Minutes: YRARC General Meeting 2016-05-03

Meeting held in the Sharon Temperance Hall. Called to Order at 19:30 by Chris VE3NRT. Total members and guests attending: 37 Guests attending: 2

1. Welcome & Introductions – Chris VE3NRT
   
2. Adoption of Minutes from 2016/04/05 general meeting postponed until June.
   
3. General Announcements – Chris VE3NRT
   
   • The 6m net continues to operate on Mondays at 20:00 on 50.135 MHz
     
   • The recent VE3KCL balloon flight reached altitudes of 10,000m. Data was returned by (a) WSPR, low speed, low power transmission on 30m, (b) JT9 and (c) CW.
     
   • Upcoming hamfests include the Barrie, Smiths Falls and Dayton hamfests.
     
4. Field Day – Steve VE3UT
   
   • Steve visited the Field day site at Al's Tack Shop, same location as last year, to plan a new station layout which will hopefully reduce or eliminate interference between stations.
     
   • Additional generators will be required. The date is the last weekend in June.
     
   • Peter VE3PBT reported on the cost of a new 20' x 30' shelter frame with fittings from Cameron Canopies and separately purchase conduit, would cost $492.68 plus shipping.
     
   • Motion by Steve VE3UT, seconded by Bill VA3QB that we allocate $500.00 plus shipping to purchase the new shelter frame. Carried. (Membership approval of Board motion 2016-04-19-5a).
     
   • Peter reported the results of the food survey were inconclusive, and the menu will be similar to last year's menu.
     
5. Treasurer’s Report – John VA3JI
   
   • Opening Balance 2016/03/01 [Available to members from club secretary on request]
     
   • Income:
     
   • Membership dues:
     
   • received at last board meeting $75.00
     
   • PayPal dues received $25.00 Total: $100.00
     
   • Expenditures:
     
   • PowerGates for repeaters: $200.00
     
   • Food for the AGM: $330.00
     
   • Bank charges for PayPal: $0.05 Total -$530.05
     
   • Closing Balance 2016/04/01 [Available to members from club secretary on request]
     
   • Motion that the treasurer's report be adopted, moved John VA3JI, seconded Doug VE3VS Carried.
     
6. Public Service Report – Eric VE3EB
   
   • Upcoming public service events include:
     
     • Saturday, May 14, 2016 (New Event) Cancer Recovery Foundation 5K Run/Walk, Sutton
       
     • Thursday May 19, 2016 Sharon Temple
       
     • Saturday, May 28, 2016 (Rain date Sunday May 29)
       
     • MADD York-Simcoe Riders Poker Run, Newmarket Town Hall
       
     • Friday June 3, 2016 Mt. Albert Sports Parade
       
     • Saturday June 4, 2016 Mt. Albert 5K Run/Walk
       
     • Sunday, June 5, 2016 Aurora Street Festival, Yonge Street (Murray to Wellington)
       
     • July 29 to August 1, 2016 Newmarket Jazz Fest (New Location) Ray Twinney Recreation Complex, Eagle Street West
       
7. Trailer – Barry VA3LLT. Barry has checked the trailer - the radios, computer and tires are all OK, ready for the trip to the EOC in Newmarket on May 04.
   
8. AGM – Chris VE3NRT. Chris advised the AGM will be in 5 weeks (June 07). The By-laws are being updated and will be reviewed by the Board in 2 weeks. Comments on the By-laws should be sent to Chris by email, in advance of the AGM. Proxies are to be delivered to the secretary before the start of the meeting and BBQ, no later than 18:00.
   

Guest Speaker – Dan VE3DOF spoke about remote controlled models. Dan brought his realistic “kid” on a tricycle. The “kid” with a mannequin head, moulded hands and sneaker covered feet, rides his tricycle, steers with his hands via a drive shaft and differential axle in his shoulders, however his feet just follow the peddles as the rear wheels on the tricycle are driven by motors. The model is driven by a 12v battery made up of 1.2v cells. A 75 MHz antenna is run within the frame of the body. Next Dan demonstrated his helicopters and drones. He commented that the cheap helicopters are only good for entry level use and testing. For the serious user, buying quality is best. For location of his quality devices, he uses a Moteino transmitter, which is an Arduino compatible device, transmitting at 431.94 MHz.

General Meeting Minutes - 2015-11-03

Meeting held in the Sharon Temperance Hall.Called to Order at 19:30 by Chris VE3NRT. Total members and guests attending: 45

1. Welcome & Introductions – Chris VE3NRT
   
2. Adoption of Minutes from the general meetings 2015/09/01 and 2015/10/06, both motions moved by Rick VA3VO and seconded by Rob VE3RQB. Carried.
   
3. Treasurer’s Report – John VA3JI.
   
   • Expenditures: $1094.04 insurance, $1415.00 hamfest
     
   • Revenue: $1555.88 hamfest, $335.00 dues
     
   • Balance at 2015/10/31 [available to members upon request to club Secretary].
     
   • Moved to adopt the Treasurer's report John VA3JI, seconded Garrett VA3PYP. Carried.
     
4. Membership Report – Alf VA3BLE: To date 62 members have paid.
   
5. Public Service Report – Eric VE3EB: We need someone to haul the trailer for the Newmarket parade on Nov 14 and the Aurora parade on Nov 21. No other events are planned until Spring.
   
6. EmComm Report – Don VE3IXJ
   
   • Don attended a York Region training event on Oct 21 with regional officials. Topics included problems with interoperability between various emergency services, dealing with terrorist activities and gun related violence.
     
   • There will be a SET exercise on Nov 7.
     
   • We received a cheque for $1000 from the Lake Simcoe REACT group, via Ron McCracken KG4CVL, in support of EmComm activities.
     
