Australian Amateurs get 2 x 1 Contest Callsigns
/The Radio Amateur Society of Australia (RASA) has successfully negotiated the issue of 2 x 1 callsigns (e.g. VK2A) for VK contest stations.
“RASA developed terms of reference for a cross-sector committee to review options and make recommendations on how 2 x 1 callsigns could be implemented. Calls for expressions of interest to join the committee were promulgated widely. The committee was comprised of experienced contesters from across Australia.
The committee developed a series of recommendations, which we discussed with the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA).
I am very pleased to report that ACMA have agreed to our recommendations and that the VK 2 x 1 block (i.e. VK0A-VK9Z) will be made available for contest stations”
The block will be managed directly by the ACMA’s outsourced provider, the Australian Maritime College (AMC). AMC will issue a letter of authorisation to each successful applicant. There will be no separate licence issued.
2 x 1 callsigns will be available for Advanced licence holders, and each callsign will be issued for 12 months. The callsigns are only for use in contests – they are not available for general use.
“Because of the limited number of callsigns available, the applicant must illustrate an ongoing commitment to contest operation by making a minimum of 750 contacts over 4 contests in a 12-month period”
The AMC is currently preparing for the implementation of the new callsign block. A further announcement will follow when AMC is ready to start issuing callsigns.
