Director for Ontario North and
East Ontario, Ben Price VE3CDA
2004 DARF Fund Annual report delivered
to RAC (Feb. 11 2005)
To read VE3YV's report, please visit the DARF web site at http://www.rac.ca/~darf (RAC News Service)
Industry Canada consulting on Ultra Wide Band (Feb. 7 2005) Industry Canada has just published a Gazette notice announcing a consultation on the possible use in Canada of Ultra Wide Band technology. According to Industry Canada, "Ultra-wideband is a new wireless technology, which could provide many benefits to consumers, businesses and industries. The introduction of such new technology requires the development of appropriate radio equipment standard specifications and certification requirements. In this case, however, concerns have been raised regarding the potential interference to radiocommunication services. In view of this, the Department hereby initiates a comprehensive consultation with the public, consumer groups, businesses, and users of the spectrum on the introduction and use of ultra-wideband systems in Canada." RAC and IARU representatives have been attending Industry Canada discussions on UWB for the past several years, watching for possible threats to the amateur bands. UWB technology is most likely to be applied in applications requiring communications over very short ranges, or for "through the wall" radar for personnel detection. A UWB transmitter usually covers a bandwidth of hundreds of MHz, in the microwave bands. Details can be obtained by visiting the Industry Canada web site at: Consultation Paper on the Introduction of Wireless Systems Using Ultra-wideband Technology (RAC News Service)
The North Shore
Amateur Radio Club
The North Shore Amateur Radio Club (NSARC) came into existence at an inaugural meeting on September 10, 1987, held at Lions Gate Hospital in North Vancouver, B.C. In response to a story in the local newspaper announcing their exploratory meeting, fifty hams and "short-wave listeners" showed up, and the Club was off and running. Incorporation under the Society Act followed on November 26, 1987. Our first president was Bill Tracey, VE7QQ. Actually, the Club has antecedents which pre-date even this "birthing". One of the co-founders, George Merchant, VE7CHU, recalls that in the late 1970s, a group of commuting hams regularly rag-chewed mobile on two-meter simplex. When George put his repeater on the air in 1978, first in Burnaby and then on Mount Seymour in 1983, the "Morning Show", and the "Rolling Home Show" widened their footprints. Many of this group were North Shore residents who drew together and participated in Field Day for several years' running. Eventually, VE7CHU and first President, Bill Tracey, VE7QQ, with the "Morning Show" group to seed it, got NSARC in it's present incarnation rolling. To go back even further, there was a ham club on the North Shore in the 60s and 70s, known variously as the Northwest Amateur Radio Club, or the North and West Vancouver Amateur Radio Club. This Club regularly took part in "Field Day", and forged a mid-1960's liaison with North Vancouver Civil Defence as an active group in emergency preparedness exercises and actual C.D. call-outs. The Club also furnished communication for local events such as the Kinsmen Club-coordinated "Dominion Day" parade. The first "actual" meeting of NSARC (1987 edition) was to be a tour of the Vessel Traffic Management System operated by the Coast Guard out of the Capilano 100 building in West Vancouver. However, so many new members wanted to attend, that the tour had to be cancelled, as the site could not handle such a volume of ham traffic. Such enthusiasm augured well for the young Club's future. During the critical early years of the Club's existence, various members were given phone-out duties, i.e. a short list of hams to call in order to remind them of the upcoming meeting and of program details. The programs, in fact, have been since the beginning, one of the reasons for the success of NSARC. Unlike other local ham clubs, which may have regular rag-chewing sessions, but only one "event" per month, NSARC has a speaker or other presentation for every bi-weekly meeting. The Programs Director is one very busy Club executive guy, often aided by other NSARC members, schmoozing and networking his contacts in search of interesting speakers and topics. A sampling of programs and topics over the years has included: vendor displays, TVI, satellite communications, antenna theory, PC board making, contesting, packet radio, the Evergreen Net, avionics, DXpedition speakers, "signals" activities in WW2, and radio pioneering on the B.C. coast. NSARC is a RAC-affiliated club and has been so connected to the national organization since 1991. In fact, for many years, VE7RD, Farrell Hopwood, national president, was a Club member and, annually would give us a first-hand report on CARF/RAC activities and policies. From its inception, NSARC, like it's ancestor in the 60s, with the Civil Defence authorities, has had a rewarding