canada

Battle of Atlantic and Fern Blodgett Sunde bronze statue unveiling

Posted on by VA3DBJ

A Tribute to Fern Blodgett Sunde: first female radio operator to go to sea

For immediate release: October 17, 2020 – Cobourg, Ontario

The ceremony and monument unveiling may be viewed live (and will be accessible after the event) on Cobourg Media Facebook and YouTube, or by accessing the links at:

Fern Blodgett Sunde Statue Unveiling Special

King Haakon VII of Norway presenting Fern Blodgett Sunde with an award for her wartime service.
King Haakon VII of Norway presenting Fern with an award for her wartime service.

We cordially invite you to the virtual unveiling ceremony of the Fern Blodgett Sunde bronze monument, to be held today (Saturday, October 17, 2020) at 1:15 pm Eastern Daylight Time.

The ceremony will take place in the meditation garden, Victoria Park, Cobourg, by Lake Ontario.

Fern Blodgett Sunde (1918-1991) grew up in Cobourg, with a dream of sailing the high seas. Determined to serve Canada when WWII broke out, she became the first Canadian woman to graduate with a professional wireless radio operator’s certificate, and the first woman ever to work deep sea as a ship’s radio operator (“Sparks”).

A fluke in Norwegian regulations, a shortage of radio operators, and her own persistence allowed her to sign onto the M/S Mosdale, a Norwegian merchant ship. Fern carried out her duties with outstanding competence and great courage during the Battle of the Atlantic.

It was incredibly dangerous, as Allied ships fighting to get personnel and crucial supplies to Britain faced U-boats, mined waters, enemy aircraft, and the perils of the sea as battlefield.

Fern was aboard 78 of the Mosdale’s record 96 transatlantic crossings, opening the door to a sisterhood of Sparks.

In 1943, she was awarded the Norwegian War Medal, the first woman ever to receive the honour.

Speakers will include His Excellency Jon Elvedal Fredriksen, Norway’s Ambassador to Canada; Rear-Admiral Jennifer Bennett, Royal Canadian Navy; Dr. Richard Gimblett, Command Historian of the Royal Canadian Navy (retired); Dr. Stéphanie Bélanger, Canadian Institute for Military and Veteran Health Research and Professor at the Royal Military College of Canada; Tyler Fauvelle, professional Canadian sculptor who created the monument.

Please join us! Soyez des nôtres en ligne pour cette celebration!

For more information about Fern Blodgett Sunde and her amazing achievement please click here.

Leona Woods, Chair and Helen Vari, Honourary Chair
Fern Blodgett Sunde and the Battle of the Atlantic Commemoration 2020
[email protected]

Amateur Radio during the current Global Pandemic

Posted on by VA3DBJ

The Covid-19 pandemic has been a part of our daily lives for several weeks now and will most likely continue to be for some time. The pandemic is of particular concern for Radio Amateurs because ours is a hobby that can be practised by people of all ages from elementary schoolchildren to senior citizens. In fact, it is frequently one of the activities that many take up as they near or begin retirement and finally have the time and resources available to participate. Consequently, we have a high proportion of seniors among our members and indeed some of the Amateur Radio clubs affiliated with RAC are senior citizen organizations.

Canadians are being directed to stay home in order to limit their contact with other people and to “flatten” or “plank” the coronavirus curve. As result, Amateur Radio club meetings and public events have been cancelled and clubs are investigating ways to keep in touch with their members – who are being encouraged to limit direct personal contacts through social/physical distancing and self-isolation – by using existing or new Amateur Radio nets (see below) and/or internet-based communication tools such as Zoom, GoToMeeting, WebEx and many others.

Isolation can have its own potential problems for people who live alone. Amateur Radio is all about communicating and we have the necessary hardware and expertise to enable individuals to stay in touch with their families, friends and colleagues.

Canadian Red Cross Psychological First Aid Guide
Canadian Red Cross Psychological First Aid

The Canadian Red Cross has prepared a “Psychological First Aid Pocket Guide” (PDF file, 631 kB; also shown below)  which “provides emotional and practical support to individuals, families and communities who are having difficulty coping. It is about establishing a connection with people in a compassionate non-judgmental manner to bring calm and comfort.” 

The Amateur Radio Emergency Service (ARES) is assisting the effort at every level. Some regions have already activated their Emergency Operations Centres to help coordinate agencies working the frontline and because of the current state of emergency declared by provinces, territories and municipalities. This does not mean that Amateur Radio Emergency Services are active or will be activated for this event. We provide communications services to mitigate potential failures and currently, despite the reports of concerns, there have been no reported issues.

Amateur Radio nets regularly connect individuals on a scheduled basis, but perhaps they can play additional roles during these difficult times such as helping isolated seniors keep contact with one another and allowing their colleagues and club members to help out when needed. We do not have a complete list of all Amateur Radio nets in Canada but the links at the end of this Message will provide a good start.

