Advanced Amateur Radio (Canada) cheat sheet

In Canada, amateur radio is governed by the Radiocommunication Act and the Radiocommunication Regulations; Industry Canada (ISED) issues the Amateur Radio Operator Certificate, and the certificate itself is the licence - no separate station licence fee is required.

Three certificate levels exist: Basic, Basic with Honours (≥80% on the Basic exam), and Advanced. Advanced privileges include building or modifying transmitting equipment, operating at higher power (up to 1000 W PEP), and access to certain bands and modes.

The Basic certificate grants access to bands above 30 MHz and portions of the HF bands using commercially manufactured equipment, with a maximum transmitter power of 250 W PEP for Advanced holders and 250 W for Basic holders (Basic is limited to 250 W; Advanced may use up to 1000 W).

Call sign structure: VE for eastern Canada, VA for eastern Canada (newer assignments), VO for Newfoundland and Labrador, VY for the territories (VY1 Yukon/NWT, VY2 PEI, VY9 for special events). Suffix is 2–3 letters; special-event prefixes include VC, VB, VG, VX.

Identification: station call sign must be transmitted at the beginning and end of each communication and at least every 30 minutes during a contact. On repeaters, identification is required at the end of the contact and every 30 minutes.

Third-party traffic: Canada permits third-party messages only where the third party is a Canadian or where the message is of a personal nature; international third-party traffic requires a third-party agreement. Never handle traffic for stations in countries that prohibit it.

Emergency communications: the amateur service may be used for emergency communications when normal means fail. Use the word "emergency" or the international distress signal; the frequency 146.520 MHz is the national simplex calling frequency.

Interference and power: use the minimum power necessary; do not cause harmful interference; if interference occurs, reduce power, change frequency, or cease operation. Deliberate interference (jamming) is prohibited and reportable to ISED.

Log and records: a station log is not mandatory but is recommended; retain records of any ISED correspondence. Repeater and remote station operation requires the permission of the controlling operator.

Ohm's law: E = I × R; power: P = E × I = I²R = E²/R. In AC circuits, impedance Z combines resistance R and reactance X: Z = √(R² + X²).

Reactance: capacitive X_C = 1/(2πfC) (decreases with frequency); inductive X_L = 2πfL (increases with frequency). At resonance X_C = X_L, leaving only resistance.

Resonant frequency of an LC circuit: f = 1/(2π√(LC)). Series resonance gives minimum impedance; parallel resonance gives maximum impedance.

Decibels: dB = 10 log₁₀(P₂/P₁) for power, 20 log₁₀(V₂/V₁) for voltage. +3 dB doubles power, +6 dB doubles voltage, +10 dB is ten times power.

Wavelength: λ(m) = 300 / f(MHz). A half-wave dipole is approximately 143/f(MHz) metres long; a quarter-wave vertical is approximately 71.5/f(MHz) metres.

Modulation: AM varies amplitude (two sidebands plus carrier, bandwidth = 2× modulating frequency); FM varies frequency (Carson's rule: BW ≈ 2(Δf + f_m)); SSB transmits one sideband only, halving bandwidth and concentrating power.

Receiver characteristics: sensitivity (minimum detectable signal), selectivity (ability to reject adjacent signals), dynamic range (overload point), and image rejection. Mixers convert RF to IF; the IF amplifier provides most selectivity.

Propagation: HF skywave via the ionosphere (D, E, F1, F2 layers); F2 layer supports long-distance propagation, MUF is the maximum usable frequency. Sporadic-E causes short-skip openings; aurora causes flutter and absorption; VHF/UHF is largely line-of-sight.

Frequency accuracy and stability: crystal oscillators are stable; PLL synthesizers provide precise, tunable outputs. A frequency counter measures frequency; an oscilloscope displays waveform shape; a spectrum analyzer displays frequency-domain content.

Feedline impedance: coaxial cable is typically 50 Ω (or 75 Ω); parallel/open-wire line is typically 300–600 Ω. For maximum power transfer, the antenna feedpoint impedance should match the feedline, and the feedline should match the transmitter.

SWR (standing wave ratio) relates to reflection coefficient Γ: SWR = (1+|Γ|)/(1−|Γ|). SWR 1:1 is a perfect match; SWR 2:1 reflects about 11% of power; SWR 3:1 reflects about 25%.

Coaxial cable loss increases with frequency and with cable length; loss is specified in dB per 100 m (or per 100 ft). Use low-loss cable (larger diameter, foam dielectric) for long runs and higher frequencies.

The half-wave dipole has a feedpoint impedance of about 73 Ω in free space (lower near ground), and its radiation pattern is a figure-eight perpendicular to the wire. Its length ≈ 143/f(MHz) metres.

A quarter-wave vertical over a ground plane has about 36 Ω feedpoint impedance and a low-angle radiation pattern suitable for DX. A ground plane or radials provide the return path.

Yagi-Uda arrays: a driven element, reflector, and one or more directors. Adding directors increases gain and narrows the beamwidth. Boom length and element spacing determine gain; typical 3-element Yagi gain is about 7–8 dBi.

Baluns convert between balanced (dipole, open-wire line) and unbalanced (coax) systems and can also transform impedance (e.g., 4:1 for a folded dipole). An unun matches unbalanced to unbalanced.

Antenna tuners match a mismatched load to the transmitter but do not reduce feedline SWR or loss between the tuner and antenna if placed at the transmitter. Place the tuner at the antenna feedpoint for best effect.

Velocity factor (VF) is the ratio of signal speed in a cable to the speed of light; coaxial cable typically has VF 0.66–0.85. Physical length = electrical length × VF.

Semiconductors: a diode conducts in forward bias (about 0.7 V drop for silicon) and blocks in reverse. A Zener diode regulates voltage in reverse breakdown; an LED emits light when forward biased.

Bipolar transistors: NPN and PNP; base current controls collector current (I_C = β × I_B). The three regions are cutoff, active, and saturation. FETs are voltage-controlled (gate controls drain current).

Power supplies: a transformer steps voltage, a rectifier converts AC to pulsating DC (half-wave or full-wave bridge), and a filter capacitor smooths ripple. A regulator maintains constant output voltage.

Amplifier classes: Class A conducts 360° (linear, low efficiency ~25–30%); Class AB conducts 180–360° (used in SSB linear amplifiers); Class C conducts <180° (high efficiency, used for FM/CW); Class D/E are switching amplifiers.

Oscillators: Colpitts (capacitive divider), Hartley (inductive divider), and Pierce (crystal) circuits. Crystal oscillators have high Q and stability; a PLL multiplies and stabilizes oscillator output.

Digital fundamentals: binary, octal, hexadecimal; logic gates (AND, OR, NOT, NAND, NOR, XOR). A half-adder sums two bits; a flip-flop stores one bit. Microcontrollers use ADCs and DACs to interface with analog radio circuits.

Filters: low-pass, high-pass, band-pass, and band-stop. LC filters use inductors and capacitors; crystal and ceramic filters provide narrow bandwidths for SSB and CW; SAW filters are common in VHF/UHF equipment.

Interference sources: switching power supplies, computers, LED lighting, and power lines cause RFI. Use ferrite chokes, bypass capacitors, shielded cable, and proper grounding to suppress interference.

Safety: high voltage in amplifiers and power supplies can be lethal; discharge capacitors before servicing. RF exposure limits apply; do not touch antennas while transmitting. Ground equipment properly and use fuses.