The Monitor

Our President, Marven VE3MWF, has retreated to his Florida home for a couple of months and while the cat is away, the mice will play.  We have received a couple of emails from him already and he arrived in the sunny south safely and is having a good time.  He has left the gavel in the capable hands of our VP Dave VE3ZVR.  That’s O.K., Dave makes better coffee anyway!
 

For many years the club has been operating two voice repeaters VE3TCR VHF and VE3TCR UHF.  However, we did not have a piece of equipment that would help maintain these two vital pieces of club stock.

After much consultation, the repeater committee decided that the purchase of a “service monitor” would be a valuable asset to the club.  After discussions with the Executive and approval by the membership in December, the club has made such a purchase.

After searching around, the repeater committee decided on the Ramsey Electronics COM 3 service monitor.  One decision was cost.  The COM 3 came in at under $2,000.00 US.
The other was the feature that the COM 3 offered.

For those who may be unaware, a service monitor is a piece of equipment that conducts various tests to determine the “health “ of radio frequency  (RF) equipment.

Here is an overall view of what the COM 3 can do as it applies to the club repeater systems:

1. The RF frequency range the COM 3 covers is from 100 KHz. to 999 MHz.
2. The COM 3 measures RF frequency within the above range, valuable in determining the frequency output of a repeater or other RF devices.
3. The COM 3 also generates RF.  The range of which is from 0.1uV (micro volt) to 10,000 uV.  This is valuable in determining the sensitivity of a receiver and whether it has gone out of specifications.
4. The COM 3 also measures FM deviation.  It does so in two ranges.  The first being +/- 1.5 KHz, the second is  +/-7.5 KHz.  A repeater or other RF device can be set up for proper voice, tone, or CW deviation without the need to guess.
5. There is also a 1 kHz audio tone generator for deviation measurements plus standard CTCSS tone generators for determining if your CTCSS receive on your transceiver is functioning or not.
6. There are also inputs for external audio as well as audio outputs plus an output on the back for the use of a dummy load device.  This is for testing a transceiver both receive and transmit.

Over the next few weeks we will be visiting the repeater site to check both VHF and UHF repeaters for specification etc.  As well if any one has a suspect transceiver that is not operating to specification, let us know and we’ll bring in the COM 3 for testing your rig.

Dave VE3ZVR, Co-chair Repeater Committee
 

Six members helped out with communications at the “Run for the Heart” in Paris Sunday February 17th.  This was the second annual event and the second time our club participated in this race.  The day was a sunny but very cold for this 8-kilometer race and took about one hour for the last runner to complete.  Communications between checkpoints was conducted using simplex because of the short distances involved.  There were no incidents to report except for the frozen ears of one of our members who stood out in the cold without a touque…..ME!

Thanks to Bill VE3WXT, Harry VE3HPH, Ebe VE3EBH, Peter VE3NIX, Bob VE3AVU and Ric VE3RLX for participating.
 

At our February 19th meeting, Gary VE3NCZ gave a talk on batteries.  He started with the lead-acid battery and how this power source has been around for quite some time and will probably be around for some time yet.  He also talked about the other battery sources available to power our portable radios describing the unique characteristics of each such as their charging and discharging abilities.

The second half of his talk was reserved for a subject dear to his heart…. the fuel cell which could end up powering cars, buses and maybe even our houses.  He described the development of this promising technology and focused on its advantages and disadvantages.  He supplied a handout indicating the elements of a Proton Exchange Membrane fuel cell.
 

The 28th annual International Human Powered Speed Championships will be held in Brantford from August 5th to 10th and the BARC has been approached to provide communications for this event.  HPV’s are basically hand-built recumbent bicycles that can travel at speeds of more than 40 mph.  Several venues will be used in our area and Leslie Sutch VE3OJT made an appeal to our club to help out.  This is truly an International event, hoping for 100 participants from Europe, USA and Australia and should garner media attention.

More information will be forthcoming as details get confirmed.
 

