Over the past several years, CARC has dispensed with classes in amateur radio, favouring a self-study approach, with "Elmering" (mentorship) from local hams.  We will be pleased to assist you to become a ham radio operator!

Study materials are listed below to help those who want to become hams.

General Information :

What is Amateur Radio?

To answer that, we need to first talk about the Amateur Radio Service, which is a group of federally-licensed individuals who have voluntarily taken training and passed standard examinations in order to obtain those licenses. The licenses permit them to operate radio frequency transmitters at power levels which far exceed those available in Citizen's Band (CB), Family Radio Service (FRS), General Mobile Radio Service (GMRS), and even most aviation and marine-oriented radio systems. Amateur ("ham") radio communications are two-way conversations between individuals and groups of individuals, not broadcasts (like conventional FM radio in your home or car). We don't transmit music, and we cannot use our radios for any form of commercial venture.

So, what do you do with your radios?

Many of us enjoy fun and stimulating conversations with people around our region, as well as people around the world. There are different types of radios, and they each have different abilities and distances over which they can operate. Some of us like to operate in contests, which test our ability to contact a wide variety of other operators in a fixed amount of time - essentially, to challenge our abilities to communicate efficiently. Others like to participate in "nets" which are organized groups of people who gather and exchange messages and greetings - some nets are specifically aimed at handling emergency and welfare traffic in preparation for disasters, which brings us to another aspect of amateur radio.

The Amateur Radio Service exists to ensure that there is a body of trained individuals who own and can use equipment to maintain radio contact, which can be vital in the event of a large-scale disaster. Many of us volunteer our time and skills to assist in disaster preparedness, and stand ready to go to work as communicators should a disaster occur. This exciting branch of our hobby links us to government and provincial emergency preparedness groups, as well as to aid organizations like the Canadian Red Cross and to the EMS system (police, fire, ambulance.)

We also engage in public service events, like providing communications for road races and other events that are spread over a long distance. Our equipment can communicate with greater power levels than commercially-available devices, and we are trained communicators, so we already know proper communication protocols.

If this sounds like fun, read on!

Ok, I'm interested. How do I start?

The first step is to begin your study. Below, you'll find a link to Radio Amateurs of Canada, the association which promotes and supports the Amateur Radio Service in Canada. There, you'll find a book called the "RAC Study Guide for the Basic Qualification." This is your entry text to gaining your license, and contains all the information you will need to pass your Basic examination.

What if I have problems?

If you're having any troubles with the material, feel free to contact us (see our main page for contact information.) We'll find a ham to assist you in your studies, whether by telephone, e-mail, or meeting face-to-face. Usually, it's only one or two concepts that you'll find tough, and once you master those, it will be smooth sailing.

I'm scared of the math . . . is it hard?

No, it's not hard - but it is challenging for some. The mathematics involved in your basic exam is, well, basic. Anything you'd need to calculate can be done with a dollar-store calculator; there's nothing that would require a scientific calculator, or knowledge of trigonometry, or anything like that. You'll need to understand some prefixes (you already know a bunch - a kilometre is a thousand metres, a millilitre is a thousandth of a litre, for example) and a couple of very simple formulas - and that's about it.

I think I'm doing pretty good with this stuff, now what?

Once you feel you're getting ready to take your test, you should download the Industry Canada Exam Generator (ICP). You can take as many practice tests with that software as you want - it uses the same question bank as your real test will use. One thing to note, however: since that program was written, there have been some changes to the pass mark structure. It used to be that a 60% was a pass, but things have changed. Now, a 70% is a pass.

However, there are some other benefits - in order to use the long-distance radio spectrum (what hams call the "HF" range) you had to pass a Morse Code exam. Now, you don't have to do Morse Code. Passing your Basic exam with 80% or above gives you the same privileges!

Of course, if you want to take a Morse Code exam to gain those privileges, you still can - passing a sending and receiving test at 5 words per minute will get you the same results.

When you can consistently pass the exam at a good margin, and at the level you want, you're ready to take your real test.

The Real Thing

To take your real test, you need to contact one of our Industry Canada Accredited Examiners, otherwise known as "delegated examiners." These are hams who have been authorized by Industry Canada, the federal agency which governs radiocommunications (among many other things), to administer the amateur radio qualification examinations.

Different examiners service different areas of the province. You can check RAC's list of accredited examiners which is supplied in Microsoft Excel (.xls) format. As of this writing, there are examiners in Summerside and Souris as well as in Charlottetown. Once we receive permission from the examiners who are CARC members, we will list there contact information on this site as well. If you don't have Microsoft Excel, you can download the Excel Viewer from Microsoft.

When you call or e-mail your examiner, you'll set up an appointment to write the test. Generally, all required materials will be provided by the examiner, but if there is anything they need you to bring, they'll tell you. You are not permitted to take in any notes or textbooks, nor can you use any communication device (like a cellphone) during the exam to gain assistance. The test for the Basic qualification is multiple-choice, and a pass mark of 70% is required for your Basic license which gives you access to the VHF, UHF and higher bands; a mark of 80% or more will gain you additional privileges, and allow you to use the HF bands and MF band allocated to the amateur service.

I passed! Now what?

Once you have passed your exam, and you have received your license from Industry Canada, you can begin using your new privileges. You may want to consider purchasing a VHF handheld or mobile radio; if you scored 80% or more, you might be interested in starting out in the HF bands. Either way, you'll probably want to find out where to buy equipment. The best way to find that kind of information is to come out to one of our breakfasts (see the section on "meetings"). Once you meet some hams, you can see what equipment they have, get some advice, perhaps even find someone who's selling a piece of equipment. Let the adventure begin!