The RSGB has today announced the permanent removal of the practical elements of the entry-level Foundation exam. This follows the scrapping of the Intermediate practicals in 2020.
Here is the wording of today’s official RSGB announcement:
The mandatory Foundation level practical assessments have been suspended during the past 18 months when clubs were unable to meet in-person due to the Covid-19 pandemic. This has allowed over 4,500 candidates to take the remote-invigilation online Foundation exam through self-training and/or distance learning. Now that Covid-related social-distancing restrictions are ended, clubs can meet again and re-start in-person training for those
candidates that want it. Naturally, tutors are wanting to know if and when the mandatory practical assessments will be resumed. This was considered by the RSGB Examinations Standards Committee (ESC) at its recent meeting, at which Ofcom was represented, and we can now announce that the following
decision has been reached:The current mandatory Foundation practical requirements, as detailed in Section 10 of
Syllabus 2019 v1.4, are, with immediate effect, permanently removed.
The announcement concludes with a suggestion that practicals will be considered as part of the next major syllabus review, and that clubs are free to offer practicals if they wish, they just won’t be mandatory.
For those not familiar with the practicals at Foundation, these consisted of mandatory assessed FM and SSB QSOs, use of radio controls, setting up a station, antenna matching / SWR and either a Morse “appreciation” or a data mode QSO.
Today’s decision is largely set to polarise the UK amateur radio community, with arguments both for and against, commonly:
In favour of removing practicals
- This allows people to get licensed without the need to visit a club for practical sessions – handy for those without easy access to a local club
- It speeds up the licensing process – no need for students to wait for a local club to run a course
- Many view practicals to be of limited value, not relevant, and often treated as “tick boxes”, for example, the Morse appreciation at Foundation
- Allows more time for a club to focus on teaching the theory, or developing its own, more relevant, practicals and demos
- Removes the admin overhead for clubs: the paper-based “Registered Assessor” process, candidate assessment forms and venue approval
Against the removal of practicals
- Many people like to learn “hands-on” visually, as opposed to from a book or online videos
- Clubs may feel cut out of the training loop, which is often an area for recruiting new members
- RAE exams were often criticised for having no practical element and producing operators with limited practical experience, something fixed with the 3-tier system
- Hands-on training encourages students and tutors to work together and allows for a two-way interactive experience
- Improves confidence when buying and setting up a station, and getting on-air “solo” for the first time
As the RSGB’s announcement suggests, clubs are still free to run hands-on practicals and demos during their training courses – just because they’re no longer mandatory, that doesn’t stop clubs from demonstrating concepts via demos, practicals and show-and-tell.
Why the change?
It’s already evident that during the pandemic, over 4,000 people have been able to pass the exams and get on-air without the need for practicals at a bricks-and-mortar club – that’s about double the number of students passing, compared to previous club-only years. That said, many of the recent newcomers will have passed without touching a radio or adjusting an antenna, and may need more help and support.
Many clubs initially concerned about the removal of practicals, will no doubt see the opportunity that this change presents – by putting on events and “skills / activity” sessions aimed at helping newcomers, they’ll be able to offer a valuable service to newcomers, free from the burden of the exam structure and the admin of formally assessing exams. For many years here in Essex, we were heavily involved with a monthly “Skills Night” aimed at helping newcomers to gain confidence and try something new.
Moving forward, we can expect to see the smarter clubs moving towards training and skills development, as a way to attract newcomers to their clubs, and to fill the need for local hands-on support and advice for the new generation of online exam students.
Your thoughts?
What do you think of the removal of practicals? Have your say below…
Good call. The hobby is dying and we need to get fresh blood in.
The fewer barriers initially the better. The extra stress and of practical exams may put people off from having a go. Those that stick with the hobby will gain experience as time goes on.
If an had had to go through all the present nonsense of 3 levels with practicals, I would never have bothered, it would have been just too much effort and I was far too busy keeping instrument landing systems, radar installations and air to ground Comms up and running.
Foundation licence should be issued to anyone who has the support of a couple of full licence holders.
Move with the times or die
G8KHF
“Foundation licence should be issued to anyone who has the support of a couple of full licence holders.”
