Become a Ham

 

 

Ham radio is an amazing hobby and there are all sorts of fun things to learn and do. By becoming a "ham" you can learn all sorts of technical skills, experiment with electronics and computers, communicate with people around the world, perform community service, use your radio to summon assistance in an emergency, build commercial kits or design your own circuit boards, participate in fun events, and much, much more.

We usually recommend that people interested in getting their amateur radio licence purchase a copy of the Basic Study Guide which is an excellent reference and this book will help you to study and pass your exam.  We usually have a copy available to loan to people interested in becoming licenced, so please contact us if you are interested in borrowing a copy of the Basic Study Guide.

There are some excellent resources online for those interested in self-study.  You can study online for your Basic or Advanced qualifications at: https://www.clares.ca/va6hal%20training.html  This is a step-by-step course that takes you through all the material and provides quizzes after each section to help you make sure you know the information.

Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada (ISED) has an online exam generator that you can use to test your knowledge prior to writing your exam. https://ised-isde.canada.ca/site/amateur-radio-operator-certificate-services/en/amateur-radio-exam-generator

Once you are ready, the club has two examiners who can administer your exam and assist you to apply for your licence and first call sign.

We have a club meeting once a month on the first Thursday evening and we'd love to have you join us, and you don't have to join the club to attend our meetings. Information on the next meeting can be found at:  http://karc.ca

We also meet every week for breakfast on Saturday mornings at 8:30am at Kirsten's Hideout Cafe.  If you join us for breakfast, you can meet a bunch of our local hams and ask questions and learn about the hobby.

There are lots of club members who would be willing to tell you about their interests in the hobby, so meeting people in person will help you make those contacts.

The club also hosts a number of fun events throughout the year: Field Day in June, Winter Field Day in January, the RAC Canada Day Contest and RAC Canada Winter Contest, the BC QSO Party, annual KARC Christmas dinner, picnics, visits to our repeater sites, and more.  You are welcome to join us and don't need to be a member to participate.  Check karc.ca for news on upcoming events.

Thanks for your interest in amateur radio, and we look forward to meeting you soon.