On 30 Jul 2005 15:04:40 GMT, (Michael Black)
wrote:

They start off with the bit about before April 2, 2002:
(2) Amateurs certified prior to April 2, 2002 will be allowed to
operate in the HF bands below 30 MHz based on the experience and
knowledge they have acquired over this period of time.

But then further down:
Amateurs holding a Basic Certificate who have been certified for at
least three years will automatically receive authority to operate in
the HF bands. This is based on the rationale that three years of
experience will have allowed the amateur to acquire sufficient
experience to operate proficiently in the HF bands. Amateurs who
received their Basic Certificate within the three year interval prior
to the date of the new standards will be required to prove that they
had attained a mark of at least 80%.

Those two paragraphs don't fully mesh. The first is a hardcoding of
a date, but the second suggests that all one needs is a 3 year waiting
period. I'm not sure which takes control.

I agree that the sentence could be interpreted to be a three year
waiting period. That's certainly how I would read it too.

However when I review the Radiocommunication Information Circular
RIC-3 - Information on the Amateur Radio Service as at
http://strategis.ic.gc.ca/epic/inter.../sf01008e.html
it is quite clear.

1.3 General Criteria for Operation on HF Bands
Privileges granted to amateurs with an existing authorization will be
based on the following criteria:
(1) All Amateurs holding Basic and Advanced Qualifications will be
allowed to operate on the HF bands below 30 MHz.
(2) Amateurs certified prior to April 2, 2002 will be allowed to
operate on the HF bands below 30 MHz based on the experience and
knowledge they will have acquired over this period of time.
(3) Amateurs certified after April 1, 2002, who have demonstrated a
superior knowledge of operational, technical and regulatory
requirements by achieving a mark on the Basic examination of 80% or
above will be allowed to operate on the HF bands below 30 MHz.

Nothing there about getting automatic access to HF after three years
of getting your Basic license.

Tony