From February, hams in Australia who previously held an apparatus licence will become holders of the new class licence.

The Australian regulator has sent letters to hams announcing that the transition to the new class licence structure takes effect on the 19th of February. The letter permits hams with valid apparatus licences to continue operating under the same band and licence conditions as before and assures hams who renewed the apparatus licence after the 9th of December that they are eligible for a pro-rated refund if they surrender the apparatus licence on or after the 19th of February.

The ACMA plans to check every five years that assigned callsigns are still being used as authorised. Calls with a one-year expiry, such as special event callsigns, and those calls with a VK0 or VK9 prefix, will receive additional instructions in February regarding either renewals or expirations.

These changes, which the regulator announce last year, also mean that there are no fees for the licences. The ACMA will also take oversight of the administration of amateur radio licence exams and callsign issuance previously delegated to the Australian Maritime College.