S.I. No. 330/1937 - Wireless Telegraphy Act, 1926.

STATUTORY RULES AND ORDERS. 1937. No. 330.

WIRELESS TELEGRAPHY ACT, 1926.

WIRELESS TELEGRAPHY (EXPERIMENTER'S LICENCE) REGULATIONS, 1937.

WHEREAS it is enacted by sub-section (1) of Section 6 of the Wireless Telegraphy Act, 1926 (No. 45 of 1926), that the Minister for Posts and Telegraphs may by order make regulations prescribing certain matters mentioned in the said sub-section in relation to all licences granted under that Act or any particular class or classes of such licences, and it is enacted by sub-section (2) of the said section that regulations made under the said section may authorise and provide for the granting of a licence under the said Act subject to special terms, conditions, and restrictions to any person who satisfies the said Minister that he requires the licence solely for the purpose of conducting experiments in wireless telegraphy :

AND WHEREAS it is enacted by sub-section (3) of the said section that no regulation shall be made under the said section in relation to fees without the previous consent of the Minister for Finance.

NOW, I, OSCAR TRAYNOR, Minister for Posts and Telegraphs, in exercise of the powers conferred on me by Section 6 of the Wireless Telegraphy Act, 1926 (No. 45 of 1926), and of every and any other power me in this behalf enabling and, in so far as the regulations made by this Order relate to fees, with the consent of the Minister for Finance, do by this Order make the following regulations, that is to say :—

1. This Order and the Regulations made thereby may be cited as the Wireless Telegraphy (Experimenter's Licence) Regulations, 1937.

2. The Interpretation Act, 1923 (No. 46 of 1923), applies to the interpretation of these Regulations in like manner as it applies to the interpretation of an Act of the Oireachtas.

3. In these Regulations, the expression "the Minister" means the Minister for Posts and Telegraphs.

4. Any person who has attained the age of sixteen years and proposes to keep and have possession of apparatus for wireless telegraphy (in these Regulations referred to as a station) in any particular place in Saorstát Eireann solely for the purpose of conducting experiments in wireless telegraphy may apply to the Minister for a licence (in these Regulations referred to as an experimenter's licence) in that behalf.

5. Every application for an experimenter's licence shall—

(a) be made in writing in the form set out in the First Schedule to these Regulations, and

(b) contain the particulars and information indicated in the said form, and

(c) be sent by post or delivered to "The Secretary, Department of Posts and Telegraphs, Dublin," and

(d) be accompanied by the fee payable under these Regulations on the issue of an experimenter's licence to which the application relates, and

(e) be accompanied by a birth certificate or other satisfactory evidence of the date of the birth of the applicant, and

(f) be accompanied by two written references as to the character of the applicant from persons not related to the applicant.

6. The Minister may, before granting an experimenter's licence, require the applicant for such licence to satisfy the Minister—

(a) that such applicant has a satisfactory knowledge of the adjustment and operation of the station in respect of which such licence is applied for, and

(b) either that such applicant has an operating speed of at least twelve words (Morse) a minute, sending and receiving, or that such applicant will, for the purpose of sending or receiving messages from or at the station, employ a properly qualified operator approved of by the Minister, and

(c) that such applicant has a satisfactory knowledge of the Radiocommunication Regulations annexed to the International Telecommunication Convention, Madrid, 1932, (including all regulations amending or substituted for those Regulations) so far as they relate to amateur stations as defined in the said Regulations.

7. The Minister may, if he so thinks proper, issue an experimenter's licence to any person who has attained the age of sixteen years and has duly applied for such licence in accordance with these Regulations, but may, at his absolute discretion, refuse to issue such licence to such person.

8. Every experimenter's licence shall be in the form set out in the Second Schedule to these Regulations, with such (if any) variations (whether by addition, omission, or alteration) as the Minister may in any particular case think proper.

9. Every experimenter's licence shall, unless previously revoked and subject to any suspension thereof, continue in force from the date of the issue thereof until the expiration of the eleventh month after the month in which it was issued, and shall then expire unless renewed under these Regulations.

10.—(1) An experimenter's licence may be renewed by the payment, before or within one month after the date on which it would expire if not renewed, of the renewal fee prescribed by these Regulations.

