VECTOR August 2021 News

Posted in newsletter

Previous newsletters can be found in the archive.

Our next members' meeting will be held August 4 online using Zoom: guest speaker Assistant Chief Cooper, results planning our CERV replacement, getting ready for August activities.

1. Coming Meeting | 2. News | 3. Learn | 4. On Air | 5. Notable | 6. Secondaries | 7. Meetings

1. Coming Meeting

Details attached to mailed version.

  1. Ask Me Anything VFRS - AC Tom Cooper - 20 minutes
  2. Brief Practical Exercise - Winlink - 15 minutes
  3. O&I Forum - CERV, VFRS, Training, Partnerships - All - 55 minutes

–

2. Community News

Guest Speaker: Assistant Chief Tom Cooper, Emergency Communications, Vancouver Fire Rescue Services
VFRS connecting with VECTOR
Richmond’s Online Advanced Course
Ready for a Simplex Relay Day?
SWERC emerges as place for local organizations to coordinate
Likely to see regional ARES exercise on October 30
ARES, VECTOR, and ACS
Whom would you recommend for director?
“How is volunteering in VECTOR?” for our October session
Catching up on Special Guests
COVID-19 Update
VECTOR seeks Techs, Devs, Helpers, and Teachers

Ask Assistant Chief Cooper Anything… About VFRS

  • Assistant Chief Tom Cooper works with Communications Captain Timothy Lucas

  • Official role: Manager Emergency Communications Systems and Technology

  • Takes care of Departmental Operations Centre, Command Vehicle, and every other piece of VFRS communications equipment

  • Connecting from temporary assignment supporting the wildfire response

  • NOTE: AC Cooper was whisked to field meeting immediately beforehand and unable to attend

–

VFRS connecting with VECTOR

  • We shared knowledge with Assistant Chief Cooper over the last couple of weeks
    • Olympic Heavy three-band grab and go kits
    • Command 4 (truck) has one 2 m Alinco alongside the other 4 non-ham radios
    • Fire Hall No. 5’s VECTOR cabinet and repeater cabinet
    • Fire Hall No. 5’s Community (or DOC) Room
  • Next steps:
    • arrange with VFRS to outfit Fire Hall No. 5 with a new three-band kit
    • arrange to upgrade Command 4’s amateur radio setup to include Winlink
    • arrange tests: Command 4 radio, Chess St. radios, and on-going routine

Email Darryl VA7DPO

–

Advanced Qualification Online Course Starts August 14

  • Richmond Amateur Radio Club is offering advanced qualification training
  • 5 morning sessions start 2021-08-14 and finish 2021-09-18 (Exam planned for 2021-09-25)
  • $85 covers instruction, notes, handouts, and exam
  • RARC offers discount on Coax’s “Advanced Qualification Study Guide” (for pick-up only)
  • RARC is planning some interesting learning opportunities

Richmond ARC

–

Ready for another Simplex Relay Day?

–

Likely to see Regional ARES exercise on October 30

  • Paul VA7XP checking in with local organizations about coordinating October exercises
  • Imagine our whole region doing a ‘simulated-emergency test’?
  • 2021 theme: High Impact Low Freqency Event
  • 2021-10-30, Saturday, 09:00 to 12:00
  • More coming from emerging “Southwest Emergency Radio Coordinators”

SET 2021

–

ARES, VECTOR, and ACS

  • ARES = Amateur Radio Emergency Service
  • VECTOR serves as an amateur radio emergency unit without fully using the ARES framework, for now
  • ARES learning plan looks pretty easy: ARES Checklist
  • Watch out for emerging Auxiliary Communications Service

2015 Manual | new Manual coming

–

Whom would you recommend for director?

