Serving London, Ontario, Canada and Area since 1920
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London Amateur Radio Club Serving London, Ontario, Canada and Area since 1920 |
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Our June 13 meeting will include our Annual General Meeting (AGM) -details below - and a presentation by Mark Bramwell VE3PZR , entitled "Software Defined Radio - Part 2". SDR continues to grow in leaps and bounds in both functionality and affordability. Mark will give us the latest scoop - if you've been waiting to try this out, it might be time.
HOT SPOTS Foundation license
Ham Courses
Ham Radio Deluxe Distracted Driving Saturday Breakfast VE3HKY Antennas
Callsign Lookup Ham News
Our Annual General Meeting is a procedure we go through every year as part of being incorporated. We're going to be a little more formal this year, because the executive is proposing some minor changes to our bylaws. The full constitution and bylaws with the changes highlighted can be found by clicking here, and a concise summary of the changes is here.
We have lots of hams who are outstanding in their field, and that's what we'll be doing the weekend of June 22/23, for Field Day. Reservoir Park will again sprout antennas, tents, generators, and excited Hams. Mark your calendar, and plan to bring your friends and neighbours who don't quite get what ham radio is all about
On Saturday, July the 20, a group from our club will be participating in a new "Historical Bridges" event, which will be located near the Blackfriars Bridge. Did you know that it's the longest remaining bow span bridge in North America? Feel free to drop by and help us make contacts - more info from Mike Watts.
A week later, on the July 27/28 weekend we'll help the MS Society with their annual Bike Tour. There are a few changes here, such as starting from the Grand Bend Motorplex, but we'll keep you updated. Always a fun weekend with a very active net going each day. We're always looking for volunteers - contact Doug Elliott if you'd like to take part in this community service. Some details here.
The annual LARC HAMfest (that we sometimes call the flea market) will take place on Sunday September 22, 2013, in a New Location. Our traditional location at the Western Fair is no longer available (something about demolishing the building) so after a lot of work on the part of Ruth Dahl, we have come up with a new HAMfest home - the Hellenic Center on Southdale Road. Admission and table prices have gone up a bit to reflect our ever increasing costs. For all the details, please check the flyer, which can be found here.
Callsign Lookup: Mark Bramwell has added a nifty call sign lookup feature to his webpage which is much easier to use than the Industry Canada one. Give it a try:
http://hamster.foxhollow.ca/ccd/ (or use the hot spot on the left)
You can always use the Industry Canada service as well...
http://apc-cap.ic.gc.ca/pls/apc_anon/query_amat_cs$. startup
The Foundation License Proposed by RAC: This is something we should all read up on in order to give our feedback to RAC. It represents a major change to the way Ham radio is licensed in Canada, and we should be ready to provide our input. Information on the RAC recommendation can be found at:
RAC Foundation Class Proposal ( 35 Page PDF file, 846 KB )
Background Info - Powerpoint ( 33 screens, PPT file, 1.2 MB )
Restructuring - Committee Report ( 45 slides, PPT file, 808 KB )
Distracted Driving Legislation. The five year extension of the amateur radio exemption to the Ontario distracted driving law is printable from the Online Regulatory Registry. It might be wise to carry a copy of this update, along with a copy of the actual law (see sections 13 and 14) and a copy of your Ham license in your glove compartment in case you need to convince a police officer that your mobile radio usage is permitted.
The Membership page is being updated to reflect membership renewals.
Middlesex-London Health Unit is recruiting interested citizens to join the newest team of Community Emergency Response Volunteers (CERV). We train volunteers to be prepared for the emergency and to help in their community by preparing for emergencies based on local hazard and risk assessments (i.e. health, weather, other natural and/or technological disasters). Training begins in September, requiring one afternoon a month. Must have drivers license and email address. Contact emergency@mlhu.on.ca or call 519-663-5317 X 2371. No cost.
Saturday morning breakfast AKA "HAMs & eggs": Hams in London are welcome to our Saturday morning breakfast get together at the Cottage restaurant at Adelaide and Dundas, across from the main Police Station. Free advice, jokes, and conversation on just about any topic. You'll usually find us there from 8:30ish to 11ish
Ham Radio Deluxe: If you use the Ham Radio Deluxe program, you should be aware of 2 things:
1) Jim Hartford VE3NRX is continually updating a list of Short Wave stations that you can load directly into HRD. His latest list can be found here on this website.
