Planning
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Retrofuturism - Anachronistic Technology and HAM Radio
The figure above may seem rather silly. It shows WordPerfect 8.0 for UNIX running - roughly the equivalent of WordPerfect 4.2 for MSDOS - mid to late 1980s. WordPerfect 6.0 for MSDOS is shown running in the DOSBOX, an emulator for MSDOS - late 1990s). Finally WordPerfect X.13 is shown running in a virtual machine that is running Windows 7. All of these are running under Linux Mint 21.x. The laptop on which they are running is an old ASUS X55U, with motherboard manufactured in 2013.
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What is the Aurora?
The aurora borealis or Northern Lights is an atmospheric phenomenon that occurs in the northern hemisphere of the planet. It also occurs in the southern hemisphere where it is known as the aurora australis. Aurora are known to exist on comets, brown dwarfs, other planets and on some moons. Aurora are caused by solar wind interacting with magnetic fields and atmospheric particles. Atmospheric particles become energized and form what is known as plasma. Plasma is energized or ionized gas. It is the fourth state of matter and has been so identified since about 1972. Yes, your high school teachers who taught you the three states of matter were...well...not current in their physics. You see plasma every day when you see the sun, an operating fluorescent light or an operating neon light.
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The Wagon-wheel Effect, Stroboscopic Effects and Aliasing
Sometimes in movies one sees a stagecoach rambling through the countryside with some notorious highwayman (such as Dick Turpin) in hot pursuit. The wheels appear to be going in the opposite direction at a very slow speed or not turning at all. Images of any rotating object, including helicopter rotors or aircraft propellers, show this. This phenomenon was mentioned one morning by YARS members during coffee and I decided to write an article about it. One of our members mentioned a "stroboscopic effect" where, with a strobe light flashes at a sampling rate close to the period of motion causes this effect. For example if a light flashes at 60 flashes per second (60 Hz) and the rotating object is rotating 60 revolutions per second (60 Hz), then the object will appear to be stationary. If the object rotates at 61 revolutions per second, it will appear to slowly appear to move backwards. At 50 revolutions per second it will appear to rotate slowly forwards.
This effect can be used to measure the speed of moving objects simply by observing them. It can also lead to irritation by persons sensitive to the effects, sometimes called "flicker". This has nothing to do with a phenomenon called "rolling shutter" - which is merely a time delay artefact in a digital camera caused by how the camera scans an object over time, line by line (see https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dNVtMmLlnoE ).
Read more: The Wagon-wheel Effect (Nyquist Frequency and Aliasing)
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2026-05-09 - The Yellowknife Amateur Radio Society is re-activating the weekly VHF net on VE8YK/R (146.940 MHz with -600 kHz offset with a 100 Hz sub-audible tone). It should be accessible from VE8RAE/R (145.150 MHz with -600 kHz offset) based in Behchokǫ̀ (formerly Rae). All amateur radio operators are welcome to check in. This is part of our emergency preparedness in that it amounts to a weekly test of the repeater systems and gets local HAMs checking their own equipment. As check-ins become more regular, we can rotate net control.
If there is interest in running a CW net, please let Chris Cameron (VE8WD) or Ian Rennie (VE8IR) know.
Script follows.
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G4FON Ray Burlingame-Goff became a silent key (SK) on July 29, 2021. His website still remains in operation at: https://www.g4fon.net/ . When it goes silent, it can probably still be accesses through the Internet Archive. His site contains a free Koch CW Trainer. We recommend that for training. There are also options for running simulated CW pile-ups with noise (QRM).
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The Morse Code examination is governed by section 6 of RIC-1 - Guide for Examiners Accredited to Conduct Examinations for Amateur Radio Operator Certificates.
The examination is at 5 words per minute, which is very slow. There is a sending component and a receiving component. Sending and receiving must be done by hand and by ear only. The actual characters are sent at 12 words per minute, but the spacings between characters are at 5 words per minute. The pass mark for receiving is 100%.
When one takes the Basic Qualification examination and ends up with a grade between 70% (a pass) and 80% (honours pass), there is a restriction in terms of operating on the HF bands. If one has only a pass but not an honours pass, one can upgrade band privileges on the HF band by
- rewriting the Basic Examination in order to get an honours pass;
- taking the Advanced Examination and passing; or
- obtaining a pass on the Morse Code test.
