RADIO AMATEUR FOUNDATION EXAMINATION For - cdarc

169 Pages·2011·3.72 MB·English

by  David Featherby

RADIO AMATEUR
FOUNDATION EXAMINATION
For Examinations Held After
1st April 2007
Teaching Resource Material For Use With Courses Offered By
The Cambridge and District Amateur Radio Club [CDARC]

Issue 2/2009
Issue 2/2009 CDARC FOUNDATION COURSE 1
Foreword:
Welcome to this Foundation Course in
Amateur Radio. We hope you enjoy learning
about the hobby and its worldwide appeal.
The Foundation Licence is your entry level
into Amateur Radio.
The Cambridge and District Amateur Radio
Club wish you success in this course.

Issue 2/2009 CDARC FOUNDATION COURSE 2
Acknowledgements
CDARC gratefully acknowledges the
assistance of The Chelmsford Amateur Radio
Society (CARS) for permission to use the TVI
images and the EMC summary slide.
Thanks also to the membership of CDARC for
all of their “jolly useful hints and tips” used
within this presentation.
Issue 2/2009 CDARC FOUNDATION COURSE 3
IMPORTANT!
  Please ask questions if you do not
understand any of the explanations
or demonstrations that we give
during this course.
  Above all donʼt let us get away
with anything other than plain
English!
Issue 2/2009 CDARC FOUNDATION COURSE 4
Topics To Be Covered In This Course
•  Nature of Amateur Radio
•  Technical Basics
•  Transmitters (Plus Practical)
•  Receivers (Plus Practical)
•  Feeders and Antennas (Plus Practical)
•  Propagation
•  Licence Conditions
•  Operating Practices and Procedures (Plus Practical)
•  Electro-Magnetic Compatibility
•  Safety Considerations
•  Licence Schedule
•  Morse Code (Plus Practical)
Issue 2/2009 CDARC FOUNDATION COURSE 5
SECTION 1
What Is The Nature of
Amateur Radio?
Issue 2/2009 CDARC FOUNDATION COURSE 6
1. Amateur Radio
•  Nature of Amateur Radio
•  Principal Aspects

Issue 2/2009 CDARC FOUNDATION COURSE 7
1.1: The Nature of Amateur Radio
•  Self-training and experimentation in radio
communications.
•  Non-commercial.
•  Technical innovation.
•  Promotion of international friendship.
•  Recreational activity.
•  Emergency communications.
•  In addition the amateur station is required to
support the User Services upon request or during a

civil emergency.
(Fire, Police, Local Authority etc.)
Issue 2/2009 CDARC FOUNDATION COURSE 8
1.2: Jargon Buster

•  Band: This represents a frequency allocation that we
are allowed to use. It is referred to by the wavelength of
the radio wave we transmit.
For example: The 80 metre band, the
20 metre band.

•  Modulation: This is how information is added onto a
radio wave in order to transmit that information.
For
example: Amplitude Modulation (AM) varies the height (amplitude) of the
radio wave in sympathy with the variations of the voice of the radio operator.

•  Mode: This is the type of information that you want to
send.
For example: TV pictures, Morse, Speech, Data.
Issue 2/2009 CDARC FOUNDATION COURSE 9
1.3: The Principal Aspects of Amateur Radio
•  Bands:
LF, HF, VHF, UHF and Microwaves
•  Modes:
Voice; Morse; Packet & Data; Slow scan TV;
Fast scan TV;
•  Modulation:
CW; AM; ssb; FM; PSK31; FSK.
•  Special:
Repeaters; RAYNET; Satellite. DX Cluster.
•  Other:
RSGB; RadCom; Clubs; Rallies; Contests;

Awards; QSL Cards; Special Event Stations.
Issue 2/2009 CDARC FOUNDATION COURSE 10