SARC Bi-weekly Bulletin 2025-02-19

SARC News

Issued during the first and third week of each month, it provides a quick reference for member activities, resources and links.  If you have relevant information that you would like to be included, please respond. Unsubscribe option is offered at the end.

ANNOUNCEMENTS

VB7MAN Special Event Station – Operation Manna 80

BC hams will join other amateur organizations in the Netherlands, England, Poland and Australia in honouring the memory of those who participated in Operation Manna, a humanitarian mission carried out near the end of WWII by the RAF and Allies in dropping food supplies to the starving population of the German-occupied Netherlands.  Other nations are signing on as this is being written.  BC hams may book (by pre-arrangement) use of the callsign VB7MAN, which will be available only during the months of April and May 2025.  The full story of Manna 80 can be found at https://manna80.radio/ .  Also check Callsign Database - QRZ.com for updates on VB7MAN, including a Google Calendar link. You can reserve your spot to use the callsign anywhere in BC after March 1st. 

SARC’s 6m Beacon Disabled

SARC’s 6m beacon VE7SAR/B was in operation briefly from the roof of the OTC running 2w CW on 50.070 MHz until it was disabled by strong RF from a nearby antenna during the CW contest last weekend.  It’s now under repair.

10 GHz and 24 GHz

SARC’s 10 GHz beacon VE7SAR/B has been running continuously at Concord tower in Surrey since Sept 2024.  The 24 GHz beacon running 24 mW, recently assembled and tested on the bench, is awaiting delivery of a slot antenna from Holland – installation at Concord is planned for March 2025. 

On a related note… Scott VA7SC and Dino VE7NX went to Cypress Mountain early February to attempt a cross-border contact on 10 GHz and 24 GHz with the Seattle area hams by bouncing signals off Mt. Olympus. It was not successful, but they are planning to try again from another location when the weather improves.

Parks-on-the-Air (POTA) Brochure Available

Members who do POTA are frequently approached by passers-by enquiring what we are doing. For this purpose, John VE7TI has created a SARC POTA brochure that can be given to those looking for additional information. The .pdf file is available for download at https://bit.ly/POTAbrochure.

UPCOMING EVENTS

 ARRL International DX Contest for SSB (Mar. 1-2)

Calling for operators.  Rules at: https://contests.arrl.org/ContestRules/DX-Rules.pdf

RSGB Commonwealth CW Contest (Mar. 8-9)

Calling for operators.  This is one of the best contests for VE stations because Commonwealth countries are the quarry.  Rules at: https://www.rsgbcc.org/hf/rules/2025/rcwc.shtml

SARC March General Meeting (Mar. 12)

This will be an in-person meeting with topic TBA.

Burnaby ARC Swap Meet (March 22)

To be held at Salvation Army Cariboo Temple, 7195 Cariboo Rd, Burnaby. Doors open for sellers at 8 am, buyers at 9 am until noon.  SARC has reserved 2 tables for sale of surplus items, and members are welcome to bring their own items to sell.  For more information see: Swap Meet – BARC.

Winlink Training & Winlink Net

In follow-up to the Winlink workshop held in December, Horace VA7XHB continues to be available (by appointment) on Saturday mornings to assist members in setting up Winlink,  If interested, contact Horace at horace@zyserver.com with your name, callsign, make and model of radio and interface.  Note that SARC has two Winlink Gateways.  One is at Surrey Firehall 1 using callsign VE7HME-10 on 145.710 MHz and a second is on Concord tower at 100th Ave and King George Blvd using callsign VE7ADQ-10 on 145.770 MHz.  Packet 1200 Baud and VARA FM Wide capable.

Horace has started a Winlink net. To sign up, send a Winlink message to VE7ADF.

The reply you receive will include 1. a question, 2. a tip, 3. results of previous week's question.  You have until Sunday of the same week to reply using any Winlink mode including Telnet.

