The first annual NORAC Spring Radio Camp was a resounding success! A huge thanks to CJ (VA7MXY) for organizing!
Meeting at the Fintry Provincial Park group camp #2, 7 hams stayed the weekend with RV trailers, tents, families, kids, and too many dogs to count. Another 3 hams came to visit throughout the weekend. We even celebrated CJ son's 10th birthday.
With multiple anteannas, radios, and moderate band conditions, many contacts were made. The winner of the farthest contact was Colin (VA7EEH) with Easter Island!
A big thank you to John (VE7JWS) for the wonderful commemorative coasters he made for each ham.
We talked, laughed, spent much time tuning antennas, with quiet guitar music in the background performed by Alex (VE7AHX). Thanks to Howard (VA7PWF) for being the unofficial bon fire keeper!
If you were not here, you missed a truly great time. Please consider this an invitation for next year!
73 de VE7MHX
Michal
With the successful completion of the spring NORAC Basic qualification course, it is my honour to welcome our newest hams and NORAC members:
VE7TCS Trevor Sproule
VA7KXS Christoph Blecker
VY1GGG Steve Kinoshita
VE7HLL Andrew Hilland
VE7ZFS Josiah Palmer
VE7PXS Peter Sidorczuk
VE7XCX Trevor Cook
VA7GBT Walter Naten
VE7RZT Reed Spence
VA7TDH Tyler Higgins
If you see them in person or hear them on the radio, please welcome them to our wonderful hobby!
I would also like to extend my deepest gratitude for everyone that stepped up to help and teach, administer the exam, take care of the laptop, projector and setup the room, or even just to sit in during the course and help out with discussions.
I appreciate you all!
Michal VE7MHX
February 3, 2023 - Vernon, BC, Canada
Another Vernon Winter Carnival Parade went off without a hitch thanks to the NORAC members who volunteered to organize the parade staging and release.
Members in attendance included:
Cary Benson, VA7MXY
Robert Byrne, VE7EZI
Grace Byrne, VE7IGB
Mike Dennison, VA7XDM
Paul Elmont, VE7PDE
Jerome Hildebrand, VE7JAR
Elijah Hildebrand, VA7EHR
Bud Kuzenko, VE7KBK
Ritchie Leslie, VA7RLX
Alex Mulder, VE7NOC
Wilf Mulder, VE7OHM
Colin Parkes, VA7EEH
Richard Reeves, VE7NT
David Sinclair, VA7DRS
David Skelhon, VA7SZ
Doug Stewart, VA7CPS
Michael Van Kuyk, VE7KPZ
Felix Volta, VA7VOL
Jane Weitzel, VE7WWJ
Jake Wendland, VE7WEA (and YL)
Adding up prep time (approximately 16 hours for Bob, David, Cary and Wilf) and then 4 hours of service by each volunteer on the day, we are looking at around 100 community service hours!
Kudos to the all of the volunteers. This was one of our best volunteer turnouts and the smoothness of the organization and parade execution reflected that.
73 and thanks to all of our volunteers,
Bob VE7EZI
December 9, 2023, Big White ski resort surrounding area
NORAC members Mike VE7KPZ and Jane VE7WWJ along with their nephew Tristan volunteered at this year's Big White Winter Rally.
The crew awoke at 3 AM to drive to down the Okanagan valley and up to the Big White ski resort surrounding area where the rally was being held.
They then provided tactical radio support for the event, in the position of "blocker". This position effectively blocks a side road on the rally course and offers tactical radio support for course clearing, emergency coordination, etc.
The morning and afternoon stages were in different locations so a move was made around 2 PM to the afternoon blocking position. This more remote position required the use of cross-band repeat (on Mike's Kenwood TM-D710GA) as just a handheld transceiver did not have enough oompf to get into the main event repeater.
The rally stages finished around 9 PM and the crew got home and into bed around 11 PM - that was quite the day!
Kudos to the other Okanagan HAMs that volunteered as well. It was nice to hear so many familiar calls. And kudos to Chris VE7EQN and OCARC for allowing the event to use the VE7RBG repeater.
We always look forward to seeing the recap of the event on TSN and YouTube (a couple of months after the event) but nothing beats the front-row seat experience of actually being there as a volunteer. Check out the full recap below.
73,
Mike VE7KPZ
October 21-22, 2023 - Joe Rich area of Kelowna, British Columbia
NORAC club members Howard VA7PWF and David VA7DRS recently volunteered for a weekend of introducing youth to amateur radio at the Scouts Jamboree On The Air.
Howard's face made it on to the news:
To read more about the event and watch the news video, please visit: https://globalnews.ca/news/10041831/b-c-scouts-connect-with-counterparts-using-ham-radio-morse-code-and-online-chat-rooms/amp/
You can also watch the video here on YouTube when the above links age out.