Canadian and U.S. Navies join in major naval warfare exercise  (Oct. 4 2005)

ESQUIMALT, B.C. — Five Canadian Navy ships and over 1,200 Canadian Forces personnel are sailing to California this week to take part in a major naval warfare Task Group Exercise (TGEX 5-05) from Oct. 5 to Nov. 15.  The Canadian ships will be working with two U.S. Carrier Strike Groups, and will be supported by CH-124 Sea King helicopters from Pat Bay and CP-140 Aurora long range patrol aircraft from Canadian Forces Base Comox.

Her Majesty’s Canadian Ships Algonquin, Protecteur, Calgary, Vancouver and Ottawa will integrate with the U.S. Carrier Strike Groups Ronald Regan and the Abraham Lincoln, with over 13 ships between them and a full complement of air assets. 

“Given our extensive and unique operational capabilities, the Navy can be called upon at any time to meet Canada’s defence needs both in the region and around the world.  Moreover, past operations and exercises have clearly demonstrated our interoperability with the USN and other navies.  This TGEX will further improve our ability to conduct coalition operations and to integrate seamlessly with the American Carrier Strike Group.” said Commodore Bruce Donaldson, Commander Canadian Fleet Pacific.  “As the nature of threats to Canadian and regional security changes, we must remain vigilant and ready to respond to a wide variety of complex challenges. The TGEX is an excellent opportunity for the Fleet to reinforce our combat effectiveness, to develop additional skills in littoral warfare and to become more effective, relevant and responsive at the Task Group level.” 

Canadian ships will exercise some of the capabilities necessary to respond to unconventional threats, including terrorist attacks.  Given today’s diverse threats, warships must be able to defend themselves against small land based threats or small boats.  This new and more dangerous environment, combined with the increased requirement to operate in littorals, within range of a variety of land force weapons, emphasizes why the Canadian Navy needs to enhance its joint operational capability with the Army and Other Government Departments.  TGEX 5-05 will provide the opportunity for Canadian maritime and land forces to improve their understanding of each other’s operations and test their capacities in this type of warfare. 

Prior to TGEX 5-05, Canadian ships will participate in Fleet Week in San Francisco from Oct. 8 to 11 where the Canadian Navy ships will be open to the public. The event attracts an estimated attendance of one million spectators.  The Canadian ships will also make other port visits in support of Department of Foreign Affairs initiatives in furthering diplomatic relations in the region. 

(Canadian National Defence)

Approximately 20,000 Basic-Only Canadian amateurs gain access to HF bands  (Oct. 4 2005)

Industry Canada reports that since the new regulations were implemented on July 30, 2005,  19,995 Canadian amateurs who have held a Basic Only certificate since April 2, 2002 have been granted access to the HF bands. 

There remain  2450 amateur operators in Canada that do not possess HF privileges. This does not imply that they have not met the 80% pass mark but that as of today, Industry Canada  has had no requests from these individuals for HF privileges. 

Here full story, as reported by RAC Vice President Jim Dean, VE3IQ,

The New Regulations for HF Access - What do They Mean? 

In response to the RAC Proposal on Morse Code and Related Matters, and in line with the decisions taken at WRC-2003, Industry Canada has removed the Morse Qualification as a mandatory requirement for access to the HF band below 30 MHz. However, qualifying in Morse still remains an option. The pass mark for both the Basic and Advanced Qualification examinations has been raised to 70%. Some other recommendations from the RAC proposal were also implemented. The necessary regulatory changes have been incorporated by revisions to RIC-2 and RIC-3 (see Issues dated July 2005), which govern operations by Canadian radio amateurs. Every amateur should obtain a copy of these RICs from the Industry Canada web site at http://strategis.ic.gc.ca/epic/internet/insmt-gst.nsf/en/h_sf06073e.html .

So what do the new regulations mean? For the most part, they only affect those amateurs who hold just the Basic Qualification.

Well, first they mean that Industry Canada has responded positively to the proposal from RAC and to the wishes expressed by the majority of amateurs who responded to the RAC internet survey of 2003 and to the Industry Canada public consultation of 2004. Industry Canada was not able to implement all of the proposed restructuring of the amateur service to accommodate an Intermediate Certificate because that would have required changes to the Radiocommunication Regulations, which requires approval of the Cabinet and promulgation by Order of Governor-in Council. That can be a very lengthy process. Industry Canada made changes to the extent possible through amendments to RIC 2 and RIC-3, which can be approved by the Minister.

