Some Pictures from the Alexandria Comms Demo

Picture taken at the end of the Demonstration by the Security Guard for the Hospital and I’m not sure whose camera he used… 

Anyway Left to Right…  Earl VE3IMP EC SDG ARES,  Tracy VA3TXN SAR Global 1 , VA3QV Bob , Louise Quenneville Glengarry Memorial Hospital Emergency Planner, Guy Vaillencourt Township of North Glengarry CEMC, VA3JSF Stan SDG ARES, VA3JO John SDG ARES and  VE3HTR  Doug SDG ARES

—————-

If you remember back to my post of last Friday where I mentioned…

Earlier today I participated in a COMMS Demo for the Glengarry Memorial Hospital in Alexandria Ontario.  The demo was to give them a view as to what equipment might be available to them to assist with communications in a emergency situation if they were to partner up with the Amateur Community…

The DEMO included 2m fm (analog), 2m fm (DSTAR)  2m fm (APRS) and 40m ssb.   The VHF Bands were stronger than the HF Bands so everything worked as expected and their Emergency Prepardness Officer has lots of info now to continue with her tasking.

For us it was a group from the United Counties of Stormont, Dundas and Glengarry (SDG ARES) and a Group from Ottawa coming together to successfully demo what I concider to be a great hobby and public safety resource.

I think it went well and a new partnership (GMH and SDG ARES) has been formed…

You might also remember that I had made mention of several cameras being there and as soon as I could find some copies I would share them with you…

So here they are…

Louise (left),  Bob (center) and Guy (right) discussing the mornings events

———-

Earl (left), Doug (center) and Louise (right) discussing the event.

———-

The portable APRS station of VA3TXN

———-

Left to right Guy, Louise, Tracy, Bob and Earl at the HF Radio Station.

Rig was a FT 897 with a Par End Fed antenna running off the Luggage Rack on the SUV

———-

Now I am sure that there are more pictures out there but…  so far they have not made it to my inbox and I wanted to share what I had with you while it was still a current event rather than History so the above is what I had available and now you have it…

I am also believing that this week we might be getting some Press about this courtesy of the local Glengarry News  which is a weekly paper.  If this happens I will share as many details as I have with you…

I would also be amazed if someone did not write this up for TCA in the near future…

73bob

Some thoughts on the latest TCA

If you can read this… Thank A Teacher…

If you read this in English… Thank a Veteran!

“Lest we forget…”

 

Yesterday my copy of the Canadian Amateur arrived in the mail.  Normally I get it by the 3rd or 4th day (at the latest) of the month.  Arriving 9 days into the month all but elimates any chances I had of making any comments to the magazine that stood a chance of getting into the Janurary-February issue.

I’m assuming that either the Printer was running late or Canada Post was slow…

Thats the problem with the Lead Times needed to produce a quality magazine which in my opinion is what TCA is…

I personally feel that we should be making this magazine available to all amateurs in a PDF format with RAC Members getting it in the mail.  If we were to post it on the RAC website with a month delay (Mailed out via Canada Post  on the 1st day and posted on the Website on the 30th day) so members would get to read it early as an incentive to retain membership I think it would go a long way to increasing revenues.

First of all our advertisers most likely would appreciate their advertisements going out to a greater number of hams than our meager membership allows.  This could justify a slight raise in the advertising rates…

Second of all it could show to the non members of RAC some things  that they are missing by not supporting us. 

Right now TCA is the only real way the executive and the board has to get their message out.

We have the RAC Blog but its under used right now…  The same could be said for the RAC Bulletin Service…  So all we really have is TCA and we need to make that available to non members as well as the dedicated few who are members…

There has been the argument heard that if we were to provide the TCA for free then people would have no incentive to join RAC and I disagree.

If anyone out there is a RAC member just for a magazine that comes out every 2 months….  no….  I sincerly doubt it.   TCA is a fantastic magazine but if I wanted to be keep updated on new products and new ideas in our hobby  then I would subscribe to a magazine that came out every month (QST or CQ come to mind)

As an example this months article on “Territory Roving” was fantastic.  This is like taking your home on a DXPedition.  I wish I had thought of this when we had our camper…  Drive to a rare grid square and operate comfortably for a contest….  No tents… no outhouses…. Table chairs and a comfy bed…

In the past I operated in a snowstorm under a tarp…  I could of  stayed in the camper with the furnace on….  DUH!!!!! What was I thinking???

Anyway…  Thats the view from the Cheap Seats today…

We do have an excellent magazine but the powers to be have to find a way to get the message out…  My suggestions are above…  If you agree with me… Let your director know…  If you have a different idea… Let your director know… If its a better idea than mine… let me know as well by putting in as comment to this posting for all to see…

Its our hobby… support it

73bob

 

November World Radio on Line now available

Every month I get the reminder to head over to the World Radio Online website and download the latest issue in .pdf format courtesy of CQ Publications.

