It is aimed specifically at would-be Radio Amateurs who have never before encountered Physics.
Study Elementary Physics with minimal maths and then proceed to the basic theory of Radio and Electronics.
If you finish this Course you will know and understand more than is strictly required to pass the RAE but you will have the confidence that comes of possessing a thorough understanding of the subject.
Writing this Course was undertaken partly with the intention to record my accumulated wisdom from some 65 years in electronic engineering and partly to help those whom I observed struggling with the modest requirements of the Radio Amateurs' Examination (R.A.E.)
To my mind the available textbooks failed to present an ordered and logical approach to the subject and especially was this so to newcomers who, in general, had never studied Physics in any of its forms. To them my advice was (and remains) to start reading Lesson-1 on a daily basis and to ignore the fact that it seemed to be written in an unknown language. Keep reading and move on to Lesson 2 and then to Lesson 3 and you will find that, as you grow familiar with the language, so it will begin to make sense.
I have included a great deal of information the knowledge of which is not necessary for passing the R.A.E. but my aim is to render a complete story. To the would-be student I would urge that the examination can have no terrors if you truly understand what it is all about.
As far as the subject of Radio and Electronics is concerned the following Course is as complete as need be but I had intended several further items; e.g. a Part-9 on Pulse-circuit Techniques a knowledge of which is essential for subjects such as Television. Unfortunately I suffered a serious heart-attack in 1995 and I was forced to abandon the task. Since then memory problems and a continuing lethargy have terminated the work permanently.
A comprehensive Index exists that gives references to each subject in the form of Part No., Lesson No. and Page No.; it will be some time before I can convert that for posting on the Web and it is the reason for the RED heading at the start of each of the original Pages.
Part 10 Practical Work was being undertaken when disaster overtook me and the first lesson on Soldering will be offered here. However the projects which were being prepared remain as little more than a collection of components and untried designs.
While certain aspects of the information may have become superseded it still continues useful in its original concept as an introduction to the art-cum-science of radio engineering for those who have little if any learning in Physics.
The QUESTIONS at the end of each Lesson were part of the tuition process and the quality of the answers which I received enabled me to discover weaknesses in my original script and to correct them - this accounts for the apparently-weird page numbering. But I will try to answer any reasonable e-mails with corrections or enquiries - payltuition@tesco.net
I offer apologies for the quality of some of the early diagrams; they were created in the days of my Amstrad Word Processor which struggled gamely.
Finally I must acknowledge with gratitude the expert help afforded by my nephew Hugh Barclay and my elder daughter Sue Kelly who guided me through the intricacies of HTML. A fine example of White Magic.
Ken Green
(C.Eng., M.I.E.T.)