About the Radio Course

The RARC Basic Qualification course is structured around 15 hours of instructions with a curriculum based on 100 topics in the Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada (ISED) exam for the Amateur Radio Operator Certificate.

Classes are held on five consecutive Saturday mornings starting on Feb. 3, 2024 from 9 am to 12 noon, with the exam on March 9.

Syllabus for the online version of this course includes additional audio-visual content, interactive presentations and reference handouts to help students obtain a better understanding of the Amateur radio topics and basic radio operations.

The classroom is an Internet-based, online environment using mainstream virtual conferencing tools (i.e. Zoom). Class size will be limited to retain productive discussions and knowledge exchange.

Current plan is to conduct the exam in-person at an open food court area in a Richmond mall. All RARC online Basic Qualification course exams during COVID-19 were safely held at a the mall (before the stores open). How and where the ISED exam will be conducted following the end of the course will depend on public safety protocols at that time. One-to-one online examinations are in place but the option will only be used if written exams are not possible. Richmond location for the written exam will be determined when we are closer to the exam date.

Registration fee includes a course study guide, reference handouts, instructor notes, Government of Canada (ISED) Basic Qualification exam, and online registration of call sign upon passing exam. Successful students will each receive a one year trial membership with RARC.

Payment of registration fee can be made electronically by either PayPal or Interac e-Transfer. Payment information is on the right-hand column of this page.

RARC Basic course exam at Lansdowne Mall on Dec. 2020. The venue turned out to be ideal as each student had his/her own table, the large skylight provided more than adequate lighting and most everyone was done before the stores in the mall opened.

Course Instructors

Classes are conducted by a faculty of instructors who are RARC members that are knowledgable and passionate about their respective Amateur radio subjects of interest. Some instructors are long-time radio operators and also hold Advanced and Morse Code qualifications. Classes usually have more than one instructor as well as other club members present to assist with the presentations and help answer questions from students. The exam will be conducted by RARC members who are Government of Canada ISED accredited (volunteer) examiners.

Why do you need a Basic qualification?

A Basic qualification certificate is required by ISED to legally transmit on allocated Amateur radio frequencies and is usually the first step into the Amateur radio hobby. Morse Code is a separate qualification and is no longer a requirement for a Basic qualification certificate. The Advanced(and Morse Code) qualification can be obtained for additional operating privileges after the Basic qualification.

Since many emergency communication services involve Amateur radio, volunteers (in Canada) will require a Basic qualification in order to operate on Amateur frequencies during emergency exercises and activation. As radio transmissions using HF bands are becoming more significant in emergency commmunications, it is recommended that Amateur radio operators possess at least Basic with Honours qualification (80%+ exam score) before volunteering with an Amateur radio emergency communications organization.

Online Basic Course
REGISTRATION
& PAYMENT

To register for the Basic Qualification course, send us an e-mail with the following info:

- Your name (same as your government ID)
- Telephone number (emergency contact)
- E-mail address (e-mail contact)
- Resident address (for call sign registration)

Payment of $100 course fee can be made by:

- PayPal online payment:
  (Use button below)

- Interac e-Transfer to RARC email address:
  rarc-payment@cwthree.com

- Cheque payment to RARC postal address at:
  PO Box 88061, Richmond, BC, V6X 3T6

Why is Your Personal Info
Required to Register
for the Radio Course?

Your personal information is necessary in order to submit your exam score to ISED and register your call sign.

Name: Needs to be same as the one on your government issued ID and will be used for your ISED issued certificate (a.k.a. licence).

E-mail address: Required by ISED (and RARC) to contact you so you can access your ISED account and register your call sign.

Residential Address: Canadian residency is required for your call sign. Province of your address will determine your call sign prefix. You can enter your full address when you create your ISED account and then have the option to display only your province on the ISED Website's call sign search datatbase.

Date of Birth: Your birth date is required to submit your exam score to ISED and register your Basic qualification. You can choose to enter that info confidentially yourself when the examiner is accessing the ISED site.