Current Status of ISS Radio Stations

Posted on August 2, 2021 by VA3DBJ

as of 07/28/2021

Columbus Module radios:

IORS (Kenwood D710GA) – STATUS – Configured. Supporting packet operation (145.825 MHz up & down). Next mode change is to cross band repeater and targeting late August.
- Radio will be powered off July 28 about 17:30 UTC for Progress /MLM arrival. Scheduled to be powered on TBD due to MLM issues impacting ISS activities.
- Supporting USOS scheduled voice contacts, packet and voice repeater ops.

Service Module radios:

Kenwood D710E – STATUS – Radio usually off.
- Radio will be powered off July 28 about 17:30 UTC for Progress /MLM arrival.
- MAI SSTV experiment sessions planned for Aug 6 and 7. Setup about 10:50 UTC on August 6 and stop around 19:10 UTC. The activation on August 7 should start about 09:50 GMT and stop around 15:55 UTC. .
- Supporting ROS scheduled voice contacts and SSTV.

CANWARN 2021 and Beyond:

Posted on May 27, 2021 by VA3DBJ

Scheduled for Wednesday, June 9

CANWARN (CANadian Weather Amateur Radio Network)

For immediate release:

Jason Tremblay, VE3JXT
RAC Community Services Officer

Radio Amateurs of Canada (RAC), the national association for Amateur Radio in Canada, is pleased to present a special event for Amateurs and non-Amateurs: CANWARN 2021 and Beyond.

Date: Wednesday, June 9
Time: 7 pm EDT
Cost: There is no registration fee for this event.

CANWARN (CANadian Weather Amateur Radio Network) is a network of volunteer Amateur Radio operators who observe and report both winter and summer severe weather conditions.

In this special one-on-one session, Jason Tremblay, VE3JXT, RAC Community Services Officer, and Geoff Coulson, Warning Preparedness Meteorologist, will discuss the past, present and future of CANWARN – which like everything else has been impacted by the global pandemic.

Although formal training may not happen as often in the future due to resource pressures, online training materials and the continued interest of Amateur Radio clubs to set up CANWARN nets during potentially severe events will ensure the continuity of storm reporting through Amateur Radio for years to come.

Date: Wednesday, June 9

Time: 7 pm EDT

Cost: There is no registration fee for this event.

Who: This will be a behind the scenes look at the CANWARN program and it is open to everyone.

Who: This event is open to anyone who is interested in hearing more about CANWARN. It is not a training course, just a unique information event.

Registration: Please register now by clicking on the following link:

https://adric-ca.zoom.us/meeting/register/u5AlcumtpjIqHdxFSfjGrpxwcr3P_QciZ03e

For more information on the program, please visit the RAC CANWARN webpage.

Geoff Coulson, Warning Preparedness Meteorologist:

“Geoff Coulson has been a Meteorologist for 37 years. He worked for Environment Canada for 35 of those years as an Operational Forecaster, Trainer, Outreach Officer and Warning Preparedness Meteorologist (WPM).

As a WPM, he provided a variety of clients with weather information from media to other levels of government and the private sector. He managed the CANWARN Storm Spotter Program in Ontario and sat on the Provincial Flood and Forecasting Committee for a number of years.

Since retirement, Geoff has continued to provide weather presentations and has returned to Environment Canada on a part-time basis to help with specific projects. Recently, he began to learn to play the digital piano. His wife is very happy the digital piano has a headphone jack.”

Jason Tremblay, VE3JXT, RAC Community Services Officer:

Jason Tremblay, VE3JXT, has served as RAC Community Services Officer since January 1, 2020. He received his Amateur Radio certification in 2014 and served as the Emergency Coordinator for the Barrie and South Simcoe ARES team for three years and as the District Emergency Coordinator for the Lakes District in Ontario for two years.

Jason’s focus has been on promoting and educating his local communities about Amateur Radio and the benefits of the service in our community. He previously served as the Director of Community Services for the Barrie Amateur Radio Club and served as its Vice-President, and worked with the public and community groups and other organizations for public and educational events.

