About Amateur Radio

• have fun.
• potentially save lives. When disasters happen, the first news is often sent by Radio Amateurs. In addition, the emergency services often call on the support of Radio Amateurs to help - although there is no compulsion to help if you don't want to.
• operate on over twenty different frequency bands that range in frequency from longer than long wave to microwave. (CB is limited to a single band).
• contact others from around the corner to the far side of the world and even beyond. (So far, most astronauts have also been Radio Amateurs and a number have contacted other amateurs from space).
• speak to others, send and receive computer generated messages and pictures at any practicable speed, or even send television signals. (CB is limited to speech and data at 1200bps).
• operate at power levels of up to 400 watts. (CB is limited to 4 watts).
• use highly efficient aerials to boost performance still further. (Such aerials are not allowed with CB).
• use repeaters and nodes to link more reliably over longer distances and even over the Internet. (Not allowed on CB).
• design, build and modify your own equipment - if you want to. (CB is limited to unmodified approved equipment only).

Amateur Radio Licences

Radio Amateurs need to pass examinations and attend courses before they are allowed on the air.

There are three levels of Amateur Radio licence. These are:

• Foundation Licence. This allows holders to use 10 watts of power on a limited range of frequencies in the short wave, VHF and UHF bands.
• Intermediate Licence. This allows holders to use 50 watts of power and to use a wider range of frequencies.
• Full Licence. This allows holders to use the full 400 watts of power on all available frequencies. It also allows the licence holder to supervise others and to operate from other countries.

Obtaining a Licence

Each licence requires applicants to pass an examination. The foundation and intermediate licences also require applicants to take proper courses. I didn't want to use the term 'formal' courses as these courses are anything but formal. Indeed, they are mainly practical with a bit of theory to try and stop you injuring yourself (or harming anyone else). But, in order to obtain a full licence, you need to attend two courses and take three examinations. However, lots of people find that they can do what they want to do with just a foundation (or intermediate) licence. If you do want to progress then you can do it at your own pace. There is no pressure to take the next level. On the other hand, you could take the intermediate course immediately after taking the foundation course and take the exams on the same day if you wanted to (and assuming that the exams are available on the same day) as long as you take the courses and exams in the correct order. We can even arrange shortened courses if you need them, for example, because you learnt electronics at university.

I'm afraid that there are some costs associated with the courses and exams. The exams, which are run on behalf of Ofcom, cost £20 - £30 each and we have to cover the costs of books and equipment.

So is Amateur Radio Dangerous?

It can be, but so is crossing the road. However, it's no more dangerous than you want it to be. If you use ready built equipment at low power levels then it can be very safe. On the other hand, if you want to build your own high power transmitter then you have to know what you are doing. Soldering irons are hot and transmitter voltages are high. But that's what the courses are all about.

The Foundation Course The first step in becoming a licenced Radio Amateur is to take the Foundation Course. This course concentrates on operating a radio station. As a student, you will have a conversation (QSO) on the 2m band using FM and on HF using SSB. You will also tune an aerial and learn the basics of the morse code.