Every Saturday Morning (except when other scheduled events conflict)

Members, spouses and prospective members are invited to join the SARC Breakfast social every Saturday morning from 7 to 9:30 am at Denny's Restaurant 6850 King George Blvd, followed by Operations & Training Centre ("OTC") activation from 9:30 am to noon at 5756 142 St. Surrey.  At the OTC you may get help with your radio issues, operate the station radios including satellite station, participate in contests, write the exam, or join in workshops and training.  Or just engage in friendly discussion with your fellow hams.  The OTC is located at 5756 142 St. Surrey.

SARC Official Calendar

Your official reference for dates and times of events is the SARC Google Calendar, which is updated as details change, so please check the homepage on the SARC website: www.ve7sar.net.

NETS & REPEATERS

Tuesday Nets

Join the SEPAR net every Tuesday at 7:30 pm and the SARC net at 8 pm on either of the repeaters: North repeater is on 147.360 MHz tone 110.9 Hz and South repeater is on 147.360 MHz tone 103.5 Hz.  IRLP (node 1736) and Echolink (node 496228) are only available on the North repeater.

Sunday Monthly 220 MHz Net (next one is Feb. 23)

Join the 220 MHz net taking place at 7:30 pm on the last Sunday of every month on VE7RSC repeater 223.960 MHz -1.6MHz tone 110.9 Hz, with net control, Shawn VE7BD.  This is not a "chat" net – just check in, exchange signal reports, and get on with your evening.

Yaesu System Fusion (YSF) repeater 443.775 MHz+ tone 110.9Hz

This repeater is connected full-time to CQ-Canada (VE1AO) room 40678 – home to the Cross Canada C4FM Weekly Net on Wednesday 6 pm PST or 0200 UTC. Located on the Concord high-rise in Surrey, it is one of the few System Fusion repeaters in BC that is WIRES-X capable (i.e. it connects to the Internet). Using your Yaesu C4FM radio, you can use this repeater to talk to the world.  It is connected to the highly fault-tolerant BC WARN Internet system, which is designed to remain operational during most internet outages. Familiarity with WIRES-X on our YSF repeater can play a crucial role in emergency preparedness.

Net Reminders

"Net reminders" for those running or participating in various nets are automatically sent out by AdvancedAmateur.ca.  If you are forgetful like me, you may want to receive reminders by signing up at Net Reminders.

PROJECTS & AD-HOC GROUPS

Satellite Station Project

Dino VE7NX is available to coach those who wish to learn how to make satellite contacts using SARC's new satellite station.  Contact him at dimtchog@gmail.com or reply to this email if you would like to learn more.

Contesting Group

To participate in scheduled contests, or if you wish to operate the club station radios on your own time, please reply to membership@ve7sar.net.  Coaching will be provided as needed. See WA7BNM Contest Calendar: Home for a complete list of available contests.

IC-7300/IC-9700 Special Interest Group

This group is hosted by John Schouten VE7TI, with the most recent update on pp 37-41 of the January-February 2025 Communicator.

POTPOURRI

Do You Want to Learn CW?

Check out the Long Island CW Club, which has a comprehensive and highly-regarded on-line program for learning and mastering CW: https://longislandcwclub.org/#. 

Vancouver Area Frequency List

Reg VA7ZEB has created a Vancouver Area Frequency List of useful frequencies across several services including Amateur, EmComm, Broadcast, Weather, LADD, Regional Road, FRS/GMRS, Railway, Airband and Marine. It can be easily downloaded in Generic CSV, Chirp and RT Systems format, or you can download it in PDF format for printing.

Incoming QSL Bureau

Any member wishing to receive in-coming QSL cards should send Ken VE7BC an email at ve7bc27@gmail.com or call/text him at 604-816-5775 and the cards will be collected for local distribution by Shawn VE7BD.  Or, if you are simply wondering if Ken has any cards for you, please contact him or visit the BC-QSL Blog for a list of cards held. 

Download the January-February 2025 Communicator 

Available in LARGE or SMALL format, or read it on-line like a magazine.  If you have information of interest to the ham community or would like to contribute an article for publication in the next issue coming out March 1^st, please contact SARCcommunicator@outlook.com.