Jason’s background is in Emergency Services and Security. He previously volunteered with St John Ambulance and with the Red Cross as an Instructor and a member of Disaster Services, where he “learned about working with others and the critical need for great support and defined training systems”.

Jason resides with his wife and family in Beeton, Ontario and is a member of the Barrie Amateur Radio Club.

Additional information about CANWARN

CANWARN (CANadian Weather Amateur Radio Network) is a network of volunteer Amateur Radio operators who observe and report both winter and summer severe weather conditions.

Severe storms can occur at any time of the year. Spring and summer thunderstorms can flare up suddenly and race along at speeds in excess of 80 km/h. Large hail, damaging winds, flash floods and tornadoes are all linked to severe thunderstorms. Large-scale fall and winter storms can deliver significant impacts over a broad area. Heavy snow, freezing rain, rain and strong winds can occur with these storms.

CANWARN volunteers are trained to look for clues in the sky as to which spring and summer storms may produce damaging weather. They can also report information like hail size and any damage that has resulted from the passage of a storm. For fall and winter storms, CANWARN volunteers can report things like occurrences of freezing precipitation and snowfall amounts.

These volunteers come from all walks of life: Amateur Radio operators, first responders, government employees and members of the general public with an interest in providing a service to others.

Reports are passed on via Amateur Radio to a network controller who triages the reports and sends the significant ones on to the forecasters of the Ontario Storm Prediction Center in Toronto.

In Ontario, their reports are sent to the Ontario Storm Prediction Centre (OSPC) in Toronto through social media and/or a special email address. These timely reports can help the forecasters better understand the nature of a given storm and help to tailor the messages they send to the public about them.

Amateurs’ Email Addresses Will Be Required

Posted on May 19, 2021 by VA3DBJ

05/19/2021

Starting on June 29, all applications filed with the FCC must include an email address for FCC correspondence. After receipt of the initial announcement that all future applications would require an email address, ARRL was concerned for the privacy of its members and requested that amateurs’ email addresses not be made public. This week, the FCC agreed, stating in an email to ARRL counsel that it will continue to “mask” amateurs’ email addresses from public view in the Universal Licensing System (ULS). The FCC will use the email address supplied by amateurs to correspond with applicants, including to send a link to the official electronic copy of the license when an application is granted.

The FCC is transitioning to fully electronic correspondence and no longer mails hard-copy licenses. Amateurs are able to view, download, and print their official license grant, using the ULS. When a license is first granted, each applicant will receive an email with a direct link to the license. Although the link expires in 30 days, the license itself will remain available in the ULS and may be downloaded at any time by signing into the licensee’s account using their FCC Registration Number (FRN) and password.

On or after June 29, a valid email address must be provided with each application, and must be kept current by filing a modification application as necessary. Under the amended Section 97.23, “The email address must be an address where the grantee can receive electronic correspondence. Revocation of the station license or suspension of the operator license may result when correspondence from the FCC is returned as undeliverable because the grantee failed to provide the correct email address.”

http://www.arrl.org/news/amateurs-email-addresses-will-continue-to-be-kept-private-fcc-says

FreeDMR

Posted on May 16, 2021 by VA3DBJ

FreeDMR

The new system is derived from HBlink and is fully-open source and available on GitHUB. The server software allows the implementation of features as we would like to see them, making the software completely customisable to your needs. This also allows the response to issues and bugs more effectively. This system is bridged to other Servers, providing a frontend system with enhanced functionality. It also enabled repeaters to be able to communicate even if a Server upstream is down. An overview of the added functionality is below. Note, all of this functionality is optional and configurable.

On the 9 November 2020, the birth of a new way of working with DMR was born.
A network name was devised and was called

FreeDMR

FreeDMR is the freedom for Repeater/Gateway Keepers and some Hotspots to have full control of what happens instead of being told what has to go where.
We look forward to a great and bright future.

