Industry Canada reviewing its approach to spectrum management (Jun. 10 2005)

Many times each year, Industry Canada makes changes to the standards and procedures that govern the use of radio systems in Canada. Almost always, the proposed changes are discussed with spectrum users via the Radio Advisory Board of Canada (RABC), and occasionally the changes are also discussed with the general public, as was the case with their recent review of tower policies.

However, every few years an in-depth review is conducted, to look at the department’s policies and priorities, and decide if changes are needed to the way they make decisions, and how they manage the radio frequency spectrum. As with day-to-day rule changes, spectrum users are consulted, and their comments taken into account.

After a stable period of about 10 years, Industry Canada began a preliminary review in 2002 of its Spectrum Policy Framework, asking for comments on ideas for change. RAC participated, both through the RABC and through a direct letter to the department. Now, three years later, the full review is underway, and Industry Canada has published a draft set of changes on their web site. Over the summer, RAC and the RABC will be studying the proposals and preparing their comments and suggestions. RAC likely will respond both directly and through the RABC.

In general, the proposed changes would have most impact on commercial spectrum users. Most refer to how frequency assignments are made within the bands allocated to the fixed, broadcast and mobile services. However, there is also a continuing trend towards more license exempt devices, which share spectrum with authorized services at the discretion of the Minister, and towards a more “hands off” approach to spectrum management, both of which may be of concern to radio amateurs. Watch for further developments on the RAC web site, and in articles in TCA.

(RAC News Service)

The latest round of  ITU meetings affecting the HF spectrum has now been completed. (Jun 3 2005)

Beginning on March 29th of this year, an important series of meetings took place at the International Telecommunications Union (ITU) in Geneva which moved us one step closer to decisions at the World Radio Conference on 2007. 

Radio Amateurs of Canada and the IARU cooperated on the preparation of a paper in support of retention of the top of the 40 metre band between 7200 and 7300 kHz,  for excluding broadcasters in Europe and Asia from that band, and for securing a world wide exclusive allocation for amateur radio from 7000 to 7300 kHz. With some changes, the document was presented in Geneva by the Canadian delegation. 

The IARU was represented at four different sets of meetings by RAC Treasurer Ken Pulfer, VE3PU. The Broadcast group met in the last week of March and the first week of April. The Mobile and Amateur group met in mid April, and the Fixed service group met towards the end of April. Then, in late May, representatives of all three groups met together for a two day meeting in Geneva, to try to agree on an overall approach to the review of 4-10 MHz. The ARRL also sent a representative on the US delegation. 

With the support of Industry Canada, the amateur radio case for 40 metres was presented at each of the first three sets of meetings, and included in a draft report being prepared for the information of WRC attendees in 2007. 

However, world wide support for the RAC / IARU proposal is minimal at the present time. While many countries accept that there still is a problem at the top end of 40 metres, the main topic of debate about the 4-10 MHz band this time around is a proposal for more spectrum for HF broadcasting.  The main interest, if it is agreed to give more spectrum to the broadcasters, is in finding ways of protecting the HF fixed and mobile services, who are also expanding for a variety of reasons, including disaster communications and national security to name just two. 

All of this means that radio amateurs will have to continue to work very hard between now and the fall of 2007, to build a stronger case for a 300 kHz world wide allocation at 7MHz, and even to retain what we already have in the Americas. 

In another area, RAC together with radio amateurs in BC, Manitoba,  Quebec and Newfoundland have been undertaking studies to support our case for an amateur band at 136 kHz, and in cooperation with Hydro Quebec and Manitoba Hydro, preparing to investigate the interaction between amateur operation at 136 kHz and control signals on the power distribution lines of some Canadian electrical utilities. 

As a result of these studies, Industry Canada and the Canadian delegation have supported the 136 kHz amateur band proposal at the meetings in Geneva. Since most of Europe, and several South American countries also support the Canadian proposal, the possibility of approval of a new LF amateur band at WRC 07 is looking more promising. 

The next round of meetings begin this September. (Ken Pulfer, VE3U)

(RAC News Service)

Beware of Spammers using fake RAC e-mail addresses (Jun. 3 2005)

More and more spammers are using RAC addresses as fake headers on the garbage they are distributing. As usual, these messages do not originate from the RAC server. Please ignore addresses like john@rac.ca or server@rac.ca, or service@rac.ca ... these addresses are FAKE !  (Thanks to VE3PU with help from VE3LL).

(RAC News Service)

New RAC Section Manager for Quebec (May 15 2005)

At the May 25th meeting of the Montreal Amateur Radio Club, Murray Epstein, VE2AUU announced the appointment of Raymond Faguy, VE2SJA as Quebec Section Manager. 

For those of you might not know Raymond, he has been licensed since 1990 and has been a member of the club for an number of years.  He is active in various Amateur Radio Public Service events and brings with him community service related experience including the St. John's Ambulance.  Welcome aboard Raymond and the best of luck in your new position. 

Vernon Erle Ikeda - VE2MBS/VE2QQ
Montreal Amateur Radio Club Inc. - VE2ARC 

Industry Canada gives approval for Alberta Hams to use special callsign (May 6 2005)
 

The Calgary Amateur Radio Association (CARA), through Jeff Wilson, CARA DX Club Chair, has received permit from Industry Canada for All Alberta Amateurs to us special prefixes to celebrate Alberta's Centennial. VE6's can use VX6 and VA6's can use VG6 for the period from May 27 to June 25, 2005.  For more information about the CARA visit our website: www.cara.ampr.org (Jeff Wilson VE6GJ)

Special Call Sign 'VA7YVET' to commemorate the "YEAR OF THE VETERAN" (Jun. 4 2005)

Authority has been granted Doug Pichette VA7DP to use the special call sign VA7YVET to commemorate the "YEAR OF THE VETERAN". Valid from 4 June 2005 to 4 July 2005.