For more information see:
- RIC-1 - Guide for Examiners Accredited to Conduct Examinations for Amateur Radio Operator Certificates
- RIC-3 - Information on the Amateur Radio Service
- Radio Amateurs of Canada - Examinations;
- Our Website - Morse Code (CW) (which includes training in Morse Code software and sites).
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The Yellowknife Amateur Radio Society does not run an Advanced Amateur Qualification Course at this time. In theory it could, if there was sufficient interest. Like the Basic Qualification Course, there is a textbook that we use for those seeking to do the Advanced Qualification Examination: Canadian Amateur Radio Advanced Qualification Study Guide, 2d which is published by Coax Publications. This guide is available from Radioworld . There are other guides too: https://www.rac.ca/study-guides-2/ .
According to Industry Canada the examination consists of 50 questions drawn from a series of questions on the following topics:
5.3.1 Advanced Theory - 001
1-1 time constant - capacitive and inductive
1-2 electrostatic and electromagnetic fields, skin effect
1-3 series-resonance
1-4 parallel resonance
1-5 quality factor (Q)
5.3.2 Advanced Components and Circuits - 002
2-1 germanium, silicon, gallium arsenide, doping, P-type, N-type
2-2 diodes - point-contact, junction, hot-carrier, Zener, etc.
2-3 transistors - NPN/PNP
2-4 field effect transistor (FET), JFET, MOSFET
2-5 silicon controlled rectifier (SCR)
2-6 amplifiers - classes A, AB, B and C
2-7 amplifier circuits - discrete and IC
2-8 operational amplifiers, properties and applications
2-9 mixers, frequency multipliers
2-10 digital logic elements
2-11 quartz crystal - properties and applications
2-12 advanced filter circuits - AF, RF
5.3.3 Measurements - 003
3-1 AC - peak, peak-to-peak, average, root mean square (RMS)
3-2 PEP, PEP relative to average power, PEP relative to voltage across load
3-3 dip meter, signal generator
3-4 crystal calibrator, marking generator, frequency counter
3-5 oscilloscope
3-6 meters, multimeter, power meter
5.3.4 Power Supplies - 004
4-1 transformer and rectifier circuits, voltage doubler circuit, PIP
4-2 filter circuits, bleeder resistor function
4-3 linear and switching voltage regulator circuits
4-4 regulated power supplies
5.3.5 Transmitters, Modulation and Processing - 005
5-1 oscillator circuits, phase locked loop (PLL)
5-2 RF power amplifiers
5-3 transmitters, neutralisation
5-4 AM, single sideband, linearity, two-tone test
5-5 FM deviation, modulation index, deviation ratio, deviation meter
5-6 FM transmitter, repeater circuits
5-7 signal processing – AF, IF, and RF
5-8 codes and protocols, Baudot, ASCII, parity, CRC), X.25, ISO layers
5-9 spread spectrum - frequency hopping, direct sequence
5.3.6 Receivers - 006
6-1 single, double conversion superheterodyne architecture
6-2 oscillators, mixers, tuning
6-3 RF, IF amplifiers, selectivity
6-4 detection, audio, automatic gain control
6-5 performance limitations - instability, image, spurious, etc.
5.3.7 Feedlines - Matching and Antenna Systems - 007
7-1 antenna tuner/transmatch, impedance matching circuits
7-2 velocity factor, effect of line terminated in non-characteristic impedance
7-3 antenna feed arrangements - tee, gamma, stub
7-4 current and voltage distribution on antenna
7-5 polarization, helical beam, parabolic antennas
7-6 losses in real antenna systems, effective radiated power
7-7 ground and elevation effects, vertical radiation (take off) angle
7-8 radiation resistance, antenna efficiency, beamwidth
7-9 waveguide, microstrip line
The pass mark is 70%.
Having the Advanced Qualification allows one many more privileges, including remote operation and the ability to become a trustee of a club callsign and a repeater system. One can also build one's own equipment from scratch. One can also operate ex-military hardware that is not manufactured to be restricted to the amateur radio bands - although only on the amateur radio bands - such as the PRC-320 ex-British Army HF unit in the image on this page (part of the decommissioned Clansman suite circa 1980s-2000s).
