VECTOR December 2020 News

Posted in newsletter

Previous newsletters can be found in the archive.

Our next members' meeting will be held December 2 online using Zoom. Please join us for our annual general meeting to learn what we have achieved and how we can succeed next year.

Community News

Zoom Tips

  • Show your full name and call sign
  • Use a Zoom poll
  • Ready your ‘Fist to Five’

Show your full name and call sign

Your name that you show is how we intend to figure out if you’ve paid your dues. Please make sure your full name and call sign show when you’re in the session.

Guide for Changing your Name in Zoom

Use a Zoom poll

Your votes will tally rapidly when we use the anonymous polling function in Zoom. It pops up super easy on all platforms. We’ll invite unpaid members and guests into a waiting room while voting is going on.

Quick Guide on Answering Polls in Zoom

Ready your ‘Fist to Five’

Your Fist to Five is a rapid way to show your stance on a question. It’s a scale where 2 and less is negative and 3 and up is positive.

Quick Guide to ‘Fist to Five’

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VECTOR COVID-19 Update - BC Restart Phase 3 On Hold

To protect each other and our families, major VECTOR activities remain on radio or Zoom online conferencing. Current details and links on website

Rules:

  • Only meet or go to site if radio, telephone, or Zoom won’t get it done
  • Keep time together or on site to the minimum time you truly need
  • Cancel if you feel unwell
  • Wear masks
  • Sanitize your hands when entering
  • Sign in
  • Sanitize our work area
  • Maintain physical distance everywhere (2 metres)

Notes:

  • E-Comm meeting room: off-limits
  • Radio Room: only 2 people, rules above apply
  • Net Control: remote sites
  • PICs: by appointment
  • Go-to Centres: by appointment, rules above apply
  • DSAs: rules above apply

Thank you for doing your part to “flatten the curve” to protect vulnerable members of our society.

Dr. Bonnie Henry, BC Provincial Health Officer:

“Be kind, be calm, and be safe.”

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VECTOR Needs Your Help

Find us! Teams (All team pages are in the members' section of the website. )

Like getting your hands dirty? Check out our Logistics Team Page

  • Radio Skills Course

    Seeking members who like to talk about each of the following aspects of amateur radio:

    • Using HF & CW
    • Using digital voice
    • Picking radio equipment

    Tell Andrew you’re interested using an email or check out our team page

  • Help out with the Annual General Meeting on Zoom

    Help us be there for members. We’re using polls to vote and a little bit of on-camera time, too. Please let Darryl VA7DPO know that you can help.

  • Free the Ideas from our Brainstorming Session Recording

    We have a treasure trove of ideas trapped in the August 2018 Brainstorming Session recording. Can you help? Please email Jesse VE7DET, we need a spreadsheet list useful for VECTOR.

    File: Brainstorming Session

  • Take Care of Computers

    We have a large, extended family of computers spread throughout the city that needs attention. Can you help? Please email Jesse VE7DET.

  • Help with VPD Disaster Communications Gear

    VPD has amateur radio gear among its disaster communications contingencies. One of the stations has lost its home and needs some attention to make sure it fits current needs. Can you help? Please email Jesse VE7DET. Or, join the conversation on [email protected].

  • Fix Entries on Frequency List

    Before we start updating the channels in all our many radios, Tyler VE7PDO and Dave VE7CNV wish for people to send ideas, corrections and updates for our frequency list. It’s 4 years old.

  • Program Radios

    Ask how to join the conversation about the radio frequencies, Tyler VE7PDO and Dave VE7CNV have been preparing the frequency list. Soon we will need to figure out how we will go about programming a lot of radios – some in special places – during a pandemic. Please check out our team page.

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Upcoming Training & Practice Opportunities

  • Net Control Operator training

    Interested in attending an introductory session on the net control operator program? Send an email to Andrew VA7YAA to join the list.

  • Radio Skills Course

    Session coming up for early 2021. Looking for members to show a few of the sections of material.

    Build both theoretical knowledge and experience to operate comfortably on-air. While aimed at recent graduates of VECTOR’s Amateur Radio Certification Course, sessions give all VECTOR members a chance to refresh skills through practice time and sharing with new amateurs.

    For more info, please contact [email protected]

  • Packet Chats

    Packet radio goes far beyond Winlink. Even if Winlink’s a key skill for our operators. Discover Winlink on Android Devices, learn how to send messages when Winlink clogs up, and see more ways to use your radio.

