Net Controller - VE3OZW Richard

Topic for discussion -
1. Other than GBARC, what other nets do you join, listen to or participate in?
2. What topics do you suggest for our GBARC net?
3. Thanks to those that volunteer to be a net controller.  We are always looking for volunteer net controllers.  Would you be interested?  See the GBARC website to volunteer.
*** Bonus Trivia questions (150 points) - What significant event happened on this date and almost to this hour, 46 years ago on the Great Lakes?  
--- Answer - The sinking of the Edmund Fitzgerald on Lake Superior in 1975.  Check out the W8F station to commemorate the event.

VHF
VE3FAS Phil
VA3MFO Jim
VE3VCG Marvin
VA3EAC Janet
VE3RQY Greg
VE3BQM Bernie
VE3WI Dave
VA3KOT John

HF
VE3BQM Bernie
*** Conditions did not allow for an HF round

Responses -

Question #1
- CW nets
- Port Elgin repeater net 
- ONTARS
- 3640 Tech net
- Moonlighters 7.279
- SCARS
- ECARS
- 1900 net
 
Question #2
- 160m HF antennas (antennas in general)
- Test equipment that you use
- Ham radio software - logging, programming, radio interface
- Homebrew building - rigs, antennas, etc etc
- Contesting
- What does CFRB stand for?
- Digital - HF/VHF/UHF/CW
- non-radio topics - top 3 favourite movies, other hobbies and interests etc

Thanks everyone, 73 to all, VE3OZW

Listen in and learn about LiFePO4 batteries from a major ham supplier.  Everyone welcome.  (11:00 AM MST = 1300 EST = 1800 Z)
73
Dave, VE3WI
-------------------------------------------
COLORADO QRP CLUB EVENT!

Bioenno Power LiFePO4 battery presentation by Kevin Zanjani, Bioenno National Sales Manager

Saturday, November 13
11:00 am Mountain Standard Time
VIA ZOOM

Kevin Zanjani is the National Sales Manager at Bioenno Power, based in Santa Ana, California. This presentation will provide an exciting overview of the company's Lithium Iron Phosphate batteries and solar products as it applies to ham radio equipment. Over the years, the company has been profiled in CQ and QST magazines, various websites, and at different hamfests and conventions. Kevin holds a BSEE from the Univ. of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MSECE from the Univ. of California, Irvine, and MBA from the Univ of Southern California. He has worked in the technology industry for 19+ years in Southern California and began his career in Detroit.

All are welcome! (Here is our Zoom link for meeting ID 615 605 9877)

A 4.5 AH BIOENNO LIFEPO4 BATTERY (WITH CHARGER) WILL BE GIVEN AWAY AS A DOOR PRIZE!

Our permanent Zoom URL is:

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/6156059877?pwd...tUUC84QT09

Our meeting ID is:

615 605 9877

MORE CQC ZOOM MEETING INFO:
http://www.coloradoqrpclub.org/events/index.htm

72,

Dick AB0CD, CQC Pres.
Jim, N0COT, CQC V.P.
Roger, WB0JNR, CQC Sec.-Treas.

For your reading pleasure, the Nov-Dec issue of the SARC newsletter is available at:  https://bit.ly/SARC21NovDec

122 pages this time!

73
Dave, VE3WI

The city of Hanover ran a very successful SET on Wednesday November 3rd where ARES was invited to participate. Much was learnt that day by all participants involved in what emergency comm’s were required as well as where and when ARES volunteers are needed. It established that ARES is to be notified the moment an EOC gets activated and is part of the Hanover emergency plan. ARES EC objective is now to get this level of participation at all Grey County and Municipal levels.

Cheers

Frank

VA3-GUF / VE0-GUF / VE0-VET
 
******

Frank VA3-GUF would like to thank all who participated successfully and unsuccessfully with the Mobile Repeater VE3-FCH during the Saturday October 30th SET between 9am and noon. Four known unsuccessful Mobile Repeater VE3-FCH contact attempts were reported during the event on the OSR repeater. Any others that had attempted to reach the Mobile Repeater VE3-FCH or even just heard the repeater are asked to get in touch with Frank VA3-GUF with what you experienced during the SET as well as your radio location that day. Frank can be reached at VA3-GUF@outlook.com. 

I thank you in advance for your reply’s. 

Cheers

Frank

VA3-GUF / VE0-GUF / VE0-VET

In the Caribbean and Gulf Coast and East Coast of the US the big threat is hurricanes or flooding. In the South West and Midwest it's flooding and Tornado's. In the West of Canada and the US it's wild fires and Earthquakes. Here in Ontario, we are somewhat blase about such extreme weather events, but we shouldn't be smug or complacent. The proof of course is as close as videos like the one below.

Extreme weather events are expected to become more common in years to come. What once were rare winter storms may be more frequent and more intense. For those and many other reasons we need to be personally prepared, and prepared as communities, to meet the challenges such events bring with them.

Ham Radio operators can and should be ready and willing to step up in emergencies and support our local communities. We are in fact a community of operators spread out across the province, the country and the globe. When the lights go out, as they most certainly will, we need to be on the air and ready to help where it's needed. This of course requires Planning, Preparing and Practice.

