New IRTS HAREC #StudyGuide is Now Available #StudyGuide #Licensing #Exam #NSWLC
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Thank you, everyone for sharing your feedback. Special thanks to Daniel, Frank, John, and Michael, for openly sharing their concerns regarding the IARU Ethics and Operating Procedures for the Radio Amateur Guide, 3rd Ed, on which our IRTS Study Guide and the Exam Syllabus are partly based. Some of the concerns focused on the Code of Conduct and the matter of what subjects should be avoided on the air.
I have contacted the President of IARU R1, Sylvain F4GKR. I have passed a general concern, and I have asked if the IARU guide could be still relied on for the purposes of HAREC exams, specifically T/R 61-02 Annex 6, chapter 7.1, and if the IARU had any plans to update it. The President of IARU R1 has confirmed that the current version of the guide can be relied on for the purposes of HAREC examinations. He has also added that some sections of the IARU guide should be reconsidered. Above all, he has asked us to share with the IARU our suggestions, such as sections to update, priorities, views on how to consult and review. Bear in mind that the updates will need to be consulted with all IARU R1 societies.
To move this matter ahead, I have proposed to the IRTS Committee to form an IRTS Subcommittee focused on the "IARU Ethics and Operating Procedures Recommendations” during the Committee meeting last Saturday. The objective of the subcommittee has been defined as:
To provide the IARU R1 with a summary of the key areas of concern, and suggestions of possible changes, to the IARU Ethics and Operating Procedures for the Radio Amateur, 3rd Edition guide, with a focus on areas relevant to HAREC examinations, notably the Code of Conduct, Social Responsibility, and Operating Procedures.
I would like to invite anyone who has an opinion on the matter, both long-term licensees, and the more recent ones, including Daniel, Frank, John, and Michael, to join us on the subcommittee, if you can, or to work with us to make your voices properly heard.
Please email your suggestions regarding the IARU Ethics and Operating Procedures guide to: iaruguide@...
We would like to hear everyone’s opinions, no matter how differing they may be. To avoid any demotivating negativity that may form from arguing opinions about ethics in a public forum please do not post your suggestions regarding the IARU guide on this thread. Please use the iaruguide@... email address. Use this thread for any further feedback related to the IRTS Study Guide, or, like many of you already did, email it to me: raf@...
I hope we can work together to make future better for everyone. Once the IARU guide has been updated, your input will not only affect future HAREC examinations, but also many generations of radio amateurs.
Thank you for volunteering to help make that positive change.
73 Rafal EI6LA |
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Albert White EI6KO
Hi Rafal, Interesting to see the IARU document. Clearly amateurs do discus a lot more than amateur radio on air, but if that's in the IARU docs then is appropriate for the syllabus and the guide. I'm sure with experience listening and on air they will appreciate when and how much its acceptable to deviate from the guidelines.
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Daithi GI7OMY
Personally, I would defer to a newly licensed operator in regard
to terms and conditions of on air behaviour for the very simple
reason that he (or she) will have studied the regulations a lot
more recently than I have. On 15/12/2022 10:07, Michael Kennedy
(EI6IRB) wrote:
Dear Trevor, |
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Constructive comments are required, not personal criticism of the authors. If you cannot offer constructive comments then please don't comment at all.
