This is not a pass/fail type test. The purpose of this section is to train you to the required standard - until you meet that standard.
You will receive a copy of the Morse code, as shown on the next page, showing only letters and numbers. No procedural characters or abbreviations will be used. The premise for the exercises will be a contact between two amateurs. The assessment is in two parts, receiving and transmitting.
In addition to the Q-Code, which is not normally used in the assessment tests, there are a small number of common abbreviations the candidate should be aware of because they are largely unavoidable;
|
Abbreviation |
= |
Meaning |
Example |
| DE | = | From | M3ABC DE G0KVJ |
| TX or TRX | = | Transmitter or Transceiver | TRX HERE IS TS950 |
| WX | = | Weather | WX HERE SUNNY |
| UR SIGS | = | Your signal report | UR SIGS 559 |
Any other abbreviations you come across should be easy to work out. Remember the test is one simple short message. If you are unsure of the meaning of any abbreviation then ask your tutor.
Your tutor will send between twenty and thirty characters at a speed you have found to be comfortable. You may either decode each letter as it is sent to you, or write down the individual dots and dashes and do the translation at the end of the test. The tutor is permitted to invite the student to recheck his translation, and also to resend part of the message again at the candidate's request.
No residual errors are permitted at the end of the assessment.
You will send a pre=prepared message similar to that sent by your tutor (but not the same). You may, if you wish, translate the entire text into dots and dashes before sending. The tutor will ask you to resend any letters sent incorrectly. He may wait until the end of the passage, or ask for a correction immediately a mistake occurs. If he does wait until the end, only those letters sent incorrectly must be repeated by the candidate.
No residual errors are permitted at the end of the assessment.