Foundation licence holder Amanda Gray received the call sign VK4FRST

Amanda Gray VK4FRST is FiRST

It is good to see that the new Australian Amateur Radio Foundation licence holders are now on the air.

Appropriately, the first Foundation licence holder Amanda Gray received the call sign VK4FRST - a call sign that should produce a pile up whenever she goes on the air.

Licenced just after Amanda were Robert VK4FROG and Sonja VK4FOXX.

The ACMA granted Foundation holders less power than the Wireless Institute of Australia had wanted - 10 watts PEP SSB and 3 watts for FM.
I understand WIA are pushing to have the power levels increased at a later date.

The WIA issued the following announcement:

The Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) issues Australia’s first Foundation Licence.

On Friday, October 21 ACMA issued the first Foundation Licence, VK4FRST to Amanda Gray from Brisbane in Queensland. Amanda and 18 other budding radio amateurs attended the first weekend long training course, which was held on the Gold Coast on the weekend of October 15, and 16.

16 of the people attending the course have achieved the qualification for a Foundation Licence.

Many clubs have started preparing for their first training courses and indications to date are that we may well have several hundred new Foundation Licences by Christmas.

Two clubs have reported that they have a very large number of applicants ready to roll, Hornsby in the Northern Suburbs of Sydney have 39 and Westlakes in the Western Suburbs of Newcastle have 33.

73 Trevor M5AKA

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