NZ AMATEUR USE OF TWO 5 MHZ DEFENCE FREQUENCIES
ZK PREFIX FOR NZART TO ADMINISTER
REPEATER SURVEY RESULTS SURVEY RESULTS-BUSINESS MANAGER DEBBY ZL2TDM
SMART SYSTEM AND CALL SIGN ALLOCATION-BUSINESS MANAGER DEBBY ZL2TDM
REPEATER SURVEY RESULTS (FROM NZART COUNCIL)
FROM AREC NATIONAL DIRECTOR JEFF SAYER ZL4JS-ZK PREFIX
EXAMINATION AND TRAINING MATERIAL - REGULATORY CHANGES-BUSINESS MANAGER DEBBY ZL2TDM
ALL ABOUT SMART...RSM NO LONGER ISSUE PAPER LICENCES-BUSINESS MANAGER DEBBY ZL2TDM
VERY IMPORTANT INFORMATION FOR EXAMINATIONS-BUSINESS MANAGER DEBBY ZL2TDM
PUBLIC PROTECTION AND DISASTER RELIEF (PPDR)
SMART CALLSIGN/CERTIFICATE FEES-BUSINESS MANAGER DEBBY ZL2TDM
IMPORTANT NOTICE TO ALL RADIO AMATEURS, STUDENTS, EXAM CANDIDATES AND EXAM SUPERVISORS
DISTRICT PLAN CHANGE THREATENS THE FUTURE OF AMATEUR RADIO OPERATIONS
NZART COUNCIL: FACE TO FACE - MEETING REPORT 17/18 FEBRUARY 2007 17/18 FEBRUARY 2007
NZART: REPORT FROM MEETING THE MED 23 FEBRUARY 2007
5 MHZ USAGE
NZART REPORT FROM MEETING THE MED - 2.4 GHZ-FRIDAY 9 MARCH 2007
ONE LETTER CALL SIGNS-BUSINESS MANAGER DEBBY ZL2TDM
RADIO LICENCES: SECURITY OF TENURE
REPORT: NZART AND MED MEETING RE GURL-23 APRIL 2007
GURL: REPEATERS, BEACONS AND FIXED LINKS
NZART MINUTES OF MEETINGS HELD OVER CONFERENCE WEEKEND 2007
EXAMINATIONS AND FEES-BUSINESS MANAGER DEBBY ZL2TDM
SMART PROCESSING-BUSINESS MANAGER DEBBY ZL2TDM
NOTES FROM NZART AND MED MEETING FOR AUGUST 2007
MINISTRY/RSM REPEATERS FEES-BUSINESS MANAGER DEBBY ZL2TDM
CALL SIGN APPLICATION FEES UPDATE-BUSINESS MANAGER DEBBY ZL2TDM
CALL SIGN APPLICATION AND NZART MEMBERSHIP-BUSINESS MANAGER DEBBY ZL2TDM
PROCEDURES FOR CHECKING THE RSM DATABASE FROM TONY CASE ZL1UD NZART COUNCIL
WITHHOLDING DETAILS ON SMART-TONY CASE - ZL1UD, NZART COUNCIL
RADIO FREQUENCY AUCTION: 2.3 GHZ AND 2.5 GHZ BANDS - DISCUSSION PAPER
COMMENT ON MED MEETING NOTES: FOUNDATION LICENCE
SILENT KEYS-BUSINESS MANAGER DEBBY ZL2TDM
CALL SIGNS-BUSINESS MANAGER DEBBY ZL2TDM
SILENT KEY LETTER
DATABASE CALLSIGN REMOVAL FORM
TEXT VERSION OF DATABASE CALLSIGN REMOVAL FORM
NORTH SHORE CITY COUNCIL PLANNING HEARING
MINUTES OF NZART COUNCIL FACE TO FACE MEETING 2-3 FEB 2008
REPORT ON MEETING OF NZART ALO WITH NZ ADMINISTRATION MED
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Report on Meeting of NZART ALO with NZ Administration MED
Notes of Meeting held on Wednesday 9 April between Wayne Wedderspoon, MED (Ministry of Economic Development) and Don Wallace, NZART Administration Liaison Officer (ALO)
Digital Broadcasting Review of Regulation
Wayne noted that this review is currently underway and, while it is primarily aimed at broadcasting, there is potential for impact on the amateur service and suggested that NZART study the paper and submissions.
ZLxExxx (ex AREC) Callsigns
Don noted that the intention to reserve these callsigns was not included in the current (March 2008) version of PIB46. Wayne suggested that the best way forward was for NZART to recommend an amendment to PIB46 to cover these callsigns.
Amateur Allocation at 500 kHz
Don noted that the ITU-R is currently considering an international allocation to amateurs of part of the old 500 kHz distress frequency band and that some NZ amateurs had already requested an allocation. Wayne noted that it was likely to be some time before an international allocation would be available but that NZART might consider applying (to Radio Spectrum Policy and Planning) for a temporary interim allocation on a non-interference basis under footnote 4 of the Schedule of the GURL.
ZK2 and ZK 3 Callsigns
Don asked whether there was any update as to whether Niue and Tokelau are using the (New Zealand) ZK2 and ZK3 callsign series. Wayne said that they had made an informal approach but had not received a reply from either Niue and Tokelau. At some point Niue and Tokelau may wish follow the Cook Islands lead with an ITU series outside ZK, ZL and ZM and that would be an appropriate time to review the allocations. He also said that MED records of the allocation history of many callsign series, particularly ZK2 and ZK3, are fairly sparse and any historical documentation that NZART members could point to would be helpful..
KiwiSAT
Don noted that Terry Carrel is working directly with Alex Orange on the registration of this satellite with the ITU. Wayne said that while NZ (i.e. the MED) will handle the registration of the satellite with the ITU, it will not licence it. Apparently, different countries take different approaches to the licensing of satellites. In general, satellites providing services into New Zealand (of which there are many) are not licensed. Licences are granted, however, to protect commercial satellite reception at specified locations from terrestrial fixed services.
SSB on 10 MHz
Don noted that an NZART member had stated that Australian amateurs were using SSB on their 10 MHz and had raised a question as to whether New Zealand and/or Australian amateurs should be using SSB in this allocation. Wayne responded that the amateur licence only specified that amateurs must comply with the latest ITU-R recommendations (See Notice 5 (6) to the GURL) but, as far as he was aware, these did not specify the mode to be used on this band. He saw this as an NZART band-planning rather than an MED issue.
Entry Level Licence
Don noted that NZART is looking at the possibility of introducing an entry level amateur licence to NZ similar to those in the UK and Australia and asked what the MED's attitude would be to a request for such a licence in NZ. Don also left a copy of the Australian manual with Wayne so he could see how the system operates there. Wayne replied that the Foundation Licence concept in both the UK and Australia appeared to have been very successful. He thought that such a request would be received positively but would need to be carefully differentiated from the (cancelled) novice licence. He noted that this would probably require: * amendments to Schedule 4 of the Radiocommunications regulations to accommodate the new certificate and its syllabus (not likely before next year); * amendments to the GURL to add the additional certificate and to state which frequencies are to be used (relatively simple to implement); * a new range of callsigns in PIB46 (relatively simple to implement); * an additional licence class in SMART for Approved Radio Examiners to issue (relatively simple to implement);
Repeater Fees
Don noted that various NZART members had been enquiring about mechanisms available to relieve NZART branches of the charges associated with repeater licensing. Wayne said that he is fully aware of the ongoing issue. MED is not against reducing or eliminating repeater licensing fees, but there are equity issues with other voluntary public good spectrum users and Treasury rules require that there be no cross-subsidisation between different classes of users (including between operators and repeaters etc). The effect of this is that the costs associated with licensing repeaters have to be met - either by the licensees of the installations concerned or by some other funding mechanism - but not other licensees.
Single Letter Callsigns
Don asked for feedback on the latest draft of the paper on single letter callsigns. Wayne said that the proposal made sense but that minor changes were needed in the following areas: * As NZART is not the only potential approved radio examiner (ARX) for amateurs, the present references to NZART ARXs need to be changed to Amateur ARXs; * For the same reason, the reallocation rules need to be clear so that that both NZART and non-NZART ARXs will interpret them in the same way * The rules need to clearly state which callsign series (e.g. ZL1 - 4, ZL 5, etc) are covered by the proposed rule change.
Don Wallace ZL2TLL NZART Administration Liaison Officer
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Minutes of the face to face meeting 2 and 3 February 2008 for NZART Council held at Upper Hutt Cosmopolitan Club on Saturday 2nd and Sunday 3rd February 2008 - commencing 10am Saturday 2nd February.
8/2 Roll Call
Chairman: Bruce Douglas ZL2WP
Council: Tony Case ZL1UD, Vaughan Henderson ZL1TGC, Noel Rowe ZL3GR
Mark Gooding ZL2UFI, Roy Symon ZL2KH, John Andrews ZL2HD
Stuart Watchman ZL2TW, Keith Stanton ZL3QH
John Lochhead ZL4QS
Minute Sec: ZL2TDM
Meeting Commenced
The meeting got under way with a full report from the Administration Liaison Officer Don Wallace ZL2TLL.
The following report was submitted:
General
o Soft start -appointed in October, introduced to MED in December
o Taking consultative approach
o identify issue;
o seek input from amateurs and MED;
o circulate informal draft(s) for comment (including to MED)
o finalise proposal and submit to Council for approval
o Submit formally to MED
Repeater Licensing Costs
o Announcement last year of no changes to fees for repeaters, beacons & fixed links
o Review to be carried out this year.
o Propose "Public Good" approach in tandem with others in a similar situation
Single Letter Call Signs
o 11 issued to date; 4 to individuals, for 1 year with 6 month stand-down
o Sought input from membership via HQ Infoline
o Proposal that they be renewable if still being used for appropriate purpose
o First draft of proposal circulated to those who provided input
o Comments currently being considered
Radio Sector Group
o Group of radio users who prepare NZ input to WARC 2011, ITU-R studies, etc.
o Meeting held on Wed 30 January attended by Don
o Several areas to watch including proposal for new amateur band around 500 kHz
o Will write brief report for Infoline.
ZK Call signs
o September 2006 ZK call signs made available to NZ Amateurs for AREC use
o Early 2007, MED withdraw ZK2 & ZK3 as currently assigned to Niue & Tokelau
o Question has now been raised about ZK9 assignment to Niue
o Propose to monitor situation Council briefly discussed the option of introducing a similar introductory license as the WIA have - "the Foundation License". Don advised that providing the new licence falls in line with international regulations then there would be no problem. The former ALO's confirmed that MED would be prepared undertake initial work if that was the wish of NZART so long as no additional ongoing involvement was required. Council also confirmed to Don that a moratorium for a period of 5 years had been agreed upon between NZART and MED for the issuance of ZLE series call signs. ZL1UD queried if the time was right to start negotiations for the allocation of the 6 metre frequency due for release in 2012 with MED. Council agreed to raise this with the ALO ZL2TLL.
8/3 Apologies:
Jeff Sayer ZL2TFZ.
Noel ZL3GR who arrived late due to travel problems
8/4 Action points
874:FF8/18 ZL4QS budget figures for IARU Region 3 update Ongoing John ZL4QS advised there is to be a meeting with the IARU committee on the second weekend in March - the Conference is now 18months away. Council agreed that a report is needed on host requirements by the next meeting on the 6th March.
880:FF8/35 ZL1BNB prepare booklet guide for planners in District Councils. Mike Newman attended the meeting on Sunday morning and advised that this needs to be produced at a deeper level than pamphlet form. The North Shore City Council issue confirms the very need for a booklet, to raise the awareness of Amateur radio in district planning. Mike's view is that City Councils' need more information than Politicians. This needs to be done sooner rather than later, however Mike cannot dedicate the time necessary to produce such a booklet. -Ongoing Action: Council require a coordinator to assist with preparing a strategic plan to assist ZL1BNB in producing a booklet for District Councils.
893:1/13(b) ZL3QH/ZL2HD/ZL4QS work together to prepare a strategy with regard to political lobbying for the GURL no license fee
894:1/14 Council to review the Foundation license concept as currently in existence in the UK and Australia. Complete Stuart advised he had received confirmation from WIA that NZART may use their syllabus in a customised form. Council agreed that a way forward for the acceptance and introduction was to place an article in Break In and include in discussions at the AGM. Action: ZL2TW/ZL2WP Prepare article for Break In on moving forward - to be circulated around Council before going to publication All agreed that ZL2TW should run a forum at conference introducing some form of introductory qualification such as the foundation license. Complete
895:6/11 ZL3QH to prepare a spreadsheet of tasks to enable Council to keep abreast of issues. No longer required.
