Trevor M5AKA asks the question, Can Online Ham Radio Exams Improve Accessibility?

It's been estimated that since the introduction of the UK Foundation in 2002 some 40% of local clubs have run training courses, but what if you live in areas served by the other 60 %?

The short answer is you have to be prepared to travel if you want to get started in amateur radio.

Maybe it's no big deal if you have a car and are fortunate to have several clubs within a 30-minute drive of your home but for many, the nearest club that can do the Foundation Practical Assessments and multiple-choice exam maybe a 60-minute drive away.

There was a recent case of someone driving 200 miles each way, from Wales to Essex, in order to do the Practical Assessments and Exam. All that just to get started in the hobby.

It's clear that something is needed to supplement what is essentially a club-based training and exam system so that those living in much of the UK have the opportunity to take up the hobby.

One way around this is to take advantage of the internet to provide not just training but also the exams online. An obstacle standing in the way of this is the Mandatory Practical Assessments.

Practicals may be a very good way of teaching certain aspects of the hobby but they are by no means the only way to do so. Removing the Mandatory aspect of these Assessments would give all course providers flexibility in how subjects are taught and enable all aspects of Foundation to be examined online.

RSGB Course and Exam Finder - https://rsgb.org/main/clubs-training/course-exam-finder/

Foundation Licence Manual: for Radio Amateurs - https://amzn.to/366ocbl
The Intermediate Licence Manual: for Radio Amateurs - https://amzn.to/36h0OrM