Field Day 2012

From the ARRL website.......

ARRL Field Day is the single most popular on-the-air event held annually in the US and Canada.  Each year over 35,000 amateurs gather with their clubs, friends or simply by themselves to operate.

ARRL Field Day is not a fully adjudicated contest, which explains much of its popularity.  It is a time where many aspects of Amateur Radio come together to highlight our many roles. While some will treat it as a contest, most groups use the opportunity to practice their emergency response capabilities.  It is an excellent opportunity to demonstrate Amateur Radio to local elected community leaders, key individuals with the organizations that Amateur Radio might serve in an emergency, as well as the general public. For many clubs, ARRL Field Day is one of the highlights of their annual calendar.

So, what's your group doing next weekend????

Newest Ham

ECOA would like to send their congratulations to Aaron Wiik, VE3UDA, who has passed his Basic Amateur Radio Exam this week at the ripe old age of 10 years old!! 

It is very ironic that young Aaron should pass the exam at the young age of 10.  Currently there is a ham, in Ontario, who is trying to convince RAC to re-open the Foundation License talks of several years ago.

For those of you not aware of what a Foundation License is, they are currently available in the UK and Australia, and to get one you need to pass an extremely dumbed down version of our current Basic Exam, but you still get HF privileges....which is more than you get on our Basic License.....does that sound fair?

Anyway, it's a moot point.  The whole argument from the gentleman in Barrie is based upon the fact that he thinks the current exams are too difficult, and that ham radio should be available to all......we guess he doesn't understand that's what CB is for.

The ECOA point of view is that if a 10 year old can knuckle under and study and pass the Basic Exam, then surely a 30 year old can do the same....without dumbing it down any more than it currently is!

60 Meter Update

Our National Group has asked various operators to comment on the 60 Meter Consultation Bulletin in the previous blog.  However they have put it to us that they want us to go with, what they would like to have.
 As far as I am concerned we can all make up our own minds,  review the data, and comment as we see it.  I have researched what other countries are doing, in terms of bandwidth, power settings, amount of channels, operating modes, ect.
 I have listened on this new band, talked to 100s of amateurs from all over Canada, Usa, Europe, and some southern islands.  Industry Canada normally gives this a longer time period before they put out a consultation.  This means that they are in a hurry to get this development license turned back to a regular one for all the amateurs.  When this closes on June 12, they will post all the reviews they recieved from the amateurs ect, then they will work on it and give us a decision some time later this fall.
 I have sent in a submission which is more agressive than others,.  As Canadian Amateurs we should look in the future, and not follow old ideas, as others want us to,  as this hobby and technology is changing rapidly. 
 So lets put in agressive ideas, as we will only get one shot at this.  Take a look at what other countries are doing,  put it all together, and you will come up with solutions that will benefit Canadian Amateurs,   Yes we can think for ourselves.

73s
 Russ VX9GHD/ VE3FI