The impact and duration of the unprecedented global pandemic we now face has yet to be determined and it is difficult to plan in an uncertain future. However, although the RAC Head Office in Ottawa has been closed indefinitely, the majority of activities and responsibilities of the RAC administration are now being performed remotely. In addition, the RAC Board and Executive and all RAC committees and volunteers continue to work on behalf of all RAC members and for Amateur Radio in Canada and internationally.

The Amateur Radio Service consists of a diverse population, both in age and abilities, and Amateurs and Amateur Radio organizations are adapting to the current crisis and using their skills and knowledge to help in any way they can. RAC is also rising to the challenge and is now looking at ways to do things differently and to take advantage of our technical skills and recent technological advances. For example, we are now in the final stages of organizing both a Basic and an Advanced online Amateur Radio course.  More information about this new initiative will be posted on the RAC website in the coming days.

It is interesting that we are discussing this new need for Amateur Radio to provide assistance as we approach World Amateur Radio Day which is held every April 18. It was on that day in 1925 that the International Amateur Radio Union (IARU) was formed in Paris and Radio Amateurs worldwide now take to the airwaves each year in celebration.

Appropriately, the theme of World Amateur Radio Day is “Celebrating Amateur Radio’s contribution to Society” and Amateur Radio will play its part as the current global crisis unfolds. RAC is planning to celebrate World Amateur Radio Day this year on the air by inviting Amateurs in Canada and around the world to contact RAC official stations (VA2RAC, VA3RAC etc). The details are still being worked out and we will provide more information about this event in the near future.

Thank you for your continued support and understanding during this time of crisis. Please take care of yourself and your loved ones. Stay safe and, wherever possible, let us help one another during this extraordinary time.

Glenn MacDonell, VE3XRA
President, Radio Amateurs of Canada

Amateur Radio nets:

Amateur Radio nets:

Radio Amateurs of Canada:

Amateur Radio Nets

The Battleford’s Amateur Radio Association:

http://ve5brc.amateur-radio.ca/net.htm

The North Okanagan Radio Amateur Club:

http://norac.bc.ca/index.php/nets

Canadian Red Cross Psychological First Aid Guide:

Download (PDF, 599KB)

Canadian Military to Launch 3-satellite System

Posted on by VA3DBJ

Canadian military to launch 3-satellite system to track vessels.

Canada is preparing to launch a group of three satellites to track ships near the nation’s coast and also track vessels in parts of the world where Canada conducts military operations with allied nations, the Department of National Defense (DND) announced in a press release.

“This mission will carry a multi-mode synthetic aperture radar and an automatic identification system to enable enhanced ship tracking and provide greater awareness of Canada’s territories as well as other areas of interest around the world where DND and its allies operate,” the release said on Friday.

In addition to the upcoming satellite launch, Canada will invest $6.7 million in 12 research projects to develop new Earth-observation technologies that simplify and accelerate intelligence collection, the release said. With matching contributions from private industry, the research effort will total more than $13 million, the release said.

One of the 12 projects will attempt to develop an on-board video processing system on ships, which will be used together with space-based radar and ship detection sensors to enhance near-real-time vessel detection, tracking and identification, the release said.

Another project will develop a multi-satellite data classifier to better distinguish between ship and non-ship targets, such as icebergs, according to the release.

Source: Sputnik News

A Day of Remembrance

Posted on by VA3DBJ
The Ode of Remembrance

They went with songs to the battle, they were young. 
Straight of limb, true of eyes, steady and aglow. 
They were staunch to the end against odds uncounted, 
They fell with their faces to the foe. 
They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old: 
Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn. 
At the going down of the sun and in the morning, 
We will remember them.

Lest we Forget

Obituary of Ruth Bate

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Ruth Josephine Bate

(Nee Fogg)

August 10, 1917 – July 9, 2018

Beloved wife of the late Roland.  Daughter of the late George Valentine Fogg and Emmeline Ada May Standing.  Sister to the late Beverly, John and Brenton.  She is the proud mother of David, Larry and Richard and step-mother to Donald, Shirley and John Bate.  She cares deeply for her grandchildren, great grandchildren and their spouses.

She entered the old Bowmanville Hospital in 1936 to train as a nurse, and graduated in 1939.

Many thanks to the nurses, doctors and kitchen staff at Bowmanville Hospital.

According to her wishes, there will be no service or visitation.  Cremation has taken place and interment will be held at Bowmanville Cemetery. Arrangements entrusted to NORTHCUTT ELLIOTT FUNERAL HOME, 53 Division St., Bowmanville.  She was an animal lover and a donation to an animal shelter would be greatly appreciated by her, and her family, in her memory. 

