.The Canadian Amateur Radio Bulletin
The Canadian Amateur Radio Bulletin is a weekly service that brings you the latest in Amateur Radio News from around the world. Providing over 30 pages of information every week to keep you up to speed with current events on the Amateur Radio Scene, delivered to over 2400 hams every week.

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The European Commission has stated that: “…when resolving interference (from BPL), the Member States should take into account the importance of the services, as well as technical and economic aspects”.  In other words, if a European country judges BPL to be more important economically than Amateur Radio, it should take this into account when dealing with interference complaints.

For more details on this story, visit the RAC News Service: www.rac.ca/news/bplnews.htm#European Commission

During the 10 day period from October 26th to November 3rd, the Working Party of the ITU Radio Bureau which looks after shortwave broadcasting, met in Geneva Switzerland. This is the last of the fall 2004 series of meetings of interest to Amateur Radio.

Shortwave broadcasters are of course very interested in the potential for interference to their listeners from BPL, and have been busy collecting information for a study currently underway. One concern which has not been discussed previously, is the impact on the the planning and scheduling of broadcasts of an increase in the background noise floor.

Broadcasters meet regularly to decide who will operate on what frequency during the next two six month periods. The plans are updated continuously to take advantages of any gaps in frequency if for some reason a station does not go on the air as expected. The plans are set up so that a broadcaster can reach a target area at a particular time of day, on an optimum frequency. Since in many cases received  signals are very weak, a small increase in noise floor can completely invalidate all the careful planning work.

On the BPL front, amateurs and broadcasters are on the same side of the argument. On the other hand,  proposals from broadcasters for an increase of as much as 800 kHz of new spectrum between 4 and 10 MHz are of considerable concern to the amateur service since part of our 40 metre band is vulnerable.

At the current meetings, the IARU worked hard to ensure that a report, providing advice to the world radio conference in 2007, would include the concerns of the amateur service, and in fact point out that in North America we still have a problem between 7200 and 7300 kHz with nighttime interference from broadcasters in Europe. We were successful in having the desired paragraphs added, but unless a much stronger case can be made over the next couple of years, the paragraphs may disappear. There appeared to be very little support for our 40 metre concerns amongst most of the broadcast delegates attending the meetings.

 Ken Pulfer, VE3PU, represented the IARU at the meetings, and Walt Ireland WB7CSL represented the ARRL. Many other amateurs from countries around the world were present at the meetings, but they had other responsibilities, and could not speak in defence of amateur radio.

(RAC News Service)

The Communications Regulator has published a new document for Radio Experimenters. This handbook replaces the previously issued Guidance Notes and will be updated from time to time. It aims to answer questions for those interested in obtaining a Radio Experimenter license, as well as act as a reference for current Radio Experimenter License holders.  It covers topics such as "What are Radio Experimenter licenses?", "Special License Types" and "Interference?

This document lists the new frequency allocations on 40 metres and 1300 MHz.

Full details about The Irish Radio Transmitters Society can be found here: www.irts.ie

Amateur Radio operators in Turkey as well as visiting hams to the Country now have a convenient interactive website that lists all the repeaters along with frequency, PL tones, location and power output. A complimentary site lists all repeaters with echolink capabilities and node numbers.

Information about Echolink repeaters in Turkey visit: http://echolink.sitemynet.com

(Anil Cigtekin)

New Treasurer at RAC  Nov. 10, 2004

The RAC Board of Directors is pleased to announce that Ken Pulfer  VE3PU has been appointed to the position of Treasurer, to complete  the unexpired term of Eric Ferguson VE3CR who resigned recently.  Ken has served as Treasurer in the past, and brings a wealth of  experience to the table.

Two YEP schools in Alberta and Ontario recently launched their participation in the national Eco-Pals Program with a special class-to-class IRLP amateur radio contact. This special event took place on Wednesday, October 20, at 10:45 a.m. Eastern, 8:45 a.m. Mountain, in the grade 6 classrooms of Brian Jackson, VE6JBJ, at Chestermere Lake Middle School, in Chestermere, Alberta (east of Calgary), and Neil Carleton, VE3NCE, at R. Tait McKenzie Public School, in Almonte, Ontario (west of Ottawa).

The two schools are partners in the national Eco-Pals Program of The Green Group during the 2004-2005 school year. Eco-Pals is a pen-pal program with an environmental theme, available to grade K-9 classes across Canada. Up to 500 classes are matched each September across the country. All participating classes exchange information through the mail with their assigned pals about their local community and environmental issues. Each class communicates with a matched class somewhere in Canada at least three times during the school year, with specific assignments and deadlines on environmental themes. Participating classes receive letters, audio or video tapes, artwork, creative writing, and much more from their pals. Further details about Eco-Pals are available on The Green Group’s web site, at http://www.green-group.com

As participating teachers in the Radio Amateurs of Canada (RAC) national Youth Education Program (YEP), Brian and Neil are using amateur radio at school to extend their involvement in the Eco-Pals Program. As well as exchanging information through the mail this school year, the grade 6 students in room 1009 at Chestermere, and room 22 in Almonte, will be communicating on air with each other across two time zones about environmental issues in their communities.

The special school-to-school IRLP contact was a great success on October 20 to launch the participation of both schools in the Eco-Pals Program. Once the teachers had established radio contact, they turned the microphones over to their principals. Speaking from Almonte, Ontario, was Joanne Clayton, Principal at R. Tait McKenzie Public School. In Chestermere, Alberta, Kim McKenzie, Principal, Chestermere Lake Middle School, was at the microphone. After the Principals exchanged greetings from their schools, to the participating students and attending guests two time zones away, two students from each class spoke about the large Class-To-Class parcel that had arrived in the mail a few days before from the other school.

Following the excitement of the special IRLP contact, the students and teachers devoted a good portion of their morning schedule to opening the exchange parcel and studying the treasures within. Inside were maps, photos, artwork and other creative projects the students made and assembled to showcase their class, school and community.

This special IRLP contact between schools in Almonte and Chestermere was a first in Canada. It was a first for school Principals to exchange greetings across the country by amateur radio from classrooms in their schools. It was also the first time that two participating schools in the national Eco-Pals Program have used amateur radio to launch their partnership.

Now that the first Eco-Pals project is well underway, the participating teachers are busy with their classes to set up a regular schedule of amateur radio contacts. Over the school year, the students will be communicating on air from their classrooms about environmental issues in their part of the country. In the meantime, each class is developing a large bulletin board display of the 28 projects that arrived in the mail. As they learn about the similarities and differences of another community and grade 6 class in Canada, the students will also be studying the environmental challenges of their own community. This environmental connection between schools two time zones away is a working example of how amateur radio in the classroom can be an
innovative way of learning, and a great way to make connections across the curriculum.

Neil Carleton, R. Tait McKenzie Public School, 175 Paterson Street, Almonte, Ontario, K0A 1A0, 613-256-8248, 613-256-4791 fax, e-mail neil.carleton@ucdsb.on.ca.

Grade 6 Classroom Teacher, Room 22
Participating Teacher, Radio Amateurs of Canada Youth Education Program
Participating Teacher, The Green Group Eco-Pals Program
Supervising Teacher, Shortwave Listening and Amateur Radio Club
Coordinator, School Recycle Program
Coordinator, School Milk Program
Coordinator, Schoolyard Greening
Coach, Junior Boys Soccer Team
School Contact, Global Education

What is your school doing through the Youth Education Program? Please let me know, so that we can share it with everyone in the program.

Bj. Madsen - VE5FX
RAC MidWest Regional Director
Chairman, RAC Youth Education Program

RAC Canada Winter Contest  Dec. 18 2004 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 18, 2004.

(RAC News Service)

Nov. 2 2004  The Canadian Amateur Radio Bulletin needs your help.

I am asking all hams that enjoy the many website services to help out with a small contribution. Full details on how this can be done can be found online at: www.hfradio.net/about.html

Thank you for your continued support,
Jim Taylor VA3KU
Administrative Services

From the desk of  D. Howard Dickson - VE1DHD

On the one hand I have been most impressed by the quality of the product, and the effort that Jim puts into the production of this weekly bulletin with information for all Radio Amateurs in Canada. On the other hand I have been disappointed that there has not been more information in this publication on the many and varied activities of Hams in the Atlantic Region. I hope to change that – BUT….I will need your help. The Canadian Amateur Radio Bulletin is an ideal way to highlight the many and varied activities of Radio Amateurs in the Atlantic Provinces and to make this available to colleagues in this region and across the country. In other words, it provides us with a stage to "strut our stuff", and from my perspective, we have a great deal to be proud of, to share and to make known to others. If your Club publishes a newsletter, please do send me a copy – electronic version preferred and I will (with your permission) to extract appropriate material to send on to Jim.

Atlantic Canada – Club Profiles
By Gord Beaman – VE1EO – Summerside

Summerside Amateur Radio Club – The Summerside club is an long established club with about 60-70 members, and very active socially. About seven to twelve of us meet for lunch at the 'Silver Fox' (Curling Club - Yacht Club) every Thursday then again for Breakfast (usually 18 to 20) at the Linkletter Lounge. (We call it "swill" (don't ask!)) Our formal club meetings are held on the second Wednesday of the month. If you are on the Island be sure to look us up.

