OBSERVATIONS From Scotland    GM1SXX         30_April_2010

The UK Amateur Radio 'three tier exam system'.

I despair of the current UK amateur radio license system. It's a mess. While the Foundation exam gets people into the hobby without a doubt, it doesn't really offer much of a challenge to the newcomer's intellect while at the same time giving the successful candidate plenty to play with, if they gain a pass, just so long as they can remember most of the key ideas presented in the Foundation booklet. In short, it's too easy to be genuinely useful. Some of the key concepts presented promptly fall apart at the next level, so it lacks consistency also. I suspect that part of the problem is that not too much is expected of the candidate who is only expected to remember and regurgitate what is printed in the Foundation booklet.  In short, it's all about memory, with a pinch of practical work thrown in.  Get 18 or more questions correct and the foundation exam  gives you..The use of all modes on most of the Amateur bands with up to 10W power.

The Intermediate syllabus takes the candidate to a somewhat higher level
technically, and of course gives them a nice 50Watt present and privileges along the way. I guess I shouldn't be surprised then that most of our club members hold either MM3/MM6 Foundation or 2M0 Intermediate licenses. What point then is there in progressing to the full exam when it's so much more difficult than the Intermediate and no-one's there to make sure you really run 50 watts and not the legal limit? I have to say that I personally know Foundation holders with 200watt PEP transceivers in their shacks and Intermediates with sizeable linears. This is only to be expected. Of course there will be exceptions, those for whom the quest for more knowledge and understanding is reward in itself. You may be of the opinion this is a case of 'sour grapes' from me because in 1985 I only had the option of doing a single licence class... full, but the fact is nothing could be further from the truth. I'm concerned that by making the Foundation and Intermediate levels so simple, in relative terms, that we are actively discouraging people from going the whole hog and obtaining a full license. A pass in the Intermediate exam gives you... The Intermediate Licence (permitting up to 50W on all bands) requires that you must first have passed the Foundation level. 

I care about the people we teach at our radio club, and I'm of the opinion that the system needs to be changed, to the extent that the current Intermediate level should become the entry level while a new intermediate class pitched between the current Intermediate class and the full license, in terms of challenge, should replace what's currently the Intermediate level.  When I talk with Foundation and Intermediate license holders, many of them agree that the exams are too easy. I really can't argue with that.
 

At Foundation and Intermediate level, candidates are only really asked to
remember and regurgitate material that appears in the relevant booklets. If you can remember a couple of key terms and look up a table (conveniently supplied) and draw a couple of straight lines, you gain a point, Likewise if you can look up a table for a relevant entry (table also supplied). No original thought is required. There is a sizeable gulf between the current Intermediate and Full license that needs to be addressed if we are to have newcomers proceed through to the Full license in large numbers.
 

Some things are now better than the old style exam. One area where I believe things have improved over the exam I sat is the practical element present in the exams. I welcome that and see it as a positive benefit to our hobby. I'm all for candidates building kits and taking simple measurements on small circuits. Ditto the CW content. That can only benefit our hobby. One area that does concern me is that there seems to be an issue with the question pool used for the Foundation and Intermediate exams. I can't comment on the full exam paper because I haven't marked any yet but I do notice that we have had some 'stinkers' of Foundation papers in particular alongside ones I'd rate as very straightforward. That can't be fair to the candidates.

One paper that I marked that I particularly remember contained the question...
What is the unit of Frequency Measurement? The answers included 1) Cycles per second and 2) Hertz, along with the usual two red herrings.

I consider this type of questioning to be underhand and despicable. Hertz (the RCF approved SI unit) is defined as 'one cycle per second'. When I complained about this question to the RCF, Alan Betts assured me that 'cycles per second' is not a unit of frequency measurement. How so Alan? It's good enough for most encyclopaedia and appears in many of my older books. It even appears on my older radio dials at home. I guess Alan must be right on this one and the RACAL company, several encyclopaedia and many of my books at home were clearly wrong. This unfortunately is but one of the anomalies I see in the booklets. We need a better and fairer RCF.
 

Last night at our radio club, we had a 100% Foundation pass. Our first ever, I believe. To be fair, the candidate was a very driven and focused person. I do believe there is a very good chance his score would have been lower had I not warned the candidate during his study for the exam, that he should expect trick and misleading questions and should not choose his answers based on what he knows, or has already been taught, but what it says, to the word, in the foundation manual. Herein lies a trap for the unwary. For those from a technical / electronics background, don't expect the questions to relate to what you know in the real world. You must adhere to and memorise the book based material because any other answer will result in a fail. I suspect that part of the problem is that the Foundation is so lacking in scope that it would be difficult to ask searching questions of the candidate.

I have no opinion on the full license other than it appears fair.
 

Here's just a reminder of what the license classes offer...
1)The Foundation License allows the use of all modes on most of the Amateur bands with up to 10W power.
2)The Intermediate Licence (permitting upto 50W on all bands) requires that you must first have passed the Foundation level.
3)Full (Advanced) License. Passing this gives you a Full Licence (up to 400W and  other privileges).

(Data source Cheltenham ARS)

It is necessary to have passed both Foundation and Intermediate levels prior to signing up for the full license course, which makes little sense to me, apart from the small practical aspect of them.  Surely that could be done at the same time as a full License exam?
 

The Foundation licence allow access to most Amateur bands while the Intermediate increases the permitted power to 50 watts. The full license allows full access to all bands.  I'm concerned that once candidates reach Intermediate level, there is little real incentive to progress, unless they really like the challenge. Many people just take the easy route. It's human nature.  For many, a Foundation license seems to be enough. Job Done.

73 Al.
GM1SXX