TRAINING / CERTIFICATION

Course Schedule

D-Star Course 202404D - April 13  (10:00)

NARC is pleased to announce that Chris Bone, VA6CMB, will be offering a D-STAR workshop on April 13th, 2024 at 10:00 at the NARC training site. Chris will present a course on D-STAR followed by a radio operations session. There is no charge for this workshop for NARC members. This is a great opportunity to learn about D-STAR in general and how to use your D-STAR capable radio. If you are interested, please let us know you will be attending by filling out the registration form linked below


NARC will be offering both a Basic and an Advanced course in Fall 2024. Further information will be available in June.


Register for one of these courses using this form linked right below.


Training Registration Form


Amateur Radio in Canada

To operate an Amateur Radio in Canada you must hold and Amateur Radio Operators Certificate. While some countries license Amateur Radio operators, in Canada it is a certification program regulated by the federal government, specifically Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada (formerly Industry Canada).  A step-by-step guide on becoming an Amateur can be found on their website at:  https://ised-isde.canada.ca/site/spectrum-management-telecommunications/en/spectrum-allocation/amateur-radio-service/amateur-certification-fact-sheet#B. Keep reading and we'll give you the basics. NARC offers Amateur Radio Operators Certificate training for both Basic and Advanced qualifications at various times throughout the year.

Amateur Radio Operators Certificate

In Canada there are three (well, four) Amateur Radio Operators Certificate qualifications:

Basic Qualification / Basic with Honours Qualification

Everyone must start with an Amateur Radio Operator Certificate with Basic Qualification. To earn your Amateur Radio Operators Certificate with Basic Qualification, you’ll need to pass a 100 question multiple choice exam covering such topics as radio operating practices, basic electrical theory, and the Radio communication regulations that apply to Amateur Radio. You must achieve a score of at least 70% to earn the Basic Qualification. This allows the use of VHF and UHF frequencies on the HAM bands above 30 MHz using all operating modes. A score of 80% or more will merit you the Basic Qualification with Honours qualification, which gives the holder operating privileges below 30 metres in addition to the privileges granted to Basic Qualification holders.

Advanced Qualification

To earn the Advanced Qualification, you must hold a Basic Qualification or Basic with Honours Qualification Amateur Radio Operators Certificate and obtain a score of 70% or more on a 50 question multiple choice exam covering electrical theory primarily related to the additional privileges granted to holders of the Advanced Qualification. Holders of an Amateur Radio Operators Certificate with Advances Qualifications has pretty much full capabilities bestowed on Amateur Radio operators through the governing legislation and regulation. This means holders can do things like:

Morse Code Qualification

To qualify, one must pass the Morse Code exam with 5 words per minute or greater for the entry level. This allows the use of all frequencies assigned to CW (Continues Wave). The American Radio Relay League has an excellent on-the-air CW practise with schedule here. As a NARC club member, we have 2 short wave (HF band) receivers which can be signed out for you to setup a HF receive station to study ARRL's code practise sessions. If you can't or don't want to setup a station, you can download the mp3 files for studying here. 

Here are some great links like this presentation then CW training here and CW Academy 

Take a Course

NARC offers both the Basic and Advanced courses at various times throughout the year depending on interest and instructor availability. Contact the training coordinator at: training@tnarc.ca.

While a course manual is included with the courses we offer you can also order your own manual if going solo.

Resources to Pass Your Exam

If you have self-studied and think you are ready to take any of the exams, here are the suggested steps to follow to successfully pass:

Step 1a: For Basic, go to: https://apc-cap.ic.gc.ca/pls/apc_anon/apeg_practice.practice_form for the online practice exam. You can also go to: https://apc-cap.ic.gc.ca/pls/apc_anon/apeg_print.basic_exam and download a paper copy of a practice exam – ensure you download all three files.

OR 

Step 1b: For Advanced, go to: https://apc-cap.ic.gc.ca/pls/apc_anon/apeg_practice.practice_form?p_level_id=1 for the online practice exam. You can also go to: https://apc-cap.ic.gc.ca/pls/apc_anon/apeg_print.advanced_exam and download a paper copy of a practice exam – ensure you download all three files.

Step 2: Take one practice exam per day. Once you have passed 6 to 8 exams in a row, you are ready and have an excellent chance of passing the written exam. The recommended score to meet or beat on either exam is 80%.

Step 3: Book an exam date with one of our accredited ISED examiners by contacting us here. Other examiners are available too and the current list of locally available examiners in Alberta can be found here: https://apc-cap.ic.gc.ca/pls/apc_anon/query_examiner_amat$examiner.querylist. Or you can book an exam with a Government of Canada Radio Examiner.

Self Study Resources

The Cold Lake Amateur Radio Society (CLARS) offers video training on their web site.

http://clares.ca/va6hal%20training.html

Excellent smartphone apps are made by Radio Amateurs of Canada (RAC). Google Android has "Amateur Radio RAC Basic Exam". Yes, there is also an advanced one for once you pass your basic qualification. On the Apple App store, there is a similar one called Amateur Radio Exam Canada, which is partly free but seems better as it records your progress. 

To find an Edmonton area examiner, go to the ISED Canada website. For locations, mix it up with Strathcona County, St. Albert, etc.  https://apc-cap.ic.gc.ca/pls/apc_anon/query_examiner_amat$.startup

Past and Upcoming Training Events

NARC ran a basic course which finished on May 14th, 2023 and graduated 6 new ham radio operators. An advanced course finished on 30 April 2023 graduating 6 new advanced qualification club members. The next basic and advanced courses will be starting sometime after Labour Day weekend

A one-day analog handheld programming workshop is planned which will be geared towards helping new ham radio operators. Students will need to bring their handheld, manual, and preferably a programming cable and a laptop.

Individual workshops for Digital FM modes (D-Star, Yaesu System Fusion, DMR) are planned, where students will need a handheld in their chosen digital mode, as well as a programming cable, laptop, and manual. 

For any workshops, there will be no fee for NARC members and a nominal fee for non-members. 

Anyone with interest in these learning workshops should submit a contact request directed towards training.