Getting Started
Colin Redwood G6MXL continues his theme of getting started in amateur radio, with a selection of useful advice.
Having looked at establishing a station and making some contacts, this month I’m moving on to look at sending and receiving QSL cards and some other things that newly licensed operators may wish to consider. I’ll also update readers on some online Intermediate Licence courses.
QRZ.COM
I’d suggest that all amateurs register their callsign on QRZ.COM. Many operators worldwide will use QRZ.COM to find out information about you, your station and in particular your preferred arrangements for confirming contacts (e.g. sending and receiving QSL cards). You’ll need to get another licensed amateur who is already on QRZ.COM to create your basic record (this no longer happens automatically from data supplied by Ofcom). Once you’ve been added, feel free to include as much or as little information in your entry as you wish, Fig. 1. I’d suggest revisiting your entry from time to time as your interests in the various aspects of the hobby evolve.
QSLing
Traditionally proof of contact has been obtained by the exchange of QSL cards, Fig. 2, between the two stations involved in a contact. These days there are also electronic ways of obtaining proof of contact. Regardless of the benefits of electronic proof of contact, many amateurs like to exchange QSL cards as a memento of a contact.
Receiving QSL Cards
I’d suggest sending some stamped addressed envelopes (SAEs) to your QSL sub-manager for your callsign group, so that you can receive card through the RSGB QSL bureau. You can find the relevant contact details at:
If you aren’t a member of the RSGB, then you’ll need to pay an annual fee to receive cards through the QSL bureau:
Sending QSL Cards
There is absolutely no rush to design and buy yourself QSL cards, and you certainly don’t need to send a QSL card for every contact. It will be some months before you start to receive anything like a steady stream of QSL cards through the QSL bureau. To keep postal costs down, most amateurs who send and receive QSL cards do so using their national society’s (RSGB in the UK) QSL Bureau. To send cards through the RSGB QSL bureau, you’ll need to be a member of the RSGB. I’d suggest looking at the information about the bureau on the RSGB website, and in particular the recommended size (140mm x 90mm) and the station worked callsign clearly in the top right-hand corner of the card, and the preferred sequence to sort your outgoing cards:
Before writing and sending a QSL card to a station, I’d strongly recommend looking up the relevant callsign on QRZ.COM. The QRZ. COM entry should clearly state the station’s QSL policy, Fig. 3. Some stations don’t send or receive QSL cards so sending a card will be a complete waste. Some only QSL direct, so you have to post your card direct to the station (this may be due to the station not being a member of their national society or their national society does not have a QSL bureau). Some stations may request cards only via the QSL bureau (often abbreviated Buro).
QSL Managers
Some (mainly DX) stations use a QSL manager to handle their QSLing. This may be due to the lack of a QSL bureau in their country, an insecure or irregular postal service (perhaps they live on a remote island), or they would prefer to spend their limited spare time making contacts rather than writing QSL cards. For stations using a QSL manager, you’ll need to clearly mark the card via their QSL manager (e.g. AX6ABC via 7X7XY). The station sends their logs (usually electronically) to their QSL Manager.
If you use the QSL bureau, you should be prepared to wait some time for QSL cards to be received. In my experience cards for UK contacts arrive 9 to 18 months after the con
Logging Program Aalog DX4WIN Dxlab Easylog Log4OM Logger 32 PZTLog Turbolog Winlog32
Website
a future What Next column and see also the article in this month’s issue by
G7ETW.
RSGB Foundation Award
You can obtain awards (certificates) to mark various operating achievements in amateur radio. These are totally optional and will not appeal to every amateur. Many of the more prestigious awards require proof of contact.
For those new to the hobby, the RSGB Foundation award is a good introduction to award chasing. The basic bronze level requires a minimum of 40 contacts using any mix of SSB, FM and CW across the 40m, 20m, 17m and 2m bands with a minimum of 10 contacts per band. You’ll need to have proof of contact by means of QSL cards.
Contests
If you are fairly new to operating, one of the things that you’ll encounter sooner or later is a contest. If you’ve not come across one before it can sometimes seem like a load of fairly meaningless information being exchanged between stations in very short contacts.
Contests are very different to the leisurely style of operating that is often encountered at other times.
The information exchanged during a contest is determined by the contest rules. A summary of the rules for most HF contests can be found at:
The RSGB VHF Contest committee organises most, but not all, VHF and UHF contests in the UK. Their website is a good place to start. Other VHF and UHF contests are organised by the Worked All Britain group, and of course there are the Practical Wireless 144MHz and 70MHz contests.
I looked at contests and contest terminology in some detail in the October, November and December 2019 issues of Practical Wireless. Back numbers and a DVD with all the 2019 issues of Practical Wireless can be obtained from the PW Book Store at:
If contests aren’t for you, then you’ll be pleased to know that the 12m (24MHz), 17m (18MHz) and 30m (10MHz) bands are all contest-free.
Intermediate Licence Courses
If you have your Foundation Licence and are considering progressing to the next stage, the Radio Society of Harrow have recently published a very useful set of videos that cover the syllabus of the Intermediate exam. They are short, sharp and to the point. I think that they would be a good introduction to grasp the basics before reading the Intermediate book (see below). They might also be a good way to revise after you have read the book.
William McFarland GM6DX provides a very popular Intermediate course in addition to his Foundation course. It helpfully includes some mock exam questions, Fig. 4. So far over 770 people have used it.
The Online Amateur Radio Community has recently launched a fast-track online Intermediate Licence course. This runs over just 6 to 8 weeks, with weekly Zoom sessions with other candidates, weekly reading lists and activities. To quote the organisers, “It’s targeted at those who are comfortable with modern communication methods, from Google Classroom, Zoom through to Discord and who are prepared to commit real time and effort to additional self-study & revision throughout the week”. More details can be found at:
Intermediate Book
As with the Foundation exam, you should obtain an up-to-date copy of The Intermediate Licence Manual for Radio Amateurs by George Smart M1GEO, David Mills G7UVW & Roger Bleaney M0RBK, Fig. 5. You can obtain the book from the PW Bookshop or the RSGB. Just as you did when you sat your Foundation exam, you should also visit the RSGB website and download and print the reference data booklet for the Intermediate exam as you’ll find it will assist you in answering several questions:
I’d also suggest downloading a copy of the Intermediate exam syllabus from the RSGB website. It clearly distinguishes between things you need to just remember (‘recall’) and topics where you need to ‘understand’ something. You’ll note a higher proportion of ‘understand’ topics at Intermediate level than at Foundation level.
Exam Syllabus
The RSGB Examinations Standards Committee and Examination and Syllabus Review Group have made some very minor changes to the syllabus for the exams at all three levels. These are not significant changes – just welcome clarifications, and in one or two instances removal of duplications. For example, dummy loads used to be part of both Feeders & Antennas and EMC sections at Foundation and Intermediate level – they are now fully covered in the respective EMC sections. I’d suggest that tutors review their training materials to make sure that they fully reflect the small changes. The practical aspects of the Intermediate course have also been dropped permanently and are no longer a prerequisite for sitting the Intermediate exam. The change document can be found at:
Remotely Invigilated Exams
The arrangements for remotely invigilated online Foundation and Intermediate exams are still proving immensely popular, with about 600 candidates sitting them every month. If you’re considering booking an exam, don’t delay because at the time of writing, the earliest available slots are about six or seven weeks away.