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

Posted on 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 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

New RAC bulletin logo November 2019

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.

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

Posted on 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.

Former RAC President Farrell (Hoppy) Hopwood, VE7RD SK

Posted on by VA3DBJ

From RAC

Radio Amateurs of Canada has received the sad news that former RAC President, Farrell Hopwood, VE7RD, became a Silent Key on December 8, 2020 at age 91.

The following information was extracted from the online obituary notice which was published in North Shore News on December 30.

“Farrell worked for BC Tel for many years and was active in St. Stephen’s parish, North Vancouver as well as instrumental in the founding of the Radio Amateurs of Canada.

He is survived by his son David, brother Brendan, sisters Eileen and Deidra, sister-in-law Lee, their spouses and many nieces and nephews.

The family is grateful to the staff of Delta Hospital as well as Wexford Independent Living in Tsawwassen for their care and support. Due to the current Covid restrictions, a celebration of Farrell’s life will be limited to a private Mass with a graveside service to follow at a later date.

In lieu of flowers, donations to the Alzheimer’s Society would be appreciated.”

RAC would like to extend its sincere condolences to his family and friends.

Member of Canadian Amateur Radio Hall of Fame 2015

Farrell (Hoppy) Hopwood, VE7RD, was inducted into the Canadian Amateur Radio Hall of Fame in 2015 and the information provided below was published in the January-February 2016 issue of The Canadian Amateur magazine in recognition of this significant achievement. We will be including a tribute article to Farrell in the March-April 2021 issue of The Canadian Amateur magazine.

Farrell Hopwood, VE7RD, better known as “Hoppy”, was born and raised in British Columbia. Hoppy’s parents were influential mentors in his early telecommunications career.

His father, Jack, was a telegrapher with Canadian Pacific (CP) Telegraphs; his mother, Mona, was a Teletype operator who worked alongside Jack. Hoppy learned the landline Morse code from his dad.

Hoppy started his telecoms career in Vancouver as a telegraph lineman for CP Telegraphs in 1948 and then transferred to BC Telephone, where he worked his way through maintaining telephone dial offices to long-distance carrier systems in Vancouver.

After the changeover to public distance dialing in 1959, Hoppy was involved with mechanical switching, TD2 microwave and large digital switching networks; and in 1971, formed a Systems Coordination Centre (SCC) to help BC Telephone and other large business users to install new telecom networks. He managed the SCC until he retired in 1992.

In 1955, Hoppy obtained his Amateur Radio licence and his first call sign, VE7AHB. He held a strong interest in all aspects of Amateur Radio, particularly DX, VHF/UHF linking and packet. He was an early member of the Canadian Radio Relay League (CRRL), the Canadian Amateur Radio Federation (CARF), the American Radio Relay League (ARRL), Telephone Pioneers and the North Shore Amateur Radio Club. He was also a member of the team that created an Amateur Radio station and exhibit at EXPO 86 in Vancouver.

These memberships introduced him to government regulations and the various threats to Amateur Radio bands. This led Hoppy to become an Assistant Director for the Canadian Amateur Radio Federation, followed by Director and Vice-President.

He sought the CARF Presidency on the condition that the CARF Board commit to meet with the CRRL Board to revisit prior discussions with the CRRL to create one national society. Thus began a series of meetings between CARF and CRRL.

Merging the two societies was a complex and delicate process for the whole merger team and when roadblocks occurred it was up to the two Presidents to find a way around.

Hoppy particularly appreciated working with CRRL President Dana Shtun, VE3DSS (now also VE3DS), who shared the vision for a strong national Canadian Amateur Radio society and served as RAC’s first Vice-President.

Hoppy was appointed RAC President and remained in this post for six years. During this period the new RAC team improved services to members and to the Amateur Radio community in Canada. Hoppy retired at the end of 1998 after serving three terms as President.

Hoppy was inducted into the Hall of Fame on December 10, 2015 at the annual banquet of the North Shore Amateur Radio Club in North Vancouver, BC.

