Robert Broomhead from the Wireless Institute of Australia spoke to Tech Talk Radio about the Foundation Licence recently. Hear what he had to say.

Amateur Radio is the fascinating way to communicate! The Wireless Institute Of Australia has produced a colorful fold out brochure that outlines and illustrates the many interesting aspects of the hobby.

Over the last 18 months Amateur Radio here in Australia has seen a huge growth with the number of Radio Amateurs jumping from around 14,000 to 15,000 in just over a year. This has come about not only as a result of the dropping of morse code as a requirement to obtain a license, but through the introduction of the new Foundation entry level Licence.

This new Foundation Licence has provided the opportunity for people from all walks of life technical and non-technical to join in the hobby.

There are now three grades of Amateur Radio licences, the easiest and most popular for people getting into to the hobby is the foundation licence. The second level is the standard licence and the third is the advanced licence. All Amateur Licences are issued by the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) and you must have a current amateur license in order to be able to transmit and talk to others on the air on the Amateur Radio bands.

The foundation licence is very easy to obtain, yet it is a real Amateur Radio License which will allow you to do some serious worldwide communicating on most of the amateur high frequency (HF) bands, the 2 meter very high frequency (VHF) band and the 70 centimeter ultra high frequency (UHF) band.

The Wireless Institute of Australia has produced an easy to read training manual titled "Your Entry Into Amateur Radio", ideal for the people wishing to obtain their foundation radio licence. Everything you need to know to obtain your first license is contained within this one easy to read book. Your Entry Into Amateur Radio is available for just $18.00 or $19.50 including postage from the Wireless Institute Of Australia and is also available from most leading radio clubs.

All required information is provided in the training manual including a basic knowledge of electrical safety, a basic knowledge or radio communications and importantly the operating procedures of an amateur radio station.

For those starting with little or no prior knowledge of radio communications, the study required to obtain the foundation license will likely take you between eight and twelve hours. Once you feel you are ready, you can sit an assessment with a Wireless Institute of Australia registered assessor. The assessment has two parts, firstly a 25 question multiple choice exam paper and secondly a practical assessment. Your results will be given to you personally by your assessor at the end of the assessment. With a positive result your license application can be mailed to the ACMA and within weeks you will be up on the air with your own call sign.

There are large number of radio clubs across Australia running weekend training courses specifically designed to guide and assist people through the training manual, these club courses also provide valuable practical demonstrations and hands on training. Attending a training course and assessment provided by a radio club is highly recommended. Listeners in the 3WBC coverage area may like to consider one of the following radio clubs who provide weekend training courses and assessments for people wishing to obtain their foundation licence:

Eastern & Mountain District Amateur Radio Club website
Milpara Scout Hall, 13a McCubbin St, Burwood - Melways 61-E7
Telephone Bryan VK3HXR on 0403 604 242

Frankston & Mornington Peninsula Amateur Radio Club website
St Leonards College, Riverend Rd. Bangholme
Telephone 03 9781 2886

Gippsland Gate Radio & Electronics Club Inc. website
PO Box 1098 Cranburne VIC 3977
Telephone Bruno 03 9700 4526

Healesville Amateur Radio Group website
P.O. Box 346 Healesville Vic 3777
Meetings at the Rear of the Healesville Telephone Exchange

Moorabbin & District Radio Club Incorporated website
Combined Club Rooms
Turner Rd Reserve, Turner Rd, Highett
Telephone: (03) 9702 1199

North East Radio Group, Incorporated website
Community Hall 126 Mountain View Road BRIAR HILL
Telephone: 03 94320563

Western and Northern Suburbs Amateur Radio Club website
Northern Metropolitan Institute of Techology (NMIT) PRESTON CAMPUS BUILDING K St.
Georges Road, PRESTON
Telephone: 0400 44 32 18

Amateur Radio Victoria website
40G Victory Boulevard ASHBURTON VIC 3147
Telephone 03 9885 9261, Tuesdays, 10 - 2:30 pm

A complete list of all Radio Clubs Australia-Wide is also available.