Steps to obtain your Amateur Radio Licence

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Volunteer Examiners Australia (VEA), as do many Amateur Radio Clubs and Individual AMC Assessors, run scheduled or “on-demand” Amateur Radio Exams either “face to face” or via online remote sessions.

Currently, all Australian Exams are being run through the Australian Maritime College (AMC). If it is a “Face to Face” exam session, we need to meet the AMC UTas COVID Compliance standards, and we must get the exam session signed off regarding numbers. It is a first in best-dressed type situation.

If we are assessing via a remote online exam session, then you will need a PC or laptop, a Skype account and a good internet connection for screen sharing etc. (NB, over 18 years of age only for remote online assessment at this stage as is an UTas ruling)

https://www.amc.edu.au/industry/amateur-radio/fees-and-charges

https://www.amc.edu.au/industry/amateur-radio 

$90.00 Theory examination.

(Foundation, Standard, Advanced or Regulations)

$90.00 Practical Assessment only. 

(Free if a practical assessment is taken with any other theory exam, Foundation, Standard, Advanced or Regulations)

$90.00 Foundation + Practical.

$180.00 Standard + Regulations + Practical.

$180.00 Advanced + Regulations + Practical.

$25.00  Next available callsign.

$35.00  Select your preferred callsign (If available)

Most callsign suffixes are no longer "Licence class dependant" this is the best "lifetime" callsign option.

$80.00  New Amateur Licence.

$55.00  Licence Renewal.

$51.00  Variation to the existing licence (callsign or licence class change after upgrade)

There are two components to the Foundation exam, Theory and Practical.

The Theory is a 25 Question Multi Choice exam, and the assessor assesses the practical. You will need to identify standard components, explain how to connect a complete primary station for operation, and understand the operating standards and protocols.

Currently, the Foundation Licence is the best value for entry into the hobby of Amateur Radio as it gives access to significant HF Spectrum (80m, 40m, 15m & 10m ), VHF (2m) and UHF (70cm) spectrum with all modes and a power output of 10 watts. Local and International communications can easily be made.
 

Utilise the FREE Unlimited Foundation Practice exam generator that is available on the WIA website at https://www.wia.org.au/licenses/foundation/onlineexams/foundation.php

Achieving a consistent 80% pass rate or higher should see you in good stead to a successful result with the exam.

To maximise your success with the foundation exam, we recommend purchasing the “Foundation Manual” available from the WIA or your local radio club. https://www.wia.org.au/licenses/foundation/foundationmanual/

A good reference for the Theory and Practical Examination is available from Radio and Electronics School (RES) and can be found here:  https://www.youtube.com/c/RonBertrand/videos.

Look for all the videos for the Foundation Theory Exam. They are formatted like “FT Tutorial 01.wmv.”

Look for all the videos for the Foundation Practical Exam. They are formatted like: “FP Tutorial 01.wmv.”

The Practical Assessment Checklist with the Questions and Answers required is available here: https://www.amc.edu.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0010/1319473/Practical_Assessment_Checklist_April_2020.pdf.
 

The Practical Exam Picture Chart (Schematic symbols, connectors, antenna types, etc.) is available here: https://www.amc.edu.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0011/1319474/Practical_Assessment-Assessor_Picture_Chart_05032019.pdf. 

Standard & Advanced theory is 50 Questions and Regulations theory is 30 Questions.

All theory Questions are muti choice.

Amateur Radio Victoria website has resources for the Standard, Advanced and Regulations papers.
https://www.amateurradio.com.au/licence/standard
https://www.amateurradio.com.au/licence/advanced/trial-exam-1

https://www.amateurradio.com.au/licence/regulations

Note: if you are sitting the Standard or Advanced and never done a Practical, it is a further requirement.

(NB: No additional cost if taken with any theory exam. (Regulations, Standard or Advanced theory)

Radio and Electronics School YouTube videos for the Practical session are found at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YqhpTFijkeM. 

Because of recent changes, only one format of the callsign is available and it consists of the Letters VK representing Australia and a number 0-9 representing the state and then the unique suffix.

VK3__     (Advanced Licence only)

VK3___  (Foundation, Standard & Advanced Licences)

A list of available callsigns can be found on the AMC Website: https://csdb.utas.edu.au/Callsign/SearchUnallocated.

As an example, a sample search for any callsigns with V, E and A can be found on this link. 

(Note you need to select Advanced on the search due to the changes) 

https://csdb.utas.edu.au/Callsign/SearchUnallocated?filterCallsignTypeId=3&filterLetterTypeCode=Three&filterRegionId=9&filterCallsignCode=&filterCallsignSuffix_Text01=v&filterCallsignSuffix_Operator01=And&filterCallsignSuffix_Text02=e&filterCallsignSuffix_Operator02=And&filterCallsignSuffix_Text03=a

JOIN your local radio club or the club running your exam session.

WIA affiliated clubs are listed here for your reference, see “Affiliated Clubs” tab. https://www.wia.org.au

Most clubs do not charge for the exam service and all the fees are for AMC and ACMA.

JOIN the Wireless Institute of Australia, (WIA), The National Association for Amateur Radio in Australia.

You should also be aware that the WIA offer 12 months complimentary membership for new AOCP(x) holders if you receive an AOCP (Foundation, Standard or Advanced) and are not a member of the WIA you may be eligible for a complimentary 1 year WIA membership.

If you are already a WIA member (now, or when you receive your AOCP(x) qualification in the future), you may be eligible to receive a 1 year membership extension or a $100 discount off a 5 year membership.

If this is you, or someone you know all that is needed is a completed WIA membership form and a copy of the relevant AOCP qualification showing the date of qualification email to support@wia.org.au.

More info on WIA FREE membership: https://www.wia.org.au/newsevents/news/2019/20190113-1/