The ACS crest has been added to the page as well as some housekeeping updates.

https://gbarc.ca/acs_ares.php

   

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

NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL NEWS

1. The September-October issue of TCA is now available

The digital version of the September-October 2023 The Canadian Amateur
is 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. Hurricane Idalia: Amateur Radio Serves Critical Functions

Hurricane Idalia made landfall Wednesday, August 30 on Florida's Big
Bend region as a
Category 3 storm sustaining winds of 125 miles per hour. The storm
tracked across Georgia and
into South Carolina, and on Thursday morning it had moved offshore of
North Carolina.
ARES volunteers would be staffing the radio room at the state Emergency
Operation Center (EOC)
until 7:00 a.m. on Thursday, August 31 and will provide additional
service if needed. "So far there
does not appear to be a large communications impact that would require
amateur radio support."
The Florida Statewide Amateur Radio Network (SARnet) was the primary
emergency
communications system used during the storm. The system is a series of
linked UHF repeaters that
covers the entire state. There were also HF nets linking counties to the
state EOC.
Hurricane Watch Net (HWN) Manager Bobby Graves, KB5HAV, said the storm
called for
"all hands on deck". Ahead of impact, the intensity and track of the
storm greatly concerned him.
"I have been watching and plotting hurricanes for over 35 years. I have
witnessed, many times,
a Hurricane cross a state line into another as a hurricane...two states
were hit by the same hurricane.
Never have I seen a storm cross three States as a Hurricane," said Graves.
-- Full article at ARRL newsletter

3. Hurricane Idalia: FCC Approves ARRL Petition to Aid Emergency
Communications

The ARRL has received approval from the Federal Communications
Commission (FCC) for an
emergency waiver to facilitate amateur radio emergency communications
for hurricane relief.
The waiver, which was granted August 30, is for a 60-day relief period
from the rules, based
upon the immediate need related to the threat of Hurricane Idalia. It
would cover use directly
related to any additional hurricanes that may develop within the 60-day
period. Only messages
related to these hurricanes would be permitted to be sent via the
higher-speed modes, and only
publicly documented modes would be allowed.
-- Full article at arrl website

ONTARIO SECTION NEWS

ITEMS OF INTEREST

4.  Sep-Oct 2023 SARC Communicator is now available

Our biggest issue to date, read in over 145 countries, we bring you 132
pages of Amateur Radio
news from the Southwest corner of Canada and elsewhere. With less fluff
and ads than other
Amateur Radio publications, you will find Amateur Radio related
articles, projects, profiles, news,
tips and how-to's for all levels of the hobby. This issue is of
particular interest to POTA, SOTA
and WSPR enthusiasts with several related articles and a quick and
inexpensive antenna build
project that is sure to pull in HF stations. You can view or download it
as a .PDF file at:
https://tinyurl.com/SARC23Sep-Oct.
-- Amateur radio daily 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

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

NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL NEWS

1. RAC Basic Qualification Amateur Radio Course: Fall 2023

Radio Amateurs of Canada is once again offering an online Amateur Radio
course so that individuals
can obtain their Amateur Radio Operator Certificate with Basic
Qualification.
It is open to everyone across Canada and even abroad. Classes will be
recorded, so occasional absences
are not a problem.
The course will be held on Thursdays and Sundays commencing on Sunday,
September 24 and end
on Thursday, November 30.
Classes will be held on Thursday evenings from 6 pm to 9 pm (1800 –
2100) Eastern Time and
Sunday afternoons 1 pm to 4 pm (1300 – 1600) Eastern Time. There may
also be a handful of
additional classes if necessary.
The registration fee for the course is $50 plus GST/HST. The cost of the
Basic Study Guide is extra
and an order link will be provided upon completion of payment.
-- Full info on RAC website

