Australian EMR limits

Operation of all amateur stations in Australia since March 2003 requires that they comply with Electromagnetic Radiation or EMR limits.

It is important that all radio amateurs are aware that those limits are mandated, in the Amateur Licence Condition Determinations - our regulations.

The Australian Communications Authority is now checking to see that Amateur stations are operating within EMR limits, as Jim Linton VK3PC reports.

" The ACA is conducting an Australia-wide audit by writing to randomly selected amateur licensees, in the first of what will be an annual auditing process of compliance with the EMR limits.

Those limits are designed to ensure that a transmitter is operated at safe levels for general public exposure to radiation.

The average amateur station will easily comply with the
Radiocommunications Electromagnetic Radiation Human Exposure Standard.

The ACA is now writing to radio amateurs to request that the licensee attests that their station is operating within the EMR limits, and for them to explain how compliance has been determined under the self-assessment method.

The audit not only includes home stations but also mobile and portable stations which have human radiation exposure considerations when operated in a public car park, or an area used by the general public.

A failure to respond to the ACA audit or providing an inadequate response will result in the ACA initiating follow-up action.

That may include a station inspection to enable it to confirm
compliance, or as a worse case scenario a licence could be
suspended or cancelled.

An article entitled "Will your station meet EMR requirements?" appeared in the June 2002 edition of the WIA journal Amateur Radio magazine. It can be easily found in the on line Amateur Radio magazine archive on the WIA website (http://www.wia.org.au/armag/articles.php)

EMR limits are not only a licence requirement. All radio amateurs are expected to apply them as responsible users of the radio spectrum.

Jim Linton VK3PC

Source: Wireless Institute of Australia

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