Ham radio for beginner

[Henry]

Hello new to the forum.ime looking into doin my foundation licence but i dont no anything about gettin my ham licence or the foundation test that i will have to do.how easy is the test and how time consuming is abtaining my foundation like cence.all help much appreciated.

[ACL]

I see your located in Norfolk. If you do your foundation with NARC and study the material they give you it is quite easy to get the foundation. They really are great teachers there. You must purchase a copy of "Foundation License Now" asap. Read it cover to cover. If you've missed this October's intake there should be another one in April. The written test is multiple choice.

In terms of radio I wouldn't purchase anything until you are sure of the bands you'd like to operate on. My personal interest is 2m and 70cm FM mode and tropospheric enhancements. As a result I bought an Icom 2730e. It's priced around £260 and certainly meets my needs. VHF /UHF is a good way to go if you have limited room for aerials. Don't let anyone put you off, you can dx these bands.

BTW, obtaining your license isn't time consuming. At NARC it is usually two Saturdays.

[Henry]

Cheers for your reply.yes looking at 2m and 70cm.ive got a cheap baofeng uv5r that i brought as a scanner now have a uniden scanner and wanting to put the uv5r to good use.just purchased the foundation book so will have a good read when that comes.what would be involved in the 2 saturdays apart from a test at the end.

[ACL]

The first Saturday comprises of informal lectures covering everything in the book you've just ordered. Two weeks later you have some practical sessions involving transmitting and setting up stations. Its very relaxed and the teachers support you fully. In the afternoon there is some revision and then you sit the multiple choice test. You receive the results about 45 minutes later.

[Henry]

Thanks again for your help much appreciated.

[ACL]

Your welcome and good luck.

[Henry]

Just one more quick question.can you talk to people around the world on 2m 70cm?

[ACL]

On 2m and 70cm the furthest contacts using FM mode are usually France, Belgium, The Netherlands, Germany, Denmark, Norway and Sweden from my location in Norwich. These contacts require tropospheric enhancement of some kind including ducting. This takes place as a result of temperature inversions. High pressure is often a catalyst for this.

[Henry]

Ok cheers

[ACL]

http://www.dxinfocentre.com/propagation/tr-modes.htm