Registration for the RAC Advanced Course is now underway!
https://www.rac.ca/rac-advanced-course-for-maple-leaf-operators-winter-2024/
The next RAC Advanced Courses start on Sunday, January 14 and Monday, January 15 with 10 weekly sessions. You need to be a RAC Maple Leaf Operator Member (present or future) to register for this course. See below for information.

Radio Amateurs of Canada is once again offering an online Advanced Qualification Amateur Radio Course so that individuals can upgrade their qualifications.
With your Advanced Certificate, you can run higher power, operate a remotely-controlled station, obtain operating privileges when travelling overseas, set up repeaters, be the trustee for club stations and even become an Accredited Examiner (AE) if you also have the Morse Code qualification. 
Course information:
The course will be 10 sessions in length and each session will be two hours long.
In order to offer maximum flexibility, we will be running two Advanced courses so students will be able to choose one of the following two options:

• Sunday afternoons at 1 pm Eastern Time (10 am PT / 2:30 pm NT) starting on Sunday, January 14 and ending on Sunday, March 24.
  

• Monday evenings from 8:30 pm Eastern Time (5:30 pm PT / 10 pm NT) starting on Monday, January 15 and ending on Monday, March 25.
  

1. Participants must already have the Canadian Basic Amateur Radio Qualification and a Canadian call sign.
   
2. Participants must already be a RAC Maple Leaf Operator Member or become one by joining RAC at the Maple Leaf Operator level or upgrading to that level.
   
3. Participants must have a copy of the Canadian Amateur Radio Advanced Qualification Study Guide provided by Coax Publications. For more information please visit the RAC Study Guides webpage.
   
4. Participants must have a computer and Internet connection capable of using the Zoom conference platform. You do not need your own account on Zoom to take part in this course.
   
5. Participants must have a working email address to receive course materials and links to the sessions.
   

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

NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL NEWS

1.  RAC Volunteer Team Opportunities

RAC continues to provide many programs and services to its members and
strives to adapt to meet today’s requirements, but we need your help to do so. Please
take a look at the following opportunities and consider joining the RAC Volunteer Team.

1) Membership Committee Chairperson and Members
The committee plays a crucial role within RAC and is essential for its
growth, stability and success.
It focuses on attracting and retaining members, developing and updating
policies, engaging with members, identifying new valuable benefits, and ensuring that
the organization operates fairly and ethically.

The leadership role requires a commitment of approximately 3-5 hours per
week.  The committee members approximately 5-8 hours per month.

2) RAC HQ Refurbishment Committee Roles
The committee plays a crucial role within RAC. It focuses on carrying
out a significant 30-year
refurbishment of RAC’s headquarters’ facilities in collaboration with the
building owner and construction trades. It also assists with
revitalizing RAC headquarters’ Amateur Radio capability.

The leadership role requires a commitment of approximately 3-5 hours per
week. The committee members require approximately 5 hours per month.

If interested, in either committee please contact Craig Delmage, VE3OP,
Director at dir.ontario.north.east@rac.ca  for more information.

-- full article on the RAC website

ONTARIO SECTION NEWS

ITEMS OF INTEREST

2.   ONTARS 52 anniversary coming up

07:00 to 18:00 Eastern Time, Monday January 8th 2024
If you would like to book a half-hour as net control, contact Barry VE3ISX.
Thanks to Richard VE3OZW our Assistant Net Manager for his help in the
preparations. Last year, we had  777 Checkins over the 11 hour period..

-- Ontars.com Website

3.  FOSDEM Seeks Amateur Radio Related Presentations

The Free and Open Source Developer’s Meeting (FOSDEM) is calling for
amateur radio related presentations. FOSDEM 2024 will take place in
Brussels February 3 - 4, 2024  featuring a track on FOSS-powered radio.
Recommended topics include:
New SDR-based developments in ham radio modes
Amateur radio operator software tooling
Free / Open radio hardware
Entertaining wireless hacks
SDR & ham radio in mass and higher education
a planning guide to the meeting to be published shortly.
-- https://fosdem.org/2024/

4.    December is YOTA Month!

Youth-operated stations around the world are part of a special event
celebrating Youth in Amateur Radio (aka YOTA or Youth on the Air) during December.