Registration is now underway for RAC Basic Winter 2021 Course!

Posted on by VA3DBJ

For immediate release:

Radio Amateurs of Canada is once again offering an online Amateur Radio course so that individuals from all across Canada can obtain their Amateur Radio Operator Certificate with Basic Qualification while continuing to practise social/physical distancing.

The course will again be conducted with the assistance of the Annapolis Valley Amateur Radio Club (AVARC) of Nova Scotia.

This course prepares students for the Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada (ISED) Basic Qualification Level Operator Certificate exam to operate on allocated Amateur Radio frequencies.

Schedule and Cost:

Date: The course will start on Thursday, January 14 and will finish in late March.

Time: Classes will be held on Thursday evenings from 6 pm to 8:30 (1800 – 2030) Eastern Time (1900 – 2130 Atlantic Time) and Sunday afternoons 1 pm to 3:30 pm (1300 – 1530) Eastern Time (1400 – 1630 Atlantic Time).

Cost: The registration fee for the course is $50 plus GST/HST. The cost of the Basic Study Guide is extra and an order link will be provided upon completion of payment.

Instruction: 

The course will use the GoToMeeting web-based service. Students will receive instructions on how to log on to the online sessions once they have registered for the course. Classes will be recorded, so occasional absences are not a problem.

The course instructor is Al Penney, VO1NO. Al was first licensed in 1977 and has been active in many areas of Amateur Radio including contesting, DXing, VHF/UHF weak signal, satellites, emergency communications and DXpeditioning. He has served as the President of six different Amateur Radio clubs in both Canada and the United States and currently chairs the International Amateur Radio Union (IARU) Region 2 Band Planning Committee. Al has taught the Basic Qualification Amateur Radio Course since 1994.

Course material pertaining to all topics covered in the course syllabus will be provided to all registered students. It is also provided in PDF format below.

Students must have a copy of the Canadian Amateur Radio Basic Qualification Study Guide provided by Coax Publications. For more information please visit the RAC Study Guides webpage.

It is essential that all students have the necessary equipment and bandwidth capable of taking the course – at least a tablet or PC and a DSL broadband connection.

Download (PDF, 446KB)

Registration: 

If you would like to take part in this course please register now by completing the registration form provided on the RAC website at:

https://www.rac.ca/basic-course-registration-form-winter-2021/

Other Amateur Radio Courses:

Amateur Radio Basic and Advanced Qualification courses are also now being provided both online and in person by Canadian Amateur Radio Clubs and organizations. Please visit the Amateur Radio Courses webpage for more information at the link provided below.

Amateur Radio Courses

Glenn MacDonell, VE3XRA
RAC President and Chair

ARISS SSTV Event Scheduled for December 24 to 31

Posted on by VA3DBJ

Celebrating 20 Years of Continuous Operations on ISS

For immediate release:

An ARISS Slow Scan TV (SSTV) event is scheduled from the International Space Station (ISS). This will be a special SSTV event to celebrate the 20th anniversary of ARISS on board the International Space Station.

Twenty years ago, on November 13, 2000, the Expedition-1 crew turned on the ARISS Ericsson radio for the first time and completed several contacts with ARISS ground stations around the world to validate the radio communications system.

These inaugural contacts launched an incredible two-decade operations journey on the International Space Station (ISS), enabling ARISS to inspire, engage and educate our next generation of explorers and provide the Amateur Radio community a platform for lifelong learning and experimentation.

The ARISS SSTV event is scheduled to begin on December 24 at 16:40 UTC and continue through December 31 ending at 18:15 UTC.

Note: Dates are subject to change due to ISS operational adjustments.

Images will be downlinked at 145.8 MHz +/- 3 kHz for Doppler shift and the expected SSTV mode of operation is PD 120.

Radio enthusiasts participating in the event can post images they receive at the ARISS SSTV Gallery at https://www.spaceflightsoftware.com/ARISS_SSTV/ .