IRTS is run by volunteers. They give of their time and efforts for the good of the Society and its members. IRTS is not a commercial concern, so respect and support their efforts on your behalf. There is no place for point scoring, bitterness and negative comments fired from the wings. If you think you can do better, then why not put yourself forward? The HAREC Guide was a major undertaking and the result is a guide written specifically for EIs, with reference to the examination syllabus. It is a marvellous piece of work albeit a draft as of now. You were requested to review it for errors, typos and other suggestions on how it could be improved and not to see it as an opportunity to be critical in a negative manner. Well done to all involved in the production of this guide. Bravo de Tony EI5EM |
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Michael Kennedy (EI6IRB) <michael.j.kennedy.70@...>
Dear Trevor,
Many thanks for your message and the clarification. I am relieved my reading of your message was other than you intended to convey; it would be regrettable if the views of the newly licenced were ever to be regarded differently to those of others when expressing opinions related to our collective hobby. Best wishes, Michael EI6IRB |
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Trevor Dunne EI2GLB
That's not what I said, I just pointed out that 5 people that are mostly newly licensed is not a "broad spectrum of Irish License holders" I didn't say there opinion is less valid than anyone else, only that they are a very small portion of the Irish community, 73 Trevor EI2GLB -------- Original message -------- From: "Michael Kennedy (EI6IRB)" <michael.j.kennedy.70@...> Date: Wed 14 Dec 2022, 20:59 To: IRTS@groups.io Subject: Re: [IRTS] New IRTS HAREC #StudyGuide is Now Available #Licensing #Exam Good Evening all, |
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Thank, you, Daniel and everyone, for your helpful feedback. Knowledge of sections of the IARU Ethics and Operating Procedures for the Radio Amateur Guide, 3rd edition is required according to the Exam Syllabus. The part of our study guide that seems to have caused some consternation covers subjects to avoid whilst on the air. Let me point out that the wording that we have used is from the IARU guide. See the attached screenshot—on the left you see the IARU guide, on the right you see the IRTS guide. Daniel asked: "Do you personally agree with the statement on page 352". I am afraid my personal opinion on this matter is of no consequence. We teach what the IARU guide states regardless of our opinions, just as we do with other regulatory and operational matters, such as the use of /P or /QRP etc. If we were to teach exam candidates anything else, including anyone's opinions rather than accepted sources, we would be doing them a disservice. Ultimately, they could answer a potential exam question incorrectly, possibly even failing the exam. Daniel also writes "your view on this matter is at odds with a very significant portion of the Irish amateur community." I have not expressed my view on the matter. I have highlighted what the IARU states. I would also respectfully argue that it is the IARU who have been representing the wishes and the opinions of a very large number of radio amateurs, for a long time. Like Robert, I remember learning the same when I lived in Poland, though that was a good while ago. The IARU guide has been widely adopted across the world, not just in Region 1, and it has been translated into 25 languages. The principles of this document were accepted by the IARU Administrative Council in 2008 and promoted as our Code of Conduct ever since. In turn, the Code of Conduct has been part of the HAREC, which was also co-authored by the IARU. Bearing in mind that those are guidelines, rather than strict rules, if anyone feels strongly that the IARU Ethics and Operating Procedures guide is wrong, they should consider working with the IARU to fix it. For example, there was an issue in the guide concerning the use of some prosigns when making CW CQ calls. This has been reflected during the Varna conference in 2014 as a result of a submission from the Icelandic society. If there are concerned individuals, it would be helpful if they volunteered their time to improve the IARU guide—it needs that. If anyone would like to come forward, I will lend my hand as much as I can. If no one cares to change it, it will stand as-is. It may be worthwhile to pass your concerns regarding the IARU stance to the Exam Board for their consideration of the Exam Syllabus. I have notified them of your comments, too. If any further guidance is offered, or if the Syllabus changes, we will update the Study Guide. For now, however, what we teach matches the guidelines that prospective exam candidates need to know. |
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Michael Kennedy (EI6IRB) <michael.j.kennedy.70@...>
Good Evening all,
One way of reading Trevor EI2GLB's post of 13/12 is that the newly licenced should not express opinions because they are only newly licenced! I am curious. Surely someone does not have to be licenced a number of years to comment? You might say it is a matter of experience? Yet a person can be newly licenced and already have broad existing experience professionally and personally with radio in all its forms over many years. Being a new licence holder you are arguably very close to the syllabus and teaching/learning materials and in a strong place to comment, as some have done, on new resources. Maybe that is why the newly licenced have expressed their views in detail? Best wishes, Michael EI6IRB |
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Daniel EI8ICB
On Tue, Dec 13, 2022 at 01:59 PM, Trevor Dunne EI2GLB wrote:
Hi Trevor, I would fully agree that politics and religion are, as a general rule, a no-no; that profanity should never be used on the air; and that people should be mannerly to each other. I would not, however, agree that any subject not related to the hobby of amateur radio, should be a no-no, and certainly not that it is on the same level as those things mentioned above. My belief that a "significant portion of the Irish amateur community" do not consider non-radio related topics a no-no comes not from the people on this thread, but from listening to the conversations that take place on our repeaters and on the various HF nets throughout the country. A large number of people routinely discuss the weather, traffic conditions, their work, their other hobbies, their illnesses, their families, their holiday plans, sport, what they've been watching on the television. This would suggest that a significant proportion of the amateur community do not sincerely believe the topic of conversation on the air should be restricted to radio related topics - if they did, they would be following that guidance themselves. - Daniel EI8ICB |
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Trevor Dunne EI2GLB
“do you accept that your view on this matter is at odds with a very significant portion of the Irish amateur community”
Sorry but how do you think that the opinion of 5 people and most of them are only Licensed a few years is a “Significant portion of the Irish Amateur Community”
This email reflector has almost zero representations of the Irish Amateur Community and most people here seem to be newly licensed so a broad statement like yours is not correct,
Unwritten rule of Radio is that Politics and Religion are a no no, I’m only 30 years active on Radio, SWL for 10 and Licensed for 20 and that was one of the first things I was taught along with have manners and no profanity,
Trevor EI2GLB
Sent from Mail for Windows
From: Daniel EI8ICB via groups.io
Sent: Tuesday, December 13, 2022 4:34 AM To: IRTS@groups.io Subject: Re: [IRTS] New IRTS HAREC #StudyGuide is Now Available #Licensing #Exam
Hi Rafal,
A number of contributors, or to be more precise, every single contributor to this thread that has given negative feedback - that is myself, John EI6IZB, Albert EI6KO, Michael EI6IRB and Frank EI8HIB - have mentioned specific concerns with the Ethics section of the document, and one part of it in particular - your failure to address this in particular in any detail is conspicuous by its absence.
