In the UK, there are 3 licence levels: Foundation, Intermediate and Full

The current amateur radio licence says: “The Licensee shall ensure that: (a) the station is clearly identifiable at all times; (b) the Callsign is transmitted as frequently as is practicable during transmissions…”

Secret codes that hide the meaning of the Message are prohibited. The Ofcom licence allows “codes and abbreviations as long as they do not obscure or confuse the meaning of the Message.”

Sending messages in Morse code, discussing club meetings and replying to calls on HF are all fine.

“Announcing” (broadcasting) messages to lots of listeners is not allowed. The licence states “The Licensee shall not send Messages for general reception” – although there are some exceptions

For the Foundation exam, you are allowed to have a 4-page exam booklet with you. On page 2 of this booklet is the “Foundation Parameters table”, which shows which frequency range is allowed at Foundation.

Ofcom requires that radio transmitter users (broadcasters, mobile phone companies, radio amateurs), etc assess whether signals from their antennas exceed the agreed EMF (Electromagnetic Field) limits.

Free online tools and spreadsheets are available to allow you to enter details of your setup. You must make sure you don’t exceed those limits, and you must keep a copy of your assessment results to prove your compliance.

For Foundation, you’re required to know a couple of formulas, including the one for Power – This is:

Power (Watts) = Current x Voltage

A handy way of remembering and calculating this is using the triangle method. See: Ham Train Power Formula (YouTube Video) for help with this.

The VHF range is 30 to 300MHz.

An easy way to remember this is to think of broadcast radio. Radio stations on a VHF radio broadcast from 88 to 108MHz, so are in the 30-300MHz range.

A Digital-to-Analogue Convertor (DAC) is a device used to represent a digital signal in analogue format.

AM signals include two sidebands and the carrier. Single Sideband (SSB) uses only one sideband so takes up around half the bandwidth and there is less wasted power.

As part of your Foundation studies, you’ll encounter the Transmitters block diagram. The RF Power Amplifier amplifies the signal before it’s sent to the transmitting antenna

This question comes from the Receiver box diagram. The radio signal is received at the antenna, tuned and amplified, and then the carrier is removed to leave the audio. This is known as demodulation.

For unbalanced feeder (i.e. co-ax), you will need a BalUn to connect to a balanced antenna

There is a conversion chart in the exam booklet that you are allowed for your Foundation exam. 3dB doubles the power, so putting 5 watts into an antenna with a gain of 3dB makes the effective radiated power 10 watts.

The N-Type is commonly used for VHF/UHF. It has a screw-thread, and unlike the PL259 plug, doesn’t have an extended tip

The Ionosphere is made up of layers of gas that allow HF signals to be ‘bent’ back to Earth, enabling worldwide propagation.

Radio waves travel in straight lines, and unlike HF signals, don’t bounce around the world via the Ionosphere. Normally VHF and UHF signals travel just beyond the line-of-sight

Electromagnetic compatibility (EMC) is the avoidance of interference between various pieces of electronic equipment

The RF earth connection in an amateur station provides a path to ground to minimise RF currents entering the mains earth system and causing interference to other electronic equipment.

Keeping a log of when you are transmitting can be very helpful to confirm if any interference happens when you were actually transmitting.

If in doubt, check the frequency in the Band Plan (in the 4-page exam booklet).

You should use the FM Calling Frequency (145.500MHz) to establish contact, then move elsewhere to chat. This  leaves the Calling Frequency free for other users to call on.

Transmitting into a repeater will result in your signal being relayed over a wider area. Repeaters are primarily designed to allow mobile stations to make contact over a wider area.

A mains fuse is a safety device that “blows” if there is too much current. The wire in the fuse melts, breaking the circuit.

From the exam syllabus: “antenna erection is potentially hazardous and it is advisable to have someone to help you.”

Antennas put out RF energy. This can cause tissue in the body to heat up, causing a burn. These can be very unpleasant even at low power, and are very dangerous at higher power