Gregg ) writes:

However, when I went to go for my no-code class licence here (Canada), I
was told:

- without my 5WPM, I was restricted to:

1) 50MHz and above and
2) commercially made equipment

*shrug*

Sometimes, I wish I didn't let my VE4 lapse, which I did because of the
HAM attitudes in Winnipeg in 1982 when I did let it lapse.

You don't read the rules very carefully, do you?

Your certificate of proficiency is good for life. Unless you voluntarily
return it or the DOC or whatever it calls itself these days cancels it (and
you'd have to do something quite serious for that).

It's only the station license that you had to renew.

All you need to do is apply for a station license. And since everyone who
had a license was grandfathered (well maybe not the few holders of the
"Digital license"), you've got full priviliges even if you'd never gone
for the Advanced license years ago.

Of course, I'm not sure what happens these days, since one no longer pays
for a station license, and it's all one piece of paper. But I can't see
them forcing you to retest simly because you never renewed your callsigne.

As for what's what now, you'd want to read RIC-24 (unless they renumber it as
things change). My copy dates from July 1990, right after the restructuring.
It clearly shows that the Advanced test gives you the ability to build
transmitters, but code has nothing to do with it.

Michael VE2BVW