Could I please, respectfully ask you to answer two simple yes/no questions:
Do you personally agree with the statement on page 352 of the document that "any subject that has no relation whatsoever with the ham radio hobby" is "a no-no in amateur radio conversations on the air" - on the same level as "religion", "politics" and "derogatory remarks directed at any group: ethnic, religious, racial, sexual etc."
If yes, do you accept that your view on this matter is at odds with a very significant portion of the Irish amateur community? - Daniel EI8ICB
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John Cuthbert Ei7HMB
Well done to Rafal and all the other contributors in producing this wonderful detailed study guide. Looking forward to the final print edition, I'm sure it will be of great benefit to new and not so new radio amateurs in their understanding and pursuance of the hobby. Great credit also for setting up the shortwave listeners club series of online coaching and even socials for potential exam candidates, a really cool idea. I feel amateur radio in Ireland will be getting much stronger with these fresh ideas and newfound energy from all of you as many new entrants with established connections through the shortwave club join the hobby. Thanks for coming off the ditch and good luck in helping to plot the course of amateur radio in Ireland . We owe you. Stay cool........😉
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Hi Daniel,
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Pete EI1739 <deltastarglobal@...>
Dear Group I'm an ex pro radio and comms officer "coming back to radio" but putting it on hold due to health issues. This is the first and last email from me to this thread - I am extremely sick and tired of what I see day in and day out, and I am out of the group as of now. There is absolutely no excuse for what I see here and my only conclusion is that there are hidden agendas - I do not want to be involved in such a forum. Thanks for the efforts of many people to date, trying to actively promote radio as a hobby. Yours Pete (Canning) Ex G, 9K, HZ, HZ, A6, A7, A9 and 4P stations/callsigns. |
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Daniel EI8ICB
Hi Rafal,
A number of contributors, or to be more precise, every single contributor to this thread that has given negative feedback - that is myself, John EI6IZB, Albert EI6KO, Michael EI6IRB and Frank EI8HIB - have mentioned specific concerns with the Ethics section of the document, and one part of it in particular - your failure to address this in particular in any detail is conspicuous by its absence.
Could I please, respectfully ask you to answer two simple yes/no questions:
Do you personally agree with the statement on page 352 of the document that "any subject that has no relation whatsoever with the ham radio hobby" is "a no-no in amateur radio conversations on the air" - on the same level as "religion", "politics" and "derogatory remarks directed at any group: ethnic, religious, racial, sexual etc."
If yes, do you accept that your view on this matter is at odds with a very significant portion of the Irish amateur community?
- Daniel EI8ICB |
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It helps bridge the gap between knowledge and understanding and has had blood, sweat and tears poured into it (none of it mine .. I’m a student who benefits and appreciates) .. Many people need many thanks .. 73
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One of the RSGB experts has just provided a review of the guide. Ian White G3SEK is a (co)author of RSGB publications, including over 17 years of columns in RadCom. He shared this comment:
Overall I am hugely impressed! I would certainly recommend it to anyone studying for the UK Advanced exam - indeed, to anyone wanting to know about the overall scope of amateur radio. It fills a very useful niche between the shorter study texts and the major Handbooks.
Ian White G3SEK
I will address all the constructive feedback, both emailed to me, as well as that provided in this rather lively discussion. Essential fixes, such as regulatory or technical mistakes will be fixed. Anyone hoping for larger, stylistic changes is more likely to see them implemented if they volunteer their time and send me a rewrite. Having donated nine months to this project, my further time is limited, and I must focus on getting the guide to the published stage. Others are very welcome to take over the work on a next edition—please contact me if interested.
