Amateur Radio Basic and Advanced Qualification courses are being provided both online and in person. We are pleased to include information about any courses provided by Canadian Amateur Radio Clubs on this webpage. In addition, both Radio Amateurs of Canada (RAC) and Radio Amateur du Québec Inc. (RAQI) also provide online courses.
Once you have completed one of the excellent Basic Qualification Amateur Radio courses provided on this webpage and passed your examination to become an Amateur (well done!!), your Amateur Radio Operator’s Certificate will be sent to you along with an offer of a free one-year introductory membership in Radio Amateurs of Canada. Please see the information on the left for more information.
If you would like us to post information about any upcoming courses, please send complete information to Alan Griffin, MarCom Director and TCA Editor at or
Special Introductory Membership to Radio Amateurs of Canada
Once you have completed one of the excellent Basic Qualification Amateur Radio courses provided on this webpage and passed your examination to become an Amateur (well done!!), your Amateur Radio Operator’s Certificate will be sent to you along with an offer of a free one-year introductory membership in Radio Amateurs of Canada which includes:
- An online subscription to the digital (eTCA) version of The Canadian Amateur magazine (not the print version), with access to previous online issues
- Opportunities to connect with local Amateurs through the RAC Affiliated Club Program which includes liability insurance for your personal Amateur Radio activities
- Access to annual RAC Contests, Special Events and Operating Awards
- Opportunities and discounts from various partner organizations
- Full member rights including participating in the decision making at RAC Annual General Meetings and in the election of RAC representatives
We wish you well in your studies and look forward to hearing from you soon. For more information please contact .
RAC courses:
Radio Amateurs of Canada offers both online Basic and Advanced Qualification Amateur Radio Courses so that individuals can get started in Amateur Radio or upgrade their qualifications.
The RAC Basic Qualification Amateur Radio Course is conducted with the assistance of the Annapolis Valley Amateur Radio Club (AVARC) of Nova Scotia. Registration is now underway for the Winter 2025 course.
The RAC Advanced Certification Course is now taking place.
Please visit the Basic and Advanced Course webpage for more information.
RAC-RAQI Amateur Radio Course
Radio Amateur du Québec Inc., a provincial association, is pleased to offer a self-paced web-based training course to anyone seeking a Canadian Amateur Radio certificate with Basic qualification.
For Canadians who are working to obtain their Amateur Radio certification this is particularly useful for those unable to attend courses offered by local clubs.
For more information please visit: https://raqi.ca/node/359
RAC fera la promotion, hors Québec, d’un cours en ligne produit par RAQI pour la formation de nouveaux radioamateurs. Cette approche constitue une manière particulièrement intéressante aux apprentis radioamateurs canadiens qui n’ont pas la chance de pouvoir s’inscrire aux cours des clubs locaux.
Pour plus d’informations, visitez : https://raqi.ca/node/233
Courses offered by Amateur Radio Clubs
The following course information is prepared and submitted to us by Amateur Radio clubs and may not be up to date. Please contact the clubs directly using the contact information provided below if you have any questions.
British Columbia
Delta:
The Delta Amateur Radio Society is providing its next radio course in the fall. The Basic Amateur Radio Operator Certification Course teaches you how to operate radio equipment in preparation for the government operator examination.
Classes will be held over six weeks with the following schedule:
- Week 1: Regulations, Ohm’s Law and Power
- Week 2: Inductors, Capacitors, Semiconductors and Power Supplies
- Week 3: Transmitters, Receivers, Waves and Propagation
- Week 4: Transmission Lines and Antennas
- Week 5: Station Setup, Operation, Interference and Safety
- Week 6: Final Examination
—
Classes are held on Saturdays from 9 am to 6 pm, at the Boundary Bay Firehall Training Centre (near Boundary Bay Airport) in Delta.
The course is provided by experienced Radio Amateur operators, who all hold Advanced Radio qualifications. We expect to have at least three instructors available in each class.
We have adopted a comprehensive 352-page Coax Publications textbook, “Canadian Amateur Radio Basic Qualification Study Guide”. Each student will receive a personal copy on the first night of the course. Along with the textbook, you will have unlimited access to the online student success pages.
The registration fee of $120 includes the textbook, handouts, hands-on materials and the final examination.
Students should bring their own pens and a three-ring binder. You will also need a simple electronic calculator that must be non-programmable for the final exam.
This course is provided by the Delta ARS in cooperation with Delta Fire & Emergency Services.
For further information please check our course description at https://deltaars.com/radiocourse or contact .
Duncan:
The Cowichan Valley Amateur Radio Society sponsors a Basic Amateur Radio Operator Certification Course held in a classroom setting. Note that we do not offer an online course.