relationship with the North Shore Emergency Management Office (NSEMO). In fact, without the help of then-Coordinator, Jeff Jefferd, the Club's beginnings might have been much rockier. Thanks to Jeff, our first two meeting places, the Hospital and then rooms in Carson Graham Secondary School, were rent-free. Jeff even provided the coffee and cookies for those earliest of meetings! And today, NSARC's regular meetings, after many years at the Pacific Marine Training Institute, take place in NSEMO's spacious and comfortable quarters in the Gerry Brewer (RCMP) building. Over the years, dedicated teams of Executive (Board) members have kept member interest percolating with a wide range of activities and events beyond the bi-weekly presentations. We have had "bunny" (hidden transmitter) hunts, Club picnics and barbecues, and Christmas dinners at local restaurants, where the door prizes are so plentiful, that there ought to be an investigation if you come away without one! The Club has also purchased a wide range of ham gear for use at Field Day every year, an equipment inventory which may also be borrowed by members. The transceivers, antenna analyzers etc., were acquired in part, thanks to NSARC's past successful application to staff "Casino Night", a great money-spinner for Club coffers. A useful innovation in Club governance was the creation in 1993 of the Past Presidents' Advisory Council. Several times a year, former NSARC presidents gather to discuss broad issues affecting the Club, and to make recommendations to the Executive. Such a talent pool to convene in one location when up to 12 former executives get together! NSARC members have routinely helped furnish communication during local races and charity events such as the Sun Run, Vancouver Marathon, and the Southern Straits annual yacht race. Because of our relationship with N&WVEP, we have also participated in hunts for hikers lost on local mountains. These events are always useful dry ..or wet...runs for amateur participation in a genuine catastrophe. We are mindful that we live on a mischievous fault line and that the "Big One" could rock our world at any moment. Which, of course, leads us to NSARC's signal practice run each year, Field Day. With the exception of 1990, when NSARC operated from Waterfront Park in North Vancouver, the Club has each year run a multi-station Field Day operation in Cypress Park, West Vancouver, 9 kilometres up the access road at a choice, 670m elevation. An increasingly sophisticated operation with lots of antenna firepower, plus the eager participation of many members, has resulted in NSARC finishing first in its class in Canada several times. This is a far cry from the "maritime mobile" F.D. operation (pre-NSARC), recalled by George, VE7CHU, when an amateur's boat towed a vertical mounted on a floating inner tube! The North Shore Amateur Radio Club is well-supported by its membership, meetings are well-attended, and the Club Executive, over the years, has competently and intelligently acted to ensure the survival and continued health of the NSARC. This has included offering licence qualification classes, with many of its graduates becoming members of the NSARC. The future appears to be as promising, as our history has been varied and exciting. For more information about the North Shore Amateur Radio Club please visit: www.ve7nsr.ca
The Northern Alberta Radio Club
Club meetings are held the third Wednesday of each month except July, August and December. Meetings are held at 19:30 hr. local time, check main site for location. The EMITTER is the club's newsletter and is published monthly. Mail may be sent to the editor at "emitter@narc.net". NARC supports several repeater sites in the Edmonton area. The VE6HM repeater on 147.060 MHz, in tandem with 444.100 MHz is named after C. Harris 4HM, VE4HM, VE6HM. The VE6JN repeater (to be back soon) on 147.240 MHz is a linked site to provide extended coverage in the North and West parts of Edmonton. VE6TTR is on 224.760 MHz and co-located at the VE6HM site. An ATV repeater is currently under development for this site. We support a portable repeater on 147.000 MHz VE6EOC and a 20-meter-high portable tower (NARCPAC), with an HF beam, HF dipoles, VHF and UHF antennas. It may be operated from Nife NiCad cells or from the portable generator. We support several packet BBS's and NODE sites. VE6MC , VE6KM, VE6HM-0, VE6PLP, at Pigeon Lake. VE6YER at Evansburg is a APRS Digipeater providing mobile APRS coverage along highway 16 west of Edmonton.. VE6TNC is the packet node and the Internet Gateway site to which you are now connected, "narc.net". We support an IARU Beacon in co-operation with The Northern California DX Foundation NCDXF and the International Amateur Radio Union (IARU) IBP. The call for the site is VE8AT in Eureka Nunavut. NARC is active in a number of public service areas. Some of these are:
More information on the Northern
Alberta Amateur Radio Club visit:http://narc.net
Rideau Lakes Amateur Radio Club Inc.