7. Repeater Committee Report – Steve VE3UT and Chris VE3NRT
   
   • The 6m repeater was unlinked just prior to the hamfest, and relinked to the other repeaters after the hamfest to avoid unnecessary use of the 6m repeater. The battery backup project is underway.
     
   • The Echolink/IRLP upgrade project is progressing. We now have an interface cable for the Raspberry Pi and the Echolink board is now ready. The D-STAR network issues have been resolved.
     
8. Hamfest Report – Geoff VA3GS: The Hamfest was Saturday October 31. Approximately 600 members of the public attended and 150 vendors participated. Setup time was about 2 hours and tear-down time was 2 plus hours. Move details to follow.
   
9. Other Business
   
   • Doug VE3VS and Rob VA3RBM have activated 2 more islands. Island ON-298 is Narrows Island (FN04dt66), near the outlet of Glouchester Pool on the Trent-Severn waterway. 26 40m contacts were made. Island ON-299 is Darling Island (FN04dt75) near Narrows Island. 38 40m contacts were made. (It was noted that Doug should also activate island 300.)
     
   • Doug VE3VS reported the results of exams held at the hamfest. 7 people took the basic exam and 1 person took the advanced exam. 7 of the 8 passed.
     

Break: 20:10 Guest Speaker: Dave VE3KCL spoke about Amateur Radio High Altitude Balloons.

• Weather balloons are expensive. They are latex balloons, are filled with helium, carry a payload of several kg, and continue to rise until the balloon eventually explodes.
  
• Amateur balloons are more moderately priced. They are mylar coated which prevents the balloon from expanding after being inflated, are filled with hydrogen which is cheaper than helium, are limited to a much lighter payload, and rise to approximately 8 to 10 km.
  
• Due to the restricted payload, only a lightweight processor (Arduino Nano), GPS module, fine gauge antenna (reinforced) solar cells and battery could be used.
  For more information see: http://qrp-labs.com/ultimate3/ve3kcl-balloons.html
  

Field Day 2015: Score Not Dampened by Weather

Steve VE3UT delivered his Field Day Report at the September 1st club meeting. He noted that this was the best club score in 3 years, despite the miserable weather, which we are blaming for the decline in attendance. We're looking forward to bigger and better in 2016.

Item	2015	2014	2013
Total attendance	53	61	69
Total QSO's	1,200	1,177	1,240
160 phone	2	16	3
160 CW	-	4	4
80 phone	62	16	163
80 CW	10	-	-
40 phone	271	-	103
40 CW	522	306	255
40 digital	120	264	38
20 phone	100	276	298
20 CW	-	-	-
20 digital	23	20	114
15 phone	21	60	6
15 CW	-	-	-
15 digital	1	25	90
10 phone	10	2	-
10 CW	-	-	-
10 digital	-	-	-
6 phone	23	46	78
6 CW	-	2	7
Satellite	13	4	24
GOTA	22	24	57
Total bonus points	1,010	990	1,190
Emergency power	yes	yes	yes
Media publicity	yes	yes	yes
Copy W1AW message	yes	yes	yes
Satellite bonus	yes	yes	yes
Natural power QSO	no	yes	yes
Visit by served agency	yes	no	yes
Visit by elected official	no	no	no
Youth participation	yes	no	yes
GOTA bonus	yes	yes	yes
Educational display	no	no	no
Submitted online	yes	yes	yes
Information booth	no	no	no
Set up in public place	no	no	no
Power multiplier	< 150W	< 150W	< 150W
TOTAL CLAIMED SCORE	3,752	3,598	3,496

Steve VE3UT - Field Day Director

RAC Releases Updated Canadian HF Band Plan

Friday's ARRL Letter mentioned that a new HF band plan for 0 to 30MHz was released, including the new 600 (a.k.a. 630 metre) and 2200 metre bands. It appears to have been released very recently despite having an effective date of January 1, 2015. The format is very similar to the ARRL equivalent for US hams. It is available for viewing on-line or for download as a PDF file.

YRARC Board Minutes - June 16, 2015

Meeting held in the Magna Centre. Called to order at 19:06. Chaired by Chris VE3NRT. Board members attending; Chris VE3NRT, Rob VE3RQB, Chris VA3DXZ, Steve VE3UT, David VA3DCY, John VA3JI, Geoff VA3GS. Board members absent: Barry VA3LLT, Eric VE3EB. New board members attending (terms beginning July 1, 2015); Alf VA3BLE, Doug VE3ATP

1. Motion 2015-06-16-01 by John VA3JI to adopt agenda, seconded by Geoff VA3GS. Motion carried.
   
2. Motion 2015-06-16-02 by Geoff VA3GS to adopt May 19, 2015 board meeting minutes as published in the splatter blog at http://yrarc-splatter.blogspot.ca/, seconded by Steve VE3UT. Motion carried.
   
3. New board member orientation (Chris VE3NRT)
   
4. Governance
   
   • Treasurer’s report (John VA3JI)
     
     Balance at May 31 2015 [Available to members by request to Secretary]
     • Income $50.00
       
     • Expenditures $553.31
       
     • Balance as of Jun 16, 2015 [Available to members by request to Secretary]
       
     • Motion 2015-06-16-03 by John VA3JI to accept the treasurer’s report, seconded by Geoff VA3GS. Motion carried.
       
5. Property (Rob VE3RQB)
   
   • The communications trailer was deployed to the Aurora Street Sale. The generator was found to be low on fuel.
     
   • Rob VE3RQB requested that the communications trailer generator fuel tank be topped up prior to return to the Bales Road site for storage.
     
   • Rob will advise those persons authorized to tow the trailer, of this new requirement.
     