8/5 Reports
Monthly
a) QSL Bureau
b) FMTAG - all interim recommendations approved by Council
c) Monitoring Service
Council approved received reports as presented (with any necessary minor amendments or as noted below).
Annual
a) Presidents Annual Report
b) Business Manager's Annual Report
c) Examinations Coordinator/SMART ARX Annual Report
d) Break In Editors Annual Report/Comments on CB
e) Official Broadcast annual Report
f) Administration liaison Annual Report
[Council entered into discussions concerning aspects of this report - Further Information not released on this item in terms of clause 8.4 b ii of the Association constitution
g) Contest Managers Annual Report
h) IARU Liaison Officer annual report (not received)
i) Awards Manager/Callsign Compiler annual report
j) AREC National Director Annual Report (not received)
k) FMTAG annual Report
l) Monitoring Service Report (Approved subject to certain changes to be discussed between Len and ZL2TW).
m) Treasurer's Report - Not Received Evan advised due to non-receipt of the Break In Editor and AREC treasurer not submitting their annual financial accounts, that he has not been able to produce an annual report at this time. Indicative material was however tabled
n) Stolen Equipment Annual Report
o) Officer Liaison Report ZL2WP advised he had received some negative comments about the way in which Officer reappointments were sent out. ZL2KH suggest that Council consider other options to have officers reaffirm their positions.
p) QSL Bureau annual report
All reports approved subject to as set out above Moved ZL2TW Seconded ZL1UD
Carried
8/6 Additional Agenda Items
-8/28 RBFL Strategy
-8/29 Working with Council - ZL3QH
-8/31 Officer appointments requiring attention - ZL2KH
-8/32 Changing World article in Break In -ZL2HD
-8/33 Visit to WIA AGM May 2008
-8/34 Kiwisat
8/7 Minutes of December 07 meeting
Minutes for December meeting approved Moved ZL1TGC Seconded ZL2TW Carried
8/8 New Members Dec 07/Jan 08
New members approved Moved ZL2KH Seconded ZL2TW -Carried
8/9 Ratification of December 07/Jan 08 Payments
Treasurers' Budget and forecast 2008 Again due to non receipt of annual financials from Break In and AREC Evan was only able to prepare a draft budget, which shows the Association still appearing in the black. Amounts paid to date for Repeater licensing was $11,200 of which $5,489 had been received back as donations. This figure includes amounts donated early in 2007. From now on all branches will be invoiced for license fees as per RBFL policy approved by Council in 2007. Advanced payment for 3 year subscriptions are reported as a liability in the accounts. A total of $130,000 had been received in advance. The IARU Region 3 conference has not been included in the budget figures as this is still 18 months away.
As the Association is not (and cannot be) registered under the new Charities Act, this will not apply to NZART funds.
Kiwisaver - Employer Contribution - Debby was asked to leave the room while Council considered its Kiwisaver obligations in relation to employees
Council noted the 1% compulsory employer contribution as from 1 April 2008 as per legislation.
8/10 Conference 2008 Dunedin
Council acknowledged a vote of thanks for the excellent report submitted to the meeting. Making special note of the availability for those attending to pay registration fees in instalments.
Council agreed that questions raised in the report could be determined by the host
Branch as follows
-Group Conference photo - a nice to have if possible, however not many
attendees actually purchase one -Haggis Ceremony - again is up to the Conference committee when to hold this event. Could be held on either Saturday or Sunday evening, whichever is the easier for the host branch.
-Council wish to have their lunch brought to the meeting room venue if this is convenient and it saves time.
- Action: ZL2TDM to advise Dunedin Branch of Council's decisions re the Dunedin AGM and thank them for a very informative report. All agreed that due to the location of this years Conference, that all who were able to, to arrive on Thursday evening. Council's meeting at the next F2F will commence at 9am sharp on Friday 30th May.
8/11 Remits Council considered the following remits and where applicable agreed that appropriate comments need to be included in Break In, in order to have members consider all options.
1) Christchurch West Amateur Radio Club - Call sign data maintained from NZART.
Non-transmitting - Comments [Remit discussion withheld in accordance with 8.4 vii so that Council views on the remits do not unduly influence a free and frank discussion amongst the members at the Annual General Meeting.]
2) Christchurch West Amateur Radio Club - Charging of non-members data in call book. Non-transmitting. This remit is consequential upon adoption of Remit 1 - Nil comment.
3) Manawatu Radio Club - Establish a Training programme like Foundation License Non-transmitting - This is already under action by Council, as instructed at the last AGM. We look forward to hearing Branches opinion on this remit. Council sees this as a positive way forward for the hobby.
4) Manawatu Radio Club - Review of AGM and Conferences Non-transmitting - Nil comment necessary, but unless Council writes to the Branch and requests they remove this remit it will go forward as is.
5) Napier Branch - PIB 46 review Transmitting - however is quite confusing. Council moved that this remit be returned to the branch for clarification. Moved ZL2TW Seconded ZL1TGC - Carried
Action: ZL2TW to write to Napier branch and request clarification of remit.
6) Napier Branch - One Letter call signs Transmitting - Comment: The Administration liaison Officer called for submissions in HQ Info-line. Several submissions have been received and a draft document produced. This draft once completed will be presented to NZART Council for sign off before taking to the MED to have PIB46 amended.
7) North Shore Branch - Cyber membership Non-transmitting - Nil comment
8) Tauranga District Radio Club - Dis-establishment of AREC sections within branches, amendment to Constitution. Non-transmitting - [Remit discussion withheld in accordance with 8.4 vii so that Council views on the remits do not unduly influence a free and frank discussion amongst the members at the Annual General Meeting.]
9) Individual members - PIB46 ZLE series call signs Non-transmitting - [Remit discussion withheld in accordance with 8.4 vii so that Council views on the remits do not unduly influence a free and frank discussion amongst the members at the Annual General Meeting.]
Action: ZL2UFI contact ZL2TLL re ZK callsigns as advised in HQ Info- line 133
10) Individual members - All Council minutes available to members Non-transmitting - Comments - Remit discussion withheld in accordance with 8.4 vii so that Council views on the remits do not unduly influence a free and frank discussion amongst the members at the Annual General Meeting.
8/12 Call Book
a) MED Database accuracy Debby advised that after the last promotion a number of letters had been returned to her as 'gone no address'. She requests that MED be made aware of this, by advising the ALO ZL2TLL, who may take this up with MED. Council agreed that in order to maintain data integrity with the MED database, that a list be prepared and advised to Don ZL2TLL. Action: ZL3QH communicate with ZL2TLL with a list of all GNA notices received after the NZART promotion. A report is required by the next meeting of Council in March. Action: ZL2TDM to prepare a spreadsheet of all letters returned as GNA and advise ZL3QH. Action: ZL1UD place a filler in Break In advising amateurs to update their records with MED directly. Action: ZL2TDM send out a reminder to Branch secretaries for amateurs to ensure their details are correct with MED. Action: ZL2TDM contact ZL3IB and determine if Tony's address update form can be included in Break In.
b) Publishing Call Book
ZL3QH submitted the following motion, seconded by ZL2HD - That Call Book is published biannually. After considerable discussion, which included the effects of reducing Break In from 11 issues to 6 and the loss of membership Council voted on the motion Vote taken -8 against and 2 for - motion was lost.
c) Call Book Editor John Walker ZL3IB advised that Lorne Douglas ZL2AHB will take on the role of Call Book Editor. Moved ZL3QH Seconded ZL2TW - Carried
d) CD Rom Compiler ZL3IB also advised that should Council approve another CD Rom call book this year, that Doug Pratt ZL2BCF will assist with this role. Council are still considering options for Call Book this year and will decide at the June meeting. Motion: That should a CD Rom be produced this year the Break In team remuneration be increased by $500 (to allow fo ran appropriate payment to the CD Rom compiler). Moved ZL4QS Seconded ZL2TW - Carried
e) General Secretary title in Call Book Officer listing Having been queried by members it was agreed that the General Secretary's details will be listed under officer appointments in this years Call Book. Moved ZL3QH Seconded ZL2TW - Carried
8/14 REG Branch Status Deferred as nothing further can be done until Branch responses are considered by REG.
8/15 IMD Break In Sales Having now offered Break In, in bookshops for approximately two years, there is no statistical information available to determine if offering this service has increased membership. Therefore the following motion was put: That NZART cease the sale of Break In, in bookshops effective June 2008 subject to any contractual agreement that may exist with IMD. Moved ZL1TGC Seconded ZL2KH - Carried, ZL2UFI voted against motion. Action: ZL1UD to advise in Council comments column in Break In March/April that Break In will no longer be available for sale in bookshops effective June 2008.
8/16 North Shore City Council/Branch - costs refund ZL2TW queried ZL1TGC as to whether or not it is likely that NZART will receive the $2,210 as agreed for the North Shore City legal fees incurred to date. Vaughan advised that North Shore Branch do indeed have the funds to reimburse NZART and there is a motion on the table at North Shore branch that they will reimburse NZART costs. Action: ZL1TGC to follow up reimbursement of legal costs of $2,210 for Ellis Gould with North Shore Branch. ZL2TW also suggested a limit be advised in dollar terms to how far NZART could afford to assist in this area. ZL1TGC assured Council there is no way that NZART nor North Shore Branch can afford too much. Council agreed that this is a test case and other local body Councils' will be able to use this in the future, therefore it is important that NZART financially assist where possible. Based on a comment and recommendation from Mike Newman ZL1BNB LGLO further expenditure of up to $2,500 may be required for legal representation. Council decided not to place a motion at this time to approve any further expenditure.
8/17 NZART Wiki All agreed that while the concept of including NZART in such a way could be of benefit, however ZL2UFI advised that such a task would be onerous and he does not have time to do so. Council agreed that ZL2UFI acknowledge the approach from Andrew ZL3AME and advise him. If he ZL3AME is able to commit the time to such a project that Council wish him all the best. Action: ZL2UFI contact Andrew ZL3AME re NZART Wiki and Council's comments.
8/18 Wellington Expo requests Council acknowledged a request from the Wellington Expo group and approved a gift voucher for membership to NZART be made available as a prize at the event. Debby advised she is unable to attend this year and requests that another Council member set up and NZART stall. Action: Council to determine a replacement for Debby to be available at the Wellington Expo on behalf of NZART Action: ZL2TDM to advise in writing to Wellington Expo of Council's approval for a gift membership subscription.
8/19 ZK Call signs and AREC ZL2TW A wide ranging discussion was held. ZL2WP informed Council of the considerable time that he has spent dealing with member correspondence on this issue. Council was updated on the background and developments which have subsequently occurred in relation to this matter ZL3QH advised he had met with Bill ZL3NB and Duncan ZL3JT to determine a way forward. Their thoughts were conveyed to Council Action: ZL2UFI e-mail Don ZL2TLL requesting an update from MED re call signs in the Islands. In view of recent criticism of the President, Council, after a discussion, unanimously passed the following motion. A further motion was put in relation to AREC which was by consent of the mover ZL2TW and the seconder ZL2KH withdrawn as it was considered unnecessary. A standard response to any further correspondence received of this nature was to be acknowledged with 'Your points are duly noted'. Action: ZL2TW/ZL2TDM to acknowledge receipt of letter and advise standard response 'Your points are duly noted' and circulate to Council before sending. ZL2WP returned and then continued to Chair the meeting.
8/20 PIB46 Council considered the letter from Peter ZL2IKand agreed that the best option was to do nothing. Action: ZL2TW/ZL2TDM to acknowledge receipt of letter and advise standard response 'Your points are duly noted' and circulate to Council before sending.
8/21 6 Metres and 2015 - ZL1UD In 2015, maybe before, TV Channel 1 will be freed and I think it is time for NZART to start negotiating for the allocation of 50MHz to 51MHz to be given to all amateurs in ZL. Council agreed that ZL2TLL will commence discussions with MED in this regard.