2. Tropical Storm Hilary: Amateur Radio Activates

Amateur Radio operators activated on Sunday, August 20, 2023 to provide
communications and
information for Tropical Storm Hilary. As of mid-morning last Sunday,
the system was moving up the
Baja Peninsula of Mexico, expected to cross into Southern California.
Heavy rains were falling in
San Diego, and local media reported that 250 airline flights had been
canceled.
Amateur radio operations began Sunday morning.  WX4NHC was on the air on
the Hurricane
Watch Net frequency 14.325 MHz and 7.268 MHz depending on propagation.
We will also be
on VoIP Hurricane Net (IRLP node 9219 / EchoLink WX-TALK Conference node
7203).
http://www.voipwx.net/
HWN also exists to provide backup communications to official agencies
such as emergency
operations centers, Red Cross officials, and storm shelters in the
affected area.
-- ARRL Website

ONTARIO SECTION NEWS

3.  Simcoe County Hamfest

Sponsor:    Simcoe County Amateur Radio Enthusiasts
Date:        Saturday, September 16, 2023
Location:    Grenfel Community Centre, .1989 Sunnidale Rd, Springwater
Township
Times:    Setup 0800, Opening 0900, Knockdown and cleanup around noon
Cost:        Vendors $5.00, Visitors Free (donations are welcome)
Talk-in:    146.55 Mhz simplex no tone
Description:    Vendors, tailgate or bring your own table. If the
weather doesn't cooperate we can
        set up under the rink's roof.
More info:    Brant Smith ve3ume@scare-radio.com 289-802-1480
Webpage:    http://scare-radio.com/Scare-Radio.com/Home.html

ITEMS OF INTEREST

4.  Arecibo Observatory (Puerto Rico) Officially Shuts Down

The Arecibo Observatory, which suffered catastrophic damage to its
305-meter telescope in 2020,
has officially shut down all research efforts as of August 14th.
Since the collapse of the main telescope, the US National Science
Foundation (NSF) had intended
to convert the facility into an educational research center, but doubts
have risen whether that plan
will pan out.
-- Nature.com article

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

   


If there is an interest for a fox hunt please reply to this post

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

NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL NEWS

1. Devastating Hawaii Wildfires Prompt Response from Amateur Radio
Emergency Service

ARRL is closely following updates from the Hawaii Amateur Radio
Emergency Service®,
Hawaii ARES®, as amateur radio operators respond following deadly
wildfires on Maui.

On Tuesday, August 8, wildfires, fueled by the strong winds of Hurricane
Dora, were burning in
Maui and Hawaiʻi Counties. By the next day, much of Lāhainā on Maui had
been destroyed.
ARRL Section Manager Jospeh Speroni, AH0A, reported that the ARRL Hawaii
ARES website,
https://hawaiiares.net, was modified to provide the latest emergency
communications news.
The website includes updates on Maui’s amateur radio and communication
infrastructure, including
affected and operational radio systems, repeaters, and other emergency
communication details.
“Wildfires have affected phones, internet, and cell services across
Maui. very Limited Cell
contact was established with Lahaina or its ham operators due to burned
fiber lines and very
limited hams in the area,” included one of the updates.
Johnston emphasized that most of amateur radio communications, including
any messages being
relayed, are being handled on the existing repeater system in the state.
On shortwave, HF stations
across Hawaii are operating nets on 7.088 MHz.
-- Rull article on arrl news

ONTARIO SECTION NEWS

2.  Ottawa (Carp) 2023 Hamfest

Sponsor:    Ottawa Amateur Radio Club, Inc.
Date:        Saturday, September 9, 2023
Location:    Carp Agricultural Fairgrounds, 3882 Carp Road, Ottawa, Ontario
Times:    Commercial Vendor: 7:30 am, Private Vendor: 8 am, Open to
Public: 9 am - Noon
Cost:        Admission: $6. Children 12 and under are free.
Talk-in:    VE2CRA, 146.94-, 100 Hz
Description:    The region's largest fleamarket and hamfest. All of the
big Ham Radio retailers are
        going to be there! Major door-prize draws.
        Coffee and snack concession in the lobby area. Volunteer
organizations and displays,
        including RAC, ARES, QCWA, etc will be present.
Email Info:    hamfest@oarc.net
Webpage:    https://oarc.net/hamfest2023

