All posts by va7mpg

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Hams Aid In Mexico OCT 2023

The following from the ARRL Letter

Radio Amateurs are providing communication services to and from the affected areas in and around Acapulco, Mexico.

On the morning of Wednesday, October 25, 165 mile-per-hour winds from Hurricane Otis knocked out all communications and unleashed a nightmare scenario in Acapulco.

Prior to landfall, the Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS) sensor on the NOAA-20 satellite captured this false-color image of the storm at about 08:30 Universal Time (2:30 AM in Acapulco) on October 24, 2023.

The area is home to roughly 800,000 people.

Radio Club Queretaro member Ruben Navarrete Galvan, XE1EC, told ARRL News that amateur radio operators are still active with multiple operations, and they are receiving citizen requests to obtain information on the whereabouts of their relatives.

“We keep an online database with these requests that we share with the different hams participating in the operation. Read-only access to this database is provided to the authorities who might need it, too. We also transmit this information to hams deployed in the Acapulco area via HF,” Galvan said.

Additionally, hams in the Acapulco area are trying to locate civilians using their own resources. Some of these hams are operating their equipment on battery power, while others have access to generators. Accessing many areas in the region has been a challenge due to the amount of debris blocking travel

Amateur radio operators have also been receiving requests from Acapulco residents to call their relatives and let them know they are fine. Those requests are transmitted via HF to the Emergency Net Operator, and then the call is made to the family members.

Galvan also reported that hams have been providing communication between state agencies and their field personnel deployed in the Acapulco area. “At least three state agencies have hams on their teams. This is the case for the state of Durango, Morelos, and Santiago de Querétaro. We have been communicating their messages to their central coordination via HF relays. Requests for specific requirements have been escalated to the support teams. Air medical services have been directed to areas that were not being attended,” he said.

Hams are also helping in other areas, including:

  • Repairing a damaged repeater on Altzomoni at the Izta-Popo Zoquiapan National Park to support communication efforts in certain areas of Guerrero
  • Deploying donations from a ham in Arizona, including a UHF repeater, solar panels, and 50 handhelds, to the affected areas.
  • Getting the state agency’s mobile stations back on the air and reinstalling the HF antennas that were damaged

Emergency Communications Coordinator International Amateur Radio Union Region 2 Emergency Communications Coordinator Carlos Alberto Santamaría González, CO2JC, said frequency protection has been requested for the following bands and frequencies

  • 80-meter band: 3690 kHz
  • 40-meter band: 7060 and 7095 kHz
  • 20-meter band: 14.120 kHz

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Hurricane Watch Net Active 21 OCT 2023 REQUEST FOR CLEAR FREQUENCY.

The following has been received from the ARRL

SB SPCL @ ARL $ARLX015
ARLX015 Hurricane Watch Net Activates for Hurricanes Tammy and Norma

ZCZC AX15
QST de W1AW
Special Bulletin 15  ARLX015
From ARRL Headquarters
Newington CT  October 20, 2023
To all radio amateurs

SB SPCL ARL ARLX015
ARLX015 Hurricane Watch Net Activates for Hurricanes Tammy and Norma

The Hurricane Watch Net (HWN) is activating for Hurricanes Tammy and
Norma. In an e-mail sent on the morning of Friday, October 20, 2023,
HWN Net Manager Bobby Graves, KB5HAV, wrote:

“This morning 10/20, we have 2 Hurricanes threatening landfall.

“In the Atlantic, we have Tammy which strengthened into a Cat 1
Hurricane overnight.

“In the Eastern Pacific, we have Hurricane Norma. Once a Cat 4
Hurricane, it is now a Cat 3 storm, threatening Cabo San Lucas at
the southern tip of Baja California.

“We will activate HWN this afternoon at 5:00 PM EDT (2100 UTC) on 14.325 MHz (USB). This afternoon and early evening, we will be
lining up reporting stations in the path of Hurricane Tammy in the
northern Leeward Islands and for Hurricane Norma in Southern Baja California. We will close operations at 8:00 PM EDT (0000 UTC).

“On Saturday, we will resume operations on 14.325 MHz (USB) at 8:00 AM EDT (1200 UTC) and remain active until no longer required. If propagation dictates, we will utilize operations on 7.268 MHz (LSB).”

