UK Amateur Radio Foundation Exam Experience

I recently took the UK Amateur Radio exam at Foundation level
These are my thoughts and experience which will hopefully encourage and help anyone thinking of finding out a bit more.
RSGB
rsgb.org/
Online Foundation Course
www.essexham.c...
WebEx
www.webex.com/...
TestReach
www.testreach....
Ofcom
www.ofcom.org....
Andy Outdoors
• Sausage and scouse net...

[@Mac-UK]

I just came across Essex Ham, great source of information. They have nicely put videos on Foundation license. I'll be taking exam within few weeks hopefully. Somehow at nearly 50 I discovered the world of ham radio and for now listening on rtl-sdr and I love it! :) Good luck tou, I already know 73, so till hearing maybe :)

[@bill-2018]

Welcome to the hobby. Come on you budding new amateurs, give it a go. I've been on radio since 1974 and took the old C&G Test with only written answers. I'm still doing radio 50 years later. G4GHB.

[@RichardEnglander]

6:45 hey mate, thanks for this because I'll do the online course you did, that solved a problem. FYI your laptop can run both Linux and Windows, dual boot, take your pick. It is a way to solve that problem on future.

[@weldingwales8225]

Think you very much for taking the time to put this video out. I've learnt more about my options in the last ten mins than I've been able to find elsewhere over months. I live out in the Scottish highlands and my end goal is to be able to operate a 2m repeater from the mountain behind my house. There are no repeaters anywhere even remotely close by. To be honest there's not much of anything close by. A repeater where im planning could service most of Sth and mid Skye and link Westeross and Kyle on the mainland. Good stuff. Thanks 👍

[@limestone_creeler1]

Just passed the foundation exam and live near Kyle. Will try a contact when I have a station set up.

[@DiyMech]

Excellent advice, especially on sorting out exam date, as Ive now booked my exam due to your advice, today is the 9th of the month my course finishes on the 22nd and I ve now booked exam for the 24th, thank you , Certa Cito old boy 👍

[@Mirrorstar]

That was great. I am just about to sign up for the free course. It has given me a good idea of what to expect. I did once start a correspondence course in 1998 but had to end it halfway through due to redundancy. My wife died recently. So I am getting back into my old hobby's to take my mind off things.

[@amazinplays7813]

Thank you very much for a great deal of valuable information and advice all greatly appreciated

[@noozybkk]

This is so good. I'm just getting into amateur radio and thinking about getting a license so I am trying to find as much UK content as possible...love the fact you struggled with windows :) I had the same issue when I did some online exams a few years ago. As a lifelong linux user, I had no access to a windows machine.

[@darrelwood294]

Ty for the help

[@MadDogSurvival]

Excellent! A great skill to learn especially in these times! Another hobby to pursue…. More time needed! 😳😳….. great to see you again mate 👍🏻👍🏻😎 very best wishes

[@GrasshopperOutdoors]

Me and the dog Vs Storm Babet, the storm won 🤪🤪Just building a couple Antennas to get on the air. Yes, too late to start learning a skill when you absolutely need it but I do have a little background experience 😆😆 Can't possibly fit everything in. Very best wishes to you and yours also

[@MadDogSurvival]

Lol…. Background! You could teach the teacher 👌🏽👍🏻😎….. take care in the fowl weather mate. Best wishes to you and yours 👍🏻👍🏻😎

[@billienomates1606]

Congrats on getting your licence mate.

[@jeffgrigg917]

Congrats on passing your foundation, I am alo walking your foot steps and studying with Essex Ham, thanks for the info on how the test go's hopfuly I will speak to you one day on air 73

[@ciaranmcmanus3840]

Can you study online with Essex ham using cellphone

[@GrasshopperOutdoors]

@@ciaranmcmanus3840 Well you certainly can't take the exam on a cell phone and I would suggest that although the internet is accessable via a cell phone you really need the screen area to view the content properly. So I would say, try and borrow a laptop running windows operating system (Or Mac is also supported). If you can't borrow one then maybe your local Amateur Radio Club or even the local Libry can help.

