New VE6QE Repeater Radio

The club has purchased a few Motorola MTR2000 VHF repeaters to replace the very old and aging GE-2 radios that we have been using in all the repeater sites for around the last 30 years.. The old GE-2’s are great radios but the last time we tried to peak one up the capacitors on the xtal multiplier board just snapped off.. These old parts have seized solid on the circuit boards so it is time to upgrade I guess.. These new MTR2000 are not brand new but are more of the latest technology, every thing is set up by a computer and there is really now adjusting of parts anymore.. In order to be able to connect these units into our controllers I had to remove the old J5 interface connector and build a new circuit board for having things isolated between circuits.. This required unsoldering a 96 pin plug and then creating a new circuit board and drilling the 96 holes into it for the plug to resolder into, that was fun I tell you…

Motorola MTR2000.

 

Front cover removed to show laptop and other connections.

 

Rear View of the radio..

 

New Interface board with the 96 pin connector..

 

Completed Interface assembly.

In the next few days I will be going up to the repeater site to check for mounting and cable lengths that need to be built. Then after that we will install it and see what happens. Stay tuned.. Skip, VE6BGT.

Got this today!!! Skip VE6BGT

Got this today!!!  Skip

 

VE6BLD’s first try on an Electric Unicycle! TOO MUCH FUN!

A few weeks ago I was at my son’s place in Okotoks and he helped me try his new Electric Unicycle. It was a very cold and windy day but after 3 tries I managed to go a few hundred feet! What a blast! 

Click these links for my 3 best tries…

This was the first time I tried riding Michael’s new Electric Unicycle. What a blast. It was very windy and cold. Safety first!!!

Dad’s 2nd Good Ride on Michael’s EUC  This would be easier on a flat lawn with no wind!!

Dad’s 3rd Good Ride Ya HOO

I may have to get one of these..

 

 

A short video to start your day with a good laugh!

What a great driver these Germans are!!

New tower and antenna

Antennas finally up on the new tower. Many thanks to Rod ve6roh,Jim ve6jhk,Bob ve6bld and Tom va6ta for all the expert assistance. Top antenna is a 24 element looper for 1296,below is the new 2m – 70cm Dual Band EME Yagi Antenna PA144-432-34-6-2CBGP Two Separate Connectors followed by the Cushcraft 5 element for 6.Once again thank you to the guys from the Red Deer area for all your help. Bob va6zo.

World Amateur Radio Day

Sunday, April 18

RAC “Get on the Air on World Amateur Radio Day” Special Event

Sunday, April 18: https://www.rac.ca/ward2021/

On Sunday, April 18, 2021, Radio Amateurs of Canada is organizing a special on-air event to celebrate World Amateur Radio Day.Every year on April 18, Radio Amateurs worldwide take to the airwaves in celebration of Amateur Radio and to commemorate the formation of the International Amateur Radio Union (IARU) on April 18, 1925.

Radio Amateurs of Canada is once again holding a “Get on the Air on World Amateur Radio Day” special event in which we encourage as many Amateurs as possible to get on the air and contact as many RAC stations as possible.

  • RAC official stations will operate across Canada from 0000Z to 2359Z on April 18. The RAC official station call signs are VA2RAC, VA3RAC, VE1RAC, VE4RAC, VE5RAC, VE6RAC, VE7RAC, VE8RAC, VE9RAC, VO1RAC, VO2RAC, VY0RAC, VY1RAC and VY2RAC.
  • Those contacting one or more of these stations will be eligible for a special commemorative certificate noting their participation in RAC’s Get on the Air on World Amateur Radio Day Event.
  • Participants simply need to complete one or more contacts, on any band and mode, with RAC official stations to earn their certificates.
  • No logs need to be submitted; simply check back on the RAC website when instructed and enter your call sign to download your certificate.

Note: From 0000z to 0500z and again from 1200z to 1800z, VA3RAC will be active in the Ontario QSO Party and will be sending the contest exchange. Stations contacting VA3RAC during those time periods are encouraged to send their contest exchange in return (state/province/country or Ontario county).

Thank you for your continuing support and understanding during this time of crisis. As with many of our Amateur Radio activities, overcoming challenges is a great way to learn. Please take care of yourself and your loved ones, stay safe and have fun while celebrating World Amateur Radio Day.

For more information on World Amateur Radio Day and the RAC “Get on the Air on World Amateur Radio Day”  special event please visit:

https://www.rac.ca/operating/world-amateur-radio-day-april-18/

Glenn MacDonell, VE3XRA
President, Radio Amateurs of Canada

Advanced Course

RAC Advanced Course for RAC Maple Leaf Operators: Summer 2021

Registration is now underway for the RAC Advanced Course: Summer 2021

https://www.rac.ca/rac-advanced-course-for-maple-leaf-operators-summer-2021/

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

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 to 2 pm PDT) starting on Sunday, June 6 and ending on Sunday, August 15

Or

  • Monday evenings from 8:30 pm to 10:30 pm EDT (5:30 to 7:30 PDT) starting on Monday, June 7 and ending on Sunday, August 16

Note: There will be no classes on August 1 or 2 because of the local holidays in some areas.

Course Instruction:

The course instructor is Dave Goodwin, VE9CB. Dave has been an Amateur since 1975, is an active HF Contester and DXer and his DXpedition to Point Amour Lighthouse was featured on the front cover of the November-December 2020 issue of The Canadian Amateur. Dave has also been a long-time volunteer at the national level and has served as the RAC President and as the RAC Director for the Atlantic Region. Since 2015, he has also has been teaching Basic and Advanced certification courses with the Fredericton (NB) Amateur Radio Club.

Course material pertaining to all topics covered in the course syllabus will be provided to all registered students and is available online at:

https://www.rac.ca/rac-advanced-course-for-maple-leaf-operators-summer-2021/

Course Requirements:

The RAC Advanced Qualification Amateur Radio course is being offered at no charge to RAC Maple Leaf Operator Members – both current and future as described below.

Participants in the course will need to meet all of the following requirements:
  1. Participants must already have the Canadian Basic Amateur Radio Qualification and a Canadian call sign.
  2. Participants must already be a RAC Maple Leaf Operator Member or become one by joining RAC at the Maple Leaf Operator level or upgrading to that level.
  3. Participants must have a copy of the Canadian Amateur Radio Advanced Qualification Study Guide provided by Coax Publications. For more information please visit the RAC Study Guides webpage.
  4. Participants must have a computer and Internet connection capable of using the GoToMeeting (GTM) conference platform. You do not need your own account on GTM to take part in this course, but you will have to download an applet from the GTM site to participate.
  5. Participants must have a working email address to receive course materials and links to the sessions.

There is room on the conference server for 200 participants in each session. Auditors are welcome to attend on a space-available basis, provided they are RAC Maple Leaf Operator members. You can sign up by following the instructions on the registration page. 

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.

https://www.rac.ca/amateur-radio-courses/

 

Glenn MacDonell, VE3XRA
RAC President and Chair

Alan Griffin
RAC MarCom Director

www.rac.ca
720 Belfast Road, #217
Ottawa, ON K1G 0Z5
613-244-4367, 1- 877-273-8304
raccomms@gmail.com

Grounding information for everyone

Jim VE6JHK passed this information video on to me after we had a discussion on the air with a few hams the other day. Thanks Jim.

Click this link for the video

VE6CIA first SOTA activation VE6/HC-228 Idlewilde with Paul VA6MPM

 

Hi everyone, I know it has been AGES. My appoligies

Is there by chance anyone here with an old Kenwood HF rig?  I have an MC-60 and an MC-50 mike that I wonder if anyone would be able to test for me.