License Issue Timescales

VK4DLC · Post by **VK4DLC** » Fri Jul 22, 2011 7:19 pm

Hi all,
Does anyone know what the current time scale is for the issue of a new advanced license?
ACMA have cashed my cheque and I now appear on their database as a client but my license has not yet appeared (either in the post or on the database).
Thanks,
Dean

VK3DXE · Post by **VK3DXE** » Sat Jul 23, 2011 12:52 am

Once you're on the online database, you're good to go. I rang the day mine appeared there and that's what they told me.

VK2XQ · Post by **VK2XQ** » Sat Jul 23, 2011 10:37 am

How things have changed, I still remember the old days when you went to the Post & Telecommunications Dept, in person. They stamped your papers, you went to the cashier and paid (in cash) your fees, went back to the clerk with the official receipt and things were squared up. No computers, no data base, no credit cards etc. That was back in 1976!

VK4ABW · Post by **VK4ABW** » Sat Jul 23, 2011 11:00 am

I recently acquired another call-sign (for a different state) and the day it appeared on the ACMA website, i received an email the same day.

Gone are the days of waiting on the front door step waiting for the postie to ride by

VK3PF · Post by **VK3PF** » Sat Jul 23, 2011 3:51 pm

Dean,

I would check the database again late on Monday afternoon. If it is not there then, check again each day until it appears. It must be close, given that you are now on the database as a client.

As others have stated, once the callsign shows on the database, you are good to go.

Good luck,

Peter VK3PF

VK4DLC · Post by **VK4DLC** » Sun Jul 24, 2011 9:31 am

Thanks all for your comments, hopefully get the license on Monday!
Dean

VK4DLC · Post by **VK4DLC** » Mon Jul 25, 2011 5:33 pm

VK3PF wrote:Dean,

I would check the database again late on Monday afternoon. If it is not there then, check again each day until it appears. It must be close, given that you are now on the database as a client.

As others have stated, once the callsign shows on the database, you are good to go.

Good luck,

Peter VK3PF

Good guess Peter!
License confirmation e-mail received this afternoon along with the database entry. VK4DLC is good to go.
Dean

VK4DLC · Post by **VK4DLC** » Mon Jul 25, 2011 5:34 pm

PS: For anyone else waiting, it look 7 calendar days from the time of posting to the time of license receipt (via e-mail).
Dean

VK3XRI · Post by **VK3XRI** » Tue Oct 11, 2011 1:00 pm

i was told they have up to 10 working days to process applications , last time i spoke to them about this same issue

VK7YXX · Post by **VK7YXX** » Tue Nov 15, 2011 9:59 am

VK2XQ wrote:How things have changed, I still remember the old days when you went to the Post & Telecommunications Dept, in person. They stamped your papers, you went to the cashier and paid (in cash) your fees, went back to the clerk with the official receipt and things were squared up. No computers, no data base, no credit cards etc. That was back in 1976!

I'm a returning amateur and last went thought the licencing process back in '89. To be honest I'm a bit concerned about the process currently required to obtain a licence.

Although my memory may be failing me, "back in the day" I seem to remember sitting the exam, walking to a couple of desks and a cashier, and walking out with a licence. The time consuming bit was studying for the exam. My experience over the last few weeks went something like this:

- After moving house several times I misplaced (lost) my LCOP, so I rang up the WIA and they looked it up for me on the spot - so far, so good.
- I downloaded the callsign recommendation form and filled it out - great, they take credit cards.
- I faxed it through late in the afternoon on a Tuesday - great, saved two days by not sending it through the post.
- I waited a week - nothing, so much for saving two days.
- I rang up the WIA - apparently they only process callsign recommendations once a week, on a Tuesday (I missed the window the week before).
- I finally received my callsign recommendation the following Friday.
- I downloaded and filled out the operator's licence application - OK, what? No credit cards? I could email or fax it, but that's useless without payment (cheque or money order only).
- I waited until Monday and went to the post office, got a money order ($6 charge!) and sent it off at the same time with the callsign recommendation.
- I waited another week - nothing.
- The following Thursday I appeared as a client in the database (no licence though).
- Looked again on the Monday - nothing.
- Rang up the ACMA and was told that they process applications in bulk and I "should" have a licence this week or early next week - seriously?
- Still waiting.

