On June 5/2021 I participated in the KY QSO party and not really trying to break any records but mainly trying to work most of the counties and bonus stations. Shortly after submitting my results I received a Participation Award. I think anyone that takes part in the contest receives one. 
Although today a parcel showed up in the mail that I didn't expect. I was quite surprised when opened it. High score Canada CW award, a beautiful Kentucky state plaque with my call sign. 
Sometimes doesn't take much effort to for an awesome reward. 

VA3KOT John Owen Sound VHF NCS
KO4DXQ Bob Tennessee
VE3GIO Larry Woodstock
VE3MIO Maureen Wiarton
VE3BQM Bernie Owen Sound
VE3OZW Richard Mildmay
VE3BEK Bill Whitefish Falls
VA3KOT John Owen Sound HF NCS 3783KHz
VE3GIO Larry Woodstock
VE3OZW Richard Mildmay
VE3MIO Maureen Wiarton
VE3BQM Bernie Owen Sound
VE3BEK Bill Whitefish Falls

           

My station in the 2021 Bruce Peninsula Multisport Race was at the entrance to Spirit Rock Conservation Area on Highway 6. I setup my dual-band Icom field radio running on AC power from my Honda EU2000 generator. I set the radio to crossband repeat and accessed the event net through VE3OSR using my HT. The generator was employed to prevent drain on my truck battery during my 5-hour operating period. The EU2000 is an inverter model that runs quietly and has an economy feature that reduces fuel consumption when the power drawn is low.

Unfortunately, the station location was directly underneath the high tension hydro lines running along the side of the highway and they seriously impacted my signal. Even boosting the power to 50 watts didn't help. A better field survey prior to the event might have highlighted this issue. The only other minor problemette I encountered was with the club A-frame signs which fell over with the lightest breath of wind. That should be an easy fix.

I called this story: “The Art and Skill of Public Event Net Control” for it truly is both an art and a skill. Art is something that can only truly be mastered by those who are born with an innate ability to do it. Skill is something that can be acquired through training. I owe a debt of gratitude to a person who possessed the “art”. He was the best Emergency Coordinator I ever had the pleasure of working with. Wayne McLean, VE3WWM, was (and perhaps still is) the EC for Dufferin County. Wayne simply knew how to do things right and his events were both well supported by volunteers and a pleasurable experience for those who came out to them. Having learned the basics from Wayne, I have wrapped my own thoughts around his techniques in the hope of enhancing our own events here in Georgian Bay ARC territory.

A net control station (let’s just call it an NCS) plays a vital role in any amateur radio event. We hold weekly nets every Wednesday evening to practice the role. Our weekly nets are informal and if the NCS makes a complete bollocks of it nobody gets hurt and no damage is done. On the other hand, a public event is not informal; neither is it a practice. If the NCS doesn’t do an effective job consequences really could be incurred. Event organizers rely on us to be communications experts and the safety of event participants may depend on our expertise. It is therefore vital that a public event NCS is selected from the pool of those who either have the art or the skill and have demonstrated that in the club’s informal practice nets.

Think of a net controller as the conductor of an orchestra. The conductor stands front and centre and directs every stroke of a violin bow, every beat of a timpani, every brass section note. The timbre of the whole performance is controlled to such an extent that, to the music aficionado, the same piece of music, played by the same orchestra, will have a different overall quality if directed by two different conductors.

The conductor plays a vital role throughout the entire performance; he does not sit down and wait for the musicians to ask for assistance. He does not pack up and go home when he thinks all is going fine and the musicians can finish on their own.

Before I go on, I would like aspiring conductors (well, public event NCS operators) to do this one small thing in order to understand the vital role they will be called upon to perform. First, choose a day when the weather is not favourable; maybe a humid, rainy day. Find a remote intersection away from home. Choose an area where there are no washrooms and no refreshments. Park up and turn on your radio. Make sure you are alone. For the next five hours sit and listen for the repeater. If you wish you can call on the repeater and see if anybody wants to chat. When the five hours are over you can pack up and go home. This exercise is a simulation of a public event in which the NCS lacks the art and skill required for the job.

