Category Archives: WARA Club Activities and Events

News of Public Service Events, Education Courses and Programs, and other member activities.

General Meeting Tuesday April 16, 2019

9 Apr

Please join us on Tuesday, April 16th for a talk by our own Larry Gagnon (VE7EA) entitled  Get Fit (or not), Have Fun, Play Radio! The Summits on the Air (SOTA) Program”. This is a fun and interesting part of ham radio and worth coming out the learn all about it. We will also have a business meeting to discuss a couple of items. Please join us at the Jewish Cultural Center at 3636 Shelbourne at 7:00PM, Tuesday Apr. 16, 2019. The board looks forward to seeing and talking with you.

March 19 General Meeting at JCC on Shelbourne

11 Mar

Come and join us on March 19th meeting and see a webinar with Mr. John Kruk
(N9UPC), the National Sales Manager of the Amateur Division of Yaesu USA.
He will be discussing Yaesu’s Digital system, C4FM, as well as an
introduction to their new HF gear. There will be some time for questions and
comments. This should be a good session so please try to attend if you can at our general meeting location JCC, 3636 Shelbourne Street.

July 6-13, 2019 Scout Pacific Jamboree at Camp Barnard

25 Jan

To Interested Amateur Radio Operators, from Ron Bilinsky VE7RTB, this is a request for ham volunteers to assist at the 2019 Scout Pacific Jamboree.

Special Note: If you can’t come and help, Camp Barnard will be listening on the following frequencies during the Jamboree between 0900 and 1800 and would really appreciate some contact for the scouts to talk to. Frequencies are: 80m = 3.940 MHz, 40m = 7.190 MHz, 20m = 14.290 MHz, 17m = 18.140 MHz, 2m = 146.580 MHz (simplex) and the WARA Repeater.

The 2019 Scout Pacific Jamboree is being held this summer from July 6 – 13 at Camp Barnard in Sooke at 3202 Young Lake Road. As in 2015, we will once again be running a “Ham Radio Station” for some 3000 Scouts, (i.e. youth aged 11- 14 years old). I am looking for Ham certified volunteers to sign up for one or more 3-hour shifts, (i.e. from 9:00 am til noon or from 1:00 pm to 4:00 pm), between July 6 -13. NOTE: There will be at least 2 other Ham volunteers in the station, including myself (Ron Bilinsky) and Don Tolson.

During the 2015 Jamboree at Camp Barnard some 500 youth visited our station over the 8 days. Many of them earned a Ham Radio PJ badge by completing 9 different tasks that included activities such as:

  • deciphering a daily written Morse coded message
  • doing a Ham Radio word search
  • talking with other local and international Hams on an HF or VHF / UHF radio
  • learning how they can earn their Ham Radio certification
  • going on a Fox Hunt
  • making a Morse code beaded bracelet
  • learning the phonetic alphabet, etc.
  • learning Morse code on practice noise or light generating keyers. (Does anyone have a Morse practice device?)

If you have the time and interest, we would love to have you join us. The process is to sign up as a “day visitor” at the volunteer registration website (see below), so that we know who is coming and when, and we can have a day pass ready for you at the front gate on the day that you arrive at Camp Barnard, which will be required to enter the property as we maintain a high degree of security and safety for our youth. We can also use your ideas and suggestions and some help setting up the Ham station, antenna and other equipment the week or more before the Jamboree for those interested.

Please pass this info on to other local Hams who you think might be interested and have them call me.Scouts Canada – Pacific Jamboree 19 Special Events (Ham Radio Station), 2338 Sunriver Way, Sooke BC V9Z 0Y4. Sincerely, Ron Bilinsky VA7RTB, email ronbilinsky@shaw.ca   Phone 250-664-7048

VOLUNTEER REGISTRATION PROCEDURE

This procedure is for registering Day Staff. This includes those day volunteers involved in Ham Radio and others. As our registration process is electronic this year, we have developed the following registration process:

HINT: Look for the form at the bottom of the registration page where you create a personal account.

Complete the following sections:

  1. Include a digital photo of yourself (like a passport photo – but you can smile for this one). No headgear or sunglasses.
  2. First and last name
  3. email address, mailing address, phone number
  4. your myscouts number (enter “Day Staff” if you do not have one)
  5. First choice area of interest = Other
  6. In the section “Please briefly tell us about any experience…” enter which group you will be working with (i.e. ham radio).

Each volunteer will need to complete a Code of Conduct and Hold Harmless form. If they can download signed electronic copies onto their registration form – great.

http://www.scouts.ca/wp-content/uploads/safety/Code-of-Conduct.pdf

http://www.scouts.ca/bpp/forms/Hold-Harmless_Individual.pdf

Otherwise, we will have paper versions on hand at PACIFIC JAMBOREE for volunteers to sign when they come to Administration for their ID tags.  NOTE: I am available to assist if there are any questions/concerns, YIS, Karen PJ 2019 OOS Registration,

email oosregistrar@scouts.ca

PS: We can also use your ideas and suggestions and some help setting up the Ham station, antenna and other equipment the week or more before the Jamboree for those who are interested. Also please pass this info on to other local Hams who you think might be interested and have them call me.

Thanks, Ron Bilinsky VA7RTB, email ronbilinsky@shaw.ca   Phone 250-664-7048