Transmission1

Hi all,

A quick message to let those with an interest in training and exams know that the RSGB has released a draft set of proposals for a revised syllabus for the UK amateur radio Foundation.

The 86-page document (all three licence levels) is a lot to wade through, and there's an RSGB online survey to provide detailed feedback.

For those not interested in reading 86 pages, the changes are broadly as follows:

• An update to clarify and add some licence conditions
• Removing some of the out-dated aspects (eg. packet)
• Adding digital voice and SDR
• Adding SSB
• Adding some more safety guidance
• Adding in Q (and other) codes

Slightly more controversial, is that the RSGB is proposing to pull in lots of material from Intermediate, making for a tougher Foundation. Material includes:

• Parallel & series circuits
• Analogue-to-Digital / Digital-to-Analogue Convertors
• 2 new block diagrams
• Waveguide feeder
• Polar patterns
• More on resistors, fuses and adding in diode polarity
• Antenna gain / ERP calcs
• D, E, F1 and F2 layers and Sporadic E
• Exposure to radiation / body tissue / microwave safety
• Rechargeable / Lithium battery properties and safety
• More on loads & matching
• More on feeder / feed-point / matching / impedance

A summary, and a short poll on the changes, can be found here: http://www.essexham.co.uk/news/rsgb-fou ... eview.html

The RSGB consultation runs until 21st July 2017 - See http://rsgb.org/syllabus_review

Are they deliberately trying to kill the hobby?

Also in own brand Cornflakes?

And all that just for 'call sign, 5/9, call sign, 5/9, call sign, 5/9, call sign, 5/9' repetitive. Not interested.

It's not like that on 2 meters/70 cms . I'm really only using 2 meters and as long as i can use that i'm happy.

EssexHam wrote:Hi all,

A quick message to let those with an interest in training and exams know that the RSGB has released a draft set of proposals for a revised syllabus for the UK amateur radio Foundation.

The 86-page document (all three licence levels) is a lot to wade through, and there's an RSGB online survey to provide detailed feedback.

For those not interested in reading 86 pages, the changes are broadly as follows:

• An update to clarify and add some licence conditions
• Removing some of the out-dated aspects (eg. packet)
• Adding digital voice and SDR
• Adding SSB
• Adding some more safety guidance
• Adding in Q (and other) codes

Slightly more controversial, is that the RSGB is proposing to pull in lots of material from Intermediate, making for a tougher Foundation. Material includes:

• Parallel & series circuits
• Analogue-to-Digital / Digital-to-Analogue Convertors
• 2 new block diagrams
• Waveguide feeder
• Polar patterns
• More on resistors, fuses and adding in diode polarity
• Antenna gain / ERP calcs
• D, E, F1 and F2 layers and Sporadic E
• Exposure to radiation / body tissue / microwave safety
• Rechargeable / Lithium battery properties and safety
• More on loads & matching
• More on feeder / feed-point / matching / impedance

A summary, and a short poll on the changes, can be found here: http://www.essexham.co.uk/news/rsgb-fou ... eview.html

The RSGB consultation runs until 21st July 2017 - See http://rsgb.org/syllabus_review

Long overdue.................

If getting a licence has to be easy to encourage new people, that says a great deal about dedication. You can buy CBs, PMR446 and use them out of the box. Ham radio is supposed to be all about self-training - so you can get the best out of a hobby. If it prevents a few people getting a licence without a bit of effort - that's fine with me. Those that are in, are in - and a bit of raising standards and understanding well worth it. How many times on internet forums do we explain, patiently, how long a dipole is for X frequency, because licenced people cannot even do basic level maths?

Tim wrote:And all that just for 'call sign, 5/9, call sign, 5/9, call sign, 5/9, call sign, 5/9' repetitive. Not interested.

Are you licensed Tim?

Checkpointcharlie wrote:
Long overdue.................

Have to agree

paulears wrote:If getting a licence has to be easy to encourage new people, that says a great deal about dedication. You can buy CBs, PMR446 and use them out of the box. Ham radio is supposed to be all about self-training - so you can get the best out of a hobby. If it prevents a few people getting a licence without a bit of effort - that's fine with me. Those that are in, are in - and a bit of raising standards and understanding well worth it. How many times on internet forums do we explain, patiently, how long a dipole is for X frequency, because licenced people cannot even do basic level maths?