Amateur Radio operators age 25 and younger will be on the air as special
event stations around the world throughout December. YOTA Month stations will
be on all bands and modes at various times.

  In Canada the special call signs will be VE3YOUTH, VE2YOTA and VA7YOTA.
In the United States the call signs will once again be K8Y, K8O, K8T and
K8A.
Argentina will be active as LR1YOTA.
El Salvador will be active as YS1YOTA.

Last year, young Amateurs worldwide surpassed their goal of 100,000 QSOs in
the month of December with a final tally of 107,845.
Youth On The Air: http://youthontheair.org/
YOTA Month: http://events.ham-yota.com/
-- full article on the 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


European Space Agency GEO satellite opportunity
Footprint could cover portions of Canada and USA.
AMSAT-DL
AllScan: Web based AllStarLink management console
Provides favorites management features, AllStarLink stats integration, and connection monitoring and control functions.
AllScan
NASA highlights Ham Radio on ISS
NASA promotes the efforts of ARISS and STEM.
NASA
Promising news for the Amateur Radio 23cm microwave allocation
It looked as if the decades old allocation might be lost altogether.
EI7GL
HamSCI announces publication of latest peer-reviewed paper
Provides recommendations for Amateur Radio - professional science collaborations in the future.
HamSCI
Made in Vermont: W1SFR
His side hustle is key for the community.
WCAX
Fire damaged Nikola Tesla's last remaining laboratory
Crowdfounders previously raised over $1 million to save.
Business Insider
Making math easy for Ham Radio experimenters
There is a tool that can level the playing field – it's called the spreadsheet.
Ham Radio Outside the Box
Winlink on iPhone/iPad
RadioMail is a new client app for the iPhone and iPad.
OnAllBands
Canadian Basic Qualifications question bank
This test bank has 971 questions.
IndexFlip

Video

Can you do 160 Meters on two Wolf River Coils?
Let's find out.
Ham Radio Tube
The Magic Carpet rides again! This time on 80 Meters
KZ9V shares with us how he modified his 40 through 10 meter end fed half wave antenna.
KB9VBR

RAC Canada Winter Contest 2023 Rules: December 30
https://www.rac.ca/rac-canada-winter-contest-2023/Le français suit l'anglais.
Sam Ferris, VE5SF – RAC Canada Winter Contest Manager
In December each year, 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 30, 2023. 
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 and for SSB – 1850, 3775, 7075*, 7225, 14175, 21250 and 28500 kHz. Check for CW activity on the half-hour. 
*Note: For 7075 kHz please watch for conflicts in the band plan where there are overlaps with other modes of operation.
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 and phone contacts in the conventional CW sub-bands. Contacts or soliciting QSOs through a repeater during the contest period is not allowed. 
Contacts in the RAC Canada Contests also count towards the RAC Canadian Portable Operations Challenge Award. Please see page 62 for information.
Multipliers: Thirteen in total, Canada’s 10 provinces and three territories. Each multiplier 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] (VYØ); Yukon [YT] (VY1); and Prince Edward Island [PE] (VY2). 
Certain special Canadian prefixes in use at the time of the contest may also apply; however, there may be no more than 13 multipliers on each band/mode. Please use the multiplier abbreviations, in square brackets, noted above.
Note: in the event a station is unable to make a contact with a Canadian station, there will be granted a multiplier count of 1 to facilitate the proper calculation of the final score since a multiplier of zero (0) would not create a valid calculation of a final score.
Final Score: The total QSO from all bands multiplied by the total number of multipliers from all bands. 
Special thanks to our sponsors for their support of the RAC contests.
 

