The
Certificate of Competency:
The
Radiocommunications Regulations
Establishing and Operating an Amateur Radio Station in New Zealand
(You should note the importance of this section!
SEVEN questions are asked - nearly 12% of the examination!)
INTRODUCTION CONTROL PANEL BOOKLIST EXAMS QUESTIONS "aide memoire"
To top of page Contents To top of page
If this is your first time at this page, please scroll down and read all the information in this file below to get an overview.
Introduction and Overview: Log Books:
The Regulations: Third Party Traffic:
The TWO "Radio Regulations": Mobile and portable operating:
Two definitions: No "secret codes":
More background: Overseas Travellers:
Regions: Harmful Interference:
How does all this fit together? Unwanted Emissions:
National Radio Regulations: Transmitter Power Output:
How do I get an Amateur Radio qualification? Frequency Bands:
The Examination Process: Sharing of Bands:
Receiving a Certificate: Additional note regarding other bands:
Callsigns: Bandplanning and Frequency Coordination:
Amateur Radio Operating Conditions: Compliance and Enforcement:
There are TWO important documents. These are: Glossary
1. A "General User Radio Licence for Amateur Radio Operators". It can be viewed by anyone at an official government website and downloaded and printed.
(This G U R L permits the holder of a "General Amateur Operators Certificate of Competency" to operate an amateur radio station in New Zealand. This G U R L lists terms, conditions and restrictions, including a schedule of the amateur radio frequency bands.)
2. The "General Amateur Operators Certificate of Competency". Amateur Radio Operators are qualified persons, they have each passed a written examination and each is the holder of an individual Certificate of Competency.
(Each operator's name, address and other information is entered and held in an official on-line database. The Certificate is downloaded and printed from this database and is kept in the possession of the individual operator.)
Each "Certificate of Competency" names the operator and lists an individual and unique callsign, unique to that individual operator. The callsign listed on the Certificate is used on-air by the named operator to identify that particular station.
You must know and understand more about: 1. the G U R L, and 2. the Certificate of Competency and callsigns.
The GURL: Here is the exact official version: Amateur Radio GURL It is available at: http://www.rsm.govt.nz/licensing/gurls/gurl-amateur.html
Here is the same document text, but laid out to make it easier to read and to study: Expanded GURL Print it and STUDY IT. It contains many issues that appear in examination questions.
The
Certificate of Competency:
The Amateur Radio database records are held by the Ministry of Economic Development, Radio Spectrum Management Group's SMART - "Spectrum Management And Registration Technology".
SMART is accessible on-line by anyone for viewing callsign and other information about a certificate holder.
With the aid of a supplied confidential "Client Key" and a "Password", each amateur operator, i.e. each certificate and callsign holder, has live access to the personal contact details in the database and is required to keep the address and other contact details up-to-date.
If you don't have the facilities to do this on-line, an ARX (Approved Radio Examiner) can do it for you. An ARX is a person authorised to make new entries to the database for candidates who pass the Amateur Radio Examination and among other things, to arrange callsigns for newly-qualified amateurs.
The NZART Examinations Coordinator and General Secretary has ARX privileges and can attend to these matters for you.
There is a fee involved to cover the costs of these administrative services.
The Amateur Radio Examination requires a knowledge of the relevant national and international regulations, with an understanding of some basic radio theory and some radio operating knowledge. All of this is covered in this Study Guide.
This Regulations Page is to make you familiar with the Regulations that you need to know. As a radio amateur you need to be aware of many regulatory things and know where to find them in the various documents!
Operating a radio transmitter in the crowded radio frequency spectrum requires a good understanding of
what you are permitted to do,
what you are required to do, and
what you MUST NOT do.
There are many privileges and responsibilities to being a radio amateur:
Radio amateurs are not constrained to any fixed frequencies but may operate on frequencies of their own choosing within the frequency bands allocated to amateur radio distributed throughout the radio frequency spectrum.