Not everyone who wants to get a licence knows licence-holders. I didn’t know any – I’d simply been a(n) SWL/DXer for some 4 decades and decided to get a licence in my late 50’s to get a bit more enjoyment from radio, but haven’t for reasons stated…
A very good decision, in general people self teach the hobby, obtain practical experience after examinations trough books, friends or clubs.
I have long questioned how much Foundation students really get out of practicals, and I’m delighted to see them gone for ever.
At Intermediate the lack of them – which I also don’t decry – is more philosophically challenging, since the whole point of Intermediate is that by demonstrating some practical radio skills and learning a tiny amount more about radio electronics 50W may be achieved.
Tony Jones g7etw
I wonder if I’m a dying breed, I was into Electronics long before I became licensed , I still at 67 are more interested electronics than DX hunting , having said that I’ve had some memorable contact’s one of which I’m very proud of along with the QSL card was a two way contact with Princess Electra Marconi, I’ll never forget it
Not everyone wishes to build radio or accessories, they take the exam purely for the enjoyment to speak to a wider audience.
Making the exams easier is going to bring more people who are interested into the hobby.
You can do the same with the next two levels.
Broad Church is often mooted and we even had a double Dr researcher from Oxford take her exams with us as a practical was required, the final relinquishment of practicals neither adds or detracts from the hobby/pursuit as they where wholly unsuited to the subject matter. One thing which the last 24 months has taught us if anything is people’s need to communicate has once again come to the forefront outside that of texts phone etc.
My practical had absolutely no value at all – a complete waste of time.
It WAS simply a box-ticking exercise, and to be honest I could have done without the 60-mile round trip each week for the 4 week course on dark evenings.
I would have been more than happy to do everything online, including sitting the exam, which itself meant another trip, albeit on a Saturday morning this time.
I was so p*ssed-off at the end of it I haven’t been on-air once, as I found the “instructors” at the club to be both patronising and arrogant, not the sort of people I’d be interested in talking to face-to-face or on the air.
Everything online would have been better as I’d probably have been on air for at least a few QSOs as I wouldn’t have encountered these radio snobs beforehand.
Seems like a good idea. I personally like that a practical element is available for those who want to take advantage of it, but requiring it could “force” prospective RAs to have to join and visit a club.
I’d actually see a benefit of people joining a club which can help in finding a local Elmer to help with study and the practical aspects.
Yup..got to admit foundation took me from Brum to Heathrow twice.2nd trip on m25 lost my screen…Anyway Steve Venner at ML&S was great character and worth meeting. Thought I knew it all but didn’t get max so there you go.Still an M6 since 2018 cos clubs of old men just don’t suite!! Waiting for ML&S to start 2e0 exams
Hi Tony. Steve’s a nice guy. If clubs don’t suit, and Steve’s not running his course, there’s always the online option…
Not all of the practical sessions were of more than limited use; i.e. the operating sessions! Some of the theory practicals do help with understanding the more technical bits. Multiple level examinations are the only way to go for the less technical candidates. However, “for the within the industry” types who already know the subject matter the concept of a single examination including all the syllabus levels in one is a good idea!
I remember my QSO practical well. I was sat in front of a strange radio and given a script to read out to a friendly club member down the road, who had a copy of the same script. I had a club official next to me, and an assessor breathing down my neck. My HF QSO was also scripted.
Being honest, it taught me nothing. My learning of etiquette was not gained from those two tickbox practicals, but by listening.
The “tuning a 2m dipole stuck on a bit of wood using £200 test equipment” was also pretty unhelpful, if I’m honest. The Morse assessment wasn’t helpful either.
Clubs are now free to run whatever practicals they like, hopefully on more topics of immediate use to newcomers, not to comply with a set of mandatory ones.
Clearly Nothing to do with the Great Reset theory to move all education online, which they can then control
Clearly not, as local clubs remain free to teach students any way they wish, with whatever practical methods they prefer. Removing mandatory components increases freedom of choice for clubs and students, and actually takes away control from the examiners
Although Morse shouldn’t be a barrier to gaining the Foundation licence, I do mourn the loss of Morse appreciation from the syllabus. I am not very good at it, and have tendonitis whch slows me to 12 wpm, but I do encourage it at public events, like re-enactments, where there is often a lot of interest amongst non-hams, e.g what their name or what “SOS” sounds like, and whether the use of code in the theme tune to “Inspector Morse” contains a hidden secret (it doesn’t). I hope we can still promote Morse code.
