Getting Licensed🔗
Every transmission on the amateur bands in Canada rests on one document: the Amateur Radio Operator Certificate. This topic covers how to earn it, what each qualification allows, and the rules in RBR-4 that every transmission has to follow. It's also section B-001 of the Basic exam, a quarter of the questions.
No prior knowledge is needed; the articles quote ISED's own documents and name the issue of each.
1. The Certificate🔗
- Getting Your Amateur Radio Certificate in Canada — the Basic exam, what 70% and 80% unlock, finding an examiner, fees, and your call sign
2. Using It🔗
- What You May Transmit: Bands, Power, and Identification — which bands each qualification opens, bandwidth and band edges, power limits, and when to identify
- What You May Say: Content, Control, and Emergencies — what may and may not go over the air, who may operate, sharing bands, emergencies, privacy, and penalties
- Across Borders: Visitors, Third Parties, and Operating Abroad — the ITU treaty and regions, third-party traffic, visitors to Canada, and operating in the United States, CEPT, and IARP countries
- Who Enforces the Rules: Authority, Inspectors, and Penalties — where the rules come from, what a radio inspector may do, suspension, and the two routes to a penalty
- Antennas and Neighbours: Siting, RF Exposure, and Interference — consulting before you put up an antenna (CPC-2-0-03), Safety Code 6, and EMCAB-2 interference complaints
Where to Start🔗
Start with Getting Your Amateur Radio Certificate in Canada: it explains the qualifications that the second article's rules depend on.