.nl >
Addition From: "PWC ." < pwc@maxis.com.my >
Date: Mon, 03 Sep 2001
Subject: VK Licensing
The Australian Licensing authority is now called the "Australian Communications
Authority" (ACA). They have all VK licences online. see http://www.aca.gov.au Generally you need to front
any of their offices (check the web site for address, as they have closed many sub-urban
branches) with your original home licence, AUD$40 or so (you can get licences from 3
months to 5 year blocks). You also have a choice of ANY unused callsign appropraite to
your Aussie grade - vanity calls are no-charge (but hard to find free).
73 David Burger 9M2/VK2CZ, K3HZ Kuala Lumpur
DX Holiday: VK - Australia and VK9C - Cocos-Keeling Island and VK9L - Lord Howe Island and VK9N - Norfolk Island and VK9X - Christmas Island