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My Self-tuition course for the Full/advanced RAE Pete Pennington 6 Highland Close G4EGQ Golden Valley Folkestone
or g4egq@penningtonp11.freeserve.co.uk Introduction This information, in green, only applies up to the end of 2003 In order to qualify for an Amateur Transmitting License, authorized by the Radiocommunications Agency (agency of Department of Trade and Industry), it is necessary to pass the Radio Amateurs Examination. This exam is, at present, conducted by the City and Guilds of London Institute as their subject 0765. This exam is held at a number of centres around the country (and abroad) each May and December. It is necessary for you to enroll, at a convenient centre, 3 or 4 months ahead of your chosen exam. From 2004 it will no longer be possible to go "straight" to the Full (otherwise known as 'advanced') Radio Amateur Examination. It is requirement of the new Full/advanced RAE, that you have first passed both the 'Foundation' and 'Intermediate' courses. These course, which contain practical and theoretical tuition and assessment should be available at your local amateur Radio Club. My course is aimed at the Full/Advanced RAE. It was written for the 'old' RAE and will therefore cover some sections of the syllabus that are now dealt with in the Foundation and Intermediate courses.
My self-tuition RAE course My course of 28 (or more) lessons should be followed in conjunction with the book "Advance! The Full Licence manual" obtainable from the RSGB bookshop at www.rsgb.org/shop or Telephone 0870 904 7373
How to Down-load my RAE course... I have split to course into seven "down loads" accessible from the top of this page. As a "sample" you should open Lesson 0 in the 1st download. Unlike the other lessons, it is not password protected. You can therefore make sure it prints out at your end. Now have a go at downloading Lesson 10A in 6th download. This is password protested. Use the password 15bd7 This lesson has text and sketches, please make sure these appear correctly on your print out. I would hate to find you were trying to learn from the computer screen....I am sure that is one way to a head ache! I have also put all these lessons on to 3 floppy discs. If you prefer to have the lessons in this form please enclose 3 floppies with your enrollment fee. My course operates as follows:- Each lesson should be read, carefully, in conjunction with your RAE Manual or BR68/RA190/RA179 and your own notes written for future reference. I have found from my own experience that making your own notes is an important part of the learning process. The questions that follow each lesson should then be attempted. The actual City and Guilds Examination is totally of the multiple choice type but I include many "conventional" questions. Once you have attempted the questions check your answers against mine. If you have gone wrong, try and see why you have slipped up. If you have a problem or query then send me an email explaining your difficulty and I will try and help.
Amateur Radio "Rules and Regulations" The rules and regulations etc are fully covered in BR68, so it is not necessary to have lessons to repeat all its contents. However, I do cover some aspects to point you in the right direction. I include many license condition questions throughout the course to encourage you to dig into all parts of the RAE Manual and the Radiocommunications Agency leaflets!
Caution! But, remember that Amateur Radio is a hobby and it is important to enjoy any course leading to it. I will not chase you!
There is no time limit on my course. But the City and Guilds have recently announced that their last RAE will be in December 2003. It is not yet clear what form the RAE will take from 2004 onwards. Click here to go to "After December 2003" and see my concerns! The last C and G RAE is fast approaching You will need the following books to be read/consulted in conjunction with the lessons:
Radio Amateurs Examination Manual Available from: the Radio Society of Great Britain, 0870904 7373 or 01707 659015 Or from Practical Wireless 01202 659930
How to become a Radio Amateur (RA190+BR68) and TV/Radio reception (RA179) 020 7211 0211 0502 or downloaded from "publications" section of the RA webpage.
The Radio Amateur EXAMINATION As from May 1999 there has been a new style examination. It is now a single, exam comprising a total of 80 multiple choice questions. This will be the format until 1 / 12 / 2003 Please go to my page "After Dec 2003"
Things have changed over the last few years.... The world of Amateur Radio has altered over the years. In the early days each Amateur had to construct his own transmitter and receiver. Nowadays, home construction, although still possible, is the exception rather than the rule. The vast majority of today's Radio Amateurs use commercially built transceivers. The RAE, since its introduction, has gradually followed this trend.
What does this mean ? It results in two things. 1) The actual RAE syllabus changes over the years 2) The relative importance of various sections of the syllabus has changed.
What has actually happened? The latest syllabus includes repeater and satellite usage and electromagnetic compatibility
There is now much more emphasis on ensuring that Amateur Radio operation is socially acceptable. This means operating in an orderly manner and setting up the radio station so that it is least likely to interfere with any other electrical or electronic equipment.
How does this affect you? Ideally, perhaps, everything in the RAE Manual, BR68/RA190/RA179 and my course should be fully understood and remembered....... For most budding Radio Amateurs this is an impossible target. Don't throw up your hands in despair! Instead, stand back and aim at a more sensible level. Take a look at the subject list below. It shows how many questions will be asked on each section of the syllabus. For example, electronics now only attracts six out of the eighty questions set. This is not a signal to ignore the theory but to put things into perspective. Some basics will be vital and some will purely be a stepping stone to something more important. All the theory in my course should be attempted, but if your brain goes into over drive, don't despair. Do what you can and seek my advice.
How many questions on each topic? NUMBER OF QUESTIONS 1 Licensing conditions 18 2 Operating procedures and practice 7 3 Electronic principles and practice 6 4 Receivers, transmitters and transceivers 8 5 Transmitter interference 14 6 Electromagnetic compatibility 14 7 Propagation and aerials 7 8 Measurements 6
Sensible study - don't be put off by the maths Your house has solid foundations. And so must this course. It is therefore necessary to spend some time and effort in understanding the basics in order to have a good foundation on which to build. The basics will include some maths but please don't let this put you off. An optional maths lesson can be included. Don't hesitate to mention any of your mathematical mysteries and an explanation will appear in the next maths lesson. Your name, of course, will not be mentioned. Those of you that are really nervous of "sums" will be heartened to learn that there are very few questions in the actual exam that require calculations.
Calculators Don't forget that calculators (not programmable ones) are permitted in the exam. A simple one is best. It just needs to be able to: add, subtract, multiply, divide and perform square roots. You should practice all these functions, in advance, as the exam room is not the place to discover that you do not know which button to press first!
How much will the course cost? If you think you might be interested please send me an email and I will give you the necessary details. The postal version is £50 but there are great reductions if you are able down load your lessons from this these web pages. Please contact me by email and when you enroll I will supply the necessary passwords and the "Answers file". You can access the lessons by going to "Download Lessons" by following download link at the top of this page.
As you proceed though the course I am quite happy to answer any queries you have via email or post. If you need any more information, please let know.
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| © P.J.Pennington 2003 |