Maritime Purposes GURL

With this licence you can own and operate maritime radio transmitting equipment to communicate on-board your vessel, as well to communicate with other vessels, coast stations and port authorities.

About this General User Radio Licence (GURL)

The licence you operate under is a General User Radio Licence (GURL). This means you can transmit without the need to get a licence in your own name or pay licence fees.

You share the spectrum with other people who are using the same frequency and power at the same time as you. You must share the frequencies with other users on a non-interference basis.

Licence

You can search for this GURL licence in the Register of Radio Frequencies (RRF) under licence number 254943(external link).

For the terms and conditions and operating frequencies for this GURL, see the Gazette notice(external link).

Operator qualifications and callsigns

To operate under this GURL, you must:

  • hold a valid maritime radio operator’s certificate
  • have a New Zealand allocated maritime callsign.

Contact an Approved Radio Examiner (ARX) if you need:

  • a maritime radio operator’s certificate
  • a callsign and a MMSI number.

Find an ARX

Fees

$0.00 - there is no fee for a General User Radio Licence (GURL). All fees associated with this licence are paid for by Radio Spectrum Management (RSM).

However, you'll need to pay a one-off examination fee and/or issue of callsign fee. This is agreed between you and your ARX.

Your responsibilities

You must:

  • hold a valid maritime radio operator’s certificate
  • have a callsign assigned to your vessel, and
  • follow the terms, conditions and restrictions of the licence, which include operating on the correct maritime frequencies or frequency ranges.

You must not operate in a way that causes interference with any distress or safety communication.

Your equipment

Your equipment must comply with the relevant radio standards and relevant technical parameters for this licence.

Compliance labelling

If you bought your equipment in New Zealand, and it's labelled with an RSM-approved RCM mark or R-NZ label, you can start using it immediately. If it's not labelled with an RCM mark or R-NZ label, go back to your supplier and get New Zealand approved equipment.

If you bought your equipment online or overseas, you may not be able to set it up to operate on New Zealand frequencies. Go back to your supplier and ask for equipment with an approved RCM mark or R-NZ label.