You’ll get all the info you need to obtain your Basic Amateur Radio Certificate and call sign useful for recreation, volunteering and emergency communication.
The course includes a multiple-choice examination by an Accredited Examiner at the end of the course.
Location: Classes are held in the Duncan area.
Fee: The course with the student workbook costs $25. Registration is required (see below). Donations are graciously accepted.
Date: The course typically starts the first or second week of April and the six weekly classes complete in the second week of May. Email for details.
Instructor: Les Dawes, VA7CBN
Assistant: Gary Giles, VE7RVT
Participants must be registered to join. To register email . Note that we do not offer an on-line course.
Lower Mainland from Squamish to Hope:
Gary Skett, VE7AS, offers private and small group ham radio courses held monthly in south Langley Township to achieve your Basic with honours certification. In-person training for one to four adults, 9-day course consisting of two consecutive Friday evenings and two consecutive Saturdays with ≈10 hours of home study in between the two weekends. Exam is taken on the second Saturday afternoon; certification the same day.
Private one-on-one tutoring is available on an hourly basis. E-mail for rates.
The instructor is an Advanced ARO and formally trained adult educator, with 55 years experience and 40 years of training in electronics and specifically amateur radio, specializing in the requirements to achieve your Basic with honours certification.
Accepting adult applicants from everywhere in the Lower Mainland. All materials are supplied.
As an ISED Accredited Examiner, Gary Skett invigilates online examinations via Skype from anywhere in the Provinces of B.C., Alberta, Yukon and the Territories. In-person examinations are offered at his residence in south Langley Township by appointment.
For more information on in-person classes or to book an examination, online or in-person, contact Gary at Please note: online courses are not offered.
Nanaimo:
The Nanaimo Amateur Radio Association (NARA) provides year-round training for the Basic Amateur Radio ISED exam. This training is open to any prospective Amateur in Nanaimo and surrounding areas.
There are 10 two-hour courses available via video recordings from a shared drive. In addition to the video courses the slides from the PowerPoint courses are also available.
To anyone taking these self-study courses, help, encouragement and feedback will be provided. A NARA examiner will be able to provide the ISED Basic exam at the end of this self-study course.
Once a year in the Fall, NARA also provides a live training course via Zoom. Again, 10 two-hour sessions, each a week apart, to allow for study in between each session. At the end of this 10-week course the Basic exam can be arranged through one of the NARA Examiners.
The NARA Basic course is designed to be a visual step by step introduction to the exam material which is reinforced by the use of typical exam questions. There is no charge for the NARA Basic course, though a manual (to be purchased) to assist with training is recommended.
In addition, NARA will offer advice on learning CW (Morse Code) for the ISED 5 words per minute Morse test. At present NARA does not offer an Advanced course, its mission is to get prospective Radio Amateurs on the air using their own call signs. NARA also provides a post Basic handout to those who have passed the ISED Basic Exam. This handout outlines the next steps necessary to get on the air.
To join the annual course in the Fall, join the self-study course or to receive Morse Code advice, please email for further information.
Richmond:
The Richmond Amateur Radio Club (RARC) offers an online Basic Qualification Amateur 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.
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.
Classes are typically held on five consecutive Saturday mornings from 9 am to noon, with the exam on the following Saturday. How and where the ISED exam will be conducted following the end of the course depends on safety practices and available venues at that time.
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.
Registration fee will include 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 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.
Stay tuned to the RARC website for more information:
http://www.richmondarc.ca/rarclub/basic147.html
Surrey, BC and beyond…
Surrey Amateur Radio Communications (SARC) in partnership with the Surrey Emergency Program Amateur Radio (SEPAR), now offers an online Basic course every 10 weeks. In the past year we have certified students of all ages in the BC Lower Mainland and beyond. These new Amateurs came from all levels of society, some with technical backgrounds, most without, as young as 12 years and as old as 85. Some were off-roaders, outdoors people, individuals looking for an interesting new hobby, and those interested in community service or emergency preparedness and staying in touch if the “Big One” hits.
Due to demand, we have added additional classes. The class is entirely online with instruction on seven consecutive Monday evenings and supporting videos available at any time.
Our online instruction offers the same course, with the same material as our classroom version. Our online CANVAS software is in use by universities and is rated among the highest in terms of reliability, ease of use and security. It requires no special software installation and may be accessed by a variety of web browsers on any Internet capable device and any operating system. There are also iOS and Android apps should you prefer those.
