Foundation
Your first licence: 25 W and the main bands.
Exam: 26 questions in 60 minutes; 19 correct to pass.
£39lifetime access
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UK amateur radio exams · RSGB syllabus 2026
Get your amateur radio licence, one short lesson at a time
Clear video lessons, worked calculations and full mock exams in the RSGB format. Up to date with Ofcom's 2024 licence and 2025 guidance.
Photo: Kotoviski, CC BY-SA 3.0
64video lessons
96worked calculations
15full mock exams
650mock exam questions
384flashcards
How every lesson works
Watch it, check it, work it out
Each lesson takes about fifteen minutes and covers one part of the syllabus, from Ohm's law to the ionosphere.
1
Watch
A short narrated video with clear diagrams: circuits, block diagrams and graphs drawn as they're explained.
The superhet · IF = RF ± LOMixer · local oscillator · fixed IF
2
Check
Five exam-style questions after every lesson, with the reason behind each answer.
Which tuned circuit has a high impedance at resonance?
Parallel ✓
3
Work it out
Try each calculation, then reveal the working one line at a time.
9 V, R1 = 6.8 kΩ, R2 = 2.2 kΩ
Vout = 9 × 2.2 ÷ 9.0
= 2.2 V
Vout = 9 × 2.2 ÷ 9.0
= 2.2 V
4
Test
Full mock exams with the real number of questions, time and pass mark, and a score for every section.
Technical aspects · 12/14Feeders and antennas · 3/4
Free lessons
Watch a whole lesson free
Complete lessons from the Foundation, Intermediate and Full courses, with the key points, a quick check and the transcript.
▶ 2:51Electricity: current, circuits, Ohm's law, power and batteries
Conductors and insulators, what a circuit needs, Ohm's law, power in watts, polarity and batteries, with simple calculations.
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▶ 3:31Antennas: types, polarisation, patterns, gain and ERP
What an antenna does, polarisation, the common antenna types, radiation patterns, gain, and how to work out ERP.
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▶ 2:56Making a contact: listening, calling, phonetics, reports and logs
How to find a clear frequency, make a CQ call, use the phonetic alphabet and suffixes, give a signal report, keep a log, and behave on air.
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▶ 3:10Resistors: series, parallel, potential dividers and source resistance
Ohm's law with milli and kilo, combining two or three resistors, the potential divider, tolerances, and why a battery's voltage drops under load.
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▶ 3:28Receivers: sensitivity, selectivity and the superhet
Crystal sets and direct conversion receivers, sensitivity and overload, selectivity and its limits, the superhet and its intermediate frequency, detectors for each mode, and AGC.
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▶ 3:40Propagation: ground wave, the ionosphere and VHF
Ground, space and sky waves, polarisation, the ionospheric layers and what changes them, MUF and LUF, skip, hops, fading, long path, sporadic E and multipath.
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▶ 2:41Reactance, phase, impedance and coupling
Phase in inductors and capacitors, calculating reactance, capacitors for coupling and decoupling, RF chokes, and impedance in series CR and LR circuits.
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▶ 3:16The superhet in depth: mixers, image frequency and IF stages
The superhet and double superhet, mixer products, choosing the local oscillator, calculating the image frequency, high and low IFs, and IF transformers and gain control.
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▶ 3:21Operating: split frequencies, 5 MHz and 472 kHz, ITU regions and CEPT
Why stations work split, testing for interference, the 5 MHz and 472 kHz band plans, band plans abroad, the three ITU regions, and operating overseas under CEPT and HAREC.
Watch the free lesson →The courses
Foundation, Intermediate and Full
One course for each UK licence level. Foundation, Intermediate and Full are ready now.
Intermediate
100 W, the microwave bands and building your own equipment.
Exam: 46 questions in 90 minutes; 28 correct to pass.
£49lifetime access
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Up to 1 kW and operating abroad.
Exam: 58 questions in 120 minutes; 35 correct to pass.
£59lifetime access
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Intermediate + Full courses
Both courses: 48 video lessons, 10 mock exams and every handout. Lifetime access.
£89save £19 · lifetime access
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All three courses: Foundation, Intermediate and Full
Every course from your first licence to Full: 64 video lessons, 15 mock exams and every handout. Lifetime access.
£119save £28 · lifetime access
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Frequently asked questions
Is RadioPrep an RSGB course?
No. RadioPrep is independent. The courses follow the RSGB's published exam syllabus and Ofcom's licence conditions, but they aren't affiliated with or endorsed by the RSGB or Ofcom. You book the exam itself through the RSGB.
Is it up to date?
Yes. The courses follow the RSGB syllabus version 1.6b (March 2026), the Ofcom licence conditions of February 2024 and Ofcom's guidance of October 2025, including 25 W for Foundation, 100 W for Intermediate, 1000 W for Full and the current call sign formats.
How are the mock exams like the real thing?
Each paper has the same number of questions, the same time and the same pass mark as the RSGB exam, with the questions spread across the syllabus sections in the same proportions. The questions are our own, not copied from RSGB papers.
What about the calculations?
Every lesson with maths has a 'Work it out' step: try the calculation yourself, then reveal the working one line at a time. The same worked examples are on the printable revision sheet.
How long do I have access?
For as long as we run the course, with no subscription. If we ever close a course, we'll give you at least 12 months' notice.
Can I get a refund?
You can cancel within 14 days. Because the course is digital content, the right to cancel ends once you start the lessons, and we ask you to confirm this at checkout.
Try the sample questions
One question from each section of the syllabus, for each level, with the answers explained.