I haven't been active in POTA for a couple of weeks; I've been busy with other projects. So, on Monday 13th November I made the trip up to Lion's Head to activate the provincial park (VE-0271). I have activated it once before, about a year ago, but strangely nobody else has done an activation there.

My radio for this trip was an old Hendriks PFR-3; a 5 watt QRP radio built from a kit. I wasn't sure if it was up for the job so I also brought along my 100 watt Yaesu FT-891. I needn't have been concerned, the Hendriks PFR-3 did a splendid job! The antenna was a 17ft whip mounted on my truck, using the truck chassis as a counterpoise.

** I am very grateful to Bobby VE3PAV for coming along to provide enthusiastic encouragement - much appreciated Bobby! **


Now that the peak season for hiking the Bruce Trail out to the famous lookout is over, there was plenty of parking available. I registered online with the authority and was pleased to find that parking was free, although still restricted to a maximum 4-hour window.

I had pre-registered my activation with POTA so when I called CQ my signal was picked up by the Reverse Beacon Network and posted to the POTA spots page. Then the usual pile-up began. It didn't seem to matter that I was putting out a tiny signal from a DIY kit radio into a simple whip antenna. Signal reports were good; I even logged a DX contact with G4ELZ in England.

After just 10 minutes I logged my 10th QSO which validated the activation under POTA rules. The hunters kept calling so I carried on until 20 QSOs were in the log. This was intended to be a hit and run activation because my time was limited, so when there was a brief lull in the pile-up I called QRT and packed my gear away. Total time on the air was just 23 minutes and there was a bonus. The Bruce Trail parking lot inside the park is (of course) directly on the main Bruce Trail (POTA reference: VE-5628), but not only that, it sits right inside the Niagara Escarpment (POTA reference: VE-0063) so I earned credit for 3 activations (known in POTA as a 3-fer).

POTA is an immense amount of radio fun; I just wish more club members would get involved so we could get a GBARC POTA team going. How about it - interested?

This is V_3___, Official Bulletin Station for Radio Amateurs of Canada
with this week's bulletin.

NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL NEWS

1.  Special Calls to look out for:
Call:                  Sponsor:        From:            To:                 Reason:

VE9XMAS1       VE9MY      2023-12-13      2023-12-25      12 days of Christmas
VE9XMAS2       VE9GLF     2023-12-13     2023-12-25      12 Days of Christmas
VA7YOTA          VA7ASI      2023-12-01      2025-10-31      Youth On The Air Month
VE3YOUTH       VE3FCT     2023-12-01     2023-12-31      December YOTA Month
VA3AUPHYS     VA3MOF    2023-11-17      2023-11-17      Algoma University Physics Field Day
XL3A                  VA3RVK     2023-10-28     2023-11-26      150th anniversary of the RCMP
VC9A                 VE9CZ       2023-10-28      2023-11-26      CQ WW DX Contest

--IC Website

2. Fire Destroys Key Beacon on Maderia Island

A wildfire destroyed one of the newest installations to the Northern
California DX
Foundation's International Beacon Project. A blaze in October destroyed
radio beacon
CS3B on the Portuguese island of Madeira off Africa's northwest coast.
The CW beacon
had been in operation barely a month when fire swept through, destroying
the building,
the radio inside and the antenna. Replacement is expected to take some time.
The HF beacon was one of several operating on 20m, 17m, 15m, 12m and 10m
and was
viewed as an important resource for testing HF propagation between North
America and
Europe. The various beacons operate by transmitting once on each of
these bands every
three minutes, around the clock.
No timetable was disclosed for the beacon's return to service.
-- amateur radio newsline (Fri Nov 10, 2023)

ONTARIO SECTION NEWS

ITEMS OF INTEREST

3.  The Quarter Century Wireless Association celebrates their 76th
anniversary on December 5, 2023.

QCWA members in the US and its territories will be able to activate W2MM
for this event,
which will run for 7 days beginning on the first weekend of December.
At the end of December, all of the stations that worked W2MM will be
able to download a
commemorative certificate. Louis Maggio, NO2C, is providing this service
on a volunteer
basis, so please expect a 2- to 3-month lead time for certificates.
Contact QCWA Activities Manager John Kludt, K7SYS, at
activitiesmanager@qcwa.org
for more information and scheduling.
The QCWA was founded in 1947 to provide an organization for the hobby's
pioneers.
QCWA promotes friendship and cooperation among amateur radio operators
licensed at
least a quarter century ago and who remain licensed today.
-- arrl news