2) Ham Radio Deluxe has been sold by its creator, Simon Brown HB9DRV to a different group. It's not clear what the future holds (some details here) but it wouldn't hurt to download the latest version of any of the components "just in case" their availability changes.
VE3HKY Antennas: We've had many inquiries about the two antenna designs produced by Bob Rice VE3HKY. Both his 7-Band Semi-Vertical Trap Antenna and the 7 Band Portable Dipole have enjoyed great reviews from local hams who have put them together. The first antenna is described in this web page, and the portable one is described in this video , which includes complete instructions on how to build it.
Calling all Elmers: We have some Hams-to-be who would appreciate having someone they can call or email for assistance as they study for their license test. If you'd like to help out, please contact Doug Elliott ( webmaster@larc.ca ), and we can discuss what's involved.
Intro to HF: We've had some inquiries from people who would like to explore using the HF bands, but could use some help getting started. If you'd like to join in, or help newcomers to HF, get in touch with the executive, and we'll see if we can get something going.
Mutual AID: Would you be willing to answer some questions if a fellow ham needed some advice? Got a problem you can't figure out? Want to try something new but need someone to show you the ropes? Check out our new Mutual AID page, a new way to get people who are looking for assistance together with the folks who can help supply the answers. Let us know what you think of this new facility.
Advanced Ham license study group. A couple of us are working towards writing the exam for our advanced license. If you'd like to join us, send an email to the webmaster and we'll welcome you with open books. Some sources of study material are outlined in this document.
Pictures and details from Field Day are available here, although it's a work in progress.
Wanted to follow up on a LARC presentation? If we received a copy of the presentation, or any addition websites for references, etc, you'll find them attached to the meeting notice in the Club Events page.
New HF Band Plan Chart: RAC has announced revised band plans effective immediately. There's a new DX window on 40M, and a bigger one on 80M. Some HF nets may be changing because the frequency they use is now inappropriate in the new plan, so keep your "ears" open for changes. The full details can be found on the RAC website's HF Band Plan page , and here's a summary chart.
Has your Email address changed? We need to know your new one to make sure you get the monthly newsletter. Please update us if this is the case by emailing the webmaster@larc.ca.
Membership: The Membership page has finally been updated, and you can download your personalized membership certificate. Dues are a significant portion of the income that keeps the club running, and we'd like to thank our members who pay their dues promptly: list of LARC members .
Flaunt your face - show your shack. In our hobby it's not always easy to put a face to all the fellow hams you talk to on the air. To help us all figure who's who, LARC invites its members to submit digital photos of yourself and/or your shack to be published on the membership page of our website. Purely voluntary of course, and if you prefer you can submit just one (depending on whether you think your face or your shack is more presentable).
How will it work? On the membership page, we'll attach your own picture where your first name appears, and the picture of your shack to your callsign. See the entry for Doug Elliott, VA3DAE for an example.
How do you submit your pictures? Just email them to the LARC site webmaster address, which is
webmaster@larc.ca
All LARC meetings are located at St. Judes Anglican Church, 1537 Adelaide Street North at Fanshawe Park Road East in London, Ontario at 7:30 PM the second Thursday of the Month (unless otherwise noted, no meeting July and August). For upcoming meetings and other events (including upcoming local Hamfests and Fleas) check out the current event schedule. Everyone is welcome to drop in, you do not have to be a member to come to a meeting as a guest.
Your comments, suggestions, and questions are always welcome - just contact the executive .For all the latest news see the Club Newsletter page for the current and older newsletters. If you are not on the newsletter mailing list (or have changed email address) to get your electronic copy each month, send an email to webmaster@larc.ca
Some other sources of HAM radio news (expect lots of duplication):
You do NOT have to be a LARC member to get our newsletter!
RAC Latest News RAC's Canadian News RAC's International News
The American Amateur Radio Relay League (ARRL)
eHam.net's News Page
The Amateur Radio Newsline
WorldRadio
QRZ.com's Ham News Page
This Week in Amateur Radio
Google search for Amateur Radio News
Note: some documents on this site (such as the newsletter) are use "PDF" (portable document format). See this page for more information on installing FREE PDF readers on your computer if those files do not open automatically.
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