In 1982, co-incident with the 150th anniversary of the completion of the Rideau Canal, the idea arose to have a special events station set up to advertise the occasion and promote amateur radio activity. To this end, in February of that year several amateurs from around Eastern Ontario gathered to form the Smiths Falls Amateur Radio Club. Permission was subsequently obtained for the station to be installed at the Detached Locks in Smiths Falls under the callsign VE3SFR. Permission was also granted for the use of the special callsign CZ3SFR, for a two week period. Later, due to dwindling resources, the Rideau Lakes Repeater Association amalgamated with the Smiths Falls Amateur Radio Club. In 1995, the club name was changed to the Rideau Lakes Amateur Radio Club and in July 1996 the Club was incorporated under the laws of Ontario as a non-profit charitable organization. Repeater:
Club Meetings:
Club Website: www.falls.igs.net/~rlarc
Burlington Spring Flea Market
(Feb. 26 2005)
More info: http://www.barc.ca
UMS Annual Fleamarket - Montréal,
Quebec Saturday, March 5 2005
Burnaby ARC Amateur Radio Flea Market (Sunday, March 6, 2005) Location: Cameron Recreation
Centre 9523 Cameron Street Burnaby, B.C. ( behind Lougheed Mall )
Radio and Computer Swap Meet
(Saturday, March 26, 2005)
Hamfest Laval-Laurentides 2005
- Laval, Québec Saturday, April 2
IARC Tenth Annual Flea Market
(Saturday, April 2, 2005)
Moose Jaw Amateur Radio Flea Market
(Saturday, April 2 2005)
Montreal Hamfest and Fleamarket
LaSalle (Montreal), Québec Saturday, April 9 2005
HAM-EX 2005 (Saturday, April 9, 2005) Sponsored by: The Peel Amateur Radio Club / Mississauga Amateur Radio Club Location: Brampton Fall Fairgrounds, located on Heart Lake Rd @ Old School Rd (North of Mayfield Road). Opens: Vendors: 7am Public: 9am Cost: $6 to the public Talkin: VE3PRC 146.880(-) and VE3MIS 145.430(-) Notes: Featuring Amateur Radio Equipment Manufacturers, Major Amateur Radio Retailers, New & Used Equipment / Parts, Computers, Parts, Software, Tables & Tables of Radio & Electronics Gear, Licensing Exams for Basic, CW, & Advanced Qualification, DXCC Card Checking, Exhibits, Demos, & Seminars, Gala Banquet with Guest Speaker, Door Prizes Galore & $1000 Grand Prize Draw For more info visit:http://www.ham-ex.ca
Winnipeg A.R.C. Spring Fleamarket (Sunday, April 17 2005) Location: Heritage Victoria
Community Club, 950 Sturgeon Road, Winnipeg, Manitoba
DOWN-EAST FLEA MARKET Saturday,
June 11, 2005
The Down-East Flea Market is the largest Ham Fest in Atlantic Canada. Details on Commercial Suppliers and associated Flea Market events will be published over the next couple of months. Location: Halifax Forum Complex
at the corner of Young and Windsor Sts. in Halifax
Tables: free and can be reserved by contacting David Nimmo at ve1nn@rac.ca Talk in Frequency: VE1PSR 147.270(+) Associated Social Events: Friday 10th Evening - 1900 at The Jolly Mug - for info contact Hugh ve1pq@rac.ca Saturday 11th Breakfast - at the Steak and Stein - 6061 Young St, Halifax Talk by Wayne-VE1WPH on the ISS set up Hope to see you there
HAM Radio!
Amateur Radio Nets are the life blood of our hobby, on such nets as the Trans Provincial Net, Ontario Amateur Radio Service, Communications Ontario Net, Provincial Communications Net, Sandbox Roundtable Net and many local area nets hams meet their friends, pass messages, relay information from remote parts of Canada and test their transmitters and antenna's on a daily basis. The Trans Provincial Net has been noted as one of the most popular Canadian Amateur Radio Networks with a coverage area from the Atlantic Provinces to Manitoba. With such a large number of Amateur Radio Operators assembled on one frequency we have an unique opportunity to serve our communities in a very tangible way. What is required? 1) Amateur Radio Certificate of Proficiency
issued by Industry Canada
This program is not intended to replace or compete with Amateur Radio Emergency Services (ARES) but to augment that program as an independent group with a large force of active HF operators. All active Hams are welcome and encouraged to register. We can be a valuable resource to provincial and municipal authorities in the event of an emergency. If you feel you would like to serve
your community via Amateur Radio we ask that you register as a member of
Once a database of HF operators willing to assist with emergency communications has been developed this information can be shared with Provincial and Municipal authorities. To register please send the following information: 1) Call Sign
Please Note: All personal information will be kept confidential, the only information that would be posted is your location. To Register please submit information to: register@oeco.hfradio.net An online registration form is being developed and will be available very soon. Comments or questions can be directed to: directors@oeco.hfradio.net Full details can be found online at: oeco.hfradio.net Jim Taylor VA3KU
RAC Amateur Radio Emergency Service, Ontario Section
The Radio Amateur's Code The Radio Amateur is: CONSIDERATE never knowingly operates in such a way as to lessen the pleasure of others. LOYAL offers loyalty, encouragement and support to other amateurs, local clubs, and the Radio Amateurs of Canada, through which Amateur Radio in the Canada is represented nationally and internationally. PROGRESSIVE with knowledge abreast of science, a well-built and efficient station and operation above reproach. FRIENDLY slow and patient operating when requested; friendly advice and counsel to the beginner; kindly assistance, cooperation and consideration for the interests of others. These are the hallmarks of the amateur spirit. BALANCED radio is an avocation, never interfering with duties owed to family, job, school or community. PATRIOTIC station and skill always ready for service to country and community. The original Amateur's Code was written by Paul M. Segal, W9EEA, in 1928 and still very valid today in 2005 !