Having been a tutor at a few local clubs, the impression I got was that this was the practical that made quite a few students uncomfortable. The Morse appreciation was often rushed as a tickbox activity, so was possibly of questionable value. Also, as very few newcomers go straight to CW after passing, my feeling was that time could be spent on other practical activities. That said, clubs are free to run whatever practicals they like now, and I suspect many will still want to introduce students to Morse nice and early. Personally, I think experimenting with modes like Morse or data are best done after the initial exam (when the students are ready to learn more and progress) rather than making it a mandatory step before getting a first licence. Clubs are now free to promote what they want, no doubt still including Morse, so good news all round!
I have been a tutor too, and a convertor/assessor from the old Class B licence by means of a Morse session, and I agree that some former Class B holders had learned to be very nervous of Morse code.
But it’s still worth doing in its own right, IMHO.
You can always listen to Web SDR, when you know what to listen for, so I have placed some very simple mp3 files on our club website http://www.wvars.com – not for the high-speed people though!
Yes, all practical skills are useful, and I certainly support the idea of clubs offering introduction session for Morse. For me, the issue is “optional or mandatory”.
Making a Morse assessment a mandatory requirement for entry into the hobby presents numerous challenges – clubs have to find a suitable CW assessor. Registered Assessors have to apply in writing to RSGB for approval and registration numbers. Clubs have to find time in the training course and a suitable quiet venue. Not all clubs have access to Morse trainers or hardware.
As well as being a pain for some clubs, there’s also the student’s perspective – most clubs don’t offer formal training, some don’t live close to a local club, students may have to wait a year for a local course, some can’t afford course fees/travel costs, and let’s face it, some people prefer to stay away from clubs.
The gap in the “market” is for clubs to offer free “one to one” Morse sessions at their club venue (or via Zoom). Students keen on giving it a try will then have the option.
Practical training for new amateur is definitely needed (and appreciated by them) and this should IMHO be one of the roles of a radio group, hub or club.
What I think was wrong was having such exercises as a requirement for the examination as I can find nowhere, where Ofcom or their predecessors have said that this was needed to ensure that a new ham operates safely and within the regulations.
Having such a need effectively blocked the possibility of online exams. I am happy to hear that it has been removed as a requirement but I would hope that clubs, hubs and groups will step up and offer in-person “getting started” training for new hams, whether they are club members at that time or not. One could see this as a “public service” to the hobby.
100% agree Ed!
As a club tutor I’ve always enjoyed doing the Foundation Practical. It was always my opportunity to demonstrate the hobby to newcomers.
The most important aspect has been the sample QSO.
The format has always been similar, run through the script QSO with a local club member followed by letting the students loose on 40m.
The club GX call usually does the trick.
I normally run the session singularly or with a small group crowded round my dining room table (the shack is normally too small and too many other distracting toys!!)
Many students always appreciate this one to one time in an informal environment. I certainly don’t sell it as an assessment more of a hands-on demonstration.
The point is to overcome this mic shyness that certainly affected me a long long time ago.
Setting up a station is equally important although the position of the SWR meter and ATU is less critical with modern rigs.
I’ve always had a relaxed approach to the morse demonstration and was pleased it was expanded to substitute the Digi modes even including the dreaded robotic FT8.
I welcomed the scrapping of the Intermediate Practical as I though it lacked any great relevance to the advancement or self-learning of the hobby.
I for one will still include a practical element to my tutorial timetable and don’t support the RSGB position.
Thanks Mike – the great news is that you can continue to do those same practicals (and others) without the red tape (Registered Assessor, CPAR assessment forms, syllabus restrictions, Morse competent assessor, posting forms to RSGB). Makes it more fun for the tutors, and more relaxing for the students knowing they’re not being assessed or may “fail” the practical side.
Pete, I think you’ve smashed it. Top article, well written and well balanced. Unfortunately, my club is one of the non-smart clubs, and without the rigid training programme including practicals, the cub will almost certainly die on it’s ar53. Maybe that’s a good thing. The old boys that run it are so adverse to change or modernisation, that they’re making themselves obsolete day by day.
