Want to take my Foundation

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nay27uk
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Re: Want to take my Foundation

Post by nay27uk »

Yeah I get the whole, one transmits and one receives thing with a Repeater because I can set my local repeater up on my Baofeng quite easy (GB3CF), RX is 145.600 (OUTPUT) and transmit is 145.500 (INPUT), Is that semi Duplex?

with a 77.00kHz CTCSS tone on both Transmit and Receive of the above, I can both transmit and receive on my Beafeng UV5R+ on the repeater, I tested it sharply as I know I should not be doing it as I am not licenced but tried it to see if I had setting rite in the radio.

I Need to get my Licence but this is very hard, even for the Foundation Level you have to be a Mathematical genius as well as a Scientist and a Space Cadet.
Last edited by nay27uk on 23 Nov 2016, 19:48, edited 1 time in total.
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.0875Re: Want to take my Foundation

Post by WeatherWatcher »

2m repeater shift is 600 eg 145.6875 output 145.0875 which is GB3XP in Morden Surrey(my local repeater.
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Re: .0875Re: Want to take my Foundation

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Oldman54 wrote:2m repeater shift is 600 eg 145.6875 output 145.0875 which is GB3XP in Morden Surrey(my local repeater.
:thumbup:
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Re: Want to take my Foundation

Post by EssexHam »

Don't get too hung up on the maths - there are normally only 1 or 2 questions on formula, they're usually very basic and you can take a calculator in with you.

The frequency and band stuff is all provided on the handout. Lots of non-technical people pass, and if you're hitting pass-marks on a mock test, then it sounds like you're doing well.

Does the club that you're taking the exam with run a training course? If you're not good with studying from a book, doing a structured course makes a lot of sense
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Re: Want to take my Foundation

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i Don't want to be a Pirate AND I must get my Licence.

Why is ther not a frequency band allocated to people like me that wish to get their Licence but have never been a ham operator but they need to have at least 1 hour on the HAM bands to learn (this should be compulsory at the end of each band).

Saying LISTEN O)N THIS AND THAT RADIO IS NOT ENOUGH to learn you need experienced operators to tell you where you have gone wrong just like I had in the mid 1900;s on the CB Freeband.

Hams talk about new blood well those NEW BLOOD should be able to at least try out all the bands they can work as a Foundation member before they even think about taking the exam.
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Re: Want to take my Foundation

Post by mercury888 »

You need to do the practicals anyway before you sit the exam and you'd presumably do those at a club - that club is where you will find many friendly experienced hams to help you out in any way they can. I've just completed the practical parts and have a date for my own Foundation exam (having been a listener for 41 years!). As to experience before the exam, really it's about learning the syllabus and you will actually get to use an HF and a VHF radio in the practicals - its very basic at that stage, procedural stuff like calling CQ, changing channels and such. Find a club and they may well run a club net for newbies for when you get your licence.
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Re: Want to take my Foundation

Post by EssexHam »

Mercury888's correct - you get a chance to use both HF and VHF/UHF as part of the practicals before you sit the exam, so you'll have a chance to try out the bands and make a few contacts. You'll be with an experienced operator who can give you guidance if you need it. That's all built in to getting your Foundation licence these days.

Wherever you decide to do your practicals should be able to help with some practice before the exam, and some support once you've got your callsign. I did mine about 5 years ago, and the local trainers were great.

If you want some extra practice, you can give Hamsphere a try - it simulates amateur radio on HF - See http://www.hamsphere.com/

Pete
Last edited by EssexHam on 23 Nov 2016, 21:22, edited 2 times in total.
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Re: Want to take my Foundation

Post by Admiral »

Going back to your original question, frequency to wavelength as rule-of-thumb is 300/frequency = wavelength. Hence why the chart shows 1Mhz as 300m and 1,000Mhz as 0.3m (or 30cm).
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Re: Want to take my Foundation

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OK thanks all.

Having been a CB' er, (both legal and free band).

A SWL'er, both listening to and building my own receivers and transmitters (with atu's and pre selectors).

An FM Broadcast station on a homemade Transmitter and dipole antenna (7 watts schematics all avaliable on the net).

An AM Broadcaster on a homemade Transmitter and antenna (off the net and 15 watts).

As well as making my own Antennas and sftuf.

The practical side does not scare me in the least because I can use an SWR meter, a Matcher, a Tuner and any knob on a radio, its the written or multiple choice one I worry about passing.

But thanks all for the help and kind comments.
Last edited by nay27uk on 24 Nov 2016, 00:27, edited 2 times in total.
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Re: Want to take my Foundation

Post by EssexHam »

It sounds like you know your stuff, and you've been doing well on the mock tests, so I doubt 26 multi-choice questions will present much of a problem - and the practicals will be a piece of cake.

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Re: Want to take my Foundation

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Cheers EssexHam I will do a bit more reading (ahhh) and will contact Hinckley in a month or so to get signed up.

Can't wait now, been wanting to do this since about 2004 when I sold all my old Free band stuff.
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Re: Want to take my Foundation

Post by VintageTin »

nay27uk wrote:Yeah I get the whole, one transmits and one receives thing with a Repeater because I can set my local repeater up on my Baofeng quite easy (GB3CF), RX is 145.600 (OUTPUT) and transmit is 145.500 (INPUT].
You mean 145.000 (INPUT)

Wouldn't like anyone to follow that typo.
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Re: Want to take my Foundation

Post by nay27uk »

VintageTin wrote:
nay27uk wrote:Yeah I get the whole, one transmits and one receives thing with a Repeater because I can set my local repeater up on my Baofeng quite easy (GB3CF), RX is 145.600 (OUTPUT) and transmit is 145.500 (INPUT].
You mean 145.000 (INPUT)

Wouldn't like anyone to follow that typo.
Ha ha you're right yes :D
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Re: Want to take my Foundation

Post by paulears »

Saying LISTEN O)N THIS AND THAT RADIO IS NOT ENOUGH to learn you need experienced operators to tell you where you have gone wrong just like I had in the mid 1900;s on the CB Freeband.
That's really not right. When I did my G8 and then G4 six months later in 1980 - the maths was really hard for me. Resonance calculations - with inductors in particular was tough, and back then the radio clubs didn't do much - My friend and I signed up to the local college who promised to run the course for us, but they gave up, because their physics people didn't know about radio. You had the library and past papers. Even the RSGB had very little hard info - just a few radio clubs who tried harder than the others. The whole point back then was self-training, and we went down to the City and Guilds institute in London in their huge exam hall - really scary for us at 22 or so. Weeks to find out how we did, and the question papers collected so you didn't know what you'd been asked. Then another 100 mile trip to get examined for the Morse test, up at the Coastal Radio Station in Lincolnshire at Mablethorpe.

My friends maths was better than mine. I suspect that the exam like now, tries to make sure you understand how radio works so you can void hazards and not cause other people grief. Back then, causing interference was a big problem and people often had power restricted and rules on aerials imposed by the authorities and a very tight inspection to check power output and band limits. Now we're really looking at GCSE style maths - the same types of questions. I appreciate that for some, this is tough - but getting the license is just not for everyone, and I can say that a huge amount of the stuff I was made to learn to get the license has come in handy over the years for all sorts of career craftiness. Just lump it in with driving, shotgun and other similar licenses where serious effort has to go into getting it - then becoming smug once you have it. We're not all good operators, and perhaps the license isn't there for that purpose - but limiting the people coming into the hobby does make sense. If it becomes too popular, as it does in phases, things get worse. Then when fewer are joining, the hobby wanes a bit. Goes in cycles, with the license a gatekeeper.
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Re: Want to take my Foundation

Post by EssexHam »

For the Full licence, there is still quite a bit of maths - probably the same amount as when you took your G. Having not done any serious maths since school, it took some effort for me to get my head around this for Full.

However, at Foundation, it's pretty basic - There are only two formulas= P= IxV and V=IxR - there'a usually only 1 question on these, with simple numbers and you're allowed a calculator. It's multi-choice too. Pass mark is 73%, so the maths really is no big deal at Foundation. It ramps up at Intermediate & Full though.

Pete
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