Note: this is an unofficial summary of the regulations affecting the amateur radio service in Canada. It is intended for educational purposes only. It is not a legally-accurate or offically-authorized document. The only official document is RIC-25, obtained from Industry Canada.
Radiocommunication Act
4: You must be authorized to install, possess, or operate radio equipment.
7: Her Majesty may take posession of your station for any length of time, and require you to
operate it. (Such as in wartime)
9: You must NOT send any false or fradulent distress signal.
You must NOT interfere with or obstruct any radio communication.
You must NOT intercept or divulge radio communications. (Except: amateur, broadcast, or
distress communications; when ordered by the government; or when authorized by the
sender or recipient.)
10: Violations can be punished with a fine up to $5,000 and/or prison up to 1 year.
General Radio Regulations, Part I
5.1: The following may hold an amateur station license and/or operate an amateur station:
[1] Radiocommunication Operator's General Certificate (Maritime)
[1] Radio Operator's First Class Certificate
[1] Radio Operator's Second Class Certificate
[2] Radiotelephone Operator's General Certificate (Aeronautical)
[2] Radiotelephone Operator's General Certificate (Maritime)
[2] Radiotelephone Operator's General Certificate (Land)
[1] Amateur Radio Operator's Advanced Certificate
[1] Amateur Radio Operator's Certificate
[2] Amateur Digital Radio Operator's Certificate
Amateur Operator's Certificate with Basic Qualification
[1] considered equivalent to Basic + 12 wpm Morse + Advanced
[2] considered equivalent to Basic + Advanced
General Radio Regulations, Part II
9: Your license must be posted in your station in a conspicuous place.
11: You may not install or maintain an unlicensed station.
20: You don't have exclusive rights to any frequency.
22: Your signal must be free of harmonics, hum, key clicks, and spurious emissions.
24: You must not interfere with any radio station or private receiver.
25: You must not transmit superfluous signals, obscenity, or profanity. When testing, you must
not interfere with other stations.
43: Any person may operate your station if supervised by you and in your presence.
46: A station license lets you establish one station at your licensed location, one at another
location, and one mobile. Only one may be operated at a time.
47: You must have an Advanced qualfication to use homebuilt transmitters or amplifiers, operate
a same-band repeater, or install a club station.
48: You must only communicate with other amateurs.
You must NOT use secret codes or ciphers.
You must NOT transmit music, commercially recorded material, or received broadcasts.
49: You must not communicate with forbidden countries (per RIC-3).
50: You must not allow foreign third-party communications unless specifically allowed (RIC-3).
(Except for Canadian amateurs, CFARS, and MARS.)
51: You may transmit emergency communications on behalf of anyone.
52: You must use the listed amateur frequency bands.
53: You must not exceed the listed signal bandwidths for each band, measured 26 dB down.
54: Radio controlled models are restricted to frequencies above 30 MHz.
55: In the shared frequency bands (UHF and higher), you must not interfere with another
(non-amateur) service, but they may interfere with you.
57: You must transmit your call sign at the beginning and end of each period of communication
or test, and every 30 minutes during that period.
58: You may not own a transmitter capable of more than twice your legal power limit.
Basic operator limits: 250W DC input, 560W PEP SSB output, or 190W carrier output.
Advanced operator limits: 1000W DC input, 2250W PEP SSB output, or 750W carrier output.
59: You may not transmit unmodulated carrier except for brief tests.
An HF-band repeater must not transmit signals from Basic operators.
60: You must not overmodulate (AM more than 100%).
Below 148 MHz, your transmitter must have frequency stability equal to crystal control.
61: You must be able determine your transmit frequency to crystal-calibrator accuracy.
You must be able to indicate or prevent overmodulation.
62: You may not demand or accept payment in any form for amateur communications. (You
may not use amateur radio for commercial purposes.)
63: You must inform Industry Canada if you move.
114: You must permit your station to be inspected at any reasonable time.
| Item | Frequency Band | Maximum Bandwidth | Qualifications | Also Called |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | 1.800 to 2.000 MHz | 6 kHz | B and 5, or B and 12 | "160 metres" |
| 2. | 3.500 to 4.000 MHz | 6 kHz | B and 5, or B and 12 | "80/75 metres" |
| 3. | 7.000 to 7.300 MHz | 6 kHz | B and 12 | "40 metres" |
| 4. | 10.100 to 10.150 MHz | 1 kHz | B and 12 | "30 metres" |
| 5. | 14.000 to 14.350 MHz | 6 kHz | B and 12 | "20 metres" |
| 6. | 18.068 to 18.168 MHz | 6 kHz | B and 12 | "17 metres" |
| 7. | 21.000 to 21.450 MHz | 6 kHz | B and 12 | "15 metres" |
| 8. | 24.890 to 24.990 MHz | 6 kHz | B and 12 | "12 metres" |
| 9. | 28.000 to 29.700 MHz | 20 kHz | B and 12 | "10 metres" |
| 10. | 50.000 to 54.000 MHz | 30 kHz | B | "6 metres" |
| 11. | 144.000 to 148.000 MHz | 30 kHz | B | "2 metres" |
| 12. | 220.000 to 225.000 MHz | 100 kHz | B | "1 1/4 metres" |
| 13.* | 430.000 to 450.000 MHz | 12 MHz | B | "70 centimetres" |
| 14.* | 902.000 to 928.000 MHz | 12 MHz | B | |
| 15.* | 1.240 to 1.300 GHz | any | B | |
| 16.* | 2.300 to 2.450 GHz | any | B | |
| 17.* | 3.300 to 3.500 GHz | any | B | |
| 18.* | 5.650 to 5.925 GHz | any | B | |
| 19.* | 10.000 to 10.500 GHz | any | B | |
| 20. | 24.000 to 24.050 GHz | any | B | |
| 21.* | 24.050 to 24.250 GHz | any | B | |
| 22. | 47.000 to 47.200 GHz | any | B | |
| 23. | 75.500 to 76.000 GHz | any | B | |
| 24.* | 76.000 to 81.000 GHz | any | B | |
| 25. | 142.000 to 144.000 GHz | any | B | |
| 26.* | 144.000 to 149.000 GHz | any | B | |
| 27.* | 241.000 to 248.000 GHz | any | B | |
| 28. | 248.000 to 250.000 GHz | any | B | |