Free VE7DXE Advanced Certification Course: ve7dxe@hamshack.ca

Link to SARC’s Basic On-Line Ham Class Overview

Welcome to our courses.pdf - Google Drive.  The current course commenced Jan. 6, 2025 with 33 students registered.  We are now taking registrations for the next course, which starts on April 7^th.   

SARC Webpage, SARC Blog, SARC News, and SEPAR Blog

SARC – Surrey Amateur Radio Communications

Do You Want to Join Surrey Amateur Radio Communications?

 Reply to membership@ve7sar.net

Locally Designed and Manufactured RX80M Foxhunt receivers for sale

$125 CAD - See how it’s done here  https://youtu.be/YK3gETNc2jU and order from membership@ve7sar.net.

 

Summer Job Wanted

Successful Kwantlen summer course graduate and SARC member, Grace VA7LZT, graduates Grade 12 this year and is looking for a summer work experience opportunity, desirably in a technical field. Contact graceliu4132@gmail.com.

73, 

~ John VA7XB membership@ve7sar.net

SARC Bi-weekly Bulletin 2025-02-05

SARC Bulletin for February 5, 2025

Issued during the first and third week of each month, this bulletin provides a quick reference for SARC activities, resources and links for the following weeks.  If you have relevant information that you would like to be included, please respond. 

 

ANNOUNCEMENTS

Parks-on-the-Air (POTA) Brochure Available
Those of us who do POTA are frequently approached by passers-by enquiring what we are doing. For this purpose, John VE7TI has created a SARC POTA brochure that can be given to those looking for additional information. The .pdf file is available for download at https://bit.ly/POTAbrochure.

A First CW POTA Activation for Dmitry VA7DVO!

I missed posting this in the last bulletin, but better late than never… Dmitry Sevostiyanov VA7DVO is a graduate of SARC’s CW class and, after honing his skills with regular weekly practice, has put his CW to use on a POTA (Parks on the Air) activation. Here is his report: “Last week I did my first CW POTA activation. I made 15 QSOs before my brain fried. I was at Mud Bay Park (CA-3245, Boundary Bay Wildlife Management Area) running 60W on 20 meters using a tiny telescopic antenna but still managed to get coast-to-coast to Maryland. I had to ask for a lot of repeats, but the people were patient with me. CW is still hard on my brain, and I'm drained right now, but very excited.” 

SARC is now on 24Ghz!

On Jan 22, 2025, two members of the Surrey Amateur Radio Communications Society completed what is believed to be the first 24 GHz terrestrial contact in BC.   Scott VA7SC was in grid CN89nb at Crescent Beach transmitting just 1 mW into a 24” dish, and Dino VE7NX was in CN89lc at Boundary Bay 10 km away delivering 80 mW into a 12” dish. SSB signals were loud and clear.  Congratulations to Dino and Scott for this amazing achievement!

BC QSO Party
9 SSB operators and 4 CW operators participated on behalf of VE7SAR, making 1583 Qs for a score of 1,494,996. Well done, team VE7SAR.

UPCOMING EVENTS

SARC General Meeting (7 pm Feb. 12)
This meeting will be held on Zoom.  Featured presenter is Andrew Walker VA7YAA who will tell us all about WoAD, which brings the functionality of Winlink to your Android device. Developed in Vancouver by VA7YAA, WoAD can interface with everything from a TH-D75 via Bluetooth to a UV-5R via a CM108 sound card to send messages using packet data over the Winlink Global Radio Email system.

ARRL DX Contest for CW (Feb. 15-16)
Head’s Up!  We will be calling for CW operators shortly.  Contest Objectives are to encourage W/VE stations to expand knowledge of DX propagation on the HF and MF bands, improve operating skills, and improve station capability by creating a competition in which DX stations may only contact W/VE stations.

Winlink Coaching (Saturday mornings with Horace by prior arrangement)
In follow-up to the Winlink workshop held in December, Horace VA7XHB will be available on Saturday mornings to assist members in setting up Winlink.  If interested, contact Horace at horace@zyserver.com with your name, callsign, make and model of radio and interface.

