Amateur Radio is a hobby. We do it as a pastime. We enjoy and explore the art and science of radio communications. The scope of this hobby is vast: from experimentation with radio electronics to the use of short-wave radio frequencies to communicate around the world, to building, launching and communicating through Amateur Radio satellites, to bouncing signals off the moon.
The hobby is both technical and social. It opens you up to world of exploration and learning. There is a real brotherhood and sisterhood among Radio Amateurs. If you travel within Canada or almost anywhere in the world, you will have instant friends wherever you go. Just like radio waves, Radio Amateurs can cross boundaries of language and culture easily. We bond over our common interest in this fascinating pastime.
Radio Amateurs develop their skills and knowledge out of personal interest, but we can be of service to our communities in times of emergency. When regular communications fail, Radio Amateurs can be the “Swiss Army Knives” of communications, deploying their equipment, skills and knowledge to fill those gaps and to help ensure the safety of our neighbours.
Over 75,000 Canadians are Radio Amateurs. That’s one Radio Amateur for every 500 Canadians. We are part of a global movement of over two million people who have passed examinations to prove their technical and operational competence. We have earned the privilege to experiment and innovate across the radio spectrum.
Once you have earned your “Certificate of Proficiency in Amateur Radio” and your call sign, you will have free access to 9% of all the allocated radio spectrum in Canada. That is an enormous opportunity and a responsibility: we must use it wisely.
Whatever your initial motivation for becoming a Radio Amateur, you are about to discover a much larger world. This book and this course will open you up to a vast array of scientific and cultural exploration unlike any other pastime in the world.
Welcome!