Two years ago, our Club, "SPARC - Summerside Amateur Radio Club" has acquired a used school bus. We painted it 'light lime in colour' to match emergency vehicles in Summerside, ripped out most of the seats, installed 'large map tables' down one side and several operating positions down the other. The vehicle is now equipped with several VHF antennas and rigs, including Marine Band VHF radios near the driver's position and an amateur band Yaesu 757GX HF rig. We have a four-foot wide catwalk down the centre of the roof, mounting lugs for a multi-band HF vertical and a tilt down tower and rotor for a tri-band HF beam. These antennas are club owned and stored in the bus. We also have a new 5 kW Honda generator and heavy cabling that was graciously donated by our local EMO that is stored in the bus. The bus also has a CFARS callsign (CIW847) assigned to it for extended emergencies. We exercise the whole system every Field Day, as it is our main operating station for this event.

VO1AA – is the Marconi Commemorative HF Station
In St. John's Newfoundland & Labrador

For many years, SONRA (Society of Newfoundland Radio Amateurs) has operated an HF station from Cabot Tower, at the Signal Hill National Historic Site in St. John's, to commemorate Guglielmo Marconi's achievement of receiving the first wireless transatlantic signal at the site on December 12, 1901.

Cabot Tower on Signal Hill in St. John's Newfoundland - note the long-wire and dipole antennas.

Each year, local amateurs operate VO1AA on the anniversary of that momentous occasion. Our December 12th event is one of the more popular club activities of the year. We also operate it as VO1IMD and participate in the annual International Marconi Day celebration around April 25th each year. Throughout the year, members operate periodically to let amateurs World wide contact this historic site and the station is manned daily each July and August to allow visitors to the Province a chance to see what we are all about. The station also sees action as the hands-on part of our educational program where new amateurs can get a feel for HF operation. Visiting amateurs are invited to visit our station and make a few contacts. All you need is verification of an amateurs licence and to make arrangements with the club and with Parks Canada officials, who are our gracious hosts on site. During 1997, the call sign VO500JC was in operation to signify the 500th anniversary of John Cabot's voyage to the New World in June, 1497. History was also made during this period when, on June 25, 1997, Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II visited our station and made a brief transmission to Bristol, England using our station.

The textual material  was taken from the SONRA website - http://www.sonra.ca

The 2004 Halifax DX Forum
By Scott Wood – VE1QD & Howard Dickson – VE1DHD

It was raining like crazy Saturday morning (7 August, 2004) on Moser Island in Glen Margaret, NS, the home of our host, Scott Wood (VE1QD), and it looked like the twenty participants were going to be sitting most of the day in the living room of Scott’s beautiful century farmhouse.
 

The day began with a presentation by Kim Mathiesen, OZ1MAL/mm, on HF Operating Around the Worldon a 42’ Sailboat. Kim and his wife Kirsten were visiting Scott for several days while their beautiful yacht was anchored in Snug Harbour Cove behind Scott’s place.  Kim and Kirsten are very adventuresome long distance sailors who on their last trip out of Denmark were away for seven years! This time they have been away only two years - so far. Kim, who is a civil engineer, also has been a ham for 20 years. He provided very colorful and humorous stories about their sailing adventures and, more particularly, about the vital role their maritime mobile station has played in keeping them safe and entertained. Just before we were ready to break for lunch, the rain stopped and the skies lightened up.

Scott Wood - VE1QD in the foreground and Kim - OZ1MAL/mm in the background.

Ella McCormick (VE1PEI) and Lynn  Bowser (VE1ENT).

We were able to proceed with our BBQ on Scott’s deck, overlooking the water. The food was delicious and varied so no one left the DX Forum unsatisfied at the end of the day. In the afternoon, Dick (VE1AI) showed his excellent video production of the 1993 Gambian Expedition that included: him-self; Ken (VY2RU); Scott (VE1QD);and Don (VE1AOE). It was a good introduction to the exciting world of DXing from exotic locations, and a pleasant trip down memory lane for Dick, Ken and Scott. The final presentation was by John Scott (VE1JS), who continued the afternoon’s relaxed proceedings with an interesting discussion about the new Maritime Con-test Club (MCC). This is a way we – as MCC members – can combine our individual scores in selected contests to show an impressive result for our region.

John Scott (VE1JS) and Bill Elliott (VE1MR) President of the Halifax Amateur Radio Club

Clockwise from left - Scott Wood (VE1QD); Dick Grantham (VE1AI) and John Scott (VE1JS) far right.

This first effort to organize a DX-Forum was pronounced a success by all that attended. We attracted DX enthusiasts from the Annapolis Valley, PEI, Cape Breton and many corners of the Halifax area. The sentiment was definitely in favour of repeating the event next year. The final discussion of the day was about what might be done on the next occasion to attract even more participants, from even more areas of the region. Scott expressed willingness to again host next year’s conclave. However, he pointed out if the numbers got very big we would need to expand onto his large front field – a kind of Radio Woodstock for Dxers. However, it was quickly noted by one smart aleck that more mud would be needed to emulate that famous music event!

The Fredericton Amateur Radio Club will be starting a course leading to the Basic License on Tuesday, November 23 at the EMO Conference Room, Victoria Health Center beginning at 7:00 PM.  This first evening provides an introduction to the hobby and an overview of the course and is open to all interested persons without charge or obligation.   Those who wish to enroll in the course will be able to register after the session.  Classes will be held on (most) Tuesday and Thursday evenings over the Fall and Winter.  Cost of the course (including all classes, text book, examination and membership in the Fredericton Amateur Radio Club) is $75.00   Students who already have the text ("RAC Study Guide for the Basic Exam - Sixth Edition") will pay  $40.00.

David Hildebrand (VE9AV)
Personal Web Page  http://www3.nbnet.nb.ca/daveh
Webmaster Fredericton A.R. Club http://www3.nbnet.nb.ca/ve9nd

Halifax Amateur Radio Club Christmas Dinner
The Halifax Amateur Radio Club will hold its annual Christmas Dinner
Wednesday, December 15th
6:30pm
at the Dragon King Buffet
201 Chain Lake Drive
Bayers Lake Business Park in Halifax

The cost for the meal and an evening of fun and camaraderie is $13.95 per person, with a discount for those over 60.  All Radio Amateurs and their families are invited to join with members of the Halifax Amateur Radio Club.

Reservations are required - to reserve a place please contact Tom Caithness - VE1GTC - at: tom.caithness@ns.sympatico.ca

We hope to see you on the 15th.

Lunenburg County Amateur Radio Club Christmas Dinner
The annual Christmas Dinner for the Lunenburg County Amateur Radio Club will take place:
SUNDAY DECEMBER 12th 2004
QUEEN STREET GRILL (Fairview Inn)
Queen Street
Bridgewater, NS
5:00 pm.
$25 per person

Andrew Crawford - VE1VAC - is not only a recently licenses Ham, but he also sings in the Dartmouth Coral in Metro Halifax.  Andrew has combined his love for music and the need to get up to 5 WPM in Morse Code, by developing a novel approach to learning CW that involves putting dits and das to music.  If you are finding it difficult to learn Morse Code, the musical approach that Andrew has taken may appeal to you.  Visit his site at: http://www.cognimetric.com/acrawford/codemusic - Andrew is happy to have you down-load the two mp3 files that you will find there.

As Andrew says: "If you are musically inclined you might find that you can learn the rhythms of Morse characters by listening to music. Here is some music (I use the word "music" in a rather loose sense!) which you can use as part of your learning process. In truth, no one is going to listen to this stuff for its compelling musical qualities - but that's not the intention!"

The Maritime Swap Shop is held every Tuesday at 2330z or 7:30 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

Club meetings are held at the St. Ignatius of Loyola Parish Church which is located at 4455 West Broadway (the corner of West Broadway and Terrebonne) in the N.D.G. District of Montreal. The meetings will be held in the Lounge which is the rearmost door on the south side of the building unless we have reason to hold it in the Parish Hall which is the first door on the South side of the building. An informal fleamarket and ragchew session starts at 19:30 with the formal meeting starting at 20:00. The STM Buses 51, 162 and 105 stop nearby. Any one interested in Amateur Radio is welcome to visit one of our meetings enjoy the presentation and talk to the members.

Meetings are on the 3rd Monday of each month except July at 7pm (official start is 7:30). We meet at the Lakeside Heights Baptist Church , 275 Braebrook in Pointe-Claire (western end of the Island of Montreal). The club welcomes all visitors, so if you are going to be in Montreal and have some time, come down and join us.

We meet at the Don Mills Library, 888 Lawrence Avenue East, near Don Mills Road. Admission is $5.00 with great door prizes. The doors open at 6:45 pm, the meeting starts at 7:15 pm and ends at 9:30 pm. There is free coffee, soft drinks and cookies at the break time.

Full details about the ODXA can be found online at: www.odxa.on.ca

Lynn Philip Hodgson will be speaking on Camp X, the WWII Spy Camp in Whitby at the Bowmanville Library on Tuesday the 16th of November at 7 PM.  No cost and no pre-registration.  For more information call the library 905-623-7322.

QRP Special Event Station VC3W Jeff Hetherington VA3JFF, of Welland Ontario says will be operating QRP Special Event Station VC3W from 0000Z 23 October 2004 until 2359Z 23 December 2004. The call sign will be used to commemorate the 175th Anniversary of the Opening of the original Welland Canal.