There are many who think of Emergency Communications as ARES. They imagine sitting in an Emergency Operations Centre in support of various Emergency Agencies and Administrators. My view of Emergency Communications begins at the community level. I see it as a means of helping family and friends neighbors in our local community. In that regard it is more than just radio gear, it is a humanitarian mission. It's is locally orientated disaster relief.

We need not wait for some emergency in some distant place like Puerto Rico Nepal, or Haiti. The next big emergency event could be right here. So the question I put to each of you now is, could you survive a Texas style blackout where power could be out for several weeks, even months? Before you blow off this idea as highly unlikely, watch the video. A few days without power is inconvenient. A week without power is much more serious - longer than that in the middle of January would be life threatening to many.

I make one final point. Before you can consider helping others you must first be ready to help yourself. As winter rapidly approaches, consider your readiness for a Quebec or Texas style event. Let us all take seriously the potential dangers of such events. The risks really can't be overstated. Be prepared so you don't become one of the unfortunate group that are unprepared and entirely dependent on others for survival.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ggqZb8BdXPo

Rob, VE3PCP, operating under the club call sign VE3IHR was the Bruce County SET station at the Bruce County Administrative Offices at Walkerton. He kindly recorded his operation and has shared a great video on youtube. Please give it a look.

VA3KOT John Owen Sound VHF NCS
VE3MIO Maureen Wiarton
VE3GIO Larry Woodstock
KO4DXQ Bob Tennessee
VE3BQM Bernie Owen Sound
VA3TS Tom Shallow Lake
VE3OZW Richard Mildmay
VE3RQY Greg Owen Sound
VE3WI Dave Port Elgin
VE3FP Adam Elmwood
9Z4DX Bertrand Trinidad
VA3KOT John Owen Sound HF NCS 3773KHz
VE3BQM Bernie Owen Sound
VA3TS Tom Shallow Lake
VE3FP Adam Elmwood
VE3IJD Gene Honey Harbour
VE3OZW Richard Mildmay
VE3GIO Larry Woodstock 

Topic of Discussion: SET comments and feedback

The video I've shared below is of special interest to me because I see vast potential for this type of LoRa device in Emergency Communications. To avoid confusion I need to make a couple of important points first.

1) LoRa devices are specifically designed to automatically create a mesh network. The Meshtastic software when flashed on a LoRa Tbeam can be directly accessed using a cell phone connected to the device wirelessly using WiFi. This then allows text messages to be sent via one LoRa device to another, and so then to another cell phone running Meshstatic software.

2) The range of a Tbeam device can be dramatically increased with a better antenna. In this test the max range was roughly 2 miles. However a respectable antenna will increase this to up to 10 miles. As with all line of sight radios, increasing elevation also allows an increase in range. Experiments I have seen routinely get 30 miles between devices. Without putting fine point on this, that obviously means that someone with a LoRa device in one location, connected to another LoRa device at another location, 30 miles distant, could send a text message using their phone and Meshtastic software to another party with a second LoRa device, and running Meshtastic software.

3) LoRa Tbeams with Meshtastic software automatically create a self-discovery / self-healing network. Each device running Meshtastic software will be added to the net automatically. The net will then self-heal when devices leave the net. Meshtastic calculates TX and RX pathways automatically and so no additional configuration is needed to create a mesh network.

4) Meshtastic is free open source software. Tbeams are cheap and easily availble. As seen in the video, waterproof enclosures can be pretty basic, however files to make better quality enclosures are available for 3D printers. Solar charge controllers and solar panels can be added making such devices stand alone nodes.

5) The value of having community based text based mesh-networks, available to anyone with a cell phone, is perhaps a relative point. However I feel this kind of network could be very useful in any community during a real emergency situation. This is the neighbors helping neighbors concept made visible with hardware and software. Combined with the long distance capabilities of HAM radio the potential to provide community based emergency communications is very real and I think achievable. This would be a matter of having enough, solar powered Tbeam devices in mesh-nets across a community.

6) Of special interest to me was the idea of connecting a LoRa TBeam device to a repeater controller to allow for remote access. There are other potential uses for such connections which are worth of consideration.

Winter weather is a challenge to be certain. However few of us will ever experience what one couple in Texas endured as a result of the now infamous unexpected winter weather in that state. It's a good read and an excellent summary of the reason I feel strongly that organized community based communications networks are so very important. In a large scale event, emergency services will not be able to respond to many distress calls. Various times different agencies have cautioned that we should be prepared to help ourselves for at least 72 hours. However, with history as a teacher, it's easy to understand that this figure should be taken to be a minimum.

Please take a few minutes to read the story and reflect on how ready you are to cope with an unexpected and damaging winter storm. Consider also if you could help others during such an event. Such help might only involve passing emergency or priority traffic by radio. Consider also supporting Bruce county ACS and Grey County ARES by becoming a volunteer operator for emergency nets during an emergency.

A Texas Couple vs Extreme Winter Weather