At our March 5th meeting, Paul Robertson of Environment Canada gave us a power point CANWARN presentation.  This was a refresher course for most of the members and was a good basis for severe weather spotting to those attending for the first time.  Also in attendance were representatives from both the fire and police departments.  Paul has now taken the CANWARN responsibilities from Randy Mawson, as Randy’s job description has changed recently.  Paul is also a ham, licensed as VE3HFQ .  Those attending received some valuable handouts and a CANWARN crest.  The timing of this presentation was perfect as the severe weather season will soon be upon us.
 

IRLP (Internet Repeater Linking Project) is rapidly growing, and the number of nodes online reached 300 last month.  By year's end it is expected that 500 nodes will be active.  Canada currently has over 100 IRLP nodes.
 

March 19th – Speaker Mike VE3BSE, Subject: TBA
March 26th – Speaker: Dennis Orgar, Subject: Model Rocketry
April 2nd – Speaker: Kerry, Subject: R/C Airplanes
April 9th – Business Meeting
 

Behavior in DX pileups over the past few months "has been atrocious."  That's the view of Bernie McClenny, W3UR, who edits the "How's DX" column in QST as well as The Daily DX newsletter.  In an editorial comment in the February 28 edition of The Daily DX, McClenny issued a stern reminder for all DXers to pay attention to the DX stations' requests.  He also offered some tips on operating etiquette.

McClenny said that while the DX station is ultimately responsible for how the pileup is run, DXers have a role too.  "If the DX station wants to work Europe only, that is his prerogative," he said.  "When the DX station says 'Victor Papa,' only 'Victor Papa' should come back. If your call does not have 'Victor Papa' in it, then you should be listening."

McClenny said flatly that anyone who cannot hear the DX station should not be calling.

He also had words of advice for so-called DX cops.  "When someone is transmitting on top of the DX station, please do not jump on that frequency and be a policeman," he said.  "That only adds to the confusion.  They will eventually figure it out."  DXpeditions frequently listen up (or occasionally down) from their transmitting frequencies.  Listen for the DX station's cue before transmitting.

McClenny said a lot of rare DX has been on the air during the first two months of the year and more is on the way.  He speculated that most of the poor operating practice is a result of "uninformed" operators.

"The bottom line is we need to do two things.  First is to listen, listen, listen!" McClenny said. "Last--and just as important--is the DXers’ Golden Rule: Do unto DXers as you would have them do unto you."
 

International Space Station Commander Yury Onufrienko, RK3DUO, this week chatted via Amateur Radio with students in Russia.  The Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) contact with Kursk Technical University took place at 0922 UTC February 28.  It marked only the second ARISS QSO with a Russian school, and the first for Onufrienko.  Using the RS0ISS call sign, Onufrienko spent the 10-minute pass answering questions in Russian from five students at RW3WWW, the club station at the school, located some 250 miles south of Moscow.
 

ISS packet activity has resumed.  The old system has been updated with a new packet module.  The new module, using the callsign RS0ISS, is using a specially developed ROM set with standard ISS defaults, a new battery and an extended memory.  Although the mailbox function has been activated, ground stations are discouraged from using it.  Currently, there is no computer hooked up to the packet system.

The uplink frequency remains 145.99 and the downlink is 145.80 MHz.  The new packet system is on the air.
 

QST March 2002
TAMING THE TRAP DIPOLE.  A self-supported dipole for 10/15/17 meters.
I-LINK, THE .WAV OF THE FUTURE.  Worldwide communication on VHF/UHF is readily available via the Internet.

CQ March 2002
THE HEYDAY OF CW AT SEA.  A look back at the earliest days of wireless, Part 1.
THE 2-ELEMENT WIRE YAGI.  This antenna is rather easy to assemble, install, and adjust for minimum SWR.
 

Amid the much-publicized commercial successes and failures in the telecommunications industry it is easy to overlook the fact that radio amateurs continue to be an important source of innovation in communication technology.  A century has passed since Marconi spanned the Atlantic and excited the imaginations of the first generation of amateur wireless experimenters.  Amateurs were the first to discover and to exploit the remarkable properties of the ionosphere that permit worldwide communication with less power than it takes to illuminate a light bulb.  They were the first to make widespread use of single-sideband voice communication to conserve power and precious radio spectrum.  Amateurs applied microprocessors to data communication, popularizing packet radio and developing protocols that are now in widespread use in public safety and other services.