Second, they mean that the HF bands are now available for use by those of the approximately 23,000 Basic-only certificate holders who were previously restricted to operating above 30 MHz, but who now meet simple eligibility criteria. This provides a great opportunity for them to go on HF under the new rules and expand their technical and operating knowledge and experience.

The increase in the pass mark from 60% to 70% means that Basic and Advanced Qualification candidates will have to study a little harder to achieve these qualifications. For access to the HF bands, candidates will have to achieve the Basic + Honours Qualification (80% or greater on the Basic exam), or qualify under one of the other options shown in Schedule 1 of RIC-2. This was not done to make it more difficult to become a radio amateur, but was done in recognition of the fact that operation in the HF bands requires special knowledge and skills not necessary for most operations in the bands above 30 MHz. It was also done because it was determined that the old pass mark of 60% for the multiple-choice examinations did not provide a sufficient test of the candidate's ability.

Holders of only the Basic Qualification who were certified before 2 April 2002, are considered to have accumulated enough experience to be permitted to also operate on the HF bands. Holders of the Basic Qualification who were certified after 1 April 2002, will have to demonstrate to Industry Canada that they achieved 80% or greater on their exam. These amateurs should get their Accredited Examiner to fax their mark to the Amateur Radio Service Centre, or obtain a certified copy and fax it themselves. Those who achieved less than 80% and wanting to operate on HF, will either have to rewrite the Basic exam, or take the options of writing and passing the Morse or Advanced exams.

Retaining Morse as a voluntary Qualification means that it still can be included on the holder's certificate. This may be needed in some countries that still require a Morse capability for reciprocal operation. Indeed, it is understood that some countries that drop Morse as a mandatory requirement for HF access, may still require a Morse qualification to operate using the CW mode within their country.

The new rules have invalidated some of the current Basic examination questions. RAC will be working with Industry Canada to determine how best to identify and handle these questions and advise Accredited Examiners.

Industry Canada has also recognized that it will have to find a method of noting the Basic + Honours Qualification on the Amateur Certificate and Call Sign (ACCS) data base that is displayed on the RAC web site. It is understood that Industry Canada is planning to revise the ACCS, but that will take some time to realize. As an interim measure, the names of holders of only the Basic Qualification who were certified before 2 April, 2002, have been grandfathered as Basic + Honours and their names now have been annotated with a (+) sign on the data base to show this. Those amateurs holding only the Basic Qualification who were certified after 1 April, 2002, should now contact the Accredited Examiner (AE) who tested them. The marks should be available as RIC-1 requires Accredited Examiners to retain the examination results for three years. If your AE has your mark, and if it is 80% or greater, then ask him to fax the information to the Amateur Radio Service Centre at (613) 991-5575 or fax the information yourself if he provides you with a copy.

Under the new rules, holders of the Basic Qualification may now assemble, install and operate commercially available transmitter kits of professional design. Basic holders have always been able to build, install and operate receivers and station accessories; only designing and building or modifying transmitters was prohibited. This is a positive step to expand the practical skills of amateurs.

All in all, the rule changes mean that Industry Canada has followed the trend to delete Morse as a mandatory qualification, but has provided flexibility in options to meet Canadian requirements for HF access. The technical and regulatory knowledge requirements and the examinations to become an amateur remain unchanged. CW remains an honoured and standard mode of amateur communication.

RAC will notify radio amateurs of corrections in the examinations and the update of the Call Sign data base through announcements on the RAC web site and in the pages of TCA.

Note: The Industry Canada French Language rules are available at : http://strategis.ic.gc.ca/epic/internet/insmt-gst.nsf/fr/h_sf06073f.html

(Thanks to RAC Vice President Regulatory Affairs, Jim Dean, VE3IQ) 

I have had a chance to chat, via telephone, with someone representing each of the schools in the YEP. There have been some changes, but everyone seems quite keen to get on with another school year and hopefully, we will see some additions to the program. Now that the YEP is firmly established, of the things that we will have to work on this year is promotion. We need to draw attention to the benefits of the YEP on a local, provincial and national level. If any of you has ideas or means of bringing this about, I would love to hear from you.