The Telephone Pioneer Net "The Bell Telephone Company of Canada had a department located in Montreal known Toll Area. This group was responsible for the design, engineering and maintenance of all long distance switching and carrier equipment throughout Quebec and Ontario as well as liaison with other Telco’s in Canada and the U.S. A significant number of department members were Radio Amateurs. Due to the nature of this group, personnel were moved in and out of Montréal on a regular basis. As many friendships had developed VE2YA (now VE3PI) spread the word around that starting in February 1968 a “keep touch net” would be established and scheduled for Sunday evening, 20:00 Eastern Time, on 3.760 MHz. The net became very popular meeting place with expatriates some of who were working in exotic locations such as Labrador. The net also had a large number of Telephone Pioneers (employees with over 21 years service) hence the formal name “The Telephone Pioneer Net”. By 1971 regular check-ins included amateurs who worked for Quebec Telephone, Maritime Telephone, New Brunswick Telephone, Northern Electric and A.T. & T in the U.S. as well as many retired Telco employees. After several years of operation on 3.760 MHz. difficulty arose when a new group in Southern Ontario decided that they would also like to use this frequency. The new group reluctantly moved to 3.762 MHz, which was not enough change to exclude QRM. For unknown reasons the was no further cooperation and “The Telephone Pioneer Net moved top 3.740 MHz. which was a clear frequency but unfortunately eliminated the SSB participation of A.T. & T Amateurs as it was out of band for them This net has been running continuously since 1968 and has had about six different net controllers over this time. The net continues in operation to this day and although many of the original members are SK’s it still has a regular group of participants located in the Maritimes, Quebec and Ontario. The net also welcomes all Amateurs not just those with Telco backgrounds”. Cheers Don, VE3KII (Thanks to racaresontatio.ca )
Weekly QRP Net. Please join us if you can for an
informal weekly QRP gathering Sunday mornings at 1500 UTC (10 AM EST) on
the closest clear frequency to 7.067 MHz. All Hams within hearing range
are invited to call in on CW or SSB.
Also, a group of QRPers from the Durham Region QRP Club (VE3QDR) will be operating in the FYBO (Freeze Your Buns Off ) outdoor operating event on Sat. Feb. 5, from a conservation area in Pickering. We invite all interested Hams to join us! Contact Ken VE3ELA via e-mail for details: kenlar@csolve.net or view the QRP newsletter here. Ken Rose, VE3ELA (Thanks to Glenn VE3GNA OBM Ontario)
Maritime Swap Shop The Maritime Swap Shop is held every Monday at 7:30pm local time on 3.750 MHz. All station are invited to checkin and post their wants and items for sale. The Maritime Swap Shop list can be found on many places on the internet, here are just a few: The Loyalist City Amateur Radio Club , hfradio.net , VE1AIC's Home Page and Truro Amateur Radio Club Please Note: The Maritime (on-air) Swap Shop, which was formerly held on Tuesday evenings, will now take place on Monday evenings at 1930 local time on 3750.
The Swap Shop list is posted every Monday on the Trans Provincial Net website, Ontario Swap Shop Listings , the swap shop list can also be found on packet by calling up VE3DID (Nick VE3NJG)
Guides On The Air Feb 19 and 20
at Guide House
This event will be held on Feb.19 and 20. The location will be at Guide House at 801 Preston Ave, near the Corner of Preston and Main St. We hope to get some volunteers to help with this project. We will need two transceivers plus some antennas. There may also be an exercise on IRLP to do with this function. We will know more on that later. The plan is to operate from Noon to Noon. There are 36 Guides and Brownies signed up so far, along with some Leaders. Contact Ned (VE5NED) for further information, or to volunteer. 382-1446 or e-mail at ve5ned@gmail.com
QSL Card Production - doing it yourself by D. Howard Dickson -- VE1DHD Designing QSL cards has become a real art. No longer are we easily impressed with a one- or two-colour card. Full colour cards are becoming increasingly popular, but they are expensive. Using a Google search, I recently found a number of sites, that on the surface seem to have an excellent reputation for service and for quality product, and delivered at a reasonable price (under $95us for 1000 cards with full colour on front and black or one other colour on back) - certainly better that I have been able to negotiate with local printers. However, if you are not in the market for 1000 cards for whatever reason, it can be much more expensive to have a full-colour run of one or two hundred cards professionally printed. There is however an alternative using your own design and a colour photocopier Actually, it is not that difficult
to design your own cards and set up a "camera-ready" template, which you
can then take (on a CD) to your local business photocopy centre to have
any number printed off on card stock at a reasonable price. Certainly
much cheaper, and better quality by far than if you try to do the actual
printing yourself on an inkjet printer.