As we enter radio's second century, amateurs continue to lead the way in numerous areas.  World Amateur Radio Day, held each year on April 18th to mark the anniversary of the founding of the International Amateur Radio Union in Paris on that date in 1925, provides an opportunity to pause and reflect on these current achievements.
 

Here is a list of some upcoming events you might want to mark in your calendar:

International Amateur Radio Day – April 18th
Brantford Classic Run – April 21st
Dayton Hamvention – May 17th-19th
Club Elections – June 11th
Human Powered Speed Championships – August 5th-10th
BARC Hamfest – August 17th
Brantford Air Show – August 28th
 

HAMEX 2002
Sponsored by the Peel and Mississauga ARC’s.
Saturday March 23rd at 9:00 AM
Brampton Fairgrounds.

Durham Region Amateur Radio Hamfest
Sponsored by the North Shore and South Pickering ARC’s.
Saturday April 27th at 9:00 AM
Iroquois Park Recreation Centre, Whitby.

Annual Spring Hamfest and Fleamarket
Sponsored by the Skywide ARC.
Saturday May 11th at 9:00 AM
Westway United Church, 8 Templar Dr., Etobicoke.

Central Ontario 28th Annual Amateur Radio Hamfest
Sponsored by the Guelph ARC and Kitchener-Waterloo ARC
Saturday, June 8th at 8:00 AM
Fergus & District Community Centre

Barrie Fleamarket
Sponsored by the Barrie ARC
Saturday, September 7th at 9:00 AM
Shanty Bay Community Center, Barrie
 

Wasilla, AK: Matanuska Amateur Radio Assn, KL7JFU. 2100Z Mar 2 to Mar 23. Celebrating the 30th running of the Iditarod Sled Dog Race. Operation will continue through the day after the last sled completes the race. 28.460 21.315 14.246 7.290. QSL and certificate. Len Betts, NL7NF, 3090 Bald Eagle Dr, Wasilla, AK 99654. Will try to operate all bands. For more information, contact lelbak@yahoo.com.

Mount Holly, NJ: NWS-Phi SKYWARN Assn, WX2PHI. 1500Z to 2100Z Mar 17. Promoting Hazardous Weather Awareness Week in Pennsylvania. 28.373 14.273 7.273. Certificate. John Holmes, WX3W, WX2PHI Special Event, 126A Worman Rd, Bath, PA 18014-9099.

Port St Lucie, FL: Port St Lucie Amateur Radio Association, K4PSL. 1500Z Apr 1 to 2100Z Apr 30. Commemorating the discovery of Florida by Ponce de Leon in 1513. 28.310 21.350 14.250 14.030. Certificate. Dr Maurice I. Sasson, W2JAJ, 8598 Florence Dr, Port St Lucie, FL 34952.

Timonium, MD: Baltimore Amateur Radio Club, W3FT. 1300Z Apr 6 to 1700Z Apr 7. 31st Annual Greater Baltimore Hamboree & Computerfest. 147.55 28.415 14.260 7.230. Certificate. BARC c/o Awards Mgr, PO Box 120, Reisterstown, MD 21136.

Harrisburg, PA: Harrisburg Amateur Radio Club, W3UU. 1300Z Apr 6 to 0200Z Apr 8. Celebrating the 100th anniversary of the world's longest masonry railroad bridge. 28.450 21.350 14.260 7.250. QSL. C. T. Greiner, 403 Allendale Way, Camp Hill, PA 17011.
 

CLARA and Family HF Contest, Phone and CW - 1700Z Mar 19 - 1700Z
Mar 20.

CQ WW SSB WPX Contest, SSB - 0000Z Mar 30-2400Z Mar 31
 

PCSat and Sapphire are now OSCARs 44 and 45, respectively.  According to the AMSAT News Service, OSCAR numbers were requested in February for the two satellites, built by students at the US Naval Academy and launched last September 30th.

PCSat has been designated NAV-OSCAR-44 (with NAV standing for Navy and OSCAR standing for Orbiting Satellite Carrying Amateur Radio), or NO-44, and Sapphire is now NAV-AMSAT-45, or NO-45.  The numbers are issued on request for amateur satellites that successfully reach orbit and become operational. There is a separate numbering system for Russian amateur satellites.
 

