First Step Into Amateur Radio#

Today I ticked off the first step into the world of Amateur Radio by sitting the Foundation licence exam from home. I’m now waiting for the result to be uploaded to Ofcom so I can apply for my first callsign.

The process was straightforward. I chose to take the test online, with a member of the Radio Society of Great Britain (RSGB) acting as the invigilator. The exam consists of 26 multiple-choice questions covering the basics of the hobby. Most of it was manageable after working through online study material from Essex Ham and their associated Ham Train course, both of which proved to be excellent revision resources.

Although I do have a background in electronic engineering, the course does a solid job of covering everything required. Someone coming from a completely different background should be able to pass without much difficulty, provided they work through the material. The standard course is paced over three weeks in modules, but there is also an accelerated option if you prefer to move faster.

It probably helped that I still remember some of the things my dad showed me when I was younger, watching him experiment with radio. It definitely brought back some good memories.

The exam format itself is simple: 26 questions with a 60-minute time limit, which turned out to be more than enough time.

For now, it’s just a case of waiting for the callsign to come through. Once that’s sorted, I’ll likely start looking at the next level when I have a bit more time available. I also need to find out if I have a local amateur radio club nearby.

I run Protoworks (NI) in Northern Ireland, helping small businesses design prototypes and build custom software. If you have a hardware or software idea you’d like to sketch out, feel free to get in touch.