After your image is posted at the gallery, you can acquire a special award by linking to https://ariss.pzk.org.pl/sstv/ and follow directions for submitting a digital copy of your received image.

For more information on the SSTV event please visit:

http://ariss-sstv.blogspot.com/

For more information about the ARISS program please visit:

ARISS homepage: https://www.ariss.org/

ARISS Canada: https://www.rac.ca/ariss/

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:

ISS Cross Band FM Repeater Activated

Posted on by VA3DBJ

At 01:02 GMT on September 2 a cross band FM amateur radio repeater with a downlink on 437.800 MHz was activated on the International Space Station.

The Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) announcement reads:

The ARISS team is pleased to announce that set up and installation of the first element of our next generation radio system was completed and amateur radio operations with it are now underway. This first element, dubbed the InterOperable Radio System (IORS), was installed in the International Space Station Columbus module. The IORS replaces the Ericsson radio system and packet module that were originally certified for spaceflight on July 26, 2000.

Initial operation of the new radio system is in FM cross band repeater mode using an uplink frequency of 145.990 MHz with an access tone [CTCSS] of 67 Hz and a downlink frequency of 437.800 MHz. System activation was first observed at 01:02 UTC on September 2. Special operations will continue to be announced.

The IORS was launched from Kennedy Space Center on March 6, 2020 on board the SpaceX CRS-20 resupply mission. It consists of a special, space-modified JVC Kenwood D710GA transceiver, an ARISS developed multi-voltage power supply and interconnecting cables. The design, development, fabrication, testing, and launch of the first IORS was an incredible five-year engineering achievement accomplished by the ARISS hardware volunteer team. It will enable new, exciting capabilities for ham radio operators, students, and the general public. Capabilities include a higher power radio, voice repeater, digital packet radio (APRS) capabilities and a Kenwood VC-H1 slow scan television (SSTV) system.

A second IORS undergoes flight certification and will be launched later for installation in the Russian Service module. This second system enables dual, simultaneous operations, (e.g. voice repeater and APRS packet), providing diverse opportunities for radio amateurs. It also provides on-orbit redundancy to ensure continuous operations in the event of an IORS component failure.

Next-gen development efforts continue. For the IORS, parts are being procured and a total of ten systems are being fabricated to support flight, additional flight spares, ground testing and astronaut training. Follow-on next generation radio system elements include an L-band repeater uplink capability, currently in development, and a flight Raspberry-Pi, dubbed “ARISS-Pi,” that is just beginning the design phase. The ARISS-Pi promises operations autonomy and enhanced SSTV operations.

ARISS is run almost entirely by volunteers, and with the help of generous contributions from ARISS sponsors and individuals. Donations to the ARISS program for next generation hardware developments, operations, education, and administration are welcome — please go to https://www.ariss.org/donate.html to contribute to these efforts.

ARISS–Celebrating 20 years of continuous amateur radio operations on the ISS!

Proposed Two Metre (2m) Band Plan

Posted on by VA3DBJ

As announced in The Canadian Amateur magazine, the RAC Band Planning Committee has completed the new proposed 2m band plan.

Radio Amateurs of Canada band planning committees coordinate the development of National Band Plans to provide guidance for the usage of the Canadian Amateur bands. These committees are made up of representatives from all regions of Canada.

The committees prepare interim band plans after consulting with Amateurs across the country. These plans not only take into account the wishes of Canadian Amateurs, but are also coordinated with band usage in other countries through membership in the International Amateur Radio Union (IARU).

The RAC Board of Directors extends thanks to the members of the RAC Band Planning Committee for undertaking the task of reviewing and updating the VHF and UHF band plans over the next year.

A draft of the band plans is provided below for final input before it is submitted to the RAC Board of Directors for approval. If you have any comments or suggestions please send them to Serge, Bertuzzo, VA3SB, RAC International Affairs Officer, at [email protected].

