[SFDXA] Heard Island Prefix Change

[Bill]

          Heard Island Prefix Change
          <https://www.eham.net/community/smf/index.php?topic=142462.msg1337067#msg1337067>


« *on:* *Yesterday* at 07:12:36 PM »
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The ACMA (the Australian licensing authority) has recently reviewed its 
amateur radio callsign policy.

One outcome of this review is that Heard Island is no longer VK0; it is 
now VK9, same as Australia's
other External Territories such as Cocos-Keeling Islands & Christmas Island.

For details, see page 8 of:
https://www.acma.gov.au/sites/default/files/2024-09/Amateur%20radio%20call%20sign%20policy_September%202024.pdf 
<https://www.acma.gov.au/sites/default/files/2024-09/Amateur%20radio%20call%20sign%20policy_September%202024.pdf>

Two other DXCC entities are also likely to be similarly affected, namely 
Lord Howe and Macquarie,
since neither are External Territories. Rather, Lord Howe Island is part 
of the state of New South Wales
(VK2) and Macquarie Island is an outlying part of the state of Tasmania 
(VK7).

The document also states that the ACMA will now only assign Antarctic 
callsigns to licensed amateurs
actively serving with the Australian Government's Antarctic Program. In 
other words, anyone contemplating
a future private DXpedition to Heard or Macquarie may as well forget it.

All done behind closed doors by Government lawyers with little regard 
for amateur radio tradition or
history.

https://www.eham.net/forum/view?id=index.php/topic,142462.msg1337067.html%3f#msg1337067
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