Foundation Amateur Radio Exam study guide
Foundation Amateur Radio Exam · Work through your exam, one topic at a time.
The Foundation Amateur Radio Exam is the entry-level UK amateur radio examination, run under the exams and training programme administered by the Radio Society of Great Britain (RSGB). It is designed for complete beginners: people with no technical background who want to get on the air, and younger candidates such as cadets and school groups, for whom a dedicated Foundation licence application route is published. Candidates typically prepare through a club-run training course found via the RSGB Course & Exam Finder, supported by student information, trainer information and training resources, and by watching the Foundation practicals video series. The syllabus is examined as multiple-choice questions across four areas: licensing and operating rules, technical basics, transmitters and receivers, and antennas and propagation. Topics on this exam: Licensing and operating rules, Technical basics, Transmitters and receivers, and Antennas and propagation. The Foundation Amateur Radio Exam study guide has 4 sections and about 1,268 words.
01Licensing and Operating Rules
Every Foundation question about rules starts from the licence class. A Foundation licence authorises operation on the amateur bands listed in your national conditions, with power limits and approved equipment.
351 words, about 2 min02Technical Basics
Ohm's law and power are the backbone of this domain. Learn V = I × R , P = V × I , and the two derived forms P = I²R and P = V²/R .
321 words, about 2 min03Transmitters and Receivers
Follow the signal: oscillator, buffer/amplifier stages, driver, final amplifier, low-pass filter, antenna socket. The oscillator sets frequency; the amplifier stages raise power; the filter removes harmonics.
299 words, about 1 min04Antennas and Propagation
An antenna is resonant when its reactance is cancelled and it presents a resistive load. The half-wave dipole in free space is about 0.5 λ long; a quarter-wave vertical needs a ground plane or radials.
297 words, about 1 min