(RAC News Service)

SONRA to celebrate the anniversary of the first successful flight across the Atlantic (Jun. 3 2005)

Several special anniversary event stations have been operated this year including VO1 MZL commemorating the 1918 loss of the S.S. Florizel, VO1 MGY commemorating the loss of the RMS Titanic, VO1FLY celebrating the first aircraft flight in Newfoundland on April 10th 1919.

Several special anniversary event stations have been operated this year including VO1 MZL commemorating the 1918 loss of the S.S. Florizel, VO1 MGY commemorating the loss of the RMS Titanic, VO1FLY celebrating the first aircraft flight in Newfoundland on April 10th 1919. The next planned event will be held on June 14th the anniversary of the first successful flight across the Atlantic by Alcock and Brown in their Vickers Vimy bi plane in 1919. The special call VO1 VIMY will be in use possibly the first four letter call to be used in NL. Shortly after take off from St John's the aircraft made contact with BZM which is noted in their flight log. A recreation of the flight it's self will be attempted by well known sailor and aviator Steve Fossett in a ten year old replica of the Vickers Vimy. Several flight are planned when the aircraft arrives in Newfoundland from California where it departed on May 19th. 

For more information about Admiralty House Museum and Archives please visit our website www.nfld.com/~sirjames  or SONRA www.sonra.ca

The 90th anniversary of the Admiralty Wireless station BZM will take place on September 16th and 17th using the station call VO1 BZM. Special QSL cards are available for all events. (Thanks to Alasdair Black, VO1 LIN, Museum Coordinator, Admiralty House Museum and Archives)

(RAC News Service)

The Fredericton Amateur Radio Club recently had the honour of hosting a ham from Germany at the FARC Club Station.  Ingolf (DL3TYA) from Schwaan inGermany had been in Saint John New Brunswick on business but had been unable to make prior arrangements to operate from there.  He found the Fredericton Amateur Radio Club's website and contacted FARC Vice-President Kent Ross (VE9KAR) requesting information about operating from VE9ND the FARC Station in Fredericton.

On May 11 Kent (VE9KAR) and George (VE1ACU) - assistant host and official translator - met Ingolf at the bus station in Fredericton and accompanied him to the Club Station.  Although propagation was terrible that day, Ingolf still managed some nice contacts with stations in Europe. Unfortunately there didn't seem to be any German stations on the air at the time, but Ingolf was delighted with the contacts that he did make. Sincere thanks to Kent and George for looking after our visitor.  Ingolf has expressed his appreciation to both of these members and to the Fredericton Club for allowing him the opportunity to work some DX from the other side of the Atlantic.

Information provided by David Hildebrand (VE9AV) Secretary/Treasurer of the Fredericton Amateur Radio Club.

Central Alberta Amateur Radio Clubs annual picnic and Ham Fest. (June 17-19 2005)
 

The 35th Annual C.A.A.R.C. Amateur Radio Picnic and Hamfest will be held at Pine Lake starting the afternoon of June 17 through June 19 (fathers day weekend).  Raffle tickets are $5.00 each and can be purchased from CAARC club members. Tickets can also be obtained by mail. Send a cheque or money order to CAARC, PO Box 771, Red Deer, Alberta, T4N 5H3. Draw takes place Sunday 19 June 2005 at the AG Campground, Pine Lake, AB. License #R746375. Only 350 tickets printed

• Family weekend pass - $35.00 (Sunday breakfast included). No camping fees.
• Single weekend pass - $20.00 (Sunday breakfast included). No camping fees. 
• Family day pass - $15.00 
• Single day pass - $8.00 
• Saturday night Baron of Beef supper - $8.00 per adult, $3.00 per child under 12 years of age. 
• Sunday Pancake breakfast - $5.00 per adult, $3.00 per child under 12 years of age. 

FRIDAY JUNE 17
1700 - 2200:  Registration and Special Events Station....Campgrounds 
1900 - 2200:  Hospitality Hour.... Main Hall

SATURDAY JUNE 18

0800 - 1700:  Registration and Special Events Station Campgrounds 
1000 - 1100:  Red Cross Adult Disaster Awareness Training Main Hall 
1000 - 1200: Kid's Activities and "Ladies Time Out" West Hall 
1100 - 1200: Amateur Radio Emergency Service (ARES) meeting Main Hall 
1200 - 1600: Tailgate Flea Market North side of the hall, West side of the main hall. Picnic tables are assigned for vendors. Please do not park in this area unless you are a vendor! NO EARLY BIRDS! 
1200 - 1300: Wiener roast (TBA) (sponsored by SARA) 
1300 - 1400:  Southern Alberta Repeater Association (SARA) meeting Main hall 
1300 - 1400:  Fox Hunt #1 Campgrounds - (bring your VHF/RDF gear) 
1400 - 1500: CANWARN presentation Main Hall 
1500 - 1600: Amateur Role in Municipal Disaster Planning and Response Presented by Ric VA6RIC, Red Deer County 
1600 - 1800:  Lots of visiting! Main Hall closed for supper set up 
1800 - 2000:  Roast Beef Supper Main Hall 
1930 - 2030:  "Junk Box Wars" (TBA) Teams compete to build a functioning communication system out of supplied junk box parts. Bring your cameras. 
2000 - 2300:  Past 100 years Fashion show and Dance Main Hall 
2030 - ?:  Fox Hunt #2 Campgrounds - (bring your VHF/RDF gear) 
2200 - sunrise?:  Bonfire Weather and fire restrictions permitting 

SUNDAY JUNE 19

0800 - 1000:  CAARC Pancake Breakfast Main Hall 
1000 - 1100:  Kid's games and egg toss Campgrounds 
1100 - 1200:  Liars contest, Radio Raffle and door prizes Main Hall 

For more info visit: the CAARC website at www.caarc.ca for information and a map. A great event!!

Whitby Amateur Radio Club Hamfest  (June 18, 2005)
Sponsored by: The Whitby Amateur Radio Club 

Location:  Royal Canadian Legion Br. 43, 471 Simcoe St. South, Oshawa, ON. ( 401 Exit # 418 to Simcoe St.N.) 
3rd. Annual Hamfest. Lunch Counter available. Oshawa ON 

Opens: 7:00 A.M. Vendors, 9:00 A.M. General Public V.I.P. Admission paid by May16, 2005 will let you in 15 Min. ahead of general admission 

Cost: Vendors 8ft. table $10 plus $5 Admission per person General Public $5 per person. No tailgaters. 
Talkin: 147.150

Notes:  Vendors limited to Amateur, Scanner, Short Wave and Computer related equipment. All vendors prepaid and reserved by May 16, 2005 will be entered in a special draw for $50 ( 2 draws) No $50 or $100 bills accepted. 
For more info:  Contact Betty Huider VE3BLH 905-579-1800 or Lyle Sibbald VA3DXE 905-571-6776 

Website: http://www.whitbyarc.org/

PEI Amateur Radio Flea Market  (July 9 2005)
Sponsored by: The Summerside Amateur Radio Club

Location: PEI Flying Association Bldg. "Old" Airport Terminal Bldg. 250 Brackley Point Road Charlottetown, PE
Opens: Vendor Setup 8:00 AM,  Buyers 10:00 AM
Cost: Tables for sellers, both private and commercial are $5.00 each, Price at the door is $3 per person
Talkin: VY2PEI on 145.150 (-)

Notes: Restaurant Services will be available on site. Please contact Rodney, VY2CGA, by email to reserve table space.

For more info visit: www.summersidearc.com

ONTARIO HAMFEST  (July 9, 2005)
Sponsored by: The Burlington Amateur Radio Club 

Location:  Milton Agricultural Fairgrounds...SAME as Last Year   Milton  ON 
Opens: Inside Vendors: 7AM Tailgater Vendors: 8 AM General Admission: 9 AM 
Cost:  Inside Vendors: $10 per table PLUS $6 Admission Tailgater Vendors: $6 Admission PLUS $5 per single width vehicle space GENERAL ADMISSION: $6.00 each..Children under 12 are FREE with Adult Accompaniment 

Talkin: 146.520 Mhz Simplex within Milton Area. 

Notes: This is our 31st Annual "FUN" Day..Don't Miss it! Amateur Radio & Computer Electronics & MORE One of the "few" Fleamarkets that has OUTSIDE/Tailgating & Inside Vendors.

For more info visit: http://home.cogeco.ca/~barc/Ontario%20Hamfest%202005.html
 

Saskatchewan Centennial Hamfest 2005  (July 22, 2005)
Sponsored by: The Saskatoon Amateur Radio Club/Meewasin Amateur Radio Society 

Location: Travelodge Saskatoon 106 Circle Drive West, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan Canada 
Opens: TBA 
Cost: TBA 
Talkin:  Local 146.640- , Regional 146.970- 
Notes: 

For more info visit: http://www.saskhamfest.com

26th Annual Northwestern Ontario Hamfest (July 29-31 2005)
Sponsored by: The Rainy Lake Amateur Radio Club

RLARC will be the host for CAMP 807 2005, and they would like to extend an invitation to all Amateur Radio operators, their families, and other interested persons to participate in this annual family event. It's shaping up to be a great weekend! The Camp 807 committee hopes that you can include our region's annual Ham Radio gathering in your summer plans.

CAMP 807 2005 will take place the weekend of July 29th, 30th, and 31st at the Holiday Village Trailer Park and Campground, 1101 Mill Road by the overpass in East Fort Frances. 

There will be no RV camping at this site (new owners of property, no town licence to use as an RV campground) - but the activities will take place at this site. Across the road is the park, with space for about 20 RV's, on a first-come, first-served basis, and tenting area. There is also a sandy beach for swimming. 

Additional details will be posted as they become available. A final meeting before the onset of Camp 807 will be held on July 4th (tentative date). 

The VE3RLC repeater on 146.820 (-600) in Fort Frances will be used as the talk-in frequency. Club members will be monitoring the repeater in order to provide directions and assistance to those travelling to the event. 

More info: http://camp807.tripod.com/2005
 

VHARA Hamfest 2005  (August 27, 2005) 
Sponsor by: The Victoria - Haliburton Amateur Radio Association 

Location: Manvers Arena - Corner Of Hwy. 7A & 35 (North Of Bowmanville/South Of Lindsay) GPS: Lat. 44D 09M 40S, Long. 78D 39M 30S

Opens: Indoor Vendor Set-Up 7:00AM Free Vendor Continental Breakfast 7:00AM - 8:30AM Outdoor Tailgate Set-Up 9:00AM General Admission 9:00AM 

Cost: General Admission $5.00 Indoor Tables (With 1 Vendor Admission + 1 Continental Breakfast) $10.00 Additional Vendor Pass (Working Helper) + Continental Breakfast $5.00 Outdoor Tailgate Positions (With 1 General Admission) $5.00 
Talkin: VE3LNZ 147.195 + 

Notes: Limited Indoor Vendor 120V AC Power Available (Please Specify When Registering) Door Prize & Super Draw Prizes Will Be Drawn Throughout The Hamfest

For more info visit: http://www.va3kvd.ca/vhara/

Ottawa Amateur Radio Club 9th Annual Hamfest   (September 3, 2005) 
Sponsor by: TheOttawa Amateur Radio Club, Inc 

Location:  Carp Agricultural Fairgrounds 3970 Carp Road (at Falldown Lane) Ottawa (Carp), Ontario. From Ottawa, take Highway 417 West to Carp Road exit, North to the fairgrounds. We are in the arena, so follow the signs on the site. 

Opens: Building Vendor setup: 8 am Tailgaters Open: 9 am Building Opens: 10 am until 1 pm 
Cost:  $5 general admission $10/table (plus admission) $5/tailgate (plus admission) 
Talkin:  VE2CRA, 146.94 -

Notes:   Immediately following the fleamarket will be the RAC Forum and Technology Update moderated by RAC Ontario North Director, Doug Leach (VE3XK). Topics of interest to the amateur radio community are planned and admission is free.

For more info visit: http://www.oarc.net/fleamarket

Vancouver Island Ham Happenings  (September 10, 2005) 
Sponsored by: The Nanaimo Amateur Radio Association 

Location:  Departure Bay Activities Centre 1415 Wingrove Street Nanaimo BC ( Aka the old Departure Bay Fire Hall ) Take Departure Bay road from either end down to the beach, Wingrove st. is right across from the Departure Bay beach.
Please see map and directions on our web site. 

Opens: Sellers setup from 7am to 10 am, doors will be open to the Buyers and general public at 10am and close at 1pm 

Cost:  Cost of tables are $15.00 ea. includes 1 admission. There will be no charge for the table for anyone reserving a table from the lower mainland. Helpers and general admission $5.00 each. 

Talkin: VE7ISC at 146.640 open repeater 

Notes: There will be a RAC table, equipment manufactures tables, local dealers tables, a collectors display table and many, many sellers tables. We will be holding the annual QLF (Left foot CW) CW contest. There will be hourly door prizes as well as a major door prize of an Icom IC-V82 Handheld radio. If you are coming the night before we have many hotels and motels close by, and for RVs we have three malls in the area that allow overnight parking for self contained RVs. 

For more info visit: http://www.nara.nisa.com

Barrie Hamfest  (September 10, 2005) 
Sponsored by: The Barrie Amateur Radio Club 

Location:  Oro Medonte Fairgrounds Just north of Barrie on Hwy #11 to Oro-Medonte Line 7. Watch for Airport sign at exit. Take Line 7 Northwest 2 Km to the 15/16th sideroad and you're at the Fairgrounds. Co-ordinates are 44 30 17 N 79 33 17 W 

Opens: Open for Inside Vendors at 7 am, Taigaters at 8 am, General public at 9 am till 1 pm.
Cost:  General admission $5 , 8' tables $15 plus general admissions, Taigaters $5 plus general admissions. 
Talkin:  VE3RAG 147.000 + 

Notes:  Our second year at the new bigger location. Wheelchair accessable and handicap parking available.
Registration form and map on website. 

For more info visit: http://www.barriearc.com

London Amateur Radio Club 28th Annual Fleamarket   (Sept. 25 2005)

Sunday, September 25, 2005, located at the Western Fair Grounds Special Events Building, London Ontario. 9:00am to 1:00pm

Vendor setup at 7:30am. Admission: $6.00 , tables $ 10.00

Free parking, Air conditioned, commercial dealers, snack bar facilities, wheelchair accessible with handicap washrooms

Inquiries: email: hamfest2005@hamster.foxhollow.ca or phone / mail to Doug Tompkins, VE3IDT (519) 439-5113
54 Hammond Cres. London, ON  N5X 1A4

Website: http://larc.ca/newsletter/LARC-HAMFEST-2005.pdf

SHF 2005 Committee...Hamfest Update

The SHF 2005 committee has undertaken a centennial history project. Through the years, we have noticed a decline in the archiving of photographs and history of radio in our Province. We would like to restore our past and make it accessible for everyone.

Do you have old photographs that you can part with for a while? Can you make us copies?

How about writing up a few pages about what has happened over the last one hundred years in your home area. Anything you can help us with is much appreciated. Please contact the SHF 2005 Committee with any information you can share.

Also, as this is the celebration of the province’s one hundredth birthday, we want to make this the biggest, best hamfest the province has ever seen! Do you have ideas that you would like us to explore? Let us know!

The committee has also developed a survey for gathering input from the ham community. Visit the website, www.saskhamfest.com and fill it out online! 

Bob Comeau - VE1ARN - accepting a message in the Communications Room Nevertheless, this amount of precipitation over such a short period of time stressed the watersheds on the South Shore to the maximum, and the Town of Bridgewater was forced to declare a state of emergency.  The Emergency Measures Organization of Nova Scotia activated the Bridgewater Emergency Operations Centre, and this meant that the Lunenburg County Amateur Radio operators were immediately pressed into service.