4.  The First WAS Certificate Awarded for 33-Centimeter Band

On November 4, 2023, Al Ward's, W5LUA, 38-year quest to contact all 50
states on the
33-centimeter band ended when he received the first-ever Worked All
States certificate
for (902 - 928 MHz). Ward started collecting states on the band shortly
after it was opened in 1985.
"I am extremely grateful to Peter Van Horne, KA6U, for his EME
[Earth-moon-Earth] efforts.
I was able to work Wisconsin for my last state on the 33-centimeter band
on October 21.
At the end of September, I was sitting at 32 states confirmed with cards
and/or the
Logbook of The World, when Van Horne went on a 25-state expedition
providing my last 18 states," |
said Ward. In recent expeditions, Brian McCarthy, NX9O, and Jason Baack,
N1AV, also provided
several states that were needed.
Ward's station consists of a 5-meter dish with 400 W of power obtained
from two 300 W
Motorola amplifiers in parallel. His feed is a dual polarity patch feed.
Other stations on the hunt for the 33-centimeter WAS certificate that
are nearing completion
include AC0RA, K0DAS, and N1AV.
-- arrl news

This concludes this week's bulletin. Does anyone require repeats or
clarifications?
Hearing none, This is V_3___ returning the frequency to net control.

Bulletin sent from Official Bulletin Manager VA3PC

Top links


First worked all states certificate awarded for the 33-cm band
W5LUA's 38-year quest to contact all 50 states on the 33-centimeter band has ended.
ARRL
email.radio
Dedicated to providing free email hosting for all licensed Ham Radio operators globally.
email.radio
An upside down antenna?
A Zepp is basically a quarter-wave length of window line.
Ham Radio Outside the Box
Boondock Echo RF recorder
Records transmissions, stores recordings in the cloud.
Boondock Echo
Nucleo-64 development board
RF transceiver 150 MHz to 960 MHz frequency range.
STMicroelectronics
Add your Amateur Radio certification to your LinkedIn profile
Adding your Ham license requires only a few steps.
N3DEZ
POTA: Contest or operating event?
It comes down to whatever floats your boat.
W2LJ
Morning by the bay
An early shift activation at K-3429, then meet the train at 8:30 am.
W6CSN

Video

ARDOP protocol for Winlink
ARDOP is a free, Open Source alternative to PACTOR and VARA HF.
KM6LYW Radio
Sunset over Mount Saint Helens
2 meter contacts while flying over Mount Saint Helens.
W7NY

Net Controller — VA3TS Tom - Shallow Lake

We need your help by submitting ideas for topics via this forum.  This is a net for all of us.  Help out your fellow club members and net controllers by submitting topics for future nets.  Reply to this thread with any suggestions.

HELP WANTED, please apply within!  Consider being a GBARC Net Controller (NC).  It is a positive learning experience and great fun.  The only scary part is if your pen runs out of ink while the calls are coming in!  The more Net Controllers available, the less work for everyone.  Currently, we have 4 NC's so each of us covers 1 night every 4 weeks.  Imagine if we had more and doubled the number to 8.  It's a lot of fun and we are available to help anyone that is willing to step up and try.

Topic for discussion - What do you know about Armistice Day

VHF/Echolink

KO4DXQ Bob - Soddy Daisy, TN
VE3VCG Marvin - Paisley
VE3WI Dave - Port Elgin
VA3EAC Janet - Paisley  Contact Janet or Marvin is you would like a TV tower
VA3MFO Jim - Mount Forest
VE3OZW Richard - Otter Creek
VE3BQM Bernie - Georgian Bluffs
VE3RQY Greg - Brooke

HF – 3.783 MHz

VA3MFO Jim - Mount Forest
VE3VCG Marvin - Paisley
VE3RQY Greg - Brooke
VE3OZW Richard - Otter Creek
VE3WI Dave - Port Elgin
VE3BQM Bernie - Georgian Bluffs


Thanks to all, 73

This is V_3___, Official Bulletin Station for Radio Amateurs of Canada
with this week's bulletin.

NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL NEWS

1.  the Nov-Dec 2023 issue of The Canadian Amateur is now available

The digital version of TCA is now available for viewing or download.
The paper version is now at the printer.
To download your copy please visit:
https://www.rac.ca/digitaltca/
-- rac website

2. Amateur Radio Operators Provide Post-Hurricane Communications in Mexico

Radio Amateurs are providing communication services to and from the
affected
areas in and around Acapulco, Mexico.
On the morning of Wednesday, October 25, 165 mile-per-hour winds from
Hurricane Otis knocked out all communications and unleashed a nightmare
scenario in Acapulco.  The area is home to roughly 800,000 people.

