Kamloops Amateur Radio Club

A 2 meter signal from the UK, reflected off the structure of the International Space Station (ISS) on May 2, was heard across the Atlantic. Following 2 weeks of preparation, Tim Fern, G4LOH, in Cornwall (IO70jc) and Roger Sturtevant, VE1SKY, in Nova Scotia (FN74iu) attempted a FSK441 contact.

Employing AMSAT satellite software, both stations aimed at the calculated grid HO11nl for a 144.175 MHz contact attempt with a mutual window of less than 1 minute. VE1SKY was able to copy G4LOH at a distance of 4441 kilometers (approximately 2753 miles). This was the first signal received via ISS bounce from Europe to North America, and the first intentional signal heard via ISS reflection in any direction across the North or South Atlantic.

The reception is being verified as a possible DX record for satellite reflection.

Transmitting in CW, Fern, operating as GK4LOH, has since been received twice in the much-closer GN37 grid by VO1HP at VO1FN in Newfoundland.

In 2014, RSGB VHF Manager John Regnault, G4SWX, received a 2 meter signal from VC1T, where a team, was trying to win the Brendan Trophy for the first transatlantic contact on 144 MHz. Upon investigation, it was determined that the VC1T FSK441 signal that G4SWX heard had also bounced off the ISS rather than via terrestrial propagation and would not qualify for the Brendan Trophy, offered by the Irish Radio Transmitters Society (IRTS).The Brendan Trophy will recognize the first “traditional mode” two-way contact (ie, SSB or CW) capable of being copied without machine assistance.

The Brendan Trophy will recognize the first “traditional mode” two-way contact (ie, SSB or CW) capable of being copied without machine assistance. 

http://www.arrl.org/news/signal-bounced-from-iss-heard-across-the-atlantic

Exercise Coastal Response will commence on Tuesday, June 7 at 0800hrs and will run daily until 1700hrs, concluding on Friday, June 10 at 1200hrs.

The exercise is focusing on the Port Alberni/ Alberni-Clayoquot Regional District area, however Emergency Management BC are asking all amateur radio stations (both independent volunteer stations and EOC stations) to participate on the radio net.

Exercise instructions, goals, and HF frequencies are contained in the PowerPoint slideshow linked below.

If you have questions or concerns please contact Mike Knauff at Emergency Management BC at (250) 371-5245.

Members of the Kamloops Amateur Radio club will be participating from the Central Region Provincial Regional Emergency Operations Centre (PREOC) located at 1255-D Dalhousie Drive (around back of the Ambulance building).  If you would like to watch the exercise in action, or are interested in lending a hand, please stop by.

The ARRL June VHF Contest begins at 1800 UTC Saturday, and runs through 0259 UTC Monday (June 11-13, 2016).

Amateurs in the US and Canada (and their possessions) are encouraged to work as many amateur stations in as many different 2 degrees x 1 degree Maidenhead grid squares as possible using authorized frequencies above 50 MHz. Stations outside the US & Canada (and their possessions) may only work stations in the US (and its possessions) and Canada.

Myles, VE7FSR will be joining the Coquitlam Amateur Radio Club (VE7SCC) at Pavilion Mountain again this year.  Visitors are welcome to come out and visit, or give us a call on 2M or 6M and say "hello".

Emergency Services Day First of its Kind

For the first time ever, Emergency Services in Kamloops joined forces to present Emergency Services Day. The free event combined Emergency Preparedness Week with National Police Week to provide the opportunity for residents to meet their emergency response community.

Visitors learned about Kamloops community’s emergency services teams and how to be better prepared for an emergency event.  The event took place in the North Parking Lot of Aberdeen Mall on Saturday, May 14th and the event featured a variety of emergency services partners, ranging from the Provincial Emergency Radio Communications Service (PERCS), Kamloops Fire Rescue, RCMP, BC Ambulance Service, CN and CP Police, Conservation Service, the Air 4 RCMP Helicopter, the BCSPCA, and many others.

PERCS volunteers Gina Charlesworth (VA7AIR), Bill Foster (VE7WWW), Myles Bruns (VE7FSR) and Mike Knauff from Emergency Management BC set up and staffed the PERCS tent, and visitors learned how amateur radio volunteers provide Emergency Radio Communications in the Province of British Columbia in support of their local municipality, Emergency Management BC or other response agencies.

ARRL members can subscribe to receive regular propagation bulletins from K7RA, but non-ARRL members can also access this useful information at http://www.arrl.org/w1aw-bulletins-archive-propagation

The most recent report can be viewed here:  http://www.arrl.org/w1aw-bulletins-archive/ARLP019/2016

ARRL has posted a new guide, “Find a ‘Doctor’ Near You” to help “ARRL The Doctor is In” visitors to locate and download and enjoy the popular podcast. The inaugural episode on HF Verticals remains available. “ARRL The Doctor is In” is sponsored by DX Engineering.

“ARRL The Doctor is In” is a lively discussion of all things technical. Listen on your computer, tablet, or smartphone — whenever and wherever you like! Every 2 weeks your host, QST Editor in Chief Steve Ford, WB8IMY, and the Doctor himself, Joel Hallas, W1ZR, will discuss a broad range of technical topics. You can e-mail your questions to doctor@arrl.org, and they may be answered in a future podcast.

“Does CW Really Get Through When Nothing Else Can?” will be the topic of the “ARRL The Doctor is In” audio podcast, available on April 21.

Enjoy “ARRL The Doctor is In” on Apple iTunes or on Stitcher (sign in or use as a guest). You can also listen to the current episode on Blubrry.

Podcast episodes will be archived on the ARRL website.

After several months of no service and looking for a new home, VE7TSI, KARC's IRLP Node 1080 is finally back on the air, accessible as per normal via VE7RKA (instructions are on the Local Repeaters page).

The node has had a computer upgrade, and depending on how plans develop we may move the node again, though we would expect further downtime to be much less in the future.

For now, please feel free to make use of it and enjoy!

Emergency Management B.C. (EMBC) is in the process of developing Exercise Coastal Response, a full-scale major earthquake and tsunami response exercise which will take place in the Port Alberni region from June 7-10, 2016.

This exercise will also involve the real-time deployment of the Provincial Coordination Team (PCT), a cross-government group that can be activated to bring support to a local authority in an emergency, and the Heavy Urban Search and Rescue (HUSAR) team from Vancouver. In addition to HUSAR and EMBC, multiple levels of government, various jurisdictions in Canada and the U.S., and a number of provincial ministries, First Nations, Crown corporations, first responders and internal and external agencies will all be invited to participate.

This exercise will enhance provincial emergency readiness and response capabilities for a catastrophic earthquake.

Local volunteers from the Kamloops Amateur Radio Club and the Provincial Emergency Radio Communications Service will be participating in Exercise Coastal Response. If you are interested in more information or would like to volunteer, please contact Bill Foster (VE7WWW) or Myles Bruns (VE7FSR).

Astronomers for the first time have detected repeating short bursts of radio waves from an enigmatic source that is likely located well beyond the edge of our Milky Way galaxy. The findings indicate that these "fast radio bursts" come from an extremely powerful object which occasionally produces multiple bursts in under a minute.

Read more at:

http://phys.org/news/2016-03-mysterious-cosmic-radio.html#jCp

http://www.cbc.ca/news/technology/fast-radio-bursts-repeat-1.3472668

Carl Luetzelschwab (K9LA) delivered another very informative presentation to the club last night. If you weren't able to attend, the presentation is available for download below.

If you have HF propagation questions or topics you'd like to learn about, please let us know and we will arrange another webinar with Carl.