canada

ISED Gives Advance Notice of Update of Basic Amateur Radio Exam Questions

Posted on by VA3DBJ

For immediate release – July 6, 2024

On July 5, 2024, Innovation Science and Economic Development Canada (ISED) posted the following announcement on its website:

“Working with the Radio Amateurs of Canada (RAC), Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada (ISED) plans to update the Basic Amateur Exam questions and answers in early 2025. An advance copy, in PDF format, will be posted in the coming months on our Downloads page so that instructors and examiners can update their material before the transition. After this update, ISED will perform a similar review of the Advanced Amateur Exam, with new exams expected after 2025.”

As indicated in the announcement, this is the result of a RAC initiative – which was presented to ISED in 2022 – and over a year of hard work by the members of RAC’s Examination Standards Committee (ESC). The final details of the update to the Basic Amateur Exam are being worked out now. ISED must put the completed draft of the Basic Question Bank through some internal processes before it can be published.

ISED will publish the new Basic Question Bank on its website several months before it is implemented to allow instructors, authors and candidates the opportunity to adjust to the changes. The existing Basic Question Bank will be used until the new bank is implemented sometime in 2025.

RAC’s Examination Standards Committee is now working on recommendations for updates to the Advanced Question Bank.

You can see ISED’s announcement at these links:

Amateur radio exam generator (canada.ca)
Accredited examiners (canada.ca)

—
Dave Goodwin VE3KG
Regulatory Affairs Officer
Radio Amateurs of Canada
[email protected]

1

Celebrate Canada Day with us!

Posted on by VA3DBJ

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

RAC Contest Rules updates | July 1, 2024

This year there are several changes including:

  • In support of the new RAC Headquarters Amateur Station, the RAC contests will now recognize its call sign VE3RHQ as a new 20-point bonus call sign as part of the contest scoring. All the major software authors have implemented this change, so please update your software if you have not recently done so. If the software you use does not support this additional bonus scoring, rest assured that our contest management software will correctly add the value to your score when appropriate.
  • Commencing with the 2024 contest season we are no longer accepting paper logs.
  • The RAC Contest Management Teams Web Log System at https://contest.rac.ca/ is the preferred method to submit logs and email logs will still be accepted for the near term.
  • The Winnipeg Amateur Radio Club and the Manitoba Repeater Society have amalgamated into the new Radio Amateurs of Manitoba. They will now be the sponsor of the Rookie Plaque.
  • We have received several inquiries about how the 10-minute rule was adjudicated in the Multi-Operator Single-Transmitter categories for High Power (MOSTHP) and Low Power (MOSTLP). There have also been other inquiries regarding transmitted signals, band and mode of operation. As a result we have extensively rewritten Category Note 4 to provide more clarity.

If you have questions about these rules or need help with preparing or submitting your log or have any other questions, please contact Bart Ritchie, VE5CPU at [email protected].

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

We look forward to celebrating Canada’s birthday on the air with you on July 1.

Bart Ritchie, VE5CPU –
RAC Canada Day Contest Manager

Upcoming CanWarn Training and “Beyond CanWarn” Q&A Event

Posted on by VA3DBJ

For immediate release:

CANWARN

Radio Amateurs of Canada (RAC), the national association for Amateur Radio in Canada, is pleased to present its second CANWARN Weather Spotter Workshop for Amateurs and non-Amateurs this season. In addition, a special Q&A Live Event will also be held to close off this year’s training session.

Canadian Weather Amateur Radio Network (CANWARN), Radio Amateurs of Canada’s national severe weather preparedness program, is an important initiative. It equips volunteers with free storm spotter training, empowering them to protect Canadians from severe weather. It also educates citizens on recognizing and reporting severe weather, a vital contribution to keeping our communities safe.

Please visit the CanWarn webpage for more information: https://www.rac.ca/canwarn/ 

Weather Spotter Workshop: Thursday, June 20

The Weather Spotter Workshops events will be hosted by RAC Community Services Officer Jason Tremblay, VE3JXT, and will once again feature special guest Warning Preparedness Meteorologist Geoff Coulson who has been a Meteorologist for 37 years, including with Environment Canada for 35 years as an Operational Forecaster, Trainer, Outreach Officer and Warning Preparedness Meteorologist (WPM).

The event will be held online via Zoom. There is no need to pre-register for the event and you can log in via Zoom using the links provided. 

Date: Thursday, June 20

Time: 7 pm Eastern Time (US and Canada)

Cost: There is no fee for this event.

