So how do I become a radio amateur?

To become a Ham you need to show the Australian Communications Agency (ACA) that you are competent enough to use high powered radio equipment and that you have a basic understanding of electronics theory. Once you have attained your certificate of competency a licence will be awarded.

There is a small amount of study required to attain the desired certificate, but most people find that once they get started it is not as daunting a task as it first seems. Exams are set by the Wireless Institute of Australia (WIA) and held by registered volunteer examiners at various clubs or private residences around the country.

There is a small administration cost involved in sitting an exam set by the WIA but in most cases the cost of each exam does not exceed $20:00. There is a $10 event fee, which is usually spread over the cost of all candidates, so if there are 10 candidates for an exam the cost to each individual is $1:00.

There are five levels of competency in Australia. I will try and briefly explain the requirements for each one, along with a basic description of the entitlements that they carry.

Novice Limited Amateur Operators Certificate of Proficiency (NLAOCP).

Dont let the title fool you, the Novice Limited Amateur Operators Certificate of Proficiency is the easiest certificate to attain, as you only need to know basic Novice electronics theory, and radio-telecommunications regulations governing Amateur Radio.

The Novice electronics theory exam is a 50 question multiple choice affair, the pass mark is 70%. The exam covers basic resistance, capacitance, microphones, electrical safety and propagation along with other areas of basic electronics and calculations.

The Regulations section is a 30 question multiple choice exam with a 70% pass mark and is the same for all classes of licence. Once you have it, you do not need to do sit the exam again. This exam is really common sense, some study is required but most people find this exam the easiest of them all.

Entitlements with this class of licence include access to portions of the VHF and UHF Amateur bands using FM and Packet modes only with a maximum power output of 25 Watts.

Novice Amateur Operators Certificate of Proficiency (NAOCP).

The Novice Amateur Operators Certificate of Proficiency is the next level up and with this class of licence the novice electronics theory and regulations exams are exactly the same as for the NLAOCP.

The only difference is that you must receive by ear and transmit by hand (using a straight key) Morse code at the speed of 5 words per minute (WPM). This is not as hard as it seems and there are many good computer generated Morse practice programs available, many of which will take you right through to well over 20 WPM with out you even realising it.

With this certificate the same privileges as for the NLAOCP are applicable with the addition of a segment in each of the 80, 15 and 10 metre amateur bands.

Additional modes include Continuous Wave (CW) and Single Side Band (SSB) both with maximum power output of 100 Watts. FM and packet are not allowed with this class of licence on these additional bands.

Limited Amateur Operators Certificate of Proficiency (LAOCP).

The Limited Amateur Operators Certificate of Proficiency electronics theory exam is a 50 question multiple choice affair, the pass mark is 70%. The exam covers advanced resistance, capacitance, microphones, electrical safety and propagation, atomic structure of atoms, along with other areas of advanced electronics and calculations.

As mentioned previously the regulation exam is the same for all classes of licence and no further examination on this topic is required.

This class of licence allows you to use all modes including Slow scan Television, Amateur Television, Radio Teletype and others. Limited licensed operators are allowed to use all Amateur frequencies above 29Mhz with a maximum allowable power output of 400 Watts.

Morse coade is not a requirement for this class of licence.

Combined Limited Amateur Operators Certificate of Proficiency (CLAOCP).

For the Combined Limited Amateur Operators Certificate of Proficiency class of licence the Advanced electronics theory and regulations exams are exactly the same as for the LAOCP.

You must receive by ear and transmit by hand (using a straight key) Morse code at the speed of 5 words per minute (WPM) for this class of licence. Most people that are upgrading from the NAOCP will already have this exam under their belt.

Recently this class of licence underwent an overhaul, and holders of the CLAOCP licence are now entitled to the same operating entitlements that the AOCP licence holders have (See below). The only difference is that callsigns will retain the combined letter prefix in the call (e.g. VK?K?? and VK?J??), further combined licence holders do not have access to the two letter call signs.

Amateur Operators Certificate of Proficiency (AOCP).

For the Amateur Operators Certificate of Proficiency class of licence the advanced electronics theory and regulations exams are exactly the same as for the LAOCP and CLAOCP.

The AOCP licence is the highest level that can be attained before commercial licensing takes over. The next step from here is the Broadcasting Operators Certificate of Proficiency or BOCP.

You must receive by ear and transmit by hand (using a straight key) Morse code at the speed of 10 words per minute (WPM) for this class of licence. Many people skip the 5-WPM exam and go straight to this one to cut corners. This is a good idea because it saves you time and money.

This class of licence allows you to use all modes and all Amateur frequencies from 1.6Mhz through to the SHF and Microwave bands with a maximum allowable power output of 400 Watts.

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