My view of the"Foundation Course" 

by Josh Murray (nowM3JMO).

Being one of the first people to sit the new Foundation Course and Assessment atStockport Radio Society, I didn't really know what to expect before I started.

The pace and content of the course is great for beginners, and goes through everything needed to pass the assessment at the end and become a responsible amateur. There arepractical's which get the whole group involved which include setting up a station, making"CQ" calls on both 2m and 80m bands, logging contacts and moving around the bands.There is a Morse Assessment half-way through Day 1 which really isn't anywhere near as difficult as I'd imagined it to be! It has even made me want to learn Morse (something I thought I'd never be interested in!). 

The course takes you through electronics basics like Ohm's Law and the relationships between Watts, Amps and Volts, the need for correctearthing (both Radio and Safety) and has a heavy emphasis on EMC (interference) and how to avoid it. It also details the Licence and Band Plans, so newamateur's know right from wrong. The basics of antenna design and SWR are covered, and there is a very good practical showing the relationship between the length of a dipole and SWR in a very easy to understand way.

The tutors were great and made everyone feel comfortable with technical terms and ideas and had answers to any questions raised. The proof of the pudding was the fact that at the end of the two-day course, everyone passed the assessment! 

A very enjoyable weekend and a Licence at the end of it! 10/10!!

Here, Josh is pictures with his fellow candidates,Pauline, Christine & Christopher, along with instructors David &Bernard.

Returnto SRS Foundation Course page.