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By now, you are undoubtedly familiar with the Foundation License concept as used in Great Britain, Gibraltar and now Australia. The below, taken from the RAC WEBsite, tells the beginning of the story: Australia issues first Foundation Licence. On Friday, October 21 the first Foundation Licence, VK4FRST was issued to Amanda Gray from Brisbane in Queensland. Amanda and 18 other budding radio amateurs attend the first weekend long training course, which was held on the Gold Coast on the weekend of October 15, and 16. Sixteen of the people attending the course have achieved the qualification for a Foundation Licence. Many clubs have started preparing for their first training courses and indications to date are that we may well have several hundred new Foundation Licences by Christmas. Two clubs have reported that they have a very large number of applicants ready to roll. Hornsby in the northern suburbs of Sydney have 39 and Westlakes in the western suburbs of Newcastle have 33. News releases providing progress updates with the Foundation Licence will be regularly posted to the WIA website and presented on the WIA weekly National News. What are your thoughts on the Foundation License concept? Would students in your school (and adults, as well) invest a weekend, like their counterparts in Australia, if Canada offered such a program. Send me an Email with your thoughts. WORLD SKILLS COMPETITION Last month, Garry McCallum (VE5PNQ) sent me an interesting E-mail regarding the upcoming World Skills Competition which has been awarded to Calgary in 2009. For more information, see http://www.skillscanada.com and http://www.worldskills2009.com Garry pointed out that, while digital technology is well represented at these competitions, RF technology is not. Of the 35 skills listed, only #16 - Industrial Electronics - comes close to involving what we do with Amateur Radio. He suggested that, in this age of wireless communications, there seems to be a vacuum which might be filled from within the RAC Youth Education Program. Could a competition for RF Communications be sponsored by RAC? Would one or more of the schools in the program be interested in getting involved? He suggested some possible competitions:
There are, of course, some significant ARES implications, particularly at this time when the media is saturated with local and global emergencies that often suffer from a lack of reliable communications. What would it take to get Skills Canada to add such a program to their list? Certainly, a collaborative effort between the teachers involved and the Amateur Radio community would be of primary importance. RAC can help, but is not in a position to make it happen - that will have to come from enthusiastic teachers and their supporters. Are you interested? If you are, please
let me know. If the interest is there, I will take the next step, which
would be to get the RAC Board of Directors behind the program.
Radio Amateurs of
Canada
This, from Brian Jackson (VE6JBJ) at the Ralph McCall School in Airdrie, AB: After a great deal of impatient waiting,
the date and time for our ARISS event have been announced. Friday, December
2 10:59 a.m. local time MST
And finally, some good news from our potential corporate sponsor, ICOM Canada: They have agreed to participate at three levels in their support of the program: 1. ICOM Canada will lend its corporate
name to the RAC Youth Education Program
2. ICOM Canada will make promotional
products available to schools and students participating in the Program
3. ICOM will provide Amateur Radio equipment, new and/or refurbished, at preferred prices, to schools participating in the Program. ICOM will begin active involvement at these levels at the first of January/06 - particularly re: the advertising item. Regarding #2, above: In order to get started, ICOM wishes to know how many students are involved in the program in each school. Please reply to me at your earliest convenience with a count of the students involved in the YEP in your particular school, along with the nature and number of advisors/teachers involved. ICOM will need to know this in order to provide appropriate amounts of material. Bj. Madsen - VE5FX
BC to Quebec transmission of low power 2200 m digital signals confirmed (Nov. 25 2005) Scott Tilley, VE7TIL sends us the following story: The first confirmed long distance reception of a weak signal digital signal between two Canadian amateurs operating on the 2200m band occurred on the morning of November 23, 2005. The reception made by Bill De Carle, VE2IQ is the first viable demonstration that trans-Canadian communication should be viable in reasonable time frames on the 2200m band. What makes this feat remarkable is that Scott Tilley, VE7TIL was transmitting with an input power of only 50W into a very inefficient antenna system resulting in less then 25mW EIRP. The distance between VE2IQ and VE7TIL is approximately 3400km. The operating mode used is known as WOLF (Weak-signal Operation on Low Frequency) which is a very robust experimental weak signal mode developed by Stewart Nelson, KK7KA. WOLF uses forward error correction encoding techniques similar to those used by deep space probes but has been adapted to the rigors of weak signal low frequency operation. Unlike other modes commonly used on 2200m, WOLF sends data at a relativity fast rate, which can allow reception of a 15-character packet of text in as little as 24 seconds under ideal conditions. VE2IQ’s reception of VE7TIL’s complete message occurred after 14 minutes with 100% certainty. Other modes such as slow speed CW that are normally employed to span such distances on 2200m would have taken in excess of an hour to send this amount of data without any certainty in the decoding at the receiver. Signals can in theory at least be spaced 10 Hz apart VE7TIL is operating under an experimental authorization issued by Industry Canada in support of RAC’s initiative to have the 2200m band become an amateur allocation following WARC-2007. VE2IQ is an avid developer of experimental weak signal communication modes, he can often be found lurking in the shadows under 160m. (RAC News Service)
