The RAC Board of Directors is pleased to announce that Brent Taylor, VY2HF, has been appointed as a Trustee for the Canadian Amateur Radio Hall of Fame (CARHOF).

Brent lives in Stratford, Prince Edward Island with his wife Janice. He will be representing the province of Prince Edward Island for a three-year term from September 2020 until September 2023. Brent replaces Ella McCormick, VE1PEI, who served on the Board from 2015 to July 2020.

The RAC Board and the CARHOF Board of Trustees extends sincere appreciation to Ella for her dedication and contributions to the CARFOF Board evaluation process over the years. We wish her all the best of success in her future endeavours.

Brent Taylor, VY2HF, was first licensed in 1984 as VE1APG and received his partial HF privileges six months later after demonstrating successful CW operation. One year later he passed his Advanced examination. He obtained the call VE1JH, and was known by that call for over 20 years. He then moved from New Brunswick to Prince Edward Island in 2007 and acquired the call VY2HF.

Brent believes strongly in supporting Amateur Radio organizations. He is a Past-President of the Fredericton Amateur Radio Club and the New Brunswick Amateur Radio Association. He was also involved with the Canadian Amateur Radio Federation (CARF) and the Canadian Radio Relay League (CRRL) before the merger into Radio Amateurs of Canada.

He is a member of RAC, the Charlottetown Amateur Radio Club, the International Repeater Group (NB), the American Radio Relay League, the Radio Society of Great Britain, AMSAT, the National Radio Club, and the Canadian International DX Club.

Brent works for the Federal Department of Veterans Affairs as the Acting Manager of the Department’s Business Systems unit with responsibility over the database that holds the Department’s Veteran/client information. Prior to that he was a member of the Veterans Review and Appeal Board for 10 years, and previously worked as an educator, radio broadcaster, newspaper columnist, and served one term (1991-1995) as a member of the New Brunswick Legislative Assembly.

“I am very pleased to be invited to join the CARHOF Board of Trustees as the representative from PEI. I believe I have a good sense of the kinds of achievements that would be worthy of CARHOF recognition. I have had some very capable and generous Elmer’s over the years, and have interacted with a wide range of Amateurs from all walks of life.”

For more information about the Canadian Amateur Radio Hall of Fame please visit: https://www.rac.ca/carhof/

Frank Davis, VO1HP
Chair, Board of Trustees
Canadian Amateur Radio Hall of Fame

The electronic TCA (eTCA) version of the November-December 2020 TCA is now available for viewing or download.

The paper version is now being processed by the printer, but it will be delayed as a result of COVID-19. 

Stay tuned to the RAC website for additional information.

To download your copy please visit: https://www.rac.ca/digitaltca/

Remember to turn your clocks back. Daylight Savings Time ends at 0200 Local time Nov 1 2020. Enjoy the extra hour !

Just a reminder that the Canada Wide Simulated Emergency Test will be held on Saturday October 31 2020. More information can be found at

Update on Simulated Emergency Test: Saturday, October 31, 2020

The Hurricane Watch Net in no longer active on Hurricane Zeta.

With the approach of Hurricane Zeta the Hurricane Watch Net will again activate. To see their activation plan go to

https://www.hwn.org/policies/activationplans.html

Please note and respect their frequencies during this activation

Canada 2020 Conference and AGM: Presentations now available on new RAC YouTube Channel

Radio Amateurs of Canada would like to thank all presenters, participants and volunteers for organizing and attending the RAC Canada 2020 Conference and Annual General Meeting.

All presentations are now available for viewing on the new RAC YouTube Channel.

Note: Unfortunately there was a problem with the recording of the FT8 DXing presentation by Ron Schwartz, VE3VN, and it cut off about halfway through. We are now looking into the problem. Stay tuned. The other presentations are now available for viewing on the new RAC YouTube Channel.

Please note that the videos are currently  in raw format and we hope to edit them at some time in the future. 

A detailed description of the presentations is provided below. 

Special thanks to all the presenters for rising to the challenge and creating great presentations under tight timelines while learning new technology at the same time. We realize that it was by no means an easy task and we thank you!

• Tom Schuessler, N5HYP
• Brian Jackson, VE6JBJ
• Ron Thompson, VE8RT and Angela Gerbrandt, VY0YL
• Phil A. McBride, VA3QR/VA3KPJ
• Ron Schwartz, VE3VN
• Cary Rubenfeld, VE4EA, Tom Haavisto, VE3CX and Gerry Hull, VE1RM;
• Allan Boyd, VE3AJB
• Chris Allingham, VE3FU/VO2AC
• Kelly Shulman, VE3KLX
• Guy Richard, VE2QG/VE2XTD
• Allen Wootton, VY1KX

The ceremony and monument unveiling may be viewed live (and will be accessible after the event) on Cobourg Media Facebook and YouTube, or by accessing the links at:

Fern Blodgett Sunde Statue Unveiling Special

https://www.cobourgmedia.ca/fernblodgettsunde/embed/#?secret=1qAjbRZhcS

We cordially invite you to the virtual unveiling ceremony of the Fern Blodgett Sunde bronze monument, to be held today (Saturday, October 17, 2020) at 1:15 pm Eastern Daylight Time. The ceremony will take place in the meditation garden, Victoria Park, Cobourg, by Lake Ontario.

Fern Blodgett Sunde (1918-1991) grew up in Cobourg, with a dream of sailing the high seas. 

Determined to serve Canada when WWII broke out, she became the first Canadian woman to graduate with a professional wireless radio operator’s certificate, and the first woman ever to work deep sea as a ship’s radio operator (“Sparks”).

A fluke in Norwegian regulations, a shortage of radio operators, and her own persistence allowed her to sign onto the M/S Mosdale, a Norwegian merchant ship.

Fern carried out her duties with outstanding competence and great courage during the Battle of the Atlantic. It was incredibly dangerous, as Allied ships fighting to get personnel and crucial supplies to Britain faced U-boats, mined waters, enemy aircraft, and the perils of the sea as battlefield. 

Fern was aboard 78 of the Mosdale’s record 96 transatlantic crossings, opening the door to a sisterhood of Sparks. In 1943, she was awarded the Norwegian War Medal, the first woman ever to receive the honour.

Speakers will include His Excellency Jon Elvedal Fredriksen, Norway’s Ambassador to Canada; Rear-Admiral Jennifer Bennett, Royal Canadian Navy; Dr. Richard Gimblett, Command Historian of the Royal Canadian Navy (retired); Dr. Stéphanie Bélanger, Canadian Institute for Military and Veteran Health Research and Professor at the Royal Military College of Canada; Tyler Fauvelle, professional Canadian sculptor who created the monument.

Please join us! Soyez des nôtres en ligne pour cette celebration!

For more information about Fern Blodgett Sunde and her amazing achievement please visit:

https://www.rac.ca/battle-of-atlantic-and-fern-blodgett…/

Leona Woods, Chair and Helen Vari, Honourary Chair
Fern Blodgett Sunde and the Battle of the Atlantic Commemoration 2020
leonaewoods@gmail.com

Alan Griffin
RAC MarCom Director

The US FCC recently announced it would “sunset” US Amateurs on the 9 cm microwave band. To learn how this impacts Canadian amateurs go to

FCC to withdraw US Amateur privileges in the 9 cm Microwave Band

Wishing you and yours a very Happy Thanksgiving. COVID 19 has served to increase our awareness and importance of Family and Friends.

Have a Safe and Peaceful Thanksgiving. Stay well, Stay safe