Related Item … SARC now has two Winlink Gateways
One is at Surrey Firehall 1 using callsign VE7HME-10 on 145.710 MHz and a second is on Concord tower at 100th Ave and King George Blvd using callsign VE7ADQ-10 on 145.770 MHz.  Packet 1200 Baud and VARA FM Wide capable.

Every Saturday Morning (except when other scheduled events conflict)
Members, spouses and prospective members are invited to join the SARC Breakfast social every Saturday morning from 7 to 9:30 am at Denny's Restaurant 6850 King George Blvd, followed by Operations & Training Centre ("OTC") activation from 9:30 am to noon at 5756 142 St. Surrey.  At the OTC you may get help with your radio issues, operate the station radios including satellite station, participate in contests, write the exam, or join in workshops and training.  Or just engage in friendly discussion with your fellow hams.  The OTC is located at 5756 142 St. Surrey.

SARC Official Calendar
Your official reference for dates and times of events is the SARC Google Calendar, which is updated as details change, so please check the homepage on the SARC website: www.ve7sar.net.

NETS & REPEATERS

Tuesday Nets
Join the SEPAR net every Tuesday at 7:30 pm and the SARC net at 8 pm on either of the repeaters: North repeater is on 147.360 MHz tone 110.9 Hz and South repeater is on 147.360 MHz tone 103.5 Hz.  IRLP (node 1736) and Echolink (node 496228) are only available on the North repeater.

Sunday Monthly 220 MHz Net (next one is Feb. 23)
Join the 220 MHz net taking place at 7:30 pm on the last Sunday of every month on VE7RSC repeater 223.960 MHz -1.6MHz tone 110.9 Hz, with net control, Shawn VE7BD.  This is not a "chat" net – just check in, exchange signal reports, and get on with your evening.

Yaesu System Fusion (YSF) repeater 443.775 MHz+ tone 110.9Hz
This repeater is connected full-time to CQ-Canada (VE1AO) room 40678 – home to the Cross Canada C4FM Weekly Net on Wednesday 6 pm PST or 0200 UTC. Located on the Concord high-rise in Surrey, it is one of the few System Fusion repeaters in BC that is WIRES-X capable (i.e. it connects to the Internet). Using your Yaesu C4FM radio, you can use this repeater to talk to the world.  It is connected to the highly fault-tolerant BC WARN Internet system, which is designed to remain operational during most internet outages. Familiarity with WIRES-X on our YSF repeater can play a crucial role in emergency preparedness.

Net Reminders
"Net reminders" for those running or participating in various nets are automatically sent out by AdvancedAmateur.ca.  If you are forgetful like me, you may want to receive reminders by signing up at Net Reminders.

 

PROJECTS AND AD-HOC GROUPS 

Satellite Station Project
Dino VE7NX is available to coach those who wish to learn how to make satellite contacts using SARC's new satellite station.  Contact him at dimtchog@gmail.com or reply to this email if you would like to learn more.

50 MHz and Up
SARC’s 50 MHz beacon project is nearing completion.  Watch for future announcements.<![if !vml]><![endif]>

Contesting Group
To participate in scheduled contests, or if you wish to operate the club station radios on your own time, please reply to membership@ve7sar.net.  Coaching will be provided as needed. See WA7BNM Contest Calendar: Home for a complete list of available contests.  

IC-7300/IC-9700 Special Interest Group
This group is hosted by John Schouten VE7TI, with the most recent update on pp 37-41 of the January-February 2025 Communicator.

POTPOURRI

Do You Want to Learn CW?
Check out the Long Island CW Club, which has a comprehensive and highly-regarded on-line program for learning and mastering CW: https://longislandcwclub.org/#.

 

Vancouver Area Frequency List
Reg VA7ZEB has created a Vancouver Area Frequency List of useful frequencies across several services including Amateur, EmComm, Broadcast, Weather, LADD, Regional Road, FRS/GMRS, Railway, Airband and Marine. It can be easily downloaded in Generic CSV, Chirp and RT Systems format, or you can download it in PDF format for printing.

