Canadian Amateur Radio Basic Qualification Examination — Information & Free Practice
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Exam Review
About Canadian Amateur Radio Basic Qualification Examination
Canadian Amateur Radio Basic Qualification Examination · CA
Key exam facts
- Exam questions
- Total questions: 100.
- Passing score
- 70%; Basic with Honours at 80% or above.
Topics covered
Regulations and Policies - 001 (25%)
- radio licences, applicability, eligibility of licence holder
- licence fee, term, posting requirements, change of address
- licence suspension or revocation, powers of radio inspectors, offences and punishments
- operator certificates, applicability, eligibility, equivalents, reciprocal recognition
- operation, repair and maintenance of radio apparatus on behalf of other persons
- operation of radio apparatus, terms of licence, applicable standards, exempt apparatus
- content restrictions - non-superfluous, profanity, secret code, music, non-commercial
- installation and operating restrictions - number of stations, repeaters, home-built, club stations
- participation in communications by visitors, use of station by others
- interference, determination, protection from interference
- emergency communications (real or simulated), communication with non-amateur stations
- non-remuneration, privacy of communications
- station identification, call signs, prefixes
- foreign amateur operation in Canada, banned countries, third-party messages
- frequency bands and qualification requirements
- maximum bandwidth by frequency bands
- restrictions on capacity and power output by qualifications
- unmodulated carriers, retransmission
- amplitude modulation, frequency stability, measurements
- International Telecommunication Union (ITU) Radio Regulations, applicability
- operation outside Canada, ITU regions, reciprocal privileges, international licences
- examinations - delegated examinations, disabled accommodation
- antenna structure approval, neighbour and land-use authority consultation
- radio frequency electromagnetic field limits
- criteria for resolution of radio frequency interference complaints
Operating and Procedures - 002 (9%)
- voice operating procedures - channelized VHF/UHF repeater
- phonetic alphabet
- voice operating procedures - simplex VHF/UHF and HF
- tuneups and testing, use of dummy load, courteous operation
- Morse (CW) operating procedures, procedural signs
- RST system of signal reporting, use of S meter
- Q signals
- emergency operating procedures
- record keeping, confirmation practices, maps/charts, antenna orientation
Station Assembly, Practice and Safety - 003 (21%)
- functional layout of HF stations
- functional layout of FM transmitters
- functional layout of FM receivers
- functional layout of CW transmitters
- functional layout of SSB/CW receivers
- functional layout of SSB transmitters
- functional layout of digital systems
- functional layout of regulated power supplies
- functional layout of Yagi-Uda antennas
- receiver fundamentals
- transmitter, carrier, keying, and amplitude modulation fundamentals
- carrier suppression, SSB fundamentals
- frequency and phase modulation fundamentals
- station accessories for telegraphy, radiotelephony, digital modes
- digital mode fundamentals RTTY, ASCII, AMTOR, packet
- cells and batteries, types, ratings, charging
- power supply fundamentals
- electrical hazards, electrical safety, security
- electrical safety ground, capacitor discharge, fuse replacement
- antenna and tower safety, lightning protection
- exposure of human body to RF, safety precautions
Circuit Components - 004 (6%)
- amplifier fundamentals
- diode fundamentals
- bipolar transistor fundamentals
- field-effect transistor fundamentals
- triode vacuum tube fundamentals
- resistor colour codes, tolerances, temperature coefficient
Basic Electronics and Theory - 005 (13%)
- metric prefixes - pico, micro, milli, centi, kilo, mega, giga
- concepts of current, voltage, conductor, insulator, resistance
- concepts of energy and power, open and short circuits
- Ohm’s law - single resistors
- series and parallel resistors
- power law, resistor power dissipation
- AC, sinewave, frequency, frequency units
- ratios, logarithms, decibels
- introduction to inductance, capacitance
- introduction to reactance, impedance
- introduction to magnetics, transformers
- introduction to resonance, tuned circuits
- introduction to meters and measurements
Feedlines and Antenna Systems - 006 (13%)
- feed line characteristics, characteristic impedance
- balanced and unbalanced feed lines, baluns
- popular antenna feed line and coaxial connector types
- line losses by line type, length and frequency
- standing waves, standing wave ratio (SWR) meter
- concept of impedance matching
- isotropic source, polarization via element orientation
- wavelength vs physical length
- gain, directivity, radiation pattern, antenna bandwidth
- vertical antennas - types, dimensions, characteristics
- Yagi antennas - types, dimensions, characteristics
- wire antennas - types, dimensions, characteristics
- quad/loop antennas - types, dimensions, characteristics
Radio Wave Propagation - 007 (8%)
- line of sight, ground wave, ionospheric wave (sky wave)
- ionosphere, ionospheric regions (layers)
- propagation hops, skip zone, skip distance
- ionospheric absorption, causes and variation, fading, phase shift, Faraday rotation
- solar activity, sunspots, sunspot cycle
- MF and HF, critical and maximum useable frequencies, solar flux
- VHF and UHF, sporadic-E, aurora, ducting
- scatter - HF, VHF, UHF
Interference and Suppression - 008 (5%)
- front-end overload, cross-modulation
- audio rectification, bypass capacitors, ferrites
- intermodulation, spurious, key-clicks
- harmonics, splatter, transmitter adjustments
- use of filters: low-pass, high-pass, band-pass, band-reject
How to prepare
Work through the topics, read the explanation after each answer, and revisit the areas where you miss questions. Use the official outline and reference materials below to guide your study.
These independent practice questions are not actual exam items and do not guarantee a passing result.
Frequently asked questions
How many questions are on the exam?
Total questions: 100.
What is the passing score?
70%; Basic with Honours at 80% or above.
Official sources and references
- RIC-3 — Information on the Amateur Radio Service
5.1 Basic Qualification Examination
- RIC-3 — Information on the Amateur Radio Service
5.1 Basic Qualification Examination, pass mark and honours
- Basic Qualification Question Bank for Amateur Radio Operator Certificate Examinations
Title page and Foreword
- Accredited examiners
July 15, 2025 - Update of Basic Amateur Radio Exam
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