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Post by samanthajane on Oct 20, 2005 18:29:02 GMT
Hey kc9eux, thank you!! xx
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Post by Renae/k9do on Oct 20, 2005 18:29:34 GMT
Hey kc9eux, thank you!! xx ;D Your Welcome!
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Post by Maureen on Oct 20, 2005 21:48:21 GMT
Hi Sam
The foundation Licence was introduced to encourage more people into the hobby - people from 8 to 80 years are taking and passing the exam! It is easier than when I had to do the RAE which was a city and guilds exam and is designed to help you progress more gradually through the various stages. there are lots of Club web-sites out there which will help you to get an understanding of what it's all about. I got involved because my husband had spen several thousand pounds on equipment and I hated to see it going to waste during the day when he was at work!! Find out where your local club is and go along and have a chat to them. As Jackie says we'll all help as much as we can, too!
Good luck!
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Post by samanthajane on Oct 22, 2005 14:00:17 GMT
Hi Maureen, well my boyfriend James has also spent several thousands of pounds on equipment and is often in our spare room chatting away and I just thought it was about time I started to take an interest and know what he was doing up there!! Not sure if I will be taking the exam just yet, still need to learn alot more about it first! James goes to radio club every week and I know a few of the guys that go too, but we'll have to wait and see :-)
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Post by Jackie Bosworth on Oct 22, 2005 14:33:09 GMT
Well it's great that you are taking an interest. ;D
My local radio club is very supportive of ladies doing the foundation course so I am sure that you would get lots of support from your club (and your boyfriend of course) if you wanted to do it.
But hang out and chat with us all and you'll soon pick up what it is all about.
Warm regards,
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Post by Katie/BU2AO on Oct 22, 2005 14:42:49 GMT
Hi Sam, I am sure you can do it! Just like you and your boyfriend, I also start because of my boyfriend Hsing. He is also often chatting away or joining contest, and goes to our local radio club every week(sometimes I go with him). It seems interesting, so I take exams and get my own callsign. It's so great to own a callsign. Just go ahead, you will make it!
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Post by Zo - 2E0ZLD on Oct 23, 2005 10:36:45 GMT
Hi Sam and a Big Welcome to the Forum,
The word exam tends to put us off doing the course and exam but once on the course we start to think that perhaps this isn't as bad as we thought it was going to be after all. I took my exam this past wednesday evening gone and I was very nervous but again it wasn't as bad as I thought it was going to be. We were allowed 45 mins to answer the questions. The Questions are all in Multiple Choice Format so the answer that you need is there staring you right in the face. All in all you need to just read the Foundation Course Book or the Relevant Course Book for where ever else you may be in the world other than the uk....On the course the tutors take you through that book page by page and explain what everything contained in there actually means. We were told a couple of times throughout the course that you don't have to actually understand it all just know it and be able to answer the relevant questions. They give you a very good idea of what sort of questions are going to be in the exam altho they can't actually say what questions will be in it. You have 25 questions and you need to get 18 right in the uk to pass the exam. They won't tell you your actual score just that you have passed and I think that was to take away the 'I got more right than you did scenario', or 'You only got so many correct! scenario'....For the six of us who took the exam the other day 5 of us finished in 10 to 15 mins after re-checking our answers etc we were allowed out of the exam after 20 mins had passed. We all passed and altho non of us were allowed to know by how many they did tell us that non of us had just scraped through and had all scored very well indeed which I was so chuffed to hear. I was floating on air on the way home! Everyone was saying 'See we told you, you would do well!' I was the only female and was underpressure not only for myself and personal reasons but being the only woman I felt I was representing the females who may come after me and hence felt I had to do really well. I hope non of what I have said here puts you off because it is intended to reassure you that it really is easier than you perhaps think. We will learn more after gaining our license because thats where the real training and learning begins and there are so many people out there in the world who are already Radio Amateurs who really do want to help newcomers into the hobby. I hope that perhaps in the future you decide to go for it. It's a six week course, one night per week lasting perhaps two hours. In that time you will have some mock exams based on genuine questions so you will be taking in the info needed to pass all the time and there are websites of Radio Amatuers who have put mock exams up for you to do over and over again to get the info to stick. The more you do those the more the understanding starts to settle in and you will then be grasping more what its all about. As Jackie has already said you don't have to be a license holder to be a member here and you are a most welcome member. Hope you gian lots of knowledge to help you out.
33's
Zo
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Post by Renae/k9do on Oct 23, 2005 13:41:26 GMT
Zo I agree the word test can be intimidating. I too was the only female taking the test. which made me nervous.
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Post by Zo - 2E0ZLD on Oct 23, 2005 18:58:09 GMT
I think it definately needs more of us who have done the test letting those who haven't know just how much easier it is....! !
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Post by Zo - 2E0ZLD on Oct 23, 2005 18:59:08 GMT
Oooops that was meant to be a ! !
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Post by Jackie Bosworth on Oct 23, 2005 20:31:52 GMT
The foundation test was easier than I thought it was going to be. In our class we actually got told our scores and I got 23/25. So if I can do it anyone can. I think the youngest to pass at our club was a little lad called Matthew and I think he was about 7 when he passed it. I did think it was fairly easy but I think to pass it at 7 is awesome
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Post by samanthajane on Oct 24, 2005 16:30:36 GMT
Wow, thank u all for being so kind and talking me though it. I feel much better about it already! :-) Maybe James will get me the foundation course book for xmas :-)
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Post by samanthajane on Oct 24, 2005 18:26:19 GMT
Hi Jackie what does 33's mean? I know what 7 3's is lol
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Post by Jackie Bosworth on Oct 24, 2005 19:48:54 GMT
33's is similar to 73's but is usually used between two women.
I had heard of it but wasn't sure of the meaning either so one of the other members mentioned it to me.
Take care,
33's
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Post by Katie/BU2AO on Oct 25, 2005 1:50:59 GMT
I know that OM use "73" or "the best 73" at the end of conversation. And, a YL told me that we YL say "88" instead "73". The YLRL website suggests ladies using frequencies ending in 33 or 88 in contest. So, I think "33" and "88" are the same. Enjoy dxing.
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