Welcome to Northampton Radio Club Training
Northampton Radio Club offers support to anyone wanting to study for the Foundation Licence examination or the examinations to upgrade to a higher class of licence. It is also now possible to take an extended examination to obtain the Full Licence directly.
We do occasionally run formal training courses if there are several students wanting the same level of support, in general we support students on a one-to-one basis with a mentor from the Training Team.
We can offer a conventional paper examination at our registered examination venue but most people take the online examination. We can advise on the requirements for this and arrange a suitable venue and equipment if required.
We can offer an online mock examination to test your knowledge before booking an examination.
We can also offer support to anyone wanting to learn Morse Code. This may seem to be an outdated mode, but it is still used extensively by radio amateurs and has the advantage of requiring only very simple equipment and low power to make contact with someone thousands of miles away.
Contact the Training Team by sending an email to:
training@northamptonradioclub.co.uk
Alternatively prospective students are very welcome to attend one of the club’s regular Thursday meetings and speak directly to someone on the Training Team. The club meets most Thursdays from 20.00 to 22.30 at:
The Grangewood Club,
50 Barn Owl Close,
Northampton
NN4 0UA
There is no meeting on the third Thursday in each month, see the club’s ‘events’ page on the website for confirmation of the programme for each week.
What will it cost?
The club doesn’t charge for training support but we would encourage every student to join the club for the duration of their training and benefit from the knowledge and experience of other members. Hopefully students will remain a member after obtaining their licence and join in with club activities.
Students should purchase the training manual for each class of licence they are studying for, we strongly advise obtaining this from the RSGB online shop. The syllabus is regularly revised and the RSGB online shop is the only way to ensure you get the up-to-date version. Outdated versions have been found available from other outlets.
Current prices for the manuals are:
Foundation – £7.99 (non-RSGB member price)
Intermediate – £10.99 (non-RSGB member price)
Full – £15.99 (non-RSGB member price)
Direct to Full bundle – £29.99 (all three manuals)
The online examinations are booked through the RSGB by the candidate, current fees are:
Foundation – £35.50
Intermediate – £39.00
Full – £45.00
Direct to Full – £95.00
Examinations are multiple choice, requiring candidates to choose the correct answer from a list of four. If candidates have special needs of any kind, we can offer the requisite support during the examination, for example a reader if the candidate has difficulty reading. This service is subject to approval by the RSGB. The pass mark in the exams is usually 60%. There is much more information and answers to FAQs available from the RSGB website, see:
There are NO limitations on age, successful candidates have been from 8 years old to 99 years old.
There are no longer any practical tests required to obtain a licence, only the theory papers. However, amateur radio is a practical hobby and most people construct something to improve or assist in communication with others. This could be just a simple bit of kit right the way up to a complex transceiver. Again, club membership will put you in touch with many and varied skills that can assist with making that useful bit of kit and getting the satisfaction from using something you have built yourself!
We look forward to meeting any prospective students, assisting them in gaining a licence and enjoying the exciting hobby of amateur radio.
Northampton Radio Club Training Team