8/22 FMTAG - ZL2KH Report in conjunction with monthly report, agenda item 8/5 (b) Doug ZL2TAR addressed the meeting advising that David ZL2SX has resigned as Chairman of the FMTAG committee due to ill health. Although Council was aware of David's resignation, which had been accepted with regret, they agreed that, a suitable replacement be found immediately to assist Doug in this important position. Doug suggested Brian Fearnley ZL2BRF, be contacted as he may be willing to step into the chairman role at least as an interim measure. Council agreed to ZL2TAR contacting ZL2BRF and will advertise in Break In for a permanent solution. Action: ZL2TAR to contact ZL2BRF re the interim position of the FMTAG Chairman Action: Council to place advertisement in Break In for FMTAG Chairperson ZL2TAR advised that since the inception of SMART a total of 58 new licenses had been engineered. A service he provides free of charge, as his thanks for what Amateur Radio has given him in his working career. This has saved the Association and branches $17,400 as new license engineering would cost between $300 -$400 each. He advised time to engineer a simple license would be up to 3 hours. Branches will now be advised of the application fee of $45 at this time and until they agreed to pay, the application will not be completed. ZL2TAR suggests that Councillors in their respective regions follow up on branches to ensure they now take ownership of their beacons and repeaters as per Council policy advised to all branches in November last year. The 2008 round of annual license fees will now be invoiced by NZART. Council questioned ZL2TAR on the issues arising from Kordia collocation of sites. Is this an area that FMTAG needs to consider, or Council? ZL2TAR suggests that although this has been discussed for some time between Matthew Jackson (Kordia) and David Andrews, there is no real urgency. David's position as Chairman was one of negotiator, one which he did very well. This is what is required here. Council are also concerned that there is no back up for ZL2TAR. Doug further advised that there were a total of 125 Amateur Radio Engineers (ARE's), however only 45 are active. Of these only approximately 12 are able to fill this role. A query re ZL2AMJ being an ARE was asked of Doug, who confirmed that yes he is registered, however had never undertaken the task. ZL2TAR further advised that now we have been through the cycle of fees twice, the rogue licenses have pretty much been culled. Therefore he is able to keep up with the workload on his own at this stage. ZL2UFI suggests that now is the time to tidy up the positions within FMTAG such as job descriptions and roles. Do we declare publicly that this is time to realign roles and seek interest from other members? ZL2HD advised that a job description for the position of Chairman of FMTAG can be found on 1-4 of the 2007/2008 Call Book. ZL2TAR confirmed that two people are desirable (to bounce ideas off each other), interpersonal skills being the most important attribute to assist in the areas that ZL2TAR is not comfortable in undertaking. Action: ZL1TGC to prepare a job description for the chairman/site negotiator as this person needs to be involved as Council liaison. ZL2WP confirmed that he had sent a draft OSH policy to the Business Manager that can be incorporated with Kordia as legal requirement dictates. Action: Councillors to advise ZL2TAR what Branches they will monitor to ensure they pay their repeater fees.
8/23 Members Concerns - letter from ZL3JT Action: ZL2TW/ZL2TDM to acknowledge receipt of letter and advise standard response 'Your points are duly noted' and circulate to Council before sending.
8/24 Council Liabilities - ZL2TW ZL2TW cautioned Council to be careful in answering any email correspondence and discussed legal advice received. Council feel that this is the best year to approach politicians being an election year. All agreed, that a presentation to parliament needs to be clear and concise.
8/25 600 Metre Band - ZL1UD Council agreed that ZL2TLL will continue negotiations with MED in this matter.
8/26 STSP Repeater Policy - ZL1UD/ZL2TAR Council moved the following motion: That the STSP Repeater Policy be adopted and included in the Council e-handbook and NZART web page. Moved ZL1UD Seconded ZL2HD -Carried
8/27 Branch 88 Constitution Amendment Subject to any input from the Association's Solicitor Gerry Kilpatrick ZL1BBS the following motion was put: That the amendment to the Tauranga Emergency Communications Group be adopted. Moved ZL2TW Seconded ZL3GR - Carried Action: ZL2TDM forward a copy of Branch 88 amendments to their constitution for subsequent approval and advise the branch of the same.
8/28 RBFL Strategy Council after considerable discussion decided not to follow the 'public good' theory for negotiation of fees with MED. ZL2HD advised he together with assistance (if offered) from ZL2TLL, ZL2AMI, ZL2AMJ would undertake the lobbying of politicians and will work on a strategy for the future in this regard. The following motion was put: That ZL2HD utilising the resources and assistance of the persons mentioned above will continue to lobby government regarding repeater and beacon licensing. Council are conscious that this being an election year, may be the best opportunity to raise this contentious issue with government. Action: ZL2HD to report to Council at the March meeting on progress regarding repeater and beacon license lobbying.
8/29 Working with Council - ZL3QH ZL3QH raised concerns re decision making by Council using e-mail. Fears that decisions are not recorded in minutes and may be overlooked in the future. ZL1UD advised that he has undertaken to document all resolutions passed via e-mail, and is keeping a record of these. Action: ZL2HD to document all resolutions passed via e-mail, and to keeping a record of these on an ongoing basis.
8/30 Information Papers
a) Branch 67 visit - ZL3GR Council thanked ZL3GR for his report on his branch visit, however agreed that report were only necessary, if branches wished to raise specific concerns with Council.
b) Conference 2009 Thank you to Hawkes Bay Branches for their update on Conference 2009
8/31 Officer Appointments requiring attention ZL2KH advised Council the following Officer positions required confirmation of appointment:
ARDF - ZL1TGC suggested that this was no longer a necessary appointment, however he does hold a pool of equipment. ZL2HD requested that this be forwarded to him.
ARX - ZL2ACT is no longer available for this position, therefore Council will seek to appoint someone within the Wellington region to this position. It was agreed that the candidate needs to be local in order to keep records at NZART headquarters. Suggestions as to who may be available were Doug ZL2TAR or Ted ZL2TED. Action: ZL2WP to approach ZL2TED or ZL2TAR for the appointment of a
Deputy ARX. Contest Manager - ZL1TGC to approach ZL1BHQ for a possible replacement to his position in 2009.
8:32 Changing World Article in Break In ZL2HD questioned the article that was written in the November/December 2007 issue of Break In which had appeared to have been written and approved by all on Council. He believed that such an article did not make sense and appeared to muddy the water as far as what Council is trying to achieve. He had concerns, particularly with regard to specific detail re DOC. Having challenged ZL2HD on where his information was obtained, ZL2WP affirmed that ZL1UD had written the article and circulated round Council for their consideration. ZL1UD followed correct procedures and while the article was submitted in Tony's name it did have the support of most on Council. The author as published may have been changed by the Break In team? ZL2WP spoke to the need to give notice of any intention to challenge statements made to give the opportunity to produce material in support. Resolution by consensus: Anyone submitting an article for publication needs to include their own name and call sign. 8/33 WIA AGM May 2008 - ZL2TW Council agreed that one person should attend the WIA AGM in May. ZL2WP suggested that as ZL2TW is undertaking the introduction of a foundation license here in New Zealand, it would be beneficial for him to attend. The following motion was put That Stuart ZL2TW attend the WIA AGM on behalf of NZART and all costs be paid by NZART Moved ZL1UD Seconded ZL3QH - Carried Vaughan ZL1TGC also advised that he wished to attend the WIA conference at his own expense as he would like to see how their new structure is working. All agreed that Vaughan might attend at his own expense representing NZART if the invitation extended to two persons.
8/34 Kiwisat - ZL4QS ZL4QS advised Kiwisat is still on track to be launched. Overseas donations of $3000 had been received to assist in the launch. Rocket Lab in Christchurch is still actively supporting this project.
8/35 Council Remit for Conference All agreed that rather than raise another remit regarding the production and frequency of call book, that discussion would be sought from the floor at the AGM. ZL2KH will prepare an article for Break In regarding call book in order for members to have discussed within branches and representatives can bring their views to the meeting. Action: ZL2KH to write an article for Break In regarding future publication of Call Book.
8/36 Ken Clarke Trust Information not released on this item in terms of clause 8.4 b i of the Association constitution.
8/37 Council responsibilities ZL2WP to resend to all Councillors, their respective portfolios to monitor while on Council.
8/38 NZART Strategic Plan ZL1TGC suggested that it was timely to revisit the Association's strategic plan. Council are tasked with giving this consideration and discussions will be held on the Thursday evening prior to the AGM for all those Councillors who will be present. It was also agreed at this time that Councils' meeting will commence at 9am on Friday 30th May 2008 at the Southern Cross Hotel venue. All Councillors are to notify Debby as soon as possible all travel and accommodation requirements for this meeting.
8/39 Position of Immediate Past President and the Constitution. All agreed that it may now be timely to amend the constitutional requirement of an immediate past president continuing on Council for a further two years after the election of a new president. Action: ZL2TW to prepare a draft remit and discuss with Gerry ZL1BBS to reduce the time required for the immediate past presidents' time on Council.
8/40 Recognising Service of Officers and life members 1. All agreed that David ZL2SX be acknowledged for his role as Chairman of FMTAG, at the AGM.
2. Life membership needs to be considered over a period of time, so Council can clearly identify a bio of the recipient, before awarding. ZL1HV Memorial award - Council agreed that a reminder needs to be sent to branches to nominate someone for this award. Action: ZL2TDM to prepare possible award types such as a medal or lapel badge for the ZL1HV award.
8/41 Returning Officer The following motion was put: That Evan (Treasurer) be nominated as Returning Officer for the 2009 Council elections.
Moved ZL2TW Seconded ZL1UD Carried.
8/42 Leave of Absence
ZL2TDM from 9 March until 18 March 2008,
ZL2TW Away in May 2008 unable to attend Council net on 6 May.
ZL3QH Away in July and unable to attend Council net on 1 July.
Meeting closed at 12 noon on Sunday 3rd February.
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North Shore City Council Planning Hearing
Mike Newman ZL1BNB, NZART Local Government Liaison Officer, gave a verbal submission to the North Shore City Council Planning Hearing of 24 November 2006. Mike represented NZART.
The full text of this submission can be found at:
http://www.nzart.org.nz/NZART/update/localgovt/nscc-verba-submission-amended.pdf
The first three paragraphs are below to show you how much respect the NSCC has for amateur radio.
1. The proposed plan change was brought to the attention of the Association in May, when it was sent a copy of the agenda for a December 2005 Community Board meeting. Since the consultation period was well past, the Association made no contact with the Council at that time.
2. The proposed rules of Plan Change 18 are unacceptable to this Association, since they will cripple future installation of effective amateur radio operation, particularly high frequency (HF) operation in North Shore City.
3. No consultation was held with the amateur radio group. This was an inexplicable and most unfortunate oversight. Clearly the amateur radio antennas and supports were not an issue for the Council, otherwise those issues would have been known to those involved with the plan change preparation, who would then have been aware that there were issues over which consultation should take place...
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Silent Keys-Business Manager Debby ZL2TDM
Silent Keys...last year NZART ran a membership promotion. Letters were sent to all persons on the MED database that were not currently on the NZART database.
Regrettably this also meant that the partners of silent keys received letters.
Unfortunately, as quite often happens in time of sorrow all affairs are not quite in order and I daresay that advising the Ministry that their loved one's call sign is no longer required is probably way down in the priority list.
If you know of anyone who has recently passed away and their partner may not wish to keep their call sign, can you please give them a copy of the letter attached to this Info-line and have them sign as relinquishing the call sign.
Silent Key letter is shown below.
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Call Signs-Business Manager Debby ZL2TDM
Call Signs...I am unable to remove any call sign by law from the MED database, unless I have instruction in writing to do so.
I still need to be advised also in order to maintain the NZART database, however there may be good reason should a member become a silent key through the current year, that the partner wishes to continue receiving Break In until the membership lapses at year end. If this is the case, please let me know.
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Silent Key Letter
[header consisting of NZART diamond, NZART Name and Address]
Tuesday 8 January 2008
"Title" "First_Name" "Last_Name"
"Address_Line_1"
"Address_Line_2"
"City"
"Country"
Thank you for your letter to the New Zealand Association of Radio Transmitters Incorporated (NZART) in reply to our membership drive advising of the passing of "SK_Name". We are sorry to learn of your loss.
The database used in the membership drive is provided by the Radio Spectrum Management. We compare the public records within this database with our own database, to produce a distribution list for the membership drive. This is then outsourced for printing and posting.
NZART has a policy of attempting to keep the Radio Spectrum Management callsign database up to date. A recent check of the database on the Government website has shown that the callsign "Callsign" is still allocated to "SK_Name".
NZART wishes to assist you in removing or re-assigning the callsign to another person. Please select one of the two options below:
1. Send NZART a formal request to remove the details from the database stating that the reason for this request is because "SK_Name" has passed away; in this case, the callsign will not be reallocated for a period of 12 months. There is no fee for this.