ARCI Fall QSO Party
CQWW Contests
Canada Winter Contest
November 13 1700Z on 14.260 from The Island, ON-109 for Canadian Islands Program
November 14 1700Z on 14.260 from Merritt Island, ON-110 for Canadian Islands Program

Jeff will be active on all bands, 2 through 160 at some point in time over the period of authority for VC3W.
QSL Route is direct or bureau to VA3JFF.

(RAC News Service)

Oct. 29 2004  QCWA Chapter 73 announces new level of membership

QCWA, Fred Hammond Chapter 73, which meets at "The Plainsman" restaurant (on highway 5, Flamboro On.) twice a year for a luncheon announces a new level of membership called "A Friend of Chapter 73".

This membership  only applies to non licensed persons, or to amateurs licensed less than 25 years. It allows you to join us for the luncheons, receive the mailings, and meet your on the air friends. Once you reach the 25 year licensed mark, the membership is revoked, as we hope you would join QCWA and Chapter 73 at that time.

As a "A Friend of Chapter 73" you help to support the scholarship program for college or university students as well. You cannot vote or hold office in the Chapter as "A Friend".

If interested, an convenient application form is available at: www.hfradio.net/QCWA_app.doc

(Ernie VE3OU)

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)

Amateur Radio Emergency Service News (Public Service) Ontario Region

The 2004 Warriors Day Parade.....Canadian National Exhibition, Toronto

On August 21st, thirteen  radio amateurs took part in the Annual Warrior's Day Parade at the Canadian National Exhibition in Toronto. The team provided emergency communications and coordination with paramedics to provide medical assistance to the war veterans participating in the parade. The Warrior's Day Parade is an annual event at the C.N.E. where members of the Royal Canadian Legion, Veterans Groups, militia units, pipe and drum and military bands pay tribute to and honour Canada's war heroes.

This year the Amateur Radio Emergency Communications Team identified and reported four incidents, but none were serious thanks to the rapid action of the amateurs who notified paramedics and rendered first aid  prior to their arrival.

The team was organized under the leadership of:
  James VE3EMT, EC Toronto Central and Site Manager;
  Daniel VA3KKZ, Assistant Site Manager; and
  Dennis VE3UCK, Medical Safety Supervisor.

The team consisted of members from the Toronto Amateur Radio Club, the Toronto ARES group, the Scarborough Amateur Radio Club, and the Hart House Amateur Radio Club at the University of Toronto.

Extensive preparation was key to the success of the event. James VE3EMT coordinated with the Warrior's Day Parade CNE Committee Council and with Toronto EMS for paramedic deployment. Information sheets were prepared and distributed at a meeting prior to the parade, and the morning of the parade. An on-site briefing was conducted where pairing assignments, a frequency list, supplies of water bottles, and admission passes were issued to all participants. Each pair of amateurs was assigned  to patrol and monitor a particular area of the form-up area where veterans were organized into ranks prior to entering the parade route.

James has been coordinator for this event for over a decade, taking over from Gord Fraser VE3HSF and Bill VE3BUU in 1992. This year, the amateur participation was dedicated to Norm Dennis VE3ZH who passed away in 2003. Norm participated for eight years in the parade.

The organizers would like to express their thanks and appreciation to all who participated: Richard VA3RSA, Jim VA3KU, Lance VA3LDX, Mike VE3RFE, Joe VE3OV,  Bob VE3IEL  Bruce VE3SNH, Byron VA3AII, Arthur VE3AMP, Julio VA3JCL, and Clive VE3CCY.

(Submitted by James Organ VE3EMT)

Dufferin County ARES Group

Members of the Dufferin County ARES group met on Saturday, Nov 6, 2004 at the works yard in Primrose to install communications equipment in their MCP (Mobile Command Post) dubbed the Zapmobile, in preparation for the MCP’s first official function in the Orangeville Santa Claus Parade on November 20th. The final job will be to complete the decals.
Paul Chantree, VE3PWZ, EC Dufferin County.

 (Thanks to Glenn VE3GNA)

Golden Horseshoe Net now  the ProCom Net

This is to inform all stations that the Thursday night net at 8.30 pm, known as the Golden Horseshoe Net will now be known as the ProCom Net. ProCom is short for Provincial Communications. This will better reflect the coverage area of the net.

Thursday - 8.30 pm
VE3SNM Toronto - 442.850+ (136.5)
VE3WIK Carlisle - 443.675+ (131.8)
VE3WAJ Thorold - 442.425+ (107.2)
NW Link - VE3WIK 146.715 (131.8) / VE3MBR 147.105 (131.8)
Cross Band send & receive - 146.460 simplex (Hamilton)

Be aware that the Toronto VE3SNM repeater will soon be shut down at its current location. When that happens and until a new Toronto location is found, Toronto stations should be ready to go to VE3WAJ on 442.425 (107.2) located in Thorold, to check into the net.

Invitation to A.R.E.S. Information Meeting

There will be an information meeting in Owen Sound, at the Firehall, at 7:00 p.m. on Tuesday Nov. 16th. Kevin Roy, the Deputy Fire Chief will give a short presentation on the protocols the fire department, police and emergency medical services follow when emergency situations arise, how municipal officials are involved when an emergency is declared, and how their dispatching works. We will have a tour and demo of the amateur radio station that has been permanently set up at the firehall for A.R.E.S. use, and I will give some information on the Grey County A.R.E.S. organization and the activities in which we have been involved.

You are invited to join us that evening to find out more about A.R.E.S. Bring along any friend who may be interested too.
For additional information on A.R.E.S., visit our web site at http://aresgrey.8m.com or the ARES Ontario webpage at . www.racaresontario.ca

(Excerpt from RAC Ontario Section Bulletin)

There will be an ARES training session on November 15th, 2004, In Midland at the Fire Department HQ. The topic will be Airmail/Telpac .

The Airmail system allows amateur radio stations to send and receive internet e-mail via amateur radio. With the addition of TELPAC to the Airmail package, amateur operators can now connect to a participating node on VHF such as VE3REK-2 in Midland, and many more, using a standard packet TNC and a VHF radio at 1200 bits per second. This training session will show how to set up the software, how to send and receive internet e-mail via amateur radio and also all of the other features that the AIRMAIL program has to offer such as Weather Fax, HF propagation forecasts and more.

Darren Lortie, VE3REK, EC SGBWS

(Excerpt from RAC Ontario Section Bulletin)

Eighty Metre Service Net Update

The Eighty Metre Service Net (EMSN) began operations on October 3rd, 2004. The first month was moderately successful considering that there were only controllers available for the hours of 7am to 9 am and 4pm to 6pm. During the first month, there were 853 check ins, and 24 pieces of traffic were moved. I wish to thank all the amateur operators who assisted with the formation of this net as well as giving of their time to act as Net Controllers. I look forward to continued success with this venture. Further information on the net can be found at www.emsn.hfradio.net.

(Glenn Killam, VE3GNA, EMSN Net Manager)

The pre-CARAB meeting was held on Wednesday, October 27 with the full meeting with Industry Canada being held on the following day. Industry Canada is not moving with speed or urgency on any of the items that are so near and dear to the hearts of Canadian Amateur Radio operators, but they are moving - slowly - with the constant prodding received from RAC Vice President of Regulatory Affairs, Jim Dean (VE3IQ). The primary items which were discussed were:

1. BPL - (Broadcast over Power Lines) is an issue of considerable interest to Industry Canada. Trials are still taking place at
Sault St. Marie and the Ramada Inn in Cornwall has been doing in-house trials on a system within their building. Industry
Canada will be moving to the public input process early in 2005, through the Gazette process, soliciting input on BPL from the
public.

2. Tower Consultation - Professor Townsend’s report is being finalized (he received over 1000 responses) and should be
available early in 2005. Industry Canada’s best advice on Amateur towers continues to be that hams should establish a positive dialogue with their community before erecting towers. This translates to mean that IC is not anxious to be called in to settle disputes.

3. Reciprocal Operating Agreements - Industry Canada will be suggesting that Canada should be willing to allow short term
(up to one year) operation by foreign hams on the strength of their own license. Beyond that, foreign hams should obtain
Canadian certification (write the exam). It is hoped that other countries will then undertake to treat visiting Canadians in the
same fashion. Unanswered - what to do about Foundation Licensees from Great Britain, as there is no comparable license in Canada. Should they have some sort of operating permission when operating in Canada?

4. Morse Code Proposal - The Gazette period generated about 150 responses, which will be tabulated and summarized during the next two weeks. This summary will appear on the IC WEBsite. Then, a decision will be made by Industry Canada on what direction to take. Much of it seems to hinge on whether changes will require regulatory changes, as this process is very long and tedious. The worst-case scenario in terms of time frame for a decision will be next summer. Maybe it will happen sooner. In the meantime, examination pass marks remain at 60%, the existing exam will be used and hams who wish to have access to HF are advised to obtain their 5 wpm Morse certification.
Will the Morse requirement be dropped? Probably.
Will the exam pass mark be increased? Probably.
Will the exam question bank change (soon)? Probably not.
Will Morse proficiency continue to be an avenue to HF access, even though it is no longer required? Probably.

5. Callsign Proposal - The 2X4 callsigns will, in all likelihood, be treated like special event callsigns, available for defined
short periods only, not as permanent allocations. The Industry Canada database is not configured to record permanent 2X4
callsigns.

6. Designated Examiners - are reminded that they have to renew their status every two years and that they must be using the current exam generator, as available from the Industry Canada WEBsite. I will be calling the examiners in VE4 & VE5 in the near future for a brief chat.