Fireside Chat | Q&A Live Event: Tuesday, June 25

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 has been affected by global climate change and its impact on Canadians.

Date: Tuesday, June 25

Time: 7 pm Eastern Time (US and Canada)

Cost: There is no fee for this event.

Please visit the CanWarn webpage for more information: https://www.rac.ca/canwarn/

News post: https://www.rac.ca/canwarn-training-and-beyond-canwarn-special-event/

Youth On The Air Comes to Canada!

Posted on by VA3DBJ

The next Youth on the Air Camp for the Americas is being held from July 16-21, 2023 at Carleton University in Ottawa. A team of RAC volunteers will serve as the local host for this event. The main organizers are Roger Egan, VA3EGY, and Harrie Jones, VE3HYS.

The next Youth on the Air Camp for the Americas is being held from July 16-21, 2023 at Carleton University in Ottawa.

A team of RAC volunteers will serve as the local host for this event. The main organizers are Roger Egan, VA3EGY, and Harrie Jones, VE3HYS.

Youth On The Air (YOTA) is a program for and by young Amateur Radio operators in the Americas, closely modelled after the Youngsters On The Air program in Region 1 (Europe, Africa and Middle East) of the International Amateur Radio Union (IARU). The goal of the program is to build skills and foster lasting friendships and mentors with younger Amateurs.

Youth On The Air Camp is for Amateur Radio operators between the ages of 15 to 25. 

For more information please visit: https://www.rac.ca/youth-on-the-air/

Changes to the RAC Field Organization

Posted on by VA3DBJ
Changes to the RAC Field Organization Sections Effective January 1, 2023 –
New RAC bulletin logo November 2019

As previously reported, on May 25, 2022, the Board of Directors of Radio Amateurs of Canada approved changes to the RAC Field Organization which will take effect on January 1, 2023. 

The RAC Field Organization will be reorganized into the following Sections effective January 1, 2023:

•        Newfoundland and Labrador (NL)

•        Nova Scotia (NS)

•        Prince Edward Island (PE)

•        New Brunswick (NB) – the Maritime Section (MAR) will be abolished.

•        Quebec (QC)

•        Ontario East (ONE)

•        Golden Horseshoe (GH) – currently called Greater Toronto Area (GTA).

•        Ontario South (ONS)

•        Ontario North (ONN)

•        Manitoba (MB)

•        Saskatchewan (SK)

•        Alberta (AB)

•        British Columbia (BC)

•        Territories (TER) – Northwest Territories, Yukon and Nunavut will be combined into one section.

There will be unintended consequences to contesters and, in particular, to Field Day and three of the American Radio Relay League’s Contests: the Sweepstakes CW, Sweepstakes SSB and the ARRL 160m contests. These changes do not affect any other ARRL contests or any other contests.

What it Means for Contesting….

In his column “The Sports Page: The Canadian Contest Scene” in the September-October 2022 issue of The Canadian Amateur magazine, Tom Haavisto, VE3CX, discussed the impact of the changes to the RAC Field Organization on contesting.

Tom Haavisto, VE3CX –

“As previously reported, on May 25 the Board of Directors of Radio Amateurs of Canada approved changes to the “RAC Field Organization” which will take effect on January 1, 2023. There will be unintended consequences to contesters and, in particular, to Field Day and three of the American Radio Relay League’s Contests: the Sweepstakes CW, Sweepstakes SSB and the ARRL 160m contests. These changes do not affect any other ARRL contests or any other contests. The following column was prepared with input from several of the RAC volunteers who are working behind the scenes on your behalf.

The RAC Field Organization is divided into “Sections” that cover defined geographic areas, usually a province. Every issue of The Canadian Amateur magazine has a “Section News” column in which Section Reports  briefly describe the important role that volunteer Amateurs provide to their communities across Canada. There is absolutely no better way to visualize the commitment and dedication of these hard working volunteers than to read the reports and articles submitted to the Public Service / Auxiliary Communication Service column and the Section News
(see pages 43-52).

For reasons of tradition, those four ARRL events have always used the Sections of the Field Organizations in Canada and the United States in the exchange as well as for multipliers. Sweepstakes (SS) is the oldest of the four and began as a competition in passing formal messages back in the 1930s when handling “Radiograms” was a very large part of Amateur Radio.

As time went on, the Sweepstakes CW and Sweepstakes SSB became less like message handling events and more like the contests that we know and love today. This is where the quirky rules of Sweepstakes came from – they are based on this history of message handling.