Chris
Cheers Chris. Yes, there’s some excellent proactive clubs out there, and some that need a boot up the backside.
We’ve seen a couple of clubs complaining that this change will affect their revenue, which indicates they’re more interested in their bank balance than helping students get into the hobby efficiently.
Some clubs may have had it easy, with newbies turning up as it was mandatory to get licensed at a club. Clubs need to look at making newbies *
want
to come to their clubs, not rely on them
having to
!
US ham here. I have always liked that UK hams had a practical component to their examinations. After reading this thoughtful discussion, I will have to reconsider my position.
Best Regards,
Bob – AD6QF
It’s a tricky one. On one hand, if you have students in the room, a practical demonstration helps cement understanding, and allowing some hands-on experience engages the students. On the other hand, if your nearest club is 100 miles away and only runs their course annually, people will tire of waiting and go away. Practicals we’re suspended for 18 months due to Covid and the number of new hams doubled. As a result, the RSGB has made the practicals optional. Clubs can run them if they want, and students have the choice to go to a hands-on course, or get their licence online.
Passed my ‘ticket’ 1990’s I was mad on home brew. On air I was berated about the hobby. It was as though even owning a soldering iron was a thing of the passed. Its a money hobby, the 10 watt licence was made so the big emporiums could sell more radios to CB’ers without the ‘DTI’ calling and taking them away. Pass this it takes a weekend, you can have a shelf full of radio gear you know nothing about. A 2K radio that sits on the 19 all its life! So they don’t need to know anything as when they pop their out puts on the wide banded HF set Lynchy take a few quidd off them to put it right. My 19 set and AR88 that I showed a local M6 and said go on son have a go. Luckily for me his dad laughed his dials loose and said best wait bit kid.
I can see the benefits from an administration point of view and I can see “some” benefit to the student, ie it’s quicker and easier and cheaper (where long distance may be involved) to get a licence.
I think that the student is being let down because now there is no training whatsoever, no hands-on, no person to person assistance when fumbling with wires and knobs and connections, no guidance on what to listen for, how to tune in a station, help with all those knobs and menus and how to hold a soldering iron and fit a connector. There is no feeling of trust and responsibility, no on-going association, no appreciation of the law and what it means to hold a licence with all its privileges and responsibilities and no feeling of team spirit to other radio amateurs. This is an operator’s licence full stop. It’s bland and blind. We are not encouraging new radio amateurs in the widest sense, just black box operators.
The good news is that now we’re out of lockdown, clubs are once again offering training (at all three levels), and exams can be taken at clubs again (as well as online). Clubs offering training are free to do as many demos and practicals as they like, without the previous restriction of the mandatory assessments (and the admin overhead placed on clubs).
I do agree with you that there isn’t enough person-to-person activity going on at clubs – many of the clubs in this area just offer talks/tea/raffles – no operating, construction, tuition, show-and-tell, or practical help and advice. Even those offering training could do more – as the hobby encourages lifelong learning, and there’s always new stuff to learn, however long one’s held a licence.
The challenge is, how do we get clubs to be more “active” and put on the type of activities you suggest? How have you managed to do this at the Ripon club? What sort of events do you run to address this, and what practical sessions do you run on your training courses, post-exam and beyond? Might be interesting for other clubs to see what you guys do…
“For those not familiar with the practicals at Foundation, these consisted of mandatory assessed FM and SSB QSOs…”
Well, I am surprised. Listening on 80 or 40 mtrs, the standard of SSB QSO’s is appalling from some stations. CQ 80, CQ 80 from MØxxx, QRZ! What? What happened to “over”? There of course many other ‘oddities’ in exchanges if one can bear listening long enough.
Some sort of practical/demonstration of how to operate on the bands is essential albeit too late to correct I suspect.
Yes George, there is an awful lot of poor operating from a number of the G stations out there, who haven’t been retrained on the current licence conditions and don’t seem to know the rules about station identification. Perhaps practicals back in the RAE days then would have helped? There are also a number of RAE-qualified amateurs who seem to take any opportunity to have a pot-shot at newcomers to the hobby. In both cases, I guess you’re right, I expect it’s too late to correct this behaviour.