How does that old winter-time chestnut go…….."Oh the weather outside is frightful….".  Well the weather here in southern Nova Scotia has indeed been frightful of late.  Over 250 mm of rain fell in many locations in southern Nova Scotia over a 48-hour period.  I suppose it could have been worse if it had occurred in the winter and had been snow instead of rain because that would have been about 250 cm of white stuff.  Red Cross ERV was here to transport supplies to the two shelters that were set up plus meals for those affected and involved. ATV reporter Nicole Carlin speaking with Red Cross Team Leader Dave Arsenault.

"Hi Howard - 

Yes it was a busy time. We were in the EOC (Emergency Operation Centre in Bridgewater) for a shift last Wednesday night then back again most of Thursday right through to early Saturday afternoon. There were eight or nine local amateurs plus one from Dartmouth who manned the EOC around the clock and showed us that we can effectively handle radio communications during emergency situations.  The experience also pointed out some deficiencies that need to be addressed."
 

There are a number of lakes that flow one into the other and eventually into Fancy Lake a popular cottage area just south of Bridgewater and the location of a number of large and expensive homes.  Fancy Lake is then drained to the ocean through a small river - Petite Riviere.  And the later is the problem.  Petite Riviere just did not have the capacity to handle the huge volume of water that descended from the skies over the period of May 21 to May 27, and as a result, Fancy Lake and Petite Riviere both overflowed their banks flooding roads and properties in the area.  Over 100 people were forced from their homes and into shelters or off to stay with friends and family in the area.

The following are excerpts from Bridgewater Bulletin on-line edition - 
 

Records broken as state of emergency declared 
By KEITH CORCORAN and LISA BROWN
HEBBVILLE - Parts of Hebbville and Fancy Lake remained underwater while several bridges and roads were still closed Monday after a weeklong plastering of rain. 

More than 235 millimetres of the wet stuff pummelled the county since May 22, prompting the Municipality of Lunenburg to declare a local state of emergency that spanned four days. 

A team of municipal officials, RCMP, Red Cross workers, Transportation and Environment representatives, Emergency Health Services people and communications experts (read Amateur Radio operators) worked tirelessly. They were aided by more volunteers from area fire departments and ground search and rescue groups. 

At the height of this weather event last week, estimates had close to 100 people vacated from more than 40 homes. Most of those were in areas around Hebb and Fancy lakes in Hebbville and down through the Petite Riviere watershed. 

While much of the attention was focused on the area between Hebbville and Petite Riviere, roads were also closed as far away as Kingsburg and Martins River north of Bridgewater towards Halifax. Several bridges were also damaged around the county.  The sheer volume of water and the massive emergency effort that followed this weather phenomenon is not something Lunenburg County will soon forget. 

As emergency measures co-ordinator Brian Keizer said last week, "It's certainly not something that we're used to doing here." 

Heavy rainfall warnings force soaked South Shore to brace for more flooding 

With much of the South Shore already under about a metre of water and more rain almost certainly on the way, the Municipality of the District of Lunenburg declared a state of emergency late Wednesday. 

The Emergency Measures Organization made the announcement at 5:30 p.m., urging residents in any low-lying areas to leave their homes.

The rain finally subsided by the end of May and the sun actually appeared.  It had been so long since we had seen the sun that some had a hard time recognizing what that bright sphere in the sky was!  On a positive note, the more recent warm dry days of early June have gone a long way to drying things up on the South Shore.  But, now the problem is that the woods in Nova Scotia are beginning to dry out too much, and with all of the dead and damaged trees that are left over from when hurricane Juan tore through the province two years ago, the woods in Nova Scotia are becoming a real fire hazard.  With forest fire season already beginning, Radio Amateurs may yet again be asked to assist local authorities over what is expected to be a long hot summer ahead.

ARES EOC Field Day 2005 Activities (Jun. 25-26 2005)

Amateur Radio Station (VE3EMO) at the Provincial Emergency Operations Centre (Emergency Management Ontario) will be activated for Field Day 2005 on June 25th between the hours of  7-11pm. Look for us between 3.740 and 3.775 on the 80 metre band.

The following Emergency Operations Centres have reported being active on Field Day 2005; 

• Amateur Radio Station (VA3EOT) at the Toronto Emergency Operations Centre will be activated for Field Day 2005 on June 25th between the hours of  7-11pm. Toronto EOC will be active on all bands including PSK31.

• Amateur Radio Station (VE3SOO) at the Sault Ste. Marie Emergency Operations Centre will be activated for the entire Field Day Event by the Algoma Amateur Radio Club. They will be active on all bands on both CW and Phone.

• Amateur Radio Station (VA3OSE) at Owen Sound Fire & Emergency Services will be activated for Field Day 2005. Reported by Rod Pears VA3RP DEC Saugeen ARES.

As time is short please let us know as soon as possible. Please respond to the e-mail address listed below or phone.

73 Jim Taylor VA3KU
PEOC Chief Station Operator
'Emergency Management Ontario'
EMOARES@jus.gov.on.ca
416-466-9361

Toronto Nuclear Test  (May 27 2005)

The Toronto ARES Group was asked by the City of Toronto Office of Emergency Management (OEM) and the City's Community and Neighborhood Services section to supply ARES services to the 2005 York University Reception / Evacuee Center Drill. This exercise is an annual event and a part of the Toronto Nuclear Emergency Response Plan. This year, the event took place in the morning of Friday May 27 2005. at the Keele Street campus of York University in northwest Toronto.

