VECTOR October 2024 News

Posted 2 October 2024 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 is Wednesday, October 2, in the E-COMM Media Room.

Detailed agenda included in e-mail to members.

2. Community News - What’s Coming

• Monthly Communications Test resumes
• VECTOR Winlink now has local mailbox fallback
• BC Transit Museum Society reviewing CERV Bus S5509
• Car Free Main Street - September 15
• Adventure Radio Protocol Proposed for Back-country
• Building Community Resilience Program Announced
• US ACES and RAC AUX-C Courses Look Interesting
• Vaccination top-ups still available
• Missed Something?

Monthly Communications Test resumes

• DSA2 (Clinton Park), Fire Hall 5, Radio Room
• Sign Up

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VECTOR Winlink now has local mailbox fallback

• Anthony VE7XAK and Darryl VA7DPO have worked together to set up a second type of failover for our system
• BCWARN was our first failover and currently trees in our path block it
• New failover involves a local mailbox
• Details in October meeting - 2024-10-02, 18:30

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BC Transit Museum Society reviewing CERV Bus S5509

• VECTOR regaining ties to Transit Museum Society
• TMS President and one of VECTOR’s founders has shared much history
• Way forward in October meeting - 2024-10-02, 18:30

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Car Free Main Street - September 15

• 4 VECTOR members volunteered
• recce brings many insights and way forward
• combine civic service and skills practice next year
• Vision and way forward in October meeting - 2024-10-02, 18:30

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Adventure Radio Protocol Proposed for Back-country

• imagine a set frequency and CTCSS tone that people can call in distress (hiking, backcountry, lost)
• uses basic technology to signal without someone monitoring
• could update beyond the Wilderness Protocol
• via Tim VA7WYA
• RATPAC presentation video with Packtenna’s George KJ6VU
• Full Description

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Building Community Resilience Program Announced

• Emergency Preparedness Conference returns as the Building Community Resilience Conference
• November 18 - 21 in Pentiction
• Program Streams announced
• Jesse VE7DET considering what streams to focus on for VECTOR

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US ACES and RAC AUX-C Courses Look Interesting

• RAC and US peers finding served agencies want a consistent way to understand what operators can do
• VECTOR has used Amateur Radio Emergency Service as a reference historically, which is becoming outdated
• VECTOR looking at both Auxiliary Communications Emergency Service qualifications and Auxiliary Communications Service qualifications
• Check out ACES
• Check out AUXC

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Vaccination top-ups still available

• COVID-19 variants are still hurting people

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Missed Something?

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

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Help with, Work On, and Learn about

• Dry and air Tents and Crates

• Repair or replace HF-5V HF Vertical Antenna

• Adding headset jacks to Vision Kits

• Repair Antenna Tripod

• Upgrade radio in VFRS Command Truck

• Online Task Board shows things we are working on. Invitation Link. Cards on the board have checklists, conversations, and links to folders.

  • DSAs
  • Civic Events
  • Field Day
  • CERV
  • Maintain-Repair-Overhaul - take care of our stuff
  • Next Drill
  • High Speed Data
  • Board

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3. Upcoming Training & Practice Opportunities

• Net Control - Email Andrew VA7YAA
• Key Files
• EmComm Skills Notes
• “Must Learn” section in our “Resources” files
• Updating Learning Program - best learning at monthly drills, tests, and major civic events
• DSA100 - in Community News: starting to run two sessions each year

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4. On Air Radio Activities

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

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VECTOR Equipment Drills

• Described in Community News above.

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Get to know other members on air - Friday and Sunday 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 that we identify our 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

• Take your 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 shared a tool that shares the latest two-letter call signs. September 2024: VE7GX. About the tool.

• RAC Annual General Meeting - Saturday, October 5, 12:00 PT. Reports and business with open question period. Non-member stream and Details and Member Sign-up

• Winlink over VARA FM. WaveTalkers Instructor David, W0WHG, deploys his mobile station to send Winlink Traffic via VARA FM. Youtube Video via W6AH

• 9 Disaster Preparedness Lessons From Hurricane Helene. via Ben AI6YR

• Broadcastify includes some disaster response ham activity. W4HTP loaned their feed to N2GE 145.190 at Mt. Mitchell because their feed is down during the response to Hurricane Helene. Listen now

• ISS Amateur Radio Systems Status. VA3DBJ’s summary

• Help with Better Impact (MyVolunteerPage). Handy “How To” instructions and videos - Learn here.

• Open Emergency Map. General reference for current conditions: Map

• DEEP’s Event recordings: 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

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6. Weekly Net

Catch the weekly net at 20:00 every Wednesday on the VE7RVF repeater: VECTOR channel 1, 145.450 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 at the ECOMM meeting room to keep its operations flowing.

The next 4 Monthly Members' Meeting dates:

• September 4 - 18:30
• October 4 - 18:30
• November 6 - 18:30
• December 4 - 18:30, AGM - Room pending

All at the E-COMM Media Room, with Zoom connection open.

Please find the link to the Zoom online conference room in your email edition of the newsletter so that you can join remotely. The link also lives on your MyVolunteerPage homepage online or in your MyImpact mobile app. 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)

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