This isn't news, but a good post on Reddit giving a brief history of GPS, and a bunch of interesting comments.

https://old.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/c..._gps_free/

73
Dave, VE3WI

This is V_3___, Official Bulletin Station for Radio Amateurs of Canada with this week's bulletin.

NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL NEWS

1.  Australian Government to Resume Amateur Licensure

The Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) said they will resume
responsibility for amateur radio licensing in the country.
As reported by the Wireless Institute of Australia, the "new, more effective arrangements" come
as ACMA reported that the Australian Maritime College (AMC) has decided not to extend an
arrangement that delegated licensing of radio amateurs to the school beyond February 2024.
AMC has been responsible for operator exams, issuing qualifications, and recommending that
ACMA issue a call sign to an applicant.
Australia issues three license classes: Foundation, Standard, and Advanced. Currently, tests are
administered by volunteer assessors, often associated with radio clubs, who are accredited through
the AMC. ACMA proposes to keep that same corps of volunteers, but to have them directly
administer testing on behalf of the government. ACMA plans to introduce the new accreditation
scheme and class licensing arrangements in August 2023.
-- arrl news

ONTARIO SECTION NEWS

ITEMS OF INTEREST

2. Emergency Evacuation Check List

15 minute warning::  Wallet; purse, keys, glasses; Cellphone and charger; Emergency cash,
Credit Cards; Pets, carriers, leashes, meds; Clothes, shoes, hats (seasonal); Hearing aids, batteries,
medications; Flashlights, batteries; Safe Deposit Box keys; Checkbooks, Client cards.
30 minute warning: all above plus; Pillows, blankets, sleeping bags; Address Book, Phone list;
Jewelery, prized posessions; Personal hygiene, other meds and supplements; First Aid kits, medical
items; Pet food, dishes, bedding, litter; Childrens items, toys, books; Battery powered radio, extra
batteries; Toilet paper, hand wipes, soap; Clothing for 3 days, shoes; Computer or laptop;
Drinking water.
There are more detailed check lists on facebook including 1 and 2 hour warnings of what to gather
for your evacuation. These are only a guideline of what to consider placing in your vehicle.
Plan for a 72 hour evacuation.
--facebook community

3.  Amateur Radio "Go Bag"

There is a multitude of articles listed on the web of what you should have available in your "go bag."
It comes down to a portable radio, charger, flashlight or "head light", markers, pencils, compass,
repeater listing, contact numbers, cellphone and charger, extra batteries, medications, drinking water,
multitool, ziplock bags, identification, etc.
You can check out the article at: https://www.ccares.net/ccares-101/your-radio-go-bag/
It is from the Culver County ARES group and seems detailed.
-- duck duck go web search (VA3PC)

4.  Hamvention 2023 breaks attendance record

A new attendance record was set at Hamvention this year with 33,861 people attending
the Greene County Fairground and Expo Center for the world’s biggest amateur radio show,
according to a spokesperson for Hamvention.
The number surpassed the previous record by more than 1,300 people. It’s also more than 2,000
greater than last year’s attendance.
This year’s Hamvention ran May 19-21 and brought in people from across the globe.
Hamvention 2024 is scheduled for May 17-19.
-- arrl news
This concludes this week's bulletin. Does anyone require repeats or clarifications?
Hearing none, This is V_3___ returning the frequency to net control.
Bulletin sent from Official Bulletin Manager VA3PC

From Bob KO4DXQ
I would like to recommend the science/tech net out of Toronto, Ont. It can be found on Saturdays 2000hrs EST 0001 GMT on Echolink nodes 355800 (Do drop in) or 69556 (Ham/ Anzel)

Net Controller — VE3OZW Richard - Mildmay

We need your help by submitting ideas for topics via this forum.  This is a net for all of us.  Help out your fellow club members and net controllers by submitting topics for future nets.  Reply to this thread with any suggestions.

Consider being a GBARC Net Controller (NC).  It is a positive learning experience and great fun.  The only scary part is if your pen runs out of ink while the calls are coming in!  The more Net Controllers available, the less work for everyone.  Currently, we have 4 NC's so each of us has to cover 1 night every 4 weeks.  Imagine if we had more and doubled the number to 8.

Topic for discussion -

1 Open Mic 

VHF/Echolink

KO4DXQ Bob - Soddy Daisy, TN
VA3MFO Jim - Mount Forest
VE3MIO Maureen - Wiarton
VE3RQY Greg - Brooke
VE3DGY Doug - Annan
VE3BQM Bernie - Red Bay


HF – 3.786 MHz

VA3MFO Jim - Mount Forest
VE3BQM Bernie - Red Bay
VE3DGY Doug - Annan
VE3RQY Greg - Brooke
VE3IXA Brad - Bass Lake

Thanks to all, 73

Georgian Bay Amateur Radio Club Net Report
Wednesday May 31 2023

Net Controller: Marvin VE3VCG
Topic: Field Day/Open Mic

Note: Marvin substituted for Bernie who encountered a technical issue which prevented him transmitting on two meters. However he was able to join the net on 80 meters.

Participants:
Echolink
KG4DXQ Bob in Tennessee

2 Meters:
VA4TS Tom
VE3DGY Doug
VA3DNY Dan
VA3MFO Jim
VA3EAC Jan

80 Meters / 73 Round
VE3BQM Bernie
VA3TS Tom
VE3DGY Doug
VA3DNY Dan
VA3MFO Jim

I set up the field Day log on N!mm+  tonight and was reading around a bit... here are a few points I came across


Run N1MM+ in Administrator Mode"

https://n1mmwp.hamdocs.com/manual-suppor...-contests/
Here are some logging tips from Jim, VE7FO

Q: I always have a problem with the FD GOTA log. Besides just logging the QSO,
I also need to ID the operator, the operators age and the GOTA coach. This has
always been difficult to reconstruct after the fact. Any body else seen this?

A: Just give the GOTA coach the following responsibilities: When a new op comes
on have him hit CTRL-O and enter his call or name followed by a space and his age.
This gets two of the vital pieces of info into the log. Require the coach to keep a log
of his on and off times at the GOTA position; or you could add the coach’s call at the
end of the CTRL-O stuff too. You’ll have to increase the width of the operator column
in the log in order to see all this.

Networking and the GOTA station

If you are networking multiple computers for Field Day and you also have a GOTA
station, do not network the GOTA station with the other stations. The GOTA station
uses a different callsign, and its contacts are not included in the main FD log. Networking
the GOTA station’s logging computer with the rest of the network will result in incorrect
logging at both stations.


 Using FT8 on Field Day

Users planning to operate the FT8 (or related) mode with WSJT-X on Field Day
should read about the WSJT-X to N1MM+ interface in the manual section on the
WSJT Decode List window. Remember to set the Mode category in the
Contest Setup to SSB+CW+DIGITAL.

https://n1mmwp.hamdocs.com/manual-window...st-window/

This is V_3___, Official Bulletin Station for Radio Amateurs of Canada
with this week's bulletin.

NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL NEWS

1.  RAC Canada Day Contest, July 01, 2023

Each year on July 1, the anniversary of Canada’s Confederation, Radio
Amateurs of Canada sponsors
the Canada Day Contest and Amateurs all over the world are invited to
Canada’s Birthday Party on the air.
Contest Period: 0000 UTC to 2359 UTC on Saturday, July 1.
Bands and Modes: 160, 80, 40, 20, 15, 10, 6 and 2 metres, CW and phone
(SSB, FM, AM, etc.)
Exchange: Stations in Canada send RS(T) and province or territory.
VEØs and stations outside Canada send RS(T) and a serial number.
QSOs: You may work any station once on each of the two modes, on each of
the eight contest bands.
Contacts or soliciting QSOs through a repeater during the contest period
is not allowed.
Multipliers: Thirteen in total, Canada’s 10 provinces and three
territories. Each multiplier may be counted
once on each mode on each of the eight contest bands.
Final Score: The QSO points from all bands multiplied by the total
number of multipliers from all bands.
Categories: All categories are designed to be multi-mode, Phone and CW
categories except for the two
single operator single mode categories.
Please check the RAC website for full rules to the RAC Canada Day Contest
-- Bart Ritchie, VE5CPU – RAC Canada Day Contest Manager

2.  RAC Annual General Meeting, Saturday August 19, 2023

The Radio Amateurs of Canada is pleased to hold its Annual General
Meeting (AGM) in
Halifax, Nova Scotia. The AGM will be hosted by the Halifax Amateur
Radio Club (HARC)
in conjunction with its 90th Anniversary Gala Dinner and Conference.
All RAC members are encouraged to attend the Annual General Meeting
which will be held
as a hybrid event (both in-person and online) at 3 pm (Eastern Time)
Agenda items will include:
1) Report of the President
2) Review of the 2022 finances
3) Appointment of auditors for 2023
A Question and Answer period will follow the AGM proceedings. This is
your opportunity to
hear what your representatives have been doing over the past year, to
raise questions, and to
make suggestions about how RAC is managed and where it is going in the
future.
The meeting will be attended by members of the RAC Board of Directors
and Executive and is
open to all RAC members.
Stay tuned for more information.    https://www.rac.ca/agm/
-- RAC website

ONTARIO SECTION NEWS

3. Peterborough ARES update.

Peterborough ARES Group Coordinator (GC) John VE3VL reported that he has
stepped down
as of the end of April.  He highly recommended Harmen VE3EMA to take the
leadership.
Acting GC Harmen Minnema, VE3EMA, has been acting in this role over the
winter and has
brought forward many new initiatives, strengthened relationships with
County and City CEMCs
and recruited new members.  I am very happy to appoint Harmen as the new GC.
Congratulations go to Harmen VE3EMA for accepting this important
position as the Peterborough
Group Coordinator (GC) as of May 1st.  Harmen is supported by an active
and enthusiastic
membership, now 17 members.
Thanks also to the outgoing group coordinator John VE3VL for his service.

-- Michael Hickey - VE3IPC, Section Manager for Ontario East

ITEMS OF INTEREST

4. 2023 Field Day is just 3 weeks away, on June 24 - 25.

It's the most popular on-the-air event held annually in the US and
Canada. More than 40,000
hams throughout North America set up temporary transmitting stations in
public places to
demonstrate ham radio's science, skill, and service to our communities
and our nation.
It combines public service, emergency preparedness, community outreach,
and technical skills,
all in a single event. Field Day has been an annual event since 1933.
While some treat it as a contest, other groups use the opportunity to
practice their emergency
response capabilities. It's an excellent opportunity to demonstrate how
amateur radio might serve
in an emergency, as well as how in can help the general public with
special events.
The main focus of Field Day is to contact as many stations as possible
on the 160 thru 10-meter
HF bands, all bands on 50 MHz and above, and to learn to operate in
abnormal situations in
less than optimal conditions.
Remember to check out  http://www.arrl.org/field-day  for the official
rules.
-- ARRL newsletter

This concludes this week's bulletin. Does anyone require repeats or
clarifications?
Hearing none, This is V_3___ returning the frequency to net control.

Bulletin sent from Official Bulletin Manager VA3PC

I was playing around with N1MM+  and found a neat feature of N1MM's spectrum display. This is easy if you have an icom rig like the 7300 or 7610 plus many others. The programs documentation explains it all.Here is the spectrum window displayed, look in the "window" menu for "Spectrum Display". Some settings are needed  http://adarc.co.uk/pdf/IC7300-N1MM.pdf
I have my com port set to 115000 baud N81

   

After some reading and trying things out I noticed the red squares. 

