VECTOR January 2021 News

Posted in newsletter

Previous newsletters can be found in the archive.

Our next members' meeting will be held January 6 online using Zoom. Starting 2021: what do we wish would take VECTOR beyond the CERV bus into the future?.

Abbreviated Session Information

Details attached to mailed version.

  1. Future: 2021 and Beyond the CERV Bus - Jessé VE7DET - 20 minutes
  2. Brief Practical Exercise - Andrew VA7YAA - 15 minutes
  3. Operations and Intelligence Forum - Open - 55 minutes

Community News

CERV Bus and Future CERV

Making the CERV bus took 20 members and three years of effort. Let’s bring together a minimum viable product to replace it for the 2021 AGM, and refine the new system over the next 3 years.

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VECTOR COVID-19 Update - Adapting

To protect each other and our families, major VECTOR activities continue to use remote technologies. Zoom serves our core need for discussing our business items while we use both radio and Zoom for other activities.

We need two online places to use. What safe online teaching or conferencing system do you suggest? I use a few. Share yours.

Find our latest situational awareness summary and source links on our website

Restrictions

  • Visit only people within your household (core bubble)
  • Avoid gathering with anyone outside your core bubble
  • Serving alcohol permitted at restaurants and bars only until 20:00 daily

Work Rules:

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

[*] Read the rules in the members section of the website

Thank you for doing your part to “flatten the curve” to protect each other and people in our communities from the impacts of the SARS-CoV-2 virus.

Dr. Bonnie Henry, BC Provincial Health Officer:

“Be kind, be calm, and be safe.”

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VECTOR Needs Your Help

Find your place! Teams (All team pages are in the members' section of the website. Grab the latest code from the VECTOR section in your MyImpactPage News. )

  • Like getting your hands dirty?

    Learn about our backlog of jobs; many different levels of commitment. Helping update the frequency list, helping to program radios, and taking care of computers are the first few. Would you like to know more? Logistics Team | Ask Tyler VE7PDO | Sign up

  • Enjoy talking about radio?

    Help share knowledge during the Radio Skills Course presenting and enriching one of the subjects listed below. You’ll have a framework and a time limit.

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

    Would you like to know more? Ask Andrew VA7YAA | Radio Skills Course Team | Sign-up to help

  • Free the Ideas from our Brainstorming Session Recording

    Can you pull the treasure trove of ideas out of recording we have from the August 2018 Brainstorming Session and into a spreadsheet? Email Jesse VE7DET | Check it out

  • Help with VPD Disaster Communications Gear

    Help us work with VPD to make sure its amateur radio gear can work with us. One of the stations Bryan VA7BFY assembled has lost its home. It’s time to outfit that station for current needs. Email Jesse VE7DET | Join the conversation

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Upcoming Training & Practice Opportunities

  • 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.

  • 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.

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On Air Radio Activities

Find activities in the Weekly Preview update, on our calendar, or even listening on our repeaters.

Kevin VE7SFA | Jessé VE7DET | Team Page | Team Mail

New Year’s Eve Special Check-In and Chat Net - 23:45 tonight

Join a brief, casual net on VE7RVF 2020-12-31 at 23:45 to tag out 2020 together. Our host: Christin VA7WIE. (VECTOR Ch. 1: 145.450 MHz -600 kHz T100.0 Hz)

Nightly Check-In and Chat Net - 19:05 nightly

Tune in with other local radio amateurs to check in and chat each night informally on VE7RVF. Nets have run for over 270 nights (since 2020-04-01. The nightly Net Controller chooses a question or topic to share; anything from radio to food to entertainment to no topic at all. A slow night might cover 8 check-ins, but several times 35 operators have joined and shared. We have been discussing putting together a radio amateur recipe website, with all of the food ideas and tips from our operators.

Weekly Net - 20:00 weekly on Wednesday

Keep your formal net skills sharp. Checking in on Wednesday’s stretches a few less-used skills. Details below under the Next Nets list.

Tied up for these? Here’s alternatives

Visit other nets for variety and practice: Local Nets List

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Announcements, Notable, etc.

New Directors Re-energize Teams

Our new directors intend to re-energize volunteers working on the documentation and logistics teams. Documentation team takes care of our booklets and guides. Logistics takes care of hardware and equipment. Documentation | Logistics

Team Grab and Go

Team will put 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 we have are “Millenium” and “Olympic”.

Team New Packet Radio

Starting site-to-site testing between François 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
January 06 1 145.450 MHz -600 kHz T100.0 Hz
January 13 430 446.100 MHz
January 20 401 443.725 MHz +5 MHz T88.5 Hz
January 27 44 146.430 MHz
February 03 20 147.200 MHz +600 kHz T100.0 Hz
February 10 7 147.450 MHz T100.0 Hz simplex

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:
  • January 06 at 18:30 - Priority and Focus: Beyond the Bus
  • February 03 at 18:30 - Field Day, Field Exercises, On-Air Exercises
  • March 03 at 18:30 - Guest: Mika McKinnon VA7SCI, Jordan Myers or Dr. Tiegan Hobbs
  • April 01 at 18:30 - Guest: Jordan Myers, Mika or Tiegan
  • May 05 at 18:30 - Guest: Dr Tiegan Hobbs, Mika or Jordan

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

  • 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
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