RAC Ontario Sections Bulletin for February 25, 2023
Official Bulletin Station for Radio Amateurs of Canada with this week’s bulletin.
NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL NEWS
1. IARU Holds First 2023 Meeting
The 56th meeting of the Administrative Council of the International Amateur Radio Union (IARU)
was held via Zoom on January 16, with President Tim Ellam, VE6SH, presiding.
The meeting’s focus was on the International Telecommunication Union’s (ITU) upcoming World
Radiocommunication Conference (WRC-23) later this year in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.
The IARU effort for WRC-23 is being led by IARU Vice President Ole Garpestad, LA2RR.
The Summary Record from this meeting, in addition to previous meetings, is available at
www.iaru.org/reference/ac-summary-records/.”
The next virtual meeting of the Administrative Council is scheduled for March 20, and an in-person
meeting is scheduled for June 25 at the conclusion of Ham Radio in Friedrichshafen, Germany.
Founded in 1925, IARU is the worldwide voice of radio amateurs who secure and safeguard the
amateur radio spectrum.
— ARRL News
ONTARIO SECTION NEWS
2. Just a Reminder Ham-EX 2023 Cancelled for Sunday March 19th.
Due to circumstances outside of our control, Hame-Ex 2023 has been cancelled.
We hope to be back in March 2024.
Peel & Mississauga Amateur Radio Clubs
ITEMS OF INTEREST
3. Bouvet Island DXpedition Wraps Up
The 3Y0J activation of Bouvet Island has finished. The team concluded operations at 3:00 UTC
on February 14, 2023, with around 19,000 contacts logged.
Team Co-Leader Kenneth Opskar, LA7GIA, took to Facebook to tell a bit of their story.
His post highlights the physical and technical challenges the team faced. “Pileup was difficult as our
signals were weak. We had good reception and very often we called 3 to 5 times to log a QSO.
Many DXers called but couldn’t hear us, “how frustrating,” he wrote “We focused on fewer bands
to maximize [all time new ones], and looking at the stats, we achieved 19,000 QSOs and 50% unique
calls. And many dupes! Many are satisfied, but some are also disappointed by the performance of
either the team or the DQRMers.”
Bouvet Island has long been number two on Club Log’s DXCC Most Wanted list, right behind
North Korea. Previous excursions to the remote island have also faced operational challenges.
Antarctic weather, dangerous ice, and rough terrain prevent it from being an easy activation.
— ARRL News
4. Turkey Earthquake Update.
The rescue and recovery operations continue after a 7.8-magnitude earthquake struck Turkey on
February 6, with casualties reaching nearly 46,000. Another earthquake, this time with a magnitude
of 6.4, hit the country on Tuesday, February 21, 2023. More casualties and injuries are expected.
Amateur radio continues to be the major link for communication for the entire area throughout both
earthquakes. Turkish amateur radio operator Aziz Sasa, TA1E, has been at the disaster areas
coordinating frequencies for the teams and carrying out search and rescue operations.
On Tuesday, Sasa was interviewed on the British Broadcasting Corporation’s (BBC) Digital Planet
program, where he talked about the continued amateur radio help during the disaster. An audio link
to the program is available. While the entire program lasts 46 minutes, the interview with Sasa is
within the first 6 minutes.
Podcast available here: https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/w3ct31zr
— BBC news
This concludes this week’s bulletin.
Bulletin sent from Official Bulletin Manager VA3PC
RAC Ontario Sections Bulletin for February 25, 2023