(2) An experimenter's licence which is renewed under this Regulation shall, unless previously revoked and subject to any suspension thereof, continue in force,—

(a) in the case of the first such renewal, for one year from the date on which it would have expired if not so renewed, and

(b) in the case of every subsequent such renewal, for one year from the expiration of the last previous renewal thereof.

11.—(1) A fee of three pounds shall be payable on the issue of an experimenter's licence and a fee of two pounds shall be payable on every renewal thereof.

(2) Where an applicant for an experimenter's licence submits himself at the request of the Minister to a test of his operating speed held by or on behalf of the Minister, a fee of five shillings shall be paid by such applicant at or before the commencement of such test.

(3) All fees payable under these Regulations shall be paid to the Accountant, Department of Posts and Telegraphs, General Post Office, Dublin, and shall be so paid in money which is legal tender, or by consolidated bank notes, money order, or postal orders or, with the permission of the said Accountant, by cheque.

(4) The fee payable on the issue of an experimenter's licence shall be sent or delivered with the application for such licence, but if any such application is refused the said fee so sent or delivered therewith shall be repaid to the applicant immediately upon such refusal.

12. The Minister may at any time amend or vary an experimenter's licence, whether in respect of the situation of the station to which such licence relates, the power to be used therein, or any other matter or thing.

13. Every station in respect of which an experimenter's licence is in force shall be operated in accordance with the conditions set out in the Third Schedule to these Regulations, and every experimenter's licence shall be deemed to be issued subject to the obligation to comply with such conditions.

14. The Minister may at any time, at his absolute discretion, suspend for any period or revoke any experimenter's licence by notice in writing sent by post to the licensee under such licence at the station to which such licence relates.

15. The Minister may at any time, at his absolute discretion, suspend for any period or revoke by notice in that behalf published in the Iris Oifigiuil all experimenters' licences for the time being in force.

16. Every station in respect of which an experimenter's licence is in force, and the records of transmissions kept in respect of such station in pursuance of the conditions contained in the Third Schedule to these Regulations, and also the experimenter's licence for the time being in force in respect of such station shall be open to inspection at all reasonable times by any officer of the Minister authorised in that behalf in writing by the Minister.

FIRST SCHEDULE.

WIRELESS TELEGRAPHY ACT, 1926 .

APPLICATION FOR AN EXPERIMENTER'S LICENCE.

This form should be completed by the applicant and sent by post or delivered to "The Secretary, Department of Posts and Telegraphs, Dublin." It should be accompanied by—

(a) a fee of three pounds, and

(b) the applicant's birth certificate, or other satisfactory evidence of the date of his birth, and

(c) two written references as to the character of the applicant from persons not related to the applicant.

Signature of applicant............................................................ 

Date............................................................ ..............

Signature of parent or guardian, if the applicant is under

21 years of age............................................................ ......

Date............................................................ .............

Sketch of aerial which it is desired to use (showing height and dimensions, including leading-in wires).

Description (with diagram) of apparatus for measuring the frequency of emissions from the station.

Diagram of apparatus:

(a) for transmitting

(b) for receiving

SECOND SCHEDULE.

WIRELESS TELEGRAPHY ACT, 1926 .

EXPERIMENTER'S LICENCE.

Issued subject to the provisions of the Wireless Telegraphy (Experimenter's Licence) Regulations, 1937 (Statutory Rules and Orders, No. 330 of 1937), and subject, in particular, to the obligation to comply with the conditions set out in the Third Schedule to those Regulations.

............................................................ (hereinafter referred to as the licensee) is hereby authorised to keep and have possession of apparatus for wireless telegraphy at............................................................ for the purpose solely of conducting experiments in wireless telegraphy.

The call signal......................................................is allotted to the licensee for the purpose of the said experiments.

The power to be used by the Licensee when experimenting with sending apparatus must not exceed..................watts measured at the anode of the valve delivering power to the antenna.

All experiments conducted by the licensee must be within the frequencies (on the wavelengths) and by the systems following, that is to say :—

Frequencies (in kilocycles per second)............................................................ .............

Approximate equivalent wavelengths (in metres)........................................................

System's............................................................ ............................................................ ......

Date of Issue :.............. day of...................................., 19.......

Date in each year for renewal :......................day of.......................................................

