How do I get my amateur radio licence?
That is the single most-asked question on our contact page. It’s a question we’re happy to answer because we love the hobby and want to foster its development by encouraging prospective ‘Hams’ to get involved.
Licenses for amateur radio operators are issued by the federal government of Canada, specifically “Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada” or ISED. Their formal name used to be “Industry Canada” and many of us still call them that simply because it’s easier to say.
There are two main routes you can take to become an amateur radio operator:
Self-Guided Learning: This is a process of self-directed learning through provided materials. Basically, you learn everything on your own through various study guides, practice tests and reviewing the exam answer bank. Then, when you feel you’re ready, you “challenge” the test by contacting an ISED Accredited Examiner. Examiners are available throughout British Columbia and many in the Lower Mainland. The Maple Ridge club has a member that is an accredited examiner and if you’re ready, we can put you in touch with him.
We do not specifically endorse any particular book, guide or website, but we are aware of some resources to assist you. These include:
- https://www.hamstudy.com/
- https://www.coaxpublications.ca/ord0001.php
- RAC Study Guide (hard copy; available at local radio shops such as Burnaby Radio)
- https://www.qsl.net/ylradio/become.html
Take a Course: The other option, and the one most people prefer because of the highly technical nature of much of the material, is to enroll in a course. These courses are usually offered throughout the year by various amateur radio clubs as well as some individual hams with a passion for teaching. Some hams make a “side-business” of running courses and become very proficient at it. Any courses known to MRARC will be listed on the website.
The club previously endorsed a local instructor (Gary – AS) however as of 2021-October, Gary advises that he is retiring from instructing and his current course will be his last. As such, his contact details have been removed.
Note: Please don’t write to MRARC asking about when the next course is occurring; if we know of courses, they will be posted on the website as well as on the club’s facebook page. And if we know of another club running a course, we’ll be posting that too. RAC also posts a list of courses upcoming, which you can find here.
Now, whether you learn the material on your own, or you do like most and decide to take a course, one way or another, you’ll write the same ISED exam.
The Exam
If you’re like most of us, formal schooling wasn’t yesterday so the thought of studying and writing an exam isn’t high on our list of enjoyable tasks. We won’t lie, it’s not an “easy” exam, it takes work to pass.
The exam is 100 questions and the pass mark on the exam for your “Basic” licence is 70%. If you get 80% or better on the exam, your certificate will indicate “Basic with Honours”. The “honours” designation will let you use HF bands. HF bands use very long wires and other large antennas to bounce signals very long distances, what hams refer to as “DX’ing”. With a Basic licence (no honours designation), you’ll still have access to VHF/UHF bands which are where all the repeaters are located and where most activity happens anyway. Many hams get their licence to use handheld portable radios for hunting, 4x4ing and similar activities and have no interest in HF frequencies, so if that’s you, don’t stress about getting 80%.
Exam Questions
Sssshhhhhh! Here’s a secret: Below we’ll give you a link that will give you access to every possible question (and all the answers) that ISED could ask you on the exam. No, you’re not cheating and actually it’s not a secret, the exam question bank is provided by ISED to everyone for their preparation. In fact this link downloads directly from their website and gives you every question and answer:
Download PDF of all exam questions
Exam/Course Topics
Whether you’re studying on your own or taking a course, the learning (and the exam) will be comprised of the following eight topics:
- Regulations and Policies
- Operating & Procedures
- Station Assembly, Practice and Safety
- Circuit Components
- Basic Electronics & Theory
- Feedlines and Antenna Systems
- Radio Wave Propagation
- Interference & Suppression
Write the Exam NOW
“Okay, I know a lot of that stuff already and I think I’m ready to write the exam!” Well, we have some excellent news for you: You can now do the exam online, in fact, right now if you wish, and it’s totally free. Unfortunately, passing this won’t give you your licence, but it will give you a very, very good idea of how ready you are. We recommend to all those seeking their licence that they do a few exams until they are consistently passed. If you’ve chosen the self-directed learning method instead of a course, then you absolutely must spend a lot of time doing these exams to ensure you’re ready.
You can access the online exam generator here.
After I Pass the Exam, Then What?
After you pass you’ll be asked for your preference of call-sign. Because you’re in British Columbia, your call sign will start with VA7 or VE7. When the VE7’s became depleted, they started the VA7 series, so there are a lot more options to choose from in the VA7 list.
To see what call signs are currently available, click here.
More Info:
If we haven’t satiated your thirst for knowledge and you still have questions, there are two great sources of additional reading:
- ISED RIC Circular 3- Info on the Amateur Radio Service
- ISED RBR 4- Standards for Operation of Radio Stations
- Radio Amateurs of Canada, How to Start Website
And if you still have questions, please let us know. Best of luck in your journey toward licencing and we hope to hear you on the air soon!
73!
VA7DBJ.