World JOTA-JOTI Registration Now Open

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ARRL – Registration is open worldwide for Scouting’s Jamboree on the Air (JOTA) and Jamboree on the Internet. JOTA-JOTI take place October 19 – 21 — always the third weekend of October. JOTA Coordinator Jim Wilson, K5ND, encourages JOTA groups to register as soon as possible.

“The sign-up system this year is much simpler,” Wilson told ARRL. “There is no need to first register an account at scout.org before signing in.” Wilson said JOTA-JOTI will generate “an explosion of communication across the Amateur Radio airwaves and the internet.”

He anticipates that more than 1 million Scouts and Guides will take part in more than 150 countries. A JOTA-JOTI Participant’s Guide is available. “JOTA began in 1957 following the World Jamboree that year, when the ham radio operators gathered over coffee and thought about doing the on-the-air part of Jamboree every year,” Wilson recounted.

This year will mark the 61st JOTA (and the 22nd year of JOTI). “Many JOTA Amateur Radio stations are also starting to use JOTI channels, like ScoutLink, to more readily connect with Scouts around the world,” Wilson told ARRL. “Other channels include Skype, YouTube, and social media.”

Wilson said once groups have registered, other locations around the world will know to look for them. “Likewise, you’ll be able to see at a glance all the rest of the locations from across town to the other side of the Earth,” he added.

More information: https://www.jotajoti.info/what-is-jota-joti/
Registration : https://www.jotajoti.info/sign-up-jota-joti-2018/

Field Day 2018: June 23-24

Posted on by VA3DBJ

ARRL – ARRL Field Day is the single most popular on-the-air event held annually in the US and Canada.

On the fourth weekend of June of each year, more than 40,000 Radio Amateurs gather with their clubs, groups or simply with friends to operate from remote locations.

Field Day is a picnic, a campout, practice for emergencies, an informal contest and, most of all, FUN! It is a time where many aspects of Amateur Radio come together to highlight our many roles.

While some will treat it as a contest, other groups use the opportunity to practice their emergency response capabilities. It is an excellent opportunity to demonstrate Amateur Radio to the organizations that Amateur Radio might serve in an emergency, as well as the general public. For many clubs, ARRL Field Day is one of the highlights of their annual calendar.

The contest part is simply to contact as many other stations as possible and to learn to operate our radio gear in abnormal situations and less than optimal conditions. We use these same skills when we help with events such as marathons and bike-a-thons; fundraisers such as walk-a-thons; celebrations such as parades; and exhibits at fairs, malls and museums – these are all large, preplanned, non-emergency activities.

For more information, click here.

CANWARN Spring 2018 Training

Posted on by VA3DBJ

[UPDATE] Folks, this spring’s training is now winding down. As a reminder, due to a staff crunch this summer, we won’t be travelling to the Northwest but plan on returning next year. For those of you who have recently attended a training session, please find attached the list of useful websites/books as well as the one-page reporting tip sheet that was discussed during the training.

Our last session will take place in Kingston on June 11th. Please note there has been a change in the venue. The session will no longer be held at the Calvin Park Library, it has been moved to the Sydenham St. United Church located at 82 Sydenham St. in Kingston. The start time is unchanged; the session will begin at 6:30 PM.

I would like to thank you all again for being a part of the CANWARN storm spotter program. Your timely and accurate reports of severe weather continue to play an important role in our severe weather Watch and Warning program.

June 11 – Kingston – 6:30 PM – Sydenham St. United Church, 82 Sydenham St. Kingston

Regards,
Geoff Coulson

Warning Preparedness Meteorologist, Meteorological Service of Canada
Environment and Climate Change Canada / Government of Canada
[email protected]/ Tel: 416 739-4466

 

Federal Government Buying New Weather Radar

Posted on by VA3DBJ

The federal government is moving to improve Canada’s ability to warn people about severe weather, including tornadoes.

The government announced on May 28, 2017 that it has signed an $83-million contract for 20 state-of-the-art weather radars that are to be built across the country over seven years starting this fall.

Environment Minister Catherine McKenna said the radars, along with a recently acquired supercomputer, will give people more time to protect themselves and their property from severe weather.

“This important investment will help us modernize Canada’s weather service infrastructure and make sure our meteorologists can provide the fastest and most accurate weather forecasts,” McKenna said in Dorval, Que.

The government said the new system will cover more of Canada and double the detection range for tornadoes and other severe weather such as hurricanes, thunderstorms and snow storms.

Environment Canada said more accurate forecasts will help municipalities better plan snow clearing, give outdoor festivals more information about whether to cancel an event and improve air-traffic safety by providing information on when to route planes around storms.