RAC News

There are a couple of major items coming out of RAC, on which you will be receiving more, detailed information.

The good: RAC has obtained insurance coverage, from a firm by the name of AXA which has insured Quebec Amateurs for many years. This insurance will provide $5 000 000 in liability coverage for RAC members and for qualified Amateur Radio Clubs. The insurance is a benefit of membership, not an extra cost item, for RAC members. It evidently meets the requirements of the CBC for repeater hosting on transmission towers. It will make it unnecessary, for participating clubs, to have (expensive) liability insurance for repeater installations, public events, etc, etc. This could be a significant saving for clubs. The participating clubs will have to be incorporated for this to work. Otherwise, the club members will carry the liability personally. (And, if RAC members, have their own $5M liability coverage, of course)

The inevitable: RAC has been forced to change the membership fee structure, to become effective with the coming of the new year.
The new fee structure will be: Membership in RAC (no TCA) $44.95
                                                  Subscription to TCA (no membership in RAC) $44.95
                                                  Both membership and TCA $49.95

This change was required by Heritage Canada in order to continue RAC’s qualification for favourable mailing treatment, which is a significant budget factor. The old membership cost of $39.95 has been in effect, unchanged, for many years. If RAC had continued with this structure, the Heritage Canada benefit would have been lost. For the past few years, it has NOT covered the actual cost of membership, and had to be augmented by sales of merchandise and books to cover RAC’s operating costs.
Certainly, the benefit derived from the liability insurance will, by itself, more than offset the increase in membership fee

If you have questions or comments on the above (or anything else, of course) please get in touch with me. For those of you attending the RARA Flea Market in a couple of weeks, I hope to see you there.

From: Bj. Madsen - VE5FX
RAC MidWest Regional Director
Box 2860 - Tisdale - SK - S0E 1T0
Voice: 306-873-4346 FAX: 306-873-4364
E-mail: ve5fx@rac.ca
Assistant Directors:
Adam Romanchuk - VE4SN Bill Till - VE5FN
Paul Arsenault - VE4AEY Derek Bereza - VE5SD

(Source information: http://www.sirnet.mb.ca/~ve4sss/Midwest.PDF)

This was a wild week for propagation, fraught with radio blackouts, 6-meter auroral propagation, wild solar wind and severe geomagnetic storms. Looking at the numbers summarized at the end of each bulletin, this week's average daily planetary A index (indicating geomagnetic instability) was up by nearly 70 points to 77.6, and the mid-latitude A index increased over 36 points to 41.9.

The prediction for the next few days is for continuing aurora displays and geomagnetic storms, but the storms should subside. The predicted planetary A index for today, November 12, is 100, followed by 30 on Saturday and 10 on Sunday. Today's possible geomagnetic storm is predicted because of a coronal mass ejection blown into space on November 10. But this blast is not aimed at earth, so the effect is not as strong as it would be if the event were squarely in the middle of the solar disk.

Predicted solar flux, which averaged under 130 this week, is expected to decline over the next few days and then rise again, with predicted flux values of 90, 85, 85, 90, 100 and 105 for November 12-17. Solar flux and associated sunspot numbers for the short term are expected to peak some time around November 23-24.

A good web site to look at to see the rise of geomagnetic numbers over several latitudes is at, http://www.sec.noaa.gov/ftpdir/indices/DGD.txt. This shows the previous month, so if you're looking at this in the future (perhaps on the archive on the http://www.arrl.org/w1aw/prop web site), you'll only see the current conditions, not what we're seeing today.

The numbers are quite dramatic, especially if you have a feel for the A index and K index that you hear on the hourly WWV broadcasts, and how they relate to what you are hearing on the air.

Lots of mail came in concerning geomagnetic storms, which accompanied unstable and often unusable conditions on the HF bands, but produced interesting propagation and excitement on VHF. Jon Jones, N0JK, paraphrasing last week's bulletin, wrote that "The VHF Community *is not* hoping 'it is more moderate than the current prediction.'"

Chip Margelli, K7JA wrote an interesting note concerning HF conditions at the end of the CW Sweepstakes followed by all the excitement on 6-meters. He said that some signals on 15-meters had a distinct aurora flutter, but others were completely flutter-free and quite loud. About 50 percent of the stations to the east of him (he is in Southern California) had an auroral characteristic.

I'll let Chip tell the rest: "About 0545z November 8th (late Sunday night in California), KH6SX reported on the 50 MHz Propagation Logger that he was hearing the K6FV beacon on 6-meters. I quickly rotated my beam in his direction, and with one call I had him in the log. His signal was full of rapid aurora flutter, which is astounding for a path to Hawaii!"

He goes on to say, "The opening then moved westward, with W6YM, WA6KLK, KG6I, and others in the Northern California working him. It progressed to the Northwest, where N7EPD, KE7V, K7SS, and undoubtedly more logged him. Then further west to KL7FZ in BP51! And then JA2DDN and a host of other JAs were worked by KH6SX!"

Chip adds, "From here in Southern California, the signal characteristics suggest some odd auroral-E to AU link. It's hard to
imagine a "normal" E opening with such a wide distribution, and the westward progression suggests an enhancement ahead of the heliopause. But I think the book may need some re-writing on this one, and the exact mechanics are a bit of a mystery to me. I bet an inspection of the solar wind velocity plots after 0500z would make interesting reading."

He continues, "No easterly propagation was observed, to my knowledge, from Southern California prior to the KH6 event. If this really was an aurora event worked from Hawaii, this may be a "first," and KH6SX is to be congratulated for being so on the ball!"

The 50 MHz Propagation Logger web page that Chip mentioned is at, http://www.dxworld.com/50prop.html.

K7SS here in Seattle related moments of sheer joy on 6-meters. It was reported that in Connecticut, Dennis Motschenbacher, K7BV, bagged his fiftieth state on 50 MHz when he worked Kevin Forster, NL7Z in Wasilla, Alaska via aurora.

Junji Saito, JA7SSB wrote that he was on 20 and 30 meters on November 8 around 1430-1500z (late evening in Japan) when the bands are usually closed for him, but he generated a big pileup of European stations. He noticed that the signals had deep fading and echoes.

Carl Zelich, AA4MI sent in a useful link to a glossary of solar-terrestrial terms. It is on the NOAA Space Environment Center
web site at http://www.sec.noaa.gov/info/glossary.html.

If you would like to comment or have a tip, email the author at, k7ra@arrl.net.

For more information concerning propagation and an explanation of the numbers used in this bulletin see the ARRL Technical Information Service propagation page at, http://www.arrl.org/tis/info/propagation.html.

Sunspot numbers for November 4 through 10 were 135, 83, 106, 94, 93, 90 and 50 with a mean of 93. 10.7 cm flux was 136, 141.2, 128.8, 129.6, 124.1, 140.9 and 104.6, with a mean of 129.3. Estimated planetary A indices were 7, 4, 3, 39, 189, 120 and 181, with a mean of 77.6. Estimated mid-latitude A indices were 5, 1, 4, 19, 116, 47 and 101, with a mean of 41.9.

(ARRL News Service)

Nov. 14  2004  Solar and propagation report, compiled by Neil Clarke, G0CAS,and Martin Harrison, G3USF.

This week's solar report looks back on some exceptional radio weather.  A major X2 flare on the 7th was followed by one of M8.9 magnitude on the 9th and an X2.5 flare on the 10th.  A succession of coronal mass ejections, some travelling at almost 1000km/sec, reached Earth's environment from the 7th onwards. Initially the predominantly northward orientation of the interplanetary magnetic field meant that the 7th was only moderately disturbed, with an Ap index of 39.  However, the IMF subsequently swung strongly southward, leading to a severe ionospheric storm early on the 8th, continuing until the 10th.  Ap figures for the three days were 189, 120 and 181 respectively. For nine hours on the 8th and four hours on the 10th the index reached the maximum possible reading of 400. This was the twelfth most severe ionospheric storm ever recorded.

The same active regions of the sun initially sustained relatively high levels of solar flux, but by the 12th the level had fallen back to 97 and the final average for the week was 115, compared with 137 the previous week. The 90-day average is 109.  The X-ray flux reached B7.0 on the 9th, but was down to B2.1 on the 12th. Solar wind speeds also declined from the very high levels at the beginning of the week, though the 662km/sec reported on the 12th was well above average levels.

The ionospheric storm was the determining factor at both HF and VHF for much of the week.  Not only were MUFs severely depressed by the storm but short-wave fadeouts induced by the flares also affected low-band propagation during daylight. All bands from 1.8 to 28MHz were virtually useless for long periods. Even high-powered international broadcast stations were very weak or absent. Yet the picture was not entirely bleak.  Good sporadic-E was reported on 28 and 50MHz on the 10th and 11th, with 4-metres opening briefly between the UK and Slovenia on the 10th. And there were long periods of strong auroral propagation at 50 and 144MHz from around 1630 on the 7th for much of the next three days.

Next week is most unlikely to bring a repeat of the last few days. The active areas of the sun giving rise to them has rotated out of view. Flare activity will probably be mainly low, though moderate levels may be reached on one or two days.  The decline in solar flux in the last few days will continue for the next few days, though we may see an upturn by the weekend.  Geomagnetic activity seems set to be unsettled to active through this weekend but should be quieter for the remainder of the period. So look for a clear improvement in HF conditions.  MUFs at equal latitudes should be back up around 29MHz in the south and 26MHz in the north. Lows will be around 8MHz.  Paths to South America should have a maximum usable frequency around 31MHz, with an optimum working frequency around 22MHz. The path should be best between 1100 and 1700UTC.