   • Motion 2015-06-16-04 by Rob VE3RQB that Carlos VA3CAZ be added to the list of authorized towers for the communications trailer, seconded by Geoff VA3GS. Motion carried.
     
   • Chris VE3NRT will create an email distribution list for the authorized towers, update the Trailer Policy and distribute it to the authorized towers list.
     
   • Motion 2015-06-16-05 by Rob VE3RQB that the club allocates $90.00 for the purchase of 3 parking pad’s which would be used to anchor the tower trailer guys when deployed on pavement or other hard surfaces, seconded by Geoff VA3GS. Motion carried.
     
6. Repeaters (Steve VE3UT)
   
   • 6m diplexer is now tuned to Tx 53.49 MHz with -1 MHz offset for Rx 52.49 MHz with 110dB isolation. There is no PL tone.
     
   • Level of the link radio in Aurora was adjusted
     
   • Reconfiguration of batteries at VE3YRC-VHF site
     
     • The DC power supply feeding the batteries was found to be introducing noise.
       
     • The batteries were isolated so that one battery now feeds the link radio and the remaining battery feeds the VE3YRC-VHF repeater. The power supply DC continues to feed the VE3YRC-VHF repeater battery and a trickle charger was installed and connected to the link radio battery.
       
     • As a result of these changes, the battery backup time for the VE3YRC-VHF repeater is reduced.
       
     • Steve reported that a total of $199.79 has been spent against the $200.00 repeater float.
       
     • Motion 2015-06-16-06 by Geoff VA3GS to increase the repeater float (Motion 2015-03-17-06) from $200.00 to $300.00 to accommodate the purchase of a trickle charger for the link radio battery, seconded by David VA3DCY. Motion carried.
       
7. Events – No report
   
8. Emcomm
   
   • Chris VE3NRT reported that the May 29th York Region 'Back 2 Basic' exercise went well and drew attention to Robert VE3BXG’s report emailed earlier to the board (see attached)
     
   • Steve VE3UT discovered the Thornhill Amateur Radio Club’s 2m antenna discarded on the roof of the MacKenzie Health Centre. Steve suggested we request direction from Emcomm on what to do with the antenna.
     
9. Membership
   
   • Field Day: Motion 2015-06-16-07 by Steve VE3UT that the club allocates $253.12 for the rental of toilets for field day, seconded by Geoff VA3GS. Motion carried.
     
   • Guest speakers;
     
     • Sept 2015 Rocketry / AM Radio
       
     • Oct 2015 - Dr. Delaney
       
     • Nov 2015 – Barry VE3ISX remote stations
       
     • Need suggestions for remaining meetings
       
10. Trillium Goals: Chris VE3NRT reported that at the last Emcomm meeting, they discussed the next phase of infrastructure that the club should consider for a future Trillium grant.
    
11. Other business
    
    • John VA3JI requested that the job of property valuation be handled by the property manager going forward
      
    • John VA3JI reported that the IRLP is unstable with the TX locking on after a power reset. He is looking into options to replace it or repair it.
      
    • Geoff VA3GS responded to a question from Steve VE3UT confirming that he had not yet received a response from WYNSORC.
      
    • Doug VE3ATP confirmed he will tow the tower trailer to the field day site next Tuesday
      
12. Meeting adjourned
    

WSJT-X - Filling in the missing pieces

WSJT-X works as a standalone program and I used it that way for some time. Recently, as I mentioned in my last post, I enabled the connection to pskreporter so I could see whether similarly set up stations received my signal. Later versions of WSJT-X will even show your signal strength of the other station, which is an excellent way to determine band conditions, although sometimes it is frustrating when a station you want to work hears you but doesn't answer. However, as the system will run just fine unattended they may be just out of the shack rather than intentionally ignoring you.

WSJT-X keeps its own log in ADIF and text format which is fine for uploading, although you'd need to ensure that you're only uploading or importing the contacts logged since the previous upload. Also it records minimal information so if you want to record the US state for instance it lacks that capability, so I've typically entered JT65 contacts by hand into my logging program (DXLab/DXKeeper in my case) and suffered the consequences of various typos.

I'd heard about a program called JT-Alert but never found the time to try it until Canada Day, when I was cleaning up the shack and doing some research. The program was written by VK3AMA and is a free download for various versions of Windows. The advantage of JT-Alert is that it works with various logging programs to determine whether the call signs picked up by WSJT-X have been worked before on the same band and mode (WSJT-X will only tell you if you've worked the station before on any band or JT mode) and whether it's a new zone, country, state or grid (selectable by band so I only have grids set up on VHF, for instance). It even has a voice alert that will announce things like "New Grid" in your choice of male or female British voices, assuming you have a separate sound card from the one you use to connect to your radio.

The program supports standard ADIF files, DXLAB DXKeeper, HRD V5 or V6, Log4OM and MixW (CSV File), meaning it will work for just about everyone. It will also work with JT65-HF, which is an alternative implementation of the JT65 protocol with slightly different features.

So now the suite of software I run for JT65 and JT9 are as follows:

• WSJT-X V1.5
  
• JTAlertX 2.6.3
  
• DXLab DXKeeper 13.0.6
  
• Meinberg NTP (Network time protocol which is essential to keep your system clock in synch)
  
• PSKreporter (although this is a service, not a program you download)
  
• TrustedQSL which DXKeeper uses to upload and synchronize logs with ARRL Logbook of the World (LoTW)
  

After a week or so of operating I've discovered the following:

• JT-Alert (at least with the settings I have currently) will advise me of new continents, zones, countries, grids (on 6m, as I've set it that way) and states for any station I've not worked before on that band and mode - whether they're calling CQ or not. In the 10 seconds available to decide what to to after seeing all the decodes come through, there's still some excitement in picking the best station to respond to that's actually calling CQ. The ideal way to do this is to look use the "decodes history" window but unfortunately you need to look at the right hand column to see whose calling CQ, then the left column to choose the best option to respond to, then find that station in the WSJT-X decode display, and then double click on it.
  
