Training for the Amateur Radio Licence / WKARS Training Policy

Licensed radio amateurs enjoy many privileges not available to other people. Without a licence, you are restricted to low power, licence-exempt systems like PMR446, which uses short range handheld radios.  

The UK has three levels of Amateur Radio licence: Foundation, Intermediate and Full.   They are issued by Ofcom, the UK’s communication regulator, to people who have passed the necessary exams.    

Foundation is the entry level, and has the easiest exam.   Even so, a Foundation licence allows you to use many frequency bands, and enough transmitter power to make contacts hundreds of miles away, or more.   The higher licences allow other privileges, including greater transmitter power and more frequency bands.  Full details can be found on the Radio Society of Great Britain (RSGB) website at https://rsgb.org/main/clubs-training/ 

WKARS can help you get your Foundation licence with our one-weekend training course, or advise you about on-line courses which you can take at home.   

Our course includes basic radio technology, key licence rules, and safety.   It involves some background reading and a weekend’s training. Simply contact our Secretary at the address below.  At the end of the weekend, you take the RSGB online exam of 26 multiple choice questions.  The pass mark is 19, or 75 per cent, and you get the result immediately.  A few days after passing the exam, you can log on to Ofcom’’s website and choose your callsign. 

WKARS has successfully trained people from ages 14 to 65 plus.  In 2025, we successfully trained 20 young people from youth organisations.  The main cost of the course is the exam fee, and the purchase of an exam training manual.  Simply contact our Secretary at the address below.

The Club can also help new or aspiring licensees with a mentor, who can:  

• Help find the best course for you, including progression to higher licence levels
• Answer any questions a course may not have fully covered
• And help you choose your own equipment & aerials and, most importantly, get on the air.

For more information, please don’t hesitate to contact secretary@wkars.org.uk. 

South East Tutors.
West Kent ARS is a member of the South East Tutors training group, which co-ordinates training among clubs in South London and North/West Kent, so that candidates can plan their courses ahead with scheduled dates. The South East Tutors email group can be reached here.