FreeDMR is a DMR Network for Amateur radio users around the world.

FreeDMR is currently looking for OpenBridge connections to connect to a rapidly growing system.
Open Source is here! FreeDMR – Open networking – Reaching out to the World.

New Canadian talk groups have been added.

Country	Talk Groups	Name
Canada	302	Canada Wide
Canada	3020	Newfoundland & Labrador & P.E.I.
Canada	3021	Nova Scotia
Canada	3022	Quebec
Canada	3023	Ontario
Canada	3024	Manitoba
Canada	3025	Saskatchewan
Canada	3026	Alberta
Canada	3027	British Columbia
Canada	3028	Nunavut, Yukon & NWT
Canada	3029	New Brunswick

For more information, click here.

VA3DBJ.ca DMR Repeaters

RAC Canada Day Contest: Celebrate Canada’s Birthday on the air!

Posted on May 7, 2021 by VA3DBJ

Update

FROM: RAC.ca

The global pandemic continues and we want to make sure that all participants in the RAC Canada Day Contest on Thursday, July 1 help us to celebrate Canada’s birthday safely.

The RAC Contest Committee is therefore asking all participants in the Canada Day Contest 2021 to follow the guidelines provided by the government and health officials in your respective area for any of the multi-op categories enabled within the contest.

If you do carry out an operation in any of the multi-op categories, please advise as part of your log submission that you have followed your locally applicable guidelines for group sizes and social (physical) distancing.

Special thanks to our sponsors for their support of the RAC contests.

We hope to hear you on the air for the July 1, 2021 Canada Day contest (00:00 UTC through 23:59:59 UTC). Don’t forget to share your stories with us at [email protected] and to use #RACCD.

RAC Canada Day Contest Rules 2021

Each year on July 1, the anniversary of Canada’s Confederation, Radio Amateurs of Canada sponsors the Canada Day Contest and Amateurs all over the world are invited to Canada’s Birthday Party on the air.

https://docs.google.com/viewer?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.rac.ca%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2021%2F05%2FCanadaDayContestRules2021_English.pdf&hl=en_US&embedded=true

Download (PDF, 620KB)

Contest Period: 0000 UTC to 2359 UTC July 1, 2021.

Bands and Modes: 160, 80, 40, 20, 15, 10, 6 and 2 metres, CW and phone (SSB, FM, AM, etc.)

Suggested frequencies: CW – 25 kHz up from the band edge and for SSB – 1850, 3775, 7075, 7225, 14175, 21250, 28500 kHz. Check for CW activity on the half-hour.

*Note: For 7075 kHz please watch for conflicts in the band plan where there are overlaps with other modes of operation.

Exchange: Stations in Canada send RS(T) and province or territory. VEØs and stations outside Canada send RS(T) and a serial number.

QSOs: Contacts with stations in Canada or VEØs are worth 10 points. Contacts with stations outside Canada are worth 2 points. Contacts with RAC official stations are worth 20 points. RAC official stations are: VA2RAC, VA3RAC, VE1RAC, VE4RAC, VE5RAC, VE6RAC, VE7RAC, VE8RAC, VE9RAC, VO1RAC, VO2RAC, VY0RAC, VY1RAC and VY2RAC. You may work any station once on each of the two modes, on each of the eight contest bands.

It is prohibited to make CW contacts in the conventional phone sub-bands and phone contacts in the conventional CW sub-bands. Contacts or soliciting QSOs through a repeater during the contest period is not allowed.

Multipliers: Thirteen in total, Canada’s 10 provinces and three territories. Each multiplier may be counted once on each mode on each of the eight contest bands. The multipliers, with their postal abbreviations and prefixes are: Nova Scotia [NS] (VE1, VA1, CY9, CYØ); Quebec [QC] (VE2, VA2); Ontario [ON] (VE3, VA3); Manitoba [MB] (VE4, VA4); Saskatchewan [SK] (VE5, VA5); Alberta [AB] (VE6, VA6); British Columbia [BC] (VE7, VA7); Northwest Territories [NT] (VE8); New Brunswick [NB] (VE9); Newfoundland and Labrador [NL] (VO1, VO2); Nunavut [NU] (VYØ); Yukon [YT] (VY1); and Prince Edward Island [PE] (VY2). Certain special Canadian prefixes in use at the time of the contest may also apply; however there may be no more than 13 multipliers on each band/mode. Please use the multiplier abbreviations, in square brackets, noted above.

Note: in the event a station is unable to make a contact with a Canadian station, there will be granted a multiplier count of 1 to facilitate the proper calculation of the final score since a multiplier of zero (0) would not create a valid calculation of a final score.

Final Score: The total QSO from all bands multiplied by the total number of multipliers from all bands.

Categories: The following nine categories are eligible for plaques or certificates as detailed in the Awards section of the rules.

Single Operator All Bands High Power (>100 watts) – Radioworld
Single Operator All Bands Low Power (max. 100 watts output) – Contest Club Ontario
Single Operator QRP (max. 5 watt output) All Bands & Single Band ** – Radioworld
Single Operator All Bands CW only, any authorized power – Gary Bartlett VE1RGB Memorial by the Maritime Contest Club
Single Operator All Bands PH only, any authorized power – Saskatchewan Contest Club
Single Operator Single Band, any authorized power *** – Radioworld
Multi-Operator Single Transmitter High Power (>100 watts) * – Alfa Radio Ltd
Multi-Operator Single Transmitter Low Power (max. 100 watts output) * – Tony Allsop VE3FTA Memorial by the Mississauga Amateur Radio Club
Multi-Operator Multi-Transmitter, any authorized power – Radioworld
For the Canada Day Contest a special trophy is awarded for the highest Single Operator (no power classification) Foreign Entrant – Larry Kayser VA3LK Memorial by Alan Goodacre, VE3HX.

Special thanks to our sponsors for their support of the RAC contests.

Category notes: Please check website for any revisions due to the current global pandemic.

1) The contents of a log that is submitted for a specific category must reflect that category. In the event of a conflict between the actual content of the log and the stated category in the Cabrillo header or contained in other elements of the entry material, the actual contents of the log will be used to determine the category of entry where possible. In the event this cannot be determined or in the event where a log does not identify the entry category, the entry will be classified into the Multi-Operator, Multi-Transmitter, any authorized power category.

Any entrant who wants to enter a specific category (i.e. Single band entry) but who also worked additional contacts outside that category may submit those additional contacts in a separate check log file. Do not include them in the main entered category log file.

2) Where the categories have a power class and the submitted log does not clearly identify the power class entered, then the log will be treated as if the highest power class for that category was entered.

3) Single operators who receive assistance from a DX spotting system, including Skimmer and similar technologies or any type of Packet Cluster network during the contest must classify themselves as Multi-Single ops.

4) * In the Multi-Single category only one transmitter and one band are permitted during the same time period (defined as 10 minutes). Exception: One, and only one, other band may be used during any 10-minute period, if and only if the station worked is a new multiplier. In other words the Multi-Single Transmitter class allows a second station to “hunt” and work multipliers only on a single separate band during any 10-minute period.

5) Multi-Multi category stations may operate on several bands simultaneously.

6) For all multi transmitter categories, all transceivers, transmitters and receivers operated by the multi station participants/entrants must be within a single 500-metre diameter circle and the antennas must be physically connected by RF transmission lines to the transceivers, transmitters and/or receivers.

7) Operators in either the Multi-Multi or Multi-Single categories should note that a distributed contest station is permitted in the RAC contests, however such operations are not eligible for awards. A distributed station is defined as a station which does not have all transceivers, transmitters and/or receivers operated by station operators/participants/entrants located within a single 500-metre diameter circle of each other. Distributed Multi-Multi operations must identify such operations as part of their Cabrillo form log submission or summary sheet document.