• The programs should be started in a particular order. Meinberg NTP starts automatically on system startup, which is good because it can take 20 minutes or so to synchronize the system clock with network time. Then DXKeeper should be started. This is most important because otherwise JT-Alert will start it in the background. It will successfully look up stations that are heard in the DXKeeper log, but fail to actually log completed contacts. You will not be able to bring up the DXKeeper user interface either, as it will tell you that it's already running. Then JT-Alert can be started and it will prompt you to start WSJT-X.
  
• There are several versions of JT-Alert that will be installed. You need to use the one that matches the JT65 program you are using. JT-Alert X is the one for WSJT-X.
  
• It would be nice if I could somehow tell whether a "new country" was (a) never worked on any band (b) never worked on the band that I'm currently on (c) never worked on the mode (JT9 vs. JT65) that I'm currently using, or (d) whether it's just the band/mode combination that is new. I would give higher priority to stations earlier on the list.
  
• In the end though, I will work anyone anywhere if I haven't worked them on that band/mode combination before. It's just that new countries, grids and states will be worked first.
  
• In a week I haven't worked a single new country, although I've heard a couple (India and Indonesia) and worked some new band/country combinations on 30m and 17m.
  

JT-Alert is a way better method than what I was doing before, which was scrambling to look up stations I'd seen on the WSJT Band Activity window to see if I'd worked them on that band. This way is much more relaxing, but still has an element of decision making. I imagine someone, somewhere, is working on an add-on to run a fully automated station. That would be an interesting challenge to correctly respond to some of the non-standard messages that you see in this mode, and also to limit QRM with other stations on the band. Such a program would also ideally manipulate the power level of the transmitter to match the station being called. If see a station below -15db, for instance, I'll usually up the power, and if they're showing -5db or more, I'll usually lower it. Then I'll further adjust power based on the signal report I receive, sometimes taking observations of fading into account. If I answer a station calling CQ who then calls CQ again, I'll also up the power. Sometimes they don't hear me because I'm not the only station calling, but other times it's because they don't hear me as well as I hear them.

Summer Starts with a Bang on 6m

On June 21st, the first full day of Summer in the Northern Hemisphere, 6m was in fine form. After noticing various CW and SSB signals on the 'scope, I managed to work a couple of US stations but found that most signals I was seeing were answering other stations rather than calling. To see how conditions were, I fired up WSJT-X and connected to the pskreporter web site.

This combination can show who hears your station, whether they answer or not. I only starting using it this year and have seen nothing like it before. Most of the time I see half a dozen stations that can hear me - often less. When there's no enhanced propagation it's usually the same 3 stations, VE3NLS, VE3CGR and K2MJ across the lake. Many openings go to the South East US stations but it is rare to see the Western US. The picture I saw when I opened pskreporter this time was extraordinary. I wish I could have worked them all.



Each of the little balloon tags represents a station that heard me. You can see a huge swath in the South East US but also the North East, Mid West and South West all well-represented.

By the end of the day I'd logged a couple of new countries (Venezuela and the Dominican Republic) and a dozen new grid squares. Pretty good for a little delta loop antenna that is lower than the roof of the house.

It's also interesting that stations 100km away are almost always workable on 6m. This is well beyond line of sight and more than likely is a result of tropospheric scatter, too weak for SSB communications but easily done with JT65.

What an amazing day for 6m!

Setting up an RTL-SDR Dongle - Part 1

Through the magic of mass production and free software, an amazingly capable SDR receiver can now be had for less than $20. The hardware a simple "Dongle" that connects to the USB port of a computer one one end, and to an antenna (or converter) on the other. The power available on the USB port is sufficient.

The devices were designed to receive DVB-T digital television broadcast signals, used in parts of Europe, Asia, South America, Africa and in Australia and New Zealand. In 2010 Eric Fry and/or Antti Polasaari figured out how to used the dongle as a general purpose software defined radio. Various web sites argue about who did what, but it appears that both figured prominently into the early development of this capability.

There is general agreement that the key attribute of this devices is "excellent performance for the price". They don't perform as well as higher priced devices but for the money provide an excellent way to try out dozens of different modes and interesting functions ranging from casual listening to radio astronomy.

I bought my RTL-SDR from Noolec, but they're available from dozens if not hundreds of mail order suppliers. The Noolec dongle costs less than $20 USD including shipping. I also ordered some cables and the Ham-It-Up converter. The dongle I bought has an amazing tuning range from 25 MHz to 1.8GHz. The Ham-It-Up ($45.99 USD) upconverts the LF, MF and HF bands by 125MHz so that the dongle can be used to receive those bands also.

The dongle ships with a tiny antenna. This is great for initial testing as you can receive local FM stations and other stuff with it, but additional cables are needed to connect to an outdoor antenna. The connector on the dongle is an "SMX" while the Ham-It-Up uses the more commonplace SMA connector. These cables are a few bucks each.

Armed with all this stuff, I was able to use free SDR software to turn my laptop computer into a wideband radio receiver. After it shipped to my office, I had it up and running on the GO train coming home and was able to tune in a taxi dispatcher, a broadcast FM station, and a couple of airplanes using the 4" long antenna that came with the unit. The performance doesn't rival my K3, but neither does the price, and the K3 only tunes up to the 6 metre band although I hope to get a 2m module for it sometime soon. The dongle reveals the myriad of signals around the house - and they sure are plentiful. One could while away many hours trying to figure out what they all are and where they're coming from.

