e-mail; maaatechsec@touch88.com.au

The Manual of Procedures is a "live" document and is continually being updated. Please check the M.A.A.A. web site form time to time to ensure that you are aware of the latest editions of the documents.

On the Heavy Model and Gas Turbine Permit forms there is space to note the frequency channel of the radio installed in the model. With the introduction of the synthesised radios the nomination of a particular channel is not relevant for these type of radios.

Therefore, where a Permit Form requires the entry of the frequency channel and a synthesised type radio is installed in the model, the words "Syn" should be entered as the frequency channel.

The Pylon Chairman has advised that the team trials for the 2007 World Championships will consist of State Pylon Championships, February 2006 to February 2007; 2006 AMPRA Championship Cohuna, 10th to 12th June 2006; and the 2007 Nationals in Albury/Wodonga. Please contact your Pylon Special Interest Group for more information. The 2007 F3D World Championships are to be held at the AMA’s headquarters in Muncie Indiana.

As many of you will know radio control equipment which operates in the 2.4GHz frequency band has become available for model aircraft use. This is an exciting prospect and many manufacturers are known to be looking at introducing the technology. Up till now, although a few experimenters may have used the band, remote control aircraft equipment has not been available commercially and so the band has not been approved for use by M.A.A.A. members under the Manual of Procedures. This has effectively meant that ,even though it was legal to use the frequencies in Australia under one of the Class Licences issued by the Australian Media and Communications Authority, it has not been covered by the M.A.A.A. and its insurance policy,.

When the M.A.A.A. was advised that the first equipment was to become available it commenced consideration as to whether, and under what conditions, the M.A.A.A. would allow its use. The M.A.A.A. President, who is also the Chairman of the Frequency Sub Committee, was fortuitously going to the USA for a meeting of the equivalent AMA Committee, at which the use of the band was to be one of the major agenda items.

As a result of information obtained at the meeting and the tests carried out by the M.A.A.A., the use of the 2.4 GHz band has been approved for model aircraft use by the M.A.A.A. Because of the international requirements for the band, and the technology implementing them, when the radios are switched on they find a new frequency that no one else is using in the immediate area. This is generally referred to as collision avoidance. Although it can be done using a different technique the effect is that in this band, frequency keys for a specific frequency are not longer needed due to the unit selecting the frequency.

However this band is not exclusively for model aircraft and there are many other users including computer networks and cordless telephones. These have the potential to emit more power than may be radiated by some model aircraft transmitters and of course have the potential to interfere. Because of the mandatory requirement for "collision avoidance" for all equipment, the likelihood of inference from outside sources is significantly reduced but there is still some, particularly near to sites that may have other equipment operating on the band. Also the technology is still being developed and, unlike on 29 and 36 MHz, there is currently no standard, actual or informally accepted, for how the equipment interoperates. This means that not all equipment is going to be suitable for all applications. For example, there is 2.4 GHz commercial R/C product being sold that the manufacturer considers is only suitable for cars.

In order to be able to guide the members the M.A.A.A. has produced a Policy and Procedure Document, MOP 058, which is available on the M.A.A.A. web site. This identifies the specific equipments that are currently approved for use and details any restrictions. The latter may include types of models or distances that the models