Better data from radar images of precipitation in drainage basins is expected to help provinces forecast flooding. It should also help meteorologists better distinguish between rain, snow, hail and freezing rain.

The Insurance Bureau of Canada said severe weather due to climate change is costing Canadians billions of dollars each year, including a record $4.9 billion in insured damage in 2016. The bureau warned severe weather damage is on an upward trend that shows no signs of stopping.

The new radars will replace Canada’s aging network of 31 Doppler radars, some of which have had outages due to wear and tear.

Decisions on exactly when the new radars will be built are pending. In most cases, radars are to be built at or near existing sites, said Veronique Bouchet, an Environment Canada spokeswoman.

The network is to include one new radar site near Fort McMurray, Alta. Bouchet said there is lots of severe weather and economic activity in the oilsands region, as well as a busy airport.

“There are a lot more individuals that need to function in that area and we need to make sure they are safe in doing so,” she said.

The modernized network to be built by the German firm Selex ES will also provide weather information that can be used in almost every sector of the economy, McKenna said.

The radar system is to work in tandem with a new high-performance computer being built by IBM in the Montreal area that will use radar and other data to make weather and climate models. The $430-million supercomputer contract was awarded in May.

Bouchet said the radar network, along with satellite and other data, will provide meteorologists with better information to analyze what’s coming.

“That helps us to have much better forecasts looking in the next couple of hours, the next 24 hours and the next two or three days.”

Revised Canadian Table of Frequency Allocations

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Revised Canadian Table of Frequency Allocations now includes additional 15 kHz for 60 Metre Band with the same power limits as earlier allocated spot frequencies.

RAC – In August 2017, the Department of Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada (ISED) issued “Proposed Revisions to the Canadian Table of Frequency Allocations”. These proposed changes followed decisions made at the World Radiocommunications Conference in 2015 (WRC-15) that included a 15 kHz-wide allocation for the Amateur Service in the 60 metre band. The proposed revisions to the Table would retain the original five 5 MHz spot frequencies with 100 watts of effective radiated power, but restrict the new 15 kHz allocation to only 15 watts (eirp), the agreement at WRC-15 that accommodated concerns of a few countries over possible interference to their domestic communications. Decisions these days at World Radio Conferences require unanimous consent of all member nations.  

Radio Amateurs of Canada noted in its response to the proposed changes that there had been no reports of interference from Amateur Radio operations on the existing five 60m spot frequencies following their use in Canada since 2014 and in the USA for even longer. Further, the rationale for allocating the spot frequencies had been based on the value of 60m for emergency communications and the low power limit adopted at the WRC would seriously limit this use. Other responses from the Radio Advisory Board of Canada (of which RAC is a member organization), the Ottawa Valley Mobile Radio Club, the Marconi Radio Club of Newfoundland and several individual Radio Amateurs also recommended 100 watts. The new allocation will be more effective and manageable for domestic SSB communications and consistent with the existing use of the band on the five spot frequencies now enjoyed by Canadian Amateurs. The responses can be read at: https://www.ic.gc.ca/eic/site/smt-gst.nsf/eng/sf11346.html  

We are happy to report that in their release of the Revised Table of Frequency Allocations (http://www.ic.gc.ca/eic/site/smt-gst.nsf/eng/sf10759.html) issued on April 13, 2018, ISED has addressed the concerns of the Canadian Amateur Radio community. The Revised Table now allocates the band 5351. kHz5 – 5366.5 kHz (which overlaps one of the previous 60m spot frequencies) and the four previously allocated spot frequencies (5332, 5348, 5373 and 5405 kHz). The conditions for the use of the band and spot frequencies remain the same as those governing the spot frequencies previously: maximum effective radiated power of 100 watts PEP,  2.8 kHz emission bandwidth and permitted modes telephony, data, RTTY and CW. The Table notes that the Amateur 60m allocations are not in accordance with international frequency allocations and that Canadian Amateur operations shall not cause interference to fixed or mobile operations in Canada or other countries. As in the previous allocation of the spot frequencies, the Table notes that if interference occurs the Amateur Service may be required to cease operations. This is a standard condition of domestic allocations and as noted previously by RAC has not occurred during operation on the previously allocated and authorized spot frequencies.  

Even though the Canadian Table of Frequency Allocations now identifies this new 60 metre allocation for the Amateur Service, Canadian Amateurs must await authorization by ISED before using the new 15 kHz segment. Such authorization is normally effected via a revised issue of document RBR-4 – Standards for the Operation of Radio Stations in the Amateur Radio Service(https://www.ic.gc.ca/eic/site/smt-gst.nsf/eng/sf10650.html). Radio Amateurs of Canada will be urging ISED to authorize the new 15 kHz segment as soon as possible.  

Glenn MacDonell, VE3XRA
RAC President and Chair
[email protected]