Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: version B 2.10.1 6/24/83; site sask.UUCP Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!burl!mgnetp!ihnp4!alberta!sask!hardie From: hardie@sask.UUCP (Peter Hardie) Newsgroups: net.ham-radio Subject: Re: other countries & no-code Message-ID: <75@sask.UUCP> Date: Sun, 12-Aug-84 21:26:58 EDT Article-I.D.: sask.75 Posted: Sun Aug 12 21:26:58 1984 Date-Received: Tue, 14-Aug-84 00:37:33 EDT References: <12318@sri-arpa.UUCP> Organization: U of Saskatchewan, Canada Lines: 36 Canada has three amateur licenses: amateur, advanced amateur and digital. The amateur exam consists of a multiple choice exam on regulations, a written theory exam and 10wpm code test. This gives you access to all bands but only morse code is permitted on HF. (There are a couple of endorsements you can get on your license but they aren't important here) The advanced amateur exam has a multiple choice regulations test (again), a harder, written theory test and 15wpm morse code test. This gives you access to all bands and all modes except pulse modulation. The digital exam consists of the same regulations and written theory as the advanced amateur exam, but the code test is replaced by a further written exam on digital techniques. If you already have the advanced license then you only need to take the written digital part and this also gives you pulse modulation on top of everything else. If you only have the digital license then it gives you all permitted modes on all bands from 2 meters and up. I have all three licenses. The digital license seems to focus on packet radio theory and VHF/UHF propagation and although the math is quite simple you have to know what you are doing to answer the questions on packet radio throughput. The digital license certainly was not as popular as the DOC probably hoped. For what it is worth, my opinion is that studying for a reasonable technical exam takes as much effort as learning the code and therefore anyone too lazy to do one is also too lazy to do the other. I do NOT believe that the digital exam requires a B.Sc. to be able to pass it ... it is just as technical as the advanced exam but the focus is on digital techniques instead of analogue. The DOC has recently issued a notice in Part I of the Canada Gazette that it intends to change the amateur licensing system. If anyone has details of what they are up to I'd like to hear from you. My guess is that they will do away with the digital license and perhaps make our system similar to the British one with class A and B licenses. They may even change the written exams to multiple choice. Pete Hardie VE5BEL MAIL via ihnp4!sask!hardie