Nov 30, topic Interesting Reads or Xmas decorating
VE3BQM Bernie Net controller
VHF
KO4DXQ Bob
VE3DDU Ray
VE3VCG Marvin
VA3EAC Janet
VA3MFO James
VE3OZW Richard
VE3RQY Greg
VA3DNY Dan
Hf
VE3RQY Greg
VA3MFO James
VE3DDU Ray
VE3VCG Marvin
VE3OZW Richard
VA3DNY Dan
VE3REK Darren
VE3FV John Samuel

Top links


Scientists uncover aurora-like radio emission above a sunspot
These sunspot aurora emissions occur at frequencies ranging from hundreds of thousands of kHz to roughly 1 million kHz.
New Jersey Institute of Technology
SKYWARN Recognition Day is ready to go
The 2023 SKYWARN Recognition Day is December 2 from 0000z to 2400z.
ARRL
Will AI help us have more fun with Amateur Radio?
Your personal agent could monitor your club's 2-meter repeater and notify you when your friends are on the air.
KB6NU
Amateur Radio accounts for 17% of Icom's business
Icom released a document titled Medium Term Business Plan 2026.
EI7GL
What's up with NVIS?
I was amazed that I sent and received a 59 signal report from an antenna that was only about 6 feet off the ground.
KK4Z
Cubesats: How an accidental standard launched a new space age
NASA was initially reluctant to embrace the small form factor.
Aviation Week
Cheap & cheerful telescopic SPOTA antenna
This is a handy standby antenna, or for holiday activations, but bring your tuner along.
QRPer
NASA launches Spot the Station app
Notifications each time the station passes over your location.
Amateur Radio Daily

Video

K9DP Broadcast Interference Filter 2.0
Field tested with a Xiegu G90.
W6IWN
How to build a mini HF loading coil
No need for a tuner.
Mr MuDs Radio Time VA5MuD
The OMs on QRZ said this won't work
You can't make QSOs with a wire that low to the ground. Boy-howdy were they wrong.
N7KOM

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

NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL NEWS

1.  ITU World Radiocommunication Conference 2023 now in session
The World Radiocommunication Conference 2023 (WRC-23) located in
Dubai, United Arab Emirates, bringing governments together for negotiations on the allocation of
radio-frequency spectrum will take place from 20 November to 15 December.
Overall, 4,000 participants are expected for WRC-23, including delegates
from ITU Member States and ITU Radiocommunication Sector Members representing international
organizations, equipment manufacturers, network operators and industry forums attending as
observers.
-- Full article on RAC website

ONTARIO SECTION NEWS

ITEMS OF INTEREST

2. Florida hams make contact via a 10m repeater in Switzerland

On Oct 23rd at 1500z using a FLEX-6400 at 75 W and the C32XR beam at
108 feet that he maintains for the Tampa Amateur Radio Club, Lu W4LT heard
an ID . "It was HB9HD in Switzerland! He gave the repeater a kerchunk."
He was able to contact a Swiss ham, Rene, HB3XVR, on the repeater's
70-centimeter link.

On October 31, around 1500z, he tried the repeater once more. "I found the
repeater full quieting, even stronger than it was on October 23, it was
clean and easy to copy!

Lu called CQ several times on the repeater. and received no callers, but
finally, received a signal that was fading up and down. He called again
and was able to work David, WA3LXD, over the HB9HD repeater. After
a little while, his signal settled down, and David asked me what my QTH
was, and I told him I was in Tampa. He laughed and said we worked each
other 'the hard way,' because he was in Ocala, about 100 miles to my
north,."

As Solar Cycle 25 continues to rise toward its peak, amateurs can expect to
encounter more exciting propagation, especially on the 10- and 6-meter
bands.  In this case, the signals traveled roughly 9,800 miles round trip.

-- full article on arrl newsletter

3.  TAPR holding on-line Digital Communications Conference

on December 9, 2023, from 1700 to 2230 UTC (1200 to 1730 EST.
Log in details for the conference will be available at https://tapr.org
prior to December 9.
TAPR is an international amateur radio organization that was founded
in Tucson, Arizona, in 1981 by a group of amateurs interested in developing
a terminal node controller (TNC) for amateur use.
Presentations during the conference will soon be listed on their website.
-- see   https://tapr.org for information

4.  Ham Radio Workbench "on the air" for 200th show.

The Ham Radio Workbench podcast is fast approaching its 200th show and it's
going to celebrate on December 3rd with a big HRWBOTA (pronounced:
her-wuh-bow-tuh)  It's short for Ham Radio Workbenches on the air. The
hosts are marking the occasion with a four-hour activation on HF, DMR
and AllStar that allows listeners to make contacts with each of the
presenters and to score points. Be listening between 1800UTC and 2200UTC. If you
work at least two hosts, you get a certificate of participation. There
are bigger certificates too. See details on the website h r w b o t a dot com