Your reporters were G0CAS and G3USF.

(G3USF)

HF Propagation Falling Victim to Strong Solar Winds Nov 10, 2004

As HF radio conditions drift in the doldrums, the Space Environment Center (SEC) reports that geomagnetic storm activity spiked into the "extreme" (G5) category over the past 24 hours. A result of disturbances in Earth's geomagnetic field caused by gusts of "solar wind" blowing past the planet, geomagnetic storms have adversely affected HF radio propagation over the past few days and even resulted in limited radio blackouts. Although things had calmed to "moderate" (G2) by 2000 UTC, geomagnetic storm activity at the G5 level can affect more than just radio propagation. Severe geomagnetic storms also can abruptly increase drag on spacecraft and even cause electrical power blackouts on Earth.

"I don't know when it will end," said Tad Cook, K7RA, who compiles the weekly ARRL propagation bulletin. He said during heavy solar wind conditions, amateurs typically experience north-south propagation. "It isn't that north-south connections are enhanced during heavy space weather," he explained. "It is the only propagation that still works during conditions like this."

The recent space weather conditions also have resulted in auroral displays visible as far south as the Middle Atlantic states over the past weekend. The SEC estimates that G5-scale geomagnetic conditions will occur on four days of each 11-year solar cycle.

The forecast shows the Planetary A index increasing over the next 24 hours, from 40 today to 50 or greater on November 11, although it's predicted to drop to 10 on November 12 and move even lower over the weekend. During the height of the current solar cycle, values topped 150.

The Planetary A index relates to geomagnetic stability. Magnetometers around the world are used to generate a number called the Planetary K index. Every 24 hours the K index is summarized in the Planetary A index. Small changes in the K index are significant. For example, a full day with the K index at 3 will produce an A index of 15, a K of 4 would mean an A of 27, a K of 5 would generate an A of 48, and a K of 6 would produce an A of 80.

"Generally, the higher the latitude of the measuring station, the higher the K and A indices reported," Cook says. "This is because the effects of geomagnetic instability tend to concentrate toward the polar regions of the globe."

In terms of radio blackouts--disturbances of the ionosphere caused by X-ray emissions from the sun--the SEC reports conditions as moderate (R2) over the past 24 hours but nil as of 2000 UTC. The SEC determines the radio blackout value using X-ray measurements from the primary GOES satellite. The chance of an "extreme"R5-level radio blackout is less than one per 11-year solar cycle.

Solar radiation storm activity has been "moderate" (S2) over the past 24 hours and continues at that level. This degree of activity can have small effects of HF propagation through the polar regions, the SEC says.

For more information, visit the ARRL Technical Information Service Propagation page. www.arrl.org/tis/info/propagation.html

(ARRL News Service)

Once again, AMSAT-NA is going the auction route to raise money for a satellite project. This time, the fundraiser is for Eagle, AMSAT-NA's next new satellite. On the eBay auction block is a prototype of the mounts used to secure the AMSAT Phase 3D satellite--which later became AO-40--to the Specific Bearing Structure and the Ariane 502 rocket.

(AMSAT News Service)

AMSAT North America has announced the establishment of an E-mail address for AO-51 users to submit requests and ideas for Experimenters Wednesday operations.  AMSAT says that this is a chance for the ham community that uses AO-51 to request the modes that they are interested in* seeing operated on during the weekly Wednesday times.

(AMSAT-NA)

Four years ago this week, the Expedition 1 crew arrived aboard the International Space Station, home of the first permanent Amateur Radio station in space. Just weeks earlier, the FCC granted the station's distinctive NA1SS call sign. By the time William Shepherd, KD5GSL, Sergei Krikalev, U5MIR, and Yuri Gidzenko arrived on November 2, 2000, the Phase 1 or "initial station" Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) gear was already on board for the crew to install. Crew increments comprised of US astronauts and Russian cosmonauts have rotated duty tours continuously ever since, and ham radio has played a role in each crew's routine.

"Every challenge for the International Space Station crews, flight control teams and management adds to the knowledge base we need to develop longer spaceflight missions to places like the moon and Mars," said International Space Station Program Manager Bill Gerstenmaier. "The work we're doing on station is directly connected to future exploration missions." ARISS
International currently is mulling Amateur Radio's role in NASA's "Moon, Mars and Beyond" initiative.

With NASA's shuttle fleet now grounded, crew increments have shrunk to two people, while duty tours have stretched from four to six months. Despite fewer hands on deck, NASA says the two-person crews sometimes have been able to do more with less--often improvising.

The Expedition 10 crew of Commander Leroy Chiao, KE5BRW, and ISS Flight Engineer Salizhan Sharipov, arrived at the ISS just last month--aboard a Russian Soyuz vehicle, just as the Expedition 1 crew did, although other crews traveled via the shuttle. Over the years, in addition to visiting space shuttle crews, there have even been a couple of paying "space tourists" and other short-term visitors who took advantage of the ARISS gear onboard. More recently, Russian Space Forces Test Cosmonaut Yuri Shargin--who arrived with the Expedition 10 crew--completed two ARISS contacts with school groups in Europe.

The Expedition 10 crew is not expected to begin its own series of school group contacts until the week of November 15 at the earliest. Unscheduled ham radio activity by crew members typically is suspended during crew changeover periods. As of November 4, the NA1SS FM voice repeater remained off and the ARISS Phase 2 equipment was back in packet mode under the RS0ISS call sign.

This week marked a first when Chiao cast his vote in the November 2 presidential election while orbiting 230 miles above Earth. A law the Texas State Legislature passed in 1997 allows astronauts to vote electronically from space. Chiao submitted his electronic ballot to his county clerk's office via e-mail.

Some statistics: Since the Expedition 1 crew carried out the first successful ARISS school group contact--with Luther Burbank Elementary School near Chicago on December 21, 2000--ISS crews have racked up 150 similar Amateur Radio contacts. Approximately two-thirds of them have been direct, 2-meter QSOs, while the rest were carried out via "telebridge" stations, where two-way audio was teleconferenced to the school via an Earth station convenient to QSO NA1SS directly.

The crew holding the record for the most ARISS school group contacts was Expedition 3. Commander Frank Culbertson, KD5OPQ, answered questions via ham radio posed by students at 22 different schools. Culbertson also activated NA1SS during the 2001 Jamboree On The Air (JOTA) scouting event.

NASA recently announced that after an extensive review, it's planning its return-to-flight shuttle mission, STS-114, for a launch window that opens next May. ARISS International Chairman Frank Bauer, KA3HDO, says PCSat 2--an externally mounted ham radio payload--is expected to fly on that shuttle flight, which also will mark the return of three-person ISS crews. "We will also be able to better negotiate the delivery of our computer, which is essential for the SSTV system," Bauer added.--some information from NASA

(ARRL News Service)

Would Columbus have reached the New World if his ships could not carry enough water for their crews? Would Lewis and Clark have made it to the Pacific if they had no fresh water along the way?  The answer is probably no, because water is just as precious to explorers as it is to everyone on Earth.

"Developing innovative life support technologies will reduce risks associated with human space exploration," said Eugene Trinh, director of the Human System Research and Technology Program, NASA Headquarters, Washington. "We are working to improve technology used onboard the International Space Station (ISS) and have several research projects under way for future missions to the moon and Mars."

ISS crewmembers must save as much water as possible. Each is allocated about two liters daily. They stretch the ration by collecting, cleaning and reusing wastewater, condensate in the air and urine. A new technology to improve recycling on the ISS is being developed by engineers at Hamilton Sundstrand Space Systems International, Inc., Windsor Locks, Conn., and researchers at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC), Huntsville, Ala. The Water Processor Assembly (WPA) will be the first major hardware delivery of the Regenerative Environmental Control Life Support System. The WPA and the Urine Processor Assembly make up the Water Recovery System (WRS), which feeds the Oxygen Generation System. These combined systems will support up to a seven-member crew.

"The Water Processing Assembly can daily produce 35 gallons of potable recycled water," said Bob Bagdigian, MSFC Regenerative Environmental Control and Life Support System Project Manager. After the new systems are installed, annual delivered water to the ISS should decrease by approximately 15,960 pounds, about 1,600 gallons. The WPA is scheduled for delivery in 2008.

Water purity is also important. Chemical and microbial contaminants make it unappetizing or unhealthy, and it can clog complicated fluid systems. The Aerobic Rotational Membrane System (ARMS) research project at NASA's Kennedy Space Center (KSC), Fla., may help. "We're trying to move toward a biological treatment method using bacteria to help cleanse the water," said Tony Rector, Dynamac Corporation bioprocess engineer at KSC. The KSC prototype shop fabricated a model of the system. It is being tested inside KSC's Space Life Sciences Laboratory, and Rector and colleagues designed it.

At NASA's Ames Research Center (ARC), Moffett Field, Calif., a water recycler enabling reuse for three years without resupply is being developed on a timeline to fit into exploration plans, according to ARC scientist Michael Flynn. A preliminary engineering development unit can hourly recycle 13.2 pounds, about one gallon, of waste into drinkable water.

"If we were going to Mars tomorrow, this is the water treatment system astronauts might well use," Flynn said. He is developing it in cooperation with Water Reuse Technology, Inc., Garden Valley, Calif. "This unit can enable a six- person crew to shower, wash clothes and dishes, drink water and flush toilets over three years without resupply," Flynn said.

