The Canadian Amateur Radio Basic Qualification exam is your gateway to becoming a licensed amateur radio operator. Covering seven core sections, this comprehensive test evaluates your understanding of regulations, operating procedures, safety practices, electronics, antennas, and wave propagation. It’s designed for aspiring hams eager to gain their license and experienced operators seeking a refresher…work your way through the questions in each section and then write the Final Exam, which contains 100 questions randomly generated from each of the sections.

  • Regulations and Policies: Master the rules for legal, ethical, and responsible operation, including licensing requirements and frequency use.
  • Operating Procedures: Learn effective communication techniques using Q-codes, phonetics, and procedural signs.
  • Station Assembly, Practice, and Safety: Build and maintain safe and efficient radio stations with knowledge of electrical and RF safety.
  • Circuit Components: Understand the building blocks of electronics, such as resistors, capacitors, and diodes.
  • Basic Electronics and Theory: Dive into fundamental concepts like Ohm’s Law, power calculations, and amplification.
  • Feedlines and Antenna Systems: Explore the design and optimization of antennas and feedlines for better signal transmission.
  • Radio Wave Propagation: Study how signals travel, including factors like ionospheric behavior, sunspots, and fading.

The Canadian Amateur Radio Basic Qualification exam challenges your understanding across seven key sections, from regulations and operating procedures to advanced concepts like propagation and circuit theory. Whether you’re studying to become a licensed ham or refreshing your skills, this exam provides a comprehensive assessment of your knowledge. With questions drawn from the extensive Basic Qualification Question Bank, each section equips you with the expertise needed to operate safely, legally, and effectively in the amateur radio world.

Basic Ham Radio Exam

The Basic Amateur radio exam is comprised of 100 questions randomly selected from all sections including regulations, operating procedures, station safety, electronics, antennas, and wave propagation. The Basic exam prepares learners for the Spectrum Management Basic Exam and tests your knowledge on all material!

Take the exam multiple times in preparation for the formal exam!

1 / 100

Category: Sec 2-3 Voice operating procedures – simplex VHF/UHF and HF

>B-002-003-010: Which sideband is commonly used on 3755 kHz for phone operation??

2 / 100

Category: Sec 8-4 Harmonics, splatter, transmitter adjustments

>B-008-004-006: What causes splatter interference

3 / 100

Category: Sec 7-3 Propagation hops, skip zone, skip distance

> B-007-003-010: The skip distance of a sky wave will be greatest when the:

4 / 100

Category: Sec 6-2 Balanced and unbalanced feed lines, baluns

>B-006-002-001: : What is a coaxial cable?

5 / 100

Category: Sec 6-11 Yagi antennas – types, dimensions, characteristics

>B-006-011-006: What are some advantages of a Yagi with wide element spacing?

6 / 100

Category: Sec 1-14 Foreign amateur operation in Canada, banned countries, third-party messages

>B-001-014-010: Which of the following is not correct? While operating in Canada, a radio amateur licensed by the Government of the United States must:

7 / 100

Category: Sec 5-8 Ratios, logarithms, decibels

>B-005-008-007: the power output from a transmitter increases from 1 watt to 2 watts. this is a db increase of:

8 / 100

Category: Sec 1-17 Restrictions on capacity and power output by qualifications

>B-001-017-002: What is the most FM transmitter power a holder of only Basic Qualification may use on 147 MHz?

9 / 100

Category: Sec 5-5 Series and parallel resistors

>B-005-005-011: The total current in a parallel circuit is equal to the:

10 / 100

Category: Sec 4-3 Bipolar transistor fundamentals

>B-004-003-004: If a low level signal is placed at the input to a transistor, a higher level of signal is produced at the output lead. This effect is known as:

11 / 100

Category: Sec 6-10 Vertical antennas – types, dimensions, characteristics

>B-006-010-011: What is the main reason why so many VHF base and mobile antennas are 5/8 of a wavelength?

12 / 100

Category: Sec 1-3 Licence suspension or revocation, powers of radio inspectors, offences and punishments

>B-001-003-005 Which of the Following Is Not Correct? The Minister May Suspend an Amateur Radio Operator Certificate:

13 / 100

Category: Sec 5-8 Ratios, logarithms, decibels

>B-005-008-009: you add a 9 db gain amplifier to your 2 watt handheld. what is the power output of the combination?

