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A Day of Rememberance...November
11th
Special Event Station VA3IF will be on the air from 10:00am to 5:00pm weekdays and from 1:00pm to 5:00pm on the weekend from 5 to 11 November operating on 10, 15, 20, 40 and 80 meters. A feature article appeared in the CARB last year and can be found by visiting: www.tpn7055.ca/va3if.html
Canadian Amateur Radio Advisory Board (CARAB) meets to discuss regulatory issues (Nov. 4 2005) Per the formal agreement between Industry Canada and Radio Amateurs of Canada, the twenty-fifth semi-annual CARAB meeting was held in Ottawa, ON, Nov. 3, 2005. This is a brief summary of this consultative meeting. Discussions on several ongoing regulatory subjects on the agenda included the following:
Industry Canada was represented by: Earl Hoeg, Director Spectrum Management Operations; Guy Roy, Manager Operations, Director Eastern Ontario District Office ; Tom Jones, Chief, Authorizations, Spectrum Management Operations, Gary Steckly, Technical Policy Analyst, Spectrum Management Operations, Hughes Nappert, Manager of EMC Analysis, and Harold Carmichael, Program Manager Examinations and Certificates, Spectrum Information Technologies and Telecommunications, Québec, QC. (RAC News Service)
Canadian amateurs offer to help Mexico in the aftermath of Hurricane Wilma (Nov. 4 2005) In a recent e-mail to Dr. Carlos E. Levy XE1YK, RAC President Earle Smith wrote: Can Radio Amateurs of Canada help
FMRE in any way in relieving the results of >the disaster caused by Hurricane
Wilma in the Cancun area?
Here is the reply from XE1YK Dear Earle:
73 DX. Carlos, XE1YK (RAC News Service)
LF Experimentation by Radio Amateurs Continues Quietly (Nov. 3, 2005) Experimentation by radio amateurs on the nether regions of the radio spectrum continues quietly and largely unnoticed outside of the LF community. Since the FCC turned down the ARRL's 1998 petition to create an Amateur Radio "sliver band" in the vicinity of 136 kHz, some US amateur licensees have obtained FCC Part 5 Experimental licenses to research the possibilities of LF, including transatlantic and transpacific propagation. A few hams in Canada have obtained special permission from Industry Canada to operate on LF using Amateur Radio call signs. The latest noteworthy accomplishment was a QSO between US Experimental licensees. LF enthusiast Laurence Howell, KL1X--operating as WD2XDW--and John Andrews, W1TAG--operating as WD2XES--completed their LF contact October 29 on 137 kHz. Full Story: http://www.arrl.org/news/stories/2005/11/03/1/?nc=1 (ARRL News Service)
Latest news on ARDF - the FARSC newsletter (October 2005) FARSC business Next FARSC AGM will be held November 16, 2005. All welcome. There will be the usual careful examination
of socks, leading to the selection of officers and directors. AND, there
will be exciting directors' reports of activities and inactivities, and
the ever popular discussion of what's next. See prezzie report following
for tantalizing hints.
President's Report Hello Everyone.
Robin VE7DFI, Pres. EVENTS The Region 2 ARDF contest in Albuqueque
NM happened in August. The results are posted on their web site. There
was no Canadian representative present and TCA has accepted an article
from Kenneth E. Harker WM5R reporting on the results and chastising Canadian
amateurs.
OTHER NEWS ARDF practise sessions, with alternating 80m and 2m hunts continue. The twice a month sessions are held on the first and third Saturdays, muster in the lower parking lot at Beaver Lake park about 9:30 to be ready for a 10:00 start. All welcome. No ham licence required. FARSC usually has three or four receivers available which can be shared with the equipment challenged. Earlier this year, some ARDF gear was sent from here to Ken Olke, VE6AFO, in Calgary. We hope to hear about a bloom of ARDF activity there soon. ARDF equipment reports - VE7BFK 1. Simple 80m ARDF receiver from WB6BYU - update I mentioned in the previous newsletters
that this receiver would be
2. Our current equipment complement and status FARSC has accumulated a fairly comprehensive set of gear, a bit at a time. Here is an inventory at the present time. 2 meters: 5 transmitters, not all
the same.
