XN000022-1981-10-02 — Page 3

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FRIDAY, OCTOBER 2, 1981

LICENCES NOT NEEDED FOR MOST RADIO MODEL CARS

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MOST RADIO-CONTROLLED MODELS AND TOYS WILL NO LONGER NEED TO BE LICENSED UNDER THE TELECOMMUNICATION ORDINANCE (CAP 106), THE ACTING POSTMASTER GENERAL, MR T.H. BARMA, ANNOUNCED TODAY.

AT PRESENT, NO PERSON MAY POSSESS OR USE ANY RADIO TRANSMITTING APPARATUS EXCEPT UNDER LICENCE GRANTED IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE ORDINANCE.

THE REQUIREMENT FOR A LICENCE RELATES NOT ONLY TO RADIOCOMMUNICATION APPARATUS BUT ALSO TO ANY EQUIPMENT THAT GENERATES AND EMITS RADIO WAVES.

+ IT HAS, THEREFORE, BEEN NECESSARY FOR ANYONE OWNING A RADIO-CONTROLLED MODEL TO HOLD A VALID MODEL CONTROL LICENCE,+ MR BARMA SAID.

+ IT HAS BEEN RECOGNISED, HOWEVER, THAT A LARGE NUMBER OF SUCH MODELS, PARTICULARLY RADIO-CONTROLLED TOYS, HAVE A VERY LIMITED RANGE OF OPERATION AND CAUSE A NEGLIGIBLE AMOUNT OF RADIO INTERFERENCE. THE GOVERNMENT HAS,

THE GOVERNMENT HAS, THEREFORE INVESTIGATED THE NEED FOR LICENSING AND HAS CONCLUDED THAT A LARGE NUMBER OF RAD 10-CONTROLLED MODELS AND TOYS USED IN HONG KONG THAT CONFORM TO A GIVEN SPECIFICATION MAY BE EXEMPTED FROM THE NEED TO BE LICENSED.

+THE SPECIFICATION COVERS RADIO-CONTROLLED MODELS (FOR EXAMPLE, CARS, BOATS, AND PLANES) THAT OPERATE IN THE 26.96 - 27.28 MHZ RADIO-FREQUENCY BAND WITH A POWER OUTPUT OF UP TO 0.5 WATT.

+THE ORDER BRINGING THIS INTO EFFECT WAS GRANTED BY THE GOVERNOR-IN-COUNCIL ON SEPTEMBER 29, 1981, HENCE ELIMINATING THE NEED FOR LICENSING FOR A LARGE NUMBER OF TOYS THAT WILL BE BOUGHT AT CHRISTMAS.

+IN FUTURE, THEREFORE, RADIO-CONTROLLED MODELS CONFORMING TO THE SPECIFICATION IN THE ORDER DO NOT REQUIRE A LICENCE WHEREAS ONES OUTSIDE OF THE SPECIFICATION STILL REQUIRE LICENSING.

+FURTHER DETAILS CAN BE OBTAINED FROM THE POST OFFICE TELECOMMUNICATIONS LICENSING CENTRES IN CONNAUGHT PLACE, CENTRAL AND KOWLOON CENTRAL POST OFFICE (SECOND FLOOR), OR FROM POST OFFICE HEADQUARTERS, CONNAUGHT PLACE, HONG KONG, HE SAID.

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