Amateur Licence Courses at Wrexham ARS
September 2006
FOUNDATION (M?3)
What you're allowed: 10w [10dBW] (at the Antenna) HF (Except 28MHz)-70cms - Power for 70cms is 10W at the back of the set - Power at 136 kHz is 1W (0dBW)
When do we run the courses: At the moment...All course are on hold until we find a suitable location within Wrexham - We're looking for something similar to what we had, only cheaper!
What does the course entail: The course consists of 3 parts. Firstly is the theory, this will take up the biggest part of the course, we cover Amateur Radio from the ground up in this part. Secondly is the Morse Assessment - this requires ABSOLUTELY NO KNOWLEDGE OF MORSE AT ALL!!!! - You have a crib sheet in front of you - it's all very simple! Finally you have the Practical - this is where you are taught how to set up and operate a station.
The course is designed to be done in about 10 hours, I am aware of other clubs running it over x number of nights, at x hours a night - The exam is 25 questions, over 45 minutes - get 18 or more right, and you have passed!
OK - I'm interested, what now: The nearest (and most popular) course is run in Frodsham at The Beacons - some members of Wrexham ARS help out at Frodsham, and we are happy to recommend the courses at Frodsham. For More Information Click Here
Course Material: Everything you need is in the RSGBs book 'Foundation Licence Now' (ISBN 1-872309-80-1) which can be picked up from the RSGB Bookshop (see link from www.rsgb.org.uk) the price is less than £5 - this pack contains the book, and important information. Whilst there are Internet course material, this will provide some help, but not as much as can be gained by going to a course. This book can also be obtained direct from most courses, including Frodsham.
Although it is not essential to have read up on the material beforehand - If you do happen to get your book before the course, please go over it at least once.
INTERMEDIATE (2?0)
What you're allowed: 50W (17dbW) from HF to 25GHz. Obviously restrictions apply at 136kHz, and 1.8MHz
Course Details: Due to the problems we have experienced in trying to find a suitable venue in Wrexham, we recommend attending courses at The Beacons.
Course Material: Again, the RSGB do a book called "Intermediate Licence - Building on the Foundation" (ISBN 1-872309-86-0) - this contains all the relevant information, and is available from the RSGB or via the course In Frodsham.
ADVANCED (M?0)
What you're allowed: 400W from HF up to about 25GHz.
Course Details: Due to the problems we have experienced in trying to find a suitable venue in Wrexham, we recommend attending courses at The Beacons.
Course Material: The RSGB Book "Advance - The Full Licence Book" (ISBN: 1-872309-95-X) is available from the RSGB shop - Priced £11.99 contains all the information necessary.
Highly recommended is Murray Ward's Page which includes a program written by Murray that tests you on the RAE Questions - Its fully configurable, its very intelligent (It remembers which questions you got wrong then asks you again later) - and I used it, and its great...(I'm not affiliated with Murray either..)
INTERNET BASED COURSE MATERIAL
There has recently been an influx of Foundation and Full related online study courses - the current "market leaders" are:
and
These will obviously updated to accommodate the newer syllabi for all courses, as and when the relevant details become available - keep checking back for updates!
Addendum: A few things which should be pointed out:
1) - You cannot go through the levels as you would like. You now must go Foundation -> Intermediate -> Advanced.
2) - Whilst Morse is not required for access to HF, you must be aware that some countries still require it for access to HF. If you plan to operate from abroad - Check with the relevant authorities first. Morse testing is still available, ask at your local club (Wrexham are looking at offering Morse testing) The RSGB maintain a list of clubs doing testing.
3) - Foundation Licencees cannot operate outside of the UK, or in tidal waters.