The Foundation Course

The Foundation Course is the entry level to amateur radio.  It assumes little or no prior radio or electronics knowledge and provides an ‘acceptable minimum level of skill and experience’ allowing candidates to get on the air quickly and safely.

Successful candidates are issued with an ‘M6’ callsign and are allowed to transmit with up to 10 watts.  This should be enough to work stations in and around Europe and even further when atmospheric conditions permit it.

Topics Covered

The topics covered on the Foundation Course are normally at a very high level to provide a basic understanding of the principles required to operate an amateur station responsibly.  The Intermediate and Full Licence Courses expand upon these topics in more detail.

Some of the topics covered include:

The Nature of Amateur Radio Licence Classifications and Conditions
Technical Basics Transmitters and Receivers
Feeders and Antennas Propagation
Electromagnetic Compatibility (EMC) Safety
Operating Practices and Procedures Exam Revision and Preparation

Content Delivery

Amateur Radio Foundation Course Training is typically delivered via a weekly web seminar.  This helps to keep the cost of the training as low as possible.  Candidates are also encouraged to attend the monthly Verulam Club Nights so that they can meet up with their fellow course-mates with the training team available to discuss any aspects of the course or their training.

Assessment Types

Two methods of assessment are used

Practical Assessments

The practical assessments normally take place at the club meeting room in St Albans or the radio cabin located on Dunstable Downs.

Set-up and operation of a VHF/UHF station.

Set-up and operation of an HF station.

Morse Appreciation – note that candidates are no longer required to understand Morse Code but they should have an appreciation of it.

Examination

At the end of the course, candidates are required to sit a multiple choice examination.  This takes place at the clubs meeting room in St Albans.

The examination team are authorised to perform some indicative marking on the Foundation Exam Papers so normally candidates leave knowing whether they have passed or failed.

The exam papers are then sent to the RSGB for proper marking and a certificate is issued.  At this point the candidate is able to obtain their Foundation Licence via the Ofcom Website.

Foundation Course Fees

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Next Steps

Are you ready to find out more about the foundation course?  Complete the content form here and a member of our training team will get back to you.

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