Amateur radio, sometimes known as ‘ham radio’ is a very old hobby that has been in existence for over a century. The fundamental core of the hobby is to achieve communication using electromagnetic (radio) waves.
Today the hobby has many facets, with enthusiasts enjoying many different modes of communication such as the original CW mode (continuous wave e.g. Morse Code), voice communication, slow scan and high resolution TV, plus digital communication using a computer to extract information from incredibly weak signals.
The digital communication modes have the great advantage that they open up the hobby to those who might be hearing impaired.
Radio signals are sometimes reflected by natural phenomena such as meteors, and for the extreme distance enthusiast with the right equipment, it is even possible to use the moon as a reflector for your radio signals !
Over the years, groups of amateurs have even designed and built satellites and had them launched as piggy-back payloads to other commercial satellite launches. Those satellites provide yet another way that amateurs can communicate with each other.
So why not give the hobby a try. The sky is literally the limit.
Getting started
The radio spectrum is vast, covering from about 135kHz all the way to 250GHz. At various points within the spectrum small pieces are made available for radio amateur use, and these pieces are called ‘bands’.
Using frequencies at the very low and very high end of the spectrum needs great experience, so the majority of amateur radio activity takes place on the more accessible frequencies between 1.8MHz and 440MHz.
To find out more about all the frequency bands available to UK radio amateurs, you are recommended to visit the band plans section of the RSGB web site.
To transmit on the amateur radio bands, you need to have a licence. However, anyone can be a ‘SWL’ or Short Wave Listener for which no license is needed. That is a good way to become familiar with the various communications modes in use, and very little equipment is needed.
A very low cost way of getting started is to use a RTL-SDR (Software Defined Radio) dongle such as the one shown here. With suitable antenna, and when connected to a laptop or desktop PC, it is possible to explore many of the amateur bands between about 24MHz and 1.75GHz. To access amateur bands below 24MHz, upconverters are available.
With a software defined radio, information across a wide part of a radio band is converted into digitial data for processing in your computer. It is also possible to share this raw radio data across the internet for others to access, and many amateurs are actively doing this. The RSGB have this page listing currently active WebSDR receivers available for anyone to connect to.
If you have a suitable computer, you can start listening for free !
Getting Licenced
To transmit on the amateur radio bands you need to be in possesion of a licence. These are issued by Ofcom, but to obtain one you first need to study and pass one or more exams. Amateur radio has three levels of licencing, “Foundation, Intermediate and Full”, with each level having its own study topics, exam and operational limits.
Most people enter the hobby by passing the Foundation level exam. With this licence, you can operate on most of the amateur bands using a maximum power of 25W (with lower limits imposed on some bands or situations). With a suitable antenna and good signal propagation conditions, this is more than enough power to communicate worldwide.
The course of study for the Foundation licence is not too technical and many people pass it on the first try. There are 26 ‘multi-choice’ questions, and to pass, you must have at least 19 correct. You can study for the exam by yourself at home, and maybe support your study by using some of the free online training courses available on the internet. Mock exam papers are available so that you can test your knowledge to see what mark you achieve before applying to take the real exam.
The exam is normally taken at home, and to do this you will need a computer with a camera, and an internet connection. The camera is needed so that an RSGB volunteer invigilator can watch you to ensure that you are abiding by the exam rules !. The actual multi-choice exam takes place on the ‘Testreach’ online exam website.
The “Foundation Licence Manual” published by the RSGB is the primary study document for the Foundation level exam. If you study, understand and remember its contents (or most of it), then you should pass the exam with little difficulty.
The “Exam Secrets” book contains additional background information for all three licence level exams, and has a large number of test questions and additional mock exams to hone your knowledge before taking the exam. It is well worth the extra investment, especially if your goal is to go beyond the Foundation level.
Going beyond the Foundation licence
The Intermediate and Full licence levels each give you more capability in the hobby. However, you cannot take the ‘Intermediate’ exam without having first passed the ‘Foundation’ exam, and you cannot take the ‘Full’ exam without first passing the Intermediate exam, with one exception: if you have sufficient technical background, there is a “Direct to Full” exam available.
Online Resources
- RSGB information on all licence exam levels
- Syllabus and pass marks for the various exam levels
- RSGB training videos (YouTube)
- Essex Ham free Foundation Online Amateur Radio Training Course
- Cornish Radio Amateur Club training videos (YouTube)
Disclaimer: The licence exam syllabus changed during 2024. Training material available from the RSGB will conform to the new syllabus. Other online training resources may not have been updated.