As I’m sure you know, today’s exams are far harder back in your day, and today’s newcomers have harder exams on a more comprehensive set of topics. Have you considered getting involved with training newcomers, or helping with practicals/demonstrations to help them out, as you suggest?
“many of the recent newcomers will have passed without touching a radio or adjusting an antenna”
This says it all. For a hobby based on practical activities – of some complexity to the newcommer – it astounds me that we withdraw the small amount of real preparation for online working.
The comments of those who rubbish the work as box ticking, waste of time etc. do not reflect my own experience of conducting these practicals in a committed and positive atmosphere.
They are only ‘box ticking’ if not conducted properly and without appreciation of their value.
The imposition of requiring face to face tuition seems to me to be trivial compared to the benefits in operating capability of the candidates.
Many of the so called problems sound more like clubs and examiners more interested in pass numbers than properly trained foundation operators.
A thoroughly retrograde step, quie incompehensible when considered rationally.
Hi Chris,
First off, the reason that most people who’ve passed in the last 18 months haven’t done the practicals, is due to their being a global pandemic and a national lock-down. Due to the lockdown and social distancing, practical training had to be put on hold. Hopefully you can appreciate that.
Secondly, you have perhaps misread this. To be clear, practical training continues – what’s changed is that some of the (perhaps outdated) mandatory parts are now optional. Clubs are now free to offer whatever training they like, and as much or as little hands-on training as they wish. The also no longer have the admin overhead associated with managing and assessing the practicals.
To me, dropping the mandatory nature of less-relevant practicals, allowing more time for other hands-on activities, freeing clubs of red tape, and offering more choice to the students, seems like a good thing…
Many clubs currently provide training courses, then stop – with no follow-up activities for ongoing skills development – hopefully, with the addition of online training and the fact that the pandemic has meant less face-to-face contact, clubs will start looking at providing more diverse and frequent hands-on sessions. Let’s hope we see more clubs stepping up and offering to support the newcomers. If you don;t already volunteer with your local clubs, perhaps get in touch and offer your services.
I do of course appreciate the impracticability of carrying out the practical elements of the exams during lockdown. In my opinion, it leaves a significant amount of catching up to be done.
I’m afraid I see no merit in your argument supporting the dropping of the practicals for foundation licences.
It seems to me to be utterly necessary for foundation licencees to receive an amount of formal hands on tuition on how to operate their radios effectively and in an appropriate manner and the way to ensure this is done is to include it in the licence qualification.
Not a single one of the arguments on this thread offers the certainty of this essential training being given.
All I see is nebulous statements about reducing red tape, freedom for clubs and candidates to do their own things, hoping that clubs will step up, etc etc.
Its time for some rational thought and common sense to be acknowledged to ensure that new foundation licencees are properly equipped to give and take maximum benefit from our hobby.
Once again, let me reiterate that the RSGB’s announcement does not spell the end for the practicals at clubs. They are an important part of face-to-face training, and clubs are free to continue to deliver these and other practicals.
I’m happy to try to spell out some of the issues that there have been with delivering practicals at Foundation, and some other factors:
1. There are numerous issues with the availability of sessions in the UK, with students in some cases having to drive hundreds of miles, or waiting 6-12 months for exam and practical sessions.
2. Some of the practicals are viewed by many trainers to be of limited use – Morse appreciation being the obvious one, and the 2m dipole assessment coming in a close second. Of more use to today’s amateurs: using repeaters, programming radios, soldering a PL259, EMF, logging software, etc.
3. The practicals were pretty much impossible to fail, and often treated as tickbox exercises at clubs. It’s apparent that the standard across the UK is variable, and not consistent.
4. Many view the practicals as unrealistic. I recall my 2 QSOs well – I was asked to read a script to a club member who had a copy of the same script, whilst two club officials took notes. Totally unrealistic. I learnt how to have QSOs after passing (mostly by listening). On a course, I’d get more from watching a video of a genuine QSO (that I could re-watch) than by reading a script in a village hall. There are much better ways of helping people gain on-air confidence and proficiency.
5. Quite a lot of clubs (most?) aren’t geared up to training and practicals, and clubs in general are reducing in numbers and capability.