The course is divided into 12 modules, matching chapters in our included manual, and each chapter includes the slide presentation, the classroom video and supporting YouTube videos. There are online review quizzes that provide feedback and explanations for each module in the ISED Basic question bank.
The fee for a local student is all-inclusive at $80, but we also have special student and family rates. Because the real learning happens after the course, we include a year’s prospective membership in SARC (a $30 value), with access to our Zoom meetings and presentations.
As long as the current demand persists, we will continue online classes year-round, starting approximately every 10 weeks.
For further information please see our course description.
Thank you and 73,
John Schouten, VE7TI
Lead Instructor –
W. https://ve7sar.net/
Vancouver
The Vancouver Emergency Community Telecommunications Organization (VECTOR) Amateur Radio certificate Preparation & Examination Course can help you prepare for and obtain your Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada (formerly Industry Canada) Amateur Radio certificate. Our proven syllabus and experienced instructors will help you internalize the knowledge required to obtain your certificate regardless of your current level of radio, technical or policy knowledge.
VECTOR offers three or more six-week training courses annually. Each course concludes with a certificate exam administered by Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada approved examiners. This popular course routinely fills up quickly so don’t delay, register today!
For further information please visit: http://vectorradio.ca/training/amateur-radio-certificate-course/
North Vancouver:
Licensing Course for the Basic Amateur Radio Qualification Course is conducted by the North Shore Amateur Radio Club of Vancouver British Columbia.
The course for the Advanced Amateur Radio Operator Certificate is regularly conducted every second year by the North Shore Amateur Radio Club of Vancouver British Columbia.
For more information visit the club website at http://www.nsarc.ca/and click on Courses in the menu at the top left.
Vernon – North Okanagan Area
The North Okanagan Radio Amateur Club (NORAC) is providing Basic Amateur Radio Qualification Courses approximately once a year (fall, winter or spring).
The course consists of 12 sessions held two evenings per week over 6-8 weeks. This provides a small group of interested people with plenty of time for education, questions and review of the course material.
Classes are supported by our local Amateur Radio operators, instructors, and examiner. Please reach out and get on the waiting list so you can be contacted when the next course is coming together. Please our check our website for further details.
Website: https://norac.bc.ca
Victoria:
The Westcoast Amateur Radio Association (WARA) offers the Basic Amateur Radio Course by in person instruction.
For current/upcoming class information please go to the WARA website and click on http://www.ve7vic.ca/education
To sign up for the class, go to our Education Contact page at
http://www.ve7vic.ca/education
The Victoria Communications Club In Victoria BC, offers courses in the following:
- Building IRLP simplex nodes from second hand computers and radios
- Antenna construction
- RF design, tools and construction of homebrew radio equipment
- Building personal phone patches
The club meets at 204-2526 Government Street on the 1st Wednesday of each month at 7:30 pm.
Alberta
Calgary Amateur Radio Association
The Calgary Amateur Radio Association are revamping our training and will be offering both Basic and Advanced Amateur Radio Courses starting in 2025.
Visit our website at: http://caraham.org/Getting-Training for information on our courses as well as various online training options and resources.
If you have any questions, please contact the Training Coordinator at .
Manitoba
Radio Amateurs of Manitoba was formed in 2024 as the merger of two long standing radio clubs, the Winnipeg Amateur Radio Club, and the Manitoba Repeater Society.
Radio Amateurs of Manitoba offers the Basic Short Course several times per year to teach newcomers about amateur radio with the goal of passing the ISED Basic qualification.
Website: https://ramb.ca/
Ontario
Barrie
The Barrie Amateur Radio Club offers a Basic Qualification Course once each year starting in January or early February.
The course is held online via Google Meet video conferencing.
The course is approximately 10 Wednesday evenings long with each class from 7 pm until about 9 pm.
Cost: Total cost is $100. This includes the reference book Canadian Amateur Radio Basic Qualification Study Guide – 9th edition, a USB memory stick with student notes and several GB of files about various aspects of ham radio, testing by an ISED Accredited Examiner, and a free full membership to our club (for the remainder of the membership year) for those successfully obtaining their call sign. If you already have a copy of the reference book, then the total cost will be $60.
Website: https://barriearc.com/
Belleville
The Quinte Amateur Radio club offers a course for the Basic Amateur Radio certificate based on demand.
Please check the QARC website for information on when and where courses will be held in the Belleville area.
Website: www.quintearc.ca
Burlington
The Burlington Amateur Radio Club offers a Basic Qualification Amateur Radio Course starting in September each year.
The course consists of 8 classes run via Zoom.
The total cost is $100 which includes all course material required including the examination.
Students will also receive a full membership in the Burlington Amateur Radio Club for the remainder of that membership year.
