The Radio Amateurs of Canada AGM and Conference will be held in Halifax August  19/20 2023. More information can be found at

http://www.halifax-arc.org/

and

RAC Annual General Meeting 2025

Combine 2,850 pounds of donated food, 20 cargo flights by 17 general aviation pilots flying over 8,800 air miles, eight airfields, and 44 amateur radio operators, and one can have an effective full-scale exercise. On July 8, and 9, 2023, the Oregon Disaster Airlift Response Team (ODART), a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, activated volunteer pilots from Oregon, Washington, and California to simulate what a response effort might be like when the next full-length megathrust rupture of the Cascadia Subduction Zone (CSZ) off the west coast takes place.

The impact of that CSZ earthquake and tsunami incident will be severe, with widespread failures of electricity, cellular and landline phone systems, commercial radio, Internet services, and (yes, even) amateur radio repeaters. Remote coastal communities will be cut off from food and medical supplies. However, general aviation pilots can utilize small landing strips to deliver cargo of 150 to ~400 pounds per flight, and are expected to be a valuable resource for local and tribal emergency managers.

ODART planners understand the value that amateur radio communications bring to assist them with their disaster response mission. Amateur radio volunteers practice with the pilots’ group by transmitting airfield conditions, sea state (for amphibious aircraft pilots), current weather and fuel supplies on hand at airfields, relaying roadway and bridge conditions gathered by aircraft during overflights of impacted areas, and tracking each aircraft (arrival time, cargo quantity, departure time, destination, etc.).

The July 2023 exercise involved ARES, AuxComm, and ACS groups from 10 different counties across a 300-mile footprint, each standing up a Winlink station which, per the exercise scenario, could only connect to an RMS located east of the Cascade Mountain range.

We know that real-world events can affect exercises, and this event encountered three. Cargo flights between Walla Walla, Washington, and Aurora, Oregon, had to fly around smoke from the Tunnel 5 fire  burning in Skamania County, Washington. One ODART aircraft experienced avionics problems and returned to its home base at Hillsboro, Oregon, without cargo (or a working aviation radio in controlled airspace). Another ODART aircraft was enroute from Bend, Oregon, to La Grande, Oregon, when a Winlink message was received from Tyson Brooks, W7BL, who was staffing the radio station at the La Grande airport, notifying the ODART “Air Boss” of the closure of both runways due to the crash landing of a World War II vintage T6 aircraft. This information was quickly relayed to the amateur radio station at the Bend Airport, and the pilot was successfully recalled using aviation radio frequencies.

According to the “Air Boss” for the exercise, commercial pilot Jim Origliosso, KK7ILC, both the pilots and communications volunteers did an excellent job. The food delivered via the ODART cargo flights went to food banks close to the delivery airports. Food bank supplies are sparse this time of year, so the food bank directors were thrilled to receive the airlifted cargo.

Lessons learned in this exercise included the need for a better structure for VHF/UHF radio communications between the airfield flight line and the Winlink radio station, additional resiliency and testing of airport antenna options, establishing Winlink tactical call signs based on the unique FAA ID of the airfields, and the need for developing several custom Winlink forms.

In an exercise scheduled as part of the International ShakeOut Day on October 19, 2023, ODART will practice coordinated overflights of roadways and bridges in the impact areas to gather situational awareness of simulated damage. Amateur radio will again be used to relay these reports via Winlink to transportation officials.

Volunteer general aviation groups with missions similar to ODART exist in most areas of the country, so if your Emcomm group isn’t currently helping one with their communications, you may want to reach out. —

The following is from the ARRL Newsletter.

On the morning of July 2, Skamania County (WA) ARES Emergency Coordinator Kevin Widener, KE7IN, was on his deck and noticed smoke blowing above the Columbia River. He drove a quarter of a mile to investigate and saw that flames from burning trees were already above the bluff 1,200 feet above the river. Almost immediately, the small community of Underwood, Washington, was under Level 3 “GO NOW!” evacuation orders. The threat was real, and the community’s safety became the top priority. The fire became known as the Tunnel 5 fire. By July 4, a Type 2 Incident Management Team was deployed to manage firefighting land and air resources that came from all over the Pacific Northwest.

Recognizing the gravity of the situation, the Skamania County Sheriff, Summer Scheyer, called upon ARES to staff two positions to lend their support at the Emergency Operations Center (EOC). Their crucial responsibilities included fielding phone calls from concerned residents and ensuring Sheriff Scheyer remained informed by closely monitoring social media and firefighting efforts. For 4 intense days, ARES members dutifully manned the EOC, providing vital assistance during a time of crisis. By the time the fire was contained, five residences were lost, several more sustained significant damage, and several other structures were destroyed. Quick response from the local volunteer fire department and firefighting aircraft prevented scores of other homes from being destroyed.