3. 2023 Ontario Qso Party results have been posted

the first link is to the certificate and plaque winners:
http://www.va3cco.com/oqp/results/2023/index.htm

and this is the link to the scores, summary, soapbox and all time
records writeup
http://www.va3cco.com/oqp/results/index.htm

Thanks to all that participated in the OQP - see you next April.


ITEMS OF INTEREST

4.  Fair Radio Sales (Lima, Ohio) is closing

An iconic electronics surplus store will soon be closing its doors.
Phil Sellati, owner of Fair Radio Sales in Lima, Ohio, says it's time to
close the business.
"I took over the business that my dad started in 1947, and after 50
years, it's time to close the
doors," he said. Sellati has had an offer on the building and feels that
it's time to move on.
Sellati wants to be done with the business by October 2023, but he
thinks it might take a little
longer. He has even received suggestions to stay open for next year's
Hamvention®.
Thousands of amateur radio operators, collectors, experimenters, and
shortwave listeners have
visited the store over the years. The shelves and aisles are full of old
military radios and receivers.
Many Fair Radio Sales visitors started visiting when they were young,
and they continue to shop
there now. For one radio amateur, it was a must-stop location every year
on their way to Dayton
Hamvention. Another amateur radio operator said he stopped there in 1980
to pick up a Teletype
Model 19 that still works today!
-- ARRL letter

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

NCS VA3TS Tom - Shallow Lake

Net Topics - summer projects

VHF/Echolink
KO4DXQ Bob - Soddy Daisy, TN
VA3MFO Jim - Mount Forest
VA3EAC Janet - Paisley
VE3VCG Marvin - Paisley
VE3GIO Larry - Woodstock
VE3RQY Greg - Brooke

HF – 3.783 MHz
VE3GIO Larry - Woodstock
VA3MFO Jim - Mount Forest
VE3RQY Greg - Brooke

Larry VE3GIO is looking for a good used Ham IV rotor
Marvin VE3VCG is also needing some help with his rotor

* Welcome to our newest net controller , Jim VA3MFO, and the return of Greg VE3RQY.
https://gbarc.ca/meet.php

Update on RAC Annual General Meeting and Conference

RAC Annual General Meeting: Saturday, August 19 at 3 pm EST
Conference: Saturday, August 19 and Sunday, August 20

The Radio Amateurs of Canada is pleased to hold its Annual General Meeting (AGM) in Halifax, Nova Scotia in conjunction with the Halifax Amateur Radio Club's 90th Anniversary Gala Dinner and Conference, which is being held at the same location.

The Conference will feature a range of presentations and discussions on various topics related to Amateur Radio including emergency communications, contesting, digital modes and more. There will be opportunities to ask questions and interact with the presenters, creating a valuable learning experience for all attendees.

The RAC AGM will be part of the Conference and will be held on Saturday, August 19 at 3 pm EST.

All presentations and the AGM will be streamed live via YouTube. A list of the links is available on the AGM webpage at: https://www.rac.ca/agm

Annual General Meeting:

All RAC members are encouraged to attend the Annual General Meeting which will be held as a hybrid event (both in-person and online).

Date: Saturday, August 19.

Time: 3 pm (Eastern Time)

Agenda items will include:

1) Report of the President

2) Review of the 2022 finances

3) Appointment of auditors for 2023

A Question and Answer period will follow the AGM proceedings. This is your opportunity to hear what your representatives have been doing over the past year, to raise questions, and to make suggestions about how RAC is managed and where it is going in the future.

The meeting will be attended by members of the RAC Board of Directors and Executive and is open to all RAC members.

