VECTOR January 2024 News

Posted 3 January 2024 in newsletter

Planning our year ahead and a few things to do in January and February.

Previous newsletters can be found in the archive.

1. Coming Meeting

Our next members' meeting will be held Wednesday, January 3. I missed formally reserving the ECOMM Media Room in time so your safest bet is online using Zoom. I intend to join from E-COMM, even if it’s from the radio room.

To chart key events for 2024. We also must:

kick off Field Day coordination
pick some inactive project folders to archive
kick off the CERV Replacement crew (grant may be ready)
talk about key VFRS and VEMA projects for the spring
confirm our Winter Field Day commitment

Detailed agenda included in e-mail to members.

2. Community News - What’s Coming

Winter Field Day - 2024-01-27
Respiratory Illness Season
William Dereume new ESS Coordinator
VFRS Dialogues
Safety Code 6 Review at E-COMM
What do you notice that needs VECTOR attention?
Radio Skills Course coming soon
HEMBC Kits nearly ready for user testing
Upgrading DSA2 radio setup now
VECTOR courses back in-person: Basic and Advanced
CERV and Generator
16 Field and Net Control Operators to Pick Up Polo Shirts
Renew for 2024
Missed Something?

Winter Field Day - 2024-01-27

Your chance to use radio room HF system with a coach. Small crew coming to radio room to join international on air activity. More on Loomio (invitation in emailed version’s signature).

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Respiratory Illness Season

Health care is circulating invitations for our annual immunization for Influenza and COVID-19.

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William Dereume new ESS Coordinator

William is taking over for Jackie. Jesse VE7DET eagerly awaits his next announcement for a special course (EOC Essentials, Psychosocial Resilience, DSA, or other EMCR course).

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VFRS Dialogues

Captain Chris Short ramping up with Jesse VE7DET to organize work

protocol for firefighter’s families to advise status during disaster
regular practices at the DOC
assembling gear for the DOC at Hall 5
joint activities with NEAT
at least 2 people to serve as leads to support VFRS

Follow along - VFRS threads

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Safety Code 6 Review at E-COMM

E-COMM and VECTOR have started reviewing rooftop radio exposure. For at least the next few months, when we intend to transmit in the radio room, we must notify Facilities Operations and Security beforehand. We have committed to keeping the door open so E-COMM can check in when needed. Protocol Notes (members only)

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What do you notice that needs VECTOR attention?

The board raises agenda items together each month. We can only see what we see. What you see is just as important. This year, each month has it’s own form (link at the top of this message).

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Radio Skills Course coming soon

Just need enough people committed to join in before we schedule our next four-week deep dive into radio subjects. Learn more about our key technologies and buying your first radio. Play in three specialized on-air activities. Non-VECTOR operators welcome with $ 20 fee. Sign up now!

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HEMBC Kits nearly ready for user testing

Anthony VE7XAK, Norman, VE7NWM, and the Grab and Go Kit Team are nearly done upgrading the first 10 Kits from HEMBC. Would you like to take one home to use for a few weeks and comment on?

HEMBC is Health Emergency Management BC
Each kit is a UHF-VHF deployable station with Winlink

Contact Anthony

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Upgrading DSA2 radio setup now

VEMA brought the radio systems and shelf from DSA2 to the radio room. We get to repack these like we did for DSA3. Details evolving on Loomio (invitation in signature of mailed version).

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VECTOR courses back in-person: Basic and Advanced

Congratulations to Mike VA7AZF and six others upgraded to Advanced through VECTOR’s new course! Details.

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CERV and Generator

We expect news about the grant in January. We intend to begin by March preparing deployable kits and retiring older items from the gear in the CERV. Ian VA7IT has already pulled the station parts into boxes.

Paul VE7PXG is leading generator repair.

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16 Field and Net Control Operators to Pick Up Polo Shirts

VECTOR handed out 15 polo shirts at the AGM to volunteers who served as field operators during 2023. Let’s see how these shirts serve for events in 2024. We are still organizing with the 16 left, to confirm we have enough of each size. Membership or Board can give any of the 16 their shirt when we are next at the radio room together.

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Renew for 2024

To remain active volunteers, we need three things current:

getting a Police Information Check every fifth year
accepting the City Volunteer Waiver every January
updating our MyVolunteerPage (or BetterImpact) profile

You can pay your dues via Interac eTransfer to [email protected], or by cheque.

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Missed Something?

We intend that this news looks forward unless we wish to commemorate accomplishments. I expect to know about 20 - 50% of what’s going on. You can easily make sure we get closer to 80% of what matters using our news form: Recommend Item.

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Help with, Work On, and Learn about

Online Task Board shows active opportunities. Eight parts of VECTOR you can get involved in: Invitation Link. Task cards have links to file folders, checklists, and conversations.

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3. Upcoming Training & Practice Opportunities

Radio Skills - Register now
Net Control - Email Andrew VA7YAA
Key Files
EmComm Skills Notes
Updating Learning Program - best learning at monthly drills

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4. On Air Radio Activities

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Winter Field Day - 2023-01-27

Join a few members to use the Radio Room overnight on air with the Winter Field Day Association
Details on Loomio (invitation in signature below)

Get to know other members on air - Friday Nights at 20:00 on VE7RVF

Time Estimate: 30 minutes

Please take your shot leading as net controller for one night
Connect to around 15 fellow operators (from 8 to 35 people any day)
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

Get involved

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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.

Learn when two-letter call signs become available. Jen VE7KIP wrote a tool that shares the latest two-letter call signs with Jesse VE7DET when released. Autumn 2023: VE7TW, VE7RM, VE7VF, VE7JQ, VE7SJ, VE7YW.
Open Emergency Map. General reference for current conditions: Map
Movie Poster with wrong Code letter. Every ham radio operator is likely to ask about the “misspelling”: W7VOA on Journa.host
DEEP’s Event recordings: November 2023 session has Go Bag tips! Posted online each month
SEPAR and SARC magazine: John VE7TI publishes latest issue right before our monthly Members session on a bi-monthly interval: VE7SAR
Keep an eye on Zoom. Company looks like it wants to train its own ChatGPT on users' calls.
- Quartz report
- Backlash

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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:

Date	Channel	Frequency Information
January 03	44	146.430 MHz
January 10	20	147.200 MHz +600 kHz T100.0 Hz
January 17	7	147.450 MHz T100.0 Hz simplex
January 24	4	146.580 MHz simplex
January 31	1	145.450 MHz -600 kHz T100.0 Hz

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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:

January 3 - 18:30 (on Zoom, may have Media Room)
February 7 - 18:30 (E-COMM Media Room and Zoom)
March 6 - 18:30 (E-COMM Media Room and Zoom)
May 8 - 18:30 (E-COMM Media Room and Zoom)

Please find the link to the Zoom online conference room in your email edition of the newsletter for joining remotely or on your MyVolunteerPage 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] Recommend Item

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

Join Loomio to pitch in
https://loomio.org/vector-vancouver/
https://vectorradio.ca/members/discuss/ (Jump to) Traditional and unceded territories of the Musqueam (xʷməθkʷəy̓əm), Squamish (Sḵwx̱wú7mesh), and Tsleil-Waututh (səl̓ilwətaɁɬ) peoples.