Engineers at NASA's Johnson Space Center (JSC), Houston, are developing technology to help astronauts live in space. They are studying biological water processors to minimize their size in space habitats. JSC microbiologist Leticia Vega describes her work as making biological water processors modular, so they can be easily removed and cleaned. Researchers are also identifying soaps that rapidly degrade at high concentrations. Cleansers, like shampoo and soap, affect the size of systems, because of the time it takes for them to break down. Researchers are studying ways of optimizing size of ion exchange beds used for the final purification of water.

Water recycling technologies developed by NASA will undergo combined water recovery systems testing at JSC to meet exploration timelines. Many of these recycling technologies may have Earth-based uses. NASA is working with the Expeditionary Unit Water Purification Program of the U.S. Office of Naval Research and Bureau of Reclamation to explore ways to use recycling in remote locations.

For information about the Environmental Control and Life Support System, visit:
http://www1.msfc.nasa.gov/NEWSROOM/background/facts/eclss.pdf

For ARMS images, visit:  http://mediaarchive.ksc.nasa.gov/index.cfm

Water recycler images: http://amesnews.arc.nasa.gov/releases/2004/vpcar/vpcar.html

JSC water recovery systems: http://advlifesupport.jsc.nasa.gov/water/index.html

(SpaceRef.com)

US Presidential Election Extends to Space

Leroy Chiao, KE5BRW, the Commander of the Expedition 10 crew on the International Space Station, made history on 2 November by being the first person to vote from space. A law passed in 1997 allows astronauts to vote electronically from space and Chiao submitted his ballot in the US Presidential Election via e-mail.

(RSGB)

Call this one ham radio across the Antarctic.  It started back on September 14th, when the famed yacht "Apostol Andrey" started out to circumnavigate the area while carrying an operational ham radio station.  During the trip the yacht will travel around the shores of the Antarctica without going further to the North beyond the 60th parallel which is the border of the Antarctic region in accordance with the International Agreement.  The crew will try to establish a record for penetrating sailing yachts crossing the 70th parallel south latitude.  And for ham radio here's the best part.  The skipper of the "Apostol Andrey" is Nikolay Andrey, R3AL.  He plans to be on the air from the Antarctic area starting this December and continuing through March of 2005.  Andrey has the QSL cards already printed for this expedition and the ship also has an official Russian postmark onboard and a special postal stationary envelope for this expedition.  For details on the World-Wide Antarctic Program and the expedition, visit: www.ddxc.net/wap.

(SARL)

New release of PacTerm 3 for Windows

Creative Services Software has announced the release of PacTerm 3 for Windows.  This latest software includes a new user interface in a single window,  a built in generic logging program, the M T 63 soundcard mode, a PSK 62.5 mode, TCP/IP support and much much more. Full details at www.cssincorp.com

(CSS)

Three North American LF signals received in UK (Nov 12, 2004)

Jim Moritz, M0BMU, in Hertfordshire, England, recently was able to receive LF signals transmitted by three North American stations operating on 2200 meters--in the vicinity of 137 kHz (137.777 kHz).

(ARRL News Service)

50th Anniversary European DX Contest (WAEDC)--RTTY, from 0000Z Nov 13 to 2359Z Nov 14. Same rules as WAEDC Phone and CW, except everyone works everyone. QTC can only be exchanged between continents. The WAEDC Super Bowl is new this year at www.darc.de/referate/dx/xedcws.htm

OK/OM DX Contest--CW, sponsored by the Czech Radio Club (CRC) from 1200Z Nov 13-1200Z Nov 14. Frequencies: 160-10-meters. Categories: SOAB-HP (>100 W), SOSB-HP, SOAB-LP, SOSB-LP, SOAB-QRP (<5 W), MS, SWL, packet spotting allowed for all categories. Exchange: RST plus serial number or OK/OM district. QSO Points: EU to OK/OM--1 pt, non-EU to OK/OM--3 pts. Score: QSO points × OK/OM districts (OK/OM stations use WPX prefixes) counted once per band. For more information: http://okomdx.radioamater.cz. Logs due Dec 1 to okomdx@crk.cz or OK-OM DX Contest, CRK, PO Box 69, 113 27 Praha 1, Czech Republic.

ARRL November Sweepstakes--Phone www.arrl.org/contests/rules/2004/novss.html

LZ DX Contest--CW/SSB, sponsored by the Bulgarian Federation of Radio Amateurs from 1200Z Nov 20-1200Z Nov 21. Frequencies: 80-10 meters with 10 minute mode change rule. Categories: SOAB (CW, Phone, Mixed), SOAB-QRP Mixed, SOSB-Mixed, MS-Mixed, SWL. Exchange: RST + ITU zone or 2-letter LZ district. QSO Points: same continent--1 pt, different cont--3 pts, LZ station--10 pts. Score: QSO points × ITU zones + LZ districts counted once per band. For more information: www.qsl.net/lz1fw/contest. Logs due 30 days after the contest to lzdxc@yahoo.com or BFRA, PO Box 830, 1000 Sofia, Bulgaria.

RSGB 1.8MHz Contest--CW, from 2100 Nov 20 to 0100Z Nov 21.  For more information: www.rsgbhfcc.org. Logs due 16 days after the contest to 2nd160.logs@rsgbhfcc.org or RSGB--G3UFY, 77 Bensham Manor Rd, Thornton Heath, Surrey CR7 7AF, England.

CQ WW DX Contest--CW, from 0000Z Nov 27 to 2400Z Nov 28  http://cqww.com

Little Rock, AR: Arkansas Section, ARRL, CAREN, ARES Club, W5C. 1500Z Nov 13-2200Z Nov 14. William Jefferson Clinton Presidential Library dedication. 21.360 14.260 14.040 7.250. Certificate. Dennis Schaefer, 181 Schaefer Dr, Dover, AR 72837. www.arkansashams.org

Hackensack, NJ: WW2 Submarine USS Ling, NX2ND. 1300Z-2100Z Nov 14. 4th anniversary of NX2ND/USS Ling. 21.380 14.280 14.055 7.040. Certificate. Bill Stagg, KC2BLN, 38 Rutgers Dr, Oakland, NJ 07436. www.10-70.org.

Paulden, AZ: Yavapai Amateur Radio Club, K7NRA. 1500Z-2400Z Nov 17. From Gunsite Academy to celebrate NRA's 133rd birthday. 28.440 21.340 14.240 7.240. Certificate. Mike Campbell, K7NRA, 404 Lampliter Village, Clarkdale, AZ 86324. www.w7yrc.org/specevent.htm.

Joplin, MO: Joplin Amateur Radio Club, W0IN. 1900Z-2300Z Nov 20. Letha Dangerfield, W0OUD, Commemorative Special Event Station from the Joplin Association for the Blind. SSB: 14.260 CW 15 40 m. QSL. Joplin Amateur Radio Club, PO Box 2983, Joplin, MO 64803. www.joplin-arc.org.

The Villages, FL: The Villages Amateur Radio Club, K4VRC. 1600Z-2100Z Nov 27. Celebrating the Club's Ninth Anniversary. 14.260 7.030 147.030(+) Gen bands. Certificate. Don Edlund, 9616 SE 168 Elderberry Pl, The Villages, FL 32162.

Various, USA: 10-10 International, W6OI. 0000Z Nov 27-2400Z Nov 28. Celebrating four decades and just under 75000 members in all 10 call areas. 28.340-28.400. QSL. Jack Moore, K5CC, 371 Ridge Creek Ln, Bulverde, TX 78163. Certificate for working all areas. www.10-10.org.

Plymouth, MA: Whitman Amateur Radio Club, WA1NPO. 1400Z Nov 27-2000Z Nov 28. The first Pilgrim landing in Plymouth, MA. 28.360 14.280 7.250 3.890. Certificate. Bruce Hayden, NI1X, 1000 Locust St, Raynham, MA 02767.

Nov. 15 2004  Brinnon Amateur Radio Club

I would like to invite you and your school radio club to work with our school located in southern NJ for a contact to promote Amateur Radio.  The instructors of our Air Force Junior ROTC class have allowed us to use a class period to introduce Amateur Radio to the students and teacher. This quick introduction is to allow the instructors a chance to see what amateur radio is about and possibly allow further pursing of the hobby within the school. The plan, provided all goes well, is to  introduce and explain what our hobby is about, this introduction will not take long and will quickly move to the radio.

Explanations of emergency communications and such services like The Military Affiliate Radio System (MARS) will be introduced. I am requesting your radio club to do is provide a live HF radio contact within school hours. I would like this time to be used to make a few contacts and give the students the chance to talk on the radio. The event will be held on Monday November 15, 2004 at roughly 1 PM (17:00 UTC) We will be operating on SSB on the 40 7.240  and 20-meter 14.240

(Robert W. Slippey, KC2NLM)

This week's bulletin was made possible with information provided by NC1L, QRZ DX, the OPDX Bulletin, The Daily DX, 425DXnews, DXNL, WA7BNM and Contest Corral from QST.  Thanks to all.

SWAZILAND, 3DA.  Joe, AA4NN and Chuck, W4GMY will be QRV as 3DA0NN and 3DA0CG, respectively, from November 17 to 22 using CW on 160 to 10 meters.  QSL to home calls.