There are two Accredited Examiners in the Society that can administer these exams. If interested contact Ian Rennie or Ron Thompson.
- RIC-01 — Guide for Examiners Accredited to Conduct Examinations for Amateur Radio Operator Certificates
- RIC-03 — Information on the Amateur Radio Service
- RIC-09 — Call Sign Policy and Special Event Prefixes
- All Advanced Questions Test Data Bank
- RBR-4 — Standards for the Operation of Radio Stations in the Amateur Radio Service
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Our Approach
We believe in a two-way learning process and welcome discussion and comments from students to improve our course and materials. The materials are presented freely to the public in the hope that they will help encourage persons to study on their own and become qualified as amateur radio operators.
We can run a Morse Code course if there is sufficient interest but it is not required. We do run Basic and Advanced courses periodically.
There are two Accredited Examiners in the Society that can administer these exams. If interested contact Ian Rennie or Ron Thompson.
- RIC-01 — Guide for Examiners Accredited to Conduct Examinations for Amateur Radio Operator Certificates
- RIC-03 — Information on the Amateur Radio Service
- RIC-09 — Call Sign Policy and Special Event Prefixes
- Questions Test Data Bank
- RBR-4 — Standards for the Operation of Radio Stations in the Amateur Radio Service
Objective
The object of this course is to prepare you to pass the examination that is set by Industry Canada for the Basic Qualification. By passing the exam you will be able to obtain an basic amateur radio licence and become a full member of the Society. It is in YARS’ interests that you pass the course and get licensed. There is a shortage of amateur radio operators in the North.
Design
The course consists of modules that follow closely the Canadian Amateur Radio Basic Qualification Study Guide (New Market, Ontario: Coax Publications Inc., 2009). That guide is available from Radio Amateurs of Canada or from the Yellowknife Amateur Radio Society (YARS). The level of materials is at about the high school level and you will need to study the materials and put some effort into the course.
While the course presented by the Society is patterned after the textbook cited above, that textbook is patterned after RIC-3 Information on the Amateur Radio Service, which in turn is patterned after various legislation as noted in Class 2 below.
NB - For those who do not have MS Powerpoint, you can get a free PPTX Viewer from Microsoft or you can download a full opensource presentation viewer that is included in an open source program such as LibreOffice or OpenOffice .
Class 1 – Orientation
A basic introduction to the amateur radio service. Site orientation. Introductions. What is YARS. All candidates become associate members (upgraded to regular member on passing the exam). Expectations. Duration of course and exam details. Materials. Resources. Demonstrations.
Class 2 - Regulations
References: Canadian Amateur Radio Basic Qualification Study Guide (New Market, Ontario: Coax Publications Inc., 2009), Chapter 1, 17 and Appendix 1.
Regulations and policies. Since the licence is issued under the Radiocommunication Act (Canada) and its regulations, this module covers details about the legal requirements in Canada of an amateur radio operators.
Classes 3 and 4 - Basic Electrical Theory
References: Canadian Amateur Radio Basic Qualification Study Guide (New Market, Ontario: Coax Publications Inc., 2009), Chapters 2 and 3 (week 3); Chapters 3 and 4 (week 4).
Basic electrical theory and simple circuits. Resistance, capacitance and inductance. Ohm’s Law and Power. Q factor. A bit on impedance. AC and DC currents. RMS.
- Getting Down to Basics (Basic Circuit Theory) (PowerPoint) {There is a calculation error in one of the slides but we have left it in deliberately in order to show the value of dimensional analysis as a method of detecting errors in calculations. Can you find it? Hint: The error has to do with metric units and their prefixes}
- https://www.partsim.com/simulator
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_free_electronics_circuit_simulators (try MicroCap)
Class 5 - Active Devices and Power Supplies
References: Canadian Amateur Radio Basic Qualification Study Guide (New Market, Ontario: Coax Publications Inc., 2009), Chapters 9 and 10.
This module covers active devices including diodes, transistors, field effect transistors and vacuum tubes. A very basic explanation of doping is presented. The use of these devices in rectifiers and amplifiers is discussed. This module also discusses power supplies in a very general way. There is a great deal of information on line, including on YouTub and information that is supplementary to electronics courses. If interested in building circuits, one should download a circuit simulator such as in Module 2 and try building circuits using that software first.
