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Old 3rd Apr 2020, 3:18 pm   #1
andrewferguson
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Default RSGB temporarily allows remote Foundation exams, waives practical assessments

I noticed yesterday that, in response to the coronavirus emergency, the RSGB have introduced remote invigilation for the Foundation exam, starting on the 6th of April (or accepting bookings from then onwards). They also state that:
Quote:
In due course we will consider extending it to the other licence levels and allowing remote invigilation by club invigilators.
Of particular surprise to me was their decision to waive the practical assessments during this period:
Quote:
We have decided that the practical assessments requirement is waived until further notice ... We understand that this might be controversial but these are exceptional circumstances ... for the RSGB to relax its rules a little would not be out of line with what is going on in the wider community. Ofcom, the licensing body, does not insist on the practical assessments and it does support our remote invigilation plans.
I heard about this because I've been wanting to become licensed for a couple of years, but never got round to doing it. In March I signed up for the Foundation Online course run by Essex Ham, and they were the ones that alerted all course attendees about the change.

I'm curious as to what folks here think about this (albeit temporary) change. I can't really comment since I'm not a ham (yet!), but I had the impression that the practical assessments were a pretty fundamental part of the process.
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Old 3rd Apr 2020, 3:59 pm   #2
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Default Re: RSGB temporarily allows remote Foundation exams, waives practical assessments

My thoughts upon this, most new amateurs...

Will buy their kit to start with and need minimal practical knowledge.
Will develop their RT procedure (part of the fun).
Will learn "on the job" if they want to get more technical.
Are responsible.

All in all a proper online course/exam is good enough, there will be the odd cheat but they will hide and cause no problems and pirates don't care anyway. The "new" step by step mentored system has many advantages and won't be hurt by these temporary measures. It will be there later for extra learning if needed.

And to be brutally honest, I took the RAE in 1985 (approx) got a distinction in both parts, the only revising I did (and have never done for anything else, I think an exam should reflect the person not one crammed full forgettable stuff, perhaps it wasn't revising so much as learning) was read a fellows licence for the rules bit the day before. Did it in 15 minutes (multiple choice answers) and had to wait for hours to be released. A bit of a joke designed to weed out the lazy I guess.
 
Old 3rd Apr 2020, 5:52 pm   #3
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Default Re: RSGB temporarily allows remote Foundation exams, waives practical assessments

Well, if you want to have a go, go for it.

There are plenty of us on here can answer questions.

No, the practical part of it isn't absolutely essential. If you did the RAE before the changes to the licence classes happened, then you sat down and did an exam. At first it was written essay type answers, and then it was changed to multiple choice. Most people going in for it had spent a year or so listening and were fully familiar with operating procedures... mind you the conversations on the air were a good deal more technical back in them days.

The various licence levels and the practical assessments were something chosen by the RSGB and approved by Ofcom. Ofcom would no doubt have been equally happy if they'd just replicated the C&G type of RAE. The Ofcom view of amateur radio is that they want it to cause no trouble to other radio services and to take up the least amount of their time.

If anyone wants a hand getting ready for any of the exams and there's anything I can help with, PM me for my direct email.

I'm a registered assessor and also one of the ARRL handbook authors.

David GM4ZNX
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Old 3rd Apr 2020, 7:01 pm   #4
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Default Re: RSGB temporarily allows remote Foundation exams, waives practical assessments

I am sure many here will be eager to answer questions about the exam(s) in my case explaining why, not just answering them, that is the route to understanding. Even after nearly 40 years as an amateur I am still a bit nervous every time I go on the air, no one (yet) has complained about my style. Amateur radio is a great hobby.
 
Old 10th May 2020, 4:10 pm   #5
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Default Re: RSGB temporarily allows remote Foundation exams, waives practical assessments

There is also the fact that the old RAE had no practical assessment.
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Old 10th May 2020, 9:20 pm   #6
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Default Re: RSGB temporarily allows remote Foundation exams, waives practical assessments

I am not aware that the practical assessments actually achieve much in the direction of turning would-be amateurs into people with the ability to construct electronic devices. I've met too many "appliance operators" amongst amateurs to think otherwise.