One application I wanted to try was using the 8.215 MHz IF output from K3. With it, I can see a waterfall display of signals above and below the K3 tuning frequency, before the roofing filters are applied. The performance of this setup I will class as "useful". Not terrific but well worth doing and it will be the subject of another article.

Finally! DX on the 6m Net

The net lives! Quite often it turns out to be just me and John VA3JI rag chewing for an hour, but sometimes Bill VE3AAA checks in or we hear from VE3IBW or various other members less frequently.

In the last few days John put up a beam antenna for 6m and his signals jumped about 4 S-Units (so did mine at his end). Also in the last month I put up a home made delta loop antenna based on a design by GW7AAV which is about 1.1:1 VSWR and works quite well considering the top is at about 15' AGL. The antenna will only 'take' about 200W. My theory is that the connection points for the 10GA wire I used for the loop are too close together. When I get a chance I will take it down, drill new holes and space them wider. As a modification to the GW7AAV I put end caps on the PVC pipe on which the matching section (RG-11) is wound, and put a SO-239 on the bottom end and a pair of connecting bolts on the other.

About 1/2 way through our QSO John thought he heard a faint CW signal but we didn't hear it again. As we were signing off, though, we were called by Mike, KM4ID, near Charleston South Carolina. He gave John an S9 and me and S5 (I was running 100W). VE3AAA also heard him from Mt. Albert, and we chatted briefly before calling it a night. Bill commented that he could hear Mike in South Carolina better than he could hear me.

After that QSO I flipped over to JT65 on 50.277 and called CQ and was answered by a station in North Carolina, then another in Georgia. The North Carolina station started out at -01db S/N, then on the next transmission was -03, then on the final transmission was -18. I finished the night by answering the CQ of another Georgia station.

This is by no means the first 6m opening I've experienced, but it is the first one on a Monday night net. It's something I'd always hoped would happen.

Come join us some time. All are welcome!

73,
Chris

Minutes - YRARC General Meeting - 2015-04-07

Meeting held at the Sharon Temperance Hall. The meeting was called to order at 19:31. Chaired by Chris VE3NRT. 40 members and 2 guest in attendance

1. Adoption of the minutes
   
   • Motion 2015-04-03-01 by Rob VE3RQB to adopt the minutes of the March 3rd general meeting minutes, seconded by Robert VA3BXG. Motion carried.
     
2. Treasurer’s Report – John VA3JI
   
   • Current Account
     
     • February month end balance [Available to members on request to Secretary]
       
   • February disbursements:
     
     • Directors and officers Insurance $649.08
       
     • Repeater controller $600.00
       
     • Repeater maintenance $181.87
       
     • Trailer maintenance $76.31
       
   • Income:
     
     • Donations $100.00
       
     • Membership dues $25.00
       
   • Balance at the end of March 2015 [Available to members on request to Secretary]
     
   • April disbursements $14.70
     
   • Balance as of April 7 2015 [Available to members on request to Secretary]
     
   • John VA3JI moved that motion 2015-03-03-04 be amended such that the club allocates $250.00 for the purchase of property insurance to cover club assets not already covered under existing policies, seconded by Robert VA3BXG. Motion Carried.
     
3. Repeater Update Steve VE3UT
   
   • VE3YRC-UHF is back on the air
     
   • The link from VE3YRC-UHF to VE3YRA is operational
     
   • Work is still underway on the link between VE3YRC-VHF and UHF
     
   • An additional donation of $10.00 was received today for the repeater controller
     
   • The repeater controller cost more than $600.00 including exchange and other fees. Steve VE3UT re-confirmed that he is donating the difference between the final purchase price of the controller and the $600.00 approved by the club.
     
4. Public Service Eric VE3EB
   
   • Eric reported the he is updating the online calendar regularly.
     
5. EmComm Update Robert VA3BXG
   
   • Robert VA3BXG provided an overview on EmComm and the need for planning and exercises to be prepared to deliver emergency communications
     
   • The agenda for the upcoming EmComm meeting will touch on
     
     • Election of a new EmComm leader
       
     • Upcoming Red Cross exercise (6-8 Volunteers needed)
       
     • FLDigi Demo
       
     • Establishing a biweekly net
       
     • Upcoming repeater site visit
       
     • May 2nd York Region Emergency Preparedness Fair
       
     • York Region EOC activation
       
     • Update on work underway with EmComm partners (York Regional Police)
       
     • Engaging new municipalities
       
     • Volunteers are need to liaise with services agencies and to help coordinate exercises
       
6. Field Day Steve VE3UT
   
   • Steve VE3UT circulated a questionnaire to club members asking for input on Field Day planning
     
7. Hamfest Geoff VA3GS
   
   • The date has been confirmed for Oct 31
     
   • Looking for ideas to attract more vendors and patrons
     
8. After the break, Peter West VE3HG from the Ontario Contest Club presented an overview on contesting
   

Meeting adjourned at 21:26

Minutes - YRARC General Meeting March 3, 2015

Meeting held at the Sharon Temperance Hall. The meeting was called to order at 19:31. Chaired by Chris VE3NRT with 31 members and 1 guest in attendance

1. Adoption of the minutes
   
   • Motion 2015-03-03-01 by Eric VE3EB to adopt the minutes of the February 3rd and January 6th general meeting minutes, seconded by Kerry VA3KTS. Motion carried.
2. Harvey Bell Award: Call for nominations – Chris VE3NRT
   
   • At the January, 1971 meeting of the York North Radio Club, the membership established an award in memory of the late Harvey Bell, VE3AFK, of Aurora. It was the wish of the members that this award be presented annually to a member in good standing with this club, in recognition of substantial achievement involving Amateur Radio, particularly in connection with the York North Radio Club.
     