Special Contest Call Signs Now Available From IC (Nov.19 2005) On the recommendation of RAC, in October 2005, IC made changes to it's policy on Amateur Radio call signs, RIC-9. One of the changes was to permit Canadian Amateurs to apply for and use special call signs, in the format CF1A, specifically and exclusively for certain contests. The policy explicitly requested RAC to recommend the contests to which this policy should apply. After a consultation with Canadian contesters, RAC has recommended to IC the following nine contests:
RAC has further consulted with IC and developed a template letter which applicants can use to request a call sign. It is absolutely essential to review Table 1 of RIC-9 and choose call signs that correspond to the province, territory or area where you intend to operate. You may use one letter to make multiple applications for an entire year. Please use this letter for your applications (RTF format). Please be warned that there is no guarantee that a special call sign authorised for one period will not be issued to a different person or group for another period. If you have questions about how this works, please contact RAC Atlantic Director Dave Goodwin VO1AU at VO1AU@rac.ca . (RAC News Service)
Note to Accredited Examiners (Nov. 18 2005) Check your expiry date! The authority for many examiners expires on Dec. 31, 2005. Industry Canada does not remind you to renew. To renew, complete the form provided in RIC-1, obtain the sponsorship of your amateur radio club, and mail to the Amateur Radio Service Centre. (Thanks to Ed Frazer, VE7EF) (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)
Windsor RCMP issue e-mail scam warning (Nov. 25 2005) (WINDSOR, ON – Friday, November 25, 2005) – The Royal Canadian Mounted Police Commercial Crime Section, Windsor Detachment has received several phone calls from the public regarding an e-mail message reportedly sent from the United States Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). The email states:When the recipient opens the attachment it contains a virus. This virus is launched and may effect the user’s computer. The RCMP strongly encourages computer users not to open such attachments. These emails do not come from the FBI. The FBI does not engage in the practice of sending unsolicited e-mails to the public. For more information on this, visit the FBI website at www.fbi.gov.
Special News Bulletin From QCWA
Wild Rose Chapter 151 (Nov. 24 2005)
We are pleased to announce that after approximately 17 months this will come to fruition on December 02, 2005 beginning at 17:59 UTC. For almost 2 months we have known that our scheduled contact with the ISS was getting closer. At first, the week of November 28th was selected but, we still had not known the exact date until now. This is all taking place at the Ralph McCall School in Airdrie, AB, a first for Alberta to talk with the astronauts on the ISS. This is where Brian Jackson, VE6JBJ teaches a grade five class. This contact will be one of Brian Jackson's dream come true. Licensed for less than 2 years, he has enthusiastically instilled amateur radio into his classroom. Along with this he has worked with QCWA Chapter 151 to bring two schools on board with the Radio Amateurs of Canada Youth Education Program. All of this has been beneficial both for Brian, the 2 schools and Chapter 151! A team of 12 volunteers have been working furiously on weekends setting up antennas on the school roof as well install other related radio equipment. ISS Operations require a backup system for most everything - like antennas, radios, computers, etc. Alfa Radio in Edmonton have been most generous in loaning us a brand new AlfaSpid Az/El rotor with cable, as well coax cable. The AlfaSpid rotor will be driven by a satellite tracking program via a computer for automatic tracking of the Space Station. Now that we have an exact date - our contact with the ISS will attract considerable media attention. To date we have learned that the CBC will be on site and plan to do a "live feed" as well provide a clip for the local news. If we are lucky we might even make the National. Watch the evening news and local news papers for all this. For all amateur radio operators and short wave listening enthusiasts - we plan to have a live simulcast audio feed to the IRLP Discovery Reflector (9010). There is also a Livestream Audio link on their web page: http://www.discoveryreflector.ca for those who are unable to listen in via IRLP. Please note that there may be a delay of 5 to 10 minutes for this audio stream after the start of the actual contact. Locally the Calgary Amateur Radio Association is helping with a plan to possibly put a temporary IRLP link to repeater VE6RYC on 146.850 - 600 (their flagship repeater) or make some changes to repeater VE6REC on 147.210 + 600 for a more robust connection. If you have the time tune in! 73, Ken Oelke, VE6AFO