3) Next it is time to add the text and that is quite straight forward. For this example I used Comic Sans MS text. 4) For the back of the card I included a short write-up on Peggy's Point Light, but you could take this opportunity to describe yourself and/or your station. To keep the price down, the back of the card is black and white only. The boxed area at the bottom contains the actual QSL information and if your logging program has the capability of printing QSL information on labels, then the label can be affixed over this area very nicely. 5) Now, having created the front and the back, it is important to do two things. One - save each of these images in Photoshop format. Then, "flatten" each image. This compresses the file by merging all of the various layers that went into the image, including the background image itself and all overlaying text. Save the flattened image as a .jpg image at the highest quality setting possible. 6) Now, close Photoshop and open your word processor. I use MS Word. The first thing you want to do is to set the page dimensions to 11x17. This size will allow you to place three rows of three cards per row on the page with a small border at the outside. Under page setup, set the "margins" to zero. 7) Next, Insert/Picture/from File. Even though you sized the image in Photoshop, you should check the size of the imported image and make sure that it is 3.5x5.5 inches. To do this, right click the image and click on "Format the Picture". No click "Size" to set the image size (do NOT lock the aspect ration until you get the size exactly correct). Now click the "Position" tab and put a check mark in the "Float over text" box. Finally, click the "Wrapping" tab and check the wrapping style box "Tight". 8) Now it is time to "clone" your image. Make eight copies of the image and position them so that there is no space between them. We all know that if you left click on an image you can move it by using the four arrow keys (up/down/left/right). BUT, did you know that you can "nudge" the image in "micro steps" by holding down the Control key while you use the arrow keys. (Thanks to Lynn Bowser - VE1ENT for this helpful hint when we were putting together the Maritime Callbook this year). When you have all nine images positioned in perfect alignment with no space between images and an even border at the outside, you are ready to save the "plate". 9) When setting up the backside of the card, I found that it was helpful to do the following. Import the back-side image, and then go to "Format Picture" and click on "Colours and Lines" and then select a black line to be placed around the outside of the image. This demarcates the border of the card and makes it much easier to position and align the back side images of the card. Once you have everything set up, you can, if you like, go in and remove the margin lines. Also, I forgot to mention earlier, that it is helpful if when you are setting up the back of the card in Photoshop, to make sure that you have at least a one centimetre border around the edge of the card. This way, any slight shifting on the front of the card won't seriously affect the positioning of text on the back. 10) Done - you are now ready to transfer these two Word files for the front and back plates onto a CD -- the file size will be too large for a floppy -- and head off to the printing store. 11) I found that the cost of printing was $1.52 for 11x17 colour + $0.20 for the card stock + $0.14 for the B/W back-side + tax. With nine cards per sheet, it works out to less than $0.30 per card. Now, this is a lot more than you would expect to pay if you had 1000 full-colour cards off-set printed (probably about $0.10/card) but, you don't have to print 1000 unless you really want that many. 12) Oh yes, I forgot one final thing. You are now going to have to use a slice board and cut the border off and separate the cards - not a trivial task I found!! I hope that this will be helpful for anyone contemplating doing up their own cards whether it be for off-set printing of photocopying. If you want a copy of my MS Word plate template, just drop me an email at: VE1DHD@RAC.ca and I will be happy to send that to you as an attachment.
DX n' HF
At the present time there are 335 cur-rent entities listed on the ARRL DXCC list. If one has worked each of the current entities on all ten bands from 160 - 6 meters then the total number of possible current band-countries is 3350. The DX Challenge, a part of the DXCC Awards system, uses this metric to provide another goal for Dxers. How many band-countries can you work? With a little thought, you will quickly appreciate how difficult this challenge can be. The entry-level certificate (actually a plaque) from the ARRL is for those who have worked at least 1000 band-countries since the beginning of the DXCC Award on 15 November 1945. One can receive endorsements for each 500 additional band-countries. QSL card confirmations are taken from your DXCC records. At the present there are 1336 people
registered for the DX Challenge. Here are some revealing
statistics. The person with the most band-countries is John, W4DR who has
worked 3083 band-countries! This is an awesome number, since there are
only 267 new band-countries he can work, or an aver-age of 26.7 per band.