An ARES command center was set up on site with radio equipment on 6 meters, 2 meters and in the 440 Band plus GMRS. A 7 member unit of St. John Ambulance that was in attendance was supplied by ARES with a seperate complete GMRS communications system. This GMRS system work well in allowing St. John Ambulance to have communications within their own group and in linking them back into the main operations control network.

ARES members were stationed in the following locations;

• The nearby Black Creek Pioneer Village parking lot which was the staging area for the convoy of "evacuees"
• The Vehicle Monitoring and Decontamination area. Toronto Fire Service and Ontario Power Generation staff worked in this open parking lot area. 
• The Personnel monitoring and Decontamination Building. The Ontario Power Generation control center was located in this building. 
• The Personnel Reception Center. All the public service agencies were located in this building.
• The main Command Center location.
• City of Toronto Emergency Operations Center (EOC) which is located 13 Km south east from the drill site.

Toronto ARES members who participated were Robert VA3CSE, Earnie VE3EJE, Peter VE3FJI, Jim VA3KU, John VE3POJ and Joe VE3OV. The event meant a lot of walking and standing for the ARES operators. Our thanks go out to them for their participation during a busy weekday morning. They made Toronto ARES look good. 

(Joe Cusimano, VE3OV)

The Ontario Provincial Communications ARES (Procom) Net

In an emergency situation, the Procom Net would be used to pass traffic between Agency Control Centres across Regional Zones. It would be used be such agencies as The Red Cross, Salvation Army, St. John Ambulance as well as other Social Service Departments, Emergency Operation Co-Ordinators and other Emergency Departments. 

The Net meets every Thursday evening at 8:30pm using four linked UHF repeaters, one linked VHF repeater and one simplex frequency. The repeater list is as follows: 

VE3SNM 442.850 (136.5) Toronto
VE3WIK 443.675 (131.8) Carlisle 
VA3WAJ  442.425 (107.2) Niagara Falls 
VE3SED  442.200 (131.8) Baden 
VE3MBR  147.105 (131.8) Goring 
ARES Simplex 146.460 linked to VE3WIK 

For more information visit:oeco.hfradio.net/procom.html

Quebec QSO Party--CW/Digital/Voice--sponsored by the Radio Amateurs du Quebec from 1700Z Jun 18-0300Z Jun 19. Frequencies: 80-2 meters, no repeater contacts. Categories: SOAB (150 W max), MO, QRP, VHF (QRP and VHF are VE2 and NA stations only). Exchange: RS(T) and Quebec region or S/P/C, /MM send ITU zone. QSO points: Voice--1 pt, CW/Digital--2 pts, VE2RIO--10 pts. Score: QSO points × VE2 regions and ITU Zones counted once per band and mode. For more information: www.raqi.ca/qqp. Logs due Aug 24 to qso-log@raqi.ca or Radio Amateur du Quebec (QQP), 4545 Av Pierre-de-Coubertin, CP 1000, Succursale M, Montreal QC, Canada, H1V 3R2.

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.

Looking for that special piece of radio gear to finish off your ham station? Do you have extra radio gear you'd like to turn into some cash?

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)

The Manitoba Repeater Society Swap & Shop
 

This is a bi-weekly net, and listings are posted for four weeks.  Only HAM radio gear & computers may be posted.  www.ve4sss.ca/swapnshop.html

This is my fourth in a series of pieces on the progress of Richard Provonchee - K1RBP - as he sails solo from Cushing Maine to Portugal.

Saturday Morning June 4, 2005 - Richard has now completed his first night alone on the Atlantic.  As of the morning of June 4th he writes:
 

It looks like there were at lease three or four metre seas running  after a big blow on Friday evening; but the wind has died down completely.

"The night went all right. We were cranking. Up to 7 knots at times. I got quite a few catnaps so don't feel too bad this morning. The wind has died right down so am kind of floundering at the moment. I have a patch on. Actually I put it on Wednesday. I just made some coffee - which helps.

This morning, I'm going through all that stuff about why am I doing this and do I really want to. All the stuff we knew would happen. Haven't eaten much yet but will get to it soon. No Gatorade yet. Co-ordinates are > 42deg 50.5min N 67deg 15.25min W" ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Saturday Afternoon June 4, 2005 - I have just returned from a Field Day Contesting Workshop run by the Halifax Amateur Radio Club out of our EMO Emergency Operations Centre in Dartmouth.

1630 hrs - Finally success!!  Richard is now far enough off the coast of Nova Scotia that a contact on 40 metres was successful.  He was about S-5, but the noise level was 5 to 6 making it difficult to hold a long conversation.  I did get his position logged and it was not much different from when he sent his position by email earlier today.  Apparently after quite stiff winds over night Friday and into Saturday morning, things got very quiet. 

In fact, he has been becalmed now for several hours; let me tell you, bobbing around like a cork in a 27-foot vessel in moderate seas is no fun at all!! Hopefully, the wind will pick later Saturday evening and he will put additional distance between us, further improving the chance of a solid voice contact tomorrow.  Daina plans to listen in tomorrow and if conditions permit, I will patch her through to Richard. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Sunday Morning June 5, 2005 - I received this update this morning from Diana who has passed on excerpts of her most recent email from Richard onboard Vittoria.