Radio amateurs may use communication modes of their own choosing. Glossary
The equipment used by radio amateurs need not be "type-approved" like the equipment used by most other radio services.
Radio amateurs can construct and operate their own equipment on any of the many radio frequency bands.
Please refer to the SYLLABUS and the QUESTIONS to see the coverage and the standard of knowledge required for the examination.
Here is a two-page REGULATIONS SUMMARY Question-sheet: "aide-memoire" (Print it double-sided.)
There are two "Radio Regulations" documents - the International Radio Regulations and our New Zealand Radio Regulations. You are expected to have an understanding of both of them. It is not necessary to learn them off in parrot-fashion! The important parts are here:
1. Extracts from the International Radio Regulations:
The International Radio Regulations of interest to radio amateurs are collected here. Important regulations are in Article 25.
2. Extracts from the New Zealand Radio Regulations:
Here is Schedule 1 from the New Zealand Radiocommunications Regulations 2001.
Unfortunately all Regulatory documents seem to contain unnecessary words! To help your understanding, read the yellow highlighted words in this version of Schedule 1 and ignore all the other words.
(Note the reference to the International Radio Regulations in 1 and 2 of Schedule 1 to the NZ Regulations.)
Both the International and the New Zealand Radio Regulations give authority for the issuing of radio licences - but we don't need to go looking to find the exact regulations or to study their words.
Two important Amateur Radio definitions taken from the International Radio Regulations are:
1.56 amateur service: A radiocommunication service for the purpose of self-training, intercommunication and technical investigations carried out by amateurs, that is, by duly authorized persons interested in radio technique solely with a personal aim and without pecuniary interest.
1.57 amateur-satellite service: A radiocommunication service using space stations on earth satellites for the same purposes as those of the amateur service.
Look at Question 1 in the list of Questions: List of Questions
Re-read the definition of the Amateur Service in 1.56 above. You're progressing!
Far more information than is required for the examination is given on this "Regulations" page. This regulatory information is for background and for reference purposes.
Don't be put off by anything that may appear complicated! You will find that it all does fit together!
(For reference purposes: The New Zealand Radiocommunications Regulations 2001 and the Radiocommunications Act can be found at: www.legislation.govt.nz. For amateur radio study purposes, the Radiocommunications ACT can be ignored.)
You should know about these INTERNATIONAL and LOCAL organisations:
The international organisations are:
the International Amateur Radio Union (IARU)
with the International Amateur Radio Union Region 3 (IARU R3).
The New Zealand organisation for Radio Amateurs is:
The New Zealand Association of Radio Transmitters Incorporated (NZART).
For regulatory purposes, the International Radio Regulations divide the world into three "Regions". See the Map
Region 1 covers Europe, the "old USSR" areas, and all of Africa,
Region 2 is North and South America.
Region 3 is the rest of the world, including New Zealand.
The radio frequency allocations can differ between the three regions - but that does not concern your studies for this amateur radio examination.
How does all this fit together?
Every two years or so, the ITU holds an international conference, at which the International Radio Regulations and other documents are discussed and modified. New Zealand is represented at these conferences by a delegation led by the New Zealand Ministry of Economic Development (MED), Radio Spectrum Management Group (RSM). An NZART member may sometimes be a part of the New Zealand Delegation to represent the Amateur Service. The MED RSM is the New Zealand "Administration".
Each IARU Region holds a conference every three years and these are arranged in sequence, so there is a regional amateur radio conference held each year in one of the three regions. The 13th IARU Region 3 Conference was held in Bangalore in 2006. NZART has sent a delegation to all previous IARU Region 3 conferences and takes an active and leading part.
Countries set additional local licensing conditions for their radio amateurs. These differ greatly in detail, but all should conform to the International Radio Regulations.
As stated earlier, the current document is the New Zealand Radiocommunications Regulations 2001. Those Regulations set many things a licence-holder must observe. Many of these are considered below.
