Welcome to Northampton Radio Club Training
Northampton Radio club meet every Thursday (except 3rd Thursday in month, then we normally do Zoom) from 20:00 until about 23:00 at
The Grangewood Club,
50 Barn Owl Close,
Northampton
NN4 OUA
What can I learn and how can I use this?
There are many facets to Amateur radio:
HF transmission
VHF transmission
UHF transmission
Digital radio transmission
RTTY – teletype transmission
Digital radio programming
TV Image scanning
Morse code transmission
Radio Construction
How far can I transmit? Well, how long is a piece of string? How does, to the International space station or New Zealand, or bouncing transmissions off the moon or aircraft flying overhead sound to you? All things are possible. Of course you cannot do it all at once but we can teach you.
There are NO limitations on age, we have trained from 8 years old to 99 years old. In fact, the youngest licencee is 8 years old in the UK so if you have beaver scouts, cubs, scouts etc. get them to join too.
Before this gets too long and boring, please feel free to join our club and get learning
The Radio club program has been designed to take into account all ages and recognises individuals own Technical skills and limitations.
Training will be a combination of taught sessions, self learning and study and practical exercises as required to complement your own study.
Study will be at your own pace without any expectation to meet a particular exam target date. When you are ready to sit your exam, your mentor will advise you that you are ready.
We allocate each prospective candidate a Full licence Radio Amateur who has volunteered to help you on your journey. Please be and exercise, patience and understanding that they are all volunteers with jobs families and their own social commitments. If you have areas that you need a little more explanation for., please contact your mentor or any other club member for assistance
We have, so far, a 99% pass rate with our training
There are practical exercises and video’s to enhance your understanding and knowledge. They used to be an assessed part of the course and form part of your eligibility to take your exam therefore; they must be completed no matter a candidate’s personal knowledge and ability. Since the current COVID 19 pandemic, Radio Clubs and societies have been banned from face to face contact so have had to find alternatives to assist you there is an excellent video of the basic essential practical knowledge at the RSGB website link below
https://rsgb.org/main/clubs-training/for-students/foundation/foundation-practicals-video-guides/
I.e. Even though you may be a certified electrician, you must still demonstrate to a full licensed amateur how to correctly wire a 3 pin plug. A little daft, we know, however this is a requirement and we will ensure all training is done ‘By the Book’.
Amateur radio is a hobby and as such, you will not be taught everything in a classroom, face to face with a tutor.
You have your Foundation or Intermediate Workbooks and are expected to do your own research as well as understanding what you have read.
I always recommend that every student buys their relevant study book from a reliable source providing the most up to date version.
I have known students purchasing study books from certain online sources ‘on the cheap’ only to find they have not bought the latest updated copy.
One source of study material is the RSGB website where you are always guaranteed to have the latest edition s of all study materials.
We have a group of volunteers (Mentors) who have agreed to provide you with support as you travel through your journey.
Their support is greatly appreciated. As mentors, if there is something you do not understand as you complete your studies, they will be available to provide explanations to your questions or alternatively to put you in touch with another mentor who may be able to clarify your query in a better manner. They may also have time to assist you with completing practical exercises at a time away from Thursday Radio Club meetings at a mutually agreed meeting place when they have time.
Each student has been allocated a personal mentor to provide support. Their support will not be limited to the successful completion of your particular training course but will also provide you with support after your successful course.
Should you have any training questions, please feel free to email training@northamptonradioclub.co.uk
And one of our trainers will get back to you to help you out
Once you have your Foundation Licence, you will be able to join in with radio net chats amongst friends who do not judge you if you make a mess of contact on the air. We have all been newbies at some time.
A group of county amateurs meet up on air using various mediums on a daily basis to chat about anything from radio topics to the latest exploits of Elon Musk’s Spacex program. I shall list the medium’s and times / dates below:
10:am to 10:30 using DMR or Peanut android application for licenced amateurs ONLY
10:30 to 11:00 am GB3NH – licenced amateurs ONLY
18:00pm to 18:30 VHF 145.3625 – licenced amateurs ONLY
Saturday and Sunday 10:am to 10:30 – DMR – licenced amateurs ONLY
10:30 to 11:00 am GB3NH – licenced amateurs ONLY
In the past, throughout the hobby, we have found that certain Amateurs will not talk on the air to Amateurs with a lower class licence so, when you have passed your exam and are qualified, you will still have a mentor or friend that will always find time to have a chat with you and help you through the hobby
Remember that during your training,
THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS A STUPID QUESTION
But
THERE IS SUCH A THING AS A STUPID PERSON NOT SEEKING THE ANSWER
In other words, never be afraid to ask anyone for an explanation no matter how simple the problem.
Please be aware that your allocated mentor has volunteered his / her services and that mentors do have their own lives to live. You might have to be patient and wait for them to have the time to answer your queries or provide help.