Just consider the challenge presented by 160 and 6 meters in achieving
a high country total. There are thirteen Canadians registered, including
the following people:
The Maritimer with the highest total is Paul, VE1DX, with 1719 band-countries. He is in 396 th place. When I register, my 1727 band-countries will put me in 391 st place. Just think for a minute about what personal operating patterns and skills are needed to be at the top of this game. Where are you in the listing? Who is the champion DX Challenger in HARC? Atlantic Canada? 73 de Scott, VE1QD
A Contesting Tutorial for the Beginner The following was extracted, with
permission, from the October 2004 monthly newsletter of the Halifax Amateur
Radio Club - the Reflector. DX n' HF is the monthly
column and was written this month by:
I want to stress that in order to have fun, just get in there and do it. You don't have to be a world-class expert to have fun. You are competing with yourself, or perhaps you may challenge a friend. Contesters love to work all stations. Some are in the contest big-time, and are very competitive; others only work the contest for a short period of time to have fun and give the other stations some points. Both are very important. The object of each contest is to work as many stations as possible, in as many different areas as possible, on as many bands as possible, and all within a given time period (usually over 24 or 48 hours on a weekend). Contest scores are calculated by totaling the number of QSO's you make and multiplying that number by the number of areas that you have worked (multipliers). The multiplier is very important for sure. Each contest is sponsored by some organization, and the rules for each contest are usually published in the magazines (CQ, QST), or available on the www (do a Google search), or just ask a club member. A contact in a contest is brief and fast. Stations usually exchange signal reports and province or state, or a zone number relating to your geographical location. Here in Nova Scotia we are in Zone 05 for CQ contests, and Zone 09 for the less popular IARU contest. Sometimes the exchange is a serial number, representing the number of stations that you have worked to that point in the contest, starting with 001. For some ARRL contests, the exchange is your ARRL section (Maritime or MAR for us here in Nova Scotia). For example in the CQ WW SSB (CQ World Wide Single Sideband) contest (Oct 30 & 31 this year) you would send 5905 to a station and you would receive a report like 5914 for someone in England for example. It is important that you know what to send and also what to expect. If you don't know, simply ask one of the stations you encounter in the contest what he needs for an exchange from you. Most will tell you simply and politely. Because the exchange is so brief and highly formatted, you will find that when working CW you can send and receive at speeds you never thought possible, because you have a reasonably good idea of what is being sent to you. Contest calls are short and the exchange brief. You should send only what is necessary, no extra information, names or good luck wishes. Keep it short and simple. For the big contests, such as CQWW SSB and CW and the ARRL DX SSB and CW contests, many people travel to exotic locations to activate these places to hand out contacts from places that may not normally have much activity. At the same time, it makes them rare and highly sought after, so their QSO rate it much higher that if they had stayed home in New York or Halifax. There are also many smaller contests, each with their own rules. There are RTTY contests, VHF/UHF contests, NSARA (Nova Scotia Amateur Radio Association) contest, and our big one for the club each year, which is Field Day, sponsored by ARRL. Several of our club members will be going to Jim Fisher's Contest Station - VE1JF - at Victoria Beach in Annapolis County Nova Scotia for the annual CQWW SSB contest this year. Jim has built a super contest station and it is truly a treat to experience. We will be competing in the muti-operator category, whereas from home you would likely operate and compete with others who are in the Single Operator Category. Jim is always looking for skilled operators, and the way to develop your skill is to get in a contest and experience it and have fun. You never know how much fun it is until you try it. The best HF conditions are always in the spring and fall seasons. So now is the time to make preparations; pick out a couple contests, and make your plans. If you are on the air and hear a contest going full force, jump in and help out some of the stations, they will be more than pleased to work a VE1. Have fun. I do. Richard E. (Dick) Grantham --VE1AI
Have you ever thought about what your family would do with all of your Ham gear if something were to happen to you? Do they have any idea about the true worth of the equipment that you have amassed? Apparently not, because often times Ham gear is literally given away at bargain basement prices to the first person to come along. Death and dying is clearly a very sensitive issue and not an easy one to discuss, especially with your loved ones. However, our Club - the Halifax Amateur Radio Club (HARC) - and I expect many other clubs across the Country, have often been called upon to assist in the sale of Ham equipment for a spouse or an estate. Our Club now has so much estate equipment on consignment that it has become a significant burden on the few who cart it from one flea market to the next in the hope of getting a reasonable price for the estate of the former owner. Faced with this growing problem, the HARC Executive recently discussed this issue and it was decided that it was inappropriate for the Club to be involved in the brokering of used equipment on behalf of the estates of deceased Hams. However, the Club does recognize the difficult position that surviving family members may encounter in trying to assess the true value of and then sell used radio equipment. To assist, HARC has formed a small advisory committee that will provide advice on the valuation of used equipment in such circumstances. Another solution to the problem -
a route that a number of Club members have decided to take - is to name
the Halifax Amateur Radio Club as the beneficiary of all of their radio
equipment. This is a wonderful selfless way of supporting your Club,
while ensuring that the hobby you love will ultimately benefit others through
the use and disposition of your gear.