Minister for Posts and Telegraphs.

NOTES.

1. This licence is not transferable.

2. This licence continues in force until the expiration of the eleventh month after the month of issue thereof. It may be renewed each year by payment of £2 (two pounds) to The Accountant, Department of Posts and Telegraphs, General Post Office, Dublin, before or within one month after the expiration of the said eleventh month in each year.

3. This licence does not indemnify the licensee against claims in respect of copyright in matter transmitted by the licensee.

THIRD SCHEDULE.

OPERATING CONDITIONS.

1. The station shall always be equipped for receiving as well as sending. The sending apparatus shall invariably be tuned accurately to the particular frequency within the authorised bands on which it is intended to send, and for that purpose there shall be kept at the station and used whenever necessary a reliable instrument of the piezo-electric crystal or other type approved by the Minister for accurately controlling or measuring the frequency of emissions from the station. The licensee shall furnish to the Minister a certificate in respect of each crystal showing the degree of accuracy to be not less than 0·1 per cent. The licensee shall take all practicable steps to maintain the accuracy of such measuring instrument and shall observe any detailed instructions in that connection which may be issued by the Minister.

2. The licensee shall take precautions to ensure that emissions from the station shall always be as stable as possible (i.e., as free as possible from variation, other than necessary modulations, from the frequency intended to be used), and shall also be as free as possible from harmonics and other unessential emissions.

3. The station must be operated only by the licensee or by a properly qualified operator approved of by the Minister.

4. The power, frequencies (wavelengths) and systems of wireless telegraphy employed by the licensee shall be as specified in his experimenter's licence.

5. The licensee shall not use apparatus emitting damped waves (spark) and shall not use unrectified alternating current on the anodes of transmitting valves. Neither shall the licensee use interrupted continuous wave (I.C.W.) or tonic train for transmission unless he has satisfied the Minister that such systems are essential for his experiments.

6. The licensee may carry out experiments involving sending at all times, unless interference is caused to other wireless telegraphy services in which event sending may be prohibited during such periods as the Minister may consider necessary.

7. The licensee shall not commence sending without listening-in on the frequency which is to be used in order to ascertain whether interference is likely to be caused thereby with any other wireless station which may be working. No period of sending shall exceed ten consecutive minutes' duration and each period of sending shall be followed by a period of not less than three minutes listening-in on the frequency used.

8. The licensee shall at once discontinue or postpone sending at the request of any government or commercial station.

9. A record shall be kept by the licensee of all transmissions showing the date and time of each transmission and the frequency and system (i.e., continuous wave or telephony) employed.

10. Transmissions from the station must be limited to messages relating to the experiments.

11. All messages must be in plain language, but the recognised abbreviations used in radio communication may be regarded as plain language for this purpose.

12. The licensee may send messages only to stations which are actually co-operating in the experiments. Messages may be sent to such stations in the Irish Free State and also in other countries except where the government of the country has prohibited such communications.

13. When calling up another station the licensee shall send the call signal of that station not more than three times, the word "de" once and the call signal of his own station not more than three times. In answering a call the call signal of the calling station shall be sent not more than three times, the word "de" once and the call signal of the licensee's station once. The licensee shall also send the call signal of the station at the beginning and end of each subsequent period of transmitting and on every occasion when the wavelength is changed.

14. The station shall be used in such a manner as to cause no interference with other stations ; in particular reaction must not be used for receiving to such an extent as to energise any neighbouring aerial.

The arrangement employed for "keying" the transmitter must be such that interference due to "key clicks" is not produced in neighbouring receiving apparatus.

15. The licensee shall not use or allow the station to be used for the receipt of messages other than messages intended for receipt thereby or sent for general reception. If any other message is unintentionally received by means of the station the licensee shall not make known or allow to be made known its contents, its origin or destination, or the fact of its receipt to any person (other than a duly authorised officer of the Government of Saorstát Eireann or a competent legal tribunal).

I consent to the making of the foregoing Regulations in so far as they relate to fees.

(Signed) SEAN MACENTEE,

Minister for Finance.

17th day of December, 1937.

Given under my Seal of Office this 28th day of December, 1937.

(Signed) OSCAR TRAYNOR,

Minister for Posts and Telegraphs.