A regulation requiring that amateur radio operators take the International Morse Code Test to obtain a license is soon to be abolished, the National Communications Commission (NCC) said yesterday.
The commission has already approved the amendments, frequency and resources department deputy director Chen Chun-mu (陳春木) said.
However, it is obligated to make the amended regulations available for public view for two months and then make any changes deemed necessary before they can take effect, he said.
Many other nations have also removed the need for a Morse code test, he said.
Following requests from amateur radio operators, the amended regulations stipulate that they can use frequencies between 432 megahertz (MHz) and 440MHz, he said.
The amendments also extend the validity of amateur radio operating licenses from five years to 10 years, Chen said.
In addition, the amendments stipulate that amateur radio operators would be able to start renewing their licenses five months before their licenses expire, he said.
Current regulations allow them to do so one month before the expiration date.
The commission has also streamlined application procedures, Chen said, adding that the commission is in the process of amending other rules for amateur radio operators interested in using radio frequencies to conduct experiments.
People interested in operating amateur radios must first obtain a license to operate a radio station.
According to the commission, there are about 3 million amateur radio operators around the world.
Commission data showed that 42,900 licenses for qualified amateur radio operators were issued between 2012 and last year.
Over the same period, the commission issued 1,177 licenses for fixed radio stations and 15,817 licenses for mobile radio stations, the data showed.
The first two F-16V Bock 70 jets purchased from the US are expected to arrive in Taiwan around Double Ten National Day, which is on Oct. 10, a military source said yesterday. Of the 66 F-16V Block 70 jets purchased from the US, the first completed production in March, the source said, adding that since then three jets have been produced per month. Although there were reports of engine defects, the issue has been resolved, they said. After the jets arrive in Taiwan, they must first pass testing by the air force before they would officially become Taiwan’s property, they said. The air force
GLOBAL: Although Matsu has limited capacity for large numbers of domestic tourists, it would be a great high-end destination for international travelers, an official said Lienchiang County’s (Matsu) unique landscape and Cold War history give it great potential to be marketed as a destination for international travelers, Tourism Administration Director General Chen Yu-hsiu (陳玉秀) said at the weekend. Tourism officials traveled to the outlying island for the Matsu Biennial, an art festival that started on Friday to celebrate Matsu’s culture, history and landscape. Travelers to Matsu, which lies about 190km northwest of Taipei, must fly or take the state-run New Taima passenger ship. However, flights are often canceled during fog season from April to June. Chen spoke about her vision to promote Matsu as a tourist attraction in
PAWSITIVE IMPACT: A shop owner said that while he adopted cats to take care of rodents, they have also attracted younger visitors who also buy his dried goods In Taipei’s Dadaocheng (大稻埕), cats lounging in shops along Dihua Street do more than nap amid the scent of dried seafood. Many have become beloved fixtures who double as photography models, attracting visitors and helping boost sales in one of the capital’s most historic quarters. A recent photo contest featuring more than a dozen shop cats drew more than 2,200 submissions, turning everyday cat-spotting into a friendly competition that attracted amateur and professional photographers. “It’s rare to see cats standing, so when it suddenly did, it felt like a lucky cat,” said Sabrina Hsu (徐淳蔚), who won the NT$10,000 top prize in
STRIKE: Some travel agencies in Taiwan said that they were aware of the situation in South Korea, and that group tours to the country were proceeding as planned A planned strike by airport personnel in South Korea has not affected group tours to the country from Taiwan, travel agencies said yesterday. They added that they were closely monitoring the situation. Personnel at 15 airports, including Seoul’s Incheon and Gimpo airports, are to go on strike. They announced at a news conference on Tuesday that the strike would begin on Friday next week and continue until the Mid-Autumn Festival next month. Some travel agencies in Taiwan, including Cola Tour, Lion Travel, SET Tour and ezTravel, said that they were aware of the situation in South Korea, and that group
RSS