[@GrasshopperOutdoors]

That will be good, at present I am only on VHF and UHF but will be on HF in the near future, possibly with a Xieug G90 or Xieug X6100

[@stuartlockwood9645]

Hi Chris ☺ good to see you again mate, we were wondering where you were, sounds like you've found another hobby, to have radio comms at your fingertips sounds very handy, hopefully we'll see you again soon, stay safe mate, best wishe's to you and your's, Stuart UK.

[@GrasshopperOutdoors]

Not exactly new to radios as I used to be in the Royal Signals some lifetimes ago, also worked for a short time as radio operator on a North Sea Oil Rig so not exactly new to it but not operated for many years now, except using CB and PMR while camping and generally messing about. Best wishes.

[@smithers139]

Thanks 🙏 good heads up for the training 73

[@petercarter9034]

Thank you for posting

[@Yorkshireoutoorsandsurvival]

New subscriber here I,m just starting my foundation course.for the 4 th time in 2 years

[@GrasshopperOutdoors]

You can over study 🙂 Just sign up for the Essex ham course and book the exam before you finish as it takes about 10 days before you will get a slot. Do your studying and a few mock exams and if you keep passing a mock you will pass the actual exam. Steady away and don't worry about it. I am just making a couple of antennas at the moment and then I will be on the air VHF and UHF before I think about HF. All the best

[@richardbaker8928]

Take a look at the Xiegu G90, perfect for home and bushcraft/prepping use

[@adamap2796]

Well read 👍

[@Hiram8866]

Great to hear you are a Linux user. I wonder if Webex would run under Wiine. Otherwise I'd have installed Windows in a VM and run it that way.

[@GrasshopperOutdoors]

I suspect not but am not at all sure. I think the TestReach program makes sure you can not run other programs in the background (besides the Webex program) and potentially cheat, which is probably why they will not support linux, a far more capable operating system. Once you enter the TestReach program it essentailly locks your computer down until you come out of it which I think is quite reasonable to allow an online exam to take place with a high degree of fairness. Once you progress to the intermediate or full exam it is necessary to have two computers running so you can be observed to an even higher degree. I am no expert but I hope this helps.

[@javijee_]

Webex runs on Linux using java (or it used to do). The other software will need windows. I would not risk the exam using WINE. Running Windows on a VM should be fine.

[@jeffgrigg917]

One thing I would be intrested to know, how does the Essex Ham training compare to the exam, may be you could do a talk on that it may help Essex Ham

[@GrasshopperOutdoors]

Well for me it gave great structure to the learning process and made me think the exam was fairly easy, which means, the training was comprehensive and well laid out and above else always accessable so you could go over anything as many times as you like, and if necessary ask questions. You have to remember that of all the questions you could be asked you only get 26 multiple choice in the 60 minutes time limit, so there is a lot of learning for not so many questions.

[@ciaranmcmanus3840]

Ive read somewhere the test can be taken using a laptop if you download the App or specific software ,

[@nigeljackson2069]

Yep watch the video! I was very interested in this hobby and as an aerospace team leader thought I would be a good fit…..I failed only 2 points shy ..gutted, it’s not the technical questions that catch you out it’s the common sense ones and I obviously must not have any…well according to the RSGB exam…. Problem is this is really only about passing an exam and nothing to do with radio… I wonder how many people like me the RSGB loses every year that are potentially good fits to this hobby….but no worries….it did put me off ….feels like I am not good enough to be in the elite club… but that’s rubbish… I have an engineering degree…letters after my name but I am somehow inferior… lol… some marriages are not meant to be…did make me laugh listening to a guy on 2m band saying there was no one on lol …..I walked away , sold the radios and antenna…yes get as much support as you can before you end up losing a hobby ….

