RAC Ontario Sections Bulletin for December 23, 2023
Official Bulletin Station for Radio Amateurs of Canada with this week’s bulletin.
NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL NEWS
1. Reminder of RAC Winter Contest
00:00z to 23:59z – December 30, 2023
160m thru 2m CW and Phone
Work any station once on each of the two modes per band.
Contacts count for the award programs that RAC offers.
https://www.rac.ca/rac-canada-winter-contest-2023/
— see the RAC website for full particulars
2. RAC Online Basic Qualification Course registering now
Course starts Sunday, January 21 and runs thru Thursday, March 28, 2024
and will be held on Thursdays (18:00 to 21:00 ET) and Sundays (13:00 – 16:00 ET)
Cost: $50.
https://www.rac.ca/rac-basic-course-registration-form-winter-2024/
–see the RAC website for full details.
3. WRC 2023 Update December 15, 2023 | “The Final Week”
In the final week of WRC-23, an allocation was made for a spaceborne radar
sounder operating in the 40-50 MHz range. There was some concern expressed
about whether any signal would spill over into the lower portion of the 6m band,
but geographical and operational limitations as well as allowable power flux density
at the Earth’s surface make the likelihood of this happening very low in practice.
A footnote to the Radio Regulations for Region 2 identifies frequencies for International
Mobile Telecommunications (IMT) in the band 10-10.5 GHz. This is only applicable
to a number of central and south American countries and does not apply to Canada
and the United States.
Agenda items have been determined for the next World Radiocommunication
Conferences in 2027 and 2031. These include an opportunity for a possible new
Amateur allocation in the frequency range 275-325 GHz; a definition of frequencies
for Wireless Power Transmission (WPT) to avoid harmful interference to
radiocommunications services and initial studies which could lead to an Amateur
allocation for communications on the lunar surface and between lunar orbit
and the lunar surface.
For more information please see the next two issues of The Canadian Amateur
magazine.
— RAC Special Advisor Paul Coverdale, VE3ICV
ONTARIO SECTION NEWS
ITEMS OF INTEREST
4. CQ Magazine publication suspended
Many hams have noted not receiving paper copies of CQ magazine since earlier this
year, and the last electronically published issue was October, 2023
Quoting Rich Moseson, W2VU, editor of CQ Magazine: “Unfortunately, CQ has
temporarily suspended publishing at this time. We are working very hard to secure the
necessary funding to continue operations but until we can make those arrangements,
everything is on hold.”
The CQ contests will continue to be held, uninterrupted, by the WWROF (as they
have been for many years now).
I myself – the CQ Contesting Editor for the past several years – am launching a
contesting website that will specialize in short turnaround news flashes and gossip
from the contesting world.
— Tim N3QE
This concludes this week’s bulletin.
Bulletin sent from Official Bulletin Manager VA3PC
RAC Ontario Sections Bulletin for December 23, 2023