 

Incoming QSL Bureau
Any member wishing to receive in-coming QSL cards should send Ken VE7BC an email at ve7bc27@gmail.com or call/text him at 604-816-5775 and the cards will be collected for local distribution by Shawn VE7BD.  Or, if you are simply wondering if Ken has any cards for you, please contact him.

Download the January-February 2025 Communicator 

in LARGE or SMALL format, or read it on-line like a magazine.  If you have information of interest to the ham community or would like to contribute an article for publication in the next issue, please contact SARCcommunicator@outlook.com.

Free VE7DXE Advanced Certification Course

ve7dxe@hamshack.ca

Radio Amateurs of Canada (RAC) Advanced Certification Course

Please contact the course instructor Dave Goodwin, VE3KG, at regulatory@rac.ca to register for RAC’s Advanced course.

Link to SARC’s Basic On-Line Ham Class Overview 

Welcome to our courses.pdf - Google Drive.  The current course commenced Jan. 6, 2025 with 33 students registered.  Next course starts on April 7^th.

SARC Webpage

SARC – Surrey Amateur Radio Communications

Do You Want to Join Surrey Amateur Radio Communications?
Reply to membership@ve7sar.net.

Locally Designed and Manufactured RX80M Foxhunt receivers for sale $125 CAD:

see how it’s done here  https://youtu.be/YK3gETNc2jU and order from membership@ve7sar.net.

 

Summer Job Wanted

Successful Kwantlen summer course graduate and SARC member, Grace VA7LZT, graduates Grade 12 this year and is looking for a summer work experience opportunity, hopefully in a technical field. Contact graceliu4132@gmail.com.

73, 

John VA7XB  membership@ve7sar.net

 

SARC Bi-weekly Bulletin 2025-01-16

January 16, 2025

Issued during the first and third week of each month, it provides a quick reference for member activities, resources and links for the following weeks. Visitors welcome.

ANNOUNCEMENTS

Creative Assistance Needed

Do you want to get to know the members of SARC/SEPAR better? Do you want to become a columnist with what is possibly the most widely read amateur radio newsletter in the world? Have we got a job for you! We are looking for a columnist to coordinate the bi-monthly “Member Profile” for the Radio-Active column of The Communicator.  The task involves sending out a questionnaire to a prospective candidate and then creating a 500-1000 word story based on the answers, along with a couple of photos. You do not need to be an expert writer, and (if needed) the editors will help with syntax, spelling and grammar. If this appeals to you, please contact John VE7TI via communicator@ve7sar.net.

Parks-on-the-Air (POTA) Brochure Available
Those of us who do POTA are frequently approached by passers-by enquiring what we are doing. For this purpose, John VE7TI has created a SARC POTA brochure that can be given to those looking for additional information. The .pdf file is available for download at https://bit.ly/POTAbrochure.

10 GHz Beacon Featured in RAC Journal
You have heard about SARC’s 10 GHz activity on these pages previously, but now the beacon project has caught the attention of Dana Shtun VE3DS who writes the 10m and Down column for RAC's Canadian Amateur magazine.  See page 10 of the January-February 2025 edition: https://www.rac.ca/digitaltca/. Update to the article: The beacon callsign is now VE7SAR/B and the power output 150 mW.  More on 10 GHz below.

Thursday Get-on-the-Air (GOTA) Net On Hold

The GOTA net for new hams is on hold for now.  We have several exciting initiatives underway to bring a new generation of ham radio operators into the hobby, including the Kwantlen Park ham radio summer school course, and a program to offer ham radio as a full-credit regular high school course.  We expect to resume the net when we have a critical mass of newly certified graduates anxious to try out their radios and get comfortable making radio contacts.