Trenton ARC Fall 2005 Basic Amateur
Radio Course (Nov. 25 2005)
One student from Brightom, one student from Wellington, four students from Picton and three students from Belleville. The reason why we had the Course at "The Barn" was to accommodate one student that required wheel-chair access. There was one addition student, from the Base, Jerry Scott, who is doing the Course on his own and will contact us when he is ready to write. We will ask him to get in-touch with Cliff VA3CAF, when he is ready. 3 students received 80% or greater; that is, Basic with Honours, so they obtained HF privileges below 30 Mhz, 4 students received between 70% and 79%, and 2 students missed the 70% mark. Hopefully these two students will re-write in the near future. I can't thank you enough for the time you put into this last course. If not for you this Course wud not be possible. If you know of anyone that wud like to teach a lesson or two, pse let me know, TU. Our plan for the next course, if we get sufficient students, (say 8) is for next Spring around March 2006. I already have 3 names on the list. I would like to go back to the Base facility for this next course. Please let me know if you come accross any prospective students, TU. Happy Holidays.
Niagara Peninsula Amateur Radio Club Big Event 28 (Feb. 4 2006) Location: CAW (Canadian Auto
Workers) Hall 124 Bunting Rd St.Catharines
For more information visit:http://nparc.on.ca/www/index.jsp/event28
Burnaby ARC Amateur Radio Flea Market (Feb. 12 2006) Location: Cameron Recreation
Centre 9523 Cameron Street Burnaby, B.C. ( behind Lougheed Mall )
Notes: Western Canada's Largest Amateur Radio Flea Market. Door prizes, major equipment raffles, commercial exhibits, QSL Bureau, 50/50 Draw, food and refreshments.More than 60 tables of amateur radio and electronic equipment bargains. Free parking in Cameron Rec. Centre Parking Lot For more information visit: www.ve7bar.org
Central Middle School to stage
Emergency Preparedness Exercise (Nov.30 2005)
This exercise is based on a scenario where Central Middle School and the surrounding community have been damaged by an earthquake. In the scenario, the Principal and members of the Victoria Fire Department will enter the classroom and inform the students that the earthquake has damaged the school, and that there may be casualties in the student and staff population. The students in the Amateur Radio awareness program (YEP) will be asked to search the school and the school perimeter for injured persons and potential safety/health problems. For the past four weeks, the students have been practicing the skills that professional and volunteer search and rescue personnel may use in such and event. There are five teams, one for each of the three floors of the school and a fourth to search the exterior and perimeter of the school. Each team searches it’s assigned area. One member of the team is assigned the role of team captain, and a second the roll of “logger”, whose responsibility is to record the details of the problem using the ‘Who, What, Where, When, Why and How’ recording technique. Once the details have been recorded, the Team Leader reports by 2m simplex to a fifth team, which consists of two sections: 1) in-school Net Control, who record the transmission using formal message forms; and 2) The Outside Communications Team, which forwards some of the in-school messages to two outside contacts – simulating Emergency Operations Centres in Campbell River, BC and Kamloops, BC. Those stations are manned by George, VE7ABX and Kip, VE7HVR. In addition, we are arranging with an Amateur in Ottawa for IRLP contact, in which one or more messages will be forwarded to Ottawa for Information/Federal Support. So, where do you come in? We are proposing that we could have an IRLP reflector open so that any schools or interested Amateurs could monitor the ‘outside community’ transmissions. We would ask that if your school, or you, are interested, that you listen to the IRLP Reflector, but refrain from participating to minimize network congestion. However, after the exercise has terminated at 12 noon, we would invite your comments, etc. (and prior to 11:10 a.m. you would be welcome to report your listening status on the reflector. If we get sufficient positive response to the IRLP reflector concept, we will initiate the process of seeking the necessary approvals. If you wish to ‘participate’ I am asking that you let me know, ve7tbc@rac.ca by Thursday, 24th November. Incidentally, why is it a ‘mini’ exercise? That’s because this is a prelude to a proposed full-school exercise that we are planning for mid-spring, 2006. Wouldn’t it be nice if we could have other schools involved in similar exercises!!” So folks, if you wish to participate, please let us know. 73
Section Manager for the Maritime Section (Nov. 18 2005) Hugh D. Clark, VE9HC was recently re-elected Section Manager in the Maritimes Section (N.B. N.S. & P.E.I.) for a two-year term that will begin on March 1, 2006. Hugh ran unopposed eliminating the need for a balloted election. (RAC News Service)
