An update on the amateur radio licence exams

As previously announced, the amateur radio licence examinations will need to change to reflect the changes to the licence conditions announced by Ofcom. The scale of the licence changes will have a significant impact on Section 1 of the syllabus (licensing) and a small impact on Section 7 (operating). Ofcom is currently reviewing representations and will publish its final decision, including the final version of the licence, before 21 February.

In parallel with the Ofcom consultation and representation periods, we have been working on the syllabus and published an early draft on the RSGB web site. We expect the final version of the syllabus to be ready a few weeks after Ofcom publishes the final version of the licence and we have also had time to consider comments from trainers.

The new licence will come into effect before work on the syllabus and examination question bank is completed. We have, therefore, sought and gained approval from Ofcom to continue to examine to the current licence conditions for a period of six months following the publication of the new licence. This will allow trainers time to update their courses in line with the new syllabus and allow candidates that have started their training under the current licence conditions to complete their courses and take the exam.

We expect examinations to the new licence conditions will begin on 1 September 2024. Candidates that pass the exam between the introduction of the new licence and the new exam should be advised to read the new licence before starting to operate. [Note: we do not foresee any problems with this as, in almost all cases, the new licence will be more permissive than the existing one]

Tony Kent, G8PBH
Examination Standards Committee Chair

Category: Front Page News, RSGB Notices