Coast Emergency Communications Association

The SEA-PAC Committee wishes each of you a very Happy and prosperous New Year.

SEA-PAC 2020 will again be held at the Seaside Convention Center, Seaside, Oregon beginning on Friday, June 5 and running through Sunday, June 7, 2020.

Now is not too early to start planning for SEA-PAC 2020. Registration opens in less than a month on February 15. See the “Registration” tab on the www.seapac.org website. Reservations for accommodations are already being taken for SEA-PAC weekend. Check out “Sponsor Lodging” on the SEA-PAC website.

The Gala SEA-PAC Banquet will be Saturday night, June 6. The key note speaker will be Dr. Scott Wright, KØMD, editor of ARRL’s National Contest Journal. Get your Banquet tickets when you register as they always sell out before the convention. See the “Banquet” tab on the SEA-PAC website for more information.

The SEA-PAC collector Pin Contest is in full swing. Let your creative juices flow and submit your design by March 1^st. The winner will receive 2 free tickets to the Gala SEA-PAC Banquet. Rules are available on the SEA-PAC website. Click on the “SEA-PAC Pins” tab.

With the convention center construction complete, in addition to the main floor one-day Flea Market tables, this year’s Flea Market will again include those two-day tables up on the mezzanine. Table sign-ups open on February 15. More information is available on the “Flea Market” tab on the SEA-PAC website.

SEA-PAC is successful because of the labors of countless volunteers. We are always looking for folks to lend a hand. If you’d like to help make SEA-PAC a success, check out the “Volunteering” tab on the SEA-PAC website.

For more information on these and other SEA-PAC topics, visit the website at: https://www.seapac.org.

See you at SEA-PAC 2020

ARES members work out plan B in Puerto Rico in the event of more seismic events. More information at

http://www.arrl.org/news/ares-volunteers-establish-plan-b-communication-network-in-puerto-rico

With a very low percentage of BC Households having emergency kits maybe this information from BC Hydro will be of assistance

https://www.bchydro.com/news/conservation/2019/emergency-kit-prep.html

RAC President Glenn MacDonell, VE3XRA, is currently attending the annual Board of Directors meeting of the American Radio Relay League (ARRL) in Windsor, Connecticut.

The ARRL Board Meetings are held twice each year, in January and July, and RAC President Glenn MacDonell, VE3XRA, and IARU President Tim Ellam, VE6SH, are once again attending the meeting as guests of the Board.

At the meeting the ARRL Directors nominate and elect a President, a First Vice President, a Second Vice President, an International Affairs Vice President, a Secretary, a Treasurer, and a Chief Executive Officer as officers who serve on the Board of Directors. The election results will be publicized by the ARRL and will be posted on the RAC website.

The above photo was taken prior to the election and shows (from left): Rick Niswander, K7GM (ARRL Treasurer); Greg Widin, K0GW (ARRL First Vice President); Rick Roderick, K5UR (ARRL President); Glenn MacDonell, VE3XRA (RAC President); Tim Elam, VE6SH (IARU President); Rod Stafford, W6ROD (ARRL Past President); and Jay Bellows, K0QB (ARRL International Affairs Vice President).

RAC President Glenn MacDonell, VE3XRA, extended greetings and best wishes from RAC and thanked ARRL President Roderick, K5UR, for attending the RAC Planning Meeting and Annual General Meeting in Moncton, New Brunswick last September. In his remarks, he indicated that RAC and the ARRL have similar objectives and both organizations benefit from learning how each other undertakes to achieve them. He also noted the continuing growth of Amateur Radio in Canada and reported that he had been elected for another term as President of RAC, which was greeted by applause from the ARRL Board members.Alan Griffin
RAC MarCom Director

Good work by amateur radio operators on both Vancouver Island and the lower Mainland when a call came to the assist of a ham on central Vancouver Island. The ham had been travelling behind Horne Lake when the vehicle slid off the road. Using the Island Trunk system a call for assistance went out. The RCMP attended and assisted those who had slid off the road. Good work by all involved.

The ARRL has announced that W1AW will activate for Winter Field Day 2020. More information at

http://www.arrl.org/news/w1aw-to-be-on-the-air-for-winter-field-day

The 2020 Winter Field Day will be held on the weekend of January 26. For all the information you need go to

https://www.winterfieldday.com/

A special event station will be on the air until the end of the month celebrating Youth Olympics in Switzerland. More information can be found at

http://www.hb9hi.ch/he2joj

British Columbia QSO Party 2020
presented by the Orca DX and Contest Club

Date/Time: 1600z Feb 1 to 0359z Feb 2 AND 1600z to 2359z Feb 2 (That’s Feb 1, local time, 8am to 8pm PST AND Feb 2, local time, 8am to 4pm PST)

Band conditions remain challenging, particularly from the perspective of operators in the Pacific Northwest, but that doesn’t mean QSOs are impossible. It just means we have to refine our operating strategies. 

Objectives:   BC stations contact anyone anywhere. (BC stations can contact other BC stations,stations in the U.S., stations in other provinces/territories of Canada, and stations in other countries.)

 Stations outside BC have to contact VE7/VA7s. 

Exchange:    BC stations give a three-letter code representing the federal electoral district in BC + RS(T)    Confirm district at elections.ca/home.aspx and use the multiplier list (see URL below) to determine the  corresponding three-letter code for BCQP.                 

 Stations outside BC give province/state/”DX”

*In BCQP, Hawaii and Alaska are not considered DX. Stations in KH6 and KL7 will give “HI” and “AK”, respectively. Stations outside the U.S. and Canada will give “DX”.

There is NO OTHER EVENT like BCQP for BC operators. The potential for a tangible award is super high for BC stations. 

Top scores in every class of entry receive a one-of-a-kind certificate showcasing beautiful BC — different photo every year taken especially for this event. In addition, top scores in each federal electoral district — the multipliers in BCQP — are awarded one-of-a-kind certificates, too. Very few contests hand out photo-based certificates and NO OTHER REGULAR ON-AIR EVENT uses a different photo each year. Collectible! Shack-worthy!
Follow links at http://orcadxcc.org/bcqp.html for rules, multiplier list, FAQs, in-depth event analysis/reports and scores from past years, and examples of photo certificates and plaques. 

Note that BCQP runs in two segments: 12 hours on Saturday and eight hours on Sunday. The segments are NOT split by mode. Operate PH, CW and/or digital as you wish, on one day or both during the designated blocks of time. Everyone can work all 20 hours of the contest or a few hours on Saturday and a few hours on Sunday, or just Saturday or just Sunday. Completely up to each person. There is no required off-time, but there can be NO activity during the gap between the 12-hour block on Saturday and the eight-hour block on Sunday. 

If you have questions, I am, as always, just an email — use my callsign @ rac.ca — away. 

GL and 73!  
Rebecca VA7BEC
BCQP Contest Coordinator

In the light of events caused by the recent earthquake in Puerto Rico several US amateurs have been deployed to assist the Red Cross. More information at

http://www.arrl.org/news/puerto-rico-volunteers-deployed-to-red-cross-arrl-sending-equipment