Meanwhile, another ARES member received a request on the morning of July 3 to deploy to a small community located west of Underwood. The area had suffered significant damage to telephone landlines, leaving some residents without any means of communication. To address this urgent need, a radio station was swiftly established at the local school. This improvised solution ensured emergency access to dispatch services, should the need arise. ARES operators showcased their resourcefulness, stepping up to provide citizens with a lifeline during this time when telephone landline access was unavailable. Once the landline was repaired, the radio station was deactivated, marking the successful conclusion of this deployment.

Skamania County ARES comprises a dedicated team of 11 amateur radio operators, all united by their unwavering commitment to the community’s safety. Many of these operators had previously been activated during the devastating 2017 Eagle Creek fire, which ravaged over 50,000 acres of the pristine Columbia River Gorge. Their tireless efforts did not go unnoticed, as the Sheriff and other community leaders expressed their gratitude and appreciation for our ARES team’s invaluable contributions during the Tunnel 5 fire. — Kevin Widener, KE7IN/WQWI878, Emergency Coordinator, Skamania County, Washington ARES (W6TQF)

The Radio Amateurs of Canada is doing a series of events for youth. While a lot of the activities are more localized we can participate in their HF station. Please see the site below for all the details.  We need more youth in amateur radio and this is one way to move that forward.

Youth On The Air (YOTA) Camp Special Event Station: July 2023

The Surrey Amateur Radio Club news letter, The Communicator, is now available. 124 pages of very interesting reading.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1kSQ6AeAnsTrm9s1WBLLAGev_gPoYO5O9/view

The annual Radio Amateurs of Canada Contest will be held again this year.  For all the information you need go to

The following message was received from the ARRL

Special Bulletin 3  ARLX003
From ARRL Headquarters
Newington CT  May 26, 2023
To all radio amateurs

SB SPCL ARL ARLX003
ARLX003 ARRL and FEMA Sign Agreement: Ham Radio is as Relevant
as Ever

The agreement emphasizes the importance of skilled Amateur Radio
Operators in times of crisis and the role of ARES leadership within
the emergency communications space.

ARES (see the ARES fact sheet at, www.arrl.org/ares) is a network of
trained Amateur Radio Service licensees organized across the country
to provide communications and other support to served agencies, such
as local governments, hospitals, and disaster response charities.
More than 20,000 ARES volunteers actively participate in the ARRL
program. In 2022, they provided more than 420,000 labor hours of
service saving local officials $13.4 million in personnel costs.

Each member of ARES has specialized training in emergency
communications. Many have also completed training in the National
Incident Management System (NIMS) in order to integrate with local
officials during an emergency response.

In March 2023, FEMA released the final version of the NIMS
Information and Communications Technology (ICT) Functional Guidance,
which includes radio amateurs in the response ecosystem and national
emergency preparedness.

“The agreement is representative of the continued commitment and
cooperation between FEMA and ARRL,” said ARRL Director of Emergency
Management Josh Johnston, KE5MHV. “Serving our country during
emergencies is an important service provided by ARES volunteers and
a principal purpose of our Amateur Radio Service. Our well-equipped
volunteers bring their training, use of innovative technologies, and
community partnerships together to serve before and during
disasters.”

FEMA announced the new agreement on Twitter stating, “We recently
signed a new MOA with ARRL — establishing our partnership with
licensed, voluntary amateur radio operators to support response
(and) recovery efforts. We’re honored to work side-by-side to meet
the needs of millions in the wake of disasters.”

Former FEMA Administrator and ARRL member Craig Fugate, KK4INZ, led
the agency when the previous MOA with ARRL was signed in 2014.
Fugate said the agreement underscores the importance of ham radio.
“By incorporating amateur radio into their emergency plans, FEMA
ensures that they have access to a network of trained operators who
can establish and maintain communication links when traditional
infrastructure fails. This collaboration between FEMA and Amateur
Radio Operators allows for more robust and resilient emergency
communication capabilities, ultimately contributing to effective
disaster response and recovery,” said Fugate.

“The ARRL Board and the Emergency Communications and Field Services
Committee are committed to strengthening our resourcefulness to the
EmComm (emergency communications) community,” said ARRL President
Rick Roderick, K5UR. “Our partnership with FEMA helps further ARRL’s
work to better serve our volunteers, partner agencies, and the
country.”
NNNN
/EX

The Nanaimo Amateur Radio Association has issued their June 2023 newsletter. It can be found at

https://wm-no.glb.shawcable.net/service/home/~/?auth=co&loc=en&id=712268&part=2

Just a reminder of standards for the Operation of Radio Stations in the Amateur Radio Service can be found in RBR-4.

https://ised-isde.canada.ca/site/spectrum-management-telecommunications/en/licences-and-certificates/regulations-reference-rbr/rbr-4-standards-operation-radio-stations-amateur-radio-service

CHEK media has aired an article on the Island Trunk System. To see the article go to

When catastrophe calls, the unseen heroes of Vancouver Island’s last radio lifeline are ready