In both Canada and the United States, changes in the Field Organizations were always made for their own internal reasons, independent of contests.

Over the years, the ARRL’s Contest Management Team have adjusted their contest rules to follow changes as they are made. The ARRL has already indicated that they will adjust the rules of Field Day, SS CW, SS SSB and the ARRL 160m contest to mirror the decisions of the RAC Board.” – continued at the link provided below:

Restructuring of the Field Organization – Radio Amateurs of Canada (rac.ca)

RAC Canada Winter Contest 2022

Posted on by VA3DBJ

In December each year, Radio Amateurs of Canada (RAC) sponsors the Canada Winter Contest. Amateurs all over the world are invited to participate.

Contest Period: 0000 UTC to 2359 UTC on
December 17, 2022.

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 and 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.

For more information, please click here.

Upcoming ARISS Contact with Maitland Air Cadets

Posted on by VA3DBJ

Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) has received schedule confirmation for an ARISS radio contact between an astronaut aboard the International Space Station (ISS) and Youth Members of the Maitland Air Cadet Squadron located in Goderich, Ontario.

The ARISS radio contact is scheduled for December 16, 2022 at 12:25 pm EST (Goderich) (17:25 UTC, 11:25 am CST, 10:25 am MST, 9:25 am PST).

ARISS conducts 60-80 of these special Amateur Radio contacts each year between students around the globe and crew members with Amateur Radio licenses aboard the ISS.

The Maitland Air Cadet Association supports the activities of the local air cadet squadron and provides enhanced support to the Air Cadet squadron. Maitland Air Cadet Squadron is a joint effort by the Department of National Defence, the Air Cadet League of Canada and the Royal Canadian Legion branch 109 in Goderich, Ontario. The aims of the Air Cadet program are: to develop in youth the attributes of good citizenship and leadership; to promote physical fitness; to stimulate an interest in the air element of Canadian Forces. Educational activities in preparation for this ARISS contact involves cadets designing/building VHF antennas, tracking the ISS and decoding ISS-APRS messages. Basic Qualification Amateur Radio courses for all cadet levels are being offered, giving them the opportunity to become a certified amateur radio operator.

This will be a direct contact via Amateur Radio allowing cadets to ask their questions of Astronaut Josh Cassada, KI5CRH. Local Covid-19 protocols are adhered to as applicable for each ARISS contact. The downlink frequency for this contact is 145.800 MHZ and may be heard by listeners that are within the ISS-footprint that also encompasses the relay ground station.

The Amateur Radio ground station for this contact is in Goderich, Ontario. Amateur Radio operators using call sign VA3SQN will operate the ground station to establish and maintain the ISS connection.

Winter Field Day 2022 is this weekend!

Posted on by VA3DBJ
Please see the Winter Field Day Rules for information about participating in the event during the pandemic.

Winter Field Day, sponsored by the Winter Field Day Association (WFDA), will take place this coming weekend January 29-30. 

Purpose: To foster camaraderie, field operation, emergency operating preparedness, and just plain on the air, outdoor fun in the midst of winter for Canadian, American and DX Amateurs.

When: Winter Field Day runs for 24 hours during the last full weekend in January each year from 1900 UTC (2pm EST) Saturday to 1900 UTC (2pm EST) Sunday. For 2021 the dates are January 30 and 31.

The following is an extract from their website:

“The Winter Field Day Association (WFDA) is a dedicated group of Amateur Radio Operators who believe that emergency communications in a winter environment is just as important as the preparations and practice that is done each summer but with some additional unique operational concerns.

We believe as do those entities of ARRL Organizations like ARES & RACES that maintaining your operational skills should not be limited to fair weather scenarios. The addition of Winter Field Day will enhance those already important skills of those that who generously volunteer their time and equipment to these organizations. This is why WFD is open to all licensed Amateur Radio operators worldwide.

Disasters are unpredictable by nature and can strike when you least expect them. WFDA’s goal is to help enhance your skills and ready you for all environmental conditions found in the US and Canada during the spring, summer, fall and winter Preparedness is the key to a professional and timely response during any event and this is what local and state authorities are expecting when they reach out to the emergency service groups that offer their services.

If you are serious about emergency communications as we are; we welcome you to join us for our yearly event. We are sure you will find this event a pleasant change and challenge to that of a normal summer time Field Day.”

