Canadian rules (RSS-210)
Operating legally in Canada
LoRa mesh in YEG runs on the 902–928 MHz ISM band, which Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada (ISED) governs under licence-exempt rules. You don't need an amateur radio licence to operate, but the limits are real.
The numbers that matter
| Limit | Value |
|---|---|
| Frequency | 902–928 MHz |
| Maximum EIRP | 30 dBm (1 W) for digital-modulated / spread-spectrum systems |
| Out-of-band emissions | Standard RSS-210 mask |
| Licence | Not required (covered by RSS-210 / RSS-Gen) |
EIRP = transmitter power + antenna gain − feedline loss. 22 dBm at the radio + a 5 dBi antenna ≈ 27 dBm EIRP, comfortably under the 30 dBm cap.
Practical implications
- A stock Heltec / T-Beam / RAK board at 22 dBm with a typical 2–5 dBi rubber-duck antenna is well within the rules.
- Adding a high-gain Yagi or a 12 dBi colinear pushes you toward the limit — math it out before you transmit.
- An external amplifier is not banned outright, but combining one with a high-gain antenna is the usual way to blow the EIRP cap. If you're going there, calculate carefully.
Source documents
- ISED's Spectrum Management page: https://ised-isde.canada.ca/site/spectrum-management-telecommunications/en
- RSS-210 (Licence-exempt Radio Apparatus): published by ISED — search "RSS-210" on the ISED site for the current issue.
- RSS-Gen (general requirements for licence-exempt radio): same.
If you're operating a fixed repeater with a non-trivial antenna, read the relevant RSS sections directly.