14 / 100

Category: Sec 4-2 Diode fundamentals

>B-004-002-001: Zener diodes are used as:

15 / 100

Category: Sec 6-6 Concept of impedance matching

>B-006-006-008: To obtain efficient transfer of power from a transmitter to an antenna, it is important that there is a:

16 / 100

Category: Sec 5-9 Introduction to inductance, capacitance

>B-005-009-009: three 15 microfarad capacitors are wired in series. the total capacitance of this arrangement is:

17 / 100

Category: Sec 7-3 Propagation hops, skip zone, skip distance

> B-007-003-001: What is a skip zone?

18 / 100

Category: Sec 7-4 Ionospheric absorption, causes and variation, fading, phase shift, Faraday rotation

> B-007-004-008: What causes selective fading?

19 / 100

Category: Sec 1-2 Licence fee, term, posting requirements, change of address

>B-001-002-005 The Holder of an Amateur Radio Operator Certificate Shall, at the Request of a Duly Appointed Radio Inspector, Produce the Certificate, or a Copy Thereof, to the Inspector, Within ____ Hours After the Request:

20 / 100

Category: Sec 8-2 Audio rectification, bypass capacitors, ferrites

>B-008-002-009: Stereo speaker leads often act as antennas to pick up RF signals

21 / 100

Category: Sec 2-4 Tuneups and testing, use of dummy load, courteous operation

>B-002-004-011: Before transmitting, the first thing you should do is:?

22 / 100

Category: Sec 1-17 Restrictions on capacity and power output by qualifications

>B-001-017-001: What amount of transmitter power should radio amateurs use at all times?

23 / 100

Category: Sec 4-2 Diode fundamentals

>B-004-002-002: One important application for diodes is recovering information from transmitted signals. This is referred to as:

24 / 100

Category: Sec 6-10 Vertical antennas – types, dimensions, characteristics

>B-006-010-006: What is an advantage of downward sloping radials on a ground plane antenna?

25 / 100

Category: Sec 6-5 Standing waves, standing wave ratio (SWR) meter

>B-006-005-009: An SWR meter measures the degree of match between transmission line and antenna by:

26 / 100

Category: Sec 1-6 Operation Of Radio Apparatus, Terms Of Licence, Applicable Standards, Exempt Apparatus

>B-001-006-001 An Amateur Radio Station With a Maximum Input Power to the Final Stage of 2 Watts:

27 / 100

Category: Sec 7-1 Line of sight, ground wave, ionospheric wave (sky wave)

> B-007-001-010: Reception of high-frequency (HF) radio waves beyond 4000 km is generally made possible by:

28 / 100

Category: Sec 4-6 Resistor colour codes, tolerances, temperature coefficient

>B-004-006-009: A gold tolerance band on a resistor indicates the tolerance is:

29 / 100

Category: Sec 4-5 Triode vacuum tube fundamentals

>B-004-005-008: What is inside the envelope of a triode tube?

30 / 100

Category: Sec 3-12 Carrier suppression, SSB fundamentals

>B-003-012-004: What is the usual bandwidth of a single-sideband amateur signal?

31 / 100

Category: Sec 6-6 Concept of impedance matching

>B-006-006-005: What happens when the impedance of an electrical load is equal to the internal impedance of the power source?

32 / 100

Category: Sec 2-8 Emergency operating procedures

>B-002-008-004: What is the proper distress call to use when operating CW??

33 / 100

Category: Sec 5-4 Ohm’s law – single resistors

>B-005-004-011: If a 3-volt battery supplies 300 milliamperes to a circuit, the circuit resistance is:

34 / 100

Category: Sec 3-19 Electrical safety ground, capacitor discharge, fuse replacement

>B-003-019-004: Which of these materials is best for a ground rod driven into the earth?

35 / 100

Category: Sec 7-8 Scatter – HF, VHF, UHF

> B-007-008-007: On the HF bands, when is scatter propagation most likely involved?

