Council has agreed to make the following
recommendations concerning the RAE syllabus to ICASA:
1. The use of a publicly accessible
question bank will be phased out. This is to prevent candidates from
passing the exam by simply memorising the answers to all the
questions in the question bank.
2. An additional module will be added to the Class A RAE covering
microprocessors, digital modes and digital signal processing. This
is in recognition of the role of digital electronics and digital
signal processing in modern amateur radio, and of the growing
popularity of digital modes.
3. The electronics component will be removed from the Class B RAE,
which is the examination which must be passed to obtain a ZU
license. This syllabus will focus on the knowledge required to
operate a commercial transceiver safely, legally, correctly and
without causing interference.
4. Candidates who have passed the Class B RAE and who wish to
upgrade to the Class A RAE will not be required to rewrite the
Regulations and Operating Procedures paper, since this paper is the
same for both classes of RAE.
Council believes that the simplification
of the Class B syllabus and the replacement of the Morse requirement for
the ZU license by a Practical Operating Test provides the ideal way for
us to create a simple entry-level license for new amateurs, similar to
the very successful Foundation License in Britain. The ZU license will
have access to segments of the 160, 80, 40, 10, 2-metre and 70 cm bands
with a maximum power of 20W.
We see this as an exciting opportunity to increase the number of
newcomers to our hobby and hope that many of them will progress to ZR
and ZS licenses.
Further information can be found in this detailed report titled "Review
of the Radio Amateur Examination Syllabus in South Africa" [pdf].
Andrew Roos ZS1AN
SARL Education Councilor
Date: 28/11/2003
RAE Syllabus and Training Material to be
revised
30/07/2003
Amateur
radio has changed substantially in the last twenty years. New
technologies such as digital electronics, microprocessors and digital
signal processing are revolutionizing the design of amateur equipment.
This has led both to the introduction of new modes - such as PSK-31 and
the WSJT weak-signal modes - and also to different ways of implementing
traditional modes, such as the Phasing and Weaver methods of SSB
modulation and demodulation.
Traditional analogue components such as mixers and filters are
increasingly being replaced by their digital equivalents, or by digital
techniques for which there is no simple analogue counterpart. Digital
techniques were originally introduced in control circuitry, and have
since spread to AF and IF stages and digitally synthesized local
oscillators. Journals like QEX have published transceiver designs that
digitize signals directly from RF and it is only a matter of time until
these techniques are introduced in commercial amateur equipment.
It is important that our syllabus and training materials keep up with
these changes. Amateurs have always prided themselves in understanding
the operation of their equipment and being able to design and construct
equipment that is as good as, or better than, commercial equivalents. We
have always been on the forefront of new technologies and in many cases
have led the way. In order to continue this proud tradition we need to
ensure that the amateurs of the future are equipped to understand and
contribute to the digital technologies that are shaping the future of
radio. It is equally important for the syllabus to reflect modern
operating modes and practices and to train new amateurs to understand
and operate using these new modes.
Please note that this is not a case of "out with the old, in with the
new". I recognize and respect the value and importance of the
traditional components of the amateur syllabus. My objective is not to
do away with these but rather to devise a syllabus that allows them to
coexist harmoniously with new components that reflect recent
developments.
We also need to take into account the League's commitment to partnering
with government to make amateur radio accessible to previously
disadvantaged community. Amateur radio is unique in building bridges
across language and culture, whilst simultaneously providing an
opportunity for learners to educate themselves in practical technology
related fields. However to make this as effective as possible we need to
ensure that the syllabus takes into account the educational backgrounds
and needs of learners from Previously Disadvantaged Communities (PDC),
whilst also fitting into the National Qualifications Framework (NQF) so
that amateur radio training can be credited towards further study in
related technical fields.
In recognition of these requirements the Council of the SARL has
mandated me in my role as Education councilor to review the current RAE
syllabus and education materials and to propose changes to both in order
to align them with modern technologies and operating practices. This is
a complex task as it needs to take into account technical developments,
new operating practices, social initiatives and the legal framework for
amateur radio both domestically and in terms of our international treaty
obligations. I propose to approach it in the following stages.
- To work with
other Councilors, ICASA and the Department of Communications in
consultation with SARL members to update the legal framework for
amateur radio in South Africa. This process must take account of
recent decisions at the WRC-03 conference as well as our
international obligations in terms of the CEPT and HAREC agreements.
We need to decide how many license classes there should be, how to
encourage learners to upgrade their licenses, and what combination
of theoretical knowledge and practical experience should be required
for each class of license. I am not tackling this on my own but am
contributing the process that is already underway in Council.
- To review
syllabus and propose to Council what changes are required to bring
it into line with new technologies and operating practices.
Throughout this process I will liaise closely with the RAE and Youth
and PDC councilors to ensure that the revised syllabus will meet the
needs of the PDC development program. The syllabus must also meet
the international guidelines set out in the HAREC agreement so that
our training will be recognized internationally and should also be
structured so as to fit into the NQF.
- To present the
revised syllabus to SARL members for comment. Once the review
process has been completed the syllabus will be presented to ICASA
for ratification by the Department of Communications.
- To review and
where necessary revise or replace the training material that is
available from the SARL. The training material will be reviewed both
in terms of content, given the requirements of the new syllabus, and
to ensure maximum educational effectiveness and also ensure that it
takes into account the needs of the PDC program.
- To present the
revised training material to Council for ratification and run a
"beta program" using the new material for one sitting of the RAE
examination. The purpose of this will be to further fine-tune the
material in the light of learner experiences with it during the RAE
courses.
- To finalize and
publish the revised material.
As you can see, this
is quite a long and involved process. Although ideally I would like to
complete everything by the end of my current term of office in 2004,
this may not be practical given the amount of work involved and the
number of stakeholders who will have to be consulted. However at the
very least I hope to complete the revision of the syllabus (steps 1 to 3
above) by then. Any suggestions and contributions to this process are
very welcome, please email me at
andrew@exinet.co.za.
73,
Andrew Roos ZS1AN
SARL Education Councilor
Date: 30/07/2003