Hopefully the practical work does allow the acquisition of basic skills like soldering - because even appliance operators sometimes have to fit a plug on to a coax lead!

Richard
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Old 10th May 2020, 10:00 pm   #7
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Default Re: RSGB temporarily allows remote Foundation exams, waives practical assessments

The amateur licence is not just a licence to operate a radio, it is unique in that it allows you to operate a radio you could have designed and built yourself. Other licences only allow you to operate type approved equipment. In motoring terms you're allowed to design your own car and put it on the road with no one else's approval needed, and you do your own MOTs whenever you think necessary.

The old RAE had no practical content, and the practical content in the new version is minimal. I suppose it helps to justify the freedom to make our own gear to the bureaucrats and it does show new people that they actually can make things. It might help a little, or maybe it's a bit of jumping through hoops. It certainly isn't essential in the grand scheme of things. Some very very good amateurs somehow turned out OK without any practical assessment.

At worst it's a nuisance, at best it stirs some people to get more involved than going wild in a shop with a credit card.

In the meantime, it's what we have to work with and I wish to encourage people and make sure all is fair and above board.

If lockdown and further restrictions on people meeting continue for long, the assessed construction bit might not be so easy to arrange without risks. The RSGB is keen to get new amateurs and thereby new members, It is likely that similar changes to the foundation test have to be made to keep entry to intermediate and full levels open.

With all the current social limitations, amateur radio is a great hobby for keeping contact with others and keeping yourself (relatively!) sane.

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Old 11th May 2020, 12:25 pm   #8
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Default Re: RSGB temporarily allows remote Foundation exams, waives practical assessments

Personally I welcome the change - this is from the perspective of someone thinking about embarking on the licensing route but who never quite managed to get on with it.
My online test is booked in for 7th June so am looking at past papers and reading through a couple of RSGB books to make sure I pick up on the rules and regs stuff - not worried by the technical material as I have an engineering background in radio/broadcasting.
Fingers crossed - as the last exam I sat must have been 40 years ago!
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Old 11th May 2020, 12:58 pm   #9
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Default Re: RSGB temporarily allows remote Foundation exams, waives practical assessments

This reminds me of when I took my driving test in 1956. Due to the Suez crises and resultant fuel rationing they suspended driving tests and if you had a provisional license you were allowed to drive unaccompanied - something I took full advantage of.

I passed my morse test in the '80s and my wife now has my old G1 call sign complete with HF permission!

Peter
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Old 11th May 2020, 4:11 pm   #10
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Default Re: RSGB temporarily allows remote Foundation exams, waives practical assessments

Quote:
Originally Posted by eaglework View Post
not worried by the technical material as I have an engineering background in radio/broadcasting.
Fingers crossed - as the last exam I sat must have been 40 years ago!
Be sure to do plenty of the technical practice questions, then. The subject matter is a bit simplified and stylised. You might not recognise the 'correct' answer when you see it!

It really is a case of if you know the technical side at much depth, all the answer choices become wrong, or multiple choices all become right. You have to ask yourself 'what would someone not a technical guru think the right answer is?"

It can become an exercise in doublethink

On a pass mark scoring basis you shouldn't have any problems, but you do want to bluto it just as a matter of principle?

Good luck

David
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Old 12th May 2020, 7:49 am   #11
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Default Re: RSGB temporarily allows remote Foundation exams, waives practical assessments

I agree with David.
With some of mock technical questions I have recognized the possibility of overthinking the complexity of the question and answer options. Some are very obvious but one or two can make you doubt your existing understanding!
Not sure I get the "bluto" reference though?
Jon
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Old 12th May 2020, 8:32 am   #12
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Default Re: RSGB temporarily allows remote Foundation exams, waives practical assessments

I concur with David. I'm an envigilator for our club and quite often we cannot agree on the right answer to a technical question. Rather than use your knowledge you have to think in terms of the syallabus and what you would have been taught from it if you had no background knowledge.

Bluto: big bloke in Popeye?