Please see the website for starting dates and times.
Contact: Michael McArdle, VE3KAH –
Website: www.barc.ca
London
The London Amateur Radio Club will be holding its annual Basic Amateur Radio Course in the fall, and we will be reverting to face to face classroom instruction in 2023.
Classes take place on Saturday mornings from September 9 to December 9 inclusive, skipping the Thanksgiving weekend.
The exam is administered by our accredited volunteer examiners on December 9, and we’ll help with the paperwork to get your government issued licence. Please email the contact below for more details.
Website: https://LARC.ca
Kitchener-Waterloo
The Kitchener-Waterloo Amateur Radio Club (KWARC) offers a Basic Amateur Radio Course. This course is a condensed version of the full course offered by various clubs.
Participants will be expected to study course materials in advance independently, as well as attend the on-line classroom sessions. The classroom program will consist of an introduction to Amateur Radio, Meet the Instructors, Introduction to Internet self-study, and a discussion of the timetable on the first night.
On subsequent nights there will be various “hands on” demonstrations, a practice exam and a Government Examination conducted by the Club Examiners at the end. There will be seven online classroom sessions from 7:30 pm to 10 pm.
Club member Vic VE3YT has written a 103 page “Successful Guide for the Basic Exam” (in PDF form) organized in the same order as the ISED Question Bank. It teaches exactly what you need to know for the exam. It is $20 for the PDF, of which $10 is contributed to KWARC educational activities, so you’re already supporting the club.
Contact Vic at to buy this guide over email. We will be using this book as our “textbook” for the course.
Course instructors will be Roger Sanderson, VE3RKS, Gord Hayward, VE3EOS, Tim Vegh, VA3TMV, Jonathan Fritz, VA3JFZ, Dave Lahn, VA3DKL, Vic DiCiccio, VE3YT, John Klassen, VA3IJK and Rick Goetze, VE3ZUP.
Contact: To enroll in the course, please email Roger Sanderson, VE3RKS, at .
Website: www.kwarc.org/kw-class.html
Mississauga
The Mississauga Amateur Radio Club VE3MIS holds a course each year in Mississauga to provide you with the knowledge to pass your Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada (formerly Industry Canada) Basic Qualification Amateur Radio examination to obtain your Amateur Radio certificate.
Basic courses usually start in September and run until mid-December.
An Advanced Course is usually held the beginning in January and runs until March. This course will provide you with all of the information required to obtain your optional Advanced endorsement. The club also holds an optional Morse Code Course leading to your CW endorsement if sufficient students enroll.
Accredited Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada examiners are available in the club to administer the examinations as part of the class. RAC Study Guides are used for the Basic and Advanced Courses.
For more information on time, location, study materials and fees, visit our website.
You may also write us at:
Mississauga ARC
Attention: Education Manager
P.O. Box 2003
Square One Post Office
Mississauga, ON L5B 3C6
Website: https://www.ve3mis.ca/our-club
Niagara Region:
Oshawa
The North Shore Amateur Radio Club, Inc. located in Oshawa, Ontario will be hosting a virtual Basic training course this fall. The first class will start on Thursday, January 2, 2025.
The course consists of 13 evening classes approximately 2 to 2-1/2 hours long starting at 7 pm on Thursday evenings. The final exam is given on the 13th evening by an ISED Accredited Examiner.
The total cost is $65 which does not include the latest Basic Qualification Study Guide from Coax Publications. Students will be required to purchase this study guide from a dealer of Coax Publications.
Those who successfully pass the exam and receive a call sign will also receive a limited full year membership in the North Shore Amateur Radio Club for one year.
The course will be held on Zoom video conferencing. Upon successful course registration, an email with the Zoom link will be sent.
Check the club webpage for further details and a copy of the course information.
Contact: Derek Christian, VE3TKE
Website: https://www.ve3osh.com/
Ottawa
Ottawa Amateur Radio Club
The Ottawa Amateur Radio Club Inc. (OARC) located in Ottawa, Ontario hosts two hybrid Basic training courses each year. The first course starts in February and the second in September.
Classes run on Sundays from 14:00 to 17:00 Eastern. No classes on long weekends. The course is 12 weeks long after which arrangements are made to take the exam with an ISED Accredited Examiner.
The classes are recorded and uploaded to the web for your convenience. The course manual is provided as part of the course cost.
Those who successfully pass the exam and receive a call sign will also receive a free year’s membership in the OARC.
Upon successful course registration, you will receive an email with the physical meeting location and the Zoom information.
Check the club webpage for further details and a copy of the course information.
