Radio Exam and Morse Courses

Amateur Radio Licence Examinations

For those interested in starting out in amateur radio, we run training courses for Foundation, Intermediate and Advanced radio communications examinations. We have a registered examination centre in Fochabers Scout Hall where the exams (and usually also the tuition) take place. We have successfully tutored over 50 candidates for the exams. See Club News for details of future training and contact us to express an interest we can run courses when required.

The radio amateur training and exams are administered on behalf of Ofcom by the Radio Society of Great Britain, which sets several dates each year for the various exams.

You must first pass the Foundation exam, which has both written questions on radio theory and procedures (multiple choice format), and practical assessments. This allows you to operate on most amateur bands with some restrictions.

After gaining experience with the Foundation licence, you can progress to the Intermediate and Advanced licence's, which each require a further exam (also multiple choice format) but have fewer restrictions (e.g. higher transmitter power).

MFARS does not normally charge for tuition, which is done by volunteers, but the RSGB charges an administration fee for sitting the exam, which must be paid by the candidate. For information on how the exam and licensing scheme works, see the RSGB licensing information web pages.

We will run a course over a few weeks or months (usually one evening a week) before any exam if there is sufficient interest. The subjects covered depend on the licence level, and include basic electronics, radio theory, operating procedures, licensing rules, and practical electronics construction.

Please contact the secretary for exam dates and to register your interest.

Morse Tutoring and RSGB Tests

There is no longer a requirement to sit a Morse Code exam to gain a full licence in the UK. Nevertheless, there are people who want to learn the code or improve their Morse, so we offer tuition to interested individuals. Morse classes and RSGB Morse Tests are available at short notice contact GM3KHH or secretary for details.