Gordon
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Old 12th May 2020, 1:10 pm   #13
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Default Re: RSGB temporarily allows remote Foundation exams, waives practical assessments

A north of the borderism for clobbering.

A handy skill in a stramash or a wee stooshie.

David
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Old 12th May 2020, 1:21 pm   #14
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Default Re: RSGB temporarily allows remote Foundation exams, waives practical assessments

The practical from what i remember for foundation was morse send and receive crib sheet provided and no time limit, how to call cq and qsy to another frequency how to tune to a ssb signal Mick
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Old 12th May 2020, 5:38 pm   #15
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Default Re: RSGB temporarily allows remote Foundation exams, waives practical assessments

Quote:
how to call cq and qsy
That's odd, there is no legal requirement to use "Q" codes or any others. The only requirement is to broadcast ones call sign at the start of a transmission be that interrupted or not. And often enough to be identifiable, no definite time limit. I use the simple "Gxxxxx returning" in a conversation so all know it is me and I am now transmitting. And for CQ I prefer "This is Gxxxxx calling and listening"

All the codes are useful for contest work, I don't do that.
 
Old 12th May 2020, 6:13 pm   #16
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Default Re: RSGB temporarily allows remote Foundation exams, waives practical assessments

I noticed this (the dropping of the practical requirement) and tried to get SWMBO (from whom I am separated by current circumstances) interested, but even with the bar at the lowest level it's ever been, I don't think she's very enthusiastic.

She really likes the compact PMR446 radios we use when visiting large sites (the grounds of National Trust properties, etc), but we could occasionally do with something with a bit more umpty whenever we manage to stray out of range.

We both have PAYG phones because we are such infrequent phone users, so two-way radios actually are a nearly zero-cost alternative for us.
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Old 12th May 2020, 6:29 pm   #17
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Default Re: RSGB temporarily allows remote Foundation exams, waives practical assessments

How do they guarantee it's the right person doing the remote exam?
 
Old 12th May 2020, 6:37 pm   #18
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Default Re: RSGB temporarily allows remote Foundation exams, waives practical assessments

They watch you on your computer's webcam. (I looked into it. Not the webcam, the process).
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Old 12th May 2020, 9:23 pm   #19
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Default Re: RSGB temporarily allows remote Foundation exams, waives practical assessments

Quote:
Originally Posted by Radio Wrangler View Post
The amateur licence is not just a licence to operate a radio, it is unique in that it allows you to operate a radio you could have designed and built yourself. Other licences only allow you to operate type approved equipment. In motoring terms you're allowed to design your own car and put it on the road with no one else's approval needed, and you do your own MOTs whenever you think necessary.

The old RAE had no practical content, and the practical content in the new version is minimal. I suppose it helps to justify the freedom to make our own gear to the bureaucrats and it does show new people that they actually can make things. It might help a little, or maybe it's a bit of jumping through hoops. It certainly isn't essential in the grand scheme of things. Some very very good amateurs somehow turned out OK without any practical assessment.

At worst it's a nuisance, at best it stirs some people to get more involved than going wild in a shop with a credit card.

In the meantime, it's what we have to work with and I wish to encourage people and make sure all is fair and above board.

If lockdown and further restrictions on people meeting continue for long, the assessed construction bit might not be so easy to arrange without risks. The RSGB is keen to get new amateurs and thereby new members, It is likely that similar changes to the foundation test have to be made to keep entry to intermediate and full levels open.

With all the current social limitations, amateur radio is a great hobby for keeping contact with others and keeping yourself (relatively!) sane.

David

It's only Foundation that can be completed online at present, which does not allow construction of transmitters - although there are some approved kit transmitters/transcievers that can be assemebled and operated by a foundation licnce holder

Intermediate does and its practical assessments are much more hands on.
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Old 12th May 2020, 9:25 pm   #20
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Default Re: RSGB temporarily allows remote Foundation exams, waives practical assessments

Quote:
Originally Posted by merlinmaxwell View Post
How do they guarantee it's the right person doing the remote exam?
Remotely invigilated using a secure testing program and also via Webex video conferencing.
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