The recent decision by the ARRL Board of Directors to withdraw its support of the International radiotelegraphy requirement once again offers evidence that far too many in the Amateur Radio community lack any valid insight into the potential problems limiting the future growth of this valuable radio service. If we are to make appropriate choices as to those steps necessary to institute growth and continue the evolution of Amateur Radio, we must understand the "real" reasons for a lack of growth in the Amateur Service. The time has come to challenge many of the assumptions made by both the leadership, as well as the "rank and file" of the Amateur Radio Service. Some of this may be considered harsh, but the time has come for some "plain speaking." Assumption 1: "CW is keeping young people out of the hobby. If we don't eliminate it, the phone won't ring, numbers will dwindle, and our portion of the RF spectrum will be re-allocated." Repeat a lie often enough, and soon it will be accepted as "gospel" truth. There is no doubt that CW keeps some young people (and adults) out of the Amateur Service. Of course, so do technical exams and radio theory. Despite the fact that this worn-out assumption is repeated again, and again, particularly by those that have never learned the code, no one has yet proven this assumption! Where are the nonbiased studies and statistical analysis performed by an independent organization? Where are the demographics? Where is the empirical evidence? There isn't any! During the past year, I have had the opportunity to witness a large number of Amateur Radio demonstrations, which involved phone, digital, and radiotelegraph stations. I have watched as literally hundreds of children have walked past a SSB or digital station paying little, if any, attention to it. Yet, the very same youths have walked right up to a CW operator, fascinated by the "dots and dashes." The simple fact is, talking into a microphone, a hand-held radio, or typing on a computer keyboard is no longer a unique experience for today's generation of youth. As more children grow up with digital technology now as commonplace in the home as the telephone, digital communications may do even less to attract young people. Our own experience shows that eliminating the code will not have a significant impact on growth! For many years now, we have had a no-code license offering full access to the VHF, UHF, and microwave Amateur Radio bands. Yet, few young people are entering the hobby. Those that do are rarely interested in technical innovation or public service. The demographics of Technician (no-code) licensees track closely with those of the remainder of the Amateur Radio community. The simple fact is that the no-code license has failed to attract great numbers of radio amateurs. It has also failed to spur technical innovation. Here are some facts: The VHF, UHF, and microwave spectrum offers perhaps the greatest opportunity for technical innovation. This portion of the spectrum is ideal for high-speed data networks, Internet connectivity, and a variety of high-tech communications media. Yet, few are utilizing this valuable resource in an innovative manner. Many Amateur Radio Emergency Service organizations utilize the VHF and UHF spectrum extensively for public service communications. Most radio amateurs do not participate in any of these programs. Only a fraction of those licensed are registered with an ARRL Emergency Coordinator. Even fewer participate on a regular basis! Even basic packet radio communications attracts few proponents. Such useful modes as APRS attract even fewer, despite extensive promotion and coverage in the Amateur Radio press. We are attracting few young people, technical innovators, or public service oriented individuals, despite an extremely useful "no-code" license. You can't blame this one on CW! Assumption 2: "Greater numbers will preserve our frequencies. We need as many radio amateurs as we can to insure access to valuable RF spectrum." Bunl! Our public service record has, and will, continue to justify our access to RF spectrum. There have always been demands for amateur spectrum. In the 1910s, the U.S. Navy and commercial point-to-point services wanted our amateur spectrum; and they almost got it! In the 1920s and Ô30s, broadcasters wanted it for a wide variety of applications, from remote pick-up services to international broadcasting. From the post war years, through the present, numerous proposals have been put forth to grab the VHF and UHF amateur allocations. Yes, we do need to bring youth into the hobby. However, it is equally important that we bring in quality individuals who wish to invest their time and effort in technical innovation and public service. Simply attracting more individuals interested in a high-class alternative to Family Radio Service won't pay the rent; and rightfully so! If we provide no service to the community, then why should we tie up radio spectrum with the potential to create billions of dollars in economic growth and job production? Assumption 3: "CW is obsolete and of little value" This is a comment usually heard from those with little or no proficiency. Nonetheless, the value of radiotelegraphy should be obvious to those with an open mind.
Apparently, the FCC and the ARRL are too myopic to identify the real factors leading to a potential decline in the Amateur Radio Service. Therefore, to be of assistance, let's point out a few of the features on the distant horizon: Amateur Radio is invisible. Ask the average person on the street to explain what Amateur Radio is, based on their personal insights or knowledge of the hobby (an interesting question for a pollster; perhaps one hired by the League). You will be shocked at the answers you receive. The average person is unable to provide a realistic summary or description of the Amateur Radio Service. Why is this so? WE ARE INVISIBLE. Other than a short mention in an occasional news story covering a major disaster, we are rarely discussed in mass media or popular culture. When we are, the coverage is brief and superficial. Has the amateur community taken any effective steps to correct this problem? No! They are apparently busy blaming the license structure and radiotelegraphy. Admittedly, such organizations as the ARRL haven't the funds or the contacts to correct this problem. However, no erstwhile attempt has been made by any national Amateur Radio organization to raise the funds necessary to create an effective media and outreach campaign. Most Amateur Radio clubs and organizations have no organized approach to community outreach. There are no guidelines or programs designed to encourage involvement in educational programs. There are no effective national programs designed to promote cooperation with such programs as the scouting movement. Few if any Amateur Radio clubs make a speaker available to community groups to promote Amateur Radio. Few Amateur Radio clubs even know how to put together a press release! By the way, as a corollary to the above exercise, ask the same person to explain what the Boy Scouts do, or the Girl Scouts, or the National Rifle Association, or Trout Unlimited, or Ducks Unlimited, or ?? A bunch of grumpy old men? I once asked a young lady, recently licensed and 18 years of age, whether the CW requirement was a barrier or discouragement on her path to becoming licensed. Her response was straightforward. "It wasn't the code that almost frightened me off, it was all the grumpy old men," she said. Take a look in the mirror folks. Next time you attend a swap or an Amateur Radio event, observe the dress, behavior, and social skills of the vast majority of your brethren. Many of us can't even get along with each other - we're too busy complaining about the code requirement. Next time you see a radio amateur portrayed in the media, take note. Ask yourself these questions:
We lack diversity: For example, women make up roughly half of the population, yet few are radio amateurs. Many of the reasons for this are far beyond our control, being based in long held cultural norms. Nonetheless, it seems likely that we are missing a large number of individuals who would have a genuine interest in Amateur Radio. Of course, no one is suggesting that we What are the odds of a young woman feeling at home at your Amateur Radio club? The sad fact is that we have little, if any, contact with whole segments of the American population. We don't cooperate - with anyone! First, we don't cooperate with each other. Ten radio clubs may exist in a metropolitan area, each with a limited membership. Half of these clubs may offer an introductory licensing class. These same clubs will do a poor job of instruction and follow-through. Why? Because they have a limited pool of talent. How would one describe a typical Amateur Radio class?
