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

Season's Greetings and workshop update

 A brand new year and lots is happening:

We'd like to wish our GOTAs a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. Hopefully, there were some ham radio toys waiting for you under the tree. 😊

GOTA Workshop

Our next GOTA Workshop for New and Unseasoned Hams is scheduled for Saturday, January 13th from 9:30-noon. The workshop will take place at our Operations Training Centre (OTC) at 5752 142 St. Surrey. The Workshop is free and the agenda is attached to this email. Please Register –> HERE

GOTA Net

Going forward, on the first Thursday evening of each month an Elmer will discuss a topic of interest with the Roundtable. Our last topic was DMR Radio as presented by John VE7TI. It was a lively session and provoked your Net Control to purchase an Anytone 578 DMR radio. As a follow-up, John will discuss IRLP on the Thursday, January 4th GOTA Net.

Links and Books

For those who may not have received this, here are two excellent articles by Reg VE7ZEB on radio purchase comparisons:

Article 1: HTs Compared 2022

Article 2: My Ham Radio - Some radio things I find useful

And a few e-books Larry VE7LXB found very helpful his 1st year as a Ham:

That's it for now. Have fun and stay safe on New Years, catch you on the airwaves in January.

73,

Larry VE7LXB
John VE7TI

SARC Buzz - November 2023

 

         SARCBUZZ

Monthly News and Announcements
Celebrating 50 years of service - 1975-2023

November, 2023

• Contests
  Repeater Roundup November 11/12. The Repeater Roundup is a weekend-long event held on many of our local repeaters. The goal is to meet new people and work repeaters you might not usually key up. It's also a great way to get started with ham radio contests for folks who are primarily repeater users. Light up the air waves and make some noise on the great repeaters in the BC and Western Washington State areas! You don't even have to be local - any station may participate over Echolink, Allstar, or IRLP, if they are available. 2m QSO Party This contest is open to all certified amateurs. Each QSO must have one station within Metro Vancouver, Vancouver and Gulf Islands, Southwest BC in order to be considered for points.  November 11th RTTY Contest: November 11/12. This contest will also be held at the OTC. CQ WAE DX Contest (CQ): November 25/26. Email Larry ve7lxb@gmail.com or John brodiejb@shaw.ca  if you wish to participate in any of these contests or would like more information.

• Wait List - Soldering Workshops
  Our October 21st Soldering Workshop had a full complement of participants and was a huge success. You can reply to this email if you would like to be put on a wait list for future Soldering Workshops. These workshops are for those new to soldering or wishing to refresh their skills. They include an introduction to soldering, types of soldering irons and stations, and the construction of a circuit board kit.

• SARC Xmas Party Saturday December 2nd 12 noon This will be a Pot Luck get-together and is an adult only member activity. If you have Xmas decorations or a tree that you would like to donate or loan for this event and/or you would be willing to assist with decorating the OTC please reply to this email.
• 
  
• SARC Monthly Meeting
  Wednesday November 8th 7pm - 9pm. Location: Surrey Fire Hall Training Centre. The guest speaker for the next meeting is Les Tocko VA7OM who will speaking on Baluns: What Are They? Why Do We Need Them? How To Build Them.
• 
  
• SARC Communicator
  The November - December 2023 Communicator, digital periodical of Surrey Amateur Radio Communications is now available at  https://tinyurl.com/SARC2023Nov-Dec

Read in over 145 countries, we bring you 134 pages of Amateur Radio content from the Southwest corner of Canada and elsewhere. With less fluff and ads than other Amateur Radio publications, you will find Amateur Radio related articles, projects, profiles, news, tips and how-to's for all levels of the hobby.

You can view or download it as a .PDF file:

• 
  
  
  
  

The Communicator November - December 2023

Previous Communicator issues are at:

https://ve7sar.blogspot.com/search/label/The%20Communicator

and a full index is HERE.