New Brunswick's 9-1-1 changes improve emergency service (Nov. 25 2005) SAINT JOHN (CNB) - Changes to New Brunswick's 9-1-1 system, announced last spring, are well underway, says Public Safety Minister Wayne Steeves. Steeves, Saint John Mayor Norm McFarlane and 9-1-1 representatives from around the province visited the newly remodelled communications centre in Saint John today. "I am pleased to announce that a number of the changes to the 9-1-1 system have been put in place," Steeves said. "These changes will ensure that 9-1-1 continues to meet the emergency response needs of New Brunswickers. It's all about getting the right emergency service provider at the right place faster to save lives and property." Steeves updated one of the major changes he announced in April. He said the 9-1-1 system would be reorganized into six regional call-taking centres, known as Public Safety Answering Points (PSAPs), located throughout the province. The change will mean quick and accurate dispatch of emergency service providers, because local operators familiar with the communities in their region will answer 9-1-1 calls. Steeves said that as a result of the dedication and teamwork displayed by all partners, the Bathurst, Edmundston and Miramichi PSAPs are now taking all calls from their newly defined regions. Fredericton and Saint John have taken half the calls from within their new regions, and as of Dec. 1 will be taking all calls. Aliant Telecom Inc., the telecommunications service provider that operates the 9-1-1 system platform, is an active partner in the seamless and successful redistribution of calls to the regional PSAPs. Electronic cross-referencing technology has also been put in place. This technology helps 9-1-1 operators rapidly find the right emergency responders for the area from which the call has been placed. The technology is of particular use when dealing with cellular calls. "This technology saves precious seconds and can save lives," Steeves said. The PSAPs have also received electronic and hard-copy maps of their newly defined regions. "These maps will help operators locate callers and ensure that first responders are given correct information," Steeves said. "This enhancement, and the others that have been put in place, will help ensure that the 9-1-1 system is there when we need it. In New Brunswick, when you call 9-1-1, you will get the emergency help you need." Receivers of 9-1-1 calls have been trained on the new electronic tools that have been implemented. Steeves also reminded people to stay on the line when they dial 9-1-1. "Do not hang up," he said. "Your call will be answered." He added that once a caller reaches a 9-1-1 operator, it is important to answer all the operator's questions. "Do not hang up until the 9-1-1 operator tells you to do so. If you are calling from a cellphone, leave your phone turned on in case the 9-1-1 operator needs to call you back." Senior representatives from the PSAPs and the Department of Public Safety are now working together to develop standards and training requirements for 9-1-1 call-takers. As part of his spring announcement, Steeves indicated that his department would work with the New Brunswick Fire Service to implement a regional fire dispatch service to ensure that fire dispatch is done in the most effective manner. Work on this project has already begun. The Regional Fire Dispatch Committee has developed a tool to assess how fire dispatch calls are being taken, and it will look at ways of improving the process. MEDIA CONTACT: Catherine Richard, media relations co-ordinator, Department of Public Safety, 506-444-5267.
Nova Scotia - Province Provides
Mapping Data to Improve Emergency Services (Nov. 21 2005)
Paramedics will have an easier time finding addresses in emergencies thanks to a new Nova Scotia road atlas being distributed to ambulance fleets in the province. The province has partnered with Emergency Health Services (EHS) to develop an easy-to-use Nova Scotia road atlas. The booklet will help paramedics easily locate patients, hospitals, and heli-pad sites in emergency situations. It will act as a practical hard-copy reference point to support existing electronic mapping technologies in ambulances. Currently, there is no similar product available that displays the level of detailed building location information as the atlas. "The province has made a commitment to creating accurate geographic information and making it readily available," said Barry Barnet, Minister of Service Nova Scotia and Municipal Relations. "This type of information is critical, particularly to the safety of Nova Scotians during emergency situations." To assist in the development of this tool, the department has provided user-friendly topographic mapping data to EHS. The information includes contents from the Nova Scotia topographic database and the Nova Scotia civic address file, a centralized graphical database that is updated daily. "We are very pleased to be able to deliver this road atlas to field paramedics," said Tim Coolen, vice president of business development and IT services for EHS. "We trust that this new tool will help support our long-term vision for providing accurate map details to paramedics throughout the province." "This road atlas is a backup to our existing mapping technologies, to make certain that the paramedic has an extra layer of information available when responding to a call," said Deborah MacKay, EHS director of communications and dispatch services. "The ultimate goal is for Nova Scotians to be assured that help will arrive as quickly as possible when an emergency occurs." The province creates, maintains and distributes geographic information through its GeoNova program. For more information visit the website at www.geonova.ca .
