I agree Hamradioop. The foundation is very simple and if you can't get to a club to do the practical stuff it might be possible to do it on the same day as the exam, if you make the arrangements with the exam centre beforehand.
I've been studying for the intermediate and the advanced exams side by side. I take the Intermediate next week and hope to take the advanced in January. To be honest the step up from Foundation to Intermediate is not difficult, it just goes in to a bit more detail and there are a few more practicals, but nothing too difficult. The step from Intermediate to advanced is a much larger step up and goes in to a lot more detail but there are no practicals. In my opinion they should move some of the stuff from the advanced into the intermediate, to level out the steps between the 3 levels.
Fingers crossed for next week and January
Cheers
G5
Area 8 The duty of a true patriot is to protect his country from it's government ~ Thomas Paine
Took my exam tonight marked by examiners but will be sent to ofcom to make official but a pass can't wait to get my call sign and open up a new intreast
Congrats Rearfang, hope you get as much fun out of the hobby as I have over the years.
“A nation of sheep will beget a government of wolves.” ― Edward R. Murrow
"Remember Politicians are like babies diapers they both need changing often for the very same reason" - Mark Twain
If voting changed anything, they'd make it illegal.
Hamradioop wrote:Congrats Rearfang, hope you get as much fun out of the hobby as I have over the years.
Once you have a licence, what do you do with it? I mean, do you listen in, or chat? Do you have to have a good line in patter to participate ? I think I'd only be interested in becoming competent (a skill in the event of SHTF). In that case, would it be possible to learn the ropes and have access to a bit of equipment without actually using it unless that day dawns? In which case, I don't think anyone will bother with licenses. I'm just thinking that it's not possible to learn everything AND keep it as an ongoing interest/hobby, much as we would like, but I bet there are lots of people like me who would like to spend a short time learning how to operate the equipment, but wouldn't normally join a club. Any chance of someone like yourself showing a bunch of Preppers the ropes? You never know, you might find some take it a bit further and take the exams, etc, but for the majority of us there are only so many hours in the day .
You don't need to be member of a club though one that I got free training from do insist you join theirs witch is only £15 a year
But you do need to sit the exam to be able to use the equipment leagaly well worth doing
With so many of us on here going ham route all these old hams are going to wonder why there's so much talk of pot belly stoves and bugging out
Total cost of course
Joined club £15
Exam fee £27.50
No renewal fees for life
FEISTY wrote:
Once you have a licence, what do you do with it? I mean, do you listen in, or chat? Do you have to have a good line in patter to participate ? I think I'd only be interested in becoming competent (a skill in the event of SHTF). In that case, would it be possible to learn the ropes and have access to a bit of equipment without actually using it unless that day dawns? In which case, I don't think anyone will bother with licenses. I'm just thinking that it's not possible to learn everything AND keep it as an ongoing interest/hobby, much as we would like, but I bet there are lots of people like me who would like to spend a short time learning how to operate the equipment, but wouldn't normally join a club. Any chance of someone like yourself showing a bunch of Preppers the ropes? You never know, you might find some take it a bit further and take the exams, etc, but for the majority of us there are only so many hours in the day .
Feisty, once you take the licence it is up to you. I am not as active as I was once with the radio, but I still use it from time to time. I would say the main thing is to learn about aerials that you will need, Power sources for the radio and How radio waves can work, propagation.
“A nation of sheep will beget a government of wolves.” ― Edward R. Murrow
"Remember Politicians are like babies diapers they both need changing often for the very same reason" - Mark Twain
If voting changed anything, they'd make it illegal.
Going back to the original question, is there a way to do the exam without joining a club?, from what I've read it's pretty easy yet the timescale the clubs give seems ridiculous, Iv'e done a couple hours reading and now pass all the mock exams I can find, the practical looks straightforward also.
So is there anywhere I can just turn up and take the exams?, I would rather travel 100 miles once than 20 miles every wenesday for 6 months, which seems to be the timescale the clubs are working on
I only want a handheld for emergency use and am very antisocial when it comes to groups and cliques.
I'd like to know this too. I've been into electronics/communications as a job and hobby for 35 years and passed the mock exams with relative ease; a bit of reading and I've no doubt I could pass.
I don't want to join the local club as I know several of the members and have personal reasons for not wanting to get matey with them.
Well, it seems there is no other way so I have tried contacting the 2 local clubs but neither have shown the courtesy of responding to my emails and texts.
I'll probably not bother with the license and after a few test transmissions to connect to repeaters and ensure functionality just keep it for emergencies which is really all I need it for.
? I think I'd only be interested in becoming competent (a skill in the event of SHTF). In that case, would it be possible to learn the ropes and have access to a bit of equipment without actually using it unless that day dawns? In which case, I don't think anyone will bother with licenses. I'm just thinking that it's not possible to learn everything AND keep it as an ongoing interest/hobby, much as we would like, but I bet there are lots of people like me who would like to spend a short time learning how to operate the equipment, but wouldn't normally join a club. Any chance of someone like yourself showing a bunch of Preppers the ropes? You never know, you might find some take it a bit further and take the exams, etc, but for the majority of us there are only so many hours in the day 
.