8) ** Although there is only one QRP category, which qualifies for a plaque or certificate, it is intended that the published results would show All Bands or the Single Band of operation.

To facilitate this break out of the listings, your entry should indicate the band(s) or mode(s) operated.

9) *** Although there is only one Single Operator Single Band category that qualifies for a certificate or award, it is intended that the published results would show High Power or Low Power.

To facilitate this break out of the listings, your entry should indicate the power class you used.

10) Operators who have participated in any multi-operator category entries may not contact the station they have participated in if they were to operate as part of another entry in the same contest. In addition, guest operators at any station regardless of entry category may not claim contacts with the station host owner or host station mobile call for points or multipliers.

Awards: Plaques will be awarded to the top-scoring entrants in each category, as noted above in the category list. Special thanks to our sponsors for their ongoing support! Certificates will be awarded to the top-scoring entrant in the categories described below.

Canadian provinces or territories
Continental US call districts, W0 through W9 as well as Alaska and Hawaii. US Commonwealths, Territories and Possessions such as Puerto Rico, US Virgin Islands, etc will be treated as equivalent to a DXCC country
DXCC country, excluding Canada and the US.

To facilitate the proper allocation of certificates, all US stations should indicate their actual US call district based on their actual address, as provided in the Cabrillo header, if different than indicated by their call prefix. DX stations should indicate the actual country of operation if different than indicated by their call prefix by indicating the country as part of the portable call sign designator.

RAC stations will compete and be considered the same as any other entrant for eligibility to plaques and certificates.

Results: Will be published in The Canadian Amateur magazine published by the Radio Amateurs of Canada. The results will also be published on the RAC website at:
/contesting-results/

Entries: All entries (electronic or paper logs) must be postmarked or electronically submitted by July 31, 2021. Electronic entries will be confirmed by return email. Send email entries to: [email protected]

Send paper entries to:

Radio Amateurs of Canada
720 Belfast Road, Suite 217
Ottawa, Ontario, Canada K1G 0Z5

We will be publishing a list of logs received and the categories entered on the RAC website during and/or after the submission period after the cut off date to assist in correcting any entry categorizations.

Paper mail entries must contain a summary sheet showing score calculation, a dupe sheet listing calls worked on each mode on each band, a multiplier check sheet and log sheets. Logsheets must show time, band, mode, call of station worked, exchanges sent and received and claimed for each QSO. New multipliers must be clearly marked in the log.

Contest entry forms are also available on the RAC website at: /contesting-results/

Any entry with 100 or more contacts should be submitted in digital format. The preferred electronic format is the RAC Cabrillo format. The files must be submitted in plain ASCII/Text format.

While the contest committee prefers Cabrillo formatted submissions, we will continue to accept electronic logs from older versions of contest software, but your file must be in ASCII/Text format and have all the required information. However “.adi” files are not acceptable.

Given there are several free programs that support the RAC contests and generate an acceptable Cabrillo entry, we encourage you to seek out one of these programs.

The RAC Cabrillo format is described and its detailed layout is shown on the RAC website at: /contesting-results/

Electronic logs that do not have a complete Cabrillo header should provide a summary sheet with the same information as shown for the paper log entries. The standard summary sheet provided by the typical logging program is generally acceptable, but you should confirm that it contains the same information as shown for paper log entries.

A properly filled out Cabrillo header section will be a sufficient substitute for a summary sheet for logs submitted in that format. Please ensure that you review the header for accuracy and that it is completely fill out. Name your file with your Call Sign and the file extension.LOG (e.g., yourcall.LOG). If you email your log, please send the file(s) as attachments.

Do not paste the log file into the text of your message as there may be issues with the formatting making it difficult to properly extract the log. Large files may be zipped if necessary.

If you need help with preparing or emailing your log or have any other questions, please contact Bart Ritchie, VE5CPU, [email protected]

For the previous year’s contest results, visit the RAC website at /contesting-results/ in the Contest section.

RAC Presents CANWARN Spring Training Session: May 26

Posted on May 7, 2021 by VA3DBJ

CANWARN (CANadian Weather Amateur Radio Network) – SESSION COMPLETED

For immediate release:

Jason Tremblay, VE3JXT
RAC Community Services Officer

Radio Amateurs of Canada (RAC), the national association for Amateur Radio in Canada, is pleased to announce that we have partnered with the Ontario Storm Prediction Centre Team (OSPC) to provide CANWARN Training this spring.

This will be a one-time session for this season, offered through the Zoom online meeting platform.

Date: Wednesday, May 26

Time: 7 pm EDT

CANWARN (CANadian Weather Amateur Radio Network) is a network of volunteer Amateur Radio operators who observe and report both winter and summer severe weather conditions.

Topics covered in the training session will include the basics of thunderstorm formation, the types of damage severe thunderstorms can produce and what to look for in the sky. Winter severe weather will be touched on as well.

The training also provides ways that storm reports can be provided to the OSPC and a number of safety tips to keep storm spotters safe.

Registration:

To register for the training session please visit the RAC CANWARN webpage at:

https://www.rac.ca/emergency-services/canwarn/

Additional information about CANWARN

Severe storms can occur at any time of the year. Spring and summer thunderstorms can flare up suddenly and race along at speeds in excess of 80 km/h. Large hail, damaging winds, flash floods and tornadoes are all linked to severe thunderstorms.

Large-scale fall and winter storms can deliver significant impacts over a broad area. Heavy snow, freezing rain, rain and strong winds can occur with these storms.

CANWARN volunteers are trained to look for clues in the sky as to which spring and summer storms may produce damaging weather. They can also report information like hail size and any damage that has resulted from the passage of a storm.

For fall and winter storms, CANWARN volunteers can report things like occurrences of freezing precipitation and snowfall amounts.

These volunteers come from all walks of life: Amateur Radio operators, first responders, government employees and members of the general public with an interest in providing a service to others.

Reports are passed on via Amateur Radio to a net controller at the Environment Canada Weather Centre in Toronto. This information is then passed directly to the forecasters for incorporation into the forecast.

In Ontario, their reports are sent to the Ontario Storm Prediction Centre (OSPC) in Toronto through social media and/or a special email address. These timely reports can help the forecasters better understand the nature of a given storm and help to tailor the messages they send to the public about them.

For more information on the program, please visit the RAC CANWARN webpage.

Brandmeister Decommissioning 3101, Replacing It With 3104

Posted on April 25, 2021 by VA3DBJ

Released by Brandmeister

Starting on May 1st, 2021 we will be asking users who are presently connected to Master Server 3101 to
start making plans to move your devices (Repeaters, Hotspots, Bridges) to the new 3104 master server.
The reason for this change is due to an unforeseen circumstance which is requiring us to decommission
the 3101 Master Server on or around Dec 1st, 2021. This should provide users plenty of advance notice
to begin moving to the new 3104 Master server which is in the Chicago data center.

We are sorry for the inconvenience this may provide some users but with the advanced notice we hope
the transition will allow for all to move by Dec 1st, 2021.

The New 3104 Information for repeater owners and hotspot users:
IPV4: 162.248.88.117
IPV6: Not Available at this time (future announcement will be made when available)
Domain: 3104.repeater.net
Location: Chicago

Hotspot Users: You may change to the new 3104 Master Server any time before December 1, 2021. You will need to
change master servers in the drop down under DMR Configuration to “BM_3104_United_States” for pi-star users and “3104 US” for Openspot/BlueDV Users. You may also need to re-enter your password as Pi-Star might remove the password when making configuration changes. Please be patient as hotspot vendors update their server list as you may not find the new server initially.

Repeater Owners: Motorola and Hytera repeaters: You will need to update the IP Address or Domain Name in CPS/code plug and save / push your changes to the repeaters (Motorola and/or Hytera Repeaters).
MMDVMHost repeaters: You will need to update the configuration file with the new IP or Domain Name
to the 3104 master server.