All of the equipment above is in good working order. The rechargeable batteries in the 2m transmitters are now several years old and might be expected to require replacement within the next year or so. The recent disregard by local emergency services hams of the prior use of the crystal-controlled) 2m fox frequency, and the improbability of securing even national frequency coordination for ARDF use, illustrates that it would be desireable to have frequency-agile transmitters. About FARSC We encourage amateurs and non-amateurs
interested in Amateur Radio Dirction Finding, or/and participating in Friendship
Radio Games to join the Friendship Amateur Radio Society Canada. Annual
fee is $15.00 which goes toward supporting and promoting the Friendship
Radio Games, and if
There are still info and pictures about FRG01 at www.islandnet.com/~jyoung/FRG01. The annual membership term runs roughly from fall to fall, but anytime is a good time to renew your membership. To sign up or renew, please send $15, Name, callsign, email address, and phone number. If you want to have the printed copy of the newsletter mailed to you, we also need your mailing address. Send to FARSC, 2005 Queenston St., Victoria BC, V8R 4P3 (RAC news Service)
Radio Amateurs of Canada introduces New RAC Forum (Oct. 18 2005) The new RAC forum is dedicated to the hobby of Amateur Radio and it's many activities. It's RAC's hope that this new and improved forum setup will be a great success. Full Details can be found online by visiting: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/RAC_Forum/ (VE4RRB RAC Forum Moderator)
Manitoba Amateur
Radio Repeater Council.
October 23, 2005 at approx 11:10 am the Manitoba Amateur Repeater Coordination Council (MARCC) was formed. Those in attendance were, VE4ALW - Portage ARC and the VE4PTG repeater, VE4WR - the VE4EDU repeater and speaking for the Dauphin ARC, VA4GD - Pinawa Repeater group and the VE4PIN, VE4INT repeaters, VE4KQ - Manitoba Amateur Radio Museum, Brandon ARC and the VE4AGA, VE4KIL, VE4VHF, VE4BDN, VE4INF,VE4TED,VE4HS, VE4MTR repeaters , VE4ACX - the VE4TWO repeater , VE4HK - Winnipeg ARES and the VE4ARS repeater , VE4SBS - Pathfinders ARC and the VE4FIL repeater, VE4ALP - Pathfinders ARC and the VE4FIL repeater, VE4RRB - the VE4UHF repeater, VE4EAR - Manitoba Repeater Society and the VE4CDN, VE4MAN, VE4PLP, VE4NEP, VE4GIM, VE4MIL, VE4EMB, VE4WPG, VE4VJ, VE4WRS repeaters. The meeting was chaired by VE4HAY representing Radio Amateurs of Canada (RAC). VE4HAY talked about the passing of the previous Frequency Coordinator, Tom, VE4MJ/VE4TOM. As such there was no one to coordinate repeaters in VE4 area. It was expressed that RAC would like to see councils formed which can be maintained well into the future. Such a council has been up and running in British Columbia for many years. At the RAC Annual General Meeting, VE4HAY talked to a representative from the BC council and it was agreed that if VE4's wanted to form a council they could borrow the format, bylaws, policies etc... from the BC council, so that they did not have to re-invent the wheel. VE4HAY did this and over the summer worked on the documents and converted them to a model that VE4's should be able to work with. VE4HAY conferred with the Manitoba Repeater Society on how VE4's may want to have their council set up. It was suggested that the VE4 model will be a no fee model with one representative from any repeater or club being part of the group. 99% of the work involved would be done via e-mail to eliminate the need to collect fees and hold meetings. While this process is a little slower, it is still very efficient. VE4HAY then asked for a simple vote by those in attendance if they felt such a council should be formed, and everyone agreed.