-- amateur radio newsline (Friday Nov 24th edition)

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

op links


FCC drops symbol rate for HF
Instead, the Commission establishes a 2.8 kHz bandwidth limitation in the applicable Amateur Radio bands.
Amateur Radio Daily
SOTAMĀT
Self-spotting SOTA and POTA over HF.
SOTAMĀT
DITs and DAHs from Alcatraz
I will activate with morse code in the shadows of Sean Connery, Nicolas Cage and Ed Harris.
QRPer
A spectral look at the KH1's sidetone
I don't particularly care for the KH1's sidetone for two reasons.
AE5X
Automating NOAA APT and Meteor M2 LRPT reception with SatDump
SatDump is a popular program used to receive and decode various forms of weather satellites.
RTL-SDR
How to improve Ham Radio station grounds
Station grounding has the most misconceptions.
OnAllBands
Antenna goes up for student-run Ham Radio station at University of Scranton
The new antenna was installed to help students learn more about radio waves.
WNEP
Fort Baker on the air
This location offers spectacular views of the Golden Gate Bridge and the city of San Francisco.
W6CSN

Video

Converting a CB to 10 meter AM
SolderSmoke
Trailer: My Radio My Life
The film revisits the golden era of radio in India, including Ham Radio operators.
Timecap Documentaries
Stealth HOA antenna system
The ultimate (resonant on 8 bands) stealth HOA antenna system.
HamJazz
Portable with the new FX-4CR transceiver
Results and experience out of the box and on the air with the FX-4CR.
Coastal Waves & Wires

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

NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL NEWS

1.  Surrey ARC Nov-Dec "The Communicator", now available

This issue includes:
   The Orca DX and Contest Club
   Fuses and the ‘crowbar’ circuit
   A Yaesu FT-857D off-grid portable kit
   Antenna adventures
   ARDF World Championships—Team Canada

https://ve7sar.blogspot.com/2023/10/the-november-december-communicator-is.html
-- SARC

ONTARIO SECTION NEWS

ITEMS OF INTEREST

2. New SMS Gateway Revives Text Messaging via APRS

With SMSGTE shutting down services due to increased spam and regulations
requirements, the world of ham radio lost its interface to SMS text messaging
via APRS. Recently, NA7Q has stepped in with an updated solution to
reintroduce the ability for hams to send SMS text messages through APRS.

While the service has yet to be assigned an official name, details on
how to get
started may be viewed at http://theconnectdesk.com/SMS/.

-- NA7Q      http://theconnectdesk.com/SMS/

Bruce Kelley 192

3.  Alternative to Eliminating "Leap Seconds"

The ITU's World Radiocommunications Conference opens on November 20th in
Dubai with an ambitious agenda that includes discussion of a US timekeeper's
proposal to address the planned elimination of "leap seconds" starting in 2035.
Leap seconds were originally implemented to synchronise the Earth's irregular
rotation with the ultra precise method of atomic timekeeping. It is this form of
timekeeping that is reflected in UTC, the very time standard that radio amateurs,
scientists and many others depend upon worldwide.
An alternate timekeeping method to be discussed in Dubai suggests that "leap minutes"
be used instead, every 50 years or so, as needed, to align clocks more closely with
the variable movement of the Earth. This alternative form of time adjustment is a
concept from Judah Levine of the National Institute of Standards and Technology
in the United States.
It is unclear what kind of reception this new controversial remedy may
ultimately receive by from the International Bureau of Weights and Measures itself. We
will know, of course, in due time.
-- Amateur Radio Newsline

4.  Event Celebrates First Transatlantic Amateur Contact

The Swiss Air Force Museum HAM Radio Club will be on the air with callsign
HB8DELOY to celebrate the first transatlantic contact between two hams
operators.
On 27 November 1923, at 9.30pm EST, two-way short-wave radio contact took
place for the first time between radio amateurs on either side of the
ocean, between Hartford, Connecticut, USA and Nice, in the south of France.
The special event operation will run through the end of December this year.
http://www.hb4fr.ch/

-- Swiss Air Force Museum HAM Radio Club

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