Hams around the world were called on for emergency help in January and February.  The ARRL reports that more than two-dozen amateurs helped provide communications for efforts to battle a wildfire in California that threatened more than 200 homes near San Diego.  Hams in Turkey used linked VHF and UHF repeaters to provide communications for search-and-rescue teams after an earthquake struck the central part of the country in early February.  Newsline reports that “hobby radio operators” were credited by authorities in Brazil with spreading the word about a major power outage that blacked out at least six major cities and cut off nearly 20% of the country’s electricity supply for a three-hour period.  Hams also helped out in two different medical emergencies involving sailboat passengers, one off the coast of Mexico and one in the Caribbean.
 

Amateur radio was the backup communications system of choice for both the 2002 Super Bowl in New Orleans and the Winter Olympic Games in Utah.  According to the ARRL, hams working with the Red Cross staffed key locations and accompanied Emergency Response Teams during the Super Bowl and pre-game festivities.  At the Olympics, the League said, hams helped develop “a unique system that covers the entire Wasatch Front area, providing communications to reach numerous Olympic venues 24 hours a day.”  More than 200 amateurs volunteered to provide emergency backup communications for the Olympic Security Command.  In addition, three Utah hams installed a NOAA Weather Radio transmitter in Park City, which was home to the Olympic village and several events.  According to the ARRL Letter, the NOAA station in Salt Lake City could not be heard in Park City because of an intervening mountain range.  Plus, for those hams whose participation in the games was limited to watching events on TV, Newsline reports there were two special event stations on the air from the Olympics – W7U and K7O.  A final Olympic note: The ARRL Letter reports that the FCC gave special temporary authority to broadcasters to use the 13-centimeter amateur band (2300-2305 and 2390-2450 MHz) for broadcast auxiliary operations at Olympic venues through March 1.  Amateur operation on the band was not restricted (unlike two years ago in Australia) during the time broadcasters were authorized as co-secondary users.
 

If you’re planning to attend this year’s Dayton Hamvention®, be sure you have photo ID handy and be prepared to have your stuff searched.  The Hamvention 2002 brochure outlines an array of security precautions that will be in place for this year’s event, and they are creating quite an uproar among many hams, according to Hamvention Executive Director Garry Matthews, KB8GOL, who says the brochure material “wasn’t written correctly” and was too negative in tone.  According to Matthews, most of the rules on the list have been in effect for years, but this is the first time they have been put into writing.  He says 99% of Hamvention attendees will not notice anything different from past years.  Among the rules that will be in effect are that everyone must show photo ID upon request and must be prepared to have vehicles, merchandise and personal items searched.  No weapons will be permitted, while large containers such as backpacks will be allowed but may be subject to search.  Matthews says there will be tighter scrutiny of vendors as they bring truckloads of stuff into the flea market or exhibit halls.  “We are not trying to impact the ease and vitality of Hamvention by becoming over-restrictive,” explains Matthews. “We’re just trying to do common-sense things that let us provide security for a show this size.” Matthews encourages people with questions about security procedures to visit the Hamvention website’s security FAQ (frequently asked questions) page at http://www.hamvention.org/security_faq.htm.
 

The RAC Board of Directors has approved the appointment of Mr. Gordon D. (Joe) Young, VE7BFK as the RAC National ARDF Coordinator replacing Perry Creighton, VA7PC who has held that appointment for several years.

Joe is a native of BC.  Born in Vancouver, he lived in the Okanagan and in Prince George before returning to Vancouver for radio school and university.  He now lives in Victoria.

Joe obtained his Amateur certificate in 1960 and became an Advanced Amateur in 1961.  An Electrical Engineer by profession, Joe has worked at a number of jobs developing instrumentation ‘gizmos’ for the past 30 years.  He enjoys operating CW and building radio projects.

He first became interested in ARDF when the Friendship Amateur Radio Society hosted the 3rd Friendship Radio Games in Victoria in 1993. He has attended ARDF events in Russia, Japan, USA and was responsible for the RDF event when FARS again hosted the 7th FRG in Victoria in August 2001.  According to Joe, there is a momentum building in the USA with national events in 1999, 2001 and 2002 and he hopes for similar growth in Canada.