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Training
Foundation Licence
Your Entry Into Amateur Radio The hobby of Amateur Radio has a long and proud tradition. The very first radio amateurs were true pioneers of radio technology. Amateurs 'invented' and refined much of the early radio technology and were the first to transmit music, radio plays, and information to the handful of people who had the new fangled radio receivers.
After World War II the hobby of amateur radio flourished. Radio clubs sprang up in schools all over the world and kids went home each night to build some new contraption, or have a chat with someone over the wireless. These young people became the mainstay of the technical professions and developed much of the modern technology we use today.
Sir Henry Jackson - Radio Pioneer
Things You Will Need To Know The emphasis is on candidates having the knowledge of skills to demonstrate a practical ability to put together an amateur radio station from commercial equipment and operate it without causing interference to other users and have the knowledge to be a competent radio operator.
You will also need to be aware of how amateur radio relates to other users of the radio spectrum, your licence conditions, technical basics of electricity and electronics, transmitters, receivers, feedlines and antennas, propagation, electromagnetic compatibility (EMC), and electromagnetic radiation (EMR).
Radio Bands You Can Use
The foundation licence operator can operate in the bands listed below using the modes listed in the right hand column. The foundation licence operator can only use commercially manufactured equipment.
Radio band Frequency
Permitted Emission Modes 80 Metres 3.500 MHz - 3.700 MHz Amplitude Modulation (AM) voice
Single Side Band (SSB) voice
Hand Keyed Morse Code
40 Metres 7.0 00 MHz - 7.300 MHz 15 Metres 21.000 MHz - 21.450 MHz 10 Metres 28.000 MHz - 29.700 MHz Amplitude Modulation (AM) voice
Single Side Band (SSB) voice
Hand Keyed Morse Code
Frequency Modulation (FM) voice2 Metres 144 MHz - 148 MHz 70 Centimetres 430 MHz - 450 MHz Distances You Can Work
Radio band Distance & Coverage
3.5MHz (80 metres) Up to 150KM during the day and up to 3000KM at night. 7MHz (40 metres) Up to 1000KM during the day and during good conditions world wide at night. 21 MHz (15 metres) World wide mostly during the day. 28 MHz (10 metres) World wide during periods of high sunspot activity and up to 3000km in summer. 144MHz (2 metres) Local coverage and world wide via "IRLP" and EchoLink. 432MHz (70cm) Local coverage and world wide via "IRLP" and EchoLink. The Foundation Manual
The WIA has produced a book called the Foundation Licence Manual. It is a full color manual consisting of 95 pages of relevant information for those studying, or those who would just like a reference book for Foundation Licence Operators. The manual contains the all relevant information you will need to know to successfully complete a training course to obtain a foundation licence. It also contains a wealth of information a Foundation Licence operator will need. Items like Band Plans, Electrical Safety information, operating procedures such as the Q code, how to contact you local radio club, the WIA and much more.
The manual contains the all relevant information you will need to know to successfully complete a training course to obtain a foundation licence. It also contains a wealth of information a Foundation Licence operator will need. Items like Band Plans, Electrical Safety information, operating procedures such as the Q code, how to contact you local radio club, the WIA and much more.
Budding candidates can obtain the Foundation Licence Handbook from several sources. It can be purchased via the WIA website, from the WIA office in Melbourne, via many radio clubs throughout Australia, from most amateur radio equipment suppliers and ultimately newsagents. The WIA member price for the Foundation Manual is $17.50 including postage, the non member price is $19.50 including postage.
Practical Assessment
The new licence structure introduces a practical assessment that is common to the three grades of licence. This means that once you have been declared competent by an assessor for the practical assessment as part of the qualification in receiving an amateur licence, that competency is transferable should you upgrade your licence. An exemption is provided for Novice and Novice-Limited licensees who exist prior to the implementation date of the new structure.
Training And Assessment
AREG is one of more than 60 radio clubs nationally that run training courses for foundation Licence training. The clubs are the ideal place to learn all about amateur radio. You can meet other hams, attend interesting lectures, and find out lots of information. If you decide to take up amateur radio as a hobby you will soon learn there are hundreds of different facets to the hobby. The standard time for training is around 12 hours. Some clubs will conduct training over several nights and some over a weekend.
AREG examiners usually run the practical and 25 question multiple choice written assessment takes around 1 to 2 hours depending on the number of people attending the assessment.
A full list of all the radio clubs and their contact details can be found on the WIA webpage http://www.wia.org.au , click on the clubs tab on the top right hand side. Those clubs that are offering training and assessment are listed on this website.
Further Information
The Internet is a great source of information on amateur radio, the WIA website has a lot of information including links to club websites and a link to the WIA broadcast pages. You can down load last weeks or up to two year of broadcast and listen to the on MP3 files. The WIA website is http://www.wia.org.au Other sites are the American Radio Relay League at http://www.arrl.org the Radio Society of Great Britain at http://www.rsgb.org.uk Radio Amateurs of Canada at http://www.rac.ca If you search the web you will find thousands of site world wide that have been set up by radio clubs and individual amateurs, after all there are around three million of us.
Foundation Licence Training Handouts Foundation Licence Training Slides Who To Contact
Never to young to start.
AREG has three examiners and we run courses when our members time permits.
If you are interested in this, please register you interest by sending an email to Chris VK5JJJ at "foundation_info@areg.org.au" and Chris will let you know the details as they are worked out.
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Page updated on 9 May 2008 |  |