RAC Ontario Sections Bulletin for August 26, 2023
Official Bulletin Station for Radio Amateurs of Canada with this week’s bulletin.
NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL NEWS
1. RAC Basic Qualification Amateur Radio Course: Fall 2023
Radio Amateurs of Canada is once again offering an online Amateur Radio course so that individuals
can obtain their Amateur Radio Operator Certificate with Basic Qualification.
It is open to everyone across Canada and even abroad. Classes will be recorded, so occasional absences
are not a problem.
The course will be held on Thursdays and Sundays commencing on Sunday, September 24 and end
on Thursday, November 30.
Classes will be held on Thursday evenings from 6 pm to 9 pm (1800 – 2100) Eastern Time and
Sunday afternoons 1 pm to 4 pm (1300 – 1600) Eastern Time. There may also be a handful of
additional classes if necessary.
The registration fee for the course is $50 plus GST/HST. The cost of the Basic Study Guide is extra
and an order link will be provided upon completion of payment.
— Full info on RAC website
2. Tropical Storm Hilary: Amateur Radio Activates
Amateur Radio operators activated on Sunday, August 20, 2023 to provide communications and
information for Tropical Storm Hilary. As of mid-morning last Sunday, the system was moving up the
Baja Peninsula of Mexico, expected to cross into Southern California. Heavy rains were falling in
San Diego, and local media reported that 250 airline flights had been canceled.
Amateur radio operations began Sunday morning. WX4NHC was on the air on the Hurricane
Watch Net frequency 14.325 MHz and 7.268 MHz depending on propagation. We will also be
on VoIP Hurricane Net (IRLP node 9219 / EchoLink WX-TALK Conference node 7203).
http://www.voipwx.net/
HWN also exists to provide backup communications to official agencies such as emergency
operations centers, Red Cross officials, and storm shelters in the affected area.
— ARRL Website
ONTARIO SECTION NEWS
3. Simcoe County Hamfest
Sponsor: Simcoe County Amateur Radio Enthusiasts
Date: Saturday, September 16, 2023
Location: Grenfel Community Centre, .1989 Sunnidale Rd, Springwater Township
Times: Setup 0800, Opening 0900, Knockdown and cleanup around noon
Cost: Vendors $5.00, Visitors Free (donations are welcome)
Talk-in: 146.55 Mhz simplex no tone
Description: Vendors, tailgate or bring your own table. If the weather doesn’t cooperate we can
set up under the rink’s roof.
More info: Brant Smith [email protected] 289-802-1480
Webpage: http://scare-radio.com/Scare-Radio.com/Home.html
ITEMS OF INTEREST
4. Arecibo Observatory (Puerto Rico) Officially Shuts Down
The Arecibo Observatory, which suffered catastrophic damage to its 305-meter telescope in 2020,
has officially shut down all research efforts as of August 14th.
Since the collapse of the main telescope, the US National Science Foundation (NSF) had intended
to convert the facility into an educational research center, but doubts have risen whether that plan
will pan out.
— Nature.com article
This concludes this week’s bulletin.
Bulletin sent from Official Bulletin Manager VA3PC
RAC Ontario Sections Bulletin for August 26, 2023
