Foundation Licence Course

The first step in amateur radio in order to use a transmitter is to obtain a licence, and to achieve this you will need to pass the Foundation exam.  We at Cray Valley RS are fully committed to helping you get on the air easily and quickly and we run a Foundation course over two Saturdays that will enable you to train and take the foundation exam. The next Foundation course will be held on 5th and 12th April 2025. Other clubs in the area may conduct a course before that time, please get in touch using the contact form.

Cray Valley RS has fully qualified instructors with many years of valuable amateur radio experience, and every candidate has an allocated personal mentor to help them every step of the way.  The course comprises presentations on essential theory of radio and electronics along with some useful practicals.

The exam consists of answering just twenty-six questions in sixty minutes, and if you achieve nineteen correct answers you will have passed.  About a week later you will receive the official results from RSGB and will then be able to apply to Ofcom for your licence and your unique foundation callsign which you will use on the air when you are transmitting.

Once you have your licence you can then set up and use your own station to talk to other amateurs all over the world using many of the amateur bands and with ten watts of power.  After passing the exam for the foundation licence, candidates will have one-year half price membership of the Cray Valley RS.

We have had great success with candidates at Cray Valley RS and if you are prepared to do the work required then it is highly likely that you will be successful. We have all facilities available at our meeting place to conduct the course instruction and exam in a friendly and informal environment and we particularly welcome candidates who are disabled.

You will need to obtain the Radio Society of Great Britain (RSGB) book “Foundation Licence Manual” by ordering on-line from the RSGB shop.  

We also highly recommend the “Exam Secrets” book also by RSGB which is useful at all three licence levels.

We offer a Foundation course every year.

The fee for the Foundation Licence course includes the RSGB exam registration and refreshments.

Price (including RSGB exam fee) :

• £65.00