VECTOR October 2026 News

Posted in newsletter

Thank you to everyone who helped out at events over the summer, culminating with Car-Free Day on Main Street. VECTOR would be nothing without the volunteer time and effort of our members!

As we move into fall, our focus is on providing training, exercise, and hands-on practice opportunities to members and helping members connect with one another through the local coffee meetups. We hope you’ll be able to join us, or potentially kick off a coffee meetup in your neighbourhood.

Previous newsletters can be found in the archive.

VECTOR News

  • October Members’ Meeting - October 7th at 18:30

    The October members’ meeting will take place on Wednesday, October 7th, 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 review of logging hours using Better Impact, discussion and planning around our BC ShakeOut exercise, and updates on coffee meetups and projects.

    If you are planning to attend the meeting in-person at E-Comm, you must RSVP in Better Impact.

  • MeshCore Frequency Change - October 1st

    The local MeshCore network focused on emergency communications is moving to a new frequency on October 1st with the goal of reducing inteference and improving messaging reliability in the region.

    If you own and operate MeshCore gear, you likely want to make the following change:

    • Frequency: 909.000 MHz
    • Bandwidth: 62.5 kHz
    • Spreading: SF7
    • Coding Rate: CR5 (4/5)

    Detailed information about the change, along with background information and frequently asked questions, can be found on the Ridgeline website operated by VE7KOD.

Training & Practice Opportunities

  • Radio Skills Course: On-Air Nets - Thursday, October 1st at 19:30

    VECTOR’s Radio Skills Course class has started, and the on-air exercise portion will be running on Thursday evenings starting on the VE7RVF repeater (VECTOR channel 1). Any VECTOR members looking to get some on-air radio practice in a casual setting are welcome to participate.

  • BC ShakeOut Check-In Net - Thursday, October 15th at 10:15

    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 community centres in the evening for additional practice with message passing and logging.

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

Hands-On Opportunities

  • Monthly Emergency Communications Test - Wednesday, October 7th & November 4th at 09:30

    The City of Vancouver will be conducting their monthly emergency communications tests on Wednesday, October 7th and November 4th at 10:00. You can find more information and sign up in Better Impact - Monthly Radio Tests.

    In October, we will be testing radios at DSA 4 in southeast Vancouver.

  • BC ShakeOut Community Centre Exercise - Thursday, October 15th at 18:30

    In the aftermath of a disaster such as an earthquake, VECTOR operators may be deployed to active radio kits at DSAs or community centres serving as ESS reception centres and group lodging. Knowing how to set up the radio at your local community centre is an important skill, along with message logging, radiograms and standard traffic forms, and Winlink.

    As part of the BC ShakeOut exercise, VECTOR will be activating some community centres in the evening of October 15th as a training opportunity for VECTOR members and students in the Radio Skills Course.

    If you’d like to deploy to a community centre in the evening, please let us know in Better Impact - ShakeOut Community Centre Exercise.

  • Monthly EMCR PREOC Radio Check-In - Wednesday, October 21st, at 18:30

    In the evening on the third Wednesday of every month, the South Coast Provincial Regional Emergency Operations Centre (PREOC) runs a series of nets on several radio systems to test communication with EOCs. VECTOR is encouraged to participate each month from the radio room.

    Learn how to use HF, Winlink, PACTOR, and IMERS from the radio room by signing up in Better Impact - Monthly PREOC Check-In.

Community News

  • Delta ComFest Swap Meet - Sunday, October 4th, at 10:00

    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.

    VECTOR will be hosting an information table so we can connect with other operators and foster connections in our community. You can learn more in the discussion thread on Loomio.

Local Radio Coffee Meetups

Local Radio Coffee Meetups happen monthly. Each local circle agrees on a time and location for the month. Typically, the sessions are around an hour and a half, and sometimes radio fun ensues during or after any session. You can find the details for the meetups in the VECTOR Events calendar visible on our website.

The schedule for upcoming Radio Coffee Meetups is as follows:

Local Date
Dunbar October 24
Downtown October 25
East Central October 25

VECTOR Weekly Net

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
October 7 2 145.170 MHz, -0.6 MHz offset
October 14 430 446.100 MHz simplex
October 21 401 443.725 MHz, +5 MHz offset, tone 88.5 Hz
October 28 44 146.430 MHz simplex
November 4 20 147.200 MHz, +0.6 MHz offset, tone 100.0 Hz

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 145.610 MHz (VECTOR Channel 63), or by sending your message through one of the other local Winlink gateways. The VA7EOC-10 gateway supports both AX.25 packet and VARA FM.

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 meeting dates are as follows:

  • October 7th in the E-Comm Media Room at 18:30
  • November 4th in the E-Comm Media Room at 18:30
  • December 2nd Annual General Meeting

We strongly encourage attending in-person when possible, 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.