SB RAC @ CANADA < VA3RAC $RAC_9410.17 RAC NEWS BULLETIN 08-94 INTERNET EDITION - 15 OCTOBER 1994 Issued at RAC Administrative Office P.O. Box 356 Kingston, ON, K7L 4W2 Internet Editor: Cam Inglis Internet Transmission: Steve Cutway VE3GRS IN THIS BULLETIN ELECTION of RAC Board of Directors for 1995 Hams hope for peace between Jordan and Israel Coming soon to an orbit near you FM mode Amateur satellites HF Band Planning Committee Antenna nightmares 1,000 DXCC countries? RAC First National Convention trivia Victoria BC repeater 25th Anniversary Montreal repeater sold Upcoming events we've heard about... Special Events Station VF7L Upcoming in your November TCA ELECTION of RAC Board of Directors for 1995 From Ken Pulfer VE3PU The RAC Election committee consisting of Eric Ilott VE3XE, Clayton Bannister VE3LYN, and Ken Pulfer VE3PU, met in Kingston on September 14th. Nominations of candidates for the RAC Board of Directors have now been received and validated. The situation for the seven regions is as follows. Pacific: Two nominations were received for the Pacific Region, but one was subsequently withdrawn. As a result, Dennis Livesey VE7DK, from Delta BC is unopposed and has been declared elected by acclamation. Alberta/NWT: Ken Oelke VE6AFO, from Calgary the current Board member for Alberta/NWT, has been renominated and is unopposed. He has been declared elected by acclamation. Midwest: Two candidates have been nominated for the Midwest region, Bob Shehyn VE5FY, current member of the Board from Moose Jaw Saskatchewan, will be opposed by Dave Panting VE4EF from Winnipeg Manitoba. Ballots have been mailed to RAC members in the Midwest region. Ontario North: There are three candidates competing for the position of Board Member from Ontario North. Bob Bishop VE3JAB, current Board member from Thunder Bay, will be opposed by John Connor VE3TG from Nepean and Ron Walsh VE3IDW from Kingston. Ballots have been mailed to RAC members in Ontario North Ontario South: J. Fergus Kyle VE3LVO, of Burlington Ontario, is running unopposed in Southern Ontario. He has been declared elected by acclamation. Quebec: Pierre Roger VE2TQS, current member of the Board from Montreal, has been nominated and is unopposed in the Quebec Region. He has been declared elected by acclamation. Atlantic: No nominations were received from the Atlantic Region before the September 1 deadline. In accordance with the constitution, nominations have been reopened, with a deadline date of December 1, 1994. All members from the Atlantic Region are hereby notified that nominations of candidates for the position of RAC Director (Atlantic) will be accepted until the revised closing date of December 1 1994. Except for the Atlantic Region, all ballots must be received by the Secretary of RAC before noon, November 18th 1994. The results will be announced in December, and the new members of the Board will assume their responsibilities on January 1, 1995. Hams hope for peace between Jordan and Israel According to HaGAL International - Israel Ham News, peace between Jordan and Israel is only months away. King Hussein JY1 of Jordan, has been quoted in the press as having said that a full peace between the countries will be signed by the end of 1994. Telecommunications ties have been made between the two countries and you can now phone directly. Jordanian hams have also been heard on the Yatir (145.325 MHz) repeater in Israel. They seem genuinely anxious for cross- border contacts. They are also setting up more repeaters in Jordan. There are now 11 VHF repeaters and 4 UHF machines. The Jordanians are also expressing interest in Packet radio. Ham News reporter Ron Gang 4X1MK describes the QSO's with Jordanian Hams as "heart-warming". "A real good feeling comes across that our partners to the East are just as enthusiastic about this peace as we are," he continues. "The Hams there exude friendliness and warmth. There's hardly anything better than making new friendships! Ya Salaam!" Nobody knows the official opinion of the Jordanian government on these cross-border contacts so the names of Jordanian Hams were not published in the article, just in case. Coming soon to an orbit near you The opening shots in the next revolution in marine communications are about to be fired. The battleground will be space, and the rebels' weapons will be