Graves thanked radio amateurs for cooperating with the net over use of 14.325 MHz and 7.268 MHz.

In addition to HWN, the Hurricane VoIP Net and the WX4NHC amateur radio station at the National Hurricane Center are also planning to activate.

“Tammy has already intensified into a hurricane and we will activate
the VoIP Hurricane Net for Hurricane Tammy on Saturday 10/21/23 at 7:00 AM Eastern (1100 UTC),” said VoIP Weather Net Director of
Operations Rob Macedo, KD1CY.

“WX4NHC will be activating tomorrow (Saturday) morning 8:00 AM EDT for Hurricane Tammy’s approach to Guadeloupe and later possible landfall on the Islands of Antigua and Barbuda. We will also be monitoring all reports for Hurricane Norma forecast to make landfall as a hurricane in Baja California Mexico tomorrow afternoon,” said Julio Ripoll, WD4R, at WX4NHC.

Net operations will be on Echolink 7203, IRLP 9219, and a number of other resources, such as Allstar, Hamshack Hotline, Fusion, etc.
provided at, www.sunflowernet.us. Additionally, Winlink users may
message KC5FM or use KC5FM-9 on APRS.

The full activation order is found at, https://voipwx.net/ .
NNNN

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Jamboree-on-the-Air is on October 20 – 22, 2023

The following was received by the ARRL

 

Special Bulletin 14  ARLX014
From ARRL Headquarters
Newington CT  October 16, 2023
To all radio amateurs

SB SPCL ARL ARLX014
ARLX014 Jamboree-on-the-Air is on October 20 – 22, 2023

Jamboree-on-the-Air (JOTA), the largest Scouting event in the world, takes place on the third weekend of October (10/20 – 10/22).

This annual global operating event allows Scouts to use amateur
radio to connect with hams around the world. The event is supported by many local amateur radio clubs and individual operators. JOTA starts Friday and ends Sunday, but there are no official hours of operation, so you have the whole weekend to make JOTA contacts.

Here are the event rules:

* All radio operators must operate their stations strictly in
accordance with FCC regulations.

* Stations should try to contact each other by calling “CQ Jamboree”
or “CQ JOTA,” or by answering other stations sending this call.

* Any authorized amateur radio frequency may be used. It’s suggested that the Scout frequencies be used, at least for a starting point. Remember that your radio has a dial and to move away from active nets and contesters.

* Any amateur mode of operation can be used, such as CW, SSB, PSK,
SSTV, FM, and satellite. The more modes in operation, the more
exciting the event will be for the Scouts.

JOTA is not a contest. The idea is to contact other Scout stations
and allow as many Scouts as possible to talk to other Scouts and
learn about who they are and what they are doing. You might think
about counting the Scouts on both sides of the QSO rather than the
number of QSOs!

Scout Camps on the Air is still being developed, but ensure you log
your contacts for inclusion in this special program once submissions
are tracked.  The SCOTA website is, https://scota.us/ .

More information about JOTA may be found on the Scouting website at,
https://www.scouting.org/international/jota-joti/jota/ .
NNNN
/EX

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2023 BC SHAKEOUT EXERCISE 19 OCT 2023

The annual BC Shakeout Exercise will be held on Oct 19th 2023. At this point in time only six radio groups in the Province have registered. We can do better.  Sign up and participate. An excellent way to enhance public  relations and radio team efficiency.

 

Go to           shakeoutbc.ca

 

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CANADIAN NATIONAL HF EMERGENCY FREQUENCIES OCT 2023

National HF Emergency Communications Frequencies

The following frequencies and modes have been pre-determined for suggested use of the Amateur Radio Emergency Service during a declared emergency, or a disaster declared or otherwise, occurring anywhere in Canada. These frequencies have been registered with the International Amateur Radio Union (IARU) for its listings of Canadian national emergency frequencies in IARU Region 2.

These are suggested frequencies and should not be construed as meaning that other HF frequencies may not be considered for Emcomm operations.

No Amateur Radio operator or group has exclusive ownership of any particular frequency on any band and, while common sense and courtesy logically would dictate that other Radio Amateurs should keep clear of frequencies being used for emergency or disaster operations, the affected ARES Net Control Station (NCS) must be prepared to move up or down from the pre-determined frequency, as required, in order to conduct operations. Entering into an on-air argument must be avoided.