How do I get an Amateur Radio qualification?
So, how do I get started?
If you require assistance with your studies, or wish to attend a class, or when you are ready for an examination, you should contact your local NZART Branch or the Examination Supervisors in the local Branch.
You can obtain assistance from NZART Headquarters too. The NZART General Secretary is also the NZART Examination Coordinator and is also an "Approved Radio Examiner" (ARX) - approved by the Ministry of Economic Development, Radio Spectrum Management Group. The ARX will be pleased to provide any further information you may require.
A "General Amateur Operators Certificate of Competency", in your name, with a callsign, is granted after passing a written examination.
This diagram shows the sequence to follow to obtain the amateur radio qualification:
NZART provides an examination service. There is a fee involved at various stages. These fees are to cover administrative costs and are usually once-only. Please refer to: Fees Please read that document to learn about the administrative and procedure arrangements.
Your certificate is emailed to you as a part of the entering of your information into the official database. The certificate is printed and kept by you as your authority to operate with the listed callsign.
(In New Zealand there is only one amateur radio examination and one grade of licence. Some countries have several examinations that must be attempted and passed in sequence - with several grades of licence too.)
The written examination comprises 60 multiple-choice questions covering Regulations and Theory in a single two-hour examination. This is conducted by appointment and held at a mutually-agreed place and time by volunteer Examination Supervisors from designated NZART Branches. SYLLABUS
The written test is computer-generated using questions the computer carefully selects from a 600-question public-domain question-bank. This STUDY GUIDE contains ALL those questions and some SAMPLE TEST PAPERS for you to try! A booklet with all the questions in the question-bank can be downloaded from the NZART website or a printed copy can be purchased from NZART.
The question-bank is the intellectual property of NZART and can only be used within NZART systems and procedures to ensure the integrity of the examination process is maintained.
A pass requires 40 correct answers. Your result is given to you on the spot. A successful "Examination Result Notification" (ERN) is recognised by the MED RSM for certificate/callsign application purposes. An ARX can enter the results of a successful candidate into SMART and set up another client radio amateur.
Variations to the established Examining Process:
The Radiocommunications Regulations 2001 Section 28 (2) provides, at the MED Chief Executive's discretion, for variation to the manner in which an examination is carried out. If there is need to vary the examination process for a candidate with a particular disability, the local Examination Supervisors should ensure the candidate is fully aware of the established exam procedure and is encouraged to state a preferred variation to the examination procedure as determined by personal circumstances. The Supervisors should approach the MED RSM Head Office with a recommendation for a variation to the examining process and obtain approval for that variation before the examination takes place. The Ministry will deal with each case as it arises and sees referral by a medical expert and use of a neutral reader/writer as its preferred option.
An Examination Result Notification (ERN) is issued on-the-spot after each examination supervised by NZART Examination Supervisors. A successful ERN is recognised for certificate-application purposes. The Certificate of Competency is emailed after the ARX has successfully put the entries into SMART.
You can feel really proud and hang a certificate on your wall to recognise your achievement.
You have a qualification that has international recognition.
The ARX will set up your callsign at the time when your personal and examination result details are first entered into SMART.
The arrangements and the format for the ARX to follow when generating an amateur radio callsign are given in the Ministry's public information brochure “Approved Radio Examiners (ARX) Manual – Radio Operator Certificate and Callsign Rules” document PIB46. This Brochure is to be available from the Ministry of Economic Development, Radio Spectrum Management Group.
More can be learned about callsigns by investigating the MED RSM website and by checking existing and yet-to-be-allocated callsigns using the SMART on-line facility.
Find some not-yet-allocated ones! Your callsign selections should fit the regular broad patterns: ZL1, ZL2, ZL3 or ZL4, with a two-or-three-letter suffix.
It is recommended that you provide your choice of three callsign selections, in priority order, to the ARX with your ERN and Radio4A form, all completed and legible, at the time you make application to be come a radio amateur. Note the procedure and the fees.
