AMATEUR RADIO CERTIFICATION AND EXAM
The Amateur Radio exam is held for both classes of Amateur Radio Operators Certificates, the Basic and the Advanced. The Basic Qualification is the first step for an Amateur; it allows you to get on the air as an Amateur. For most people, the Basic qualification is designed to provide the privileges they want or need. The Advanced qualification is only for those that have previously taken and passed the Basic qualification; it allows a more technical approach to Amateur Radio.
Some of the privileges of having the Basic Qualification:
· Operation on all Amateur bands above 30 MHz using any mode that is acceptable in that band.
· Use a maximum transmitter power of 250 watts DC input
· You may construct, install and operate transmitters from kits that have been professionally designed and commercially packaged
RECOMMENDED STEPS
STEP 1:
Survey the overview material at:
Amateur Radio Service
http://www.ic.gc.ca/epic/site/smt-gst.nsf/en/h_sf01709e.html
Canadian Table of Frequency Allocations
http://www.ic.gc.ca/eic/site/smt-gst.nsf/eng/h_sf01678.html
Annotated RIC-7 by Donn Hilton and François Daigneault
During the first pass, separate the material into three categories:
1. things you know well
2. things of which you are aware but need to learn more
3. things that are completely unfamiliar
During successive passes, your goal is to transform items from Category 3 into Category 2 and from Category 2 into Category 1.
Use the Industry Canada documents (Steps 1 and 2), the EMO Lessons (Step 3), Wikipedia or Google to look up unfamiliar terms.
STEP 2:
Review the following documents from Industry Canada:
RIC-1 - Guide for Examiners Accredited to Conduct Examinations for Amateur Radio Operator Certificates
Issue 6, February 2009
RIC-3 - Information on the Amateur Radio Service
Issue 3, July 2005
RIC-7 - Basic Qualification Question Bank for Amateur Radio Operator Certificate Examinations
Issue 3, April 1, 2007
RIC-8 - Advanced Qualification Question Bank for Amateur Radio Operator Certificate Examinations
Issue 3, April 1, 2007
RIC-9 - Call Sign Policy and Special Event Prefixes
Issue 2 (Provisional), October 2005
RBR-3 - Technical Requirements Respecting Identification of Radio Stations
September 2007
RBR-4 - Standards for the Operation of Radio Stations in the Amateur Radio Service
Issue 2, January 2014
These documents contain factual information. You need to remember the information and, if possible, appreciate the intent and context.
STEP 3:
The basic certificate exam consists of 100 multiple-choice questions drawn from Industry Canada's RIC-7. Thequestions focus on eight subject areas: 1) Regulations and Policies, 2) Operating and Procedures, 3) Station, Assembly, practice and Safety, 4) Circuit Components, 5) Basic Electronics and Theory, 6) Feedlines and Antenna Systems, 7) Radio Wave Propagation, 8) Interference and Suppression.
Review (using SQ3R) the following materials produced by the Ontario EMO (Emergency Measures Organization)
Lesson # 1 - Regulations and Policies (based largely on the IC documents)
Lesson # 2 - Operating and Procedures (based largely on the IC documents)
Lesson # 3 - Block Diagrams Definitions & Safety
Lesson # 4 - Circuit Components
Lesson # 5 - Basic Electronics & Theory
Lesson # 6 - Antennas
Lesson # 6 - Feed Lines
Lesson # 7 - Radio Wave Propagation
Lesson # 8 - Interference
During the first pass, separate the material into three categories:
1. things you know well
2. things of which you are aware but need to learn more
3. things that are completely unfamiliar
During successive passes, your goal is to transform items from Category 3 into Category 2 and from Category 2 into Category 1.
Use the Industry Canada documents (Steps 1 and 2) or Wikipedia or Google to look up unfamiliar terms.
You may wish to obtain a copy of the UBC Amateur Radio Society's Basic Qualification Manual from the IEEE Student Branch.
STEP 4:
Study the following external document in detail:
Annotated RIC-7 by Donn Hilton and François Daigneault
Use the EMO Lessons (Step 2), the Industry Canada documents (Steps 1 and 3), Wikipedia or Google to look up unfamiliar terms.
STEP 5:
When you believe that you have a solid grasp of the material, obtain the exam generator software from:
ExHAMiner V2.5 (2014 04)
Please download at least one Question Bank from the above page and deposit in the same folder as the program.
§ Basic Qualification - English(2014 09)
§ Advanced Qualification - English (2014 09)
Schematics for Advanced Qualification Exam (2014 04)
Amateur Radio Exam Generator
http://www.ic.gc.ca/epic/site/smt-gst.nsf/en/h_sf05378e.html
Take the practice exam. When you are getting >80% every time you try the simulated test then you are ready for the real test.