Single Sideband CW Digital
Band Frequency Tactical Frequency Tactical Frequency Tactical
80 M 3.675 MHz LSB Alfa 3.535 MHz Golf 3.596 MHz Mike
40 M 7.135 MHz LSB Bravo 7.035 MHz Hotel 7.096 MHz November
20 M 14.135 MHz USB Charlie 14.035 MHz India 14.096 MHz Oscar
17 M 18.135 MHz USB Delta 18.075 MHz Juliet 18.096 MHz Papa
15 M 21.235 MHz USB Echo 21.035 MHz Kilo 21.096 MHz Quebec
10 M 28.235 MHz USB Foxtrot 28.035 MHz Lima 28.096 MHz Romeo

 

The frequencies may also be used during a local ARES exercise or for RAC/ARRL Simulated Emergency Test (SET) operations held annually each Fall, provided such operations do not interfere with those of higher priority.

Each frequency has been given a tactical designation to facilitate quick change to another pre-determined frequency and/or mode by simply indicating the designation. Use of the tactical designations, while optional, is encouraged.

In all cases, these frequencies must be considered as being “plus or minus” to allow for QRM or other conditions impeding useful communications.

 

Ref:  National HF Emergency Communications Frequencies – Radio Amateurs of Canada (rac.ca)

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CECA AGM OCT 26 2023

The Annual General Meeting of the Coast Emergency Communications Association will be held at 1900 hrs October 26 2023 at the #1 Fire Hall of Nanaimo Fire Rescue in Nanaimo B.C. Access to the building is controlled.  If you would like to attend the meeting please use the contact us page on this website.

 

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Cybersecurity Update: Phishing attempt being sent to RAC emails

Cybersecurity Update: Phishing attempt being sent to RAC emails

RAC Bulletin September  27, 2023:

There have been several recent reports from RAC members of phishing attempts by someone purporting to be from Radio Amateurs of Canada.

Microsoft: “Phishing attacks come from scammers disguised as trustworthy sources and can facilitate access to all types of sensitive data. As technologies evolve, so do cyberattacks.”

Phishing attempts use publicly available information to fake legitimacy. In some cases they use the names and contact information of RAC officials to gain your trust. For example, today’s phishing attempt falsely states that it originates from “Phil A McBride” and this is not the case. It also uses the fake heading “Radio Amateurs of Canada Closing Special Report ’23” to encourage users to open the document by clicking on a link. Please do not!

RAC’s Cybersecurity Efforts

To date, there have been no direct successful attacks on the RAC computer system. Unfortunately attempts to defraud people through email messages and phone calls are a part of the world we live in today.

We will continue to take measures to ensure that our computer system is as safe as possible and that our members are provided with information.

Radio Amateurs of Canada is continuing to increase our cybersecurity. We do not keep any financial information and only widely available personal information (such as name, call sign and dates relating to current membership) is available in our system so our risks are considerably less than compared to commercial systems.

Note: Radio Amateurs of Canada collects personally identifiable information about you when you voluntarily provide it. When you apply for membership and subscription services, or provide your personal contact information for publication or product orders, every effort will be made to ensure that the information provided will be securely maintained. For more information please see our Privacy Policy and our Cybersecurity webpage.

Tips on Avoiding Email Scams

Here are a few tips on how to avoid email scams:

—

1) Filter spam.

2) Don’t trust unsolicited email.

3) Treat email attachments with caution.

4) Don’t click links in email messages unless you are confident you know who the sender is.

5) Install antivirus software and keep it up to date.

6) Install a personal firewall and keep it up to date.

7) Configure your email client for security.

—

In closing, any email claiming to have your @myrac.ca address and password is a scam and should be deleted.

Radio Amateurs of Canada will never ask people to download files from a third-party site in their email communication.

Always check to see if the sender of a suspicious email has an @rac.ca email address as all RAC officials use @rac.

If you are concerned or suspicious always contact the RAC office before opening any files in an email message that appears to come from RAC.

Thank you for continuing to notify us about cybersecurity threats!

Alan Griffin
RAC MarCom Director