VEMA needs VECTOR at the 2022 Celebration of Lights. Our operating hypothesis involves volunteers serving the event like we did in 2019.

We use APRS tracking to help keep volunteers safe in major events. Members need to carry VECTOR radios to do so. What if we could give members small trackers and let you use your own radio?

A small, low-power tracker may make our civic events work easier. LoRa (Long Range) is a proprietary modulation that uses chirp spread spectrum to achieve long ranges with low power use and high immunity to interference. We intend to use the 433 MHz version to test APRS, telemetry, and short messaging.

We need two to four people to help field test mini-trackers in June and July. Anthony VE7XAK has offered to lead the project and set up all the gear.

Once we rally a core set of volunteers to guide the work, we have approval to use Queen Elizabeth Park for Field Day 2022. Parks Board Events granted our conditional permit for using the usual place to set up a Field Day event. We need 5 volunteers who will guide VECTOR’s 2022 Field Day, though.

We now protect our community using our personal responsibility and respect for others; we have the skills and restrictions are discretionary by property owner and host.

Exercise: Set up and run a VECTOR remote site to play 20 Questions using net protocol for questions and radiograms for guesses.

It’s time to check-in with our colleagues that work at our radio sites. Our first multi-site drills in 2018 helped rebuild sleeping ties. New multi-site drills can do it again!

We must prepare to volunteer. City staff are working with community groups that plan to host events this year.

Previous newsletters can be found in the archive.

Public health safety restrictions changing.

Just before the pandemic started, VECTOR decided to de-acquire all our Motorola Saber radios. We shifted to using Baofeng radios as loaners during our practice courses.