Ham Radio History - Australia

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Related wiki pages Ham Radio History - Canada, Ham Radio History - New Zealand, Ham Radio History - United Kingdom, Ham Radio History - USA

Notable Dates

 * 1905 - HG Robinson is issued with what is most likely the first experimenter's licence for "experiments in halls for lecture purposes"
 * 1905 - The "X" prefix allocated to all experimenters
 * 1908 - Two enthusiasts apply to the Navy for a licence to transmit. This was initially refused
 * 1910 - The Wireless Institute of Australia (WIA) is formed.
 * 1911 - 27 experimental licences in existence in Australia. NSW - 22, Vic, 3, SA - 1, Tas - 1.
 * 1919 - The WIA Queensland division is formed
 * 1920 - Numerical prefixes allocated for each state
 * 1922 - The PMG issues "dealers permits" to those wishing to sell wireless sets or parts.
 * 1923 - "A" prefix added to Australian callsigns to signify Australia
 * 1925 - The Amateur Operators Certificate of proficiency (AOCP) was introduced. Prior to this, experimenters did so without licences because the PMG ( Post Master General) and the Navy made obtaining a "licence to transmit' very difficult to obtain
 * 1926 - "O" added to callsigns as a prefix to signify Oceania
 * 1929 - OA prefix replaced by VK
 * 1935 - First VK/ZL DX contest held in October
 * 1936 - First VK/ZL phone contact on 80m in August
 * 1938 - 3rd September, Robert Menzies informed all Australian amateurs by telegram that amateur radio in Australia had officially ceased to exist. Amateurs were directed to go QRT and dismantle all equipment, and to notify the Senior radio Inspector when this order had been carried out.
 * 1947 - VK5KL (South Australia) has a 2-way contact with W7ACS/KH6 in Hawaii, a distance of about 9000km.
 * 1954 - The Limited Amateur Operators Certificate of proficiency (LAOCP) is introduced, with restrictions to operating within the VHF bands. Limited operators did not require Morse proficiency to obtain their licence.
 * 1964 - Ray Naughton VK3ATN and Mike Stahl K6MYC achieve the first ever 2m EME QSO.
 * 1964 - Yaesu Munsen start selling transceivers in Australia, through Bail Radio and TV Service, beginning with the FT-20.
 * 1975 - The Novice licence is introduced. This allowed some HF privileges with a Morse requirement of 5wpm.
 * 1975 - The novice Limited licence is introduced. This licence did not have a Morse requirement.
 * 1982 - the Historical Radio Society of Australia is formed.
 * 1999 - Final Morse transmission from an Australian coast station.
 * 2004 - The Australian Media and Communications Authority (ACMA removes Morse as a requirement for amateur licences.
 * 2005 - The ACMA creates two licence classes, Advanced and Standard.
 * 2006 - The ACMA adds the Foundation licence to the list of available classes. Amateurs with these licences have callsigns with the prefix VK#F, eg VK4F