Welcome to NORAC The North Okanagan Radio Amateur Club

As Canadian HAMs it is our patriotic duty to participate in all RAC contests. These times are when the focus is on Canada. Everyone wants to work us. We need to be on the air. ;)

I jest a bit here, but I do feel a bit like an ambassador when I participate in the RAC Canada Day and Winter contests each year.

Check out the RAC Winter contest info here: https://www.rac.ca/rac-canada-winter-contest-2019/

Note that N3JFP's logging software, the logger we use for club contesting events, does have a contest logger specifically for RAC Winter Contest.

Hope to work you all December 28, 2019 between 0000 UTC to 2359 UTC,
Mike VE7KPZ
NORAC Vice-President 2017-2020, technical committee member and occasional HF SSB contester

Hi All,

This month's NORAC club meeting will take place on the usual third Thursday of the month: January 16, 2020 at 7:30 PM at The People Place, 3402 27 Ave 101, Vernon, BC.

We have a special demo this month on the topic of IRLP. The demo, delivered by Brad VE7WBM, will take place right after the regular (short) club meeting finishes.

If you are not a NORAC member, but have a serious interest in learning more about IRLP, we urge you to come to the meeting as our special guest and take in the presentation.

Hope to see everyone there,
Mike VE7KPZ
NORAC Vice-President 2017-2020, technical committee member

Ps: if you are wondering about the December club meeting, please note that the December meeting is replaced by the seasonal party on December 7, 2019.

Hi All,

We received the following letter from Geoff Hill, the volunteer coordinator for the Big White Winter Rally. Jane VE7WWJ and I will be volunteering at this performance rally event in one of the various radio operator positions. We had a really nice time at Pacific Forest Rally back in September so we're keen to help out again.

FYI,
Mike VE7KPZ
NORAC Vice-President 2017-2020, technical committee member and BWWR radio volunteer

Dear NORAC members,

My name is Geoff Hill; I am the volunteer coordinator for the 2019 Big White Winter Rally, the 8th and final round of the 2019 Canadian National Rally Championship, which is being held on December 7-8, 2019. I would like to tell you more about this event, in the hopes that you or some members of your club would be interested in volunteering as Radio Operators.

Big White Winter Rally is a sanctioned performance driving competition taking place on temporarily closed forestry roads surrounding Big White Winter Resort, 45 minutes East of Kelowna, BC. The event needs amateur radio operators such as yourselves, who are crucial to the safety and success of the weekend. This is also an amazing opportunity to put your amateur radio skills & equipment in action, and see real cars, on real roads, driving real fast!

What you would be doing:

As radio operators, you would be stationed at the start and finish line of each closed road, or at blocker positions along the route itself, monitoring and controlling access at intersecting roads or high-risk areas. The primary roles of the radio operator are to help the event organizers track the progress of rally cars on the roads, to keep any civilians from entering the road during competition, and to pass along relevant information in the event of a crash or safety incident.

There will be a training and Q&A session for operators during the event.

What we provide:

To reduce costs to our volunteers as much as possible, we try to provide free shared accommodation in a condo right at the Big White Ski Resort itself. We also provide bag lunches during the event, and free admittance to the awards banquet and post event celebrations. If you do require accommodations for the rally, please register prior to November 15th, the deadline requested by the resort to prepare for a large group of guests arriving on the mountain.

What you need to bring:

Because this event takes place in winter conditions on freshly plowed forest service roads, we strongly advise proper winter tires in good condition, a reliable vehicle with reasonable ground clearance, and reliable radio equipment that can run for multiple hours at a time on the power provided by your vehicle. It is good practice to also bring food, fluids, and anything else you might need for an extended stay outside. The event does run after dark, so headlamps and flashlights will come in handy. Finally, warm winter clothing and wilderness common sense are also important to bring along!

Where to sign up:

The Volunteer registration page for the event can be found here:

https://forms.gle/wmuZ24oE9sZ12xch9

For more information:

Introduction to Rally Volunteering (description of the radio operator role in particular can be found on page 6)

Big White Winter Rally website

Canadian Association of Rallysport (CARS) website

Canadian Association of Rallysport Youtube channel with lots of videos showing rally cars in action

I humbly request your assistance to inform members of your amateur radio club of this opportunity. If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to get in touch with me directly. Thank you for your time, I look forward to seeing you out on the stages!

Geoff Hill
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Volunteer Coordinator, Big White Winter Rally 2019
Director at Large, RPM
Secretary, WCRA