[@teslar1]

What studying did you do beforehand. I followed Essex ham and their content covers everything likely to be in the exam

[@richardjones7984]

If it's like a driving test, luck is a big factor. So just keep taking the test until you pass. With multiple choice they give trick questions and knowing the wanted answer comes from practice. I used to be a teacher and all the kids knew this.

[@kallsignT3rror666]

Why would anyone want to get a licence

[@clivewi9103]

Not a bad video, just one note, 1 Kilowatt is just a little bit more than the 4 watts you can use on the CB Band, if you have the advanced licence, but not mentioned in the video is having access to frequencies below 20 Meters allows world wide communication which is not the case on the CB bands on 11 Meters. Going to a club to take the exam appears to be a lot less fuss than doing it on line. Everything you learn in the foundationis the minimum you need to know to operating an amateur radio.

[@andyoutdoors4350]

Just emailed you brother

[@andyoutdoors4350]

Nice one brother, welcome to the community. Atb

[@GrasshopperOutdoors]

Many thanks, I have been meaning to do it for a while, you can even do the Intermediate and full online now. I might be ready for the Intermediate around January but we will see, plenty to experiment with before then. I need to put up a simple antenna for 2 meters yet and see what the repeater situation is from my location. Atb

[@womble321]

Do you need maths because i cannot do maths in my head.

[@CocolinoFan]

That's bs, I don't want to install Windows....

[@brian.7966]

nothing should be done online, cheating can be achieved.

[@Signedpeach]

73 pronounced seven three, not seventy threes

[@yrath5034]

shut up.

[@cooldad4]

Great video thanks, I just pass my foundation exam today; like you I learned with essexham , I was a bit disappointed with my score of 21! I knew my weak point and studied harder on them; not one of them was in any of the questions 🤔.

[@GrasshopperOutdoors]

I too was a bit dissapointed in the questions I was not asked, I guess all is not wasted though, as I start looking at the Intermediate, that looks hard 😑😑

[@peterarmitage5357]

If your going to make comments about amateur radio, get your facts first, many don't study radio frequency and principles, most of you can't even build any electronic circuits, why is that!!. Because you only study online exam pass papers, so your actual knowledge is zero, and the trend these days seems to be blocking the frequencies with stupid compitions, cq cq and radio report 5 and 9... 73s.. and thats it... absolutely pathetic, I enjoy listening to the real amateur radio enthusiasm of people who have experience and knowledge of there subject..

[@bill-2018]

I partly agree with you, but it's bringing new people in. Very few people build anything, not even simple stuff like SWR meters. I have great respect for those amateurs who built the G2DAF rx and tx. I did the old C&G exam in 1974 where answers had to be written, not answers given in multiple choice like now. Last year I found the paper I did by going online. How did I pass? I love building stuff since before being licenced making 3, 4 and 5 valve receivers and started aged 14 with a H.A.C. one valve kit that got me interested. My best project has been my 4 Watt ssb/cw tcvr now adding 60m so putting it into a larger cabinet and proper h.f. 6 Watt mosfet's for better efficiency at the higher frequencies. I'll run them at 5 Watts. Maybe try adding 70 MHz and possibly 144 MHz. 472 kHz and 136 kHz, who knows? But everything QRP. Lots of stuff made here, resistive type SWR meter, one valve xtal c.w. tx on 7.030 and 5.262 MHz and power supply, 1944 Wireless 19 Set got working, Racal RA17L to repair. I built a Pixie on 5.262 MHz, and a T.W. TopBander repaired. H.f. dipoles and inverted vee and 2 element collinear all h/b. Years ago I made a frequency counter from a kit using Ferranti i.c.'s. I did buy an FT817ND for portable as it's small to get on a motorbike. I remember showing a Pye Bantam which I had converted to 4m to amateurs in the pub and had to repair it first. One amateur who I know had passed the exam with distinction said he wouldn't know where to start. Who on paper would an electronics employer take on? Learning parrot fashion to memory doesn't mean people understand a subject. 73, Bill, G4GHB.

[@Sparky-ov1ot]

Snobbery is alive and well!