Paul VK2ICQ says:
Here’s how our friends in ZL land do it….
From Southgate Amateur Radio News, original post here.
The New Zealand national amateur radio society (the NZART) have made the PDF of their Jan/Feb 2016 Break-In magazine available for download.
Download Break-In magazine here.
New Zealand has just one class of amateur licence (1 kW RF output). There are no practical tests to take just a single 60 question multiple choice paper. 40 questions must be answered correctly to achieve a pass. All the questions and answers are made available online to assist memorizing.
NZART Exam Generator and Question/Answer bank is here.
The HamDisk Study Aid is here.
NZ Amateur Radio Licence documentation effective May 5, 2016.
So that is what the problem is. NZ testing is just a case of who has the best memory. I doubt HAMs in Oz, who have a full call, would appreciate their licence being dragged down that level. It promotes a lack of what a HAM is, explorer, tester, inventor, destroyer (some are anyway) and a host of other qualities that make the fully qualified HAM. OK so there is the odd one out there. Baaa, humbug, wait that’s Christmas, isn’t it?
Agreed. I personally think that the current tiered Australian system is pretty good. There needs to be carrots to encourage the progression up the ranks. The foundation exam is within reach to everyone, and those wishing for more from the hobby can learn more and become suitably qualified to operate and build more complex and powerful hardware & modes. As someone who did each of the exams in succession, I would be annoyed if VK fell back to a single class licence, but I’m guessing that’s the same way a load of people who did essay exams and 10wpm morse felt – so perhaps I should just get over it? The hobby needs to grow, but I don’t think the ZL method is the way forward (at all).
So What Class of licence would a Kiwi who has the NZ one be accorded if over here on holiday or more permanent?
From: http://www.wia.org.au/licenses/licensing/visitorlicence/
New Zealand: Amateur Operator’s Certificate (Novice)
No, Standard is what I was told at our recent ORARC Field Day, which when checking up is correct.
Also, as I’ve said many times and without anyone actually acknowledging this fact, not all can study with confidence of passing an exam that is loaded with problematic mathematical style of questioning. I for one can’t as I’m maths Dyslexic and memory Dyslexic, a fact that I’ve just found out through an online course I did as a teacher to find students who are in this realm of disability in learning. So, if you have a mind that thinks instead of just parrot fashion repeats what others keep saying – “Just study and keep studying till you pass” or “stop whinging and just do what the others have done and learn then sit and gain your Standard/Advanced” etc. etc.
I may hasten to add, I sat for the Novice exam back in the 1970’s and passed all but the damn morse. 8 times I sat for the exam and morse, as you couldn’t just do the morse again, no, make more money out of the poor sole by making them sit what they have already passed. I wasn’t told that I could have a Z call for 2/70 and later be one of those lucky ones that jumped up a grade to Standard. Aside from that grumble, there has been little in come back to my problem that makes sense of my predicament and helps end my reliance on Foundations limited scope of learning or operational growth in skills.
Hi Stuart – Yep, my post above didn’t look into it far enough (there’s no ‘Novice’ licence, so that should in itself should be obvious). It’s not standard (technically), but it’s equivalent to standard. For a 90 day stay, they’d get a Radiocommunications (Overseas Amateurs Visiting Australia) Class Licence 2008 with Division 1 and Division 3 operating conditions! Clear as, eh?
It’s not really anyone’s place to acknowledge a personal difficulty you’re having with the exam. I don’t think anyone’s ever said that passing the Amateur Exam’s is easy. I’m pretty sure that everyone who’s passed the exams would takes issues with your suggesting that they don’t think and just ‘parrot’ repeat what they’ve been told to pass. Personally, I wouldn’t have been able to pass the exams until the concepts came together to form a cohesive understanding of what I’d been taught (with many thanks to Larry) – the content of the syllabus and the exams is clearly more than one could ever get through by memorising answers alone….
Just be thankful the days of the essay exam questions are done and dusted (and full respect to anyone who got their licence in those days).
It’s also unfortunate that you missed the opportunity to grab a Z call. As unfortunate as your own individual difficulties may be in passing the exams I still happen to believe that the tiered licensing system is fair, just and sensible for the vast majority of the population.