2. Send NZART a formal request to reallocate the callsign to another person. This person must be the holder of a certificate of competency as a Radio Amateur. An application from the other person and the fee for the issuance of a callsign must accompany this application. The fees are listed on the NZART website at
http://www.nzart.org.nz/nzart/Exam/formsfees.html
or by contacting The General Secretary at the address below, or by phone at (04) 939-2189.
We apologise for making this request, but legally we cannot act on this matter unless we receive a specific instruction from you to do so.
We invite you to respond to this letter using the freepost envelope provided (no stamp required).
Freepost 3565
The General Secretary
NZART
PO Box 40-525
Upper Hutt
On behalf of NZART
Tony Case - ZL1UD.
New Zealand Association of Radio Transmitters (Inc)
PO Box 40-525
Upper Hutt
Correspondence: Councillor Tony Case - ZL1UD - Northern Region
[address and telephone number for Councillor Tony Case]
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Database Callsign Removal Form
Introduction
NZART Council has approved the adoption of the attached form for removing callsigns from the MED Database.
This process will only be effective if Radio Amateurs and Branches get behind this initiative.
If you know of a person listed in the latest Callbook, could you please check to see if the Callsign is still allocated on the MED Website, and make available to the next of kin the attached form.
The MED database is located at
http://www.rsm.med.govt.nz/pls/web/DBSSITEN.main?p_option=SMARTSR
Tony Case - ZL1UD - Northern Region
[address and telephone number for Councillor Tony Case]
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Text Version Of Database Callsign Removal Form
The New Zealand Association of Radio Transmitters Incorporated
PO Box 40-525 Upper Hutt
A NZART Diamond is part of the heading
Application to remove a Client Record from the Radio Spectrum Management Register.
The Radio Spectrum Management Database is a Government register established and maintained under the Radiocommunications Act 1989. A callsign cannot be removed from the register, or given to a family member who is qualified to hold the callsign, unless either the ARX at NZART or RSM receives a direct instruction from a person with authority to make the request.
Please fill in as much of this form as is known and return to NZART at the above address.
I, the undersigned, instruct NZART to action the following callsign(s) and information in the MED database:
Name:
Address:
City:
Date of Birth:
Callsign(s):
Reason for Application:
Options: (Please cross out the option that does not apply)
1. I instruct NZART/MED to remove the callsign(s) __________________ from the MED Register. I understand that the callsign(s) will not be reallocated for a period of 12 months unless I make a direct request for the callsign(s) to be reallocated to a specific person within this period.
2. I instruct NZART/MED to remove the callsign(s) __________________ from the MED Register. I give my permission to allocate the following callsign(s) to the following qualified person/people/organisation.
Callsign Person/Organisation
_____________ _____________
NZART Membership: Please remove the above person from NZART Membership:
NZART Membership Number _____________ (If Known)
1. Now: (Break-In delivery will cease ASAP)
2. At the end paid subscription: (Break-In will continue until the subscription expires)
(Please cross out option that does not apply.)
Name: _______________________ Signature: ________________
Relationship to client: Next of Kin / Power of attorney / Executor in Estate / Solicitor acting for Executor
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Comment on MED Meeting Notes: Foundation Licence
In the last InfoLine No 144 issued on 19 August 2007, a report was given by the Administration Liaison Officers (ALO's) on their recent meeting with the MED. In particular, Item 4 on the Foundation Licence has generated some debate about the rights and wrongs of such a "new" licence in New Zealand.
The purposes of the Meeting Notes are to fairly inform members of NZART of the discussions that take place at these meetings.
At the recent NZART Conference in Palmerston North in June of this year NZART Council decided to investigate the pros and cons of introducing a Foundation Licence in New Zealand. A small working group of councillors were tasked to look at the English, Canadian and Australian Foundation Licenses.
The purpose of Item 4 in the MED Meeting Notes was to broach the subject with the MED, to ask the question of their thoughts if such a licence were to be requested to be introduced into New Zealand. There seemed little point in having the working group spend time and effort if such a licence received a negative response from the MED.
The view of the MED on this matter has been positive as reported in the InfoLine Report.
NZART Council at this time is neither suggesting nor supporting the introduction of a Foundation Licence. NZART Council is exploring the subject in order to consider all options available to ensure that amateur radio continues to be viable hobby and service.
Mark ZL2UFI
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Radio Frequency Auction: 2.3 GHz and 2.5 GHz Bands - Discussion Paper
On 17 August 2007, the Radio Spectrum Management Group of the Ministry of Economic Development sent out a Business Update via email on Consultation on the joint 2.3 Hz and 2.5 Hz auction.
This email stated that:
Today the Minister of Communications released a Discussion paper on the arrangements for the joint auction of spectrum in the 2.3 GHz and 2.5 GHz bands.
The spectrum in these bands is suitable for broadband wireless access.
Please refer to the website of Radio Spectrum Management for more details of the proposed auction.
Submissions on the proposals in the discussion paper are due by 14 September 2007.
Comments should be sent to radiospectrum@med.govt.nz.
NZART via its Administration Liaison Officers (ALO's) are preparing a submission on this process, and is requesting that amateurs with an interest in this area please download and read the discussion paper on this proposed auction. To download the discussion paper click link on this LINK or via this address:
http://www.rsm.govt.nz/cms/policy-and-planning/spectrum-auctions/2-3-2-5-ghz-auction
Initial responses to questions asked of the MED about amateur allocations have been:
the band 2396-2400 MHz is not part of the auction, and;
the 2.4 GHz IISM band is also not part of the auction.
It is important to note the closing date of the submissions, 14 September 2007, and that all comments are submitted to the ALO's prior to this date to allow them to be included in NZART's submission.
Please send all submissions to alo@nzart.org.nz
Mark Gooding ZL2UFI and Bruce Douglas ZL2WP
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Withholding details on SMART-Tony Case - ZL1UD, NZART Council
To do this, you will require the following:
1. Client Key
2. Client Password
3. Client ID
Procedure
1. Enter the Smart system online at http://www.rsm.med.govt.nz/pls/web/dbssiten.main
2. Click the Exit button on the page. This will redirect you to the correct page.
3. Click "Client Maintenance" on the left side of the screen
4. Click "Update Client". This will take you to the screen where you enter your details. Enter them and click "Continue".
Information such as phone numbers and e-mail addresses are on this page. These can be updated. They do not form part of the public records, but must be kept up to date.
5. Click on "Addresses and contacts".
This will show both your postal address and residential address. At this point you have the ability to remove your postal address from the SMART system. If you wish to do so, tick the box and click remove.
6. Click "Residential/Physical".
At this point you can modify and suppress details from being public. You cannot remove these details. They will still remain in the system. Others cannot see them.
7. Click "Save"
8. At any time you can go back to step 4 by hitting the back button and the refresh button.
To Check to ensure that your details are presented in the way that you want others to see them, log off the RSM site, and close down your Internet Browser. Go back on and follow the procedure from the Check your details paper already presented.
Please remember, it is your responsibility to ensure that your details are presented in the way that you want them presented in SMART and Callbook. Please do not blame NZART if incorrect or unwanted details are presented in Callbook. We print what we get.
In presenting this paper, I am hoping that you will only withhold details if necessary. These details are a resource. Please also remember that if you want to withhold your residential address and your residential address is listed as your postal address, you will end up having this address presented in the next Callbook unless you first remove your postal address.
I did not use screenshots in this presentation because I was using my own client key and password in the presentation of this.
In doing this, I changed one detail in my records and I received an e-mail from RSM advising me of this.
Tony Case - ZL1UD, NZART Council
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Procedures for Checking the RSM Database From Tony Case ZL1UD NZART Council
This years Callbook has created a lot of flack that has been misdirected at NZART. The information contained in Callbook comes from the RSM register of public information. The only piece of information that you cannot hide from the public register is your name.
How to check the register:
Go to http://www.rsm.med.govt.nz/ you will get an error report. Click EXIT and this will place you on the following page:
Click on Search the Register
Click Search Certificates and Callsigns
1. Type in your callsign (e.g. 1UD) and
2. Click Search at the top of the page.
This will direct you to a list of callsigns (if you have a 2 letter call) or your own callsign (If you have a 3 letter call).
Click on the Client Number you wish to look up.
Click on Addresses and Contacts.
This will show you both your Billing / Postal, and Residential / Physical address. If you feel it necessary, both of these can be withheld. IT IS YOUR RESPONSIBILITY to withhold these if you wish for them to be withheld, and IT IS ALSO YOUR RESPONSIBILITY to ensure that your request has been actioned.
To change this information, phone 0800 RSMINFO or 0800 776-4636.
NZART cannot change any information that the MED give us for Callbook. It is your responsibility to ensure that the Public Information the MED Hold is correct; remember if you move or die, you are required by regulation to inform RSM within 7 days.
If you log on to SMART, the RSM database, you can withhold information online and print your own certificate. For this you will need your Client Key; Client Password and Client ID; these were sent you by RSM, and if they are lost, they can be replaced by phoning RSM.
Tony Case ZL1UD
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Ministry/RSM Repeaters fees-Business Manager Debby ZL2TDM
Branches that are in the process of setting up repeaters or amending frequencies, please be aware that there is a part charge made by the Ministry. The latest changes in several areas have incurred a small pro rata fee. This is to bring them in to line with annual license invoicing due to be paid between October and November each year. Council is currently undertaking preparation of a new policy in this regard as NZART will not be able to sustain these payments forever.
Council is also awaiting word from the Ministry re license fees and how amateur radio requires special consideration over other licensing regimes.
Rest assured all members will be kept abreast of any updates the Ministry or NZART have in progressing a more favourable outcome.
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Call Sign application fees update-Business Manager Debby ZL2TDM
Having now been allocating call sign for six months Council considered all costings involved in processing call sign applications. They agreed that in order to cover these costs a fee increase is necessary. The new fees listed below will be effective from 1 October 2007
New/Lapsed Callsigns $75
Secondary Callsigns $50
One Letter Callsigns $50*
Special Event Callsigns $25
Change of Callsigns $25
Replacement Certificate $25
Examination fee $15
*One letter call signs can only be allocated for a period up to12 months, at which time, there is a 6 month stand down period when the call sign cannot be reallocated to the same person.
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Call sign application and NZART membership-Business Manager Debby ZL2TDM
A reduced membership is now being offered to all new amateurs who wish to join the Association at the same time as applying for the call sign. Details are:
Examination $15
Callsign and certificate allocation $75
NZART membership for first year $30
Total payable $120.00
Subscription payment option of three years
A three year payment option is being made available to those who wish to pay their subscriptions in advance. For those of you who have already paid their 2008 subscription, you may forward a further $160 to take advantage of this special offer.
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SMART processing-Business Manager Debby ZL2TDM
I would like to advise that I am now officially responsible for entering new or lapsed call sign details into SMART. You may have thought I was already doing so, however I was not able in the past to allocate a Client ID. This is the special number that each certificate holder receives if you wish to make changes to your details.
This part of the process was actioned by an RSM contact center in Christchurch, then passed on to me to issue a call sign.
Unfortunately it created a considerable delay in issuing a call sign as the Client ID is like a password for me to continue.
Call signs and certificate can be produced almost immediately once I receive a correctly completed Radio 4A application form.
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Notes from NZART and MED Meeting for August 2007
Date: Monday 6 August 2007 Time: 2.00 pm
Attendees: Bruce Douglas (NZART), Mark Gooding (NZART), Wayne Wedderspoon (MED), Jeff Hicks (MED), and John Parker (MED)
Location: MED Building 33 Bowen Street, Wellington
Item 1: 3.900 MHz USB Usage for SAR and AREC
MED have agreed to the adding to the current Amateur Licence GURL of the following foot note:
"(9) The frequency 3.90MHz in the USB (upper side band) mode may be used for search and rescue and emergency communications."
NOTE: This also includes the usage for training purposes as well e.g. SAREX, AREC training etc.
An update to the Amateur GURL will come later on this year, but we are able to continue to use 3.900 MHz as we always have, this just puts the matter in print.
Item 2: Fees Review and the Repeater GURL
Bruce and Mark gave a report on the outcome of the NZART AGM with a discussion of the Repeater GURL. MED were advised of the resolution passed at the AGM.
Next a discussion took place over the Fees Review. This discussion was lead by John Parker. John is currently the Policy Analyst employed by MED to present to the Government the findings and outcome of the various submissions put forward. A reasonable amount of time was spent explaining the NZART Fees Review Submission, providing background, and the like. This discussion also lead back to the Repeater GURL - on which again some time was spent explaining the history on it. A number of points were discussed in relation to the Repeater GURL, such as the views expressed by the Wellington VHF Group, as well as the views expressed by the AGM, and other branches.
