The following Press Release was issued by the RSGB and the RA on Friday 21 May 1999:

New Licence Sets the Scene for the New Millennium

UK Amateur Radio Licensing is about to undergo the most exciting changes seen since the introduction of the Novice Licence in 1991.
Two major initiatives will allow greater access to the full range of facilities that Amateur Radio has to offer, and broaden the appeal of the hobby to a wider audience. More amateurs will have the opportunity to experience worldwide communications, and newcomers to the hobby will find it possible to make contacts on a wider range of frequencies.

These substantial improvements stem from discussions between the Radio Society of Great Britain and the Radiocommunications Agency, following consultation with the Amateur Radio community carried out by both organisations.

A new class of licence, to be known as the A/B licence, and which will use the callsign series M5xxx, is to be introduced in the early autumn. This will provide access to all amateur bands, on passing the Radio Amateurs Examination and a 5 words per minute Morse test. 100 Watts PEP output will be allowed on the bands below 30MHz (the HF bands); and 400 Watts PEP output above.

The Novice A and Novice B licences will be enhanced in the summer to allow a higher transmitted power than at present. The power output will go up to 10 Watts PEP. New frequencies will include the 144MHz band, an SSB allocation on 3.5MHz and the extension of the existing Novice HF allocation to include the QRP CW calling frequencies.

It is expected that the World Radio Conference to be held in 2002 or 2003 will agree to the removal of mandatory Morse testing for access to frequencies below 30MHz. Following that decision, the existing licence structure will be replaced with an incentive-based system. In the meantime, discussions are under way to ensure that Morse and data sub-bands are safeguarded by incorporating them into licence schedules.

In summary, the improvements are:

• Access to the HF bands with a lower Morse test speed
• The Class A/B licence to provide access to all HF bands at the 100 Watt PEP level
• Higher output power on all Novice bands
• Wider allocations on existing Novice bands
• Access to 144MHz for Novice licensees
• Safeguards for Morse and data sub-bands
• In the longer term, the introduction of an incentive-based licensing system

The RSGB and the RA are hopeful that these initiatives will provide a more attractive path into Amateur Radio, at the same time as increasing the facilities available to existing radio amateurs. These measures, together with the new licence structure, which will be put into place after a future WRC, will provide a healthy future for Amateur Radio well into the 21st century.

For further information, contact:

Specialist Sectors Unit, Radiocommunications Agency, New King’s Beam House, 22 Upper Ground, London SE1 9SA

Radio Society of Great Britain, Lambda House, Cranborne Road, Potters Bar, Herts EN6 3JE