VECTOR March 2023 News

Posted 1 March 2023 in newsletter

Previous newsletters can be found in the archive.

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

1. Coming Meeting

Our next members' meeting will be held Wednesday, March 1, at City Hall and online using Zoom. Special guest Jordan Myers returns to update us on major complex special events this year.

Detailed agenda included in e-mail to members.

2. Community News - What’s Coming

• Celebration of Light starts a week earlier in 2023
• Bi-weekly Open Coffee - March 11, City Square Food Court, 10:30
• Help pick which Sunday for Monthly Radio Room Sunday Mornings
• Silent Key VE7TD
• Check-in and Chat hosts needed
• VECTOR Operator Workshop 2023-03-25
• Field Day Crew checked in with Coquitlam and North Shore
• CERV Prep Activities
• VECTOR Phone List?
• Learn to diagnose radio station issues?

Celebration of Light starts a week earlier in 2023

Celebration of Light dates for 2023 give us a rest before we tackle Pride this year!

• 2023-07-22
• 2023-07-26
• 2023-07-29

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Bi-weekly Open Coffee - March 11, City Square Food Court, 10:30

Casual meetup to get to know each other, others in the local radio community, and what each crew’s working on. Refer to Saturday mornings in our calendar.

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Help pick which Sunday for Monthly Radio Room Sunday Mornings

We can choose to start on any of the Sundays in March. Which is best for you?

Help Anthony VE7XAK and a few others tackle maintenance and improvements to systems in the radio room once a month on a Sunday Morning. Which week do you recommend?

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Silent Key VE7TD

Tom Dunn, a former member, VE7TD, is now a silent key. He contributed a lot to VECTOR over his many years with us and we will sadly miss him in the amateur community. He contributed much, notably as a member of the North Shore club where he was very active.

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Check-in and Chat hosts needed

Reg VA7ZEB has take over as currently key contact for the nightly check-in and chat. Over the next few weeks, the current hosts have too many other commitments to give around 3 nights a week as net control. Help Reg.

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VECTOR Operator Workshop 2023-03-25

You can join a short voice protocol practice workshop on Saturday, 2023-03-25, at 18:30. We will be at City Hall. Sign up on BI

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Field Day Crew checked in with Coquitlam and North Shore

Next step is calling all members for 15 minutes to check in about Field Day and other VECTOR activities.

Field Day Crew still checking HF performance at DSA2 to assess how we might do Field Day there.

North Shore and Coquitlam welcome further dialogue about having VECTOR join activities where they are. Coquitlam already works with Burnaby, New Westminster, and local Canadian Armed Forces to hold a Field Day event.

Field Day crew meets again 2023-03-15: join in.

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CERV Prep Activities

A small cadre of volunteers are tending the CERV Bus: periodically running the engine to charge the starter battery and taking stock of what is currently in the vehicle.

Tamara VA7ETR lead our application for a grant from the Community Services Recovery Fund.

Next steps involve converting CERV subsystems to deployable kits.

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VECTOR Phone List?

Have you confirmed whether you want to be on the VECTOR members-only phone list? We intend to issue a phone list to help you contact team mates when you help out. You can consent in your volunteer profile under “Additional Information… Other”. (In Better Impact)

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Learn to diagnose radio station issues?

You can learn how to debug your station. Let’s start a hands-on workshop!.

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How do you want to help?

Radio Room Sunday Mornings start in March

Come help with, work on, and learn about the radios, feedlines, antennas, and on-air testing that keep our radio room ready.  [Express interest](https://forms.gle/wScs3RGsWQhJakg26).  

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Nightly Check-in and Chat team needs a few host operators

Reg VA7ZEB is helping people pick up the role of net control so that we have a nightly check-in and chat.  [Help Reg](mailto:[email protected]?subject=Nightly%20Net).  

[Background on the Check-in and Chat](https://vectorradio.ca/post/2020/pandemic-health-and-welfare-net/)

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• Resume work on the Microwave Link (High-speed Data) project

  We have much of the gear, just need a few parts and three people to make it happen. Involves HamWAN, AREDN and dish antennas. Express interest.

• Give as much commitment as fits your life as a helper to finish jobs

  Get advice | Help a team | Get the code | Check our backlog

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3. Upcoming Training & Practice Opportunities

• Voice Operator Practice - City Hall on 2023-03-25, 18:30

• Net Control - Email Andrew VA7YAA
• Key Files
• EmComm Skills Notes

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4. On Air Radio Activities

Local Nets | Program | Calendar | Jessé VE7DET | Team Page | [Team Mail][mailRocky]

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Winlink Thursdays: your chance to practice with others

Time Estimate: 30 minutes

• EmComm Training’s recorded Seminar about Winlink Thursdays
• EmComm Training is 1500 amateur operators across North America
• Take a shot at Winlink Thursdays

Get to know other members on air - 19:05 nightly on VE7RVF

Time Estimate: 30 minutes

• Members have run these nets since 2020-04-01
• Please take your shot leading as net controller for one night
• Nightly Net Controller chooses a question or topic to inspire sharing (anything from radio to food to entertainment to no topic at all)
• Connect to around 15 fellow operators (from 8 to 35 people any day)
• About the check-in and chat: origin
• Remember to identify your signal
  • your call sign at both the beginning and end of each period of communication
  • 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

Email Jesse VE7DET

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Practise with VECTOR Winlink Gateway - 441.025 MHz simplex

• Give it a shot Time Estimate: 15 minutes

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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.

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5. Announcements, Notables, etc.

• Kits Crew meetups - 2023-03-25, 10:00

  Kitsilano Community Centre supports VECTOR using the Meeting Room one Saturday morning each month so that we can get to know each other, practice together, and learn the local equipment. Details in the website calendar.

• DEEP: New Earthquake Risk Model - Dr. Tiegan Hobbs

  Head over to Dunbar to learn more about our national earthquake risk model. Wednesday, March 8, 19:00 - in person and online.

• Coquitlam Facilities and Activities - video

  Recorded virtual presentation giving the Kamloops Amateur Radio Club (KARC.ca) a live tour of the Coquitlam Amateur Radio Emergency Services Society (CARESS) facility on June 5th 2023. Ponder the tour.

• DEEP History - video

  Ponder the history in Dunbar

• CommAcademy Convention 2023 Online April 9

  Learn more about emergency communications in the online convention. 2022 sesssions all on YouTube!

• BC COVID-19 Response updated 2023-02-11

  Boosters and immunization program

• Sea-Pac Ham Convention in person June 2

  First weekend in June, amateur radio operators come together in Seaside, Oregon. Commercial exhibits, giant Flea Market, workshops, seminars, banquet, Prizes, and more.

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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:

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7. Monthly Members' Meetings

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

The next 4 Monthly Members' Meeting dates:

• March 1 - first Wednesday, 18:30 (City Hall third floor)
• April 5 - 18:30 (location pending)
• May 3 - 18:30 (location pending)
• June 7 - 18:30 (location pending)

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.

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Tnx es 73,

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

VA7DPO || Darryl Pogue, Vice President (he|him)

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