The MED stated that it would not force the GURL on the amateur service unless it was a willing party to it.
Bruce and Mark have not committed to requesting that the Repeater GURL as a proposal be finally closed off, but to be clear have not stated that they are for it either. What Bruce and Mark did say is at this time they wish that the proposal still be left on the table, and it may be picked up later or revisited as the basis of resolution for the fees issue at some later time.
The discussion then continued for sometime round the Fees Review paper relating to Option A (a fee of $200.00 per licence). Bruce and Mark put the notion of the "public good" and also history on how we ended up where we are today, which included the GURL option of course. It would be fair to say, that we were thoughtfully listened too, and are satisfied from good feedback that we have assisted in the understanding that John was looking for.
We are hopeful of the best possible outcome on the matter of the Fees Review. We were satisfied that our concerns and points were listened to, and more importantly understood. Until the final outcome of the Fees Review is known then the cost of licensing Repeaters/Beacons and Fixed links in the Amateur Service remains up in the air.
We believe that we were also able to get the message across to the MED about how the fees are unfair, unacceptable and will eventually, if allowed to continue to rise beyond the ability of amateurs to pay, would lead to the end of repeaters, beacons and fixed links in New Zealand.
Wayne and Jeff both stated that this was not their intention and that they would assist as much as possible to ensure that this didn't happen.
The question was again asked, what if we returned to the paid licensing of individual licenses, would this see a removal of the repeater fee? The answer was "no", the amateur service would then have two licence fees to pay, one being for your own station licence, the second being the repeater fee. The reason for this is that you cannot cross-subside one fee with another, in other words we cannot return to the past when this was the case.
Item 3: Repeater Policy
A brief discussion was held on the point of non-NZART branches or individuals applying for repeater or other licenses. NZART policy on this has been emailed the MED. The NZART Policy was reviewed and re-issued earlier this year (2007).
The MED have no problems with the current process and wish for the status quo to remain, with FMTAG playing their part. However, if FMTAG are consulted and the application meets all technical requirements and there are no reasons to deny the application then the MED will more than likely approve it, even if FMTAG does not; as the MED has the final say in such a matter.
Again it was stated that if all technical band plan coordination was in agreement with FMTAG, and all that the application didn't meet was the fact the branch or non-NZART members supported the application then it would go through. (NZART policy states this)
Item 4: Foundation Licence in New Zealand
The matter of a Foundation Licence was raised with MED. Their opinion is that as long as their involvement (subsequent to initial regulation changes and set up) is/was no more that they have today in the Amateur Licence GURL then they have no objections to it. So in principal they agreed that if NZART was willing to pursue this option they would look at it and implement what we wanted subject to discussion and review.
Meeting concluded at 3.50 pm.
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EXAMINATIONS AND FEES-Business Manager Debby ZL2TDM
There appears to be considerable confusion over what must be forwarded to me.
On completion of a successful examination, please complete a Candidates record form, a Blue ERN form and have the candidate complete a Radio 4A application form with a choice of 3 possible call signs.
The cost of an examination is $15, $5 of that, can be kept by the Branch to cover costs.
A further $50 is required for all new Call sign application's this will entitle the new amateur to a call sign of their choice, if available, and a Certificate of Competency. There are no further fees payable, unless the candidate wishes to join NZART. If this is the case contact me and I will give you details.
I must sight the Blue Examination Result Notification, before I can process an application for a call sign. This is the candidates Official record of having passed, therefore must be completed correctly and clearly.
If you are in doubt, please call me prior to completing an exam.
Furthermore, while it is slightly off the subject, many of you will be aware of the new Amateur Radio Brochure that has been produced.
This brochure states there are no fees payable, which is or isn't correct, depending on your interpretation.
By fees payable, historically this meant an annual license fee - there is a misconception that this is still required. The answer is NO it isn't
If the person is an existing member of NZART, then the fee is $30 for the application of a call sign and certificate. The examination fee of $15 still applies.
The application fee to pass an exam and apply for a call sign and certificate is a one off only fee. I would hope that should a person query you regarding getting their "license", that you can explain the difference - the amount payable is for processing purposes only - unfortunately my time and costs involved must be charged, otherwise members would have to cover costs of this service also.
We have waited a long time to get some form of advertising material, and we finally have one, that is not too wordy and in modern format. Please use it and advise people accordingly.
If you want copies of this brochure for your Branch please let me know.
Examination and Fees in Table Form:
NZART All
Member Other
NOTE 1 Candidates
Examination Fees NOTE 2 $15.00 $15.00
Successful Candidates
Fees For Call Sign and
Certificate of
Competency NOTE 3 $30.00 $50.00
------ ------
$45.00 $65.00
====== ======
LESS BRANCH COMMISSION -$5.00 -$5.00
------ ------
TOTAL FEES TO NZART HQ $40.00 $60.00
NOTES
1. NZART member at time of sitting and successfully passing the Exam
2. Five dollars of the fifteen dollars can be kept by branch holding the examination, therefore, ten dollars needs to be forwarded to NZART HQ for the examination fee
3. Applications MUST have a BLUE ERN form correctly completed, a RADIO 4A form correctly completed and enclosed with the appropriate fees, when sent to NZART HQ AT: PO BOX 40 525, UPPER HUTT 5140
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NZART Minutes of Meetings Held Over Conference Weekend 2007
As noted in the HQ InfoLine No. 132 from 18 February 2007, Council has commenced publishing the minutes of its monthly council meetings on the NZART Web Site. (These will follow the example of the Canadian societies approach.)
The minutes of the April 2007 On Air Meeting are situated at: http://www.nzart.org.nz/nzart/minutes as a PDF file.
As each meetings minutes are approved they will be posted on this page.
Thanks, Mark
Highlights from the Council Meeting on Friday 1 June 2007:
1. Break-in will continue to be offered for sale in bookstores around New Zealand for a further twelve months.
2. The position of the ALO (Administration Liaison Officer) has yet to be determined, but details will be made public soon, in the meantime Bruce Douglas ZL2WP and Mark Gooding ZL2UFI are to continue in this role.
3. Subscriptions for 2008 will remain the same as 2007, therefore no subscription increase.
4. Council is looking at the proposal to have a longer subscription period, that of three or five years.
5. Two nominations were received for Vice President of NZART with, Dr Stuart Watchman ZL2TW being successful.
6. WRC-07 (World Radiocommunication Conference 2007) in Geneva, Switzerland, 22 October-16 November 2007, a NZART Representation has yet to be decided.
7. Branches are urged to encourage non-members of NZART to join and support NZART in the protection of the amateur bands.
Highlights from the AGM on Saturday 2 June 2007:
1. AGM opened by the Honourable Steve Maharey local MP for the Manawatu, and also Minister of Education, Minister of Broadcasting, Minister of Research, Science and Technology, Minister for Crown Research Institutes and Minister responsible for the Education Review Office.
2. Michael Owen VK3KI, President of WIA spoke to the changes in the WIA (Wireless Institute of Australia) since his visit two years ago at the New Plymouth Conference in 2005.
3. Phil Wait VK2DKN, WIA Councillor spoke to BPL (Broadband over Power Lines) with well presented and received presentation.
4. Concerns expressed by the Evan Sayer NZART Treasurer of the falling numbers in membership, with a critical membership number of 1800 mention. If membership drops below this number then Break-In and NZART Headquarters is seriously at risk. He urged members to try to get non-members signed up to NZART to ensure these two valuable asserts are retained.
5. Remit 1 was put by Wanganui Branch as contained in Break-In. An amendment was put and lost; the original was also put and lost. Although lost the remit provided valuable input and Council will take on board the comments made.
6. Mike Newman ZL1BNB was awarded the title "Amateur of the Year". Award was presented by the President of NZART Bruce Douglas Zl2WP.as recognition of his work as Local Government Liaison Officer especially of the last twelve months as reported in Break-In.
7. Conference for 2008 will be hosted by the Otago Branch, over Queens Birthday 2008 (30 May - 2 June 2008).
8. Rothschild Cup was presented to Manawatu Branch 20 for having the most successful number of exam candidates for 2006. (Note: Auckland was reported in Break-In but this was incorrect as Auckland's numbers were a combination of all branches and therefore was not correct.)
9. GURL Proposal was discussed, with a resolution from the floor stating "That this Conference considers that in most circumstances the GURL option is an unacceptable solution to the repeater licensing situation and directs Council to negotiate a solution involving the SMART system at no cost or minimal cost to the Amateur Radio Service." This resolution was carried unanimously.
10. The AGM concluded with Vaughan Henderson ZL1TGC receiving the Stirrers Award.
Highlights from the Forums on Sunday 3 June 2007:
1. WARO - new officers Lynette McDonald ZL1LL, Past President Rosemary Boshier ZL1RO, Membership and Treasurer Margaret Bretherton ZL1MB, Committee Bev Gillman ZL3OV and Sharon May ZL3AE.
2. Winners of the Thelma Souper Memorial Contest - YL Section: 1st Sharon May ZL3AE, 2nd Lee White ZL2LE and 3rd Allison Chandler ZL2KID. OM Section: 1st Brian Burgess ZL1MI, 2nd Wayne Fisher ZL2AYB, and 3rd Paul Manley ZL2CQ.
3. OTC - Grand Old Man Peter Anderson ZL1LR, Roy Symon ZL2KH continues as Secretary/Treasurer. Roy Symon was awarded the Montgomery Cup for the best OTC Article in Break-In for 2006.
4. SPAM - all continues as is with nothing new to report.
5. AMSAT-ZL - Fred Kennedy ZL1BYP gave a run down on progress by the KiwiSat Team. Many modules are nearing readiness for flight status. Launch date is set for late 2008. AMSAT-ZL is looking for branch sponsorship for the expensive solar cell requirements. Quote from the meeting from Fred Kennedy ZL1BYP was "it will fly... it's a matter of when... not if!"
6. At a Forum in the afternoon Fred Johnson ZL2AMJ was presented with a certificate of service of his role as Administration Liaison Officer by the President of NZART Bruce Douglas Zl2WP.
7. Branch Challenge was presented by last year's winners Branch 22, and won this year by Branch 74.
8. The Sunday evening quiz run by Jim Meachen ZL2BHF and sponsored by the Com Centre was won by Debby Morgan ZL2TDM.
9. Best Score in an Amateur Exam was to Aidan Gauland ZL3GBO for a perfect 60/60 score.
Highlights from the Council Meeting on Monday 4 June 2007:
1. The new Council for 2007-2009 met for the first time on Monday morning from 9.00 to 12.00 pm.
2. WRC-07 (World Radiocommunication Conference 2007) in Geneva, Switzerland, 22 October-16 November 2007, Peter Lake ZL2AZ is to represent NZART as part of the New Zealand delegation to this conference.
3. The position of the ALO (Administration Liaison Officer) will be reviewed over the coming months and a position decided upon before any further action is taken on this Officer role.
4. Council has asked the Callbook Editor to produce a Midi version of the callbook this year, same as the blue faced one printed for the 2005-2006 year.
5. As a result of the GURL outcome the ALO's are to return to MED and pursue options put forward from the AGM, and the motion that was agreed to.
6. A membership drive is to be advertised again this year to raise the membership numbers to ensure that the association is in good shape for the next financial year.
7. Council is awaiting the outcome of the North Shore District Councils district plan (Proposed Plan Change 18: Network Utilities and Designations) before deciding if any further action is required.
NZART Minutes of Meetings:
As noted in the HQ InfoLine No. 132 from 18 February 2007, Council has commenced publishing the minutes of its monthly council meetings on the NZART Web Site. (These will follow the example of the Canadian societies approach.)
The minutes of the April 2007 On Air Meeting are situated at: http://www.nzart.org.nz/nzart/minutes as a PDF file.
As each meetings minutes are approved they will be posted on this page.
Thanks, Mark
Highlights from the Council Meeting on Friday 1 June 2007:
1. Break-in will continue to be offered for sale in bookstores around New Zealand for a further twelve months.
2. The position of the ALO (Administration Liaison Officer) has yet to be determined, but details will be made public soon, in the meantime Bruce Douglas ZL2WP and Mark Gooding ZL2UFI are to continue in this role.