36 / 100

Category: Sec 1-11 Emergency communications (real or simulated), communication with non-amateur stations

>B-001-011-009: Messages from recognized public service agencies may be handled by amateur radio stations:

37 / 100

Category: Sec 5-5 Series and parallel resistors

>B-005-005-007: Which series combination of resistors would replace a single 120-ohm resistor?

38 / 100

Category: Sec 5-4 Ohm’s law – single resistors

>B-005-004-008: A lamp has a resistance of 30 ohms and a 6-volt battery is connected. the current flow will be:

39 / 100

Category: Sec 3-5 Functional layout of SSB/CW receivers

>B-003-005-008: In a single sideband and CW receiver, the output of the ___________ is connected to the product detector.

40 / 100

Category: Sec 3-17 Power supply fundamentals

>B-003-017-008: Power-line voltages have been made standard over the years and the voltages generally supplied to homes are approximately:

41 / 100

Category: Sec 5-4 Ohm’s law – single resistors

>B-005-004-003: How is the resistance in a dc circuit calculated when the voltage and current are known?

42 / 100

Category: Sec 1-1 Radio licences, applicability, eligibility of licence holder

>B-001-001-004 The “Amateur Radio Service” Is Defined In:

43 / 100

Category: Sec 1-8 Installation and operating restrictions – number of stations, repeaters, home-built, club stations

>B-001-008-004 In Order to Install Any Radio Apparatus to Be Used Specifically for Receiving and Automatically Retransmitting Radiotelephone Communications Within the Same Frequency Band, a Radio Amateur Must Hold an Amateur Radio Operator Certificate, With a Minimum Of:

44 / 100

Category: Sec 6-12 Wire antennas – types, dimensions, characteristics

>B-006-012-001: If you made a half-wavelength dipole antenna for 28.150 MHz, approximately how long would it be?

45 / 100

Category: Sec 1-25 Criteria for resolution of radio frequency interference complaints

>B-001-025-004: According to EMCAB-2, which of the following types of equipment is not included in the list of field strength criteria for resolution of immunity complaints?

46 / 100

Category: Sec 5-2 Concepts of current, voltage, conductor, insulator, resistance

>B-005-002-006: A length of metal is connected in a circuit and is found to conduct electricity very well. it would be best described as having a:

47 / 100

Category: Sec 6-10 Vertical antennas – types, dimensions, characteristics

>B-006-010-007: What happens to the feed point impedance of a ground-plane antenna when its radials are changed from horizontal to downward-sloping?

48 / 100

Category: Sec 6-9 Gain, directivity, radiation pattern, antenna bandwidth

>B-006-009-006: Approximately how much gain does a half-wave dipole have over an isotropic radiator?

49 / 100

Category: Sec 2-5 Morse (CW) operating procedures, procedural signs

>B-002-005-009: Which of the following describes full break-in telegraphy (QSK)??

50 / 100

Category: Sec 1-8 Installation and operating restrictions – number of stations, repeaters, home-built, club stations

>B-001-008-003 Amateur Radio Operators May Install or Operate Radio Apparatus:

51 / 100

Category: Sec 3-14 Station accessories for telegraphy, radiotelephony, digital modes

>B-003-014-003: What would you connect to a transceiver for voice operation?

52 / 100

Category: Sec 2-7 Q signals

>B-002-007-010: Who is calling me is denoted by the “Q signal”:?

53 / 100

Category: Sec 6-4 Line losses by line type, length and frequency

>B-006-004-002: What are some reasons to use parallel-conductor transmission line?

54 / 100

Category: Sec 4-5 Triode vacuum tube fundamentals

>B-004-005-002: Which component can amplify a small signal but must use high voltages?

55 / 100

Category: Sec 5-3 Concepts of energy and power, open and short circuits

>B-005-003-008: Which two electrical units multiplied together give the unit “watts”?

56 / 100

Category: Sec 3-5 Functional layout of SSB/CW receivers

>B-003-005-005: In a single sideband and CW receiver, the _____________ is in between the mixer and intermediate frequency amplifier.

57 / 100

Category: Sec 3-17 Power supply fundamentals

>B-003-017-011: You have a very loud low-frequency hum appearing on your transmission. In what part of the transmitter would you first look for the trouble?