Let me clarify the responsibilities with regards to the exams, the syllabi, and the study guide, as some confusing comments have been made.
All questions and suggestions related to the Exam Syllabus should be addressed to the IRTS Exam Board. The current Syllabus is at a similar level of detail to the previous one. Other jurisdictions, including those mentioned on the thread, provide both higher and much lower levels of detail in their syllabi.
All questions and suggestions related to the IRTS HAREC Amateur Licence Study Guide, 2023 National Short Wave Listeners Club Edition, should be addressed to me. As the main author and the editor-in-chief, I consult with my team and the external experts, but the final decision on any changes is mine to make.
For the avoidance of doubt, no member of the editorial team has any knowledge of any exam questions. We aim to align the Study Guide with the current Exam Syllabus using the syllabus alone. For example, the reason our guide covers the phonetic pronunciation of numbers according to ICAO is because the Syllabus asks for that, as set by the Exam Board. Anyone can contact the Exam Board with their questions, concerns, and suggestions regarding the syllabus.
I was a member of the seven-person ComReg HAREC Submission Subcommittee. I wrote most of the winning tender. There were other organisations who competed against the IRTS. The subcommittee members are not at liberty to discuss the tender's contents or the process. Enquiries should be directed to ComReg.
The Exam Board has received drafts of the study guide. I hope they will continue to notify us of any errors and issues they notice. However, they have not written even a single sentence in the guide, nor have they been in charge of any teaching activities in order to assure the integrity of the exams.
The NSWLC do not have a monopoly on teaching. Training can be provided by anyone, including other organisations, whether affiliated with the IRTS, or not. We encourage other clubs and individuals to teach HAREC. If you do, and you have any questions about using the guide, please contact us, training@.... If anyone is interested in teaching, we would also warmly welcome them as an NSWLC tutor.
The NSWLC have been teaching HAREC for almost two years. We have seen 280 students, of which 65 are current. 80 of our students have received licences. We have teenagers and older students, academics, and those with learning difficulties, with and without physical impairments, native English speakers, and those still learning the language. NSWLC have been using drafts of the guide to teach. Since our guide is public, we have no advantage over anyone else—we use nothing else but the guide. I am confident that anyone using it can succeed in teaching.
Finally, let me stress that a key goal behind this guide, unlike its predecessors, was to provide detailed explanations to enable students of different levels to self-study our highly technical hobby. Other than having over 200 illustrations and tables, that is the main reason why the guide is richer and longer than its previous versions.
Thank you, everyone, for sharing your feedback—please email it to raf@... if you prefer.
73 Rafal EI6LA |
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Without wanting to add more work and confusion, I recalled a posting on the Southgate ARC news a short while ago (before its demise). The whole domain has been turned off but I did find the information I was looking for:
https://www.amc.edu.au/industry/amateur-radio/syllabus .au (VK) have just gone through the very recent adoption of HAREC under the banner of their 'Advanced' licence level. Click on the last PDF on the page given to view their new syllabus (now that that topic has been raised). Without comprehensive research it's hard to see how everything 'matches up' to qualify as being HAREC across different countries; EI, UK, VK, etc. Those of you on the IRTS Examination Board should know this well, but I was curious if you had seen the VK document, seeing as it was so recent. -- 73, Paul EI6LC |
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Trevor Dunne EI2GLB
"your
interest is based on an individual and not the document itself which makes your comment null and void"
Considering
I have no idea who you are and have never spoke to you I have zero interest in you, I just felt your reply was very insulting towards the team that spent a lot time putting the document together,
I didn't
think I needed to be a professor and or have written thousands of technical documents to have an opinion here, guess I will keep my mouth shut and leave it to the experts,
73
Trevor
EI2GLB
From: IRTS@groups.io <IRTS@groups.io> on behalf of John EI6IZB <ei6izb@...>
Sent: Wednesday 7 December 2022 22:37 To: IRTS@groups.io <IRTS@groups.io> Subject: Re: [IRTS] New IRTS HAREC #StudyGuide is Now Available #Licensing #Exam I've tried to read all this document (note it can not be referred to as a guide) and spent considerable time doing but it is a difficult task, I have compiled hundreds of Manuals, weapon guides, and Training Aide Memoirs, I'm not taking a jab at any of
the editors of this document, either the title is incorrect or this document fails the title.
