RAC Ontario Sections Bulletin for September 2, 2023
Official Bulletin Station for Radio Amateurs of Canada with this week’s bulletin.
NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL NEWS
1. The September-October issue of TCA is now available
The digital version of the September-October 2023 The Canadian Amateur is available for
viewing or download. The paper version is now at the printer.
To download your copy please visit: https://www.rac.ca/digitaltca/
— RAC website
2. Hurricane Idalia: Amateur Radio Serves Critical Functions
Hurricane Idalia made landfall Wednesday, August 30 on Florida’s Big Bend region as a
Category 3 storm sustaining winds of 125 miles per hour. The storm tracked across Georgia and
into South Carolina, and on Thursday morning it had moved offshore of North Carolina.
ARES volunteers would be staffing the radio room at the state Emergency Operation Center (EOC)
until 7:00 a.m. on Thursday, August 31 and will provide additional service if needed. “So far there
does not appear to be a large communications impact that would require amateur radio support.”
The Florida Statewide Amateur Radio Network (SARnet) was the primary emergency
communications system used during the storm. The system is a series of linked UHF repeaters that
covers the entire state. There were also HF nets linking counties to the state EOC.
Hurricane Watch Net (HWN) Manager Bobby Graves, KB5HAV, said the storm called for
“all hands on deck”. Ahead of impact, the intensity and track of the storm greatly concerned him.
“I have been watching and plotting hurricanes for over 35 years. I have witnessed, many times,
a Hurricane cross a state line into another as a hurricane…two states were hit by the same hurricane.
Never have I seen a storm cross three States as a Hurricane,” said Graves.
— Full article at ARRL newsletter
3. Hurricane Idalia: FCC Approves ARRL Petition to Aid Emergency Communications
The ARRL has received approval from the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) for an
emergency waiver to facilitate amateur radio emergency communications for hurricane relief.
The waiver, which was granted August 30, is for a 60-day relief period from the rules, based
upon the immediate need related to the threat of Hurricane Idalia. It would cover use directly
related to any additional hurricanes that may develop within the 60-day period. Only messages
related to these hurricanes would be permitted to be sent via the higher-speed modes, and only
publicly documented modes would be allowed.
— Full article at arrl website
ONTARIO SECTION NEWS
ITEMS OF INTEREST
4. Sep-Oct 2023 SARC Communicator is now available
Our biggest issue to date, read in over 145 countries, we bring you 132 pages of Amateur Radio
news from the Southwest corner of Canada and elsewhere. With less fluff and ads than other
Amateur Radio publications, you will find Amateur Radio related articles, projects, profiles, news,
tips and how-to’s for all levels of the hobby. This issue is of particular interest to POTA, SOTA
and WSPR enthusiasts with several related articles and a quick and inexpensive antenna build
project that is sure to pull in HF stations. You can view or download it as a .PDF file at:
https://tinyurl.com/SARC23Sep-Oct.
— Amateur radio daily news
This concludes this week’s bulletin. Does anyone require repeats or clarifications?
Hearing none, This is V_3___ returning the frequency to net control.
Bulletin sent from Official Bulletin Manager VA3PC
RAC Ontario Sections Bulletin for September 2, 2023