   • Please send your nominations including why you think the member is deserving of the award to Chris VA3DXZ.
     
3. Treasurer’s Report – John VA3JI
   
   • The treasurer's report is available to members upon request to the club secretary.
     
   • Motion 2015-03-03-02 by John VA3JI to accept the treasurer’s report seconded by Glen VA3AU. Motion carried.
     
4. Club Insurance – John VA3JI
   
   • The club presently has a general liability policy and a liability policy on the communications trailer, which provides coverage while the trailer is being towed.
     
   • The club has not purchased a directors and officers liability policy, property insurance covering club owned equipment, or a liability policy on the tower trailer similar to the communications trailer.
     
   • Directors and Officers Liability Policy:
     
     • In the January 21st board of directors meeting, the board discussed the need for a directors and officers liability policy. It was highlighted that the responsibilities of individuals serving on a non-profit board of directors are similar to those of directors of for-profit companies. However, non-profit organizations have limited resources to indemnify directors and officers or respond to expensive litigation, settlements or damage awards. Where no indemnification or only partial indemnification is available, the personal assets of directors and officers are at risk, as well as those of the entity itself. Directors’ and officers’ liability coverage is a critical component of the overall insurance protection package that no non-profit organization should forego, particularly if it wants to attract and retain qualified and motivated directors and officers and the discussion ended in a motion to bring the quote for this insurance to the club for further discussion.
       
     • Motion 2015-01-21-02 was carried on January 21st, to allocate $601.00 for the purchase of directors’ and officers’ [liability] insurance, subject to approval by the club.
       
     • The directors’ and officers’ insurance would be in addition to the liability policy currently in place on the communications trailer, and the club's general liability policy.
       
     • John VA3JI reported that per the quotation received by the board, the annual cost of the policy would be $601.00 +8% Provincial Sales Tax for $1M in liability coverage for the period from April 1, 2015 to March 31, 2016
       
     • Motion 2015-03-03-03 by John VE3POJ to allocate $650.00 for the purchase of the directors and officers liability policy, seconded by Charlie VE3SYK.
       
     • Chris VE3NRT advised that insurance is a growing expense for the club and that the club will need to look at how to increase revenues.
       
     • Motion carried.
       
   • Property Insurance
     
     • John VA3JI advised that the club owns approximately $50,000.00 in property that is not insured. The approximate cost to add insurance coverage for this property to our current general liability policy is $270.00 for the period from April 1st 2015 to the expiry of the general liability policy on Oct 15th 2015
       
     • Motion 2015-03-03-04 by John VA3JI that the club allocate $270.00 to purchase insurance coverage for club property for the period from April 1st 2015 to the expiry of the general liability policy on Oct 15th 2015, seconded by Rick VA3VO.
       
     • The question of whether or not this would provide replacement coverage was raised as was a question concerning the value of the deductible.
       
     • Motion 2015-03-03-05 by Barry VA3LLT to table Motion 2015-03-03-04 at the next general meeting, seconded by Charlie VE3SYK. Motion carried
       
5. Repeaters – Steve VE3UT
   
   • VE3YRC-UHF
     
     • In the YRARC repeater design, VE3YRC-UHF is an important hub for linking VE3YRC-VHF and VE3YRA to provide region wide coverage.
       
     • Unfortunately VE3YRC-UHF repeater controller is out of service and presently at Steve’s home for repair. The repeater controller is an RC85 which is obsolete and malfunctioning
       
     • Steve has investigated the cost to send the RC85 unit for repair and determined that the club would be better served by the purchase of an S-COM 7330 (same controller in use at VE3YRA and VE3YRC-VHF). By doing so the club would be able to standardize hardware and software configurations across repeaters allowing greater flexibility for field repair or re-deployment in an emergency.
       
     • The cost of the repeater controller purchased new is $499.99 USD plus taxes and shipping.
       
     • Steve VE3UT has agreed to donate funds to cover any costs above $600.00 thereby capping the cost to the club at $600.00 Canadian. Steve VE3UT suggested that anyone willing to donate should approach David VA3DCY
       
     • Motion 2015-03-03-06 by Glen VA3AU to allocate up to $600.00 towards the purchase of the S-COM 7330, seconded by Charlie VE3SYK.
       
     • Eric VE3EB commented that the club was very fortunate to receive over $39,000.00 from Ontario’s Trillium program and felt that by purchasing the new controller, the club would gain more benefit out of these relatively new club assets, as well as benefit from the plug and play aspect of standardizing hardware across repeaters.
       
     • Motion carried.
       
   • 6m Repeater
     
     • Steve VE3UT reported that a 6m repeater has been donated to the club. Steve VE3UT is looking for help in transporting the cans to Bob VE3WY who has volunteered to tune them
       
     • Steve VE3UT will be calling for a work party when the weather is better to install the repeater.
       
   • VE3YRK – Chris VE3NRT
     
     • Chris VE3NRT reported on the status of the transition to Freestar. The following items have been completed:
       
     • The Icom standard software and all its add-ons have been shut down.
       
     • Users & radios have been re-registered on VE3LSR
       
     • New software, ircDDB and g2_link software have been installed and are working properly.
       
     • D-APRS reporting is working. The link from the status page to aprs.fi now works properly for the first time.
       
     • https://www.dstargateway.org/ security restored.
       
     • Still outstanding
       
       • The registrations on LSR are in some disarray. We are waiting for the US Trust administrators to fix the problem (and waiting and waiting). This may result in difficulty when trying to use “REF” type reflectors.
         