WEST MALAYSIA, 9M2.  Ian, 9M2/G3TMA will be QRV from on Pulau Ketam, IOTA AS-074, from November 13 to 15.  QSL via operator's instructions.

NEPAL, 9N.  Team members Rudolf, DJ3WE, Falk, DK7YY, Ben, DL6RAI and Roberto, IV3IYH will be QRV as 9N7BCC from November 16 to December 5.  Additional private licenses may also be issued to other team members.  They will be active on 160 to 15 meters, the newer bands and possibly 10 meters.  They also plan to be QRV in the upcoming CQ
WW contest.  QSL via DK7YY.

UNITED ARAB EMIRATES, A6.  Don, N1DG will be QRV from the QTH of Saeed, A61AD, while on a business trip to Dubai from November 15 to 21.  Activity will be on 40 to 10 meters using mainly CW, RTTY and PSK.  QSL via N1DG.

URUGUAY, CX.  Shalom, 4X1UN is QRV as CX/4X1UN from Gorriti and Lobos Islands, IOTA SA-039, until November 16.  Activity is on 20 and 15 meters using CW and SSB.  QSL to home call.

ANGOLA, D2.  Ed, D2PFN has been QRV using RTTY on 15 meters around 1400z and SSB on this band around 1500z.  QSL via KK5DO.

IRAN, EP.  Hamid, EP4HR has been QRV using PSK on 10 meters between 1100 and 1200z.  QSL via I2MQP.

FRANCE, F.  In celebration of the liberation of Strasbourg 60 years ago, special event station TM6OST will be QRV from November 14 to 28.  Activity will be on all bands using CW, SSB and digital modes. QSL via F5PWH.

FRENCH GUIANA, FY.  Jean Pierre, F5AHO is QRV as FY/F5AHO until November 24.  On November 13 and 14 he will be active from Salut Island, IOTA SA-020.  QSL to home call.

SWITZERLAND, HB.  HB9MM Club members in Lausanne are QRV using special event callsign HE3RSI until December 4.  They are using the original broadcasting equipment of "Radio Suisse Internationale (RSI)."  QSL via HB9MM.

ARGENTINA, LU.  Members of the Bahia Blanca DX Group will be QRV as homecalls/D and will activate for the first time Wood Island, IOTA SA-021, from November 12 to 14.  Activity will be on 80 to 10 meters using CW, SSB, RTTY, SSTV and PSK31.  QSL all calls via LU7DSY.

LUXEMBOURG, LX.  Joel, LX1ER, Helmut, DF7ZS and Robert, LX1RQ will be QRV as LX5A in the WAEDC RTTY contest as a Multi/Single/High Power entry.  QSL via LX1RQ.

ANTARCTICA.  Vlady, RU3HD is QRV for about four months as R1ANN and RU3HD/ANT from Saam Novolazarevskaya base, IOTA AN-016.  Activity will be on all HF bands.  QSL via RZ3DJ.

BOSNIA-HERZEGOVINA, T9.  Pietro, IZ4AQL is QRV as T98AQL until March 2005.  QSL to homecall.

COTE d'IVOIRE, TU.  Didier, TU5KC is usually QRV on 20 meters between 1600 to 1800z.  QSL via F5TLN.

DIEGO GARCIA, VQ9.  Larry, VQ9LA has been QRV on 80 meters around 1330z.  QSL via operator's instructions.

LAOS, XW.  Alex, RK3DT is QRV as XW3DT while in Vientiane.  QSL via operator's instructions.

THIS WEEKEND ON THE RADIO.  The Worked All Europe RTTY DX Contest, Japan International Phone DX Contest, SARL Field Day Contest and the OK/OM CW DX Contest are all scheduled for this weekend.  Please see November QST, page 102, and the ARRL and WA7BNM contest websites for details.

(ARRL)

Owing to the growing number of subscribers, the 425 DX News Mailing Lists are having serious problems beyond our control, and there is a fairly high risk that they simply stops working.

A6  - Don, N1DG will be active from  the QTH of Saeed, A61AD on 15-21 November. He plans to operate in his spare time on 40-10  metres mainly CW, RTTY and PSK. QSL via N1DG. [TNX The Daily DX]

F   - Special event call TM6OSA will be aired on all bands and modes on 14-28 November to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the liberation of the town of Saverne (30 kilometres from Strasbourg). QSL via F6GXL. [TNX F5NQL]

FH  - Gerard, F6BEG has had to postpone his 1-12 November activity from Mayotte [425DXN 704]. However Maurice, FH/F6AIG is currently active and will remain on the island until March 2005. [TNX F6BEG]

HP  - Wil, DJ7AA and Tina, DL6MYL will operate from Contadora Island (NA-072) from 19 November to 7 December. They will concentrate on the low bands (look for Wil on 1625.5 from around 03.00 to EU sunrise) and on 30 metres, plus some CW/RTTY activity on the WARC bands. Wil will participate in the CQ WW DX CW (Single Band) and ARRL 160 Meter Contests. QSL via DL6MYL. [TNX DJ7AA]

HS - HS72B [425DXN 675] will be activated from the SEANET Convention Hotel in Bangkok on 19-21 November. Starting from 23 November, expect more activity on the low and WARC bands, as a group of experienced LF DXpeditioners has offered to bring equipment and antenna hardware to help launch several intensive LF and WARC operations together with Thai operators. On 23-28 November look for activity on 10, 15, 20, 40, 80 and 160 metres, with an emphasis on the LF bands. HS72B will participate in the CQ WW DX CW Contest as a Multi-Multi entry, while the period from 29 November to 12 December will be dedicated to LF and WARC band operation by the visiting DXpedition team (namely DL3DXX, DL5LYM, WA6CDR, N5IA and G4ODV). QSL via E20NTS. [TNX The Daily DX]

I   - Look for special station II1TPG (www.ii1tpg.it) to be aired again on 3-5 December. This will be the official amateur radio station for the IX Paralympic Winter Games, which will be hosted in Torino in 2006. QSL via IZ1CCE, direct or bureau. [TNX IZ1CCE]

J7  - George, K5KG (J75KG, QSL via KU9C), Ron, WA9IRV (J79RV, QSL via home call), Jim, WI9WI (J79WI, QSL via home call) and Derrick, VE4VV (J79VV, QSL via home call) will operate from Dominica on 20-30 November. They will participate in the CQ WW DX CW Contest as J7OJ (QSL via KU9C); before the contest they will concentrate on the WARC bands. [TNX The Daily DX]

KH0 - Yoshiro, JL3SIK (N1VF) will be active as N1VF/KH0 from Saipan(OC-086), Mariana Islands on 20-22 November. He plans to operate on 40-6m CW, SSB and digital modes. QSL via JL3SIK, direct or bureau. [TNX JL3SIK]

UA  - Alex/RV3DPM, Vadim/RX3AKL, Vadim/RX3AKQ, Valery/UA3AOK and Serge/UA3DNR will operate (on 80-10 metres CW, SSB and digital modes) as RK3DZJ/p from the Russian National Reserve "Prioksko-Terrasnyj" (RRF-75, RDA MO-87) on 12-15 November. QSL via RV3DPM. Apparently the will also be using other two calls: R3ARS/p (Red Cross rescue service, QSL via RA3AKF) and UE3QRP/3 (RU-QRP Club, QSL via RV3GM). [TNX UA3DNR]

VP2E - Tom, DL2RUM (VP2ETL) and Jan, DJ8NK (VP2ENK) will be active (on 160-6 metres CW, SSB and RTTY) from Anguilla (NA-022) on 16-30 November. QSL via home callS. [TNX NG3K]

VP8_fal- Cal/WF5W, Keith/NM5G, Madison/W5MJ and Paul/W5PF will be active from the Falkland Islands (SA-002) between 20 November and 4 December. They plan to operate on 80-10 metres (6 metres will depend on conditions) CW, SSB, RTTY and PSK with individual callsigns to be issued upon arrival. They will also participate in the CQ WW DX CW Contest as VP8WWW. This will be a low power operation, as amplifiers are not permitted. QSL for all calls via W5PF. Suggested frequencies and other information is available at http://www.gtdx.com

W   - Bruce/W4OV and Tom/K4THL will be joining NE4LS and N4BP for the operation from Garden Key/Fort Jefferson (NA-079, ARLHS USA-316) [425DXN 704], which is now scheduled to take place from the afternoon of 12 Nov. through the morning of the 15th. This will be a QRP CW only operation on 15, 20, 30 and 40 metres. [TNX F5NQL]

XU  - Wim, ON6TZ and Jack, ON4AJT will operate as XU7POS and XU7AJV from Cambodia starting on 20 November for about three months. [TNX F5NQL]

YS  - Roberto, I2JIN will operate as YS3/I2JIN from El Salvador on 9-29 December. CW is his preferred mode. [TNX I2FUG]

Good to Know

ANTARCTICA AWARD ---> Gianni Marruccella, IZ8CGS (Antarctica Award Manager) would like to remind Antarctica enthusiasts that, in order to avoid confusion, AA has adoped the WABA numbering system. In case of doubt, please contact antarctica.award@mdxc.org for a quick response.