Don't eat Ontario bean sprouts for now, recall underway: health officials (Ont. 25 2005) People in Ontario should avoid eating mung bean sprouts until the source of an outbreak of salmonella is confirmed, health officials said Friday. Sun Wah brand bean sprouts are being tested for links to an outbreak of salmonella poisoning in Ontario, based on preliminary investigations. The manufacturer has voluntarily recalled the product, which may be packaged in various weights with or without the Sun Wah name, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency said. The alert applies to all codes and best-before dates. Sun Wah mung bean sprouts are distributed in Ontario. "Salmonella can cause serious illness, and in very rare cases death, for the very young, elderly and those with weakened immune systems," said Dr. Sheela Basrur, Ontario's chief medical officer of health. "If you have mung bean sprouts in your fridge, do not eat them. If you have eaten sprouts at home or in a restaurant, and are experiencing illness, contact your physician immediately." Since the beginning of November, 266 laboratory-confirmed cases of salmonella have been reported in Ontario. Normally, 20 to 25 cases are reported per month at this time of year, according to the province's ministry of health. It's rare for an outbreak to grow to this size, given improvements in detecting outbreaks, said Prof. Doug Powell, scientific director of the Food Safety Network in Guelph, Ont. Outbreaks of salmonella linked to bean sprouts have been a problem for 20 years. "Sprouts pose a special challenge because of the way they are grown," said Powell. "You take the seeds and you sprout them under conditions of high moisture and high temperature. Those conditions are ideal for microorganisms to grow as well." Cooking destroys the bacteria but bean sprouts are often consumed raw. In otherwise healthy people, salmonellosis may cause short-term symptoms such as high fever, severe headache, vomiting, nausea, abdominal pain and diarrhea. Long-term complications may include severe arthritis, the CFIA said. (CBC News)
New Emergency Management Act introduced (Nov. 17 2005) Ottawa, November 17, 2005 -- Today, in the House of Commons, the Honourable Anne McLellan, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness, introduced the new Emergency Management Act. “By introducing the new Emergency Management Act, the Government of Canada is providing a solid legislative foundation for emergency management in the 21st century,” said the Deputy Prime Minister. “The recent bombings in London and the hurricanes in the United States Gulf Coast have reinforced that leadership, coordination, and seamless emergency management are all essential to Canada’s readiness for dealing with emergencies and saving lives.” The new Act provides for a comprehensive, all-hazards approach to emergency management by:
The new Emergency Management Act is about putting the “federal house in order” by providing the necessary authorities for the Government of Canada to meet the challenges of its own emergency management activities; and, about addressing the need for a well coordinated federal response that is complementary to those of other jurisdictions and key stakeholders. Strong leadership at the national level for emergency management is necessary to coordinate the federal response to emergencies. The new legislation clarifies the roles of the Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness, and other federal ministers and, provides for the establishment of standardized elements for emergency management plans in the Government of Canada. “The Government of Canada is doing everything it can to protect Canadians to ensure that their safety and security remains a priority,” added Minister McLellan. “The creation of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness Canada, the release of Canada’s National Security Policy and the introduction of the new Emergency Management Act are important steps in the Government of Canada’s efforts in confronting the threats in today’s world.” An on-line version of the proposed legislation is available at www.parl.gc.ca. (Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness Canada)
Provincial Emergeny Operations Centre, ARES Ontario Activation (Nov. 17 2005) On Thursday November 17 2005 at 10:00 hrs ARES was activated in conjunction with The Nuclear Emergency Operations Centre exercise, Region of Durham Headquarters. Attending ARES operations at the Provincial Emergency Operations Centre, Duty Officer Steven Knapp, Officer Clayton Misener, Supervisor of Operations Paul Beverley and VE3EMO Chief Station Operator Jim Taylor. Attending ARES Operations at the Toronto Emergency Operations Centre, Toronto Emergency Operations Centre Coordinator Gary Symonds and VA3EOT Chief Station Operator Joe Cusimano Operational Frequencies 7.153 Mhz Net operations under the control of the Communications Ontario Net (Don Rowed, VE3KII NCS) from 10:00 hrs to 11:00 hrs. 7.153 Mhz Net operations under the control of the Ontario Phone Net, NTS (Glenn Killam, VE3GNA NCS). from 11:00 hrs to 13:20 hrs. 147.060 (VE3RPT) Net operations under the control of the Open Line Net, NTS (Ted Grocott, VE3SHM NCS) for mobile communications with Durham Region ARES 147.120 (VE3OSH) Net operations under the control of Durham Region ARES, Gord Hewit VE3GIH, Scugog District Emergency Coordinator and Peter Henry VA3PWH Durham Region Emergency Coordinator. 147.375 (VE3SPA) operated by the South Pickering Amateur Radio Club, secondary test frequency. 147.195 (VE3LNZ) Lindsay Ontario, was used for communications with Peterborough ARES Net Operations Report HF Operations 10:00 hrs: VE3EMO (PEOC Radio Station) reported into the Communications Ontario Net to establish contact with ARES stations. VE3EMO established and confirmed contact with the following stations;
VE3EMO established and confirmed contact with the following stations;
VE3EMO established and confirmed contact with the following stations; 147.060:
Total VHF contacts with the Provincial Emergency Operations Centre: 12 Exercise duration: 4 hours. The exercise proved successful in testing established ARES communications networks in southern Ontario and was officially closed at 14:00 hrs. One formal NTS message was passed between VE3GNA Ontario Phone Net Manager and the Provincial Emergency Operations Centre. Note: A media release covering the Durham Region Nuclear Emergency Operations Centre Exercise can be found on the Regional Municipality of Durham's website: http://www.region.durham.on.ca/news.asp?nr=dnews/2005/nov1705.htm Report filed November 17 2005 19:30
hrs
Living Near Ontario's Nuclear Facilities While it is unlikely that a nuclear emergency will occur in Ontario - being prepared in advance and knowing what actions to take can better protect your personal safety. If you live or work within 10km of either nuclear generating facility - the following safety information applies to you.
Prepare Now - Learn How! SKYWARN 7th AnnualRecognition
Day 2005 (Dec. 3 2005)
SKYWARN Recognition Day special event will take place December 3rd. SKYWARN Recognition Day is an event co-sponsored by the National Weather Service and the ARRL and is the NWS's way of saying thank you to Amateur Radio operators for their commitment to helping keep their communities safe. During the 24-hour special event,
amateur radio operators visit their local NWS office and work as a team
to contact other hams across the world. To
When Environment Canada's weather centres issue severe weather watches or warnings, they alert the CANWARN volunteers at the organization's regional stations in the affected areas. The volunteers contact other CANWARN members on the ham radio, tell them a watch or warning has been issued and ask them to report signs of approaching severe weather. These include lightning, hail, cumulonimbus clouds or as they are known in the trade CBs, and funnel clouds, which if they touch down are then called tornadoes. CANWARN is organised in local networks. When CANWARN members spot severe weather, they send their reports to the CANWARN network controller who forwards them to Environment Canada's severe weather office in Toronto using either a special telephone line or the CANWARN web page. At the weather office, the severe weather meteorologist combines the data from the satellites and radar with the information from the ground to refine the forecast or prepare a severe weather watch or warning. In Ontario, CANWARN stations are equipped with computers, printers, and ham radio equipment, and are located in community centres such as airports, police stations and senior citizens complexes. Expanding their community service Ham or amateur radio operators have long played important roles in their communities, particularly during emergencies. These men and women run very high frequency, VHF, or ultra high frequency, UHF, radios from their homes, offices, cars or trucks and so are in a good position to help when normal lines of communication have been knocked out by a tornado, fire or explosion. Their roles expanded after the Edmonton tornado on July 31, 1987. The tornado which had winds of more than 400 kilometres an hour ploughed through the Alberta city in the mid afternoon killing 27 people, injuring 253 others and causing more than $250 million in damage. The report on the Edmonton tornado and the weather warning system, known informally as the Hage report, said Environment Canada should solicit the help of amateur radio operators in the severe weather watch and warning program. Within a week of the report's publication, Environment Canada had trained more than 120 ham radio operators in the Windsor area to detect severe weather. At first CANWARN operated primarily in southwestern Ontario. Today, there are CANWARN stations in towns and cities from Windsor through to eastern Ontario and Parry Sound on Georgian Bay. There are also CANWARN stations in Northwestern Ontario, including places like Thunder Bay, Fort Frances, Dryden, and Kenora. CANWARN volunteers cover most of the areas of Ontario that are likely to have severe weather. CANWARN is active (to varying degrees) in Manitoba, Saskatchewan and Alberta. For more information about how you can become involved in CANWARN visit: www.on.ec.gc.ca/severe-weather/canwarn-e.html
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)
MARITIME CONTEST (Jan. 29 2006 + Feb. 12 2006) The MARITIME CONTEST is on again, so get your old key hooked up, dust off your mike... Many Hams in the Maritimes will be glad to hear that the Maritime Contest (known in pre-VE9 days as the VE1 contest) is happening again this coming winter. The Fundy Club is sponsor, and here are the details. January 29th, 2006 - CW section (VE1BBL Memorial Contest) February 12th, 2006 - SSB section (VE1ALB Memorial Contest) Both sections are on 80m, open to hams in the 3 Maritime provinces only. Times 7-11am and 2-6pm local time. Exchange is: call, name, RST, county, province, serial#. Scoring is 6 points/QSO (1 point per correct exchange item), and the counties are multipliers. Also, the Memorial Stations will be a multiplier. A plaque will be awarded for first place in each section, and certificates will be awarded for 20+ CW contacts and 40+ SSB contacts. Entries within 30 days to:
'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
Special Event Station VC3O...Celebrating Oil Wells (Nov. 11 2005) On the air, VE3AT is operating special event station VC3O until 28th of November. Ron is on-the-air to commemorate the 150th anniversary of the beginning of oil wells in Canada. This event is included in the Ministry of Heritage's list of significant Canadian anniversaries. (ARNewsLine)
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 VE1JPS's new website: www.ve1pjs.com 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
It's a little over 100 years since the theories of wireless transmission became a practical reality and since then transmitters and receivers have been developed to extraordinary levels of precision and performance. Public radio broadcasting started about 1920. Radar, Television, semiconductors, integrated circuits, electronic computers with associated software and all the electronic devices that we now take for granted, followed, as scientists and manufacturers learned to manipulate the chemistry, physics and calculations needed to design, fabricate and use new electronic components. Since about 1915 amateur radio constructors and experimenters, have been exploring these emerging frontiers of human knowledge and their work has enlarged those frontiers. For example in 1924 two English and New Zealand amateurs first demonstrated the globe-spanning possibilities of radio. To this day in many countries around the world, including New Zealand, the local amateur radio services, with their versatility and mobility, frequently provide emergency communications. The situations can range from simple search and rescue operations in difficult terrain, to maritime networks which routinely help ocean-going yachts far from land, to filling in communication gaps after such major disasters as the Asian tsunami, or areas affected by hurricanes and earthquakes where whole infrastructures or fixed communication networks may have fallen over. Many amateurs joined the armed forces of their respective nations in World War II. Early in that war all NZ amateur transmitting privileges were removed for security reasons. From December 8th in 1945 those activities resumed. On the 8th December 2005 at 0630 hours UTC, New Zealand Amateurs plan a quiet commemoration on the 80 metre band. Activity to commemorate of the start of a momentous 60 years of progress in their small corner of the vast wireless communications domain. (WIA National News)
My
thoughts following the recent Simulated Emergency Test
Let me start with a real disaster that will happen in our neighbourhood one day. In 1935 a 5.6 magnitude earthquake struck just south of Cornwall. We live in a seismically active zone. Another 5 and change earthquake will hit the region, maybe tomorrow, maybe not for a hundred years, but one day. If a 6 magnitude earthquake struck Brockville what would be the aftermath? A shallow 6 magnitude earthquake can do a lot of damage and strikes without warning. One minute everything is normal, 5 minutes later there will be widespread structural damage in the affected area and perhaps up to 100 kms from the epicentre. Fortunately our building codes mean that few structures will actually collapse so there will be few direct fatalities, probably no more than ten, maybe up to fifty. There will be thousands of minor trauma injuries. (The vase on top of the bookshelf fell on me) and perhaps a thousand serious injuries (the bookshelf fell on me). Thousands of houses will be damaged, and will need to be checked before they can be lived in, and the local infrastructure will be badly damaged. Water, sewer and gas pipes will be unreliable. Electricity will be disrupted. Tens of thousands of people will be homeless. Telephone services will be damaged and will immediately saturate as everyone calls everyone else to find out what is going on. Just to help matters this will all happen at night in the middle of the winter! I see ARES participation unfolding in a series of timed phases. Initial Phase: First 24 to 48 hours. The emergency services have their own robust communications systems, and they will handle life and death traffic, and that traffic only. The role of ARES will be to establish reliable communications in the disaster area and to provide situation reports to local (municipal, county, provincial authorities) and to shelters and hospitals and the like in the disaster area as they are set up. An earthquake is very much a come as you are party, so the immediate task will be to contact ARES members, not using the telephones if at all possible. Set up a net and deploy stations within the disaster zone. Ares members should be deployed locally as the roads may be blocked and certainly must be kept clear for emergency traffic. Speed will be vital. Most stations will be equipped with
VHF/UHF FM transceivers in their cars. This means that communications will
be by voice. The radiogram is not obsolete. It developed to pass the most
information over a communications system with a limited capacity and point
to point range and consequently traffic had to be routed through many stations.
What applied to the telegraph also applies to our FM nets. Traffic
can be written down in upper case letters at a
In this first phase no one knows what is going on, and all communications will be overloaded. Emergency traffic must be handed to the emergency services as quickly as possible. Our job will be to let the authorities know accurately, what is the local situation, what resources are available and what help is required. Better an accurate and confirmed message of 25 words, than a thousand words of rumour. The limited format of the message form will concentrate the minds of those involved most wonderfully. Stations that can deploy HF systems should use at least 25 W. The experience of Katrina shows that QRP rigs like the FT817 can not be relied upon. Second phase 48 hours to 2 weeks. By now the situation will have stabilized. The authorities should have a good overall picture of the situation in the disaster zone. Telephone service will be returning, but fragile. Shelters will be in operation and hopefully refugees will be in transit from the disaster zone. The work of ARES will shift from sitrep to support. Everything will be in short supply:
Vehicles, gasoline, food, shelter and above all volunteers. The first wave
of operators will be exhausted after two days of too much stress, work
and coffee. Many volunteers will be worried about their own families and
property, and their moral must be sustained. If they believe they are handling
bureaucratic fodder for its own sake, they will quit. Ares will by now
be handing logistic communications for the shelters and support services.
A less formal, but still disciplined traffic structure may be required
to handle requests for blankets, food and other needs. A packet or other
data protocol could well handle this traffic. However, a data station will
need not only an FM transceiver, but also a computer, a tnc, and most importantly
a hard
I do not believe that amateur radio can handle the private traffic discussed at the meeting after SET. Our protocols must be open and therefore any traffic we handle must violate privacy rules. AX25 is an open protocol and can be monitored by anyone with a computer with a soundcard and the appropriate software. ARES will also be able to pass personal
messages from the shelters to friends and relatives outside the disaster
zone. The telephone service will be overloaded, but people will want to
know their loved ones are safe. Once again the 25 word format of the radiogram
scores. It will minimize the amount of traffic being handled while maximizing
the comfort to those concerned. If operators and equipment are available,
HF stations participating in province wide
Third phase. The return: 2 to 6 weeks after the disaster. By now the disaster is no longer headline news. Telephone service has been more or less restored. The other utilities are functional. Ares may have been stood down, but may still be required to remain on active stand by as the refugees return to their homes. The traffic will by now be largely informal, and be low priority logistical traffic and personal messages to areas where the telephones are not reliable. The role of ARES will be to be available at a moment?s notice in case communications fail. The services want to be sure they will not loose a bus full of senior citizens on their way home. Data systems for ARES: I think this scenario suggests that a data communications system would be a major asset after a major disaster. AX25 is robust, and easy and cheap to set up and use. It is slow, but if the traffic it handles is carefully sorted this should not be a problem. All ARES stations will have a VHF transceiver does not need to be modified to pass the 1200 baud protocols of AX25. The two problems that have to be addressed are:
Dave Stephenson, VE3PYG (Reproduced in the CARB with author's permission)
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