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).