91% pass rate for South Africa

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Candidates in South Africa achieved a 91% pass rate in the recent HAREC compatible radio amateur exam

91%_Pass_in_South_Africian_HAREC_Exam

In the UK, the HAREC compatible exam is the Advanced. In 2013 the Advanced pass rate was 70.2% significantly lower than that achieved for the South African exam.

“There will be ninety-one new amateurs on the air soon. One hundred candidates wrote the examination of which 91 passed. They should be on the air soon as in an agreement between ICASA and the South African Radio League, candidates who passed the RAE and whose call signs appear on the South African Radio League list of successful candidates published on the League web, may go on the air immediately without having to wait for the printed license. Congratulations!”
— SARL

The highest pass percentage was 98% and this person obtained 100% for the regulations.

The next HAREC Exam is scheduled for May 2015. 

UK exam statistics - http://www.commsfoundation.org/rce/pdf/Examination_Committee_Report_2013.pdf

Brazil to extend FM broadcast band

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Countries including Brazil and China are planning to extend the FM broadcast band.

Brazil intends to extend the FM band down to 76 MHz while Beijing is considering a lower limit of 64 MHz.

Question about FM Band extension in Brazil and elsewhere: On a question raised by one of the Forum members, the Brazilian regulator ANATEL was contacted, who confirmed the planned extension of the FM band down to 76 MHz. This was in fact agreed already. It was remarked that there will be a problem with RDS then in the range 76-87.5 MHz, with no AF codes being defined for that range. With RDS 2.0 this problem could be solved however. It was also remarked that China plans to use FM radio down to 64 MHz, a matter also to be followed up for RDS 2.0. - RDS Forum

Read the RDS post - http://www.rds.org.uk/2010/2014-Forum-Meeting.htm

The Shadow Mask Tube Lectures

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The British Vintage Wireless Society has released the first of five lectures prepared by Rank Bush Murphy Limited for training television service engineers in the 1960's for the then new colour television receivers

This first lecture gives a basic introduction to colour theory and the basics of the shadow mask display tube.