Some technical items where brought up like Will beacons be included in the council
function - YES all fixed frequencies (repeaters & Beacons, etc.. )
should be under the council
The meeting ended at about 11:30 - with no date set for any future meetings (all communication to be done by e-mail) Derek Hay, VE4HAY
Ham Radio, Electronic & Computer
Swap Meet (Nov. 6 2005)
Ontario government implements broad response to Kashechewan emergency (Nov. 2 2005) Emergency Management Ontario Coordinates Provincial Efforts TORONTO, Nov. 2 /CNW/ - The provincial government is implementing a broad response plan to help residents of the Kashechewan First Nation Reserve deal with the emergency affecting their community, Ontario Commissioner of Emergency Management Julian Fantino said today. "We continue to work with our Kashechewan and federal partners to ensure the well-being of community members," Fantino said. "Although the evacuation phase is almost complete, we need to finish the health assessment of residents and work to ensure the reliability of the local water supply in Kashechewan to foster the evacuees' eventual return to their homes." Emergency Management Ontario (EMO) is coordinating the partial evacuation of Kashechewan. The Province decided to evacuate approximately 60 per cent of the community's residents following the October 25 meeting between Premier McGuinty and Aboriginal leaders to discuss the infrastructure and health problems caused by a contaminated water system on the reserve. As of November 1, more than 815 residents had been airlifted to other Ontario communities. Local leaders have identified a further 87 residents who need to be evacuated from Kashechewan. The Ministry of Natural Resources is coordinating the airlift operations. Other measures taken by the Ontario government to help the residents of Kashechewan include: - Deploying the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care's Emergency Medical Assistance Team to Sudbury to assist in assessing and treating the medical needs of the evacuees and Kashechewan residents - Dispatching a Ministry of the Environment expert technical team to assess the drinking water and sewage systems in Kashechewan - Ensuring that students evacuated from the community have access to education by having the Ministry of Education communicate with school boards in host communities - Preliminary coordination, with all involved, of a strategy to return evacuees to their community - Activating the Provincial Emergency Operations Centre. "Ontario's priority has been and will continue to be the health and safety of its residents," Minister Responsible for Aboriginal Affairs and Minister of Natural Resources David Ramsay said. "I would also like to recognize the excellent work that is being done by the many parties from Ontario, the Kashechewan First Nations and Canada to resolve this matter." Backgrounder ONTARIO'S RESPONSE TO THE KASHECHEWAN EMERGENCY The Ontario government is implementing a broad response plan to help residents of the Kashechewan First Nation Reserve deal with the emergency affecting their community. Emergency Management Ontario is supervising the partial evacuation of Kashechewan. Ontario agreed to evacuate approximately 60 per cent of the community's residents following the October 25 meeting between Premier Dalton McGuinty and Aboriginal leaders to discuss the infrastructure and health problems caused by a contaminated water system on the reserve. So far, 815 residents of Kashechewan have been evacuated during the airlift coordinated by officials of Ontario's Ministry of Natural Resources: - 245 to Ottawa
A further 113 Kashechewan residents are being flown to Sudbury for medical evaluation, after which they will return home. The Ontario Emergency Medical Assistance Team (EMAT) The EMAT has been dispatched to Sudbury to help assess the medical situation of Kashechewan evacuees. So far, the team's medical professionals have conducted health assessments of nearly 1,000 Kashechewan residents. EMAT consists of a self-sufficient 56-bed acute and immediate care field unit with its own medical equipment and supplies, a communication centre, electricity and water supply. The EMAT is operated by Ontario Air Ambulance and is deployed at the request of the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care. EMAT is staffed by a group of volunteer emergency medical professionals who are trained to respond to major health emergencies. This represents the first full-scale operational deployment of the team since its creation in January 2004. Ministry of the Environment Expert Technical Team The provincial experts assessed the community's drinking water system, its wastewater system and sewage lagoons. The team was led by Jim Smith, Ontario's Chief Drinking Water Inspector, and included four technical experts from the Ministry of the Environment with expertise in water and sewage system. The Chief Drinking Water Inspector has sent a letter to the Chief and to Indian and Northern Affairs Canada (INAC), advising them of the results of 14 samples taken from the water treatment plant and the distribution system over the weekend. The results indicate that no E.coli or Total Coliform bacteria were found in any of these samples. The Chief Inspector has committed to providing a full report to the Kashechewan First Nation and INAC by November 10. The report will detail the results of MOE's source-to-tap assessment of the drinking water system, will include the results of all water quality analysis and information on the assessment of the sewage system. Emergency Management Ontario and the Ontario Emergency Operations Centre Emergency Management Ontario (EMO) has staff in Kashechewan, Ottawa, Cochrane and Sudbury to help coordinate the provincial response to the emergency and help in the evacuation efforts. EMO's Provincial Emergency Operations Centre has been activated and is staffed by representatives from affected provincial ministries and federal departments or agencies. The centre coordinates the efforts of all municipal, provincial and federal agencies and ministries involved in responding to the Kashechewan emergency. EMO officials are working closely with representatives of INAC, the Department of National Defence, Health Canada, and Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness Canada. Disponible en français
GREEN FIREWOOD USE CAUSING CONCERN, CHARLOTTETOWN, PEI ((Nov. 5 2005) A renewed interest in firewood to offset higher home heating costs has led to a shortage of properly seasoned wood, forcing some homeowners to burn “green” wood. This has caused a great deal of concern to Island fire brigades and insurance companies because burning unseasoned fuelwood can create significant fire hazards. “Freshly cut wood has a moisture content of about 80 per cent, so it must be dried or "seasoned" down to around 20 per cent before it can be safely burned,” stated Ken Mayhew, Forest Information Officer with the PEI Department of Environment, Energy and Forestry. “Wood with a moisture content higher than 25 per cent is considered to be “green” or "unseasoned” and should never be burned in a fireplace or wood stove because it can dramatically increase the chances of a serious chimney fire.” Mr. Mayhew pointed out that there are many different factors involved in getting the best and safest heat from fuelwood, but basically, the heat content is a combination of wood density and moisture. He explained that wood moisture has two components - natural wood resins and water. As seasoned firewood heats up in the stove, these resins emit combustible gases which can account for as much as half of the fire’s heat output. However, when green or wet firewood is burned, this heat starts by boiling off the water first, and this lowers the fire’s temperature and prevents the wood gases from igniting and releasing their heat value. If the wood gases are not burned efficiently, they escape up the chimney, taking their heat value with them and creating heavy creosote formation. Creosote is the product of wood smoke, low burning temperatures, and high wood moisture content, and can be a serious hazard for homeowners who burn green wood. Wet or unseasoned wood greatly increases the accumulation of creosote and, when it builds up in a flue or chimney, it can ignite, causing serious fires. Most people prefer to burn species such as sugar maple and beech and, while they do have a high heat content per cord, they must be properly seasoned before use. Consumers are often surprised to learn that burning unseasoned maple or birch produces as much creosote as low heat value species such as fir, pine or poplar. “Burning firewood is an Island tradition and can be quite effective if homeowners use the proper precautions,” said Mr. Mayhew. “In addition to using well-seasoned wood and using a properly-installed furnace, homeowners should regularly build a hot roaring fire to reduce the formation of creosote and have an annual chimney cleaning to reduce any buildups.” Island contractors provide high quality firewood but proper seasoning takes time. So plan ahead, because next year’s burning season is closer than you think! For more information, visit the Fuelwood Information for Consumers Website: www.gov.pe.ca/go/fuelwood. (Province of PEI)
Thanks to TPN members for their support of Emergency Exercise (Oct.30 2005) On Oct. 30 2005 an emergency communications test exercise test was conducted on the Trans Provincial Net. We would like to thank the TPN members for assisting with the exercise and providing rely information when needed. All amateurs can play a vital role in an emergency and this was certainly demonstrated during this event. The following report has been filed with the Province of Ontario and ARES Ontario; PEOC ARES Emergency Exercise Report (Oct. 30 2005) On Sunday October 30th 2005 between 10:00 and 13:00 hrs. the Provincial Emergency Operations Centre (VE3EMO) conducted a Province Wide Emergency Test on the Trans Provincial Net (7.055MHz.) in conjunction with the Toronto Emergency Operations Centre (VA3EOT) ARES Municipal Exercise Test. In attendance at the PEOC Amateur Radio Station were Jim VA3KU, Ted VE3AAP (Toronto ARES members) and EMO Duty Officer Clayton Misener.