For more information please visit the AGM webpage at: https://www.rac.ca/agm

Phil McBride, VA3QR/VA3KPJ
RAC President and Chair

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

NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL NEWS

1.  IARU Approves two Digipeating Amateur Satellites

The International Amateur Radio Union (IARU) has coordinated two
European digipeating
satellites that are scheduled to launch in fall 2023. Slovakia's
satellite Veronika, a 1U CubeSat,
is scheduled for launch on a Falcon 9 launcher on the Transporter 9
mission in October 2023.
The satellite will be equipped with a 24/7 digipeater on two different
bands, as well as
experimental slow-scan digital video (SSDV) transmissions. The satellite
will be equipped with
a novel Attitude Determination and Control System (ADCS) subsystem,
including
electromagnetic actuators and a global navigation satellite system
(GNSS) receiver. This will
also help to identify the satellite during the first days and weeks of
orbit.
Altogether, Veronika will provide: AX.25 telemetry, a CW beacon, a
digipeater, AX.25 and
CW messages, experimental SSDV transmissions, SatNOGS integration, a
decoder, and a
dashboard. A downlink on 436.680 MHz has been coordinated, and it will
use 9k6 G3RUH
AX.25 and a CW beacon. A SpaceX launch on the Transporter 9 mission will
send the
satellite to a 500/600-kilometer polar orbit.
The Romanian Federation of Amateur Radio (FRR) is preparing the ROM-3
for launch in
October or November 2023. ROM-3 is a 50 x 50 x 100-millimeter picoSAT
with three missions
and objectives. Its primary mission is to act as a digital amateur radio
repeater. Its secondary
mission is to transmit low-resolution SSDV images in a Gaussian
frequency shift keying (GFSK)
mode. The tertiary mission is to transmit a CW beacon that will help
amateur radio operators
detect the presence of the satellite and measure basic properties of the
signals, such as its strength,
fading due to spinning, and Doppler to measure speed. A downlink on
436.235 MHz has been
coordinated for 20 WPM on CW, 500 (bps) GFSK telemetry, and 5 (kBps)
GFSK SSDV.
A SpaceX launch will send ROM-3 into a 500-kilometer polar orbit.
-- ARRL letter

2.  New Pact Expands Ham Radio Use During Emergencies

A new agreement between the African Telecommunication Union and the
International Amateur
Radio Union is being hailed as a landmark agreement.
Praising ham radio for its responsiveness in a crisis, the
secretary-general of the African
Telecommunications Union signed an agreement with the I.A.R.U.advocating
for expanded
use of ham radio during emergencies in African nations. The agreement
places a special
emphasis on ham radio's role in the 51 African countries that belong to
the ATU. Both
organisations pledged to cooperate when preparing for and responding to
crises. A large part
of the pact involves coordinating workshops and training programs and
stepping up promotion
of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics education in Africa
through the use
of amateur radio.
Sylvain Azarian, F4GKR, the president of IARU Region 1, said that the
agreement would also
have an impact on regulatory changes needed for amateur radio in Africa.
As he signed the pact,
he told those in attendance "This is our first step to initiating a
collaborative approach that is keen
to find solutions and to ensure a conducive environment for amateur
radio operations in the region.”

-- Jason Daniels VK2LAW. (Amateur Radio Newsline)

ONTARIO SECTION NEWS

ITEMS OF INTEREST

3.  The 3rd Masonic Lodges on the Air (MLotA), Saturday, September 23, 2023

The event is open to all amateur radio operators. The idea for the event
grew from the realization
that many Freemasons also have a love for amateur radio. The Fulton
County Amateur Radio Club
and Ohio's Fulton Lodge #248 first hosted the event in 2021.
The mission is to promote fraternal bonds within the ranks for Free and
Accepted Masonic lodges
and its many amateur radio operators, who are also brothers in the
fraternity while encouraging
contact with amateur radio operators around the state, county and world.
The event will take place
from 10:00 AM - 6:00 PM ET, on 80 - 40 - 20 -15, and 10 meters SSB.
Amateur radio participants are asked to honor all band plans, and all
contacts must be on the phone
portion of the bands. Stations may be contacted once on each band.
Complete contest rules
and more information can be found at cqmorelight.com/rules.
-- ARRL Letter