- Active Devices and Power Supplies (PowerPoint)
- Transistors (YouTube)
- More on Transistors (YouTube)
- Voltage Regulated Power Supply (YouTube)
- For Examination Practice try Questions Test Data Bank and a CTL+F word search of it for terms such as diode, transistor, tube, junction and power supply.
- L1 1Introduction to semiconductors
- BJT Amplifiers
- Power Supplies
- Transformers
Class 6 - Modulation and Demodulation and Receivers
References: Canadian Amateur Radio Basic Qualification Study Guide (New Market, Ontario: Coax Publications Inc., 2009), Chapters 13 and 14.
This module is an overview of modulation, demodulation, receivers and transceivers. Such systems for AM, DSB, SSB and FM are considered.
- Modulation and demodulation/Receivers and Transmitters (PowerPoint)
- Wikibooks on Modulation and Demodulation
- AM on YouTube
- FM on YouTube (US Army 1954)
- Mathematical Foundations of Modulation (Analog Dialogue 47-06, June (2013)
- Internet Connected Software Defined Receivers
- AM, FM and PM Modulation
Class 7 - Wave Theory and Propagation
References: Canadian Amateur Radio Basic Qualification Study Guide (New Market, Ontario: Coax Publications Inc., 2009), Chapters 5 and 6.
Basic wave theory including their characteristics. Bands, frequencies and properties of waves. Electromagnetic waves. How radio waves interact with different parts of the atmosphere and what it is that allows radio amateurs to communicate thousands of miles on very little power. Solar effects including aurora. D layer, E layer, F1 and F2 layers. Survey of all HAM bands.
Class 8 - Transmission Lines and Antennas
References: Canadian Amateur Radio Basic Qualification Study Guide (New Market, Ontario: Coax Publications Inc., 2009), Chapters 7 and 8.
Transmission line theory and antennas. What is a transmission line is discussed along with characteristic impedance, balanced lines, unbalanced lines, coaxial cable and ladder line, connectors and matching baluns. Standing waves, VSWR etc. are discussed. Antennas are discussed and how they function in propagating an EM wave into space. Voltage distribution and elementary dipole design are presented. Radiation patterns, various designs, tuning, dumm loads, etc. are all discussed.
- Transmission Line and Antenna Theory (PowerPoint)
- Similarities of Wave Behaviour 1959 (Flashplayer Needed - Video)
- RCAF Antenna propagation
- Wire Antenna Currents
Class 9 - Amateur Radio Station and Safety
References: Canadian Amateur Radio Basic Qualification Study Guide (New Market, Ontario: Coax Publications Inc., 2009), Chapters 11 and 12 and 16 (safety).
This module deals with establishing an amateur radio station and its routine operation. Equipment, location, operating modes etc. are discussed with a physical demonstration of the VE8PAT operating station. Q-codes, the phonetic alphabet, voice procedure and the use of repeaters (including VE8YK/R locally) are discussed. CW operation (i.e. Morse Code) is discussed - a seemingly antiquated operating mode that we have discovered to be extremely reliable and robust in the North. Other modes are discussed including telephony and digital modes. PSK31 will be demonstrated along with APRS and ATV. QSL cards are discussed along with time zones. Emergency communications are also discussed. Radio operating procedures will be discussed with reference to RIC-22. Time permitting some discussion of ergonomics may occur.
- Establishing a Station and Operating (PowerPoint)
- Q Codes
- RIC-22 General Radio Operating Procedures (Industry Canada)
- World Map of Time Zones (Her Majesty's Nautical Almanac Office)
- NWT Safety Act and Occupational Health and Safety Regulations (PDF)
- Safety Code 6 (Health Canada)*
- RF Safety from NASA (PDF)
- Safety from ARRL
- Radio Frequency Interference (RFI) from ARRL
Class 10 - Exam Study Tactics
This and additional classes are devoted to working through sample exams with the Industry Canada Exam Generator and the Questions Test Data Bank
. We can go over particular areas of difficulty and write practice exams. It is our experience that these trial runs make the difference between a pass and an honours pass (>= 80%). These class(es) are devoted to study tactics.
NB - If you find any broken links on this page, please let Ian Rennie know and they will be either fixed or removed. Internet links are dynamic and sometimes break or are changed.