UPCOMING EVENTS

Meet the Royal Marines Event (Jan. 23)

The Royal Netherlands Army Signal Corp., callsign PA25MC, is organizing a
communications  event on Jan. 23rd from 1100 Z to 2000 Z.  PA25MC is organized and
supported by PI4VBD, the club\station of the Royal Army.  Here's their official statement:
"PA25MC is on the air for just 1 day to introduce Marines to the world of ham radio. We try
to use as many HF-bands as possible in SSB. Marines are used to speaking English but
naturally [they will] keep their communications short."  Look for PA25MC on the 10, 15
and 20m bands.

ARRL Winter Field Day (Jan. 25-26)

WFD is designed to help increase your level of preparedness and operating skills for disasters in winter environments, which present unique operating conditions.  It has been suggested that SARC and SEPAR members deploy the SEPAR trailer for this event.  Please respond to this email if interested.

BC QSO Party (Feb. 1-2)
A team has been assembled to challenge the BCQP.  We plan to operate two radios, CW on one and SSB on the other, both at 1 kw. The contest runs from 8 am to 8 pm Saturday and 8 am to 4 pm Sunday.  If you have never contested before, you may choose to monitor or team up with an experienced operator who will help you get started.  Let's see if we can beat last year's score of 1858 Qs and 1,842,308 points which got us the Top BC Multi-Op award.  Check out contest details at:  Orca DX and Contest Club -- BCQP Home Page. 

Winlink Coaching (Saturday mornings with Horace by prior arrangement)

In follow-up to the Winlink workshop held in December, Horace VA7XHB will be available on Saturday mornings to assist members in setting up Winlink.  If interested, contact Horace at horace@zyserver.com with your name, callsign, make and model of radio and interface.

Related Item… SARC now has two Winlink Gateways

One is at Surrey Firehall One using callsign VE7HME-10 on 145.710 MHz and a second is on Concord tower at 100th Ave and King George Blvd using callsign VE7ADQ-10 on 145.770 MHz.  Packet 1200 Baud and VARA FM Wide capable.

Every Saturday Morning (except when other scheduled events conflict)

Members, spouses and prospective members are invited to join the SARC Breakfast social every Saturday morning from 7 to 9:30 am at Denny's Restaurant 6850 King George Blvd, followed by Operations & Training Centre ("OTC") activation from 9:30 am to noon at 5756 142 St. Surrey.  At the OTC you may get help with your radio issues, operate the station radios including satellite station, participate in contests, write the exam, or join in workshops and training.  Or just engage in friendly discussion with your fellow hams.

SARC Official Calendar

Your official reference for dates and times of events is the SARC Google Calendar, which is updated as details change, so please check the homepage on the SARC website: www.ve7sar.net.

NETS & REPEATERS

Tuesday Nets

Join the SEPAR net every Tuesday at 7:30 pm and the SARC net at 8 pm on either of the repeaters: North repeater is on 147.360 MHz tone 110.9 Hz and South repeater is on 147.360 MHz tone 103.5 Hz.  IRLP and Echolink are only available on the North repeater.

Sunday Monthly 220 MHz Net (next one is Jan. 26)

Join the 220 MHz net taking place at 7:30 pm on the last Sunday of every month on VE7RSC repeater 223.960 MHz -1.6MHz tone 110.9 Hz, with net control, Shawn VE7BD.  This is not a "chat" net – just check in, exchange signal reports, and get on with your evening.

Yaesu System Fusion (YSF) repeater 443.775 MHz+ tone 110.9Hz

This repeater is connected full-time to CQ-Canada (VE1AO) room 40678 – home to the Cross Canada C4FM Weekly Net on Wednesday 6 pm PST or 0200 UTC. Located on the Concord high-rise in Surrey, it is one of the few System Fusion repeaters in BC that is WIRES-X capable (i.e. it connects to the Internet). Using your Yaesu C4FM radio, you can use this repeater to talk to the world.  It is connected to the highly fault-tolerant BC WARN Internet system, which is designed to remain operational during most internet outages. Familiarity with WIRES-X on our YSF repeater can play a crucial role in emergency preparedness.

Net Reminders

"Net reminders" for those running or participating in various nets are automatically sent out by AdvancedAmateur.ca.  If you are forgetful like me, you may want to receive reminders by signing up at Net Reminders. 