For more information about Winter Field Day visit: 

https://www.winterfieldday.com

Winter Field Day Rules

FreeDMR

Posted on 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.

CountryTalk GroupsName
Canada302Canada Wide
Canada3020Newfoundland & Labrador & P.E.I.
Canada3021Nova Scotia
Canada3022Quebec
Canada3023Ontario
Canada3024Manitoba
Canada3025Saskatchewan
Canada3026Alberta
Canada3027British Columbia
Canada3028Nunavut, Yukon & NWT
Canada3029New Brunswick

For more information, click here.

VA3DBJ.ca DMR Repeaters

RAC Canada Winter Contest

Posted on by VA3DBJ

In December each year, Radio Amateurs of Canada sponsors the RAC Canada Winter Contest. Amateurs all over the world are invited to participate. 

Contest Period: 0000 UTC to 2359 UTC December 19, 2020. 

The global pandemic will most likely still be a fact of life on Saturday, December 19 when the RAC Canada Winter Contest takes place and we want to make sure that everyone participates safely. The RAC Contest Committee is therefore asking all participants 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. 

Mode:CW, Phone
Bands:160, 80, 40, 20, 15, 10, 6, 2m
Classes:Single Op All Band (QRP/Low/High)
Single Op CW
Single Op Phone
Single Op Single Band
Single Op Overlay: Rookie
Multi-Single (Low/High)
Multi-Multi
Max operating hours:24 hours
Max power:HP: >100 watts
LP: 100 watts
QRP: 5 watts
Exchange:VE: RS(T) + (province/territory)
non-VE and VE0: RS(T) + Serial No.
QSO Points:VE/VE0: 10 points
non-VE/VE0: 2 points
RAC official stations: 20 points
Multipliers:VE provinces and territories (13), once per mode per band
Score Calculation:Total score = total QSO points x total mults
Submit logs by:January 31, 2021
E-mail logs to:canadawinter[at]rac[dot]ca
Mail logs to:Radio Amateurs of Canada 
720 Belfast Road, Suite 217 
Ottawa, Ontario K1G 0Z5 
Canada
Find rules at:https://www.rac.ca/rac-canada-winter-contest-2020/

New “Rookie Plaque”

The new “Rookie Plaque” will be sponsored by RadioSport Manitoba and the Winnipeg Amateur Radio Club and will begin with this year’s RAC Canada Winter Contest which will be held on Saturday, December 19.

“Rookie” is defined as a single operator who was first licensed as a Radio Amateur less than 36 calendar months (three years) before the date of the contest being entered in this subcategory. Any level of Amateur Radio licence available from the licensing jurisdiction qualifies for the subcategory.

The participating licensed Amateur is required to self-declare their eligibility, but the RAC Contest Management Committee reserves the right to request proof of eligibility to assist in resolving any disputes.

Eligible Categories for the Rookie Plaque:

Participants are eligible for the new Rookie Plaque in the following categories. Note: only one plaque is available across the three categories designated below.

  • Single Operator All Band Low Power (SOABLP)
  • Single Operator All Band High Power (SOABHP)
  • Single Operator All Band QRP Power (SOABQRP)

Qualification for the Rookie Overlay Category:

Any Single Operator All Band entrant, in the categories noted above, who meets the Rookie requirements will need to select or enter the Rookie category by adding a new “Category-Overlay: Rookie line” in the Cabrillo log file header. You may need to manually enter this line if the logging software you use does not support this category overlay.

In addition, entrants will need to indicate the date they were first licensed by adding a comment with that information in a “Soapbox:” field in the Cabrillo header. An example would be: “Soapbox: First licensed in January of 2019.”

Rookie participants will still qualify for the plaques in the three eligible categories should they receive the highest score in one of those categories. Previous rookie winners are ineligible for an additional Rookie Plaque in future contests.

RAC Cabrillo Guidelines:

As indicated above, as part of the contest rules update around the new Rookie subcategory we have updated the RAC Contest Cabrillo Guidelines document to reflect these changes. Specifically there is now a Category-Overlay field in the specifications with the expected input to be “Rookie”.

We hope that contest software authors will be able to update their software to include these changes. Until that time, contesters will have to manually enter the following line in their Cabrillo log: “Category-Overlay: Rookie” if they qualify as a rookie and wish to compete for this new plaque.

We have also aligned our Cabrillo document to update to all the current Cabrillo specifications to the published standards that apply to our contests based on the 2020 publication of the V3 standards.

The updated document is available for download: