Dear Mr Shaw,

I wish to voice my opposition to the schedule "Radio Communications Class License (Low Interference Potential Devices)" in particular Item 17, Column 1 of the Section 132 and 135 amendment dated 13th June, 1997.

Radio Amateurs have over the years put a large amount of  time and resources into building  radio networks to assist with furthering skills in communications and assisting the community when needed and providing facilities and resources in times of emergency. Repeater networks have been designed to enhance communications and many repeaters, which have very sensitive receivers,  have been placed in suitable locations both in urban and rural areas throughout Australia.

The low interference devices which have been approved have the potential to cause interference  to amateur radio transmissions, thus reducing the enjoyment of the use of the frequency allocation and in providing assistance to the community and in times of emergency. In fact there have been recent incidences where commercial and domestic LIP devices have been found to cause interference to VK3RSE and industrial equipment. There is concern that the LIP devices will cause harmful interference to communications during the Olympics in Sydney, Defence Force operations and during emergencies where assistance is provided by radio amateurs. There is the potential that deaths may be caused through the inability to call or provide timely advice and assistance in a life threatening situation.

I am a member of WICEN which is a registered DISPLAN organisation and various frequencies are used in the amateur radio allocation to provide assistance to the community and in emergencies and it is considered that the frequency allocations (160m, 80m 40m etc) should be free from interference and potential interference.

I strongly object to the legislation which allows an unlicensed user to be able to legally cause harmful interference and possibly cause unnecessary suffering, when as a licensed user I am required to ensure that interference of any kind is not caused by the operation of my station and I am required to provide assistance in any kind of emergency.  The use of LIP devices will, no doubt, lead to the degeneration of the amateur radio frequencies in the same way as Citizens Band radio, which is uncontrolled and unregulated. On the other hand, it can be inferred that it is no longer necessary to pass examinations and pay licence fees to use the amateur radio bands.

I object to the fact that the Wireless Institute of Australia (WIA) and the 17,000 licensed radio amateurs in Australia were not consulted before the legislation was drafted and implemented. Such consultation would have been at a small cost to the government compared to the $0.8million pa income generated by license fees. Consultation would have highlighted the problems which are now emerging from the implementation of the legislation. The legally generated interference can place human life at risk in emergency and industrial situations and during operations by the defence forces. Therefore, all LIP devices which impact on the amateur radio frequency allocations should be immediately withdrawn.

It is noted that spectrum user groups, such as the Wireless Institute of Australia (WIA)  are not represented on the board of the Australian Communications Authority. It is considered that  the WIA should be included in the membership of the ACA board and legislation should be amended accordingly.

Your immediate attention and resolution of the matter will be appreciated.
 
 

Yours sincerely,