Porpoise coming along side for a visit

Daina writes to the many friends who are following Richard's progress -  "Richard had an emotionally tough day yesterday. He was becalmed and stuck in the fog - feeling quite vulnerable. However this morning (Sunday) I think he's feeling better. Here are some excerpts from what he emailed me:  "Still no wind but the fog looks like it might lift. I did get a fair amount of sleep last night. I've made my coffee and had a bowl of oatmeal. My position today about the same as yesterday. I didn't drift as far as I feared."  Daina comments:  "The reference to "drifting" is because at one point on Saturday he thought he was actually drifting towards Nova Scotia!  Richard and I hope to connect this evening at 5:00pm via Ham radio link through Howard - VE1DHD.  I'll keep you posted." ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Through the wonders of Amateur Radio, Winlink 2000 and "ShipTrack" we can see Richard's location as of 2005/06/05 15:54  at 042° 52' 00" N 066° 47' 00" W - reported becalmed and rolling.  His intended track is south-east to the 40th parallel; instead, he is drifting north-west towards Yarmouth Nova Scotia.

Sunday Evening June 5, 2005 - We did manage to make another successful voice contact with Richard on 40 metres, and this time I was able to patch Daina through for a brief chat with Richard. 

Unfortunately, it seems that he did drift northwards over the past 24 hours and was even closer to Nova Scotia today than yesterday.  As a result, his signal was not strong and to top it off, the Commercial Broadcasters in Europe were starting to come through on top of him during our contact at 2000Z.  Hoping for better luck mid week.

Lots of feathered friends but NO wind!!

Monday Morning June 6, 2005 - I opened my email this morning at 0630 to find the following:

Hi Howard (VE1DHD) and Neil (VE1ZY),

I have decided to head back to Cushing.  Lots of reasons but basically I've come to the conclusion that this trip is not for me.

I hope to be back in Cushing by Wednesday. I will fill you in then.

Thanks for your help and sorry for the inconvenience.

Richard
 

Dead Calm

I know that Richard is going to be disappointed at not being able to complete the trip of a lifetime that has been so long in the planning, but on the other hand I am confident that Daina is going to be relieved that he will soon be home.  It may be difficult for those who are not sailors and who have never sailed off-shore to understand what has happened here, but there are myriad factors that come into play when sailing alone on the open ocean.

The fact that Richard has been becalmed and socked in with fog for two solid days and was being tossed about on a reasonably rough sea without any effective steerage, just made things so much worse, particularly so early on in his trip.  As it turned out, instead of heading south-east towards the 40th parallel, he was actually drifting north-west back towards Yarmouth Nova Scotia.
 

Howard (VE1DHD) in his Shack in Seabright NS

Although this epic ended prematurely, it did nevertheless end safely, and Amateur Radio played a not so insignificant role in keeping communication lines open between Vittoria and Richard's wife Daina in Halifax.  Remember that WinLink 2000 is an Amateur Radio developed and supported system, and I must say that I found it incredibly interesting that Richard's Emails got through 100% of the time - thanks to Neil (VE1YZ) -  where I struggled to make voice contacts on SSB.

As they say - "All is well that ends well" and in that regard, this story does have a happy ending and I hope that you have enjoyed following along.

73 from Seabright Nova Scotia.

Howard - VE1DHD

I have been keeping you informed about the plans that Richard Provonchee - K1RBP - has for sailing solo from Cushing Maine to Portugal.  This is the third in a series of articles that I hope to provide on the progress that Richard is making. Richard (K1RBP) had hoped to set sail on his personal epic voyage on the Victoria Day long weekend in May but discovered that he needed special insurance to enter Portuguese waters.  He finally has that insurance but only after having his vessel surveyed, which necessitated grounding her.  He then set the US Memorial Day weekend as his starting date, but as you may have read in the papers, we have been deluged with rain (250+mm) and very high winds (gusts to 100km/hr) here on the East Coast for over two weeks and so his departure date was yet again set back.  The latest plan was for him to leave from Cushing on Wednesday June 1st, but that too was scuttled.

Well today (Friday June 3rd) I received the following from Richard via Winlink 2000 AirMail.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Hi Howard,

I slipped the mooring at 8:30 this morning. Now at 43deg 36.2min N 68deg 38min W.
Rough ride but good weather.
I will plan to be looking for you tomorrow (Saturday) as per you suggestion.

Richard
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Richard is referring to our plan to try and make an HF contact on 40 metres at 1600hrs. ADT on Saturday.  If he had gotten underway on Wednesday I expect he might have been sufficiently far from my QTH near Peggy's Cove to make a good contact on 7.260HHz but I now have my doubts.  I will give it a try Saturday in any event and if that does not work, we will try Sunday, and Monday if need be.  Daina (Richard's wife) is obviously anxious about this trip and would like to be able to hear his voice.  She has already received an email from him, so his WinLink 2000 system running AirMail is working very well, but there is nothing like the personal touch of a human voice.

Daina dropped me this note late Friday pm along with this  nice shot of Richard at his "nav station" on Victtoria.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Hi Howard, 
After several set backs and a false start yesterday due to the fog, Richard finally made it out this morning. I just received the first email from him. He says he's feeling pretty good emotionally and so-so physically. I guess it's pretty rough (he said he was having trouble keeping the computer on the chart table!) and he's a bit sea-sick.  However, from all that he's told me from what he's read, that is pretty normal.  Even under ideal conditions, the first few days are supposed to be the hardest, emotionally and physically. 

Please let me know when you make contact with him. Needless to say I'm anxious for any and all news. 