Pi-Star repeaters: You will need to change master servers in the drop down under DMR Configuration to
BM_3104_United_States. You may also need to re-enter your password as Pi-Star might remove the
password when making configuration changes.

Bridge Connections:
OpenBridge: Please plan to move your connection by November 31st, 2021 by placing a ticket at
https://support.brandmeister.network. You will need to change the IP or Domain to the new server.

CBridge: Please plan to move your connection by November 31st, 2021 by placing a ticket at
https://suport.brandmeister.network. You will need to change the inbound connection name to BM-US3104.

XLX Servers: Please plan to move your connection by November 31st, 2021 by placing a ticket at
https://support.brandmeister.network. This move will require you to update the IP or domain name in
your configuration. (XLXxxx 3104.repeater.net X).

YSF Reflectors: No Changes are needed on your end. Your connections have already been moved to
BM3104.

NXDN Reflectors: No Changes are needed on your end. Your connections have already been moved to

BM3104.WiresX: No Changes are needed on your end. Your connections have already been moved to BM3104.

Note: Users on 3102 and 3103 are not affected by this change. Only users who are using 3101 will need
to move their connection to 3104 before December 1, 2021 or may of course change sooner once it
displays in your hotspot master server dropdowns

New FCC license fees NOT to take effect, yet!

Posted on March 21, 2021 by VA3DBJ

UPDATE: The FCC Part 97 rules establishing a new $35 amateur radio application fee go on the books on April 19, but the FCC won’t start collecting the fee “until the requisite notice has been provided to Congress, the FCC’s information technology systems and internal procedures have been updated, and the Commission publishes notice(s) in the Federal Register announcing the effective date of such rules.” When effective, the fee will apply to new, modification (upgrade and sequential call sign change), renewal, and vanity call sign applications, as well as applications for a special temporary authority (STA) or a rule waiver. Fees will be collected per application. The FCC exempted from the fee applications for administrative updates, such as a change of mailing or email address. The FCC proposed a schedule of application and other fees for all services last year.

Last year the FCC announced new license application fees for various radio services, including the Amateur Radio Service and the GMRS. While the announcement received mixed response from the users of these services, it also created some confusion as to exactly when these new fees would begin to be enforced. ~~Now, we have a firm date. The new FCC license fees will take effect in April, 2021.~~

On December 29, 2021 the FCC issued a FCC Report and Order announcing the new fees. According to the document, the fee for an amateur radio technician, general or extra license, which previously was without charge, will now cost $35. The fee will apply to vanity call signs as well. The cost of a GMRS license will decrease from $70 to only $35. The licenses for both services are valid for 10 years.

The Schedule of Application Fees of the Commission’s Rules was published in the Federal Register March 19, 2021. According to the notice, the fees officially take effect on April 19, 2021.

If you are planning to obtain a ham radio license or vanity call sign, you have until this date to do so without incurring the new $35 fee. If you want to buy a GMRS license and pay the lower fee, you may want to wait until after April 19, 2021 apply.

New malware found on 30,000 Macs

Posted on February 22, 2021 by VA3DBJ

With no payload, analysts are struggling to learn what this mature malware does.

A previously undetected piece of malware found on almost 30,000 Macs worldwide is generating intrigue in security circles, and security researchers are still trying to understand precisely what it does and what purpose its self-destruct capability serves.

Once an hour, infected Macs check a control server to see if there are any new commands the malware should run or binaries to execute. So far, however, researchers have yet to observe delivery of any payload on any of the infected 30,000 machines, leaving the malware’s ultimate goal unknown. The lack of a final payload suggests that the malware may spring into action once an unknown condition is met.

Also curious, the malware comes with a mechanism to completely remove itself, a capability that’s typically reserved for high-stealth operations. So far, though, there are no signs the self-destruct feature has been used, raising the question of why the mechanism exists.