  • Members deliver VECTOR services (to each other and the community)
  • Directors handle risk, finances, and ambassadorship for VECTOR
  • Share your recommendation for future directors: message to Jesse'

–

How is volunteering in VECTOR? 2021-10-06 (October)

  • Instead of a guest speaker and O&I Forum, we intend to have open dialogue with members
  • Let’s explore important questions:
    • What have you liked about VECTOR in the last two years?
    • Where do you prefer to look to know what’s going on in VECTOR?
    • How do you wish VECTOR could help you to volunteer in the coming years?
    • What does VECTOR do that you feel is a barrier for you?
  • Can’t make it in October? Please add your thoughts using our survey

–

Catching up on Special Guests

–

VECTOR COVID-19 Update - Recovery Begins

Response (update) | Restart

Careful, respectful gatherings

  • Updated details – next checkpoint: September 7
  • Gradual ending starts – update July 28
  • Up to 50 people, if communicable disease plan submitted
  • Our sites remain restricted as noted previously with our work rules posted in the members' section of the website
  • Note that 2 aggressive variants circulate: Delta and Lambda

Use Jitsi for pop-up meetings when you need to share screens

Thank you for being a protector for people in our communities who could suffer from the impacts of the SARS-CoV-2 virus.

Dr. Bonnie Henry, BC Provincial Health Officer:

“Be kind, be calm, and be safe.”

–

VECTOR Seeks Technicians, Helpers, Devs, and Teachers

  • Give as much commitment as fits your life as a helper finishing jobs

Get advice | Help a team | Get the code

  • Be an instructor for the Basic Amateur Radio Proficiency Course

    Best way to learn is to teach another person. Find full details on the course page.
    You can also become an organizer and help keep the course going.

    Training Team | Ask Anthony VE7XAK

  • Free the ideas from our Brainstorming Session recording

    Can you pull the treasure trove of ideas out of a recording we have from the August 2018 Brainstorming Session and into a spreadsheet?

    Email Jesse VE7DET | Check it out

  • Become an examiner for VECTOR

    VECTOR will help you become an examiner if you are interested and you can give time to invigilate exams for the Basic Proficiency Course.

    Ask Linda VE7LMP

–

3. Upcoming Training & Practice Opportunities

Review Learning Program | Dive into Exercises

Radio Skills | Tech Nights | Net Control

Level-up - Tech Night and Troubleshooting, August 10

Session Overview | Add to Calendar

  • Help each other solve someone’s latest communications problem
  • Come together monthly: August 10, 19:00
  • Get help with a problem that frustrates you

Level-up - become a Net Control Operator

  • Write an email to Andrew VA7YAA to join the list
  • First step: attend the introduction to the net control operator program on Zoom

Find more

–

4. On Air Radio Activities

Local Nets | Program | Calendar | Jessé VE7DET | Team Page | Team Mail

Simplex Relay Day - Saturday, August 28

Time Estimate: 2 hours

  • Let’s have fun together on air Saturday, August 28
  • We’ll play with VHF frequency hopping to send each other radiograms with trivia questions and answers
  • Join from home or anywhere: rendezvous on VE7RVF first
  • Details coming: https://vectorradio.ca/simplexrelayday

Connect Casually Any Night - 19:05 nightly on VE7RVF

Time Estimate: 30 minutes

Find like-minded operators at check-in and chat nets. Members have run these nets for over 480 nights (since 2020-04-01) (except for 2021-07-25 when there was no net controller available). The nightly Net Controller chooses a question or topic to share; anything from radio to food to entertainment to no topic at all. Connect to around 15 fellow members. A slow night might cover 8 check-ins, but several times 35 operators have joined and shared.
Please remember to identify your signal by stating your call sign at both the beginning and end of each period of communication as per RBR-4 — Standards for the Operation of Radio Stations in the Amateur Radio Service section 9.3 (even a casual net gives time to practice good procedures).
If you would like to try your hand at being a net controller, please contact Christin VA7WIE.

–

New VECTOR Winlink Gateway active - 441.025 MHz simplex

Time Estimate: 15 minutes

Tune your radio to 441.025 MHz and run your Winlink session to become more comfortable using Winlink email over radio. Finicky 440 reception means repositioning your antenna by as little as 10 cm can make a difference. If you still can’t connect, you can relay through various other Winlink nodes.