My friend Wayne had the knack of keeping his volunteers engaged with regular radio traffic and more. Announcements every few minutes of the purpose of the net which also served to advise others that the repeater was in use; check-ins of every volunteer around the course every fifteen minutes to ensure everybody was safe, secure and happy. There was never an unanswered call to net control. NCS Wayne was always there; he didn’t take a break to grab a sandwich or take a bathroom break. And, at the end of the event, he would set up a barbeque and cook burgers for everyone.

Georgian Bay ARC should aspire to such excellence. We have a way to go but we can do it if we try.

Net Controller - VE3OZW Richard

Topic for discussion - 
1. What city in Canada receives on average more lightning strikes per square kilometre than any other city in Canada?  Answer: Windsor, ON
2. What do you do with your station when severe weather approaches?


VHF
VE3VCG Marvin
VA3EAC Janet
VE3WI Dave
KO4DXQ Bob (Echolink)
VA3EZN Jim
VA3TS Tom
VE3FP Adam
VE3MIO Maureen
VA3MFO Jim

HF
VE3FJN Colin
VE3VCG Marvin
VA3EZN Jim
VA3TS Tom
VE3FP Adam
VE3MIO Maureen
VA3MFO Jim

Thanks everyone, 73 to all.

I know this is not a good time to be even bringing up "Winter" but it's not all bad. Here are couple items worth mentioning.

1. For those who participate in Winter Field Day using N1MM+ Logger, the good news is that WFD is now added to the contests list. It will replace the UDP version. 
I tried it out and works great!

2. Official WFD results have been posted on the WFD Results for  your viewing. 

Happy Hamming ....

According the author of this video you should Say Goodbye to that G5RV! Look at the ZS6BKW. Here is his proof of concept.
Enjoy the video and let me know if you decide to take the plunge and build one.

The video I'm sharing below highlights hacking or cyber "ransomware" attacks against various companies. I follow news about such attacks carefully and for a very specific reason. This reason should be abundantly obvious yet seems not to register with many.

Critical infrastructure is controlled by complex systems, many of which are accessible by Internet. The very same methods used to create ransomware attacks can also be used to attack, disable or damage those systems. Cyber security for these systems is being improved but there is an ongoing competition between hackers and security companies.

As radio operators, I believe we should take seriously the idea that the power grid, cell systems or the internet might be compromised either by criminal groups, or worse still, terrorists. Pure amateur based RF communications during emergencies may well be the only means of getting messages across any significant distance.

Join me as I work to build a team of amateurs in Bruce County ready and willing to provide emergency communication services for friends, family neighbors and, perhaps others when the need arises.

This video show Jason OH8STN in Finland using his Icom IC-705 to check in to Winlink nets on Winlink Wednesday. He's posted other videos showing how to check-in to a Winlink net. One of the nets featured in this video is the Great Lakes Winlink net. I will be sourcing and sharing information about Winlink nets in other forum posts.

I don't have an ICOM IC-705 but it's on my list of gear to buy, once I have the bucks, and wow, I need a lot of bucks. All the same, you get what you pay for and in spite of the price I think ICOM has hit a home run with this rig

If anyone has experience with a Winlink net, please share in the comments. 

Georgian Bay Amateur Radio Net



Wednesday July 21, 2021

Net Control VE3VCG



Questions for the network



Q: In what part of the earths atmosphere is the Ionosphere?

A: The Thermosphere.


Q:What is the name of the area between the upper atmosphere of earth and the orbit of the moon?
A: CISLUNAR


2 meter net participants
K8BBL
KO4DXQ
VE3GIO
VA3EAC

VA3KOT

V3ERQY

VA3TS

VA3CFT

VA3BQM


80 meter net participants

VE3GIO

VA3TS

VA3FJN

VA3RQY

VA3KOT