       • DV-Dongles cannot connect to VE3YRK. A workaround is available (Dvtool is a closed-source product by AA4RC)
         
6. Public Service – Eric VE3EB provided a copy of the article appearing in the Newmarket snapd covering our Winter Field Day (Attachment #2)
   
7. EMCOMM – Don VE3IXJ
   
   • The REOC drill at the York Region Headquarters building went well and the EMCOMM team was able to test the range of VE3PO (Don VE3IXJ’s portable low power repeater). VE3PO worked beyond expectation
     
8. Summer Field Day – Steve VE3UT
   
   • The event is held on the 4th weekend in June.
     
   • Steve VE3UT has seen lots of interest expressed by club members.
     
   • To assist in the funding of the event and to help plan for food, Steve will be presenting a proposal to the board to sell food tickets at this summer’s event.
     
9. Bob VE3WY presented an analysis of dipole antenna performance
   
10. Meeting adjourned at 21:37
    

Repeater Update

UHF repeater YRC/U:The controller on our UHF repeater is obsolete and has issues. It would not be cost effective to spend any further money for repairs on it and the technical advantages of purchasing a new controller make sense. I proposed at the last board meeting that we purchase a new S-Com 7330 (same unit as YRA and YRC/V). Tonight, the members present voted in favour of the purchase. As part of my proposal I have offered to make a personal donation of funds to cover shipping and any duty/fees. Tonight I suggested that members could donate funds if they wished and I'm pleased to report that $100 was collected. Thank you to all who chipped in. If anyone reading this would also like to "throw a few bucks into the hat", please contact David VE3DCY who is looking after the donations.

Six meter repeater YRC/6: Bruce VE3BV is donating a 6m repeater to the club. I will be picking it up in Parry Sound later this week. Installation will happen when the weather improves (requires antenna work on a roof). The repeater will be interfaced with the new controller described above. On behalf of the club, our thanks go out to Bruce for the generous donation.

6 metre net on 30m this week

For the next several months the 6 metre net will frequency and mode hop. Once the Sporadic E season is closing in, we'll revert to to 6m operation. Meanwhile, each week we will choose a new frequency and mode to meet up on.

On Monday, January 12, 2015, 0100Z (8pm Eastern Standard Time) we will convene on 10.141 MHz or the nearest unoccupied frequency. With PSK31 being very narrow band, we will not stray far. The suggested frequencies for PSK31 on the 30m band are 10.138 to 10.142.

I will start calling at exactly 8pm. Anyone is welcome to check in. If you're unfamiliar with PSK31 operation now's your chance to try it out in a forgiving environment.

Suggestions of new frequencies and modes to try are encouraged. I only ask that it be in a band from 6m to 80m, be simplex, and of course legal in Canada.

73,
Chris

P.S. If having a 6m net on 30m doesn't make sense to you, we can call it the "YRARC Experimental Net" instead.

6m Net Tonight

The Sporadic E season is upon us! Last night the spotting networks were full of North American 6 metre stations and I managed to complete a 6m CW QSO with WB4TBH in North Carolina and a part of a JT65 QSO with KN4NN in Florida. On JT65 I could hear (see?) /4 US stations in touch with Costa Rica.

Let's hope we see the same conditions tonight. Same time and place - 50.175 USB at 0000Z (8pm local).

73,
Chris

6m Net - February 17, 2014

Just 5 of us this time, with Mike VE3FGU in the North and Chris VE3NRT at the South end for a longest path of 27km. Rob VE3RQB joined us for the first time having cobbled together a Bazooka running from inside his shack, and was copied at 5x1 by Chris VE3NRT but well over S9 by Mike. John VA3JI and Brian VE3IBW were all clearly audible which allowed for some casual conversation before signing off at 8:25.



After the net Chris and Brian had their first successful QSO with digital voice using FreeDV.

Chris, VE3NRT

6m Net - February 10, 2014

We had good participation in the net this week with Mike VE3FGU, Brian VE3IBW, Brad VE3HII, John VA3JI, Chris VE3NRT, and Bob VE3WY. Signal strengths were good except that Bob seemed weaker than usual with 5x3 and 5x5 signal reports. Chris at net control had his amplifier working well again up to about 250W output.

The longest two-way path of the day was Bob to Brad at about 50km, and everyone could hear everyone.



The most encouraging report was from John VA3WPN, between Bradford and Woodstock, who reported signals loud and clear at his location. Unfortunately they had faded by the time he was in a position to transmit but at 150km this path is 3 times our previous record.

Hopefully we'll be hearing from John in a future net and seeing some more surprises before too long.



After the net, VE3IBW and VE3NRT did some further experiments with FreeDV and managed to get two way transmission but only one-way audio, but at least there was progress.

Next net is on Monday, February 17th at 8:00pm local on 50.175 USB (Feb 18, 0100Z). All are welcome.

73,
Chris VE3NRT

6 Metre Net - Feb 3, 2014

Conditions seemed to be better than usual with better signal strengths reported by most stations. Matt VA3MGN was a bit stronger but still difficult to hear. Bruce VE3BV and Mike VE3FGU in Keswick came in strongly, and John VA3JI joined us for the first time using his 17 metre antenna on the 3rd harmonic as well as Brad VE3HII. Brian VE3IBW backed off his power this week to 10W to reduce RFI problems in his QTH.

VE3IBW and Chris VE3NRT decided to do some (only partially successful) testing with FreeDV afterwards and we contacted by Mark VE3CT while setting up, using a dipole in his kitchen.

Most stations were heard by Rob VA3RQB in Bradford. Longest path was again about 50km. VE3NRT also thanks VE3FGU for the LoTW confirmation.