Thank you for trying to take a personal swipe at my comment. I agree that the NSWLC have done some fantastic work, I was glad that I attended as many of their online nights as I could but we are discussing and trying to offer constructive criticism on a document and not on a clubs method of instruction.
A local library is full of books on many different subjects it's a great resource to utilise to study to pass any test in the world, it does not make the library a study guide but a mere resource,
in it's current layout the document is unfit as a study guide, it is a manual on what amateur radio is like in Ireland from a single users viewpoint. |
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Some of the students who have attended the NSWL HAREC course have high academic abilities. Others have the opposite. To write a study guide to suit one group is to do so largely at the detriment of the other. In so may ways then the author is caught between a rock and a hard place. I'm reminded of the phrase, "You can only please some of the people some of the time"...ect Further, some previous comments appear to suggest the guide should be focused upon how to become a radio amateur in Ireland, yet others feel it should explain how to pass the HAREC exam. Two aspects that are not, as one might assume, necessarily the same. My friend Rafal EI6LA has invested a vast amount of time, effort and enthusiasm in writing, and in many cases, rewriting various sections of this new guide over and over again. For that hard work, in the spirit of amateur radio if not common courtesy, I believe he deserves nothing but praise. Even without any further amendments I believe the new guide will assist not only tutors of the syllabus but those wishing to self study for the HAREC exam as well. I look forward to using it in future. Keith EI5KJ |
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Daniel EI8ICB
On Thu, Dec 8, 2022 at 12:12 AM, Michael Kennedy (EI6IRB) wrote:
And on the point of curiosity, I would be rather reluctant to get involved in work that would link me directly with this draft guide as I am not sure I understand the relationship between the IRTS as the examining body and the NSLWC as the teaching body. The examining body sets the syllabus and the exam and the teaching body teaches the syllabus to students to take the exam? This draft guide is published by the examining body for the teaching body and both seem interlinked through the guide? Forgive me if I am missing something here. Michael, I cannot agree with this statement enough. I would be extremely reluctant to have anything to do with this myself for similar reasons. I understand that Rafal is not only the Chairman of and a Tutor with the NSWLC, and the author of this IRTS/NSWLC study guide, but he was also a member of the IRTS subcommittee which wrote the current HAREC syllabus.
The syllabus is exceptionally and concerningly vague, setting out nothing more than a list of topics that may be examined, with no indication in most cases, especially in the Technical section, as to what level of knowledge is required. It is so vague that anything from a basic set of questions, the answers to which could clearly be guessed by a five-year-old; to a set of inane questions more suited to an obscure Amateur Radio Trivia round in a quiz at a radio club’s Christmas party; and everything in between could be deemed fully compliant with the syllabus. There is almost no point of knowledge, no matter how obscure, about amateur radio that couldn’t be examined in an exam, whilst still complying with this syllabus.
I quote just one particular point: “Antenna tuning (matching) units (ATUs).” What about them?
Do I just need to know that they exist? Do I need to know what they are? Do I need to know what they do? Do I need to know how they work? Do I need to know how to use one? Do I need to know the advantages and disadvantages of them? Do I need to know about the various types? Do I need to be able to identify one given a circuit diagram? More facetiously, do I need to know who invented them? Do I need to know what the common brands of ATU on the market are? Do I need to know the approximate cost of one? Do I need to know the approximate physical size and weight of one? These are all questions about ATUs which are within the scope of the syllabus, because there is no indication whatsoever as to the scope actually is, beyond “Antenna tuning (matching) units (ATUs).” By contrast, the RSGB Syllabus clearly sets out what knowledge is required at each level, and more importantly whether a given point of knowledge simply needs to be "recalled" (remembering that something is the case, without necessarily needing to understand why or how) or "understood" (fully comprehending exactly why and how something is the case): Foundation: “Recall that where an antenna has not been designed for the frequency being used, the feed resistance will change resulting in a mismatch and that an Antenna Matching Unit (AMU), also sometimes referred to as an ATU, can correct the mismatch and is used to ensure that the transmitter can supply energy to the antenna without damage to the transmitter.”
Full: “Understand that Antenna Matching Units (AMUs) can cancel reactive components of the antenna system feed point impedance (before or after the feeder) and can transform impedances to an acceptable resistive value. Identify typical AMU circuits i.e. T, Pi and L circuits. Understand that a quarter-wave length of feeder can be used as an impedance transformer. Apply simple examples of the formula Zo2 = Zin × Zout”
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