3. Subscriptions for 2008 will remain the same as 2007, therefore no subscription increase.
4. Council is looking at the proposal to have a longer subscription period, that of three or five years.
5. Two nominations were received for Vice President of NZART with, Dr Stuart Watchman ZL2TW being successful.
6. WRC-07 (World Radiocommunication Conference 2007) in Geneva, Switzerland, 22 October-16 November 2007, a NZART Representation has yet to be decided.
7. Branches are urged to encourage non-members of NZART to join and support NZART in the protection of the amateur bands.
Highlights from the AGM on Saturday 2 June 2007:
1. AGM opened by the Honourable Steve Maharey local MP for the Manawatu, and also Minister of Education, Minister of Broadcasting, Minister of Research, Science and Technology, Minister for Crown Research Institutes and Minister responsible for the Education Review Office.
2. Michael Owen VK3KI, President of WIA spoke to the changes in the WIA (Wireless Institute of Australia) since his visit two years ago at the New Plymouth Conference in 2005.
3. Phil Wait VK2DKN, WIA Councillor spoke to BPL (Broadband over Power Lines) with well presented and received presentation.
4. Concerns expressed by the Evan Sayer NZART Treasurer of the falling numbers in membership, with a critical membership number of 1800 mention. If membership drops below this number then Break-In and NZART Headquarters is seriously at risk. He urged members to try to get non-members signed up to NZART to ensure these two valuable asserts are retained.
5. Remit 1 was put by Wanganui Branch as contained in Break-In. An amendment was put and lost; the original was also put and lost. Although lost the remit provided valuable input and Council will take on board the comments made.
6. Mike Newman ZL1BNB was awarded the title "Amateur of the Year". Award was presented by the President of NZART Bruce Douglas Zl2WP.as recognition of his work as Local Government Liaison Officer especially of the last twelve months as reported in Break-In.
7. Conference for 2008 will be hosted by the Otago Branch, over Queens Birthday 2008 (30 May - 2 June 2008).
8. Rothschild Cup was presented to Manawatu Branch 20 for having the most successful number of exam candidates for 2006. (Note: Auckland was reported in Break-In but this was incorrect as Auckland's numbers were a combination of all branches and therefore was not correct.)
9. GURL Proposal was discussed, with a resolution from the floor stating "That this Conference considers that in most circumstances the GURL option is an unacceptable solution to the repeater licensing situation and directs Council to negotiate a solution involving the SMART system at no cost or minimal cost to the Amateur Radio Service." This resolution was carried unanimously.
10. The AGM concluded with Vaughan Henderson ZL1TGC receiving the Stirrers Award.
Highlights from the Forums on Sunday 3 June 2007:
1. WARO - new officers Lynette McDonald ZL1LL, Past President Rosemary Boshier ZL1RO, Membership and Treasurer Margaret Bretherton ZL1MB, Committee Bev Gillman ZL3OV and Sharon May ZL3AE.
2. Winners of the Thelma Souper Memorial Contest - YL Section: 1st Sharon May ZL3AE, 2nd Lee White ZL2LE and 3rd Allison Chandler ZL2KID. OM Section: 1st Brian Burgess ZL1MI, 2nd Wayne Fisher ZL2AYB, and 3rd Paul Manley ZL2CQ.
3. OTC - Grand Old Man Peter Anderson ZL1LR, Roy Symon ZL2KH continues as Secretary/Treasurer. Roy Symon was awarded the Montgomery Cup for the best OTC Article in Break-In for 2006.
4. SPAM - all continues as is with nothing new to report.
5. AMSAT-ZL - Fred Kennedy ZL1BYP gave a run down on progress by the KiwiSat Team. Many modules are nearing readiness for flight status. Launch date is set for late 2008. AMSAT-ZL is looking for branch sponsorship for the expensive solar cell requirements. Quote from the meeting from Fred Kennedy ZL1BYP was "it will fly... it's a matter of when... not if!"
6. At a Forum in the afternoon Fred Johnson ZL2AMJ was presented with a certificate of service of his role as Administration Liaison Officer by the President of NZART Bruce Douglas Zl2WP.
7. Branch Challenge was presented by last year's winners Branch 22, and won this year by Branch 74.
8. The Sunday evening quiz run by Jim Meachen ZL2BHF and sponsored by the Com Centre was won by Debby Morgan ZL2TDM.
9. Best Score in an Amateur Exam was to Aidan Gauland ZL3GBO for a perfect 60/60 score.
Highlights from the Council Meeting on Monday 4 June 2007:
1. The new Council for 2007-2009 met for the first time on Monday morning from 9.00 to 12.00 pm.
2. WRC-07 (World Radiocommunication Conference 2007) in Geneva, Switzerland, 22 October-16 November 2007, Peter Lake ZL2AZ is to represent NZART as part of the New Zealand delegation to this conference.
3. The position of the ALO (Administration Liaison Officer) will be reviewed over the coming months and a position decided upon before any further action is taken on this Officer role.
4. Council has asked the Callbook Editor to produce a Midi version of the callbook this year, same as the blue faced one printed for the 2005-2006 year.
5. As a result of the GURL outcome the ALO's are to return to MED and pursue options put forward from the AGM, and the motion that was agreed to.
6. A membership drive is to be advertised again this year to raise the membership numbers to ensure that the association is in good shape for the next financial year.
7. Council is awaiting the outcome of the North Shore District Councils district plan (Proposed Plan Change 18: Network Utilities and Designations) before deciding if any further action is required.
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GURL: Repeaters, Beacons and Fixed Links
Introduction
As a result of the introduction of the GURL (General User Radio Licence) for the Amateur Service, and thereby a removal of licence fee's for personal licenses, there remained the issue of the licensing of the Amateur Services Repeaters, Beacons and Fixed links.
These Repeaters, Beacons and Fixed links were set a fee, on an annual basis of $50 per licence, making for a total of 321 licences as at 26 February 2007. This amounts to a total of $16050 payable annually by the Amateur Service. This fee can be discounted by 10% if paid online. As the fee was a huge burden a new way to licence these Repeaters, Beacons and Fixed links was required.
At the February meeting with the MED:RSM (Ministry of Economic Development: Radio Spectrum Management) the two ALO's put forward the suggestion to have the Repeaters, Beacons and Fixed links moved into their own GURL much like the personal GURL we have today. A positive for the Amateur Service is the removal of the financial burden; the negative could be a loss of certain conditions currently enjoyed as part of the SMART licensing system.
This paper explores the proposal from NZART (The New Zealand Association of Radio Transmitters Incorporated) on the implementation of the GURL for Repeaters, Beacons and Fixed links.
Current Situation
Currently in New Zealand as at 26 February 2007, there were 321 Repeaters, Beacons and Fixed links. Of this total 318 are owned by various NZART radio clubs or societies which are associated to NZART, the other three are owned privately.
As stated in the ITU International Radio Regulations, the definition of the "Amateur Service" appears as:
"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."
The same words are echoed again in the GURL Amateur Radio Operators, paragraph 5(3).
As the amateur service is one that cannot readily recover costs or fund raise continually, the cost of running, maintaining and the general up keep of repeaters, beacons and fixed links is a large financial burden.
When the current licensing regime imposed the $50 per annum cost, the medium to long term future of the amateur service to continue to run these repeaters, beacons and fixed links is seriously at risk.
Since becoming aware of this situation many discussions have taken place to resolve the issue, but without success.
Also it must be noted that as we are in 2007, it is also a Fees Review year. NZART have already submitted its reply to the Fees Review. Currently although the new fees have yet to be struck the three solutions offered are one of nil increase, $75 per annum or maybe $200 per annum.
The discussions on Repeater Fees have now come to the point where a resolution is now available.
The Executive Council of NZART has decided to release this document to the membership of NZART via HQ InfoLine (released on 6 May 2007).
Council in releasing this document has put forward the pros and cons (via comments) on this issue. Council is also proposing that the GURL be discussed fully at the upcoming AGM in Palmerston North over Queens Birthday Weekend (1-4 June 2007).
While there is no actual timeline for this proposal, it must be said that if this proposal is acceptable, then to have this resolution in, prior to the next round of licence fees would be advantageous.
The Draft GURL with NZART Council comments are in blue where applicable, in a way so that readers can compare the issues in a clear and concise manner.
During the discussion process the MED have agreed that the current licensing system via SMART and the new GURL can co-exist.
So it is up to the various clubs and individuals to decide, if the GURL is implemented which is best for them.
An example could be for some clubs to have all their repeaters in the SMART system, or some in SMART and some under the GURL, or all under the GURL.
Also although NZART agreed to pay for the last licensing round in 2006, there is no commitment to do so in the future, so clubs and individuals must weigh this up, as well as the pros and cons of the technical issues if giving up the SMART licence in favour of the GURL.
It must be noted that NZART Council is not recommending one system over another, but is placing before the membership the option to choose.
Finally, members must keep in mind the realities. We are undergoing a period of major reform in the radio licensing system in New Zealand. Much has been to our advantage. The MED remains the licensing authority in New Zealand, and it is MED that is the regulation maker. They make the final decisions. At the same time, the Ministry is being very fair, and is working carefully through a proper process to deliver something that is acceptable to us in the licensing of repeaters. It may be that we will not be offered a perfect solution. The object is to achieve the best deal that is possible.
DRAFT - uncommented:
Radiocommunications Regulations (General User Radio Licence for the Amateur Radio Service) Notice 2007
Pursuant to Regulation 9 of the Radiocommunications Regulations 2001 ("the Regulations") made, under section 116 (1) (b) of the Radiocommunications Act 1989, and acting under delegated authority from the chief executive, I give the following notice.
N o t i c e
1. Short title and commencement-
(1) This notice is the Radiocommunications Regulations (General User Radio Licence for the Amateur Radio Service) Notice 2007.
(2) This notice comes into force on 1 July 2007.
2. General user radio licence-
A general user radio licence is granted for the transmission of radio waves in New Zealand, for the purpose of communications in the amateur radio service in accordance with the terms, conditions and restrictions of this notice.
3. Terms, conditions and restrictions applying to New Zealand amateur operators-
(1) Persons who hold a General Amateur Operators Certificate of Competency and a callsign issued pursuant to the Regulations, may operate an amateur radio station in New Zealand.
(2) The callsign prefix of "ZL" may be substituted with the prefix "ZM" by the callsign holder for the period of, and participation in, a recognised contest, or as the control station for special event communications.
(3) Operation on amateur bands between 5 MHz and 25 MHz is not permitted until a person has held a General Amateur Operators Certificate of Competency for three months and logged 50 contacts during this period. The person must keep the logbook record of these logged contacts for at least one year and, during this period, produce it at the request of the chief executive.
4. Terms, conditions and restrictions applying to visiting amateur operators-
(1) Persons visiting New Zealand who hold a current amateur certificate of competency, authorisation or licence issued by another administration, may operate an amateur station in New Zealand for a period not exceeding 90 days, provided the certificate, authorisation or licence meets the requirements of Recommendation ITU-R M.1544 or CEPT T/R 61-01 or CEPT T/R 61-02 and is produced at the request of the chief executive.
(2) The call sign must be the national callsign allocated by the other administration to that person, in conjunction with the prefix or suffix "ZL" which is to be separated from the national callsign by the character "/" (telegraphy), or the word "stroke" (telephony).
5. Terms, conditions and restrictions applying to amateur repeaters, beacons and fixed links-
(1) Persons who hold a General Amateur Operators Certificate of Competency and a callsign issued pursuant to the Regulations, may establish and operate an amateur radio repeater, beacon or fixed link installations in New Zealand, in accordance with the provisions of this notice.
(2) Installations may only be operated pursuant to this notice in the ranges of frequencies as specified in the Schedule to this notice.
(3) Installations must not cause interference to, and must accept interference from, existing and future non-amateur licensed services.
(4) Prior to establishment, the person responsible for the installation must:
a) undertake technical co-ordination with the licensees of all existing radiocommunications services, as recorded in the Register of Radio Frequencies (www.rsm.govt.nz), that are within one kilometre of the proposed amateur installation; and
b) undertake technical co-ordination with existing amateur installations operating in accordance with this notice, as published on The New Zealand Association of Radio Transmitters Incorporated ("NZART") website at www.nzart.org.nz; and
c) submit a copy of the technical co-ordination documentation, including a horizontal radiation pattern (h.r.p.) plot, to NZART; and
d) receive written acknowledgement from NZART that the installation is consistent with published amateur bandplans, and has been added to the NZART website list of installations.