I’ve been asked to put together a Power Point presentation for Industry Canada later this fall. If possible, could you send me a .JPG picture of something to do with your involvement in the YEP? Perhaps a picture of your students doing something radio related?

Below, is a brief summary of the situation in each of the program’s schools:

LESTER B. PEARSON HIGH SCHOOL - Burlington, ON
Contact - Mark Richardson (VA3OBO)

While Mark has retired from teaching, he is still very much involved with the school and its program and expects it to continue. A very enthusiastic new teacher, Andrew Lychy (VA3AJJ) is teaching the Grade 12 course and may be able to incorporate the YEP into his program. The support from the Burlington Amateur Radio Club has been excellent and continues, with Mark as this year’s club president. Last year, the school YEP was able to graduate 20 students as Amateurs in the first semester and a further 10 students in the second semester resulting in 30 new hams. Excellent work, and Mark hopes that this can continue for the current school year. Mark describes two major goals: 1. To introduce Amateur Radio to students 2. To maintain the students’ interest in Amateur Radio

DRINKWATER ELEMENTARY SCHOOL - Duncan, BC
Contact - Mark McMenamin (VE7EIC)

The BC schools are experiencing a special challenge: they are experiencing job action province wide, which will have a potential effect on extra-curricular activities and thus on the YEP. Certainly, teachers and administrators are focused on issues other than Amateur Radio while this is taking place. However, Mike spoke enthusiastically about the Mt. Everest contact last year and how excited the students were about it.

This year, he is going to try to establish an Echo Link system for his program to get students ‘on the air’. The school has only limited access to the IRLP repeater due to heavy traffic from the established Amateur community. He would like to get on to HF and has access to the transceiver, but maintaining an HF antenna on top of the school is not practical. He is looking for something that could be put up and taken down in an hour to protect it from potential vandalism.

CENTRAL MIDDLE SCHOOL - Victoria, BC
Contact- Terrance Berscheid (VE7TBC)

This school, like all the others in BC, is working under the job action restrictions, and the YEP activity may well be affected. However, Terrance hopes to continue with the program. When I talked with him, the enrichment programs were just getting started.

MONSIGNOR DOYLE CATHOLIC SECONDARY SCHOOL - Cambridge, ON
Contact - Peter Bon (VA3PTB)

The program will continue into this school year. Three students achieved their Amateur Radio license last year and he will be using Amateur Radio with the Grade 11 and 12 students again this year, as an independent study program involving demonstrations and satellite work with VHF and UHF. In this school, a five year construction plan will include facilities for an Amateur Radio station. Peter intends to stay with VHF and UHF for the time being, although there is a possibility of obtaining an HF station from the sponsoring club - the Kitchener-Waterloo Amateur Radio Club.

SIR JAMES DUNN COLLEGIATE - Sault St. Marie, ON
Contact - Grant Kahtava (VA3JGK)

This school is new into the program. Grant says that his students are quite interested in getting involved with Amateur Radio and he hopes to establish an IRLP connection for them. He does have the equipment set up to establish a node. He is also looking at the possibility of establishing an HF station.

RALPH McCALL SCHOOL - Airdrie, AB
Contact - Brian Jackson (VE6JBJ)

Brian has been teaching since August 11th and is very enthusiastic about his program. He continues to have a daily contact with Neil Carleton at the R. Tait McKenzie Public School in Ontario and his students are already well acquainted with the students in the Ontario school through the magic of IRLP. Brian is planning a contact for his students with Tasmania in the near future. The school board for Brian’s school has provided and set up a VHF/UHF computer controlled tracking antenna system which should soon be in operation.

CHESTERMERE LAKE MIDDLE SCHOOL - Chestermere, AB
Contact - Brian Jackson (VE6JBJ)

Brian has left this school to work in Airdrie, but has maintained his contact with the school in the hope of getting the YEP to continue. There is not, currently, a licensed teacher in the school, but Brian hopes to infect someone on staff with his enthusiasm, by going to the school during some free time to set up equipment and run some demonstrations. He hopes to establish an IRLP link so that students can monitor ARISS activity and is looking into linking this school with his Airdrie school via ATV. The students are excited, the administration is very willing and the QCWA Wild Rose Chapter 151 is very supportive of the program. He just needs a teacher who is willing to take advantage of the advantages offered through an Amateur Radio program.

R. TAIT McKENZIE PUBLIC SCHOOL - Almonte, ON
Contact - Neil Carleton (VE3NCE)

Last month’s newsletter provided detail about Neil’s program. This year, he has 31 students involved in the program doing SWL and Amateur Radio. One of his main goals this year is to get an HF antenna set up on the school

WALTER MURRAY COLLEGIATE - Saskatoon, SK
Contact - Derek Bereza (VE5SD)

With the unfortunate death of teacher Brian Walter, last spring, the program has been interrupted. However, Derek will be making a presentation to the school staff about the use of Amateur Radio as a part of the program. A new teacher on staff has shown some interest and might be a possible recruit into the program. An HF station and antenna are ready to be installed, but will have to be put on hold until the situation is
clarified.

HOLY FAMILY SCHOOL - Grimshaw, AB
Contact - Forbes Purcell (VE6FMP)

This program will be ongoing. Forbes is trying to get a youth group going in the school and to increase interest in ARES, with particular reference to recent situation in the US.. The school has access to HF equipment with the donation of two transceivers and the McKenzie Regional Radio Club will provide support and possibly help with establishing an HF antenna. On the strength of this school’s involvement with the YEP, another school, 100 km distant, may be interested in coming into the program as well.

GRAND MANAN COMMUNITY SCHOOL - Grand Manan Is, NB
Contact - Roger LeChaine (VE9BO)

Roger has left this school and now resides in Ottawa and holds the callsign VE3RLA. Unfortunately, he program on Grand Manan can not continue without him.

What can you provide for a subsequent newsletter? Please send me an update of your program or any other information that might be of interest to the rest of the YEP participants.

Bj. Madsen - VE5FX
RAC MidWest Regional Director
Chairman - RAC Youth Education Program
Box 2860 - Tisdale, SK - S0E 1T0
306-873-4346
E-mail: ve5fx@rac.ca
 

Report of the RAC Election Committee  (Sept., 2005)

On Saturday, September 10th, 2005 an Election Committee was convened in Kingston, Ontario.  Pursuant to a motion adopted by the RAC Board of Directors at its August 16th meeting, Steve Pengelly, VE3STV, the RAC Honourary Legal Counsel, established and chaired the meeting, on behalf of the RAC Secretary.  The Committee opened and reviewed the nominations received for the positions of Director, Quebec, Ontario South, and Alberta/NWT/NU Regions.

The Election Committee membership was as follows:

Mr. Ron Walsh, VE3GO
Mr. Roy Clarke, VE3VJF
Mr. Bill Nangle, VE3CLQ/VE7CVQ
Mr. Andrew Wollin, VE3UIN

Quebec Region Director:
            One nomination was received for this position.  Following a review of the documentation submitted and taking into account the constitutional and election process requirements, the Committee determined that the nomination was complete and in order.  There being no other nominees, the Committee declared Mr. Noel Marcil, VE2BR elected as the RAC Director for Quebec Region for the 2006-2007 term.

Ontario South Region Director:
            No nominations were submitted for this position.  As a consequence, this position remains vacant.

Alberta/NWT/NU Region Director:
            One nomination was received for this position.  Following a review of the documentation submitted and taking into account the constitutional and election process requirements, the Committee determined that the nomination materials were not in order and were not complete as only nine of the nominee’s nominators were members in good standing of RAC.  The Committee unanimously determined that since the election requirements of the RAC Constitution were not met, the nominee was not eligible for election.  As a consequence, and because there were no other nominees, the Alberta/NWT/NU Region Director’s position remains vacant for the 2006-2007 term.

The Committee recommends that a second call for nominations for both Ontario South and Alberta/NWT/NU Regions, be issued.

(RAC Bulletin 05-015)

Message from the CARB Editor (Oct. 2 2005)

Greetings all, it has been a very busy week at HFRadio.Net. We have moved to a new server in Manitoba, this was found necessary after many months of being plagued with mail server problems. The new server seems to be up and running smoothly and we are pleased to announce that with this move we will be able to offer more services to the Canadian Amateur community.

If your amateur radio related non profit club or organization is in need of a new website presence please feel free to contact us. We can set you up with domain names and server space all free of charge. This service is funded through donations from dedicated individuals and clubs that want to make a difference in our hobby.