4.  The New England Amateur Radio Festival will be held October 13-14, 2023

NEAR-Fest is an international event run by and aimed at all radio
hobbyists and enthusiasts,
including hams, short-wave listeners, scanner buffs, and vintage/antique
radio fans.
NEAR-Fest is held biannually in the spring and fall, rain or shine, at
the Deerfield Fairgrounds
in Deerfield, New Hampshire. The event will begin on Friday at 0900 ET
and end on Saturday
at 1500 ET. NEAR-Fest typically attracts attendees from New York, New
Jersey, Pennsylvania,
Maryland, and other states, as well as from Quebec, Ontario, New
Brunswick, and Nova Scotia.
Some attendees travel great distances. One participant from Los Angeles,
California, has attended
NEAR-Fest 15 times, and in 2010, one radio amateur traveled from Greece.
The program will
feature a huge outdoor electronic flea market and three buildings full
of commercial vendors, forums,
technical seminars and symposiums, demonstrations, exhibits, displays,
licensing examinations,
special event stations, and a jam session. The event is the largest of
its kind in the Northeast and
was once described as the "Woodstock of Amateur Radio." More information
is available at
<www.Home - NEAR-Fest.com>.
-- ARRL Letter

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

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. Do you interface your dual band or HF rig with a computer of similar device.
2. If Canada were to implement a renewal fee for ham licences would you renew or let it go?  Thoughts? 
3. Open Mic

VHF/Echolink

KO4DXQ Bob - Soddy Daisy, TN
VE3VVE Colin - Oxenden
VA3TS Tom - Shallow Lake
VE3BQM Bernie - Red Bay
VE3RQY Greg - Brooke
VE3WI Dave - Port Elgin
VE3VCG Marvin - Paisley
VA3MFO Jim - Mount Forest
VA3EAC Janet - Paisley

HF – 3.783 MHz

VA3MFO Jim - Mount Forest
VE3XBO Bart - Meaford
VE3VCG Marvin - Paisley
VE3DDU Ray - Nottawasaga
VA3TS Tom - Shallow Lake
VE3WI Dave - Port Elgin
VE3RQY Greg - Brooke

Thanks to all, 73

The BPMR event will be held this coming weekend on Saturday August 12th starting out in Wiarton as usual with a HAM radio net activated.  As in past years the race has been held, HAM radio operator volunteers are an essential part of the race safety communication network across the 100km race course.  The following link is provided for those of you that are interested in volunteering to let the race organizers know you will be participating as a HAM radio communicator and your event T-shirt size.

BPMR Volunteer Form

Fill out the form and at the bottom of the form before submitting it, identify yourself as a "HAM radio operator" just like the attached photo at the end of this post.

I also ask anyone that is participating to let me and Marvin know of your participation by adding a reply to this post so that we can place you at one of the important communication points on the course.  I will be there for the 7am water portion race start and ask anyone that will participate to report to the Wiarton Arena Net Control in person for 8am or earlier for registration and location assignment for the day.  Further details for race day will be handout once checked in at Net Control.

I also ask if you can ensure your radio has the following frequencies programmed that may be used on race day:

OSR Repeater               146.940- MHz Tone 97.4
OST Mobile Repeater     146.895- MHz No tone
Lions Head Repeater      146.715- MHz Tone 156.7
Simplex Hailing Freq.     146.520  MHz

I thank you in advance for your participation in this event.

Cheers

Frank

VA3-GUF / VE3-GUF / VE3-VET

Attached Files

Thumbnail(s)