(5) The NZART website must, as a minimum, record:
a) the installation site name and location (NZMS 260 series); and
b) the transmit frequency (and receive frequency if applicable); and
c) the maximum transmit peak envelope power in dBW eirp; and
d) the name of the person responsible for the installation (individual or club), together with a contact address, and the applicable callsign or callsigns
(6) It is the responsibility of the person responsible for the installation to:
a) ensure that the information recorded on the NZART website is at all times correct; and
b) notify NZART of the disestablishment of the installation.
(7) It is the responsibility of NZART to ensure that installation information is updated to the NZART website as soon as is reasonably practical.
(8) For the purposes of this section, "technical co-ordination" means the application of the engineering principles and processes detailed in publication PIB38 "Radio Licence Engineering Rules and Information for Approved Radio Engineers and Approved Certifiers" published at www.rsm.govt.nz.
6. General terms, conditions and restrictions-
(1) The use of callsigns, including temporary and club callsigns, must be in accordance with publication PIB 46 "Radio Operator Certificate and Callsign Rules" published at www.rsm.govt.nz.
(2) New Zealand and visiting amateur operator callsigns must be transmitted at least once every 15 minutes during communications.
(3) National and international communication is permitted only between amateur stations, and is limited to matters of a personal nature, or for the purpose of self-training, intercommunication and radio technology investigation, solely with a personal aim and without pecuniary interest. The passing of brief messages of a personal nature on behalf of other persons is also permitted, provided no fees or other consideration is requested or accepted.
(4) Communications must not be encoded for the purpose of obscuring their meaning, except for control signals by the operators of remotely controlled amateur installations.
(5) Except as provided to the contrary in this notice, transmitter power output must not exceed 500 watts peak envelope power (pX), as defined in ITU Radio Regulation 1.157.
(6) In accordance with Article 3 of the International Radio Regulations, amateur stations and installations must, as far as is compatible with practical considerations, comply with the latest ITU-R recommendations to the extent applicable to the amateur service.
(7) In accordance with Article 25 of the International Radio Regulations, amateur operators are encouraged to prepare for, and meet the communication needs of, national and international disaster relief.
(8) Unwanted emissions outside the frequency bands specified in this schedule must comply with the requirements of technical standard ETSI ETS 300 684 published by the European Telecommunications Standards Institute (ETSI).
(9) The ranges of frequencies, and specific conditions of use, are those prescribed in the Schedule to this notice.
7. Consequential revocation of licences-
The Radiocommunication Regulations (General User Radio Licence for Amateur Radio Operators) Notice 2006 dated the 13th day of June 2006 and published in the New Zealand Gazette, 15 June 2006, is revoked.
Schedule
Frequency Range Notes
130 to 190 kHz 2, 4, 6
1.80 to 1.95 MHz 2
3.50 to 3.90 MHz 2
7.00 to 7.10 MHz 1
7.10 to 7.30 MHz 2
10.10 to 10.15 MHz 2
14.00 to 14.35 MHz 1
18.068 to 18.168 MHz 1
21.00 to 21.45 MHz 1
24.89 to 24.99 MHz 1
26.95 to 27.30 MHz 2, 3, 5, 6
28.00 to 29.70 MHz 1,8
51.00 to 53.00 MHz 2, 8
144.00 to 146.00 MHz 1, 8
146.00 to 148.00 MHz 2, 8
430.00 to 440.00 MHz 1, 2, 3, 8
921.00 to 929.00 MHz 3, 7
1.24 to 1.30 GHz 1, 2
2.396 to 2.45 GHz 1, 3
3.30 to 3.41 GHz 1, 2
5.65 to 5.85 GHz 1, 3
10.00 to 10.50 GHz 1, 2
24.00 to 24.05 GHz 1, 3
24.05 to 24.25 GHz 3
47.00 to 47.20 GHz 1
75.50 to 76.00 GHz 1, 2
76.00 to 81.00 GHz 1, 2
122.25 to 123.00 GHz 2, 3
134.00 to 136.00 GHz 1
136.00 to 141.00 GHz 1, 2
241.00 to 248.00 GHz 1, 2, 3
248.00 to 250.00 GHz 1
275.00 to 1000 GHz 2, 4
Notes to Schedule
(1) The following ranges of frequencies may also be used for amateur satellite communications:
7.00 to 7.10 MHz
14.00 to 14.25 MHz
18.068 to 18.168 MHz
21.00 to 21.45 MHz
24.89 to 24.99 MHz
28.00 to 29.70 MHz
144.00 to 146.00 MHz
435.00 to 438.00 MHz
1.26 to 1.27 GHz (limited to the earth-to-space direction)
2.40 to 2.45 GHz
3.40 to 3.41 GHz
5.65 to 5.67 GHz (limited to the earth-to-space direction)
5.83 to 5.85 GHz (limited to the space-to-earth direction)
10.45 to 10.50 GHz
24.00 to 24.05 GHz
47.00 to 47.20 GHz
75.50 to 81.00 GHz
134.00 to 141.00 GHz
241.00 to 250.00 GHz
(2) These frequencies are, or may be, allocated for use by other services. Amateur operators must accept interference from, and must not cause interference to, such other services.
(3) The following frequencies are designated for industrial, scientific and medical (ISM) purposes. These frequencies may also be allocated to Short Range Device (SRD) services. Amateur operators must accept interference from ISM and SRD services within these frequency ranges.
27.12 MHz (26.957 - 27.283 MHz)
433.92 MHz (433.05 - 434.79 MHz)
921.5 MHz (915 - 928 MHz)
2.45 GHz (2.4 - 2.5 GHz)
5.8 GHz (5.725 - 5.875 GHz)
24.125 GHz (24.00 - 24.25 GHz)
122.5 GHz (122 - 123 GHz)
245 GHz (244 - 246 GHz)
(4) Allocated to the amateur service on a temporary basis until further notice.
(5) Telecommand and telemetry operation only.
(6) Radiated power must not exceed 5 watts e.i.r.p.
(7) Radiated power must not exceed 25 watts e.i.r.p.
(8) These frequency ranges may also be used for the operation of amateur repeater, beacon and fixed link installations pursuant to this notice.
Dated at Wellington this 15th day of June 2007.
SANJAI RAJ, Group Manager, Radio Spectrum Management, Business Services, Ministry of Economic Development.
Explanatory Note
This note is not part of the notice, but is intended to indicate its general effect.
This notice prescribes that, pursuant to Regulations made under the Radiocommunications Act 1989, a general user radio licence is granted for the transmission of radio waves by amateur radio operators in New Zealand, including amateur repeater, beacon, and fixed link installations, for the purpose of communications in the amateur radio service, in accordance with the terms, conditions, and restrictions of this notice. This notice comes into force on 1 July 2007.
DRAFT - commented:
COMMENTS TO EACH SECTION START AND END WITH '==' and shown in 'RED' where appropriate
Radiocommunications Regulations (General User Radio Licence for the Amateur Radio Service) Notice 2007
Pursuant to Regulation 9 of the Radiocommunications Regulations 2001 ("the Regulations") made, under section 116 (1) (b) of the Radiocommunications Act 1989, and acting under delegated authority from the chief executive, I give the following notice.
N o t i c e
1. Short title and commencement-
(1) This notice is the Radiocommunications Regulations (General User Radio Licence for the Amateur Radio Service) Notice 2007.
(2) This notice comes into force on 1 July 2007. ==The date is not binding, any date can be used, but if acceptable to the membership then it would be ideal to have this GURL in place prior to the next round of licence fees.==
2. General user radio licence-
A general user radio licence is granted for the transmission of radio waves in New Zealand, for the purpose of communications in the amateur radio service in accordance with the terms, conditions and restrictions of this notice.
3. Terms, conditions and restrictions applying to New Zealand amateur operators-
(1) Persons who hold a General Amateur Operators Certificate of Competency and a callsign issued pursuant to the Regulations, may operate an amateur radio station in New Zealand.
(2) The callsign prefix of "ZL" may be substituted with the prefix "ZM" by the callsign holder for the period of, and participation in, a recognised contest, or as the control station for special event communications.
(3) Operation on amateur bands between 5 MHz and 25 MHz is not permitted until a person has held a General Amateur Operators Certificate of Competency for three months and logged 50 contacts during this period. The person must keep the logbook record of these logged contacts for at least one year and, during this period, produce it at the request of the chief executive.
4. Terms, conditions and restrictions applying to visiting amateur operators-
(1) Persons visiting New Zealand who hold a current amateur certificate of competency, authorisation or licence issued by another administration, may operate an amateur station in New Zealand for a period not exceeding 90 days, provided the certificate, authorisation or licence meets the requirements of Recommendation ITU-R M.1544 or CEPT T/R 61-01 or CEPT T/R 61-02 and is produced at the request of the chief executive.
(2) The call sign must be the national callsign allocated by the other administration to that person, in conjunction with the prefix or suffix "ZL" which is to be separated from the national callsign by the character "/" (telegraphy), or the word "stroke" (telephony).
5. Terms, conditions and restrictions applying to amateur repeaters, beacons and fixed links-
(1) Persons who hold a General Amateur Operators Certificate of Competency and a callsign issued pursuant to the Regulations, may establish and operate an amateur radio repeater, beacon or fixed link installations in New Zealand, in accordance with the provisions of this notice. ==The purpose of this requirement is to make sure the owners/operators/club are amateurs and hold the appropriate licence and a callsign. This means that if you have let this lapse, you must have these prior to applying for the establishment of a repeater, beacon or fixed link.==
(2) Installations may only be operated pursuant to this notice in the ranges of frequencies as specified in the Schedule to this notice. ==Not all repeaters, beacons and fixed links fit in this GURL. Examples are the 23CM band and the 614MHz Channel 39 allocation. The GURL only covers exclusive amateur bands, not shared bands.==
(3) Installations must not cause interference to, and must accept interference from, existing and future non-amateur licensed services. ==The MED are not willing or prepared to remove this condition. You will note that this condition is already part of the current Amateur GURL under footnote 2 of that GURL.
This provision imposes a great burden on the Amateur Service and is possibly unacceptable. It must be stated that the ALO's argued for its removal, but were unsuccessful. That being the case, it would appear on the surface to be a negative, but in actual operation might be workable. If interference is suffered then in identifying it, it may become apparent that such interference is in fact a non-compliant transmitter. The MED have stated as part of the discussion on this point that there is a huge difference from an enforcement view point between interference and non-compliance. In fact, a real world example was given of this at the discussion, where a case started as an interference case, and became one of a non-compliant transmitter, therefore operating outside of its licence.
The key issue we discussed was clause 5(3). In essence this is the "cost" of moving installations from individual licensing to the GURL. On first glance this is a significant loss of the protection that being recorded in the Register (ie SMART) provides. As discussed, however, there are some mitigating factors:
o Co-channelling nationwide is under amateur control (ie no other services involved).
o Where the site is amateur managed/owned, this provides a significant interference control mechanism.
o Where the site is not amateur managed/owned, a site agreement can be negotiated (if such does not already exist) with new services being established.
o Any unlicensed transmissions (ie not in accordance with a licence) causing interference to amateur installations will still be pursued as a non-compliance issue by RSM (s103 and s113 of the RC Act refer)==
(4) Prior to establishment, the person responsible for the installation must:
a) undertake technical co-ordination with the licensees of all existing radiocommunications services, as recorded in the Register of Radio Frequencies (www.rsm.govt.nz), that are within one kilometre of the proposed amateur installation; and
b) undertake technical co-ordination with existing amateur installations operating in accordance with this notice, as published on The New Zealand Association of Radio Transmitters Incorporated ("NZART") website at www.nzart.org.nz; and
c) submit a copy of the technical co-ordination documentation, including a horizontal radiation pattern (h.r.p.) plot, to NZART; and
d) receive written acknowledgement from NZART that the installation is consistent with published amateur bandplans, and has been added to the NZART website list of installations. ==This provides that FMTAG, as part of NZART has today, the responsibility to coordinate repeaters, beacons and fixed links. Although on the surface there may appear to be more work for FMTAG, comments from FMTAG is that there should be no additional work over what is being done currently.