On a side note:

I will be involved with family matters over the next two weeks and may not be able to publish the weekly bulletin. Please be patient as I must take some time to resolve things on the home front.

Best regards,
Jim Taylor VA3KU
CARB Editor
www.hfradio.net

Club President Don Courcy (VE1CY) tells me that new life has been breathed into the Tri-County Amateur Radio Club in Moncton since the Club recently secured a new home. 

Don states that "Our club has been homeless for a while and it has affected the membership. Members miss the days when they could meet on Saturday mornings to participate in tinkering sessions or in experimental projects. Well…, reminisce no more !  It is time to enjoy. We have a home again ! Thanks to the efforts of Elliott, VE9EWR, we now have a new clubhouse on the second floor of the Centennial Park Maintenance Depot. It is now up to us to make it better than the last one. There is a lot of work ahead; setting up the clubhouse, putting up a tower & antennas, installing the club station… We need your help to make this happen before the winter. Dave, VE9FQJ is already working on a floor plan. Eric VE9JR has been busy trying to get the place cleaned up and ready for painting. I know that Ola VE9OLA, Laurie VE1AWJ and many others have helped as well. There is excitement in the air."
.

Don goes on to point out in the Club's recent Newsletter that, "One of the biggest challenges that our club faces is maintaining and increasing our membership. We must find ways to attract new members from the pool of Certified Ham Radio Operators in southeastern New Brunswick. To do that, we must do things so they will "want" to come and join us. There are many ways to do that: finding interesting guest speakers, coming up with building projects, testing new technology, maybe restarting the Saturday morning experimental sessions, etc… We need your ideas and proposals.

The problem of decreasing membership is not restricted to our club. It is also a problem faced by the entire Amateur Radio community. We are all getting older and we need new blood. The only way to do that is to promote our hobby in the media and to offer Amateur Radio Courses. The club has just started a Basic Amateur Radio Course with seven students enrolled. I just heard tonight that we might be getting an eighth student for the course. Many requests have also been made for an Advanced Course and we are considering the possibility of offering one beginning in January 2006. Morse code training is also being considered."

The Tri-County Amateur Radio Club in Moncton appears to be up to the many challenges that our hobby faces.   Getting into their new Club facilities will give the members a big boost and we wish Don and his colleagues in Moncton well in their endeavour to build enthusiasm for Amateur Radio and build the base of Hams in the Moncton area.

D. Howard Dickson - VE1DHD
Atlantic Regional Correspondent to the
Canadian Amateur Radio Bulletin

Westcumb Amateur Radio Club News (Sept. 22 2005)

WARC River Hebert Army Cadet Corp Radio Demonstration:

      On Saturday afternoon, the 15th of October, several retired military radio operators belonging to the WARC will give a demonstration to the River Hebert Army Cadet Corp. They will have a HF station operational for SSB and CW.  VHF setup will include a base setup and seven HTs. They will be using the Amherst 147.285 repeater for their demonstrations and small exercise. (That should liven the repeater up). It should be noted that when the cadets are using the repeater, they will be under the supervision of a licensed Amateur. - from Jim Hannon, VE1AFH.

The Red Cross in Amherst is looking for a volunteer Amateur Radio Operator for one day a week. 
Jim Hannon, VE1AFH, was contacted by the Red Cross and sends the following request:

Every Thursday morning @ 11:45 am, the Red Cross has a province-wide radio net. This net involves Amateur VHF working through the VE1BHS repeater (145.350 - MHz.). We will very soon have a fully operational, licensed Amateur radio station at the Red Cross Building, 16 Church St. Amherst. If anybody would like to take on the task of doing the Red Cross radio net, please drop in and see Angie Lohnes. There is always a fresh pot of tea and a cookie to be had.  E-Mail: angela.lohnes@redcross.ca

Jim Hannon, Emergency Measures Coordinator,
jhannon@cumberlandcounty.ns.ca
 

For more information about the Westcumb Amateur Radio Club visit:www.westcumb.com