Notes from the Shack - February 2014

I was going to write about some complex logging software topics this month, which I'm sure everyone was looking forward to, but the arrival of a little device based on an Realtek RTL2832u chip changed my mind. I purchased the device from NooElec in the US for $17.95, plus $4 shipping (although I will confess to buying a bunch of accessories as well, more on that in another post), and it arrived at my office less than two weeks later. I have since seen similar units for less than $15 with free shipping to Canada. It looks like a large USB memory stick but has an antenna port on the side and comes with a small vertical antenna and a remote control.

The chip was designed for consumer use in Asia for receiving digital TV broadcasts on a computer supporting both demodulation and the USB interface. It is useless for that application in North America as we use different standards, but the same device works great as a simple Software Defined Radio receiver for approximately 25-1750 MHz.

Setup had a few tricks. I found the information I needed on the web which included using a non-standard USB device driver. The trick for that is to disconnect the computer from the Internet during installation so that the standard driver isn't automatically installed. If the standard driver is installed accidentally then it can be removed using the Windows control panel.

Just before I left work on January 29th, I downloaded everything I needed and on the train ride home everything was installed and working, including my long time favourite SDR program, HDSDR. On the way home I tuned in some mobile radio (couldn't tell who it was) and Pearson approach control. The next morning I was listening to local FM stations (the FM bandwidth is variable from 192KHz to 0), VE3YRC repeater and 2m, a local 6m repeater, and the Toronto Island Airport control tower. Not bad from the aisle seat of the GO train using a 4" long antenna and my shoulder as a ground plane.

If your transceiver has an IF output and upconverts to a high frequency IF (i.e. more than 25MHz) you can use the device plus software as a low cost panadapter. If, like mine, your transceiver has a lower IF frequency then there are inexpensive upconverting devices based on an open source hardware design available that will bring the IF frequency into an appropriate frequency range, as well as designs available for DIY on the web. The Ham-It-Up and the like can of course also serve as a standalone MF/HF receiver.

HDSDR went into a bit of frenzy when I accidentally tuned it out of the range of the RTL2832u (0 Hz, actually). I sent a report to the program's author, Mario, in Germany and within an hour or two he replied suggesting I install a different DLL to control the local oscillator frequency which fixed the problem. Other than that, there are no serious problems with the program or the device.



Steve VA3SRV has also been using something similar with the SDR# program. I noticed on the NooElec web site that a download package for SDR# and all the required drivers is available as a single ZIP file, which should make installation even easier.

From Steve's experience and observations of my own I wonder how many images I'm seeing. For $17.95 you're not getting a professional grade communications receiver and poor image rejection is a known "feature" of the device. A broadcast FM station was showing up quite strongly in the 10 metre band, for instance, and I see all kinds of signals in the 2m metre band, although those might explain why I see frequent desensing on my HF rig as they are very strong. In fact, this gadget may help me get to the bottom of the various RFI problems I see on HF.

This screen shot shows CHFI coming in a bit weakly.



HDSDR will display between 100Khz and 3MHz of spectrum centered around the frequency you choose. The entire 10m band can be viewed at once, for instance, or most of the 6 or 2 metre bands. It handles AM (including single sideband phase-locked to the AM carrier), FM, SSB and CW demodulation. With a virtual audio cable (or by feeding the demodulated audio output into another computer) it will drive all the various digital mode programs around, like MMTTY, FLDIGI, DM780 and FreeDV.

If you're looking for a way to tune in the 6 metre net, this little device will do just fine, attached to a suitable antenna for your QTH. It will also work with the 1.25m, 70cm, 33cm and 23cm bands, plus a whole lot more. If you want an way to try out SDR software without having to make a big investment it is also for you. Pretty good value for the cost of a couple of pints.

73,
Chris VE3NRT

6 Metre Net - January 27th, 2014

Last Monday's net had record participation, with Brad VE3HII, Brian VE3IBW, Bruce VE3BV, Bob VE3WY, Charlie VE3SYK, Matt VA3MGN, Mike VE3FGU, and Chris VE3NRT. Once again it was clear than antenna height and directivity are a distinct advantage. Net control VE3NRT was able to easily copy all participants except VA3MGN, who was about 3x3 at both ends. Distance, cross-polarization and obstructions were factors working against solid copy. VE3NRT also had amplifier trouble so ran barefoot but is happy to report that the amplifier has spontaneously started working again and so should be operational for the net on February 3rd.

The net closed at 8:25 after all signal reports and check-ins were complete, but VE3WY and VE3BV continued on at 50.130 MHz to do further checking on Bruce's antenna, which was showing high SWR perhaps due to the effects of weather on the coax.

The longest path was 52km between Matt and Bob although Matt reported Bob's signal was audible but not readable. A slightly shorter path between Bob and Brad was 100% copy. Steve VE3SHA reported hearing Brad and few others but not well enough for a QSO, while Steve VA3SRV reported hearing Mike, Chris and somewhat curiously briefly copied Matt.



On Monday (February 3rd) night at 8pm we'll try once again on 50.175 USB, with VE3NRT and VE3IBW (and anyone else who wants to try) making a FreeDV contact immediately afterward.

Any suggestions for trying other modes are welcome. The purpose of the net is experimental so let's experiment!

73,
Chris VE3NRT

Links of the month - January 2014

1. The ACLU on the impact of sensor technologies on privacy. [Steve VA3SRV]
   
2. Chirp - free software for programming radios. [Steve VA3SRV]
   
3. Contextual Electronics - On-line hands-on electronics education. [Steve VA3SRV]
   
4. Video: SDR HT. [Patrick VE3WST]
   
5. Inexpensive 4 band mobile radios. [Russell VE3TWR]
   
6. New ICOM Touch Screen D-STAR Radio. [Steve VA3SRV]