Of course, we not only don't choose to cooperate with each other, we don't cooperate with anyone. A major metropolitan ARES group recently told me they don't care about NTS activities. They also have "no use" for the American Red Cross. If I recall, they also have no use for a wide variety of agencies because their "boss" (the Emergency Management Director) has no use for anyone but his particular law enforcement agency.
Our problems are not unique to Amateur Radio. It has been said "for every complex social problem there is a simple solution that's wrong." Many "anti-code" proponents have honorable intentions, yet, one can't help but suspect they are misguided in their efforts to insure the survival of Amateur Radio. Many factors are keeping people of all ages out of the hobby. A few such factors include:
Some conclusions:
The lack of vision and reasoned debate on the part of the ARRL has had me quite concerned. At times, I have even considered withdrawing my membership. After considerable thought, I arrived at one question: Where else is there to go? There are no other viable national Amateur Radio organizations. Furthermore, the ARRL still has much to offer. The ongoing support of ARES, RACES, Skywarn, and NTS are enough to justify continued membership. However, the time has come to draw a line in the sand. We should place our ARRL leadership on notice as follows:
(Thanks to www.wr6wr.com)
Victoria B.C. Hams provide communications
link for the Canadian Adult Recreational Hockey Association
Once again this year, Amateur Radio Operators from Victoria have provided a vital communications link for the largest and longest running national hockey tournament of the Canadian Adult Recreational Hockey Association (CARHA). The event, which took place on the third weekend in January, marked the 28th year that the Pacific Cup Tournament has been held in Victoria. Also marking the occasion were four hams who have volunteered every year for the past 28 years – Geoff Jones, VE7DCZ, Al Muir, VE7BEU, Roy Parrett, VE7TG and Doug Shand, VA7DS. Roy also wins the distinction of being the most senior radio operator on the air that weekend. The tournament was sold out as far back as November with an unprecedented 120 teams signing up. Out-ofprovince teams that participated in the tournament this year came from Alberta, Colorado, Washington, Alaska and Illinois. The teams played 206 hockey games at eight different arenas throughout Victoria, including the newly built Bear Mountain Arena. Since the locations of the arenas were so widespread, communications to and from the rinks were vital. Amateur Radio Operators were assigned to each arena and at Harbour Towers (Headquarters) were provided with 2metre radios from WARA's Emergency Communications Programme. Having the radios at the arenas allowed the CARHA organizers to have immediate access to all the scores for the whole tournament. For those that were avid hockey fans, there were some excellent hockey games played. Two of the playoff games went into overtime and one game was not resolved in the overtime period so they went to a shoot-out to determine the winner for that division. Amateur radio operations were "on the air" for over 32 hours during that weekend which involved over 70 amateur radio operators. It was a fun-filled event and one that everyone looks forward to every year. If you would like to volunteer for next year's event, contact the Hockey Communication Coordinator, Neil Townsend, VE7NIL at (250) 382-6345 or e-mail: ve7nil@rac.ca (73 de VA7IRL)
John Bartlett VE2ZH (Feb. 15 2005) Have just read the latest edition of the Canadian Amateur Radio Bulletin...just fabulous! I can only imagine the time and dedication required to produce such a first class document. Thanks Jim...very well done. Congrats to you, Howard, Vern and Anthony! John - VE2ZH / HK3AK
Ernie Crump VE3OU (Feb. 13 2005) JIM; I enjoyed the bulletin today, (as always), there were many interesting articles etc. Please let your contributors know they are appreciated. Keep up the great work.
Don MacQueen VE1DH (Feb. 6 2005) Howard, I am writing you and asking you to pass along my congratulations to all involved in the production and distribution of the Canadian Amateur Radio Bulletin. I particularly appreciate the February 6, 2005 Issue with its "menu" and feature articles including photos. This is making excellent use of the medium. As one who has done Web Pages I know a bit of the effort involved and wish to thank all of you folks for your excellent work. (Don MacQueen VE1DH) |
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