Besides those questions, the malware is notable for a version that runs natively on the M1 chip that Apple introduced in November, making it only the second known piece of macOS malware to do so. The malicious binary is more mysterious still because it uses the macOS Installer JavaScript API to execute commands. That makes it hard to analyze installation package contents or the way that package uses the JavaScript commands.

The malware has been found in 153 countries with detections concentrated in the US, UK, Canada, France, and Germany. Its use of Amazon Web Services and the Akamai content delivery network ensures the command infrastructure works reliably and also makes blocking the servers harder. Researchers from Red Canary, the security firm that discovered the malware, are calling the malware Silver Sparrow.

Reasonably serious threat

“Though we haven’t observed Silver Sparrow delivering additional malicious payloads yet, its forward-looking M1 chip compatibility, global reach, relatively high infection rate, and operational maturity suggest Silver Sparrow is a reasonably serious threat, uniquely positioned to deliver a potentially impactful payload at a moment’s notice,” Red Canary researchers wrote in a blog post published on Friday. “Given these causes for concern, in the spirit of transparency, we wanted to share everything we know with the broader infosec industry sooner rather than later.”

Silver Sparrow comes in two versions—one with a binary in mach-object format compiled for Intel x86_64 processors and the other Mach-O binary for the M1. The image below offers a high-level overview of the two versions:

So far, researchers haven’t seen either binary do much of anything, prompting the researchers to refer to them as “bystander binaries.” Curiously, when executed, the x86_64 binary displays the words “Hello World!” while the M1 binary reads “You did it!” The researchers suspect the files are placeholders to give the installer something to distribute content outside the JavaScript execution. Apple has revoked the developer certificate for both bystander binary files.

RAC Advanced Course for Maple Leaf Operators: Winter/Spring 2021

Posted on January 19, 2021 by VA3DBJ

The course is filling up quickly.

RAC’s next online Advanced Certificate course for Winter/Spring 2021 is filling up quickly. Since May 2020, 400 Radio Amateurs across Canada have used this course to prepare for the Advanced exam.

This instructor-led, 10-session course will begin in early February and end in early May. You can choose to attend either the Sunday afternoon sessions or the Monday evening sessions.

Registration is scheduled to close on February 5 or when it fills up!

Background information:

In response to the global pandemic, Radio Amateurs of Canada is once again offering an online Advanced Qualification Amateur Radio Course so that individuals can upgrade their qualifications while continuing to practise social/physical distancing.

With your Advanced Certificate, you can run higher power, operate a remotely-controlled station, obtain operating privileges when travelling overseas, set up repeaters, be the trustee for club stations and even become an Accredited Examiner (AE).

Note: You need to be a RAC Maple Leaf Operator Member (present or future) to register for this course. See below for information.

Course information:

The course will be 10 sessions in length and each session will be two hours long.

In order to offer maximum flexibility, we will be running two Advanced courses so students will be able to choose one of the following two options:

Sunday afternoons from 3 pm to 5 pm EDT (12 pm PDT) starting on Sunday, February 7 and ending on Sunday, May 2

Or

Monday evenings from 8:30 pm to 10:30 pm EDT (5:30 PDF) starting on Monday, February 8 and ending on Monday, May 3

Note: There will be no sessions on February 14 -15, March 28-29 and April 4-5.

For more information, please click here.

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Scheduled for Wednesday, June 9

CANWARN (CANadian Weather Amateur Radio Network)

For immediate release:

Registration: Please register now by clicking on the following link:

Geoff Coulson, Warning Preparedness Meteorologist:

Jason Tremblay, VE3JXT, RAC Community Services Officer:

Additional information about CANWARN

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FreeDMR

FreeDMR

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Update

RAC Canada Day Contest Rules 2021

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CANWARN (CANadian Weather Amateur Radio Network) – SESSION COMPLETED

For immediate release:

Registration:

Additional information about CANWARN

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Reasonably serious threat

FURTHER READING

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The course is filling up quickly.

Background information:

Course information:

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