    Use Winlink on Android Devices:

    • with a TH-D72: you’ll need a USB-OTG adapter
    • with Direwolf on your device: you’ll need your specialized adapter kit for your soundcard to become PTT and TNC.

    See packet radio in action on working equipment and get live feedback to solve your problems. What can it do? What does it take? How do you set it up? How do you fix it when…? What digital mode are you curious about?

    Check out our team page.

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On Air Radio Activities

Please check out the Weekly Previews update to view the activities you can get involved in. You might also catch small activities on our repeaters. Look for activities on our calendar.

Contact Kevin VE7SFA and Jessé VE7DET to get involved.

Nightly Net

The VECTOR CheckIn and Chat at 19:05 PT nightly. We have run over 200 nets on VE7RVF, for radio amateurs to check in and chat with other enthusiasts. The nightly Net Controller chooses a question or topic for discussion. Anything from radio to food to entertainment to no topic at all. A slow night might cover 8 check-ins, but we have gone as high as 35 at times. We have been discussing putting together a radio amateur recipe website, with all of the food ideas and tips from our operators.

Weekly Net

Remember to check in on our weekly net to keep your formal net skills sharp. It stretches a few less-used skills. Details below under the Next Nets list.

Tied up for these? Here’s alternatives

Remember to visit other nets: Local Nets List

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Announcements, Notable, etc.

Renew your membership so you can vote at the AGM

Please remember to renew your membership with VECTOR before the AGM. You can send your $20 dues in time to vote using online banking: send your e-Transfer to [email protected].

You may still send your dues through regular mail to pay by cheque payable to “VECTOR”. You will remain unable to vote, though.

ATTN MEMBERSHIP
VECTOR
C/O E-COMM
3301 PENDER ST E
VANCOUVER BC V5K 5J3

If financial constraints limit you, please contact Jesse (president) so we can confidentially remove such a temporary barrier to your help with VECTOR.

Team Grab and Go

Team has a budget for putting together the first 4 “Vision”* Kits and plans to start ordering the main components. Weekly huddles on Tuesday afternoons in Zoom with monthly tech shares in person. More on our team page.

  • What other historical nickname could we give this kit? The other kits are “Millenium” and “Olympic”.

Team New Packet Radio

Starting site-to-site testing between Francois VA7GPL and Jim D VA7OPD. More details on https://feeding.cloud.geek.nz/posts/npr-modem-setup-testing-linux/ or on our team page

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Weekly Net

The weekly net takes place at 20:00 every Wednesday on the VE7TEL repeater: VECTOR channel 2, 145.170 MHz -600 kHz.

Each week, a secondary net follows on a different frequency, providing an opportunity for amateur radio operators to test their radio with other bands and modes of operation.

Schedule for upcoming secondary net frequencies:
Date Channel Frequency Information
December 02 401 443.725 MHz +5MHz T88.5 Hz
December 09 44 146.430 MHz
December 16 20 147.200 MHz +600 kHz T100.0 Hz
December 23 7 147.450 MHz T100.0 Hz simplex
December 30 4 146.580 MHz simplex
January 06 1 145.450 MHz -600 kHz T100.0 Hz

Monthly Members' Meeting

The monthly VECTOR members' meeting is the first Wednesday of every month in the Zoom virtual space unless otherwise noted.

The next 4 Monthly Members' Meeting dates:
  • December 02 for AGM
  • January 06 at 18:30
  • February 03 at 18:30
  • March 03 at 18:30

While we are restricted to online, let’s open up some unofficial space:

  • Unofficial session start: 18:15 (T-15 minutes)
  • Unofficial session end: 20:50

Please find the link to the Zoom online conference room in your email edition of the newsletter for joining remotely. You can sign up for upcoming members' meetings in BetterImpact.

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Tnx es 73,

VE7DET || Jessé Neri, Director (he|him)
[email protected]

VA7SWZ || Simone Hoedel, Writer and Communications Consultant (she|her)
VE7CNV || Dave Koyanagi, Proofreader (he|him)
VA7DPO || Darryl Pogue, Director (he|him)

https://vectorradio.ca/members/discuss/
https://keybase.io/team/helpingvector
Traditional and unceded territories of the Musqueam (xʷməθkʷəy̓əm), Squamish (Sḵwx̱wú7mesh), and Tsleil-Waututh (səl̓ilwətaɁɬ) peoples.