Hamilton Amateur Radio Club "HAMFEST 2005"  (Oct. 15 2005) 
Sponsored by:  Hamilton Amateur Radio Club
Location: Marritt Hall (Ancaster Fair Grounds) On Highway #53 (Rymal Road)- between Southcote Road and Kittymurry Lane. 
Opens:  Vendors 7:00am and to the General Public at 9:00am. 
Cost:  All tables $10.00 plus Admission. General Admission;- $6.00 
Talkin: VE3NCF 146.760 (-) 
Notes: Book early to avoid dissapointment. Refer to our Marritt Hall Layout on our website to pre register and pick your location. 
For more info visit: http://www.hwcn.org/link/radio/

Greenwood Annual Flea Market  (Oct. 15 2005) 
Sponsored by: The Greenwood Amateur Radio Club 
Location: Greenwood Community Centre Church St Greenwood  Kingston NS 
Opens: Sellers 8AM, Buyers 10AM 
Cost: $3 admission, tables free
Talkin: VE1WN, 147.240+ 
For more info contact: Guy VE1NC ve1nc@rac.ca

Montreal South-Shore Hamfest 2005 (Oct. 22 2005) 
Sponsored by: Montreal South Shore Amateur Radio Club 
Location: The Montreal South Shore Amateur Radio Club will hold it's annual Hamfest at Place Desaulniers, 1023 Taschereau blvd. Longueuil (Quebec)
Situated only 10 minutes from downtown Montreal.
Opens:  Set up Sat. 6-9 AM; public 9 AM to 3 PM 
Cost: $10.00 per table and that include admission for one. General admission is $5.00 per person 
Talkin: 145.390 (-) 
Notes: Free parking, handicapped accessible, refresments.
For more info visit: http://www.ve2clm.ca/hamfesta.htm

York Region Hamfest (Oct. 29 2005)
Sponsored by: The York Region Amateur Radio Club 
Location: Markham Fairgrounds, Markham, ON. McCowan Road at Elgin Mills Road E. 
Opens: Vendors 6:30 a.m. Public 9:00-1:30 p.m. 
Cost: General Admissions $5.00. Vendors-refer to website for table fees. 
Talkin: 145.350- (VE3YRA) 
Notes: YRARC extends an invitation to you to come and particpate in Ontario's Leading Hamfest - 2 large buildings plus a 3rd building holding seminars. 
Exams may also be available to interested parties -- please contact the Hamfest Co-ordinator if you are interested prior to event date. 
The 29th Annual YORK REGION HAMFEST Wheelchair accessible; handicap parking available

For more info visit: http://www.yrarc.on.ca

Ham Radio, Electronic & Computer Swap Meet  (Nov. 6 2005) 
Sponsored by: The Maple Ridge Amateur Radio Club 
Location: 12460 Harris Road Pitt Meadows In the old Rec Hall 1 Block South of the Lougheed Hwy On the left side of Harris Road. Maple Ridge BC
Opens:  9:Am To 12:30PM Doors open for Vendors at 7:30AM Open for public 9AM 
Cost: Tables $20.00 includes ONE Entry Admission $3.00 
Talkin: 146.800 -600 Tone 156.7 
Notes: Pancakes and Sausages served between 8Am & 9Am. Coffee Juice and Do-Nuts served throughout the event.Great Prizes Icom Handheld 2mtr radio.50/50 Draw and many other Prizes 
For more info visit: http://www.qsl.net/ve7rmr

Provincial Emergency Operations Centre Activation SET 2005 (Oct. 30 2005)

The Provincial Emergency Operations Centre Amateur Radio Station VE3EMO and the Toronto Emergency Operations Center Amateur Radio Station VA3EOT  will both be activated on Sunday October 30th from 10:00hrs to 13:00hrs. 

Both stations will be engaged in the sending and receiving of simulated emergency test messages with any Amateur Radio Station anywhere, on HF /6 Mtr FM and VHF / UHF. On HF, the activity will be centered on 7.055 Mhz., the frequency of the Trans Provincial Net with 3.755 (Ontars Net) as the backup frequency. The ProCom Net will also be activated to get messages in and out of the EOCs. 

40 Meter PSK31 will be tested by stations equipped with that mode. It is suggested that the updated version of Digipan be used for quick and easy "ARES" identification. 

Further details to follow, comments or questions may be addressed to: va3ku@hfradio.net 

Jim Taylor, VA3KU 
VE3EMO, Chief Station Operator 
Emergency Management Ontario 

Lake Manitoba Impacted by Winds 

The high water warning for the south basin of Lake Winnipeg continues. The Colorado low is moving north as expected, producing rain, snow and strong winds.