communications satellites. That's according to a special report appearing in September 1994, Sail magazine. As early as this time next year, according to the report, mariners should be able to bring aboard pocket-size message transceivers that can send and receive data anywhere on earth and portable telephones that make voice connections up to 200 miles off the US coast. In 10 years the old guard - VHF, SSB, Ham, ERIRB - could be systems of the past the report says. Relatively low cost satellites and land systems, combined with compact, efficient radio hardware and software are credited with driving the changes. FM mode Amateur satellites Of the 18 available Amateur satellites presently in orbit, four offer, at various times, transponders for general use. Two of these, AO-21 and AO-27 operate on 2m and 70cm. Being low earth orbit satellites, both are overhead for short periods, usually ten to fifteen minutes per pass. There are about six passes per day, three morning to mid-day and three at night. OSCAR-21, or AO-21 has a unique repeater that lets you input on 435.016 and output on 145.987. To copy tune 145.990 or 145.985. When you listen for AO-21 you will soon notice that at the first part of the pass you can hear it better on 145.990, then as the pass progresses hear it better on 145.985. All you need to listen is a rubber-duckie equipped handheld. This quick introduction to AMSAT was condensed from a more complete article written by Art Rae VA3RAE, in the Windsor Border City Radio Club Newsletter. HF Band Planning Committee From Pat Doherty VA3GD The Committee now has four representatives from three regions. Representatives are still needed for Atlantic, Quebec, Ontario South and Pacific. RAC elections are now taking place and three of the areas will have new directors. If any person in the above areas has an interest in being the HF Band Planning Representative please forward a resume of Amateur activities and interests to: Pat Doherty VA3GD HF Band Planning Coordinator RR#1-10035 John Street Road Murillo, Ontario P0T 2G0 Phone (807) 935-2253 Fax (807) 935-2134 E-Mail: pat.doherty@oln.com Packet: VA3GD@VE3TKA.#NON.On.CAN.NA Upon receipt of your resume the respective RAC director will be contacted for comment and approval. You will receive a reply as soon as possible. Canadian Amateurs in the respective areas where there are appointed representatives should direct any comments on HF band planning to one of the persons listed here. Please take the time to express your thoughts about the future of the HF bands. ALBERTA/NWT Alan Faint VE6TZY 1109 Regent Crescent N.E. Calgary, AB T2E 5J6 Phone (403) 230-7899 Fax (403) 230-7601 MIDWEST Bruce Rattray VE5RC 128 Durham Drive Regina, SK S4S 4Z2 Greg Hemming VE4GH 411 Ralph Avenue West Winnipeg, MB R2C 2E8 ONTARIO NORTH Walt Kimball VE3CWE 660 Third Line East Sault Ste. Marie, ON Phone (705) 253-0340 Antenna nightmares There is a story in the Chilliwack Amateur Radio Club Bulletin about a Vancouver Amateur who learned the hard way how tough it can be to get an antenna erected in some communities. His plan was to erect a tower sufficient to support a 20 foot dish for EME (earth-moon-earth) communications. He ran into local requirements for a building permit if the antenna was higher than six feet above the ground. The building standards he was required to meet resulted in the construction of two concrete pads one 10'x10'x6' and the other 8'x8'x6' to support his tower. 1,000 DXCC countries? From Algoma Amateur Radio Club Bulletin Don't jump out the window yet, but John Naisbitt, one of the world's leading trend forecasters, has predicted that from today's roughly 200 independent countries (not counting ARRL's rocks, shoals and reefs), the world will have an increase to 300 countries by the turn of the century. During the 21st century this is expected to increase to 1,000. This will result, Naisbitt predicts, because of increased nationalism and tribalism around the world. Canada's Quebec could well be a future example. How about getting on the DXCC Honour Roll when you will have 950 or more confirmed countries to qualify? RAC First National Convention trivia From Calgary Amateur Radio Association Key Klix Attendance at the RAC first national convention in Calgary this past July appears to have topped 1,000. Those who travelled