Guest Speaker scheduled for Feb 21, 2012:  Andy ve7vaw will give a presentation about the ALMA Observatory, with 66 transportable antennas working together at millimeter and sub-millimeter wavelengths to produce radio images that will be as good as Hubble Telescope images.  The observatory is at an elevation of 5000 meters in the Atacama desert region in northern Chile.   The talk will be a mix of astronomy, radio and antenna technology, and tourism with many photographs.

General Meetings: Third Tuesday of the Month. Location: Red Cross House, 909 Fairfield Road, Victoria, BC Time: 7 pm Enter at Fairfield Rd Basement Doors). 

• General Meeting Dates 2012 - Jan. 17, Feb. 21, Mar. 20, Apr. 17, May 15, Jun. 19, Sep. 18, Oct. 16, Nov. 20 (AGM)
• Updated Membership List posted December 2011 - Departments | Membership.
• List of current Directors: Departments|Directors/Projects

Do you have an interesting project that you want to share at a meeting? We are looking for presenters (guest speakers) for each meeting.  Let us know !

Attended the KARA Monthly meeting at the park adjacent to the Energy Lab (near the Kona airport).

The Kona Amateur Radio Association is a fairly active group with lots of part time Hawaii residents taking part in the festivities. My YL (Andrea) and I hung out for around an hour before moving on to our next engagement and met with a wide variety of hams.

The Hawaiian Islands are well served by 2M and 70cm repeater systems as well as lots of active HF operators.

I brought along a reliable Yaesu FT-60r hand held and it has proved itself quite valuable in getting around the Island and finding many otherwise hidden spots to check out.

Aloha from the Big Island of Hawaii! Colin - VA7WWV/KH6

The 2012 WARA Ham Classes have commenced with the first class held on Thursday Jan. 5, 2012. Late registration is possible, and prospective students should contact the Education department. For more Information and Schedule, go to Departments|Education.

The West coast Amateur Radio Association (WARA) and the Victoria Branch of the Canadian Red Cross signed a Memorandum of Understanding on July 10, 1996. This memorandum outlines an understanding wherein WARA will provide radio communication for the Red Cross Society - BC Coastal Region during an emergency.

WARA has an Emergency Communication Team (ECT) which consists of club volunteers. The role of WARA's Emergency Communication Team is to provide radio communication between the Victoria Red Cross and the following organizations and agencies:

• Capital Region Emergency Radio Communications Committee (Greater Victoria and Area EOCs)
• Provincial Emergency Program
• The Canadian Red Cross
• Provincial Emergency Social Services Operations Centre (PESSOC)
• EOC's and Field Reception Centres in the Red Cross BC Coastal Region

In April 2011, WARA received a Certificate of Appreciation from the Red Cross. See our web site pages under Departments|ECT & Nets for more information on the ECT program.