Daina
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Hi Daina: 

Good to hear that Richard is finally out at sea. Yes, I remember my first open ocean trip from the Royal Nova Scotia Yacht Squadron in Halifax down to Marblehead Mass. What a trip!! Constantly battling the head winds and the waves.  If I could have walked on water, I would have gotten off at Liverpool for sure. But, after two days things got better and I was fine from then on. I expect that Ricahrd will be good by Saturday or Sunday. 

I don't know what to suggest about this weekend Daina. We had expected a Wednesday departure so with him not leaving until Friday, he won't have covered a great deal of distance by 4pm Saturday. The problem is that the 40-metre band (which is the one that we are most likely to make a contact on, at least until he hits mid-Atlantic) is not very effective for short distances and we were never really able to make a firm contact from Halifax to Cushing. The further he gets from Cushing the better. 

I will give him a try on Saturday at 4pm as planned. If you like, you can call as planned and I will put you on my speaker phone so you can hear as I try to establish contact. Then if we get a good connection, I will put you through the proper Phone Patch and you can have a chat. If Saturday does not work out, then I would say that we try for 5pm on Sunday (Jean and I are planning on going to the Valley on Sunday so don't want to cut things too close - 5pm should be fine.) The plan is that if I don't get through to him on SSB Voice Saturday I will immediately send an email to him outlining any issues and will set up a scheduled contact (SKED) for the next day. 

Hope to hear from you tomorrow. And thanks for the picture. That is great and I will include it in my weekly report. 
Cheers (or as we Hams say - 73) 

Howard - VE1DHD
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Until next week, this is VE1DHD - CLEAR.

There are many reasons why we get into Amateur Radio.  However I was surprised this year as co-ordinator of our Halifax Amateur Radio Club Basic Course to learn that several of the people who were attending the classes were doing so for the sole purpose of being able to operate SSB/HF in the Ham bands aboard their sailboats.  Coincidentally, I had been chatting recently with a friend and fellow Ham - Neil Hughes (VE1YZ) - about another individual who had been having problems with an HF installation on his sailboat.

For those of you who are contemplating, or who are in the process of installing SSB/HF on your boat, I am passing along a number of things that Neil reckons are critically important in this area.

1)   Assuming that you are using a backstay for an antenna, with an automatic antenna tuner, it is very important that the antenna tuner be mounted as close beneath the backstay as possible. The feedline from the antenna tuner must be an open piece of insulated wire (not coax - not even 1" of coax!), clear of other metal objects as much as possible. It should not be taped to the non-antenna part of the backstay, but rather held off on plastic standoffs. This is necessary to prevent arcing. Once an arc occurs, a pinhole develops in the feedlilne, which fills with salt water and shorts the antenna.

2)   Your antenna tuner must have a very heavy ground strap that runs directly to a good grounding point, such as a keelbolt or Dynaplate. The wire must be as short as possible. The best ground would be a wide copper strap (2" or more). If that is not available, a piece of #6 (automotive battery) cable would be a good choice. Copper tubing would also work. Flatten the ends and solder on connectors, or flatten and drill. The connections at each end must be perfect. If lugs are installed on the cable, they must be soldered. Connections at the keelbolt or Dynaplate must be clean, tight, and protected from moisture. 

NOTE: The piece of strap that runs from the ground connection on the tuner to the seawater ground is actually part of the antenna system. Making this strap as physically large (but short) as possible minimizes its effect.

3)   The radio should have a similar heavy ground directly to the same grounding point as the antenna tuner. A short (1'), smaller flexible piece of wire at the radio end would make the installation easier. Again connections must be soldered and perfect.

NOTE:  An engine bolt does not qualify as a ground for radio purposes. Other grounds such as lifelines are also not acceptable.  Unfortunately, many people install a very good radio, but pay little or no attention to the antenna and grounding system.

4)    The PTC-IIe Antenna Tuner must have it's own power source. In other words it can not be connected to the same circuit as the radio. It must have it's own circuit complete to the source of power. This is usually the culprit when RF gets into the PTC-IIe.  In some cases, to eliminate RF interference, I have found that putting the PTC-IIe on it's own battery cured it. Also, what works well is a 12V-inline filter for an automotive stereo radio. These are used to eliminate alternator whine in car radios. This filter should be mounted right at the PT-CIIe. In stubborn cases, mounting the 20-amp filter in the power line to the radio, right at the radio will help. These filters are usually available at automotive stores.

5)   Be sure that you have downloaded and installed the propagation predictor from the Airmail home page. It is a great tool. Each time you check into a WL2K, you will automatically download the current solar flux. This solar flux number is read by the propagation program, and the various WL2K PMBOs are assigned a probability of success, based on that number.

At this time in the solar cycle, HF communications will be difficult at best. There may be days with little or no propagation due to solar flares. Frequency selection and time of day will be critical.
 
 

Howard, Hi!

Just read issue 130 of the Bulletin and wanted to tell you how much I enjoyed your article on Grand Manan. I found it most interesting and as "professional" as any article I've ever seen in QST.

Well done!

John - VE2ZH / HK3AK  (May 29 2005)

Hi Howard,

I have got to tell you that the job you are doing as a correspondent from this region is just fantastic!  You are setting a standard that no other region has yet even begun to approach.

Your writing style is both entertaining and full of very useful information.  Moreover, you are making such effective use of digital photos, maps and other images.

I personal extend my thanks for your efforts!

I hope that we can get more people in this region subscribing to the bulletin, and reading and making use of the valuable information contained in the whole bulletin.

73,
Scott Wood VE1QD