Now, in this day and age, and given that this is the ACMA (who is responsible for COMMUNICATIONS and the INTERNET), surely there's a better way. There's not many things that take a month to do these days.

PS. I should add that in 1/2 the time it has taken to process the licence (so far) I have bought two transceivers, obtained cable and connectors, bought and received an antenna, cabled and terminated the house, raised the antenna, and received a handheld from China. Except for the cable the rest was purchased online or by phone with a credit card. Go figure.

VK3BA · Post by **VK3BA** » Tue Nov 15, 2011 3:10 pm

You should try applying for a repeater licence... that'll test your patience!

Cheers,

VK7YXX · Post by **VK7YXX** » Tue Nov 15, 2011 7:29 pm

VK3BA wrote:You should try applying for a repeater licence... that'll test your patience!

Um, I think I'll give that a miss ...

VK7YXX · Post by **VK7YXX** » Thu Nov 17, 2011 1:19 pm

Well, I waited a week from the time I appeared as a client on the ACMA online register and still nothing, so I called them. After giving them my client number and asking where things were at they put me on hold and, to their credit I guess (maybe they had to find someone with a working mouse to click on the "Issue" button - kidding), they issued the licence on the spot.

Of course, now the wait is over my care factor has diminished substantially, but I will certainly sympathised with anyone who questions the process and/or gets frustrated with the timeframe involved, given it's the 21st Century and all.

VK7HH · Post by **VK7HH** » Thu Nov 17, 2011 4:18 pm

VK3BA wrote:You should try applying for a repeater licence... that'll test your patience!

Cheers,

Nik,
How about a licence change, took 3-4 months for VK7RSC's 10m beacon location to get a location move.

VK7YXX · Post by **VK7YXX** » Fri May 11, 2012 4:57 pm

VK7YXX wrote:
VK3BA wrote:You should try applying for a repeater licence... that'll test your patience!
Um, I think I'll give that a miss ...

At the risk of my own words coming back to haunt me, I have actually have applied for a repeater licence.

All I can say is ... Something is rotten in the state of Denmark.

Four to six MONTHS (not weeks, months) I'm told, and it's likely closer to six.

What reasonable person thinks the current time frame for processing of repeater applications and/or variations is in any way acceptable??!?

VK3XRI · Post by **VK3XRI** » Fri May 11, 2012 5:15 pm

The repeater licenses are a complete joke .... I would agree something not right with that process

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

VK2XSO · Post by **VK2XSO** » Fri May 11, 2012 6:56 pm

It takes less time to build a repeater

So I did and it has be "on test" until the licence goes through.
I expect by that time I will have finished building the 23cm backbone link from VK4 to VK1

VK4BS · Post by **VK4BS** » Fri May 11, 2012 7:06 pm

The whole system for issuing of repeater licences (and perhaps other amateur licences) needs to be reviewed. The problem is, the WIA wanted to accept responsibility but is not prepared to match that responsibility with a decent service level. They keep saying that it is a voluntary organisation as if that is some sort of excuse/explanation! The truth is, if you can't provide a decent service then you should not take it on. Alternatively, if there are members in the processing system that aren't prepared to provide a high level of service then it is time for them to move on.

Add to that the lackadaisical approach of ACMA who seem to feel it is OK to farm out the majority of the work to other organisations (e.g. WIA) and then not maintain any sort of performance overview. When you link that to their extreme bureaucratic approach you get zero service with no way to seek a review. In my most recent correspondence about the lack of any reasonable quality of service their response is simply to fall back on the fact that the Radiocommunications Act says they must process an application within 90 days! They seem to take that as a service level rather than an extreme and maximum delay.

On top of that they do not seem to consider that the time taken by the WIA, their contracted Agent, is to be taken into account when calculating the 90 days. So, if they farm the work out and that takes 30, 60, 90, 120, whatever days they then add a further 90 days to it. Neat way of avoiding responsibility!!!

As has been mentioned earlier, the service level back many years when they did not have the Agents working for them, the computers to store and manage the data and the automated printing of documents was far superior and in line with what one would consider to be a responsible Agency.

Howard
VK4BS

VK7YXX · Post by **VK7YXX** » Fri May 11, 2012 9:06 pm

It sounds like the frustration level is high, mine certainly is.

VK3MEG · Post by **VK3MEG** » Fri May 11, 2012 11:31 pm

just upgraded to standard it took 3 weeks for the call to come through.
on database 2 days later paper license

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