Some additional work is required for the NZART Webmaster to update the NZART website, but it is believed once initial setup work is completed, maintenance should not be any more that any other part of the site.==
(5) The NZART website must, as a minimum, record:
a) the installation site name and location (NZMS 260 series); and
b) the transmit frequency (and receive frequency if applicable); and
c) the maximum transmit peak envelope power in dBW eirp; and
d) the name of the person responsible for the installation (individual or club), together with a contact address, and the applicable callsign or callsigns ==Some additional work is required for the NZART Webmaster to update the NZART website, but it is believed once initial setup work is completed, maintenance should not be any more that any other part of the site.==
(6) It is the responsibility of the person responsible for the installation to:
a) ensure that the information recorded on the NZART website is at all times correct; and
b) notify NZART of the disestablishment of the installation. ==New requirement not thought to be onerous.==
(7) It is the responsibility of NZART to ensure that installation information is updated to the NZART website as soon as is reasonably practical ==Some additional work is required for the NZART Webmaster to update the NZART website, but it is believed once initial setup work is completed, maintenance should not be any more that any other part of the site. This requirement is to make sure the updates are posted on the web site once provided.==
(8) For the purposes of this section, "technical co-ordination" means the application of the engineering principles and processes detailed in publication PIB38 "Radio Licence Engineering Rules and Information for Approved Radio Engineers and Approved Certifiers" published at www.rsm.govt.nz. ==This is currently accepted procedure today and there is nothing new here.==
6. General terms, conditions and restrictions-
(1) The use of callsigns, including temporary and club callsigns, must be in accordance with publication PIB 46 "Radio Operator Certificate and Callsign Rules" published at www.rsm.govt.nz. ==This is currently accepted procedure today and there is nothing new here.==
(2) New Zealand and visiting amateur operator callsigns must be transmitted at least once every 15 minutes during communications. ==This is currently accepted procedure today and there is nothing new here. Repeaters, beacons and fixed links are not required to do this.==
(3) National and international communication is permitted only between amateur stations, and is limited to matters of a personal nature, or for the purpose of self-training, intercommunication and radio technology investigation, solely with a personal aim and without pecuniary interest. The passing of brief messages of a personal nature on behalf of other persons is also permitted, provided no fees or other consideration is requested or accepted.
(4) Communications must not be encoded for the purpose of obscuring their meaning, except for control signals by the operators of remotely controlled amateur installations.
(5) Except as provided to the contrary in this notice, transmitter power output must not exceed 500 watts peak envelope power (pX), as defined in ITU Radio Regulation 1.157.
(6) In accordance with Article 3 of the International Radio Regulations, amateur stations and installations must, as far as is compatible with practical considerations, comply with the latest ITU-R recommendations to the extent applicable to the amateur service.
(7) In accordance with Article 25 of the International Radio Regulations, amateur operators are encouraged to prepare for, and meet the communication needs of, national and international disaster relief.
(8) Unwanted emissions outside the frequency bands specified in this schedule must comply with the requirements of technical standard ETSI ETS 300 684 published by the European Telecommunications Standards Institute (ETSI).
(9) The ranges of frequencies, and specific conditions of use, are those prescribed in the Schedule to this notice.
7. Consequential revocation of licences-
The Radiocommunication Regulations (General User Radio Licence for Amateur Radio Operators) Notice 2006 dated the 13th day of June 2006 and published in the New Zealand Gazette, 15 June 2006, is revoked.
Schedule
Frequency Range Notes
130 to 190 kHz 2, 4, 6
1.80 to 1.95 MHz 2
3.50 to 3.90 MHz 2
7.00 to 7.10 MHz 1
7.10 to 7.30 MHz 2
10.10 to 10.15 MHz 2
14.00 to 14.35 MHz 1
18.068 to 18.168 MHz 1
21.00 to 21.45 MHz 1
24.89 to 24.99 MHz 1
26.95 to 27.30 MHz 2, 3, 5, 6
28.00 to 29.70 MHz 1,8
51.00 to 53.00 MHz 2, 8
144.00 to 146.00 MHz 1, 8
146.00 to 148.00 MHz 2, 8
430.00 to 440.00 MHz 1, 2, 3, 8
921.00 to 929.00 MHz 3, 7
1.24 to 1.30 GHz 1, 2
2.396 to 2.45 GHz 1, 3
3.30 to 3.41 GHz 1, 2
5.65 to 5.85 GHz 1, 3
10.00 to 10.50 GHz 1, 2
24.00 to 24.05 GHz 1, 3
24.05 to 24.25 GHz 3
47.00 to 47.20 GHz 1
75.50 to 76.00 GHz 1, 2
76.00 to 81.00 GHz 1, 2
122.25 to 123.00 GHz 2, 3
134.00 to 136.00 GHz 1
136.00 to 141.00 GHz 1, 2
241.00 to 248.00 GHz 1, 2, 3
248.00 to 250.00 GHz 1
275.00 to 1000 GHz 2, 4
Notes to Schedule
(1) The following ranges of frequencies may also be used for amateur satellite communications:
7.00 to 7.10 MHz
14.00 to 14.25 MHz
18.068 to 18.168 MHz
21.00 to 21.45 MHz
24.89 to 24.99 MHz
28.00 to 29.70 MHz
144.00 to 146.00 MHz
435.00 to 438.00 MHz
1.26 to 1.27 GHz (limited to the earth-to-space direction)
2.40 to 2.45 GHz
3.40 to 3.41 GHz
5.65 to 5.67 GHz (limited to the earth-to-space direction)
5.83 to 5.85 GHz (limited to the space-to-earth direction)
10.45 to 10.50 GHz
24.00 to 24.05 GHz
47.00 to 47.20 GHz
75.50 to 81.00 GHz
134.00 to 141.00 GHz
241.00 to 250.00 GHz
(2) These frequencies are, or may be, allocated for use by other services. Amateur operators must accept interference from, and must not cause interference to, such other services.
(3) The following frequencies are designated for industrial, scientific and medical (ISM) purposes. These frequencies may also be allocated to Short Range Device (SRD) services. Amateur operators must accept interference from ISM and SRD services within these frequency ranges.
27.12 MHz (26.957 - 27.283 MHz)
433.92 MHz (433.05 - 434.79 MHz)
921.5 MHz (915 - 928 MHz)
2.45 GHz (2.4 - 2.5 GHz)
5.8 GHz (5.725 - 5.875 GHz)
24.125 GHz (24.00 - 24.25 GHz)
122.5 GHz (122 - 123 GHz)
245 GHz (244 - 246 GHz)
(4) Allocated to the amateur service on a temporary basis until further notice.
(5) Telecommand and telemetry operation only.
(6) Radiated power must not exceed 5 watts e.i.r.p.
(7) Radiated power must not exceed 25 watts e.i.r.p.
(8) These frequency ranges may also be used for the operation of amateur repeater, beacon and fixed link installations pursuant to this notice.
Dated at Wellington this 15th day of June 2007.
SANJAI RAJ, Group Manager, Radio Spectrum Management, Business Services, Ministry of Economic Development.
Explanatory Note
This note is not part of the notice, but is intended to indicate its general effect.
This notice prescribes that, pursuant to Regulations made under the Radiocommunications Act 1989, a general user radio licence is granted for the transmission of radio waves by amateur radio operators in New Zealand, including amateur repeater, beacon, and fixed link installations, for the purpose of communications in the amateur radio service, in accordance with the terms, conditions, and restrictions of this notice. This notice comes into force on 1 July 2007.
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Report: NZART and MED Meeting re GURL-23 April 2007
Date: Monday 23 April 2007 Time: 3.00 pm
Attendees: Bruce Douglas (NZART), Mark Gooding (NZART), Doug Ingham (NZART - FMTAG & ARE), Wayne Wedderspoon (MED), Jeff Hicks (MED).
Location: MED Building 33 Bowen Street, Wellington
The discussion commenced by going through various amendments to the Draft GURL. The amendments were from Bruce, Mark and other NZART input.
This document initially started life as a GURL for Repeaters, but after various iterations has been combined into a single GURL for both personal licenses and repeaters.
A possible implementation date was discussed as 1 July 2007, although this is academic as any date can be used, the thoughts put forward were to get the date implemented prior to the next round of repeater fee's (early September 2007 for the initial ones, October/November 2007 for the majority).
Also noted that the draft has yet to go through the lawyers at the MED but this isn't a hindrance to the process.
A long discussion then took place where the MED went through a number of points:
* SMART and the Register of Radio Frequencies.
* GURL's - no grid (location) references recorded.
* GURL's - fee's exemption
* GURL's - limit what, if anything is recorded (in fact nothing).
* Bands & Co-channeling - internalised within a service, and co-siting issues.
* GURL's - costs and who pays for what.
Current cost is approximate $400K-$500K - it is believed to be actual cost, across all GURL's - more a compliance cost than anything else. For this cost Crown funding (additional is required) for the MED. This is an internal MED issue and not one where once GURL's are set up
NZART then put forward two items for discussion:
1. All New Zealand Licence - frequency pairs listed, with a status of Land Repeater New Zealand wide (status is what is recorded in the SMART system).
2. NZART to supply an update of data (format to be worked out) where site information has say a line item that a repeater under NZART exists and to consult the NZART website to obtain further information.
Further letter/email out to all ARE/ARC's to this effect?
These two points were discussed, but were decided amongst the group that although they fit some services (outside the Amateur service) they are not a "good fit" for the amateur service.
Discussion moved to the perhaps most contentious item namely paragraph 5(3):
(3) Installations must not cause interference to, and must accept interference from, existing and future non-amateur licensed services.
Under a GURL details are not recorded although you are expected to be a good radio citizen the MED cannot not allow the GURL to operate without this clause.
However, it was noted by NZART on this point that this very paragraph is also in the current GURL for personal licenses as footnote 2, and therefore nothing new to the amateur service - what it does do is to weaken the current position that the amateur service has for its repeaters. It must be noted that currently amateur repeaters are on the same level as commercial service repeaters and as such have equal rights. If the paragraph is kept in the GURL for Repeaters then this weakens this position.
The discussion moved around this point for some time, and various scenarios where discussed. In fact from one of these scenarios, the position of the clause actually didn't appear to be that bad in the end. The example was as follows:
* An amateur repeater is on site, operating correctly, and is compliant.
* Perhaps the amateur repeater was "first on site as well".
* A commercial service comes along, and sets up a repeater.
* An interference case is caused to the amateur service, and a complaint is made.
* Upon examination, it is found that the interference isn't one of interference at all, but one of a non-complaint commercial repeater. By not being compliant, it is in effect unlicensed and is no longer an interference case, but one of non-compliance.
In fact this example was based on a real world complaint - nothing to do with the amateur service, but such a series of events could be applied to the GURL for Repeaters.
So after a lengthy discussion the paragraph is one that the MED cannot live without, but appears to be one where on the surface it looks bad, but may not in the cold hard light of day when applied to real world scenarios, be one that we can live with?
Towards the end of the meeting NZART put forward the idea that could we have repeaters in both SMART and the GURL for Repeaters - the best of both worlds? The answer was yes.
This proposal was then explored, and is probably the outcome of the meeting.
The proposal is this:
* MED is to go away and re-draft up a final GURL for the Amateur Service.
* This GURL will contain both personal and repeaters (repeaters also mean repeaters, beacons and fixed links) licenses.
* That NZART release as soon as practical the draft GURL ahead of the AGM - probably through HQ InfoLine and in the Branch mail out.
* That NZART take the new drafted GURL to the AGM in June this year, and present the draft for discussion and sign off from the membership.
* Those owners of repeaters, beacons and fixed links then are given the opportunity to op in or out of the GURL. Those wishing the protection of the current system stay in SMART and continue to pay a yearly fee, those wanting to op out and avail themselves of the GURL can do so, thereby having a free fee installation.
* Action Point: NZART (via FMTAG) to approach NZ Defence Force on an allocation, and inquire as to the suitability of the GURL for this allocation.
Meeting concluded at 5.10 pm.
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RADIO LICENCES: SECURITY OF TENURE
A Submission to the Ministry of Economic Development, Radio Spectrum Management Group, in response to the Ministry's: "Radio Licences: Security of Tenure" discussion paper
Introduction
This Submission is made on behalf of NZART Council and is in response to the Radio Licences: Security of Tenure discussion paper that appeared on the Ministry's web page during December 2006 at http://www.rsm.govt.nz/spp/security-of-tenure/index.html and which invited a response.
Name of organisation:
The New Zealand Association of Radio Transmitters Incorporated.
Contact person for further details:
General Secretary: Debby Morgan ZL2TDM, NZART Headquarters, P.O. Box 40 525, Upper Hutt 5018, Phone: 04 939 2189, Fax: 04 939 2190, E-mail: nzart@nzart.org.nz, NZART Web page: www.nzart.org.nz
This submission may be freely copied, or summarized, or distributed to third parties, as the Ministry wishes.
Introduction
Currently there are approximately 4,900 callsigns
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