Contact: Harrie Jones, VE3HYS –
Website: https://oarc.net/courses/
Ottawa Valley Mobile Radio Club
The Ottawa Valley Mobile Radio Club offers an Amateur Radio course each year for those wishing to acquire a “Certificate of Proficiency in Amateur Radio” (Basic Radio Amateur qualification) from Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada (formerly Industry Canada) to operate an Amateur Radio station.
Please see the OVMRC website for information on when and where the courses are held.
Website: https://ovmrc.ca/courses/
Peterborough
Peterborough Amateur Radio Club: Amateur Radio Basic License Course
The Peterborough Amateur Radio Club hosts many virtual Basic License courses throughout the year. Please visit https://ve3pbo.ca/learning/ to see when the next course starts.
Cost: $60
The Course will be conducted Virtually via Google Meet.
The $60 fee also includes a free membership to PARC for the remainder of the Calendar Year.
Recommended study material can be purchased here: PARC study material
It is recommended that you purchase the book for later reference, but a loaned copy of this material can be arranged for Peterborough area participants if you do not want to use the book after the completion of the course.
This course is focused on what you need to learn to pass the exam only, and a workshop will be hosted in Peterborough at a later date for new Amateurs.
Contact: To register for the course or for more information please contact .
Toronto
The Central Toronto Amateur Radio Club offers a variety of Amateur Radio certification courses throughout the year, including certification for the:
Basic Qualification
Advanced Qualification
Morse Code Qualification
For more information about upcoming courses, please check out the club’s website.
Contact: Central Toronto ARC
Quebec
Drummondville
Club Radio Amateur de Drummondville Inc (CRADI) in partnership with / en partenariat avec le Centre communautaire récréatif Saint-Jean-Baptiste de Drummondville
Live online courses | Cours en ligne
Basic and Advanced certifications | Certifications basique et supérieure
- 2 hours per week for 10 weeks
- Comprehensive course textbooks
- 2 heures par semaine pendant 10 semaines
- Livres de cours détaillés
CRADI : https://www.va2gj.com – click on / appuyer sur
“Cours Radio Amateur / Amateur Radio Course”
Montreal
The Montreal Amateur Radio Club offers an 11-week course held on Saturday mornings starting in January for the Basic Qualification. It also offers, with sufficient demand, a course for the Advanced Qualification, held on Saturday mornings starting in late August or early September.Classes are held in the Notre-Dame-de-Grace area for between two to three hours each week.
Website: https://www.amateurradiocourse.ca/
RAC-RAQI Amateur Radio Course
Radio Amateur du Québec Inc., a provincial association, is pleased to offer a self-paced web-based training course to anyone seeking a Canadian Amateur Radio certificate with Basic qualification.
For Canadians who are working to obtain their Amateur Radio certification this is particularly useful for those unable to attend courses offered by local clubs.
For more information please visit: https://raqi.ca/node/359
RAC fera la promotion, hors Québec, d’un cours en ligne produit par RAQI pour la formation de nouveaux radioamateurs. Cette approche constitue une manière particulièrement intéressante aux apprentis radioamateurs canadiens qui n’ont pas la chance de pouvoir s’inscrire aux cours des clubs locaux.
Pour plus d’informations, visitez : https://raqi.ca/node/233
New Brunswick
Fredericton
Please share this with anyone you think might be interested.
Would you like to:
- communicate with people around the world without the use of phones or the Internet?
- experiment with electronics?
- interface radio transmitters with your computer?
- serve your community at public events or during serious emergency situations?
- talk to astronauts aboard the International Space Station, or communicate through satellites?
- develop new relationships and learn what is going on around world through the airwaves?
If you answered yes to one or more of these questions, then Amateur Radio (Ham Radio) may be for you!
The Fredericton Amateur Radio Club is offering a providing an Basic Amateur Radio Qualification Course starting in January 2020. For more information please visit the club website at www.ve9nd.ca
Website: www.ve9nd.ca
Nova Scotia
The RAC Basic Qualification Amateur Radio Course is conducted with the assistance of the Annapolis Valley Amateur Radio Club (AVARC) of Nova Scotia. The next course is scheduled for this winter.
Prince Edward Island
Charlottetown
Grid Square FN86
Newfoundland
St. John’s
The Society of Newfoundland Radio Amateurs (SONRA) offers an Amateur Radio Basic qualification examination preparation course this winter, pending sufficient enrollment.
This course will assist you in preparing for the Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada (formerly Industry Canada) written exam. Internet access is required for this course.
Course fee is $85.00 payable by cheque or cash and includes course material and examination. Seats are limited. If you would like to participate, please contact Ken.
Contact: Ken – VO1ST