58 / 100

Category: Sec 6-6 Concept of impedance matching

>B-006-006-003: What would you use to connect a coaxial cable of 50 ohms impedance to an antenna of 17 ohms impedance?

59 / 100

Category: Sec 6-3 Popular antenna feed line and coaxial connector types

>B-006-003-003: What are some reasons not to use parallel-conductor transmission line?

60 / 100

Category: Sec 3-18 Electrical hazards, electrical safety, security

>B-003-018-001: How could you best keep unauthorized persons from using your amateur station at home?

61 / 100

Category: Sec 3-3 Functional layout of FM receivers

>B-003-003-005: In a frequency modulation receiver, the ________ is in between the mixer and the intermediate frequency amplifier.

62 / 100

Category: Sec 8-3 Intermodulation, spurious, key-clicks

>B-008-003-011: Transmitter RF amplifiers can generate parasitic oscillations:

63 / 100

Category: Sec 6-2 Balanced and unbalanced feed lines, baluns

>B-006-002-007: What device can be installed to feed a balanced antenna with an unbalanced transmission line?

64 / 100

Category: Sec 3-19 Electrical safety ground, capacitor discharge, fuse replacement

>B-003-019-008: What is one good way to avoid stray RF energy in your amateur station?

65 / 100

Category: Sec 5-1 Metric prefixes – pico, micro, milli, centi, kilo, mega, giga

>B-005-001-009: How many millivolts are equivalent to two volts?

66 / 100

Category: Sec 1-2 Licence fee, term, posting requirements, change of address

>B-001-002-007 The Amateur Radio Operator Certificate Should Be:

67 / 100

Category: Sec 3-5 Functional layout of SSB/CW receivers

>B-003-005-007: In a single sideband and CW receiver, the __________ output is connected to the audio frequency amplifier.

68 / 100

Category: Sec 1-10 Interference, determination, protection from interference

>B-001-010-011: The amateur radio service is authorized to share a portion of what Industrial, Scientific, and Medical (ISM) band that is heavily used by license-exempt devices?

69 / 100

Category: Sec 6-7 Isotropic source, polarization via element orientation

>B-006-007-007: What is the antenna radiation pattern for an isotropic radiator?

70 / 100

Category: Sec 6-13 Quad/loop antennas – types, dimensions, characteristics

>B-006-013-009: What does the term “antenna front-to-back ratio” mean in reference to a delta loop antenna?

71 / 100

Category: Sec 3-13 Frequency and phase modulation fundamentals

>B-003-013-008: What emission is produced by a reactance modulator connected to an RF power amplifier?

72 / 100

Category: Sec 5-6 Power law, resistor power dissipation

>B-005-006-001: Why would a large size resistor be used instead of a smaller one of the same resistance?

73 / 100

Category: Sec 6-5 Standing waves, standing wave ratio (SWR) meter

>B-006-005-007: If the characteristic impedance of the transmission line does not match the antenna input impedance then:

74 / 100

Category: Sec 5-10 Introduction to reactance, impedance

>B-005-010-004: in inductances, ac may be opposed by both the resistance of winding wire and reactance due to the inductive effect. the term which includes resistance and reactance is:

75 / 100

Category: Sec 1-7 Content restrictions – non-superfluous, profanity, secret code, music, non-commercial

>B-001-007-004 Which of the Following One-Way Communications May Not Be Transmitted in the Amateur Service?:

76 / 100

Category: Sec 3-20 Antenna and tower safety, lightning protection

>B-003-020-011: What precaution should you take when installing a ground-mounted antenna?

77 / 100

Category: Sec 5-8 Ratios, logarithms, decibels

>B-005-008-011: a local amateur reports your 100w 2m simplex vhf transmission as 30 db over s9. to reduce your signal to s9, you would reduce your power to ______ watts.

78 / 100

Category: Sec 5-7 AC, sinewave, frequency, frequency units

>B-005-007-001: what term means the number of times per second that an alternating current flows back and forth?

79 / 100

Category: Sec 3-4 Functional layout of CW transmitters

>B-003-004-003: In a CW transmitter, the_________ is between the master oscillator and the power amplifier.

80 / 100

Category: Sec 2-6 RST system of signal reporting, use of S meter

>B-002-006-006: A distant station asks for a signal report on a local repeater you monitor. Which fact affects your assessment??

81 / 100

Category: Sec 6-6 Concept of impedance matching

>B-006-006-004: When will a power source deliver maximum output to the load?

82 / 100

Category: Sec 5-6 Power law, resistor power dissipation

>B-005-006-006: If the voltage applied to two resistors in series is doubled, how much will the total power change?

83 / 100

Category: Sec 4-1 Amplifier fundamentals

>B-004-001-009: A device labelled “Gain = 10 dB” is likely to be an:

84 / 100

Category: Sec 5-6 Power law, resistor power dissipation

>B-005-006-007: Which combination of resistors could make up a 50-ohm dummy load capable of safely dissipating 5 watts?

85 / 100

Category: Sec 5-8 Ratios, logarithms, decibels

>B-005-008-001: a two-times increase in power results in a change of how many db?

86 / 100

Category: Sec 6-5 Standing waves, standing wave ratio (SWR) meter

>B-006-005-006: If your antenna transmission line gets hot when you are transmitting, what might this mean?

87 / 100

Category: Sec 4-1 Amplifier fundamentals

>B-004-001-011: Which of the following is not a property of an amplifier?

88 / 100

Category: Sec 8-1 Front-end overload, cross-modulation

>B-008-001-002: What is one way to tell if radio frequency interference to a receiver is caused by front-end overload

89 / 100

Category: Sec 6-10 Vertical antennas – types, dimensions, characteristics

>B-006-010-008: Which of the following transmission lines will give the best match to the base of a quarter-wave ground-plane antenna?

90 / 100

Category: Sec 1-23 Antenna structure approval, neighbour and land-use authority consultation

>B-001-023-003: If you are planning to install or modify an antenna system under what conditions may you not be required to contact land use authorities to determine public consultation requirements?

91 / 100

Category: Sec 7-5 Solar activity, sunspots, sunspot cycle

> B-007-005-010: The ability of the ionosphere to reflect high-frequency radio signals depends on:

 

92 / 100

Category: Sec 1-4 Operator certificates, applicability, eligibility, equivalents, reciprocal recognition

>B-001-004-006 The Holder of an Amateur Radio Operator Certificate With the Basic Qualification Is Authorized to Operate Following Stations:

93 / 100

Category: Sec 2-5 Morse (CW) operating procedures, procedural signs

>B-002-005-005: What is the meaning of the procedural signal “DE”??

94 / 100

Category: Sec 8-2 Audio rectification, bypass capacitors, ferrites

>B-008-002-001: What devices would you install to reduce or eliminate audio-frequency interference to home entertainment systems

95 / 100

Category: Sec 8-5 Use of filters: low-pass, high-pass, band-pass, band-reject

>B-008-005-003: What circuit blocks RF energy above and below a certain limit

96 / 100

Category: Sec 6-12 Wire antennas – types, dimensions, characteristics

>B-006-012-003: What is the low angle radiation pattern of an ideal half-wavelength dipole HF antenna in free space installed parallel to the Earth?

97 / 100

Category: Sec 4-4 Field-effect transistor fundamentals

>B-004-004-004: In a field effect transistor, the __________ is the terminal where the charge carriers enter the channel.

98 / 100

Category: Sec 3-18 Electrical hazards, electrical safety, security

>B-003-018-011: Fault finding in a power supply of an amateur transmitter while the supply is operating is not a recommended technique because of the risk of:

99 / 100

Category: Sec 5-4 Ohm’s law – single resistors

>B-005-004-005: If a 12-volt battery supplies 0.25 ampere to a circuit, what is the circuit’s resistance?

100 / 100

Category: Sec 6-5 Standing waves, standing wave ratio (SWR) meter

>B-006-005-010: A resonant antenna having a feed point impedance of 200 ohms is connected to a transmission line which has an impedance of 50 ohms. What will the standing wave ratio of this system be?

Your score is

The average score is 58%

0%

Please enter your name and Callsign and contact info in the ‘Leave a Rating’ section (Click the Rating Stars) to open the Comments Form.

Thanks for your comments! And, BTW, I usually only look this serious when I’m expecting comments! ;)