The following cities, towns and communities were covered during the exercise; Amherstburg, Annapolis Royal / NS, Bell River, Bishops Mills, Bobcaygeon, Brights Grove, Carlyle, Chatam, Chesterville, Coburg, Cornwall, Cubby Hill / QC, Dundas, Dwight, Echo Bay, Elliot Lake, Elora, Etobicoke, Exiter, Great Village / NS, Hamilton, Hemmingford / QC, Iroquois Falls, Jasper, Kitchener, Kincardine, Kingston, Lefaivre, Lyndhurst, Little Current, Lively, London, Mississauga, Morrisburg, Odessa, Orangeville, Oshawa, Ottawa, Parkhill, Picton, Port Burwell, Port Elgin, Port Sydney, Rockport, Saint Charles, Sarnia, Sault Ste. Marie, St. Catharines, St. John / NB, St. Joseph Island, Sudbury, Toronto, Tillsonburg, Unionville, Waterloo, Windsor and Woodstock Report filed by,
CITY of TORONTO EOC SET Activity Report (Oct. 30 2005) The Toronto ARES Group held its Simulated Emergency Test (SET) activity on the morning of October 30th 2005, working in union with the ARES SET activity at the Provincial EOC station VE3EMO The Toronto EOC station VA3EOT was staffed by 5 members of the Toronto ARES Group which is the appointed trustee and operator of both the Toronto EOC and the Ontario PEOC Amateur Radio stations. At the Toronto EOC VA3EOT station, SET contacts took place on the 40 Meter Trans Provincial Net, 75 Meter ONTARS Net, 20 Meter PSK31, 6 Meter FM, 2 Meters, and on the 220 and 440 Mhz bands. 6 stations contacted the Toronto EOC on HF. 5 stations checked in through the 6 Meter repeater VE3SIX. The ProCom Network consisting of linked VHF and UHF stations was also a key component in the exercise. A total of 12 stations participated via the ProCom Net. The Red Cross Amateur Radio stations in London and Hamilton, both passed traffic into the Toronto EOC centre. Thanks go to the Escarpment Repeater Association and to the Southern Ontario Repeater Team for allowing Toronto ARES to use their excellent repeater networks. The Toronto ARES Group simultaneously conducted a local city-wide SET activity. A total of 21 Toronto area stations participated in the City of Toronto exercise that used a wide area ARES network of VHF and UHF linked repeaters. Thanks go the Andrew VE3GTU,CNIB and the Toronto FM Communications Society for allowing Toronto ARES to use their first rate repeater systems. One PSK31 contact was made on 20 meters with a US station with good results. The test exercise was judged to be highly successful in communicating message traffic in and out of the two key emergency management centers located in Toronto. Congratulations to the organizers, Jim VA3KU and Joe VE3OV for a well run exercise. Report filed by,
CQ....CQ...Canada Winter is soon approaching and along with it many Hams will be sitting in front of their radios looking so some action on the ham bands. You don't have to wait for those contest weekends to have some fun, you can contest every day of the week! Every Saturday for the rest of the winter have some fun working on the 'Towns and Cities Award'. Key frequency every Saturday 7.065Mhz. , so drop by and give a call....log a Canuck and earn the beautiful Towns and Cities Award sponsored by 'The Trans Provincial Net'. Full details can be found online by visiting: www.tpn7055.ca/tpnaward.html Eric VE3GGO
RAC CANADA WINTER CONTEST
In December each year, the Radio Amateurs of Canada (RAC) sponsors the Canada Winter Contest. Amateurs all over the world are invited to participate. Contest Period: 0000 UTC to 2359 UTC on December 17, 2005 Bands and Modes: 160, 80, 40, 20, 15, 10, 6 and 2 metres, CW and phone (SSB, FM, AM, etc.) Suggested frequencies: CW - 25 kHz up from the band edge; SSB - 1850, 3775, 7075, 7225, 14175, 21250, 28500 kHz. Check for CW activity on the half-hour. Exchange: Stations in Canada send RS(T) and province or territory. VEØs and stations outside Canada send RS(T) and a serial number. QSOs: Contacts with stations in Canada or VEØs are worth 10 points. Contacts with stations outside Canada are worth 2 points. Contacts with RAC official stations are worth 20 points. RAC official stations are: VA2RAC, VA3RAC, VE1RAC, VE4RAC, VE5RAC, VE6RAC, VE7RAC, VE8RAC, VE9RAC, VO1RAC, VO2RAC, VY0RAC, VY1RAC and VY2RAC. You may work any station once on each of the two modes, on each of the eight contest bands. It is prohibited to make CW contacts in the conventional phone sub-bands, phone contacts in the conventional CW sub-bands, or to make or solicit QSOs through a repeater during the contest period. Multipliers: Canada’s 10 provinces and three territories, and may be counted once on each mode on each of the eight contest bands. The multipliers, with their postal abbreviations and prefixes are: Nova Scotia [NS] (VE1, VA1, CY9, CYØ); Quebec [QC] (VE2, VA2); Ontario [ON] (VE3, VA3); Manitoba [MB] (VE4, VA4); Saskatchewan [SK] (VE5, VA5); Alberta [AB] (VE6, VA6); British Columbia [BC] (VE7, VA7); Northwest Territories [NT] (VE8); New Brunswick [NB] (VE9); Newfoundland and Labrador [NL] (VO1, VO2); Nunavut [NU] (VY0); Yukon [YT] (VY1); and Prince Edward Island [PE] (VY2). Final Score: Total your QSO points from all bands, and multiply by the total number of multipliers from all bands. Categories and Awards: The following 7 categories are eligible for a certificate or award. Plaques will be awarded to the top-scoring entrants in each category. Thanks to the following for their
sponsorship:
Special trophy for the highest Single Operator, no power classification, Foreign Entrant - Jorge Bozzo LU8DQ Memorial by Alan Goodacre VE3HX Note: where the categories have a power class and the submitted log does not clearly identify the power class entered then the log will be treated as if the highest power class for that category was entered. There are no single-mode categories. * In the Multi-Single category only one transmitter and one band permitted during the same time period (defined as 10 minutes.) Exception: One, and only one other band may be used during any 10-minute period, if and only if the station worked is a new multiplier. In other words the Multi-Single Transmitter class allows a second station to "hunt" for multipliers only on a separate band. Multi-Multi category stations may operate on several bands simultaneously. Single operators who receive assistance from a DX spotting system or Packet Cluster network during the contest must classify themselves as Multi-ops. ** Although there is only one QRP category, it is intended that the published results would show All Bands or the Single Band of operation. *** Although there is only one Single Operator Single Band category that qualifies for a certificate or award, it is intended that the published results would show High Power or Low Power. To facilitate this break out of the listings, your entry should indicate the power class you used. Certificates will be awarded to the top-scoring entrant in each category in each province, territory, US call district, and DXCC country. To facilitate the proper allocation of certificates all US stations should indicate their actual US call district if different than indicated by their call prefix. DX stations should indicate the actual country of operation if different than indicated by their call prefix. Results: Will be published
in The Canadian Amateur and shown on the RAC web site.
Send paper logs to:
Paper mail entries must contain a summary sheet showing score calculation, a dupe sheet listing calls worked on each mode on each band, a multiplier check sheet and log sheets. Logs sheets must show time, band, mode, call of station worked, exchanges sent and received and points claimed for each QSO. New multipliers must be clearly marked in the log. Contest entry forms are also available
on the RAC web site.
Any entry with over 200 contacts should be submitted in digital form, either submitted by e-mail or mailed in via 3.5 MS-DOS formatted diskette. The preferred format is RAC Cabrillo in plain ASCII/TEXT format. For an interim period of time, while the commercial logging programs are updated, you may submit that logging program’s log file for contest submission, but your file must be in ASCII/TEXT format. The RAC Cabrillo format is described and its detailed layout is shown on the RAC web at http://www.rac.ca/downloads/raccabrillo1.pdf. Please check to make sure your logging software is compliant with this format and layout. Electronic logs must contain a summary
sheet with the same information as shown for the paper log entries. The
standard summary sheet provided by the typical logging program is generally
acceptable, but you should confirm that it contains the same information
as shown for paper log entries. Ensure that you completely fill out the
header information in the Cabrillo file. Name your file with your CALLSIGN
and the extension .LOG (e.g. yourcall.LOG. If you email your log, please
send the file(s) as attachments. Do NOT paste the log file into the text
of your message. This is often impossible to extract correctly.
(Radio Amateurs of Canada)
'FOR THE LOVE OF
HAM RADIO'
Hi, fellow Ham Radio Operator, I have created this alternative Smart
Group, 'FOR THE LOVE OF HAM RADIO', which I think you will
also be interested in. Its purpose is not to be in
If you would like to join 'FOR THE LOVE OF HAM RADIO' send an e-mail to Eldon and he will send you an invitiation with instructions on how to join. or visit the website at: www.smartgroups.com/groups/FTLOHR Regards
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.
Well the place to visit is the 'Ontario Swap Shop' held every Sunday at 12 noon on 7055 kHz and 7:00pm on 3755 kHz. Nick VE3NJG and Ken VE3YK host the hour long program and all amateurs are invited. 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 Introducing the "Ontario Swap Shop Club" a place where you can record your e-mail address or phone number where it will always be available even if you have nothing currently listed on the swap shop.
The Manitoba Repeater Society
Swap & Shop
Gas
Ranges malfunction due to local Broadcast Station (Update)
On September 4 2005 the CARB featured the article 'Gas Ranges malfunction due to local Broadcast Station'. The article covered some dangers with certain models of GAS Ranges that were being effected by a local broadcast station. Ralph has submitted the following update: Just wanted to report a third 'radiosensitve' gas range control system was investigated two weeks ago and reported to both Candian Standards Association and Industry Canada as a potential safety hazard. The range involved is the same model and manufacture as the two previously reported and it has been determined all suffer from lack of conducted immunity i.e. their 110VAC powered control systems permit energy from an 1150Khz broadcast station located near the community of Riverside South to randomly power the timer and operate the range sporadically. In each case, a Hammond "Zap Trap" type power bar has been loaned to the homeowner for a two week period to confirm the cause as being line conducted. Each case has proven conclusive and a permanent power bar type filter while not the cheapest solution is the most practical and can be removed and used elsewhere should the resident move. There is no hesitation by homeowners to pay the $150 for this device yet, manufacturers ( and Industry Canada) insist they have to be "cost competitive". Conducted immunity has always been an issue dodged by Industry Canada who seem reluctant to impose any requirement that apparatus designed to use the power grid need not satisfy any technical requirement to prevent malfunction of a control system that is susceptible to radio energy. Its a design problem. In the cases resolved ( taking less than five minutes labour) the gas ranges malfunctioned while located approximately one kilometer from a 50Kw broadcast station. The latest range had operated successfully in the Toronto area for over three years but when the residents located to Riverside South began to experience intermittent and sporadic range operation, without human contact. Incidentally, control panel substitution had no effect. Letters have been sent to the manufacturer's Canadian operation as well as CSA and Industry Canada to ensure the incident is recorded. Once again, proof is offered that incorporating an inexpensive, off the shelf, line filter ( less than $5 in quantity) could preclude malfunction as well as potential damage should fire result. 73
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