Well this should make people feel happier

I little something to cheer you all up, Have been playing choo choo round the house, I am not going mad,, on my way it's all to do with the foundation question, 431.432 charing cross I won't forget that next time...

Nice one Chris! Anything to make it stick in that old noggin.

I learned six ways to Sunday all the variations on that question it famously being renowned as a 'trick queston'. Imagine my shock when on my exam I got the "What frequency are you not allowed to transmit on within 100km of Charing Cross?". Asked straight up, no tricks and the damn thing is printed on the exam sheet band plan you print off for the exam?!?!?

Isn't it something to do with Civil Defense or the MOD or something
yes I remember that question and bit unfair on a Amateur who lives near Charing Cross lol

It is Martin, the  MoD,
They are the primary user of the band with amateur's secondary,

Whilst tx is forbidden, I cant say I have ever came across anyone rxing anything from the MoD,
although I am sure any such transmission would be scrambled in one form or another, but I would be interested to learn the mode & type of encryption.


T.

ranger wrote:

It is Martin, the  MoD,
They are the primary user of the band with amateur's secondary,

Whilst tx is forbidden, I cant say I have ever came across anyone rxing anything from the MoD,
although I am sure any such transmission would be scrambled in one form or another, but I would be interested to learn the mode & type of encryption.


T.

I thought it was MOD or something like it Trev ,yeah it would be interesting to listen in if we could though

Interesting stuff.

Lewis M3HHY with his Ringway Manchester YouTube channel did a video on the subject a little while ago.

Make a lot more sense than the usual responses you hear, (even if less interesting).

Victor wrote:

Asked straight up, no tricks and the damn thing is printed on the exam sheet band plan you print off for the exam?!?!?

You're allowed to take a band plan printout into the exam?

Ours is a whole separate exam, to be done from memory, and the Yank one has to be memorised and pops up in all three exams, and has some real quirks in there.  Damn!  You're spoilt. 

I think we discussed this before Jeff

For the UK Foundation exam you print off the exam reference paper EX307.pdf, (there are also similar papers for the Intermediate and Full).

For some reason the RSGB site isn't currently working but here is Essex Ham's copy of the same :-

https://www.essexham.co.uk/train/foundation-exam-booklet/

The relavent data for the exam is contained within it.

As we discussed before I'm pretty sure what they are after in the exam is ensuring you will be a competent radio operator, not Mr Memory Man
I'm also sure that anyone able to memorise every aspect of the band plans, frequency, allocation, etc. would be a rather 'special' person....and they could remember it entirely wrong just as easily, especially if the bandplan allocation changes!

I admire anyone that can say, "I'm not sure I'll just look it up", as much as someone who actually knows off the top of their head. Probably more so the former as they've verified their answer and more likely to be up to date. As we know people can commit to memory completely wrong information and be adamant that they are right often arguing it to the hilt.

Victor wrote:

I think we discussed this before Jeff


I'm also sure that anyone able to memorise every aspect of the band plans, frequency, allocation, etc. would be a rather 'special' person....and they could remember it entirely wrong just as easily, especially if the bandplan allocation changes!

Yeah, but I'm never going to miss an opportunity to tease!  

Sadly, for our exams and the US ones, you do have to remember elements of it...what part of a band certain modes can be used, what power levels on certain bands or certain emissions that differ form the defaults, etc etc.

I'm with you though - knowing how to read a bandplan is really all that's relevant here.  My wall has the US and Aus ones up printed on A3 sheets!

Ha! Ha

You got me hook, line and sinker mate!

Can't believe any official body still think there's value in memorising minute detail of something that it is much more efficiently looked up. I know as an electronics engineer I didn't memorise every damn component identifier, (although years later I still remember components that became obsolete back in the 1980's!!!) I certainly didn't remember the detailed characteristics of every component it being an impossible task.

Yet when I worked for a stint in the camera trade as a salesman the sales area manager expected us to know the price of every camera currently in stock!?! I told him straight, different today from what it was last week and will be different again next week as new models come out and items are reduced for sale. We also sell hundreds of models, what exactly are you after? He was not a happy bunny

It's one area of the examination process I certainly believe the RSGB got right Jeff. Here's hoping other 'catch up'

Victor wrote:

Lewis M3HHY with his Ringway Manchester YouTube channel did a video on the subject a little while ago.

Make a lot more sense than the usual responses you hear, (even if less interesting).

Thanks for posting, Victor.

Far less interesting than the clandestine theories John

Still, nice to know.