The Wireless Institute of Australia

The hobby of Amateur Radio has a long and proud tradition. The very first radio amateurs were true pioneers of radio technology. Amateurs 'invented' and refined much of the early radio technology and were the first to transmit music, radio plays, and information to the handful of people who had the new fangled radio receivers.

After World War II the hobby of amateur radio flourished. Radio clubs sprang up in schools all over the world and kids went home each night to build some new contraption, or have a chat with someone over the wireless. These young people became the mainstay of the technical professions and developed much of the modern technology we use today.

Things You Will Need To Know

The emphasis is on candidates having the knowledge of skills to demonstrate a practical ability to put together an amateur radio station from commercial equipment and operate it without causing interference to other users and have the knowledge to be a competent radio operator.

You will also need to be aware of how amateur radio relates to other users of the radio spectrum, your licence conditions, technical basics of electricity and electronics, transmitters, receivers, feedlines and antennas, propagation, electromagnetic compatibility (EMC), and electromagnetic radiation (EMR).

Radio Bands You Can Use

The foundation licence operator can operate in the bands listed below using the modes listed in the right hand column. The foundation licence operator can only use commercially manufactured equipment.

Radio band	Frequency	Permitted Emission Modes
80 Metres	3.500 MHz - 3.700 MHz	Amplitude Modulation (AM) voice Single Side Band (SSB) voice Hand Keyed Morse Code
40 Metres	7.0 00 MHz - 7.300 MHz
15 Metres	21.000 MHz - 21.450 MHz
10 Metres	28.000 MHz - 29.700 MHz	Amplitude Modulation (AM) voice Single Side Band (SSB) voice Hand Keyed Morse Code Frequency Modulation (FM) voice
2 Metres	144 MHz - 148 MHz
70 Centimetres	430 MHz - 450 MHz

Distances You Can Work

The Foundation Manual

The WIA has produced a book called the Foundation Licence Manual. It is a full color manual consisting of 95 pages of relevant information for those studying, or those who would just like a reference book for Foundation Licence Operators.

The manual contains the all relevant information you will need to know to successfully complete a training course to obtain a foundation licence. It also contains a wealth of information a Foundation Licence operator will need. Items like Band Plans, Electrical Safety information, operating procedures such as the Q code, how to contact you local radio club, the WIA and much more.

Budding candidates can obtain the Foundation Licence Handbook from several sources. It can be purchased via the WIA website, from the WIA office in Melbourne, via many radio clubs throughout Australia, from most amateur radio equipment suppliers and ultimately newsagents. The WIA member price for the Foundation Manual is $19.50 plus postage, the non member price is $24.50 plus postage.

Practical Assessment

The new licence structure introduces a practical assessment that is common to the three grades of licence. This means that once you have been declared competent by an assessor for the practical assessment as part of the qualification in receiving an amateur licence, that competency is transferable should you upgrade your licence. An exemption is provided for Novice and Novice-Limited licensees who exist prior to the implementation date of the new structure.

Training And Assessment

More than 60 radio clubs run training courses for foundation Licence training. The clubs are the ideal place to learn all about amateur radio. You can meet other hams, attend interesting lectures, and find out lots of information. If you decide to take up amateur radio as a hobby you will soon learn there are hundreds of different facets to the hobby. The standard time for training is around 12 hours. Some clubs will conduct training over several nights and some over a weekend.

The practical and 25 question multiple choice written assessment takes around 1 hour. A full list of all the radio clubs and their contact details can be found on the WIA webpage, click on the clubs tab on the top right hand side. Those clubs that are offering training and assessment are listed on this website.

Costs And Charges

Any charges associated with foundation licence training are up to the radio clubs conducting the training. You will need to check with your local club to find out what their charges are.

The WIA charge for a foundation licence assessment is $35.00
The foundation licence is issued by ACMA and the licence cost is currently $62.00 per year.

Remote Assessments

The WIA has made provision to conduct remote assessments for those people who live a long distance from a radio club or an assessor. A specially trained assessor will be able to conduct the assessment (via the phone) the candidate will need to be in the presence of a person, such as a local policeman or school headmaster. If you are one of these people and you would like more information you should contact the WIA

Services The WIA Provides

The WIA is the peak body representing amateur radio to ACMA, the government instrumentality who administers the radio spectrum, it also represents Australian amateurs internationally.; The WIA also produces a monthly magazine set to members, weekly broadcasts, provides a bookshop with a discount for members, works closely with the 100 affiliated radio clubs, provides the amateur examination service and helps members with the many questions and information they need to make the hobby more enjoyable.

Further Information

The Internet is a great source of information on amateur radio, the WIA website has a lot of information including links to club websites and a link to the WIA broadcast pages. You can down load last weeks or up to two year of broadcast and listen to the on MP3 files. The WIA website is www.wia.org.au Other sites are the American Radio Relay League at http://www.arrl.org/index.php3 the Radio Society of Great Britain at http://www.rsgb.org.uk/contents.htm Radio Amateurs of Canada at http://www.rac.ca/ If you search the web you will find thousands of site world wide that have been set up by radio clubs and individual amateurs, after all there are around three million of us.

Who To Contact

The WIA does not have the resources to answer a large number of telephone enquiries All questions should be directed to you nearest club as listed in the club section of the WIA website or e-mail us with your question at nationaloffice@wia.org.au

Foundation Licence

The Foundation Licence

Your Entry Into Amateur Radio