VECTOR September 2025 News

Posted in newsletter

Hope everyone is having a great long weekend, despite the slightly smoky air. Hard to believe September is already upon us!

Previous newsletters can be found in the archive.

VECTOR News

  • September Members' Meeting - September 3rd at 18:30

    The September members' meeting will take place on Wednesday, September 3rd, at 18:30 in the E-Comm Media Room. We encourage in-person participation, but you can also join remotely on Zoom.

    This month’s meeting will feature a presentation about Meshtastic, a review of message logging best practices, and a look ahead to some fall exercises and events.

  • Main Street Car-Free Day - September 14th (3 shifts)

    Come support a car-free space with local vendors, community groups, and live entertainment on Main Street between 10th and 30th Avenues.

    This event has 3 shifts, covering the morning entry and load-in for vendors (07:00), the street festival portion (11:00), and the egress for vendors (16:00). We are still a handful of volunteers short to properly staff this event, particularly for the evening egress period. If you’re available for a few hours that day, you could be one of our public safety helpers.

    You can sign up by filling out the Car-Free Main Street sign-up form and indicating which shift(s) you are interested in.

Training & Practice Opportunities

  • Winlink Data & Packet Radio Practice - September 17th at 18:30

    Get hands-on with the Winlink radio email system and learn how to use your radio to send and receive messages from your laptop or phone. It’s best to bring your own radio and laptop, but VECTOR can provide radios and other equipment to practice with.

    Your goal by the end of the evening will be to have your very own Winlink account, know how to send and receive emails over radio, and be able to check-in to the VECTOR Net through packet data.

    You can find more information and signup in Better Impact - Winlink Data Night.

  • Net Control Operator Training

    Want to level-up your comfort on-air and support your fellow operators? Join the VECTOR Net Control programme and learn how to run a net. You’ll help run the weekly check-in nets, and also qualify to be a Net Control Operator for events like Vaisakhi, Celebration of Light, and the BC ShakeOut. Contact Andrew VA7YAA to sign up.

  • Basic & Advanced Certifications Courses

    VECTOR will be offering both the Basic Certification and Advanced Certification courses beginning in October and running for several weeks on Saturdays.

    If you know anyone interested in getting their amateur radio licence, you can point them to VECTOR’s Basic Certification Course.

    If you are interested in diving deeper into amateur radio and getting your advanced certification, you can sign up to join VECTOR’s Advanced Certification Course.

Hands-On Opportunities

  • Monthly Emergency Communications Test - September 3rd at 09:30

    The City of Vancouver will be conducting their monthly emergency communications tests on Wednesday, September 3rd at 10:00. You can find more information and sign up in Better Impact - Monthly Radio Tests.

    October’s test will be on Wednesday, October 1st.

  • BC ShakeOut Earthquake Exercise - October 16th at 10:16

    When an earthquake happens, do you know what to do? The annual BC ShakeOut exercise is an opportunity to practice “Drop, Cover, and Hold-On” followed by a check-in net on the VE7RVF repeater (VECTOR channel 1). This year, we will be trying to coordinate members to head to and activate some DSA sites for additional practice with message passing and logging.

    Find more information and earthquake resources online at the BC ShakeOut website.

  • ERTEX Provincial Exercise - October 25th at 09:00

    This annual exercise from the Provincial Emergency Radio Coordination Service (PERCS) simulates an emergency situation with communication between EOC and PREOC radio rooms. VECTOR will be aiming to staff our radio room and make contact with the South Coast PREOC as part of the exercise.

    More information is available on the PERCS website.

Community News

  • Delta ComFest Swap Meet - October 5th at 10:00

    The annual Delta ComFest swap meet returns for 2025! ComFest is the largest and longest continuously running amateur radio convention in the Lower Mainland held south of the Fraser. In addition to vendors and radio gear, there will be representatives from Radio Amateurs of Canada (RAC) and examiners available for anyone wishing to challenge an exam.

    More details can be found on the Delta Amateur Radio Society website.

  • The Communicator Magazine

    “The Communicator” from Surrey Amateur Radio Communications (SARC), serves as a bi-monthly electronic periodical for amateur radio operators. It covers a wide array of topics, including historical figures in radio. The Communicator also features emergency preparedness strategies, and the diverse interests and community focus within amateur radio.

    You can read the September/October edition of The Communicator online and find previous versions online at the VE7SAR archive.

On-Air Nets

The weekly net takes place at 20:00 every Wednesday on the VE7RVF repeater (VECTOR channel 1, 145.450 MHz, -0.6 MHz offset, tone of 100.0 Hz). 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.

The schedule for upcoming secondary net frequencies is as follows:

Date Channel Frequency Information
September 3 4 146.580 MHz simplex
September 10 2 145.170 MHz, -0.6 MHz offset
September 17 430 446.100 MHz simplex
September 24 401 443.725 MHz, +5 MHz offset, tone 88.5 Hz
October 1 44 146.430 MHz simplex

We encourage Winlink check-ins to the VECTOR net every week, just address your message to VA7EOC. Connect to VA7EOC-10 using simplex UHF on 441.025 MHz (VECTOR channel 420), simplex VHF on 145.600 MHz, or send your message through one of the other local Winlink gateways. The VA7EOC-10 gateway supports both AX.25 packet and VARA.

VECTOR also maintains a list of other local radio nets on our website.

Upcoming Meetings

The monthly VECTOR members' meeting is the first Wednesday of every month. The next 3 meeting dates are as follows:

  • September 3rd in the E-Comm Media Room at 18:30
  • October 1st in the E-Comm Media Room at 18:30
  • November 5th in the E-Comm Media Room at 18:30

We strongly encourage attending in-person, but recognize that online participation is more accessible for some members. Look for a link to the Zoom online conference room in your email ahead of the meeting to join remotely. You can find more details about members' meetings and RSVP in Better Impact.