Canadian Basic Exam

Let’s make a deal…

I have a copy of Hamstudy Basic (see photo above) that needs a new home. It is slightly warn and has accumulated about 5,200 road miles. There are no marks on the pages and, so far, it has a 100% pass rate.

All this for the amazing price of…FREE, FREE, FREE!

Fine print: Serious inquiries only. No tire kickers! Void where prohibited. Parts swappers will be reported to local authorities. May cause drowsiness. Batteries not included. Offer only available to everyone, everywhere…no exceptions. 400% money back guarantee. Ask about our extended warranty.

Just send me an email (my callsign at QRPer.com) and let me know what your plans are for Canada. This good book needs a new home. Yes, I’ll even pay shipping.

Cheers & 72,

Thomas (K4SWL)

As I mentioned in a previous post, I’ll be spending a few weeks in Canada this summer and will certainly play radio.

I’ve decided to bite the bullet and study to hopefully pass my Basic license exam while there.

I say “hopefully” because my timing couldn’t be worse.

I started studying about 2 weeks ago in earnest–allowing myself one month of prep before my trip–but frankly, I’ve been so busy I’ve had almost no time to dedicate to studying. In fact, a good 5 days of my two weeks were taken up with a POTA camping trip in WV.

Why in the world do I do this to myself?

That’s what I keep asking. 🙂

There’s no logic in getting a Canadian license because as a US license holder, I can simply add /VE2 onto my call while in Québec et voilá I’m legally on the air!

That and, here at home, I’m juggling numerous projects before we leave, so study sessions are crammed into short openings and are sporadic. Not how I like to study for something like this.

Thing is, I want to fit in the bulk of my studies within the next two weeks so that as soon as I’m on Canadian soil, I can go ahead and schedule a remote exam (one must be in Canada to take the exam even if via Zoom). I don’t want to spend my whole vacation studying, so I’d like to knock this out very early on.

So why get a Canadian license?

In the past, our family has spent whole summers in Canada primarily in Prince Edward Island and Québec. We know there’ll be many more of these trips in the future and my wife and I even entertain the idea of spending nearly half the year in Canada once we’re empty nesters.

I feel like it would be beneficial to have an actual Canadian call for those extended trips; especially in PEI where it’s so easy to grab DX almost anytime I hop on the air.

In fact, my callsign–should I pass–will have a VY2 prefix because that’s where our mailing address is.

There’s another reason, if I’m being honest with myself: I like the challenge of trying to pass the test. It’s just…my timing is kind of [understatement] crappy. Continue reading The Canadian Basic Exam →