Here is my reminder which I pass on to you…

————————————

The November 2010 edition of WorldRadio Online magazine is live and posted free at: http://www.worldradiomagazine.com/.

This edition is full of interesting features and columns including:

* YLs Across the Bands and the Globe
* A Primer on Gray Line Propagation
* The Single Life: A Simpler Way of Keying
* Krusty Ol’ Kurt Looks At Sleeves, Halyards and More
* All Hands On Deck: Vintage Gear Called Into Action

In addition, you’ll find regular columns including: QCWA, Propagation, Trail-Friendly Radio, Rules and Regulations, Hamfests and Special Events, Contest Calendar and DX Predictions.

You’re also invited to join in a live online chat with WRO Editor Richard Fisher, KI6SN, on Sunday, November 7 at 8 p.m. Eastern time. It’s at:
http://www.WorldRadioOnline.blogspot.com.

To access November’s WRO . . .

DOWNLOADING: The entire edition can be downloaded by clicking on the photo of the cover (left) on the WRO Welcome page: http://www.WorldRadiomagazine.com. If you’d like to download the magazine in smaller sections, click on the Table of Contents page (on the right - recommended for users with slower Internet connections).

WHAT YOU’LL NEED: If you don’t have Adobe Acrobat Reader, simply scroll to the bottom-left of the WRO Welcome page and click for a free download.

VISIT OUR ARCHIVES: To download recent editions of WRO, click on the PREVIOUS 2010 ISSUES link on the Welcome page.

THERE’S MORE: We invite you to visit CQ Amateur Radio’s magazine’s Internet home as well: http://www.cq-amateur-radio.com.

You’ll find highlights of the latest edition and information about other CQ Communications, Inc. publications including CQ VHF and Popular Communications magazines. You can also browse CQ’s Online Store.

FACEBOOK: WRO is on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com. Search for WorldRadio Online.

TWITTER: Follow us on Twitter at http://www.Twitter.com/WROmagazine.

UPDATES AND MONTHLY REMINDERS: You are receiving this email because you
signed up for updates from WRO magazine. If you’d like to change your preferences for these periodic emails, go to:
http://mailman.sunserver.com/mailman/listinfo/worldradio-L.

KEEPING IN TOUCH: Drop an e-mail to: WorldRadioOnline@gmail.com.

————————————————————-

Its a free offering and its well worth the time spent downloading it.

If anyone from RAC still reads this blog I really think this is the way for the TCA to go but its your choice/decision.

Standard Disclaimer:

I have no financial interest in CQ Publications.  They tell me about a free amateur publication and I share it with you.

This a “not for profit blog!”.

73bob

A visit to the RAC office

Today in my travels as I had some spare time on my hands I decided to drop in to the RAC office on Belfast and say “HI” to Chris VA3SM who is now looking after the office on a daily basis.  As it turned out the new RAC Treasurer Margaret VA3VXN was there as well.

I also had time and the chance to read the May-June TCA as a spare copy was available but as it turns out Canada Post had my copy  waiting for me when I got home…  So I got to re-read it..

If you go back to the RAC Blog from April 30th   Peter VE3HG commented on the issue with the following:

I got a sneak preview of The Canadian Amateur magazine and it’s another terrific issue.

There’s info on the new Canadian access to 137 kHz and info on the RAC proposal for 60 meter spot frequencies.

All the regular columns are there and there’s lots of new operating news.

===========

And I can tell you he was not kidding…  It does make for good reading every 2nd month.

And almost as if it was planned in my mailbox along with the TCA came the new flyer from Radioworld.  May is sale month at Radioworld, not to mention their 11th anniversary and I guess they would prefer if we went to Steeles ave rather than Dayton and spend our hard earned $$$$ there instead.  In all honesty seeing that the prices are dropping as our dollar gets stronger there is less reason to shop south of the border…

Also in the flyer it mentions that they are having a “Customer Appreciation BBQ”  on May 29th with a free BBQ lunch between 11am and 2pm…

Lets see now…  If I left Ottawa at 6am …  I could make it there around 11am…. grab a burger and then go wild with the digital camera and put it all together as a blog post and send it right from the store because I have that new internet stick from Wind Mobile so….  Blogging in real time…. and a chance to check out the deals at the same time…  Wonder if they have a spare desk I could borrow???  Maybe they might make a comment and let me know…

Above picture taken at the OARC Carp Hamfest in 2009

They did come to the Carp Hamfest in Ottawa so maybe I could head down to visit them… Fair is fair…

(disclaimer…  my only connection to Radioworld is that of a happy customer… I have been treated well by them in the past so I don’t mind saying nice things about them)

Anywayzzzzz   Carp is a few months away and like I mentioned earlier the Smith Falls Hamfest is this Saturday…  I am hitching a ride down with Don VA3GFD and should be there close to when the doors open for the general public at 0900…  Leaving “Timmies” in Ottawa just around 0800…  Hopefully we will see you there…

73bob