  • Added new Lenovo M90n after rack server hard drive packed it in

  • New Lenovo M90n running RMS, BPQ, and APRS-IS

  • VA7EOC-10, 441.025 MHz simplex

  • VA7EOC-1 active for APRS-IS

–

Keep Formal Net Skills Sharp on Weekly Net - 20:00 weekly on Wednesdays, VE7TEL

Time Estimate: 30 minutes

Checking in on Wednesdays stretches a few less-used skills. Details below in 6. Weekly Nets.

–

5. Announcements, Notables, etc.

Get to know other members on air

Nightly Check in and Chat | Monthly Exercises

–

Updating Our Frequency Table

  • Aiming to limit major changes to order
  • Major updates needed to align with existing repeater situation
  • Get involved: Frequency List in Logistics forum
  • See what it is: Work in Progress (please only view, post comments to the Logistics forum rather than edit)

Help Out | Logistics forum

–

Nearly ready for Radio Auction

  • All information assembled and we have everything for 4 complete radios
  • TODO Prepare a spot on the members section of the website

–

August Tech Night Next Week - 2021-08-10, 19:00

  • Without interest, Tak plans to put this on hold
  • Second Tuesday: 2021-08-10, 19:00, VECTOR Zoom
  • Any topic welcome
  • Join the call to get involved

Details

–

VE6EI compliments VECTOR on our APRS system

  • VECTOR’s APRS setup appeared in The Canadian Amateur last month
  • Joel VE6EI shared interest in how we can connect to the FPAC network through the Tel-8 digipeater

VE6EI | FPAC

–

VE7FET contacted about VE7TEL repeater

  • Richard VE7PNP started dialogue with Lee VE7FET (TPARC)
  • 7 questions to aid troubleshooting:
    • When did you lose contact? Keying up or hearing another station?
    • How many people are affected?
    • Where are people affected?
    • Have you lost contact in a place you used to easily connect?
    • What kind of radio, power, and antenna were you using?
    • Was the problem intermittent?
    • Does the problem persist for a long time once it starts?
  • Write to Tyler VE7PDO

–

New Operations Manual for Amateur Radio Emergency Services coming up

  • Remember: understanding A.R.E.S., R.A.C.E.S., and N.T.S. help VECTOR
  • We apply the same structures in our own context
  • VECTOR is Vancouver’s amateur radio emergency service
  • VECTOR has a specialized framework with VEMA

RAC | Previous | EmCom

–

Expecting to finish new kits this summer

Team Grab and Go

  • Starting to receive laptops
  • Planning next year
  • Next team huddle (bi-weekly) on Tuesday afternoons in Zoom: 2021-08-10 16:00

–

6. Weekly Net

Catch the weekly net 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 opportunities for amateur radio operators to test radios using other bands and modes of operation.

Schedule for upcoming secondary net frequencies:
Date Channel Frequency Information
August 04 44 146.430 MHz
August 11 20 147.200 MHz +600 kHz T100.0 Hz
August 18 7 147.450 MHz T100.0 Hz simplex
August 25 4 146.580 MHz simplex
September 01 1 145.450 MHz -600 kHz T100.0 Hz

–

7. Monthly Members' Meetings

VECTOR gathers on the first Wednesday of every month to keep its operations flowing. Connect in our Zoom virtual space unless otherwise noted.

The next 4 Monthly Members' Meeting dates:
  • September 01 at 18:30 - Guest: Gabriel VA7GXM - Being in Earthquakes
  • October 06 at 18:30 - Member Insights Special Session
  • November 03 at 18:30 - Guest: Kris H - VEMA
  • December 01 at 18:30 - Annual General Meeting

Connect with others before and after the main session:

  • Join early (15 minutes) at 18:15
  • Hang around after (20 minutes) until roughly 20:50
  • We’ll have breakout areas available

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

–

Tnx es 73,

VE7DET || Jessé Neri, President (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.