On the 18th of December 2023, the RSGB kindly released a draft version of the next syllabus, v1.6, to allow tutors to review the likely changes. (Link to announcement and document).
This page looks at the upcoming changes to the syllabus and how this affects students and tutors
Why the syllabus update?
The syllabus v1.6 update is intended for one reason – to bring the syllabus in line with the changes to the licence that took place on 21st of February 2024 (see Ofcom 2024 licence changes).
When does this kick in?
The new licence conditions started from 21st February 2024. RSGB had previously announced that the new syllabus would start from 1st April, but have asked Ofcom for a delay as they’re not ready.
Exams on the new licence conditions will start from 1st September 2024.
I’m a student – will this affect me?
If you’re taking an exam up until 31st August 2024, you’ll be answering questions on the old licence conditions. From September 2024, you’ll be answering questions on the new syllabus. The change almost entirely only affects licence condition changes, not the other parts of the syllabus. Our free Foundation Online course will be updated in plenty of time.
Licence Changes – How will these affect students in 2024 |
I’m a tutor – will this affect me?
Yes, You’ll need to update training material for Licence Conditions, plus two tiny changes in Safety and Operating Procedures (see below). If you’re teaching Foundation, the free HamTrain slides will be updated in plenty of time!
Summary of proposed changes
Below is a summary of the changes being proposed by RSGB Exam Team, plus Essex Ham’s comments:
| Section | Proposed Changes | Essex Ham Review Comments |
| 1A1 | Updates re. callsigns and Regional Secondary Locators | Disagree. Wording for RSLs implies these will only be used in the minority. RSL is still mandatory for 2x callsigns |
| 1A3 | Dropping restrictions on Foundation constructing transmitters | Agree |
| 1A4 | Changes to Ofcom validity and revalidation | Disagree. Doesn’t match the wording in the new licence |
| 1A5 | Callsign identification tweaks | Disagree. Could be clearer. List of modes and modulation is not needed. Does a change of optional RSL require an ident change? (RSL change only required for 2x callsigns) |
| 1B1 | Supervision tweaks | Disagree. The wording needs to stay “Direct supervision”. Intermediate needs updating to “Person” not “amateur”. |
| 1B2 | Removal of redundant licence terms | Agree |
| 1C1 | Updates to sending messages to others | Disagree. Doesn’t match the wording in the new licence in several places |
| 1C2 | Updates re. codes and User Services | Disagree. Includes 3 references to items descoped from the new licence |
| 1D2 | Ofcom mandating logging | Disagree. Doesn’t match the wording in the new licence |
| 1E1. | Beacon power and shutdown (Intermediate) | Disagree. 2 power levels for beacons. The definition doesn’t match the licence definition |
| 1E2. | Remote control comms link changes | Disagree. Doesn’t match the wording in the new licence. This applies to any station, not just “main”. Recall of “over 30MHz” is unnecessary/onerous unless “open book” |
| 1F2 | Requirements for maritime operation (Full) | Disagree. Needs “aircraft” to be added. Move to 1A2? |
| 7A4 | Meaning of /A, /P, /M and /MM | Disagree. Ofcom has explicitly descoped /MM, so this should not be examinable |
| Frustratingly for tutors, the RSGB has not released a changelog, but we’ve managed to create one: v1.5 to v1.6 changes (PDF) – this may not display on some PDF viewers / browsers due to font issues |
Changes not addressed in v1.6 draft
Below is a summary of other changes that potentially need updating, that haven’t been captured in the RSGB v1.6 draft:
| 1D1 | Station tests – This has been dropped from the new licence, so needs to be descoped from the syllabus |
| 7B1 | Beacons – States that transmissions on beacon frequencies must be avoided. With relaxed rules on beacons, this needs correcting |
| 8D1 | Power limits – Intermediate refers to 50w, but this is due to be increased to 100w |
Response to RSGB v1.6 Release
Although this is not a formal consultation by RSGB, Essex Ham has prepared a document outlining the various errors, inconsistencies and omissions in the draft v1.6 document, which has been submitted formally to RSGB for their review. The list has been peer-reviewed by members of the HamTrain Tutors Community – our submission is available here: Essex Ham Response to Syllabus v1.6 Draft.
We’ve yet to hear back from RSGB…
Licence Changes Video
Here is our video highlighting the changes announced by Ofcom in February 2024:
