Foundation Licence

To meet the syllabus changes made in July 2011 we are currently shipping an updated 2011 version of the 5th edition of this book.  The additions made are as below:

Technical Basics

Page 8 col 1 fith para.  “Alternating currents and…”. Add new sentence to end of para:

The smooth waveform is known as a ‘sine wave’. (From the sine function in trigonometry.)

Operating Practices and Procedures.

Page 24 col 3.  Add new section after Jargon

Etiquette

It is important to remember that anyone may be listening including short wave listeners considering becoming amateurs.  Abuse and bad language are not part of amateur radio and on-air transmissions should always be polite and respectful.  It is also worth remembering that radio has no boundaries and your remarks may be heard in other countries with different cultures and beliefs.  Indeed it is in being able to talk with such people that gives amateur radio the richness it enjoys.

Sadly there are those who do seem to find entertainment in disrupting other people’s conversations, playing music and being generally abusive.  This kind of behaviour has no place in amateur radio.  If you do overhear such material or feel it is directed at you the important thing to remember is that you must not react or respond to it.  That is often what the abuser wants you to do so they can send even more abuse.  Talking to an unlicensed station is a breach of your own licence and could get you a bad name or reported to the authorities as well.  Simply find another channel or frequency.  If it is on a calling frequency or a repeater wait a while and see if the problem has ceased.  The abuser should not even know he has been heard.

Advice on many aspects of operating and ethics can be found on the RSGB web site at www.rsgb.org/operating/.  It is worth reading!

Persistent abuse can be reported to the RSGB’s Amateur Radio Observation Service (AROS) but any formal action requires good evidence, dates, times, locations and recordings and will also have to take its turn in being followed up.  Obviously you must not put yourself in an awkward position but AROS operates in a strictly confidential manner with RSGB headquarters at Bedford as the only contact point.

Page 32 col, immediately above “Do not rush”

From 1 July 2011 a question on etiquette will be added to Operating Practices giving 26 questions in all with a pass mark of 19.