Foundation: review

With regards to the amateur radio foundation licence here is a recap of things you need to know. Firstly, it does get easier, this is from the point of view of someone who is self taught in electronics and inexperienced in working on the air. The club that I attend, ran the foundation course over 10 evenings with a good teacher who happily answered any daft questions. Then I spent the whole weekend with a refresh of all topics, mock exam and the final exam.

As part of the licence you need to undertake some practical assessments. This is really fun. You have to set up a HF and VHF/UHF rig, tune into stations, read the signal strength, then send and receive a CQ call and morse. The morse is at a very very slow and steady pace, so from having not touched a key before, I passed.

All these practical achievements are recorded on a 'record of achievement card' which needs to be presented on the day of your exam. This along with some identification, like a passport. In the actual exam, you have 45minutes to answer 25 multiple choice questions on topics covered in the RSGB Foundation Licence handbook. You are given four sheets of information to use as reference, these include the Foundation licence parameters, the 2mtr and 20mtr band plans, frequency/wavelength conversion chart and the chart stating the uses of the VHF band.

The topics to address are;

• Nature of Amateur Radio
• Licence Conditions
• Feeders and antennas
• Propogation
• Technical Basics
• Transmitters and Recievers
• EMC (Electromagnetic Compatibility)
  
• Repeaters
• Operating Procedures
• Safety

Best to refer to the handbook for full details. I found it wasn't a matter of just understanding and reciting facts but actually to be able to apply this knowledge.

Hay-ho, it's all good.