During your studies, Bob Hambly has a number of Computer based real time exams on file to really put you under timed pressure so you may experience exactly what to expect to see in your actual examination. Practice exams will be scheduled at the appropriate time during your training.
Students should be aware that since October 2019, we have had a complete new syllabus for all three levels of licencing produced by the RSGB in conjunction with Ofcom who are the licencing body.
The new training manuals place much emphasis on learning and researching topics outside the training manual therefore, there is information you should research too on your own.
In the past, it could be said that ‘if you had a photographic memory you would pass the exam’. Not any more.
Training will be based on understanding the concepts rather than reading the book. Be prepared to do research yourself to properly understand the concepts.
Amateur Radio is a hobby that should be studied and not solely learned by rote from the training manual.
The Foundation course is still the starting point for all however, the new program introduces some electronic theory and a small amount of mathematics therefore, if you feel this may be an issue, and only you can know this, please feel free to ask anyone at the club or drop us an email with any queries or concerns. We want you to be successful in your studies but more importantly, we want everyone to become good operators within the hobby
In the examination itself there is a high emphasis on:
Amateur Radio, licences and Callsigns – 6 questions
Technical aspects – 3
Transmitters and Receivers – 3
Feeders and Antennas – 3
Propagation- 2
EMC – look it up – 3
Operating – 3
Safety – 3
In the exam, be aware that the question setters are looking for comprehension of the subject matter so questions might be turned on their heads to say ‘which of these answers are NOT correct. Usually questions are set with
one correct answer
One almost correct answer
One ‘red herring’ question that could guide you off track
One question that could be seen as rubbish
You can now understand the need to truly understand concepts and interpretation.
You need to know your subject.
If you scale the 3 courses from 1 to 10, then the
Foundation course would be 1
Intermediate course 4
Advanced course 10
If the thought of training scares you then be aware that the Foundation Licence course has been likened to teaching someone that a motor car has 4 wheels and you put petrol in it to make it go. Nothing more difficult than that.
The Intermediate course concentrates more on the construction and practical side of the hobby together with some basic electronics and Mathematics. Note, if you have difficulty with mathematics you probably will need some teaching sessions purely on the mathematics side.
The Advanced course by the very words concentrates on pure electronic theory and law and you are expected to do your own research from other sources to search for answers.
Useful sources of information can be found at:
http://www.hamtests.co.uk
rsgb.org
http://qadv.uk/QCSSpracpprs.htm
www.rsgborg/main/clubs-training/training-resources/advanced-mock-exams/
http://rsgb.org/main/clubs-training/for-students/advanced/advanced-resources/
http://www.brats-qth.org/training/indexx.htm
http://g0mwt.org.uk/training/
http://www.g0mwt.org.uk/training/courses/
http://www.hamtests.co.uk/
www. https://www.essexham.co.uk/
Training and Assessment Guide v.1.1 | May 2016 8
Examinations summary
Examination details are as follows:
Foundation Licence Examination
Examinations must be held at an RSGB Registered Exam Centre, unless there are special needs (see above)
At least 10 working days’ notice required
Cost -£27.50
26-question multiple-choice paper
Marked locally for indicative results, and verified using optical marking at RSGB Headquarters
Pass mark: 19/26
Time -55 minutes
Intermediate Licence Examination
Examinations mustbe held at an RSGB Registered Exam Centre, unless there are special needs (see above)
At least 10 working days’ notice required
Cost -£32.50
45-question multiple-choice paper
Marked locally for indicative results, and verified using optical marking at RSGB Headquarters
Pass mark: 27/45
Time -1hr and 25 minutes
Advanced Licence Examination
Examinations must be held at a RSGB Registered Exam Centre, unless there are special needs (see above)
At leastone month’s notice required
Cost -£37.50
62-question multiple-choice paper
No local marking for indicative results. Papers are marked and verified using optical marking at RSGB Headquarters.
Pass mark: 37/62
Time –2hours
Northampton Radio Club fees
Northampton Radio club have to levy charges for external exam candidates currently set at £15 per exam sitting. Candidates do sometimes join our Radio club at a current membership fee of £25. The Club committee has recently agreed a flat rate examination entrance fee to cover room hire of £ 5 to all club members.
RSGB examination fees, over which we have no control, are:
Foundation exam – £27.50
Intermediate exam – £32.50
Full licence exam – £37.50
Amateur Radio is of course a hobby and a lifelong learning experience.
I wish you every success in your endeavors
Training team contact details are as follows:
Bob Hambly – M0HAF –
RSGB District 134 representative
07447945601
01933412921
Email rh.m0haf@gmail.com
Chris Denham G7 SYT
Chrisg7syt@hotmail.com
All trainers can be contacted via email at:
training@northamptonradioclub.co.uk this is a collective email address viewed by All trainers
Bob Hambly
M0HAF
Trainer
Northampton Radio Club