   

These things show the qso in progress and clicking the box with the mouse will qsy the rig to that frequency.

Now I can move up and down the band, a qso at every location.

   

The noise floor adjustment, the printing on the left side of the screen, changes when you use the mouse wheel to move the
noise floor line up and down. Adjusting the radio's rf gain helps to make the qso signals separate a bit. These signals are detected, counted and then displayed a red squares, which you can then click on and change frequency.

The radio itself was off to one side, other than rf gain adjustments, I didn't touch it.

The band was busy this day with the US memorial day and POTA as well. Not as busy as FieldDaybut it may work. Gotta try it..

   

I thought that I should post this since only few ops might work Jenna N4JEH if you don't use CW but you need to check out the https://www.qrz.com page. She is amazing at CW operator and becoming a QRQ operator in less than a year was a great achievement. Her sister K4VRY is following her footsteps. Jenna is very active in the weekly CWOPS activities (>30wpm) and even becoming an advisor at CWOPS Academy helping others achieve CW proficiency. 

Check it out at https://www.qrz.com/db/N4JEH/?dxc=1

I think "white canners" have far greater abilities than rest of us. 

This is V_3___, Official Bulletin Station for Radio Amateurs of Canada
with this week's bulletin.

NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL NEWS

1.  Yukon 125th Anniversary Special Prefix

Amateurs in Yukon are authorized to use the special prefix of XO1
replacing VY1 for
the month of June 2023 to recogmize the 125th anniversary of the Yukon
Territory.
Application from VY1EWB

-- IC website

ONTARIO SECTION NEWS

2. Steeltown Tailgate Treasures 2023 (5th year)

Sponsor:    Hamilton Amateur Radio Club
Date:        Saturday, June 17, 2023
Closest town:    Grimsby, Ontario
Location:    St. Joseph R.C. Church 135 Livingston Ave. Grimsby, On
Times:        7:30 am for vendor setup, Public: 9:00 am
Cost:        Public: $5.00 each - children free
Talk-in        HARC repeater 146.760 MHz -600hz 131.8 tone
For more info:    Contact Barry VE3ISX to book your table space.
Webpage:    https://hamiltonarc.com/events/TAILGATE/index.html
Plenty of free parking and washrooms available at the church.

-- rac events webpage

ITEMS OF INTEREST

3. Digital QRM Project announced.

The Northern California DX Foundation recognizes the negative aspect
deliberate QRMers
are having on our hobby.  We believe this is a problem that can be
mitigated by applying
amateur operators’ vast knowledge and receiving tools to good use.  In
order to spur research
into solving the problem the NCDXF Board of Director’s at their latest
Board meeting
allocated $100,000 to help develop solutions.
NCDXF will entertain grant proposals from individuals and/or groups that
specifically
outline their approach to identify bad actors.  A group of directors led
by Craig Thompson
K9CT and Don Greenbaum N1DG will weigh the probability of success of
these proposals
as well as monitor the progress of the grantees.
Funding is available for R & D as well as implementation of the
technology.  It is hoped that
manufacturers will also assist us with equipment and resources.
NCDXF will shortly outline specifics for how to apply for these grants.
-- twitter feed of DX World.net

4. Ron Schwartz, VE3VN interviewed for QSO Today Podcast #449

Contest Club Ontario's own Ron VE3VN was interviewed for episode 449 of
the QSO
Today Podcast, which can be found at the link below or you can subscribe
/ listen using
your favourite podcast player.  Ron did a great job!  I've listened to a
lot of the QSO Today
podcasts on my commute and think this is one of the best ones I've heard.
It's well worth the listen.
-- Chris, VE3FU
-- https://www.qsotoday.com/podcasts/VE3VN

This concludes this week's bulletin. Does anyone require repeats or
clarifications?
Hearing none, This is V_3___ returning the frequency to net control.

Bulletin sent from Official Bulletin Manager VA3PC