2nd that.

andymuza wrote:

Tim wrote:And all that just for 'call sign, 5/9, call sign, 5/9, call sign, 5/9, call sign, 5/9' repetitive. Not interested.

Are you licensed Tim?

I have 2 licenses, one to drive and the other is for shotguns. But to seriously answer the question, no, and I have no intention of obtaining one at this time as I don't see the point. As far as I can see the 11 meter band is as active as the other bands at times, they all have their ups and down in propagation and limitations. Also it would appear that there are a great deal of licensed operators using the 11 meters and whatever Country one may be 'chasing' on one band you will at some point hear and probably work that Country on the 11 meters. There are for's and against's for all the bands, they all have their limitations, idiots and poor operators which appropriately gives it its 'amateur ' status, I like to think that I conduct myself and operate in a 'professional' manner. As for all the 'technical' stuff, antenna design, circuitry, measurement etc. the same calculations can be applied to all aspects of radio operation no matter what the wave length or band, you just adjust to suit. If this makes me a 'CBer' then I am proud to be one. If you want people to obtain an operators license then the training and examination should be designed to encourage people to apply and do it rather than make it more difficult or awkward, I thought, reading the magazines, that numbers were declining, I wonder why?

I still think that the Foundation should be exam free. You can legislate that you must progress to intermediate within two years or have the Foundation revoked, or whatever, you still get relatively competent long term hams, and hopefully a few more coming through the door.

Tim wrote:I have 2 licenses, one to drive and the other is for shotguns. But to seriously answer the question, no, and I have no intention of obtaining one at this time as I don't see the point. As far as I can see the 11 meter band is as active as the other bands at times, they all have their ups and down in propagation and limitations. Also it would appear that there are a great deal of licensed operators using the 11 meters and whatever Country one may be 'chasing' on one band you will at some point hear and probably work that Country on the 11 meters. There are for's and against's for all the bands, they all have their limitations, idiots and poor operators which appropriately gives it its 'amateur ' status, I like to think that I conduct myself and operate in a 'professional' manner. As for all the 'technical' stuff, antenna design, circuitry, measurement etc. the same calculations can be applied to all aspects of radio operation no matter what the wave length or band, you just adjust to suit. If this makes me a 'CBer' then I am proud to be one. If you want people to obtain an operators license then the training and examination should be designed to encourage people to apply and do it rather than make it more difficult or awkward, I thought, reading the magazines, that numbers were declining, I wonder why?

I only asked as I see the 5/9 comment fairly often and mostly by people who aren't licensed. Granted there's a lot of 5/9 move along QSO exchanges on the Ham band but, it is really easy take a 5/9 exchange and turn it into a conversation especially if one is good at the art of conversation.

Ham radio is declining, not because of the entrance procedure but because it has to compete with many forms of communication easily accessible to all.

The main reason for the change and making the entrance a little harder in my opinion, is more down to the decline in standards of operation than anything else. This is no ones fault but the RSGBs and Ofcoms. When operating procedures and practices aren't taught to a good enough standard it will happen.

11 mtrs will always be a great band, long may it continue but I love the Ham bands to.

Cheers for the reply Tim.

Admiral wrote:I still think that the Foundation should be exam free. You can legislate that you must progress to intermediate within two years or have the Foundation revoked, or whatever, you still get relatively competent long term hams, and hopefully a few more coming through the door.

International rules prevent this. All countries who allow Ham radio operation have to have an entry standard. To be honest I was shocked the UK were allowed to make it as easy as they did with the current Foundation.

Keep in mind, radio coms are available without the need of an exam in PMR and CB and there isn't a queue out the door to go on either.

Well in 30 years time when the G4's, G8's, G0's and M0's have died off or got fed up with this 'new' digital lark, and RSGB Ltd. is run by 40 year experienced M3's with their 10w and off the shelf black boxes, then they will look back and wish they'd lobbied for something a bit more radical than making the Foundation exam a bit trickier and investing their magazine sales money into posh school clubs rather than comprehensives and academy's.
The only reason the ham bands have an element of idiots is not because the Foundation is too easy, it's because OFCOM are skint and don't police the bands, most of the pillocks I've heard swearing or playing music or making a general ass of themselves were not Foundation Licence holders.