Use the SMART button at: http://www.rsm.govt.nz/index.html to reach the SMART facility.
An operator can request the address to be withheld for privacy reasons - but remember that some stations worked prefer to post their QSL cards direct to you and will require your address. Let your address be seen.
Applications for a New Callsign
Candidates wishing to sit the amateur radio examination are requested to present a passport photo ID complete with a witness’ signature confirming the identity of the candidate. For a successful candidate, this will later be placed electronically on the Certificate of Competency.
Application form Radio 4A must be completed by the applicant and sent together with the passport photo ID and the blue ERN (Exam Result Notification) form to the NZART Examination Coordinator. The NZART Examination Coordinator has ARX privileges — a Ministry of Economic Development, Radio Spectrum Management, (MED RSM) Approved Radio Examiner.
Form Radio 4A can be found on the RSM web site at: http://www.rsm.govt.nz/formsfees/radio4a.pdf
Please ensure that ALL the information entered on these forms is accurate, clear and READABLE!
Where an e-mail address is provided by the candidate, upon completion by the ARX of processing a new amateur’s details on-line in SMART (RSM’s Spectrum Management and Registration Technology), a copy of the certificate will be sent direct to the candidate by e-mail.
If all the information above is not provided at the processing time, or if the information provided is illegible, the application will be delayed and a callsign cannot be issued.
Existing Callsign Holders
In November 2005 existing callsign holders received a special Client ID and password from the RSM Office giving on-line access to their records in the Ministry’s new SMART system.
The callsign holder can make change-of-address, amend other contact details and request a replacement certificate on-line. There are no fees to access your own information or to make any amendments yourself. A hard-copy certificate, in colour on card, can be requested posted from the NZART Examination Coordinator (ARX) for a fee.
NOTE: You are required by the Radio Regulations to make updating changes to your permanent address within 7 days or get an ARX to do it for you.
Should your Client ID and password have been misplaced, reactivate it by contacting the RSM Processing Centre in Christchurch, Freephone: 0508 776 463.
Amateur Radio Operating Conditions:
The amateur radio qualification does not permit operation for commercial or business purposes, or for "pecuniary gain" (i.e. for making money). (See the definition of the Amateur Service given above.)
A General Amateur Operators Certificate of Competency entitles the holder to operate transmitters in the bands of frequencies designated for amateur radio use in the GURL. ( See the FREQUENCIES detail in this Study Guide too).
Please note that the GURL and the Certificate do not specify any transmission mode to be used on any amateur band. That is the licensee's choice. (Note too the details about Band-planning discussed below.)
Note that radio amateurs are permitted to use the designated industrial, scientific and medical (ISM) band at 27.12 MHz for telecontrol and telemetry operation only. It is not an amateur band but all amateurs are permitted to use it.
Amateur stations may communicate with other amateur stations only. Amateurs may not communicate with commercial or other stations operating legally or illegally either inside or outside the designated amateur bands.
The only exception to this is under emergency conditions. This approval is specified in the International Radio Regulations (see RR 4.9). If safety of human life is at risk, communication on any frequency by anyone is permitted. Very occasionally a distress call has been received by an amateur operator. If no official station replies, an amateur may make contact and should also immediately alert the NZ Police. If an official station does reply, all other stations are obliged to clear the frequency.
All Amateurs must comply with the conditions permitted by the licence. A visiting amateur should use his own callsign if in control of a station visited. If the owner is present and in control, it is permitted to use the owner's callsign.
Regulatory information undergoes frequent revision and circumstances change, so you are advised to check the MED RSM web site from time-to-time to check for later versions of the GURL and documents. http://www.med.govt.nz/rsm.
The MED RSM will give sympathetic consideration to requests for reasoned variation to individual amateur operating conditions. An example is the temporary use of higher-power for moon-bounce experiments.
Other important points are:
