Science is defined as the intellectual and practical activity encompassing the systematic study of the structure and behaviour of the physical and natural world through observation and experiment.

The Edexcel general science GCSE programme that I followed as an Adult Continuing Education (ACE) mature student at Birkenhead Sixth Form College during Tuesday evenings from late September 2007 until June 2008 was of a modular structure and covered the fundamental natural sciences of Astronomy, Biology, Chemistry and Physics to Dept. for Innovation & Skills (DfIS) “level 2” educational standard.

Mathematics is defined as the branch of science concerned with number, quantity and space either as abstract concepts, known as “pure mathematics”, or as applied to physics, engineering and other subjects i.e. “applied mathematics”. Maths is classed as a “formal science”.

I obtained a GCSE grade “C” at this science subject in the summer of 1990 whilst I was a first year BTEC National Diploma engineering student, specializing in electronics & communications, at Sandown College in Liverpool.

This GCSE covered the branches of mathematics known as algebra, arithmetic, geometry, statistics and trigonometry etc. to the DfIS predecessor’s “Level 2” standard.

Astronomy is defined as the branch

of science which deals with the study

of celestial objects, space and the

physical universe as a whole.

I studied for my GCSE Astronomy

award as a night ACE student at

Birkenhead Sixth Form College in

Claughton, Birkenhead, from

September 2000 until June 2001.

In the Edexcel summer 2001

examinations sitting I attained a grade

of “C” after sitting the higher of the

two examination tiers available; the

lower and higher tiers each having

separate examination papers.

Physics is defined as the branch of science concerned with the nature and properties of matter and energy.

I studied for this GCSE award at Neston County High School, located in Neston, Cheshire, as a lower sixth former. The Midland Examining Group (MEG) syllabus for GCSE Physics was considered superior for the school in comparison to the Northern Examining Association’s physics syllabus at this level.

I sat the “higher tier” physics examinations enabling me to obtain either a grade “A”, “B” or “C”. The “lower tier” enabled suitably registered MEG candidates to obtain either grades, “C”, “D”, “E”, “F” or “G”.

At the summer 1989 MEG examinations sitting I was awarded a GCSE Physics grade “B” pass grade.

The subject of biology is defined as the scientific

study of living organisms. The “-ology” in this

science’s name means “a discipline of study” and so

biology is therefore a scientific discipline.

I obtained my GCSE Biology result in the summer of

2009 after I’d completed this course as a one-

evening-per-week night school mature student at

Wirral Metropolitan College (WMC). The certificate

awarded to me by the AQA Examinations Board is

shown on the right and display’s a grade of “B”.

Although this Biology course was conducted at

WMC’s “Twelve Keys” campus in Birkenhead, the

college, for some reason, chose to hold the written

examinations for this course at an off-campus venue

used for a variety of general functions, this being

Hulme Hall in Port Sunlight, Wirral. For some

unknown reason, WMC chose to display the name of

its campus that was situated closest to Hulme Hall on

this GCSE Biology award document; this being

“Carlett Park”. Why not the Hulme Hall name itself ?

Chemistry is defined as the branch of

science concerned with the properties and

interactions of the substances of which

matter is composed.

I studied for this GCSE award whilst I

was in the lower sixth form of Neston

County High School , now a specialist

science and arts college, during the

academic year starting in September

1988 and concluding in July 1989.

Shown opposite is my City of Liverpool

Community College academic report,

produced after my two years of study at the

college, listing the BTEC level II & III

units passed on the programme, in July

1991.

At the time I enrolled at this further

education establishment, it was called

“Sandown College”. Prior to this name

change, it was known as Riversdale

College of Technology; a nationally

renowned Association of Marine & Radio

Colleges (AMARC) establishment.

In late 1991 it was merged with other

colleges in Liverpool and became known

as “City of Liverpool Community College”

and then, by the late 1990’s, “Liverpool

Community College”.

This is the actual BTEC National Diploma

document itself, awarded to me in the summer

of 1991. It’s presented in a different format to its

associated “Notification of Performance” (NoP);

the NoP being re-issued – on payment of a fee

of £26.00 from me – by BTEC-Edexcel in June

2004, due to the loss of the original document…

fig.1 shows my

“customer-not-present”

HSBC Visa Debit Card

transaction receipt sent

to me from Edexcel,

then.

fig.1

I obtained the BTEC National Diploma in

Engineering: Electronics &

Communications, in July 1991, following

two years of study at Sandown College in

Liverpool – now called Liverpool

Community College.

This NoP lists all the units I passed on the

National Diploma and the degree of pass

percentage range achieved, i.e. :

“PASS”– that’s minimum pass percentage

range achieved,

“MERIT”– denoting an above average

performance, and finally,

“DISTINCTION”– denoting excellence...

From September 1991 until July 1992 I

studied a number of technology units at

Salford College of Technology; a college of

HE. It’s now part of the University of

Salford.

The “Audio & Video Techniques” BTEC

Level H unit involved attending a college-

timetabled class, after 7.00 PM in the

evening, whose venue was in the basement

of the college’s Adelphi campus where a

24-track magnetic-tape recording studio

was located; a personal security risk for a

lone student in early 1990’s Salford!

At this college I also covered analogue

electronics, digital electronics, mathematics,

use of computers for graphics & sound,

together with communication skills and

industrial organisation to “Level H”

standard.

My Higher National Certificate (HNC) was awarded

to me in January 1997 after I completed the

programme at Liverpool Community College running

from January 1995 to December 1996; this being a

modular HNC engineering programme.

This engineering programme involved the study of

marine navigational systems which included S-band

and X-band RADAR*, radio communication systems

in addition to electronics.

I gained extensive fault diagnostic experience of radio

communications and RADAR equipment in use during

the 1990’s for civilian marine applications. The

principles learned, however, can be applied to military

RADAR and other communications systems – see NoP

on next slide…

*strictly MADAR as these systems were emitting signals above 1 GHz;

“M” being an abbreviation for microwave radiation

The document, displayed opposite,

is the Notification of Performance

accompanying my HNC. It displays the

Level “H” units making up this HNC

qualification, and the degree to which

each unit qualifying criterion has been

met. Again, the PASS, MERIT and

DISTINCTION grading system is used

‒ see slide no. 3 further back.

I felt I had been underrated concerning

the “Common Skills Profile” grades and

therefore feel I should have been

awarded at least MERIT grades for most

of the common skills assessed in this

profile. I also have similar sentiments

concerning some of the engineering and

technology unit grade results displayed

on this NoP.

The image shown opposite is of my City

& Guilds of London Institute Radio

Amateurs’ Examination certificate; this

being awarded in December 1992. I

obtained a Radiocommunications Agency

(now OFCOM) Radio Amateurs licence

earlier the following year.

Strictly, a radio amateur (“ham”) should

really be known as an “amateur-wireless

operator” as some radio amateurs operate

on the microwave spectrum, i.e. above 1

GHz, and/or transmit slow-scan television

on the RF and/or microwave amateur

frequency allocations…

I studied for both components comprising the City & Guilds Radio Amateurs Examination (RAE) during 1992 and took the examination for both components in November 1992. My RAE certificate was awarded in December of that year. I appeared to have passed both examination components with “CREDIT” attainments. In the context of City & Guilds awards, a CREDIT denotes an above-average performance.

Gaining the RAE allowed me to obtain an OFCOM Full Radio Licence which I’ve held since 1993. My call sign is G7OKR and my details are listed in amateur radio communications call books throughout the world.

In the past I’ve operated mainly on the shorter wavelength HF bands i.e. 10m, 15m, 20m, and 40m and obtained QSOs with Germany, Italy, Lithuania, Russian Federation, Spain and other nations…

The British Computer Society’s European Computer Driving Licence

(ECDL) credential. I was awarded this ECDL certificate in June 2002:

This is my West Cheshire College certificate, which recognises that I’ve fulfilled at least the minimum standard necessary in order to qualify for this basic personal computer hardware assembly qualification entitled “Build Your Own PC”.

It was gained in March 2003 after a one-evening-per-week course lasting about two months and based at the Handbridge, Chester, campus of this college of FE.

The first use I made of this qualification was in connection with installing a UHF PAL analogue terrestrial TV receiver card (which then digitised the demodulated PAL signal) into my former PC using one of its “expansion-card-slots” (located in its system-unit) in the spring of 2003.

My GCE “AS” Level Computing award that I

obtained from Wigan & Leigh College in the summer of

2001 is shown opposite. This certificate also displays

my GCE “AS” Level Electronics award of a grade “A”.

Computing is defined as the “use and operation of

computers” – don’t confuse it with “Computer Science”

which means “the study of the principles and use of

computers”.

Electronics is defined as “the branch of physics and

technology concerned with the behaviour and

movement of electrons, especially in semiconductors

and gases”.

I studied for these two “AS” Levels as a part-time

mature student during the academic year running from

September 2000 until July 2001…

I studied for my Advanced Level GCE

examinations in Electronics as a private

candidate. Consequently, I couldn’t

submit any work for the last unit of the

course (Unit ELE 6) because this required

continual supervision by a suitably

qualified tutor; this being in accordance

with the examination board’s

specification (syllabus). I was unable to

fund supervision. This meant that I was

awarded this certificate based on a

reduced number of components that were

submitted to the examiner for marking.

I’m therefore capable of achieving a

grade “A” or “B” instead of the grade

“C” actually awarded!

This CAI Basic Installation Practices

credential serves as proof that I satisfy at

least the minimum standard, concerning

both the theoretical and practical

knowledge, that’s required in order that a

VHF Band II, UHF Band IV or V Yagi-Uda

Array aerial can be selected and installed

for the purposes of providing an adequate

signal level to the aerial input of a domestic

analogue VHF-FM radio tuner (or receiver)

or UHF PAL television receiver.

Because analogue television broadcasting

services are being phased out in the UK, I

obtained a further qualification (see next

slide)…

To increase the scope of my knowledge of domestic television receiver aerial installation related to digital terrestrial television (DTT) systems I took a course validated by the City & Guilds of London Institute, the CAI and ASTRA.

Although UHF Band IV and V are also used for DTT, suitable Yagi-Uda Array aerials for a given DTT aerial group will nearly always need to be of a greater gain, i.e. more directional, than those for Band IV and V groups radiating analogue signals, as the DTT transmitter power will usually only be about 1⁄5

that of an analogue transmitter installation covering the same area. Additionally, with DTT receivers, most of the technical parameters which are used to assess reception quality are different and, therefore, the test & diagnostic equipment required for successful DTT aerial installation is different also; hence the need to gain this additional qualification…

GCSE Astronomy

GCSE Biology

GCSE Chemistry

GCSE Mathematics

GCSE Physics

GCSE Science [general]

GCE “AS” Level: Computing

GCE “AS” Level: Electronics

GCE “A” Level Electronics

BCS ECDL PC Literacy

credential

West Cheshire College’s

“Build-Your-Own-PC”

qualification

Joseph P. Campbell holds the

following scientific,

technological

and

engineering qualifications

and

credentials:

City & Guilds Radio Amateurs Examination

BTEC Certificate of Achievement

– displaying level “H” audio & video systems technologically related

units.

CAI Basic Installation Practices

City & Guilds Certificate in Digital Terrestrial

Television, Domestic Aerial and Network

Installation

BTEC National Diploma: Engineering

– Electronics & Communications: D686.

BTEC Higher National Certificate: Engineering

– Marine Navigational Systems…

Joseph P. Campbell is 39 years old and, although qualified with an HNC in marine navigational systems engineering plus a number of other qualifications and credentials, he’s currently unemployed.

Joseph has an interest in the technologies and sciences of relevance to the use of the RF and microwave spectrum for all forms of communications uses e.g. broadcast radio and television and other forms of telecomm-unications, satellite communications, short-range wireless systems etc.

He’s a student member of the Inst.of Engineering & Technology (IET) and the BCS in addition to being a qualified radio amateur. His OFCOM call sign is G7OKR and he’s based in the ITU zone 27, CQ zone 14 area.

Joseph P. Campbell,

photographed here at

BBC GMR* in

December 1990

Email: g7okr@hotmail.co.uk

*BBC GMR was renamed “BBC Radio Manchester” some years ago