farthest included Edward Leppard VE1AYY from Halifax County, NS and Michael Morrison VY2CO from Charlottetown, PEI. The youngest Ham who registered was eight year old Alex Vogrinetz VE6YIC from Lamont, AB. The oldest to register was Bill Savage VE6EO from Lethbridge, AB at 86. Bill Kennamer K5FUV from ARRL DXCC desk checked 5,400 cards. That apparently topped the Dayton Hamvention this year. The Friday evening wine and cheese party was attended by 407 people. There were 30 seminars. The RAC Forum drew 450 people. The Annual General Meeting was the largest in the history of any Canadian Amateur Radio national organization with more than 300 in attendance. The Saturday evening banquet was attended by 356 people. The BBQ was just short of that with 326 people attending. Victoria BC repeater 25th Anniversary The Victoria Short Wave Club will celebrate their 65th Anniversary with a special dinner at the Masonic Conference Hall on November 26, 1994. This is also the 25th anniversary year for the Victoria repeater. Montreal repeater sold The VE2RED repeater has been sold to the Montreal Amateur Radio Club. It was purchased from the Montreal Repeater Organization. VE2RED is said to provide excellent coverage and there is discussion concerning possible future linking to VE2BG. The deal was completed on September 1. FCC denies morse code exemption for over-65s From the ARRL Letter The FCC in the US has denied a petition that proposed exemptions from Morse code exams for people age 65 and older. Guy A. Matzinger KB7PNQ, of Cheney, Washington argued in his petition that old age results in diminished faculties, and equated those people 65 and older with the severely disabled in terms of passing a CW exam. He proposed the exemption for speeds above 5 wpm. The FCC said that similar petitions had been denied in the past, because the current Amateur Radio license structure is based on "the desire of the amateur service community," gleaned from thousands of comments on previous petitions. The Commission also noted that its rules already provide for Morse code exemptions for certain recognized disabilities. Upcoming events we've heard about... October 22. The Greenwood Amateur Radio Club Fleamarket, Greenwood Community Centre, Church Street, Greenwood, Nova Scotia. Information line (902) 756-4660. November 12. The Newmarket Hamfest, Huron Heights Secondary School, Newmarket, Ontario. For information write to the York Region Amateur Radio Club, P.O. Box 28590, Aurora L4G 6S6. November 26. The Victoria Short Wave Club will celebrate its 65th Anniversary. There will be a banquet on November 26, which past and present members and their spouses are invited to attend. Information line (604) 474-1939 or (604)478-9650. Special Events Station VF7L The Fraser Valley Amateur Radio Association will be operating a special event station VF7L from Fort Langley on November 19, 20 and 21, 1994. This event commemorates the 136th Anniversary of the proclamation read by Sir James Douglas at Fort Langley on November 19, 1858 creating the Colony of British Columbia. Station VF7L will operate on 20, 15 and 10 meters from 1700Z to 2300Z over the three days. A special certificate will be available. Send a 9"x12" SASE and $1.00 to cover postage to: Fraser Valley Amateur Radio Association P.O. Box 50 Fort Langley, BC, V1M 2S6. Upcoming in your November TCA The November issue of The Canadian Amateur includes important information on how you can help fight EMCAB-2. This is the Industry Canada document that has the potential to force amateurs to power down or cease operation because of the lack of immunity standards in nearby entertainment equipment. This is the most serious threat facing amateur radio in Canada today and deserves your full attention and action. Also, in the November TCA, there is more coverage of the RAC Convention in July, a request for nominees to the Canadian Amateur Hall of Fame, some thoughtful suggestions by Ken Oelke VE6AFO, guidelines for contributors to TCA, results of the 1994 Canada Day Contest, a report on the Singapore IARU Conference from Tom Atkins VE3CDM, a product review of the Ham Log application software, more tips for the shack from Frank Merritt VE7FPM, plus Letters, Silent Keys, the Swap Shop, propagation forecasts, and regular columns. 73 de VA3RAC Steve VE3GRS at the keyboard