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The Halifax ARC was asked to provide support by setting up a special event station, and Dick (VE1AI) and Scott (VE1QD) agreed to jointly co-ordinate the effort. Using the special event call sign VA1ISAR that was assigned to the Club under the new four-letter suffix rule, the Halifax Club established two portable stations -- one at the Coast Guard Base on the Dartmouth side of Halifax Harbour, and the another aboard the CSS Acadia on the Halifax side. |
The Halifax Amateur Radio Club recently
participated (September 29 to Oct 1, 2005) in the International Search
and Rescue competitions, which this year were held in Halifax Harbour.
Members of the Coast Guard Auxiliary from across North America converged
on Halifax to compete in this three-day event.
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| The CSS (Canadian Survey Ship) Acadia was launched in 1913 at Newcastle-upon-Tyne, in England. She was the first vessel specifically designed to survey Canada's northern waters, the |
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only ship to serve in the Royal
Canadian Navy during both World Wars, and only vessel still afloat to have
survived the Halifax Explosion in 1917. She was retired in 1969 after
56 years of service, and in 1982 became a floating museum ship, part of
the collection at the Maritime Museum of the Atlantic on the Halifax waterfront.
Brian, VE1AZV, was team captain aboard the Acadia and looked after getting that |
| station set up and staffed. A great
group of others helped set up the Coast Guard base station. The Club FT-1000D
was used aboard the Acadia, while our IC-735 and matching amplifier and
external tuner were used at the Coast Guard Base. The latter station was
set up in the Halifax Regional Municipality Search and Rescue Command Centre
truck on the Dartmouth jetty. The Command Vehicle was on loan to
us from the Ground Search and Rescue team. The EMO mobile repeater trailer
was also on loan to support the Cushcraft A3 tri-band antenna that was
mounted atop a jack-up tower at thirty feet. The presence created by the
Command Centre and trailer was very impressive.
To say the event was "OVER THE TOP" successful, would be an understatement. We made 935 QSO's over the weekend, into over 40 countries, and most States, including Alaska and Hawaii. During the event we managed to involve a large number of our recently grandfathered operators, and for many, this was their first experience on the HF bands. Every one of these new ops left with a better understanding of HF and how exciting it is to work a pile-up on 20 metres. |
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| Fortunately, the weather co-operated
and a steady stream of dignitaries, tourists, and locals visited both locations
throughout the weekend. Interestingly, several Hams who were vacationing
in the Halifax area from as far away as Tasmania in Australia, Ireland,
Virginia, Maryland, New England, Quebec, and British Columbia dropped by
to visit with us and to do some guest operating.
Our stations were filmed by CBS news, as well as the local Halifax media, and a video is being made of the event. The video opens with Murray, VE1MMD, calling CQ from VA1ISAR, aboard the Acadia; it then fades to a shot zeroing in on the s-meter of the FT-1000D, and then fades through into the other events of the competition. Great publicity for Amateur Radio!!!. |
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