RAC Band Planning Committee

Chair: Al Penney, VO1NO

Members:

  • Bill Elliott, VE1MR
  • Don Falle, VE2DFO
  • Stuart Truba, VE2XX
  • Dana Shtun, VE3DS
  • Derek Hay, VE4HAY
  • Ken Oelke, VE6AFO
  • Skip MacAulay, VE6BGT
  • Ernest Clintberg, VE6EC
  • Don Moman, VE6JY
  • Mitchell Goodjohn, VE6SM
  • Grant Furnald, VE6TA
  • Ed Frazer, VE7EF
  • George Merchant, VE7GM
  • Dave Miller, VE7HR

Serge, Bertuzzo, VA3SB
RAC International Affairs Officer
[email protected]

Download (PDF, 157KB)

Frequency Modes and Possible Uses
(please see the Notes provided below)
144.000 – 144.100EME, Narrow Band Digital, CW, Weak Signal Modes. See Note 1 below.JT65 centred on 144.085 JA Window. See Note 2.
144.100 – 144.180CW, SSB, Narrow Band Digital, EME, Weak Signal Modes. See Note 1.144.174 FT8, 144.144/144.150 MSK144 Meteor Scatter, 144.115 – 144.135 Digital EME centred on 144.125 MHz. See Note 2
144.180 – 144.265CW, SSB, Narrow Band Digital, EME, Weak Signal and other Narrow Band Modes. See Note 1.Other modes with bandwidths less than 3 kHz, including FAX and SSTV.144.200 SSB and CW Calling Frequency. See Note 3.
144.265 – 144.270No transmissions – Guard Band to protect Beacon Network.
144.270 – 144.300Propagation Beacon Network Exclusive.Note that 144.300 is the IARU Region 1 Calling Frequency, and could be used for Trans-Atlantic Attempts.
144.300 – 144.310No transmissions – Guard Band to protect Beacon Network.Note that 144.300 is the IARU Region 1 Calling Frequency, and could be used for Trans-Atlantic Attempts.
144.310 – 144.500Wide Band Digital Modes (e.g.: Packet, APRS). See Note 1 and Note 4.144.340 – National ATV Voice Coordination Frequency FM.144.390 – National APRS Frequency. See Note 5.144.489 – National WSPR Frequency.
144.500 – 144.900FM / Digital / Linear Repeater Inputs. See Note 6.
144.900 – 145.100Wide Band Digital. See Note 1 and Note 7.
145.100 – 145.500FM / Digital / Linear Repeater Outputs. See Note 6.
145.500 – 145.590ARISS Links – Space Communication Exclusive.
145.590 – 145.790Wide Band Digital Modes. See Note 1 and Note 8.
145.790 – 145.800No transmissions. Guard Band to protect Satellite Sub-band.
145.800 – 146.000Amateur Satellite Uplink / Downlink and ARISS Exclusive.
146.000 – 146.010No transmissions. Guard Band to protect Satellite Sub-band.
146.010 – 146.370FM / Digital / Linear Repeater Inputs. See Note 6.
146.400 – 146.595FM Simplex. See Notes 9 and 10.146.520 – National FM Calling Frequency. See Note 3.
146.610 – 147.390FM / Digital / Linear Repeater Outputs. See Note 6.
147.420 – 147.570FM Simplex and Digital Hotspots using a 30 kHz raster. See Note 11 and Note 12.Note that Digital channels are interwoven between these FM Simplex channels.
147.435 – 147.585Wide Band Digital. See Note 1 and Note 13.Note that these Digital channels are interwoven between the FM Simplex channels at 147.420 – 147.570.
147.600 – 147.990FM / Digital / Linear Repeater inputs. See Note 6.

Notes for Proposed Two Metre (2m) Band Plan:

Note 1: Narrow Band Digital 2m modes are those with bandwidths of 3 kHz or less; for example, WSJT modes. Wide Band Digital 2m modes are those with bandwidths greater than 3 kHz but less than 30 kHz; for example, Packet.

Note 2: Consult with the WSJT community regarding frequencies for EME and Terrestrial operations as these change with modulation schemes.

