We’re keen to encourage more people into the hobby, and for that reason, we want to help clubs, tutors and trainers to have access to as much training material as possible. Here are some of the amateur radio training resources available from our site:
- Foundation Training Slides – An up-to-date set of Foundation training slides, with generic branding
- Course Videos – We’ve created a video of all nine Foundation modules, allowing students to watch them at their leisure. Videos are free, and available both for students and trainers. They’re also handy for learners with dyslexia
- Online Training – We run a free monthly online training course. It’s not intended to replace club training, but can be offered as a revision tool to your existing students, or those who can’t attend courses.
- Tutor Discussion Group – An online group for tutors and trainers to discuss matters around UK training, such as the RSGB syllabus
- Tutor Newsletter – Sign up to get updates on changes to exams, syllabus and training material
- Tutor’s Portal – Access to a section of the site for Tutors – here you’ll find our latest training slides and resources (Sign up or Login)
- Practical Videos – Videos showing how the old Foundation practicals work, and what to expect on the Foundation exam – handy for setting expectations before a student gets started
- Student Handouts – A series of Getting Started Guides, designed to help those new to the hobby
Foundation Training Slides
We’ve produced a series of slides that can be used for UK Amateur Radio Foundation Training courses.
Nine sets of slides are available, covering an introduction to amateur radio, technical basics, transmitters & receivers, feeders & antennas, propagation, licence conditions, EMC, safety and operating practice.
See our Foundation Training Slides page for the full slideset.
The slides are kept up-to-date regularly, are free to UK clubs and trainers, and have generic “Ham Train” branding. Suggestions for updates and improvements are welcomed.
Training Videos
We have recorded nine Foundation training videos, which are essentially a walk-through of each of the main Foundation syllabus areas – Videos include photos and animations to help students learn the concepts they need to know to pass their Foundation exam. Videos can be downloaded by students onto smartphones for self-study, and we’ve been told that they have proven useful for students with dyslexia (and others who struggle to learn using the Foundation Licence Manual). The full set of videos is here: Foundation Training Course Videos
We’ve also released a number of short videos that may be of help to those involved with UK amateur radio training. Versions of these videos in other formats for use on non-profit training courses, are available for free on request. Here’s a sample of some of our amateur radio training videos:
Taste of Amateur Radio (2 min overview) |
Foundation Exams At Home |
Extra Help for Study/Exam |
Soldering Basics (Youtube) |
Foundation Practicals
Station Setup |
Station Setup & Radio Controls |
VHF QSO (formal) |
VHF QSO (informal) |
Morse Appreciation |
|
Extra Training Material
Ohms Law Triangle |
Power Formula & Fuses |
Band Plan & Exam Booklet |
VSWR & Tuning |
Series & Parallel Circuits |
AM, FM & SSB |
Filament Lamp Polarity |
Amateur Radio Connectors |
2021 EMF Licence Changes |
|
Getting Started Guides
Essex Ham has created a library of handy one-page guides on various aspects of the hobby. This library of simple guides is growing, and covers several topics including:
- Getting your licence
- Foundation Glossary
- Setting up QRZ and eQSL
- Choosing your first radio
- Using HF
- Guide for Parents
- Using Repeaters
- First steps with Echolink
- Data modes: SSTV, JT65 and PSK31
The collection of guides can be found here: Essex Ham Getting Started Guides
Online Training
Launched in 2015, over 400 students registered for our free online course in the first year, and we’ve seen excellent results. The courses are free, and students can study at their own pace in the comfort of their homes. The course is delivered using a Virtual Classroom, and is a handy tool to help students revise.
Many clubs and trainers have seen the benefits of offering the online course as a tool to supplement their existing training – as a handy revision tool for students, or as a way of getting people up-to-speed without the need to attend a traditional chalk-and-talk training session.
Courses run once a month, and we have a trainers test area, so that tutors can have a look around and give it a try.
Training Material
Here are a few extra resources that may be of use to trainers / tutors:
| Foundation Course Checklist | Quick reference sheet showing what’s required for running a Foundation course | PDF File |
| HF QSO Script | This is a script for a basic HF simplex contact, part of the Foundation Training Course | Word Doc | PDF File |
| VHF QSO Script | This is a script for a basic VHF simplex contact, part of the Foundation Training Course | Word Doc | PDF File |
| Just Passed Handout | This handout is given to candidates who’ve completed Foundation (Essex version) | PDF (Essex) |
| Foundation Syllabus | The full syllabus for the Foundation Course (from RSGB site) | RSGB Exams Website |
| Exam Forms & Paperwork | All required paperwork and forms for UK amateur radio exams | RSGB Website |
Also, see our: Foundation Training Slides and our Foundation Distance Learning Course
Other Training Resources
We’re happy to host, or link to, any other training resources that UK trainers and tutors may find useful. Here’s a link to our UK Amateur Radio Training Resources section.