6. RAE had no practicals – four decades of amateurs passed without practicals
7. Just about every other country doesn’t have practicals, and seem to manage OK
8. There is a strong argument for hands-on training AFTER the theory exam, and not before. Students are often too focused on not failing the theory to relax and enjoy the practical aspects. Taking Morse as an example, they’re unlikely to gain any real understanding of Morse during a rushed short session before an exam. Once they have passed, they’d be able to relax and appreciate demos of other modes at a time to suit them
9. Until the introduction of online exams, numbers were declining. The suspension of practicals has seen that trend reverse, and an increase in interest (and the pass rate).
10. Most newcomers seem to need help, advice, demos and hands-on support AFTER the exam, not before, so perhaps that needs to be where the clubs can offer better value
11. The world has changed since practicals were introduced – amateurs do different things now, we have YouTube, Zoom and Social Media which didn’t exist at the time. Today, people learn new things and help each other online a lot more than they did in 2002. We should embrace this and keep up with other trends and hobbies
12. Practicals can’t be done during lockdown. Although lockdown is lifted, we’re still not back to normal, and some people are still scared/vulnerable. They may not want to go out and share mics in close proximity to strangers, Some people are unable to get to clubs for other reasons, including mobility, social anxiety and financial reasons.
13. Mandatory practicals take up a lot of time and effort, including obtaining references for Assessor positions, vetting/safeguarding for youngsters, risk assessment statements, Covid-safe environment, Candidate Practical CPAR forms, Morse competence, finding volunteers at clubs (and volunteers at home for the remote QSOs), posting forms to RSGB, equipment, antenna setup at the training venue, and the cost of venue hire. Venues also have to be physically inspected by RSGB
14. We’ve seen a significant rise in online learning in recent years – even more so with Covid (true of other sectors, education and hobbies), with a decent percentage of radio groups now offering online lessons. There’s more and more online training, and we now have online exams – it’s hard to offer hands-on practicals online, hence use of videos and webinars
15. There is a plan to bring in a direct-to-full exam, for those with experience in many aspects of the syllabus. This would be an online exam with no practicals. Running two systems, one with practicals and one without could have been counter-productive, challenging and possibly devisive
16. Clubs can offer these and other practical sessions before and after exams, adding to the value that a club can offer to locals
17. As per the RSGB’s announcement, RSGB will be looking at practicals again for the v2 syllabus update, for which there will be a consultation
18. Clubs are struggling at the moment, and giving them more freedom and less red tape can only be a help
19. As far as I’m aware, no-one has presented a viable scheme for practical assessments that would work, given where we are with training currently and the apparent decline in clubs willing to offer hands-on sessions
20. Probably the main one – the UK regulator Ofcom doesn’t feel that practicals are necessary for awarding of their licences
I 100% agree, and genuinely believe, that we need more hands-on learning both before and after the exam, and I hope clubs will step up to offer this now that there’s less red tape and admin involved.
On the flip side, I also believe that those interested in joining the hobby (the next generation of amateurs) shouldn’t be excluded from exploring the hobby just because of the lack of a large network of clubs able to run regular sessions, or because people and clubs are unable to move with the times and acknowledge that distance learning and remotely-invigilated exams have their merits, especially with the uncertainties we’re facing.
Smart & agile clubs will be quick to see the opportunities that an increased number of newbies keen to get hands-on help will present.
I hope you’ll agree that, as you’ve requested, I’ve provided several possible reasons why RSGB may have reached this decision, which simply makes 5 mandatory practicals, optional.
This seems a positive step for the hobby. Nothing to prevent the learning of practical skills but the more that is mandatory at the start of the journey the fewer people will join the hobby. Clubs are still a great way in but the hobby. Well done RSGB or making a common sense decision. Let’s not forget we are also talking about entry into a hobby, so let’s make it as easy as possible and not put off newcomers before we start. When the fun starts, experience begins, mandatory practical tests were suspended and the world didn’t end.
I did the whole thing from Foundation to Full in about 12 weeks at home. during the pandemic. There is so much information out there and the RSGB books are very good. Being 60ish, the thought of traipsing to a class in the dark for weeks on end serously sucks! Did that in my youth…. Also the three exam formatis frankly silly for some of us… Just an expense. A single exam option is a good idea… With regards to the practicals.. well it is a ‘learning’ hobby after all isn’t it ;)
Peter M0VFX