EU-008 ---> Jurij, MM0DFV (http://www.scotham.net) reports that the following amateur radio operators are resident on the Isle of Skye (IOSA NH-07, SCOTIA CN-14), the largest island in the Inner Hebrides (EU-008): GM0BTL, GM0CVD, GM0DXE, GM0EWX, GM0EXW, GM0EZX, GM0HBK, GM3MTW, GM3SWK, GM4TRH, GM4WZD, GM6KUL, GM7OMN, GM8YUG and MM0LUP. Complete information on the island is at http://www.scotham.net/modules.php?name=News&amp;file=article&amp;sid=327

OH CONTEST/DX MEETING ---> The 10th annual CCF (Contest Club Finland) and OHDXF (OH DX Foundation, http://www.ohdxf.fi/frame2/en/ieindex.html) Contest and DX Meeting will be held aboard the Viking Line m/s Gabriella on 21-23 January 2005. The ship will travel from Finland to the Aland Islands to Sweden and back. Preliminary agenda, prices and on-line registration form are now available at http://www.qsl.net/ccf/meet10th.htm [TNX OH2UA]

QSL 9J2BO ---> "Brian, 9J2BO has no Email facilities and it is pointless sending him requests for cards on EQSLcard.com because he has no means of retrieving them", Brian's QSL manager (Mike, G3TEV) says. Mike welcomes e-mail requests for 9J2BO bureau cards (MIKE@g3tev.freeserve.co.uk). [TNX G3TEV]

QSL R1MVI ---> Denis, RA3AMG (QSL manager for the 10-12 September operation from Malyj Vysotsky) reports that requests are being processed right now. On-line log and a list of cards received/sent can be found at www.r1mvi.com [TNX RA3AMG]

QSL UE9MDA/9 ---> Bureau cards for RDA operations by UE9MDA/9 in June and September 2004 can be requested by e-mail (rz9mxm@mail.ru) or on-line (http://www.qsl.net/rw9mc/manager/ra9mx.htm). [TNX RA9MX]

QSL VP5X ---> Please note that all requests for VP5X QSL cards go via Kari, OH3RB. This was a last minute change, please refrain from sending requests to W2GB. [TNX W2GB]

Nov. 14-21 2004    I.C.P.O. Bulletin Islands, Castles & Portable Operations - I.C.P.O.

14/11/2004:  CIsA:ON-109  VC3W  MERRITT ISLAND -
Jeff, VA3JFF, will be QRV November 14th as VC3W from Merritt Island (CIsA reference ON-109, NOT IOTA). Activity will start around 17:00 UTC. QSL VC3W via VA3JFF direct (QRZ.com, with SASE) or via the bureau. [Tnx VE3TPZ]

16/11/2004:  AF-049  FR/F6BUM  MAURITIUS ISLAND -
Jack, F6BUM, will be active November 16 to 20, 2004, as 3B8/F6BUM from Mauritius (AF-049). QSL via F6CXJ (QRZ.com). [Tnx 425DXN]

17/11/2004:  NA-196  VYØ/KD6WW/P  BELCHER ISLANDS -
Bruce, KD6WW, reports he plans to operate as VY0/KD6WW/p from the Belcher Islands (IOTA NA-196) between November 17th and 22nd, weather permitting. Look for activity on 40, 30 and 20 meters. QSL via home call (QRZ.com). [Tnx 425DXN]

19/11/2004:  OC-121  3D2NA  MANA ISLAND -
Naoyuki, JK1FNL, will be QRV November 19-24th as 3D2NA from Mana Island (OC-121), Fiji. Look for him on 80 through 6 meter SSB, CW, and RTTY. QSL via home call, direct or bureau. [Tnx 425DXN]

19/11/2004:  NA-103  VP2MLA  MONTSERRAT -
Trond, LA9VDA, will be active November 19-30th as VP2MLA from the Island of Montserrat (NA-103). Operation will be on 160 through 10 meter CW, SSB and RTTY, CQ WW DX CW contest included. QSL via home call, direct or bureau (e-amil requests for bureau cards can be sent to la9vda2003@yahoo.no). [Tnx 425DXN]

19/11/2004:  SA-089  YW1F  KEY PERAZA -
The Caracas DX Group will celebrate their 15th anniversary next November 16th. To celebrate it, they are organizing an IOTA DXpedition to Key Peraza, Morrocoy National Park, Falcon State Islands (IOTA SA-089). Activity will be between November 19-21st. Their callsign will be YW1F. Operations will be on SSB, CW, VHF and Digital modes. QSL via W4SO. Please no USA stamps. Cards will be verified and mailed from Venezuela. [Tnx OPDX]

20/11/2004:  OC-016  3D2  TAVEUNI -
Team Vertical will be operational from Taveuni Island (OC-016), Fiji from November 20-30th. Operations will be on 160-10 meters, mainly on CW. The group will have 6 low-power stations and ocean-front vertical arrays on all bands. The team will focus on working Europeans on all bands. A special emphasis will be given to 80 and 160 meters operations. The 160m frequency will be 1825.5 kHz, "up 2" for EU/USA, and "down 2" for JA. The group will also operate in the CQ WW CW Contest as 3D2XA in the Multi-Multi category. Operators include: 3D2EE/AG9A, 3D2KW/K2KW, 3D2OK/WA6O, 3D2SS/W2VJN, 3D2TS/N6BT and 3D2XA/KE7X. QSL all Team Vertical 3D2 stations via WA4WTG. [Tnx OPDX]

20/11/2004:  SA-036  P4ØW  ARUBA -
John, W2GD, will be active from Aruba (IOTA SA-036) as P40W between November 20-29th. He plans to enter the CQ WW DX CW Contest (November 27-28th), operating class is to be decided. QSL via N2MM (SASE is greatly appreciated). [Tnx OPDX]

20/11/2004:  OC-029  V73...  MAJURO ISLAND -
Four Japanese operators, Toshi JA1ELY, Taki JH3QFL, Nob JA6WIF, and Yasu JA6WJL will be QRV from Majuro Island (OC-029) between November 20 and 24. For Taki, Nob, and Yasu, this will be the first DXpedition and they expect to be welcomed by many Europe and East Coast stations. They already applied their callsign V73EY, V73B, V73IF and V73WJ. They will be active on all HF bands and all modes with three stations. Toshi will concentrate on low bands include 160m with 500W amplifier. Yasu will concentrate on 15m, 12m, 10m, RTTY, SSTV and 10 meter FM. Nob will mainly operate CW on any band. Taki likes 20m and WARC, either SSB and CW. QSL information: V73EY via JA1ELY (Toshikazu Kisano, Box 8, Kamata, Tokyo, 144-8691 Japan); V73B via JH3QFL (Takio Hata, 921-25 Rokujyo, Yasu, Shiga, 520-2412 Japan); V73IF via JA6WIF (Nobutaka Nagaishi, Box 9, Omura, Nagasaki, 856-8691 Japan); V73WJ via JA6WJL (Yasumasa Maeda, Box 9, Omura, Nagasaki, 856-8691 Japan). [Tnx JA1ELY]

20/11/2004:  SA-002  VP8WWW  FALKLAND ISLANDS -
The Group Tomball DX'ers (GTDX) has announced their second annual DXpedition. This year the group consisting of Cal White WF5W, Keith Dutson NM5G, Madison Jones W5MJ and Paul Frantz W5PF, will visit the Falkland Islands (IOTA SA-002). They will arrive on Saturday, November 20th, and leave on Saturday, December 4th. Activity will include an entry in the CQWW DX Contest as VP8WWW. During the rest of their stay the group will be active on all bands from 80-10 meters with the possibility of 6 meters depending on conditions. The WARC bands will be emphasized, and there will be activity on RTTY and PSK. Individual calls will be issued upon arrival in Stanley. QSL all calls via W5PF. The group will have two Kenwood TS-480HX tranceivers. Amplifiers are not permitted, so this will be a low power operation. Operation will be on or near the following frequencies: CW - 3503/3523, 7003/7023, 10103, 14023, 18073, 21023, 24893, 28023, 50103 kHz; SSB - 3795, 7055, 14195/14260, 18145, 21295, 24945, 28480, 50103 kHz; RTTY - 7035, 10133, 14083, 18101, 21083, 24920 and 28083; PSK - 7035/7080, 10143, 14071, 18101, 21071, 24920 and 28120 kHz. [Tnx OPDX]

21/11/2004:  NA-002  VP5/H.C.'s  PROVIDENCIALES -
Roger - W7VV, Ralph - VE7XF, Rick - KT7G and Dick - K7BTW will operate as VP5/homecall from Providenciales (NA-002), Turks and Caicos Islands, between November 21-30th. They plan to concentrate on the WARC bands and 6 meters with CW, SSB and digital modes. QSL via home calls. They will also participate in the CQ WW DX CW Contest as VP5W (QSL via W7TSQ). [Tnx 425DXN]
 

73 and Good Hunting!
Dave Raycroft - VA3RJ

Home of ICPO: www.qsl.net/va3rj
Mirror: http://webhome.idirect.com/~va3rj
Join ICPO e-Group:  www.qsl.net/va3rj/icpo.html
E-mail: va3rj@rac.ca
________

Note: A complete list of  Prefixes assigned by International Telecommunications Union can be found on the Trans Provincial Website: www.tpn7055.ca/callsign.html

There's a new twist to the ARRL Maxim Memorial Station W1AW Frequency Measuring Test (FMT). The 2004 FMT takes place November 18 starting at 0245z (the evening of Wednesday, November 17, in US time zones), replacing the W1AW phone bulletin normally transmitted then. Rather than measuring the transmission's carrier frequency, participants in this year's FMT will attempt to accurately determine the frequency of an audio tone.