Some hams in the Acapulco area are operating their equipment on battery
power,
while others have access to generators. Accessing many areas in the region
has been a challenge due to the amount of debris blocking travel.

Hams are also helping in other areas, including:
- Repairing a damaged repeater on Altzomoni at the Izta-Popo Zoquiapan
National
     Park to support communication efforts in certain areas of Guerrero.
- Deploying donations from a ham in Arizona, including a UHF repeater,
solar
     panels, and 50 handhelds, to the affected areas.
- Getting the state agency's mobile stations back on the air and
reinstalling
     the HF antennas that were damaged.

Emergency Communications Coordinator Carlos Alberto Santamaría
González,
CO2JC, requested frequency protection for the following bands and
frequencies
for the duration of the emergency:
80-meter band: 3690 kHz
40-meter band: 7060 and 7095 kHz
20-meter band: 14.120 kHz

-- arrl news

ONTARIO SECTION NEWS

ITEMS OF INTEREST

3. Canada's 84-year radio time check has stopped because of accuracy
concerns.  "The beginning of the long dash indicates exactly 1 o'clock
Eastern daylight time."

Millions of Canadians grew accustomed to hearing a version of this daily
affirmation on CBC Radio One. The National Research Council Time Signal,
and the series of 800 Hz pips that preceded and followed the time-setting
dash, worked its way into everyday rituals. Human listeners, automated
radio receivers at railways, shipping firms, and other entities, could
set their mechanical clocks to it. That is why it started broadcasting
on November 5, 1939, the same year Canada entered World War II.

The long dash's last broadcast was, somewhat unexpectedly, October 9, 2023.
The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation and the NRC have cited accuracy as
the reason the 84-year ritual was halted. The CBC told its reporters that
because the CBC is now heard over satellite and Internet connections,
not just terrestrial radio, there are delays when people hear it. A
spokesperson acknowledged Canadians fondness for the daily ritual but
said it "can no longer ensure that the time announcement can be accurate."

-- Read more -- Ars Technica: https://bit.ly/3S5FHTI

4. Jamboree on the Air - BC Scouts connect across the world.

More than 100 Scouts from across B.C. came together to take part in the
annual Jamboree on the Air near Kelowna, an event that connects Scouts
across the world.

"The third weekend of October for the past 64 years has been called
Jamboree
on the Air, and originally, its Ham radio operators get together with
Scouts
and connect with Scouts all around the world," said Paul Meise, Group
Commissioner
of 1st Bear Scouts. We're in our 12th year at this site, and
its only gotten bigger."

The event, hosted at the Joe Rich Shooting Range near Kelowna, features
a variety
of different stations where Scouts can participate in activities
like black powder shooting, archery, crafting, and learn how to use Ham
radios and Morse code.

Scouts also used online chat rooms, to connect with other Scouts from as
far
away as Portugal.

According to Scouts Canada, thousands of stations in over 70 countries take
part in this event each year.

-- RAC website

This concludes this week's bulletin. Does anyone require repeats
or clarifications?
Hearing none, This is V_3___ returning the frequency to net control.

Bulletin sent from Official Bulletin Manager VA3PC

Top links


Hams crowdsource ionospheric science during eclipse
Probing the ionosphere’s response to the 2023 annular solar eclipse.
Eos
A few photos of the new Elecraft KH1
The KH1 is even smaller than I imagined.
QRPer
NASA tech breathes life into potentially game-changing antenna design
An inflatable device that creates wide collection apertures.
NASA
Get publicity for your club with a PSA
How to spread the word about Amateur Radio.
KB6NU
SSTV images received from the ISS
12 images were transmitted from the ISS during the 2023 verification test.
W0ABE
Is a compromise antenna efficient enough?
The antenna you put up always works better than the one you don’t put up.
Ham Radio Outside the Box
Backscatter on 28 MHz
Signals are being reflected back towards my location from some distant point.
EI7GL
Machine teaches Morse Code
The Instructograph.
Hackaday
Picking the best battery for portable Ham Radio
Lead Acid vs Lithium Iron Phosphate (LiFePO4).
KB9VBR

Video

High impedance amplifier for software defined radio
Converts Hi-Z (High Impedance antennas) to 50 Ohm.
Tech Minds
2M Yagi Ham Radio antenna that fits in a pocket
Designed for SOTA and versatile field use.
Ham Radio Rookie

Net Controller — VE3OZW Richard - Otter Creek

We need your help by submitting ideas for topics via this forum.  This is a net for all of us.  Help out your fellow club members and net controllers by submitting topics for future nets.  Reply to this thread with any suggestions.