Note 3: Once contact is established on a Calling Frequency, operators should QSY to another frequency. For 144.200 MHz it is generally down for CW, and up for SSB. For 146.520 MHz FM, it is to any other clear FM simplex channel.

Note 4: Seven frequencies on a 20 kHz channel raster: 144.37, 144.39, 144.41, 144.43, 144.45, 144.47 and 144.49. Occupancy is to occur only when available Digital frequencies within the sub-bands 144.9 – 145.1 MHz and 145.59 – 145.79 MHz are exhausted. Consult with your local digital coordination body regarding maximum ERP, Bandwidth and coverage area within this sub-band. Operation may occur on 144.31 MHz provided operating bandwidth and ERP do not cause harmful interference within the propagation beacon network sub-band.

Note 5: Consult with your local coordination body.

Note 6: Repeaters include FM, Digital (DMR, Fusion, DSTAR and related) and linear modes. Consult with your local coordination body for frequencies and modulation scheme allocations specific to your area, if available. Hotspots are not to be used on Repeater frequencies.

Note 7: Ten frequencies on a 20 kHz channel raster: 144.91, 144.93, 144.95, 144.97, 144.99, 145.01, 145.03, 145.05, 145.07 and 145.09. Consult with your local coordination body.

Note 8: Eleven frequencies on a 20 kHz channel raster:
145.59, 145.61, 145.63, 145.65, 145.67, 145.69, 145.71, 145.73, 145.75, 145.77 and 145.79 MHz. Consult with your local coordination body.

Note 9: The frequencies 146.40, 146.43 and 146.46 MHz continue to be used as repeater inputs in some areas. Consult with your local coordination body.

Note 10: Thirteen channels on a 15 kHz channel raster: 146.415, 146.430, 146.445, 146.460, 146.475, 146.490, 146.505, 146.520, 146.535, 146.550, 146.565, 146.580 and 146.595 MHz.

Note 11: Six channels on a 30 kHz channel raster, 147.420, 147.450, 147.480, 147.510, 147.540, 147.570 MHz.

Note 12: The use of Digital Hotspots is not recommended on 2m. If they are used however, maximum power output should not exceed 500 mW. Gain antennas should not be used. The control operator must monitor the Hotspot whenever it is operating.

Note 13: Six channels on a 30 kHz channel raster: 147.435, 147.465, 147.495, 147.525, 147.555 and 147.585 MHz. Consult your local coordination body for available frequencies, ERP and bandwidth.

Serge, Bertuzzo, VA3SB
RAC International Affairs Officer
[email protected]

Canadians can Operate Using the CF, CG, CH, CI Prefixes

Posted on by VA3DBJ

This is a great opportunity to get the CQ WPX award for those missing some unique Canadian prefixes, or just to add another fun aspect to the hobby while staying at home!

This prefix is IN ADDITION to the other special callsigns we have in Canada now: VC2STAYHOM (until May 6, special QSL card available!), VC3STAYHOM (until May 10), VE9HOME (until May 10).

Stay safe!

How long can I use this prefix?

The ‘special event’ prefix is valid from April 20, 2020 – June 20, 2020.

Which prefix can I use?

  • Amateurs and clubs whose regular call signs start with VA will be able to use the CF prefix instead of VA (for example, VA3RAC will be authorized to use the CF3RAC call sign).
  • Amateurs and clubs whose regular call signs start with VE will be able to use the CG prefix instead of VE (e.g., VE4RAC will be authorized to use CG4RAC).
  • Amateurs and clubs whose regular call signs start with VO will be able to use the CH prefix instead of VO (e.g., VO1RAC will be authorized to use CH1RAC).
  • Amateurs and clubs whose regular call signs start with VY will be able to use the CI prefix instead of VY (e.g., VY2RAC will be authorized to use CI2RAC).

Official RAC article likely coming soon. See Industry Canada Special Events page for more info: https://apc-cap.ic.gc.ca/pls/apc_anon/query_spev$.startup