Now that you have your amateur radio licence and have gained experience operating, it may be time for you to move on to an Intermediate Licence
The Intermediate Licence carries with it more privileges and also more responsibilities on you as a radio amateur.
The main advantage of stepping up to the Intermediate Licence is the increase in permitted operating power.
You will be able to go from the 10 Watts of the Foundation Licence, up to 50 Watts as an Intermediate Licence holder and gain access to the hi-tech frequencies in the microwave bands.
Ofcom issue your new, upgraded radio licence and you can use the Intermediate frequency allocations at up to 50 watts power..
Intermediate Licence Exam
It’s actually not necessary to take a course to sit the Intermediate exam, but we would strongly recommend doing so. Don’t forget that you need to have passed the Foundation exam first!
Intermediate Exam training is carried out in the club by experienced members. We have a very good success rate!:
The course consists of 10 weeks of classroom study at the club. The fee is £70 which includes your training, exam fee, component kits, club membership.
It aims to teach many of the fundamentals of radio in a stimulating way by actually undertaking practical tasks such as soldering, building a small project and a variety of other exercises, building on the experience you have gained as a Foundation Licence holder.
Two methods of assessment are used. First, a practical skills assessment is taken which demonstrates your competence in basic electronics. This involves soldering a rudimentary circuit together using some of the components you learned about on the course. This is followed by an examination of 46 multiple-choice questions each with four possible responses, which covers the remainder of the syllabus and lasts one hour and 30 minutes.
The examination may be taken online or on paper. Candidates sitting examinations online will be advised of their result immediately after completing the exam together with detailed feedback regarding their performance.
Your paper exam paper is marked by the invigilator after the exam so, as with the Foundation, you have an indication of whether you passed or not.