HELP WANTED, please apply within!  Consider being a GBARC Net Controller (NC).  It is a positive learning experience and great fun.  The only scary part is if your pen runs out of ink while the calls are coming in!  The more Net Controllers available, the less work for everyone.  Currently, we have 4 NC's so each of us covers 1 night every 4 weeks.  Imagine if we had more and doubled the number to 8.  It's a lot of fun and we are available to help anyone that is willing to step up and try.

Topic for discussion -

1. What is the noise floor at your QTH.  Have you done anything to reduce it?
2. I received the SARC Communicator newsletter today and the eTCA newsletter yesterday.  What are you reading?  VE3JMD mentioned "The Spectrum Monitor" as a good read.
3. Open Mic

VHF/Echolink

KO4DXQ Bob - Soddy Daisy, TN
VE3DDU Ray - Nottawasaga
VA3MFO Jim - Mount Forest
VE3JMD Jim - Port Elgin
VA3TS Tom - Shallow Lake
VE3BQM Bernie - Georgian Bluffs
VE3RQY Greg - Brooke
VA3DNY Dan - Owen Sound
VE3WI Dave - Port Elgin

HF – 3.783 MHz

VE3XBO Bart - Meaford
VE3DDU Ray - Nottawasaga
VA3MFO Jim - Mount Forest
VE3BQM Bernie - Georgian Bluffs
VA3DNY Dan - Owen Sound
VE3WI Dave - Port Elgin

Thanks to all, 73

Here's a video worth watching. It's maybe the world's scariest POTA activation. Makes our local parks look very tame indeed. https://youtu.be/bOMjnzq4i_c?si=6WlmOV8jGiMAwJU2

This is V_3___, Official Bulletin Station for Radio Amateurs of Canada with this week's bulletin.

NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL NEWS

1. FCC To Vote on Removing Symbol Rate Restrictions (U.S.)
ARRL welcomes news of a scheduled vote by the Federal Communications Commission
(FCC) to consider removing symbol rate restrictions.
In the draft decision, the FCC would replace the current HF restrictions with a 2.8 kHz
bandwidth limit. The Commission also announced that it will consider a Further Notice in
which it will propose eliminating similar restrictions where they apply in other bands and
consider relying on signal bandwidth limits. If both actions are adopted by the Commission,
there will be a period for public comment on the Further Notice issues.
ARRL Director of Emergency Management Josh Johnston, KE5MHV, said the changes
will result in a tremendous time savings during disasters, when every second counts.
"We will be very pleased to have the FCC remove the restrictions on symbol rate for the
amateur bands. This will eliminate the need for temporary waivers during an event and
provide the ability to train and exercise using the higher symbol rate, allowing increased
data capability to our served agencies and partners."
-- full article at arrl news

ONTARIO SECTION NEWS
ITEMS OF INTEREST
2.  Amateur Radio STEM Education Takes Center Stage at Pacificon
ARRL Education and Learning Manager, and IARU Region 2 Youth Coordinator, Steve
Goodgame, K5ATA, gave the keynote address at the 2023 ARRL Pacific Division Ham
Radio Convention, also known as Pacificon.
His presentation, to a packed audience, was a highlight of the convention. Goodgame's
passion and vision for promoting youth involvement in the hobby shined in his speech
as he discussed STEM education and the importance of inspiring youth and teachers to
engage in amateur radio and wireless technology.
Watch "A Vision of the Future of Amateur Radio" on the ARRLHQ YouTube Channel
https://youtu.be/fTi8LDz4dS4?si=GQfSd3k2BS__ERMy
to learn how to grow the next generation of radio amateurs from one of the leaders in the space.
-- arrl newsletter
 
