Full licence course
Everything in the RSGB Full syllabus, in 25 short lessons, then 5 full mock exams to check you're ready.
25 lessons53 worked calculations290 mock questionsLifetime access
The Full exam has 58 multiple-choice questions in 120 minutes, and you need 35 correct to pass. The lessons follow the syllabus section by section, with more time where the exam asks more questions.
Section 1: Licensing
7 of the 58 exam questions.
- 1The Full licence: messages, interference, Schedule 1 and coordinationWhat you may send and to whom, codes and encryption, the law on offensive messages, clean transmitters, Ofcom's role, and reading Schedule 1 and the Notice of Coordination.
- 2EMF compliance: assessments, public areas, records and emergenciesWhere the EMF limits come from, who counts as the general public, where they may be, how to carry out an assessment, what records to keep, and the emergency exemption.
Section 2: Technical aspects
11 of the 58 exam questions.
- 3Resistor networks, power and toleranceSolving series and parallel resistor networks for current, voltage and power, the three power formulas, and how component tolerances affect a circuit.
- 4Capacitance, charge, inductance and time constantsWhat sets a capacitor's value, charge and the coulomb, dielectrics and breakdown voltage, self-inductance and back EMF, and time constants in CR and LR circuits.
- 5Reactance, phase, impedance and couplingPhase in inductors and capacitors, calculating reactance, capacitors for coupling and decoupling, RF chokes, and impedance in series CR and LR circuits.
- 6Resonance, Q, dynamic resistance and crystalsFinding resonant frequency, Q and the voltages it produces, half-power points and bandwidth, dynamic resistance, and how quartz crystals resonate.
- 7Transformers, sampling and aliasingMutual inductance, the voltage, current and impedance ratios of a transformer, core materials and losses, and how sampling, aliasing and the Fourier transform work.
- 8Semiconductors: Zener diodes, biasing, amplifier types and oscillatorsZener diodes, biasing bipolar and field effect transistors, the three amplifier configurations, amplifier classes, and what keeps an oscillator going.
- 9Power supplies: stabilisers, PIV and switch modeStabilising circuits with Zener diodes, pass transistors and ICs, the peak inverse voltage rectifiers must survive, and how a switch mode supply works.
Section 3: Transmitters and receivers
12 of the 58 exam questions.
- 10SSB and FM transmitters: modulation index, bandwidth and multipliersFM modulation index and sidebands, SSB and FM transmitter block diagrams, frequency multipliers, and calculating the bandwidth of AM, SSB and FM signals.
- 11Oscillators and synthesisers: drift, PLL and DDSWhy drift matters, how a phase locked loop synthesiser works and sets its step size, direct digital synthesis, and how synthesisers can go off frequency.
- 12RF power amplifiers: linearity, classes, peak power and ALCWhich modes need linear amplifiers, how distortion creates harmonics and intermodulation, the parts of a PA, rating for different modes, and ALC.
- 13Unwanted emissions: over-modulation, harmonics, intermodulation and parasiticsHow over-modulation and over-driving widen a signal, driving external amplifiers, avoiding harmonics and mixer products, and curing parasitic and self-oscillation.
- 14The superhet in depth: mixers, image frequency and IF stagesThe superhet and double superhet, mixer products, choosing the local oscillator, calculating the image frequency, high and low IFs, and IF transformers and gain control.
- 15Receiver performance: dynamic range, preamps, phase noise, demodulators and AGCHow overload creates intermodulation, dynamic range, phase noise, when a preamplifier helps, how AM, CW, SSB and FM demodulators work, and AGC attack and decay.
- 16SDR, I and Q, transceivers and transvertersPhasors, I and Q signals and how SDR demodulates any mode, direct sampling, what transceivers share, RIT, and using transverters safely.
Section 4: Feeders and antennas
4 of the 58 exam questions.
- 17Feeders and matching: velocity factor, return loss, AMUs and quarter-wave transformersVelocity factor and electrical length, balun types, SWR and return loss, how feeder loss hides a mismatch, matching units, and the quarter-wave transformer.
- 18Antenna lengths, current and voltage, and feed point impedanceCalculating practical dipole and vertical lengths with an end factor, current and voltage along an antenna, and the feed point impedances of common antennas.
Section 5: Propagation
3 of the 58 exam questions.
- 19Propagation: field strength, MUF, NVIS, EME, aurora and link budgetsHow field strength falls with distance, E and H fields and circular polarisation, the Sun's effects, critical frequency and MUF, NVIS, EME, aurora, galactic noise and link budgets.
Section 6: Electromagnetic compatibility
10 of the 58 exam questions.
- 20How interference happens: blocking, cross-modulation, rectification and imagesWhy installation affects immunity, your EMC responsibilities, non-compliant equipment, blocking and cross-modulation, passive intermodulation, rectification, masthead amplifiers, IF and image interference.
- 21Curing interference: filters, field strength, bonding, vehicles and complaintsFilters and stubs, mains and braid-breaking filters, why ferrite rings stop common-mode current, calculating field strength, RF bonding, balanced antennas, vehicle installations and handling complaints.
Section 7: Operating practices
2 of the 58 exam questions.
- 22Operating: split frequencies, 5 MHz and 472 kHz, ITU regions and CEPTWhy 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.
Section 8: Safety
4 of the 58 exam questions.
- 23Safety: PME, live working, lightning, risk assessment and generatorsLethal voltages, PME earthing and the RF earth, live working, RF exposure, lightning, temporary and mobile operation, risk assessments and generator safety.
Section 9: Measurements and construction
5 of the 58 exam questions.
- 24Test equipment: meters, SWR bridges, oscilloscopes and spectrum analysersMultipliers and shunts, how meters load circuits, source and load impedance, how SWR meters work, reading an oscilloscope, and what a spectrum analyser shows.
- 25Measuring power and frequency, decibels and temperature effectsFrequency measurement accuracy near band edges, crystal calibrators, counters and standard frequencies, measuring RF power and PEP, decibel calculations, and temperature effects on components.
Before you buy
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.