PROJECTS AND AD-HOC GROUPS 

Satellite Station Project

Dino VE7NX is available to coach those who wish to learn how to make satellite contacts using SARC's new satellite station.  Contact Dino dimtchog@gmail.com or reply to this email if you would like to learn more.

Innovation Dept: 50 MHz and Up

As reported earlier, SARC's 10 GHz beacon VE7SAR/B running 150 mW is in continuous operation from our repeater site on Concord tower in Surrey. Dino VE7NX has promised to help members who would like to assemble suitable equipment to monitor the beacon. 

We can also report that last weekend, during the ARRL VHF 6m and above contest a successful 4-way 10 GHz CW contact was made between Scott VA7SC at Crescent Beach, Dino VE7NX at Boundary Bay, Mark VE7AFZ in Burnaby and Kirk VA7RKM on the Malahat Hwy north of Victoria.  This was accomplished by bouncing signals off the North Shore mountains and tall buildings in Burnaby.  The longest path was about 130 km.

Members Slava VE7LWW and Les VA7OM are working to construct their own 10 GHz equipment and hope to be operating soon.

What's next?  Stay tuned for announcements about a 6m beacon and 24 GHz beacon, both of which are under construction and testing by Dino VE7NX and Scott VA7SC.  

Contesting Group

To participate in scheduled contests, or if you wish to operate the club station radios on your own time, please reply to membership@ve7sar.net.  Coaching will be provided as needed. See WA7BNM Contest Calendar: Home for a complete list of available contests.   Next big one is the British Columbia QSO Party on Feb. 1-2 (see Upcoming Events above for more information).

IC-7300/IC-9700 Special Interest Group

This group is hosted by John Schouten VE7TI, with the most recent update on pp 37-41 of the January-February 2025 Communicator.

Do You Want to Learn CW?

Check out the Long Island CW Club, which has a comprehensive and highly-regarded on-line program for learning CW and how to get comfortable using it: https://longislandcwclub.org/#.

 

Vancouver Area Frequency List

Reg VA7ZEB has created a Vancouver Area Frequency List, which is a vetted list of useful frequencies across several services including Amateur, EmComm, Broadcast, Weather, LADD, Regional Road, FRS/GMRS, Railway, Airband and Marine. It can be easily downloaded in Generic CSV, Chirp and RT Systems format, or you can download it in PDF format for printing.

 

Incoming QSL Bureau

Any member wishing to receive in-coming QSL cards should send Ken VE7BC an email at ve7bc27@gmail.com or call/text him at 604-816-5775 and the cards will be collected for local distribution by Shawn VE7BD.  Or, if you are simply wondering if Ken has any cards for you, please contact him.

Download the January-February Communicator in LARGE or SMALL format, or read it on-line like a magazine.

Free VE7DXE Advanced Certification Course: ve7dxe@hamshack.ca

Radio Amateurs of Canada (RAC) Advanced Certification Course

Please contact the course instructor Dave Goodwin, VE3KG, at regulatory@rac.ca for information on how to register for RAC’s Advanced course.

Link to SARC’s Basic Ham Class Overview:

Welcome to our courses.pdf - Google Drive.  The current course commenced Jan. 6, 2025 with 33 students registered.

ARRL Asks Hams to Send Radiograms via the Web

In a recent issue of the National Traffic System  (NTS) Letter, the ARRL encouraged amateur radio operators to utilize the Radiogram portal on the web to submit free messages to friends and family. The link takes you to a webpage where you enter the particulars for sender and recipient, select a message and operators in the NTS will send it on to the recipient. Sending Radiograms helps volunteers hone their skills in preparation for emergencies. What happens next?  A volunteer, FCC-licensed Amateur Radio operator will pick up your message from this web site and then send it, by Amateur Radio, over the air to other volunteers in the National Traffic System. The message will be received by a ham who lives in or near your recipient's city. Then, the message will be delivered in person or by telephone.  For more information about The National Traffic System and traffic handling visit: https://nts2.arrl.org/training/. A typical sent message reads as follows:

From: JOHN SCHOUTEN
To: FRED SMITH
1234 ANY STREET
SURREY BC V0P 1R9
604 123 1234
ve7vpu@myrac.ca

WISHING YOU A VERY HAPPY BIRTHDAY.  ALL THE BEST, 
JOHN SCHOUTEN

WANTED OR FOR SALE BY MEMBERS

 

Monty VA7MMW is still looking for a female connector like the one shown for his Yaesu FT-101B. It is a CINCH JONES S-312-CCT POWER SOCKET 12PIN. If you can help Monty please contact him at mam@mail.ubc.ca.

73, 

~ John VA7XB  membership@ve7sar.net

 

Counterpoise, Radials, and Ground Plane

Not simply different names for the same thing

Counterpoise, radials, and ground plane are not simply different names for the same thing. They each serve unique functions in an antenna system.

The choice between using a radial, counterpoise, or ground plane for your HF station depends on the specific setup and environment of your antenna system:

Counterpoise: A counterpoise is used to create an artificial ground when an antenna is elevated. It’s typically used in antenna systems where a good earth ground connection cannot be constructed. If your antenna is close to the ground, you might need to build your counterpoise as if it was a buried radial system.

A 1/4-wave wire counterpoise wire installed on a handheld transceiver

It functions as one plate of a large capacitor, with the conductive layers of the earth acting as the other plate.

Radial: A radial is a wire that hugs the ground to provide a low loss return path for the RF that is soaking into the ground. Radials are typically used in ground-mounted antenna systems. They provide a low loss return path for the RF that is soaking into the ground. Radial or buried screen systems, in direct soil contact, are generally preferred in permanent installations. On lower frequencies, buried systems work just as well as elevated systems. They also have a much wider usable frequency range than counterpoise systems

A system of radials around an HF vertical antenna

If you are using radials, they should have a length of

1/4λ​

(or an odd multiple of that- λ = wavelength).

This length helps to provide a low loss return path for the RF that is soaking into the ground. However, the length of radials can vary depending on the specific setup and environment. For example, when radials are buried or placed directly on the ground, they couple into the earth so they don’t actually need to be resonant at all, and often their length is not overly critical. However, the length of radials can vary depending on the specific setup and environment. 

A typical radial ground plate

It’s worth noting that the number of radials and their optimum length can be a trade-off. For instance, fewer radials can be shorter, but as the number of radials increases, the optimal length tends to increase as well. Therefore, the design of the radial system should consider both the number and length of radials for optimal antenna performance.

While a quarter-wavelength is a common length for radials, the optimal length can depend on various factors including the number of radials and the specific antenna setup.

Ground Plane: A ground plane in an antenna system is a conductive surface that serves as a reflective plane for radio waves. The ground plane can be a physical surface, like the earth or a metal sheet, or it can be composed of a network of connected wires arranged radially. The ground plane helps to direct the radiation pattern of the antenna and to provide a return path for the radio frequency current.

While all three components are important, they serve different purposes and are used in different scenarios. Radials are used for ground-based antennas to provide a return path for RF, counterpoises are used for elevated antennas to create an artificial ground, and a ground plane is used as a reflective surface for radio waves.

If this sailor has an HF radio on board,
he has the perfect ground plane... salt water

As for your question about whether they can be counterproductive in certain scenarios, it largely depends on the specific setup and environment. For example, if radials are not properly installed or are of the wrong length, they may not provide an effective return path for RF, leading to inefficient operation of the antenna. Similarly, an improperly designed or installed counterpoise or ground plane could negatively affect the radiation pattern or efficiency of the antenna. Therefore, careful design and installation are key to ensuring optimal performance of these components in an antenna system.

The choice between a radial, counterpoise, or ground plane depends on the specific setup and environment of your antenna system. You might want to consider factors such as the height of your antenna above the ground, the availability of a good earth ground connection, and the frequency range of operation. It’s always a good idea to experiment with different setups to see what works best in your specific situation.

~ John Schouten VE7TI