What is Amateur Radio?

Amateur Radio is a technical hobby for the terminally curious and “inveterate fiddler” that allows you to experiment with radio and communicate with like minded people worldwide.

It enjoys a unique and privileged position in that radio amateurs are permitted to build and modify the equipment and antennas that they use on the air without having to submit the equipment for type approval.  To be able to do this the aspiring Amateur Radio enthusiast must sit an examination to demonstrate technical competence before a licence is issued.

In the UK radio amateurs are granted a licence for the purpose of training themselves in wireless communication. Amateur Radio allows you to learn skills valuable for a career in engineering.

Currently three licence classes exist in the UK: Foundation, Intermediate and Full.  Each licence offers a different level of privilege.  Whatever your level of interest in Amateur Radio you have to start with a Foundation Licence.

The Radio Society of Great Britain (RSGB) is the representative body for Amateur Radio within the UK.