Getting a Ham licence, procedure?

Our man in Havana

What is the procedure for getting a basic ham licence? Are there any books on the market with the syllabus?

Thanks
007

PauloMN

Procedure is to apply for the Radio Experimenter's License examination. The IRTS now look after this completely.

See here for more information.

Looks like they've updated the website, looks good.

You can also sit the morse code examination, although nowadays it won't entitle you to anything except a shorter callsign (no 'B' at the end of the callsign).

Best of luck with it, it's a great hobby - I'd love to have more time (and money) to devote to it. Since I got my license, I've hardly operated.

RoundyMooney

I'm worse than that.

Since I got the test, I haven't even applied for the call!

I still haven't done the morse either

Some basic maths knowledge and electronic theory is part of the course content, but eminently possible for anyone who applies themselves.

Best of luck, and if you need any help, let us know.

Our man in Havana

What radio did yee tell comreg you were using?

Also how often are the exams held?

bminish

Bond-007 wrote: »

What radio did yee tell comreg you were using?

Bear in mind that you are applying for a license to conduct experiments, you are only submitting your proposed equipment for your proposed experiments, no need to actually use that equipment

Comreg, being comreg have to decide if the proposed equipment meets the required technical specs, even though using the proposed equipment is not a license requirment
If you submit something that they have not had to deal with before this can result in a lot of 'arse scratching' in comreg whilst they decide if it meets the specs. This may considerably delay your application.

My strong advice is to submit something that they have dealt with in previous applications
The yaseu FT 847 and the Icom IC-706Mk2G are good choices

Also how often are the exams held?

the exams are held twice a year and I would strongly advise doing classes if there is a radio club holding them in your area.
If you can't attend classes, see if there is someone local who can help you prepare for the exam.

.brendan

watty

Once you get a licence you are in unique situation of being able to use ANYTHING, even without CE mark or homemade as long as you can verify it meets your licence conditions.

I got my licence on a reciprocal basis so have no experience of Irish exam.

What Brendan says is correct. Don't confuse Comreg on the application. Keep it Simple. Experiments to study Near Vertical Incidence Skywave propagation on 3.6MHz and 7.1MHz is even quite complex

I didn't have an HF rig, I had only a 2nd hand kenwood TR7500 2m (145MHz) 40ch 10W FM rig on my original Irish licence application
http://www.rigpix.com/kenwood/tr7500.htm

I think the IRTS has a CD of some kind relating to learn to pass exam.

http://www.irts.ie/cgi/index.cgi

Ordering the Course CD
To order a copy of the Course CD, send the registration fee of €5, along with your name and address to:

Sean Nolan
12 Little Meadow
Pottery Road
Dun Laoghaire
Co. Dublin

Lots of stuff here: http://www.rsgb.org/

I was an IRTS member for a while but this year paid a RSGB sub instead as it is good value if you want Radcom magasine, which IMO is much better than Practical Wireless or Everyday/EPE electronics.

If you want to exchange a lot of QSL cards, then the IRTS membership is worthwhile.

You also can have loads of mad aerials subject only to planning permission regarding huge masts, PMR446 allowed no aerial and CB only omni-directional verticals.

Our man in Havana

Thanks for all the advice. When are the next exams being held and what are the deadlines for applying to comreg? I doubt I will have trouble as i am a qualified electrician which should help me a bit.

CrowdedHouse

Bond-007 wrote: »

Thanks for all the advice. When are the next exams being held and what are the deadlines for applying to comreg?

The next exam will probably be held in January.You do not apply to Comreg,you have to apply through the IRTS.

You can subscribe to their news bulletin,the exam news will be announced there first.

http://www.irts.ie/cgi/newsmailer.cgi

I don't think you have to be a member to subscribe

The CD suggested by Watty is well worth having.

bminish

Bond-007 wrote: »

Thanks for all the advice. When are the next exams being held and what are the deadlines for applying to comreg? I doubt I will have trouble as i am a qualified electrician which should help me a bit.

Do take the time to study properly, the technical aspect that would will have already covered as a sparks only makes up about 1/3rd of the exam (it's in 3 sections) and a failure in any single section is an overall fail, no matter how ell you did in the other sections.

There is also a lot of stuff that is not on the syllabus / exam that is important as part of becoming a skilled and competent amateur radio operator. A course or a mentor will help considerably with that side of things.

it is worth taking time to learn morse too, It's a very effective and enjoyable mode that is still used by great numbers of us but you can't even decide if morse is for you or not until you have taken the time to learn it first.
Anyone contemplating learning morse should take time to read this on line book before beginning to learn as there is a lot of good advice on avoiding the common traps
http://www.raes.ab.ca/TASRT/index.html
with the right approach it only takes a few weeks to learn morse and it's a fantastic mode

.brendan

petronius

There is some basic Electronics/Physics and basic enough math - resistance/capacitance in series/parallel etc
The IRTShas been running the exam for the past couple of years, usually in January and June in Comreg in the Irish Life mall.
I think it was also held in cork this year?
There is other information on comreg details of the licence and course.
I would advise you to get the CD - cost bout €5 for post etc from Sean Nolan.
I used the CD last year and found it a great help to get my licence - particularly during lunch in work I would browse a section.
And look for a club on the irts site which may run a course, I think south dublin radio club runs a course on tuesdays - there is also one run in the south east/tipp/waterford I think.

I am not a CW...er but there is a tool downloadable called just learn morse which is very good I hear. I promise one day I shall learn......

CrowdedHouse

From this weeks IRTS news

The next theory examination for the experimenter
licence will be held on Wednesday 6 February 2008 at
2pm at the ComReg Offices in Dublin. A second centre
outside Dublin could be utilised if warranted by the
numbers wishing to sit the examination. The fee for the
exam is 50 Euro or 25 Euro for repeat candidates, full
time registered students, those who are retired,
unemployed or have a disability. Anyone wishing to sit
the examination should send the appropriate fee to Sean
Nolan EI7CD, 12 Little Meadow, Pottery Road,
Dunlaoghaire, Co Dublin.

A contact phone number and an e-mail address if
available should be included. Sean's address is
available in the Call Book section of the IRTS Website

Our man in Havana

Thanks very much CrowdedHouse, your a star!

RoundyMooney

I'm a sparks as well, and found that prior knowledge helped out in a big way with the theory end of it (in fairness, there isn't anything very challenging in there anyway!).

Pay heed to the regulations part of it, and you should be fine.