We are pleased to annouce that we are offering the Advanced License course for this Fall 2019.
For information, please visit https://ve7scc.org/advanced-license-course/

Re: Blue Mountain Field Day 2019 – Annual Amateur Radio Communications Fest

From 11 a.m. Saturday June 22, 2019 to 11 a.m. Sunday June 23, 2019, the Coquitlam, Burnaby and New Westminster amateur radio clubs will again be jointly conducting their annual Field Day at Coquitlam’s Blue Mountain Park at 975 King Albert Avenue.

Field Day is a picnic, a camp-out, a practice for emergencies, an informal contest and a public display.

For many ham enthusiasts, this is far and away the prime event of the year, bringing out thousands of operators across North America, in an event that has celebrated the magic of radio since 1933.

Despite the development of very complex, modern communications systems, amateur radio has been called into action again and again to provide communications in crises when it really matters, in real disaster and post-disaster situations.

The general public is invited to both stop at the Porter Street side of the Park and to get involved. This year there will be a “Get on the Air” (GOTA) station with a coach who will show new operators how to easily make a radio contact.

The GOTA station is intended to help new, prospective operators, young and old, to cross the line and take the step of getting further involved.

In general, the exercises are a field test of the ability to perform mutual aid and provide support in the event of natural disasters. Amateur radio operators are certified by Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada.

In practice, the Field Day exercise is a physical routine of setting up a full range of antennas of various shapes and lengths, along with tents, radios, cables and computers, in order to make radio contacts under difficult conditions.

Operators from the three local clubs will transmit their call signs to reach out and attempt to make contact by not only voice and Morse code, but also on digital modes such as radio teletype.

Because of the difficulty in being able to effectively reach out to all areas, the Field Day operators keep track of which of the locations they have reached and recorded as points. The point totals are a main component of the total score for the weekend.

The Coquitlam Amateur Radio Emergency Services Society (CARESS) has its main location at the Riverview site, and its website at ve7scc.org.

The Coquitlam Amateur Radio Club is continuing with Project nights on selected Thursdays. Recently, the group practised their soldering skills on a mini 40-metre, 1 watt transmitter project. There are plans afoot for a more comprehensive, multi-night assembly of a portable 20-metre transceiver kit with 5 watts of QRP output, in spring 2019.

As part of its ongoing development of amateur operators, the Coquitlam Amateur Radio Club graduated 10 students through the Advanced Amateur Radio Course in October, 2018, to receive their Advanced Qualification.  Meanwhile, the popular Basic Course for beginners is also offered regularly; the most recent is currently under-way.

The largest ham radio swap meet in the Fraser Valley is set for 9 a.m. to 12 noon on Sunday, November 4. Admission $5, free parking at the Heritage Hall at 12460 Harris Road, Pitt Meadows.
http://mrarc.net/swap-meet/

Try out the upgraded repeater hardware at 441.975 (+5, tone of 100 Hz being added) located on top of Gage Towers at UBC, at repeater site VE7RHS. As of October, 2018 there is superior coverage in Vancouver, the southern Gulf and up the Sea to Sky Highway. Also at this site are 145.27 (-0.600, tone of 100 Hz) on 2 metres, and 224.7 (-1.6) on the 220 MHz band.

From 10 a.m. Saturday June 24, 2017 to 10 a.m. Sunday June 25, 2017, the Coquitlam, Burnaby and New Westminster amateur radio clubs will be jointly conducting their annual Field Day at Coquitlam’s Blue Mountain Park, located at 975 King Albert Avenue.

The public is invited to stop by the Porter Street side of the Park to watch local radio amateurs of all ages as they set up antennas and radio equipment and make contacts with other operators from not only the Lower Mainland, but also from the thousands of local clubs across North America that will be active.

Last year more than 40,000 operators tested their skills in this most popular event of the “ham radio” calendar, which has been held annually in North America since 1933.

Using the call sign VE7SCC, operators will exchange contact information on radio voice bands, as well as by modern digital modes and by using morse code.

The exercises are a field test of the ability to perform mutual aid and support municipal and provincial government agencies in response to an earthquake, tsunami, floods, or other disasters. Amateur radio operators are certified and issued their licenses by Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada.

This year at Blue Mountain Park, a local youth group plans to operate a “Get on the Air” (GOTA) station in order to familiarize themselves with operating techniques, strategies and procedures.

There will also be a demonstration of QRP operation, which is the challenge to make contacts using a minimal five watts of transmitter power, and there will also be radio operation using power from solar-charged batteries.

The emergency services mandate is to run autonomously in the event of emergencies in which power, telephone, internet and other civil services have been damaged. Using radios and computer software, radio amateurs connect and record activity with other  stations inside and outside of the disaster area, including radio stations around the world.

Locally, amateur radio organizations provide backup communication for municipalities and the Province, and are an integral component of the planning, response and recovery during the first 72 hours of an emergency.  Members who volunteer with Emergency Management British Columbia (EMBC) are vetted and are issued Provincial identification.

The Coquitlam Amateur Radio and Emergency Services Society (CARESS) has its main site in co-location with the BC Ambulance Station (BCAS) at the Riverview site.

The general public and news media are all welcome to stop by and view the event.