Intermediate licence course
Everything in the RSGB Intermediate syllabus, in 23 short lessons, then 5 full mock exams to check you're ready.
23 lessons32 worked calculations230 mock questionsLifetime access
The Intermediate exam has 46 multiple-choice questions in 90 minutes, and you need 28 correct to pass. The lessons follow the syllabus section by section, with more time where the exam asks more questions.
Section 1: Licensing and station identification
6 of the 46 exam questions.
- 1Your Intermediate licence: privileges and responsibilitiesWho may use your station and how, operating from ships and aircraft, and when you may pass messages for other people and organisations.
- 2Licence conditions: interference, logs, remote control, EMF and Schedule 1What happens if your station causes interference, when you must keep a log, the rules for remote and unattended operation, when the EMF rules apply, and how to read Schedule 1.
Section 2: Technical aspects
14 of the 46 exam questions.
- 3Resistors: series, parallel, potential dividers and source resistanceOhm's law with milli and kilo, combining two or three resistors, the potential divider, tolerances, and why a battery's voltage drops under load.
- 4Capacitors and inductors: how they work and how they combineWhat capacitance and inductance are, what increases them, the series and parallel formulas for each, polarised capacitors and tuning slugs.
- 5Alternating current: sine waves, RMS, phase and reactanceThe sine wave, period and frequency, phase, RMS and peak values, and how capacitors and inductors oppose alternating current in opposite ways as frequency changes.
- 6Frequency and wavelength, RF on conductors and digital signalsConverting between frequency and wavelength, why current and voltage vary along an antenna wire, and how sampling turns an analogue signal into a digital one.
- 7Transformers and tuned circuits: resonance, impedance and QHow a transformer steps voltage up or down, what happens when a capacitor and inductor resonate, how series and parallel tuned circuits behave, and what Q tells you about selectivity.
- 8Filters: low pass, high pass, band pass and notchThe four filter types, their circuits and response curves, the cut-off frequency, and how filters stop a transmitter radiating harmonics.
- 9Semiconductors: diodes, transistors, amplifiers, oscillators and ICsHow a diode conducts, the varicap diode, the bipolar transistor as an amplifier and a switch, biasing, crystal and variable oscillators, and integrated circuits.
- 10Power supplies: cells, batteries, rectifiers and regulatorsCell voltages and battery capacity, half-wave, full-wave and bridge rectifiers, smoothing with a reservoir capacitor, and linear versus switched-mode supplies.
Section 3: Transmitters and receivers
7 of the 46 exam questions.
- 11Modulation: AM depth, FM deviation and single sidebandDepth of modulation, peak deviation, narrow and wide band FM, how single sideband is made and why it's efficient, and which modes use the least bandwidth.
- 12Inside a transmitter: oscillators, stability, DDS and amplifier efficiencyThe block diagrams of CW, AM, SSB and FM transmitters, crystal versus variable oscillators, how to keep an oscillator stable, digital synthesis, and how to work out amplifier efficiency.
- 13Clean transmissions: harmonics, key clicks and chirpWhere harmonics come from and who they bother, why fast keying causes key clicks and how to shape it, and what causes chirp and how to cure it.
- 14Receivers: sensitivity, selectivity and the superhetCrystal sets and direct conversion receivers, sensitivity and overload, selectivity and its limits, the superhet and its intermediate frequency, detectors for each mode, and AGC.
- 15Software defined radio: time and frequency domainsHow an SDR uses the Fourier transform, what the time and frequency domains show, simple spectra of harmonic waves, and the blocks inside a software defined radio.
Section 4: Feeders and antennas
4 of the 46 exam questions.
- 16Feeders, baluns, SWR and matchingBalanced and coaxial feeders, characteristic impedance, feeder loss in decibels, choke baluns, standing waves, and what an antenna matching unit can and can't do.
- 17Antennas: patterns, gain, EIRP, Yagis and trapsRadiation patterns in three dimensions, front-to-back ratio and beamwidth, isotropic gain and EIRP, the angle of radiation, feed point impedance, the Yagi and the trap.
Section 5: Propagation
3 of the 46 exam questions.
- 18Propagation: ground wave, the ionosphere and VHFGround, space and sky waves, polarisation, the ionospheric layers and what changes them, MUF and LUF, skip, hops, fading, long path, sporadic E and multipath.
Section 6: Electromagnetic compatibility
4 of the 46 exam questions.
- 19EMC: immunity, how interference gets in, and the curesWhat electromagnetic compatibility means, how amateur signals and household devices interfere, direct pick-up and broadband amplifiers, and the cures: filters, ferrites, common-mode chokes and the dummy load test.
- 20Station layout, RF earths and mobile installationsConnecting the station to minimise EMC problems, what a good RF earth is, where not to put a transmitting antenna, and installing a radio safely in a vehicle.
Section 7: Operating practices
2 of the 46 exam questions.
- 21Operating: prefixes, awards, band plans, data modes, satellites and operating abroadInternational prefixes, awards and contests, the IARU band plan rules, Q codes, computer data modes, working through satellites, and why the Intermediate licence doesn't travel.
Section 8: Safety
3 of the 46 exam questions.
- 22Safety: stored charge, fuses, batteries, tools, EMF and lightningDischarging capacitors, choosing the right fuse, live working, vehicle batteries, safe use of hand and power tools, EMF distances at 100 watts, and static protection.
Section 9: Measurements and construction
3 of the 46 exam questions.
- 23Measurements and construction: meters, decibels, colour code and solderingUsing a multimeter correctly, voltmeters and ammeters, measuring power, decibel arithmetic with 3 and 10 dB, dBW, dBi and dBd, the resistor colour code and markings, screening and soldering.
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.