• Northeast winds of 50 to 70 km/hour developed over the south basin of Lake Winnipeg this morning and are expected to continue until late tonight.

• Based on Environment Canada weather maps, winds are expected to be northerly 35 to 50 km/hour tomorrow morning and decrease to north 20 km/hour in the afternoon.

• Waves this morning were up to the base of recently constructed dikes in some areas.

• Lake levels will continue to rise until at least midnight and possibly until early tomorrow morning.

• There is little change in the peak lake level forecasts from those issued yesterday. Peak levels due to wind set-up alone could produce levels up to 718 feet from Arnes to Winnipeg Beach and up to 719 feet from Dunnottar to Chalet Beach.

• Wave uprush of 2.5 to 3.3 feet is likely to occur on top of these levels, depending on slope of the shoreline and the exposure to northeast winds. Wind action and shoreline damage will be the strongest in the afternoon and this evening. 

Levels on the east shore, including Victoria, Patricia and Grand beaches, are likely to remain below 717 feet with a potential 1.5- to two-foot wave uprush. Levels and wave action in this area will be at their maximum early tomorrow when the wind direction switches to north-northwest.

Levels in the Lake Winnipeg Delta area including Netley and Petersfield may rise to 719.5 feet with an additional one foot for wave uprush.

Observed levels at 9 a.m. today

• Gimli 716.5 feet (winds northeast 42 gusting to 65 km/hour)

 
• Victoria Beach 715.9 feet 

 
• Breezy Point 716.3 feet 

• Berens River 714.9 feet (light east wind)

• Wind eliminated level for the lake today: 715.1 feet 

• Average wind eliminated level for today: 713.6 feet (based on period 1977-2004)

• Expected wind eliminated level for Oct. 15: 714.80 feet

• Average wind eliminated level for Oct. 15: 713.45 feet (1977-2004)

Manitoba Water Stewardship advises that seasonal water levels in southern areas of Lake Manitoba will be unusually high today due to the strong northeast winds. Levels of the lake near Westbourne could rise to 814.5 feet which is similar to the level observed on July 18 and among the highest levels observed during the past 30 years. The level of the lake near Westbourne this morning was 813.8 feet.

(Manitoba News Media Services)

Trans Canada  PowWow Club back on the air! (Oct. 1 2005)

The Trans Canada  PowWow Club kicked off its  its activities for the 2005/06 Season on October 1st at midnight EST / 05:00 UTC on 3750.00khz. 
If the experience of hearing Canadian stations from British Columbia to Newfoundland and all  in between captures your imagination then tune in and check in. 
Your Net Control station will be VA3AAG Gerry. 

The link provided here is somewhat dated but it will give you a good idea of what happens on the Club frequency.  Please click on this link for further information TRANS CANADA POW WOW CLUB

(Thanks to Hart VA3OU)

Maritime Swap Shop

The Maritime Swap Shop is held every Monday at 7:30pm local time on 3.750 MHz. All station are invited to checkin and post their wants and items for sale. The Maritime Swap Shop list can be found on many places on the internet, here are just a few: The Loyalist City Amateur Radio Club ,  hfradio.net ,    VE1AIC's Home Page  and  Truro Amateur Radio Club

Please Note: The Maritime (on-air) Swap Shop, which was formerly held on Tuesday evenings, will now take place on Monday evenings at 1930 local time on 3750.

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

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.

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The Manitoba Repeater Society Swap & Shop
 

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

 The Screwdriver antenna was invented by Don Johnson, W6AAQ of Esparto, California back in  1991. I am not going into any detail on the antenna as all the information is available from Don for five dollars US, however, I will discuss common problems encountered when checking to see why the particular antenna does not perform as well as it should.

       I constructed my first DK3 in early 1993 and immediately realized that it was superior to any antenna that I had used since 1960 while mobiling. I had over 250 requests for information on the antenna as I mobiled all over Ontario due to the outstanding signal it was putting out. I had hams say I was running an amplifier, that 100 watts would not produce the signal they were hearing. I also had some hams follow the coax from the antenna back to the transceiver looking for a "boot" !   It was incredible to be able to carry on conversations for hours at a time as I traveled throughout Ontario from Thunder Bay, Sault Ste Marie, Timmins and Kirkland Lake to Sudbury, North Bay and Ottawa, from Kingston to Windsor ..... literally every part of the province. 
 

