Resuming UK Examinations in Clubs

/
Resuming UK Examinations in Clubs

The RSGB remote invigilation exams have been a great success during the Covid-19 pandemic. Over 3,100 candidates have made the first step into the hobby by obtaining a Foundation pass, nearly 950 have progressed to the Intermediate exam and over 330 to the Full licence.

However, the UK Government’s roadmap to exiting the Covid-19 restrictions means we can now plan to resume exams for candidates who prefer to sit them in a club setting with in-person invigilation.

The RSGB will start accepting bookings from club Examination Secretaries from the date when the Government lifts all Covid-19 restrictions in their part of the UK. There will be some changes to make the booking process more streamlined and details will be released in a later communication.

Read More

Belgium to Resume Ham Radio Exams

/

If the evolution of the Corona infections continues to proceed favourably, Belgium's communication regulator BIPT, will resume amateur radio exams from April 26

A translation of the UBA post reads:

Please note that from then on the new exam regulations will be in force, see the decision of January 19, 2021, on laying down the rules and conditions applicable to the tests and exams for radio amateurs.

This means that one can also register for the class B exam (CEPT Novice license). Those who want to prepare for this exam can visit the online learning environment for radio amateurs of the UBA. Here you will also find which parts of the UBA HAREC manual must be known for the class B exam.

You can register for the exams by e-mail to exam@bipt.be stating your name, first name, (postal) address, telephone number and a copy of both sides of your identity card in attachment.

For the C exam (basic permit), the certificate must also be added showing that you have passed the practical test.

BIPT will contact you to propose exam dates. Candidates already on the waiting list will also be contacted.

There are three licence exams in Belgium, there is no need to take lower level exams you can just sit the Class A exam and get the HAREC equivalent licence.

The pass mark in all the multiple-choice exams is 50%

  • Class A (CEPT HAREC) - 48 questions of which 30 are Theory, 10 Regulations, 8 Procedures. Time allowed 90 minutes

  • Class B (CEPT Novice) - 38 questions of which 20 are Theory, 10 Regulations, 8 Procedures. Time allowed 1 hour

  • Class C (Basic) - 30 questions of which 12 are Theory, 10 Regulations, 8 Procedures. Time allowed 1 hour

Exam Regulations - https://www.bipt.be/file/cc73d96153bbd5448a56f19d925d05b1379c7f21/aae883ac1c576c3d482308d224ee652ce66f14d9/RAM_Examenreglement.pdf

RSGB Announce Record Foundation Exam Passes

/

From Monday, April 6, 2020, the RSGB started handling bookings for remotely invigilated online Foundation amateur radio exams that people could take in their own home, since then 3,000 people have passed Foundation

On 7th March 2021, the RSGB made this announcement on Twitter:

Prior to last April only around 1,350 people would pass the Foundation each year , the availability of exams to everyone, regardless of where they live, has led to a welcome upturn in numbers.

The previous exam system was essentially club based but the problem was only a minority of clubs were able to provide Foundation training and exams. This often resulted in would-be amateurs having to travel large distances to find training and to take the exam. This resulted in some parts of the country having virtually no new radio amateurs due to the difficulties in accessing training/exams.

Information about amateur radio Foundation and the online training/exam - https://rsgb.org/main/clubs-training/for-students/foundation/