3.  Proposed Revision of the RST standard for signal reporting
The familiar RST standard for signal reporting was introduced in October 1934
QST magazine. The concept was developed by Arthur Braaten W2BSR who
correctly recognized that the signal reporting system then in use was, in his
words, “little better than useless”. Clearly Arthur’s RST system has been a
resounding success having been in global use for 89 years and running.
However, technology and time itself has developed to a situation where the
time has come for a revision.
Standard signal reporting revision really means upgrade the S term while
retaining R term and eliminating the T term.
S. The “S” term should not be just another judgement call but should be
established by instrument measurement and the overwhelming majority of radio
amateurs are already equipped to make this change. Traditionally the S-term is
an S-meter derived quantity. Also, the S-meter by itself does not report the whole
receive picture but even with S-meter inconsistencies it is still a good idea. The
role of the noise in the report is equally important; adjusting the S term to be a
signal to noise ratio would be ideal. Specifically, an S-term report of the signal
amplitude in dB above the noise floor provides a more complete picture of the
signal reception at that moment. Now that we are trending toward SDR receivers
with good panadapters the precise signal amplitude measurement as well as signal
to noise ratio may be established at a glance but an S-meter does the job as well.
S meter reading:
The S term attempts to quantify signal strength using a scale from 1 to 9 with
6 or 7 being a typical signal report for an easy-copy signal. The problem with the
signal strength term is that it does not include noise. With this in mind a revised
S term should express a signal to noise ratio as a single number. This would be
a number that reports the signal peak amplitude above the noise floor. This is
visually obvious when viewing a panadapter.
Persuading hams to adopt dB above NF strength report is bound to take time.
If all the folks who agree with these change recommendations there may be general
acceptance on the horizon. Here’s a possible road to adoption: All readers who like
this recommended signal reporting method continue to report signals with the
expected RST system but include this new RS system immediately following
the RST. Example: RST 589, RS is 5x12 - sig is peaking 12 dB above NF.
For a great many hams this is likely to spark a discussion. Hopefully, this article
will be referenced as an introduction.
Source: Tom Pierce K8EBR  (full article at daily.hamweekly.com)
4.  Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) is planninga 40th anniversary celebration conference for February 22 - 24, 2024.
The 40th Anniversary Conference will be held at the Center for Space Education:
Astronauts Memorial Foundation, located adjacent to the NASA Kennedy
Space Center Visitors Center in Florida. Organizers hope to gather volunteer
teams, astronauts, space agency officials, educators, and space and amateur
radio enthusiasts to attend the event. For registration information and special
event pricing at local hotels, visit the event website at https://www.ariss.org/,
and choose the drop-down menu tab labeled 40th Anniversary.
ARISS is a cooperative venture of international amateur radio societies and
the space agencies that support the ISS. In the US, participating organizations
include NASA's Space Communications and Navigation program (SCaN),
the ISS National Laboratory -- Space Station Explorers, ARRL, and AMSAT.
-- arrl newsletter
This concludes this week's bulletin. Does anyone require repeats or clarifications?
Hearing none, This is V_3___ returning the frequency to net control.
 Bulletin sent from Official Bulletin Manager VA3PC
_._,_._,_

Top links


[Video] New Elecraft KH1 transceiver demo
Wayne Burdick N6KR Elecraft cofounder talking about the new KH1.
KE6MT
ISS SSTV Verification Test Oct 27-Nov 1
The SSTV system will be activated to attempt to verify a replacement piece of hardware.
AMSAT UK
Being a YL in Ham Radio
A personal experience.
OnAllBands
40th anniversary celebration of the positive impact of Amateur Radio on human spaceflight
Held February 22-24, 2024, at the NASA Kennedy Space Center Visitor Center.
ARISS
Eclipses do odd things to radio waves
An army of amateur broadcasters wants to find out why.
BBC
Linux Packeteering: The full service HF PBBS
How to set up your very own full service HF packet BBS on a Raspberry Pi.
N6CTA
Wind turbines for off grid radio: Pros and cons
Wind turbines, the forgotten stepchild of off grid power, deserves more attention.
Off Grid Ham
Listening to astronauts
All the elements screw together through the boom and so it makes it quick to put away and assemble.
GM5ALX

Video

K1N The Navassa Island DXpedition 2015
The complete video of the 2015 Navassa Island DXpedition.
HamRadioNow
USGS Shakeout exercise 2023 over Winlink: A video report
Participating in the USGS worldwide Winlink exercise.
LB4FH
Tape measure vertical on cheap dowel mast pulley system
Resonant on 5 bands.
HamJazz
Stealth foil antenna designed for a car sunroof
Simple antennas can bring joy and a sense of accomplishment.
Ham Radio Rookie