My first DK3 installed on a 1986 Delta 88 Oldsmobile. This version had the capacitors for matching on 75 and 40 meters installed in the trunk right next to the mount. 2 switches on the control box were necessary to operate the antenna if one was changing bands. I can recall while talking on the Sandbox Net on 40 meters, many foreign stations breaking in and reporting that my mobile signal was exceptional at their QTH. I have worked  15 or so countries on 40 meters without trying, they all asked for signal reports from me when their turn came up in the roundtable. Also earned the Heritage Award as a mobile station with Chris logging the calls for me in only four days of driving.  I switched between 40 and 75 meters as circumstances required without stopping the vehicle to change resonators , etc as had been the case with other antennas over the years. I was never one to chase DX but have had my share of it with the DK3 on 20 and 15 meters including contacts into Australia and Japan while traveling  at 100 klicks or more on our highways.

I have had a DK3 mounted on three different vehicles, the Delta 88, Chevy S10 Pickup and a 1993 Dodge Caravan which has traveled in excess of 335,000 kms with the same antenna mounted on it. The transceiver is a Kenwood TS50 running 100 watts although I did run a ICOM  740 and a 735 in the Oldsmobile. This photo shows the DK3 mounted, using an L bracket that is grounded to the body of the van. A short piece of ABS pipe mounted on a wooden block that is in turned fastened to the top of the L forms the upper support for the antenna. To remove the antenna, a three conductor plug and socket is pulled apart, then a 1/2 turn on the antenna mast and a pull upwards frees it in less than 30 seconds.  An insulated tapered brass stud feeds power to the antenna, a toroid matching unit is installed in the base of the antenna.

There are some DK3 antennas out there that are not performing the way they should and the fault lies with the installation itself normally.

a)  The ground connection from the toroid must be as short as possible, mine is about 4 inches or so. 

b)  The portion of the antenna where the coil is exposed should be at least 18 inches above the highest part of the vehicle and clear of any metal. 

c)  The mast portion may be as close as 4 to 5 inches from the body with no detrimental effects.

d)  Do not use Junk Box coax, buy a new piece, it only costs a few bucks and will save you all kinds of headaches.

e)  Use heavy wire as bonding between frame and the point you are using as ground. Also you may need to bond various parts of your vehicle together due to the construction practices used in modern vehicle assembly.

f)  The transceiver is not grounded . Every transceiver has a grounding post on the back! It is there for reason, use the shortest piece of at least # 10 wire to go from that post to the firewall or to the metal floor. Make sure that there is no resistance readable from transceiver to vehicle body.

NOTE!  Apparently transceiver installation guides for new vehicles say that the transceiver is NOT TO BE GROUNDED, but should be left floating to prevent damage to the various Electronic Control Modules (ECMs) in new vehicles. Improperly installed ham gear has caused ECMs to fail and resulted in very costly repairs to the units and are not covered by warranty. For more information on this go to http://www.arrl.org/tis/info/carproblems.html . There you will be able to get the numbers for Installation Guides that pertain to your vehicle. They can be ordered from your dealer.

Be advised that I have had no problems in any of the vehicles, in which I have had transceivers installed ( and Grounded) and I will not change the grounding at this stage of the game. Hope I have been able to get across the above basic points  for getting exceptional signal reports from your mobile instead of mediocre ones.

Fingerstock, Contacts , etc

        One of the most frequently asked questions about the DK3 Screwdriver antenna is about the contact arrangement or "fingerstock"  used.
 

Here we see the collar that contains the contacts on my DK3 removed from over the coil and the mast of the antenna. As you can see the contacts are  resting in a groove that has been machined into the collar. The later versions of this antenna just have a section of the mast near the top enlarged by about 1/4 inch or so and the new contact arrangement fits between the groove so created and the coil form.

This photo shows the fingerstock removed from the machined groove. This fingerstock is actually RF Shielding Strip with the clip portion removed along back of the strip. The part number is Instrument Specialties Catalogue  # 97-605-02  This one has been in use since 1994 with little or no wear showing!

Ted has a website that has a lot of great information: www.tnws.com/ve3dxg