Foundation Licence Course
- Session one: Sunday 18th February 2007, 10am-4pm in Lecture Theatre A
- Session two: Sunday 4th March 2007, 10am-4pm in Lecture Theatre A
- Open to: students and both UniS and SSTL staff
- Questions? Contact Dominic Cleal at ee53dc@surrey.ac.uk
Course Update and Information
The course is now under way with 22 attendees. REGISTRATION IS NOW CLOSED: We cannot accept any new attendees as the exam registration forms have been submitted.
The slides and some useful links:
What is the Foundation licence?
The Foundation licence is the first step in becoming a radio amateur. It allows you to use most of the main bands and sufficient power to make contacts around the world with a very straight forward course. It’s the stepping stone up to the Intermediate and Advanced licences, which allow you even more power and extra privileges.
Check out these links for more information about amateur (aka “ham”) radio, though they may have an American slant:
What do I have to do for a licence?
For the Foundation licence, you will need to attend two sessions - one to learn the theory and perform the practicals (such as practising operating on the air) and another to sit the exam. The exam is only twenty multiple choice questions and you just need fifteen to pass, in addition to having done the practical exercises.
If you want more details, download a copy of the syllabus: Foundation licence syllabus (PDF format)
How much does it cost?
The costs went down at the end of last year, as Ofcom have scrapped the licence fee. Thanks to the Union, they will be paying half of the exam fee, so it only costs £10 for you to sit the exam. You can turn up to the first course session and pay the £10 in cash when your exam registration is filled out. There is no charge for the course itself, thanks to Andrew Vine (M0GJH) donating his time, and the books required are being supplied by the society.
Above this, it’s up to you as to what you want. You don’t need to buy radios to operate - we have excellent facilities on campus that are open to anybody with a licence to use (see the shack for more details). You can build your own radios from kits, or buy second hand or new radios if you want to get your own. If you take the Intermediate or Advanced licences, you will be allowed to use your own designs on the air if you wish!
How do I sign up?
We would ask if you could fill out the registration form, so we have an idea of how many people will be attending, and it ensures we have your contact details if necessary. However, you don’t need to sign up here and you’re free to turn up on the day if you decide to!
REGISTRATION IS NOW CLOSED: we cannot accept any new attendees as exam registration forms have now been submitted
Exactly what privileges does the licence give?
The Foundation licence allows access to bands from 138kHz up to 440MHz (70cms) and now allows you to communicate with amateur satellites (see AMSAT). On most bands, the maximum power allowed is 10W fed to the antenna. Once you have the Foundation licence, you can progress through to the Intermediate and Advanced licences, which give access to more bands and more power.
Still have questions?
Please contact Dominic Cleal at ee53dc@surrey.ac.uk if you still have any questions, or pop into one of our meetings (see the home page for details).