As always, thank you to our contributors, and your feedback is always welcome. The deadline for the next edition is December 15th. If you have news or events from your club or photos, stories, projects or other items of interest from BC or elsewhere, please contact us at communicator@ve7sar.net

• Call-out to Icom Owners!
  John VE7TI would like to hear from members who own an iCom 7300, iCom 7610, or iCom 9700. If there is enough interest, the purpose is to start a user group to exchange hints and projects. A page will be included in subsequent Communicator editions if the interest is there. Send an email to communicator@ve7sar.net

• Saturday Morning Breakfast and OTC
  SARC Meets informally for breakfast at Denny's Restaurant 6850 King George Boulevard in Surrey, between 7:30 and 9:00am each Saturday morning. We'd love for you to join us. Following breakfast, the OTC will be open from 9:30 until noon. You are invited to come down to the OTC with your equipment and any ham-related issues and our Elmers will try to assist you. You can also reach Elmers by email at elmers@ve7sar.net.

Thank you for being a SARCBuzz reader and subscriber.

73

Your SARC Team

Surrey Amateur Radio Communications

The November - December Communicator is now on-line

Wrapping up another year!

The November - December 2023 Communicator, digital periodical of Surrey Amateur Radio Communications is now available for viewing or download.

Read in over 145 countries, we bring you 134 pages of Amateur Radio content from the Southwest corner of Canada and elsewhere. With less fluff and ads than other Amateur Radio publications, you will find Amateur Radio related articles, projects, profiles, news, tips and how-to's for all levels of the hobby.

You can view or download it as a .PDF file:  

The Communicator November - December 2023

Previous Communicator issues are at:

https://ve7sar.blogspot.com/search/label/The%20Communicator

and a full index is HERE.  

As always, thank you to our contributors, and your feedback is always welcome. 

The deadline for the next edition is December 15th.

If you have news or events from your club or photos, stories, projects or other items of interest from BC or elsewhere, please contact us at communicator@ve7sar.net

73,

John VE7TI
'The Communicator' Editor

November 11 is a great beginners contest weekend!

 

Two VHF contests to get you started

There are not one, but two VHF contests on the November 11th holiday weekend. These should be easy to work for both beginners and experienced hams alike.

2m QSO Party

Saturday 2023-11-11  10:00 – 14:30 (Pacific Time - Vancouver)
https://wp.rac.ca/144-mhz-2m-page/

This contest is open to all certified amateurs. Each QSO must have one station within Metro Vancouver, Vancouver and Gulf Islands, Southwest BC (Grids CN79, CN89 and CN99) or Northwest WA (only Grid Squares along the Canada-USA border: CN78, CN88, CN98) in order to be considered for points.

Valid FM operating frequencies include 146.415, 146.430, 146.445, 146.460, 146.475, 146.490, 146.505, 146.535, 146.550, 146.565, 146.580, 146.595, 147.420, 147.450, 147.480, 147.510, 147.540, 147.570 MHz. Valid SSB operating frequencies are between 144.200 and 144.275.

And…

The Repeater Roundabout

The Repeater Roundabout is a weekend-long event held on many of NW Washington’s nearby repeaters. The goal is to meet new people and work repeaters you might not usually key up. It’s also a great way to get started with ham radio contests for folk who are primarily repeater users. Light up the airwaves and make some noise on the great repeaters in the Puget Sound area, with a decent antenna and some height, most from Seattle north are accessible to us in southwest BC!

The Repeater Roundabout will begin on November 11th, 2023 at 00:00, and end on November 12th, 2023 at 23:59, Pacific time.

Anyone with a ham radio license can participate ! You don’t even have to be local; stations may participate over Echolink, Allstar, or IRLP if they are available.

Joining the Repeater Roundabout

To get started, check out the Rules page.

Then, check out the list of 91 participating repeaters from across 43 radio groups that you’ll play on during the contest. You can also view the map to see where the repeaters are located.

The website  provides files to program your radios with CHiRP and other software.

Visit their logging page to log your contacts and submit your logs for scoring.

Join their Discord chat server to chat with other participants, arrange skeds, and get help.

~

 

Our first soldering workshop

Demand exceeded seats

 Larry VE7LXB signed up 15 hams, who now have a better understanding of proper soldering techniques. Thanks to Dino VE7NX and John VE7TI at our first SARC Soldering Workshop. We already have a waitlist for a repeat.

~