Greetings. 

I am Ken Read, call sign VE6CBZ, President of the Calgary Amateur Radio Association.

The picture on the cover of this month's issue of KeyKlix was taken by my son Brent Lucas-Read during the Rocky Mountain Rally for 2023.

My son was a spectator both days and was positioned at “Spectator” on Saturday followed by “Control Point Echo” on Sunday.
He took a lot of pictures, but the cover photo is one of his favourites.
We both had a really good time.
I had to go out on the stage route to replace a blocker who had to leave; a little bit different from my radio coordinator role.
It was some fun driving there, even though I did get a flat tire on the way back. Thankfully the folks in the course opening car were available and stopped by to assist.

I’m looking forward to participating in future rally’s for CARA and amateur radio. There were also more events that will have taken place by the time this issue comes out.
The last DX club meeting was on June 7th and the VHF group meeting took place on June 13th.

Other events this month were:

• the SARA Picnic and AGM,
• the Ghost of The Gravel – Deadgoat Racing (a cycling event),
• the MS Bike Tour (June 34-25), and
• the ARRL Field Day (June 24-25).

I’ve been very pleased to hear about the level of registration for these events from our Amateurs.
Way to go everyone! Elections are coming up this month.

We will have at least two positions opening up to bring us to five Directors on the Executive with up to four more if people are willing to serve, for a maximum of nine Directors.

Please do what you can to attend as we will need to have quorum to carry out the election.
A quorum is 10% of the overall membership in good standing. We will need at least 22 (preferably more) members in attendance.
The next CARA General Meeting will be on Tuesday, June 27th at 7 PM at the Calgary Sports Car Club. As mentioned, it will be the AGM.
Any member in good standing for at least three years is eligible to serve on the Executive.

The CARATELS Net runs every Tuesday afternoon at 1 PM on VE6RYC.
The Thursday Evening Rag Chew Net runs every Thursday evening at 7 PM on VE6RYC.
Anyone who wishes to check in to either net is most welcome.

Our Tube Bank Manager has stepped aside from his role. Anyone who would like to take on managing the Tube Bank is asked to contact the Executive and let us know you’re volunteering.

Have fun with which ever amateur radio activity you choose. That’s what it’s all about.

73,

Ken Read, VE6CBZ President,
Calgary Amateur Radio Association

Greetings fellow Amateurs!

I am Ken Read, call sign VE6CBZ, President of the Calgary Amateur Radio Association.

I volunteered at both the Kananaskis Ski Marathon (or “The Cookie Race”) and the Cochrane Winter Rally. Everyone who volunteered at both events had a lot of fun. These events are great opportunities for volunteers to use their radios and help keep people safe.

Our Tube Bank Manager has stepped aside from his role. Anyone who would like to take on managing the Tube Bank is asked to contact the Executive and let us know you’re volunteering.

The CARA Spring Flea Market will take place on April 15^th at 10AM at the Eastside City Church, 1320 Abbeydale Drive SE. There will also be a Technical Conference on several topics taking place at the same time. The admission price is $5. Check it out if you’re looking for a few fleas. The QCARC Spring Flea Market Edmonton will take place the following weekend on April 22^nd if you can’t make it to our Flea Market. Please check the CARA Website calendar for a link to their website as well as for more information about our Flea Market.

By the time this issue of Key Klix comes out, we will have had our VHF Group PI Day meeting on Balloons With Ham Radio. Considering the interest that was shown at the February General Meeting about some amateur radio ballooning done out west in the late 90’s and early 2000’s, I’m expecting the VHF Group to be very well attended. I’m keeping my fingers crossed that great interest is demonstrated.

The next CARA General Meeting will be on Tuesday, March 28^th at 7PM at the Calgary Sports Car Club.

The Thursday Evening Rag Chew Net to run every Thursday evening at 7PM on VE6RYC. The CaraTels Net runs every Tuesday afternoon at 1PM on VE6RYC. Anyone who wishes to check in to either net is most welcome.

The Saturday morning coffee klatches are taking place in the food courts at Chinook Mall and Sunridge Mall at 10AM. The discussion topics vary widely, not restricted to amateur radio, each Saturday morning and are often a lot of fun. For anyone interested in getting to know your fellow amateurs, I recommend attending the coffee klatches, especially for the new amateurs amongst us.

Have fun with which ever amateur radio activity you choose. That’s what it’s all about.

73,

Ken Read, VE6CBZ, President, Calgary Amateur Radio Association

Greetings fellow Amateurs!

I am Ken Read, call sign VE6CBZ, the new President of the Calgary Amateur Radio Association. I became a licensed operator (Basic with Honours) in May 2019 and have enjoyed the hobby ever since. I haven’t been too active on the air (my life has been rather full of family and work) spending most of my amateur time on VHF and playing with digital modes. Eventually I’ll get to HF. Having to hide my antennas in the attic does put a crimp on things, although I am coming up with some ideas.

I have previously served on the Board of my condominium association for many years, so I’m bringing some of that experience to my role here. I’m hoping that experience will benefit CARA. The learning continues. I wish to thank the previous Executive for their service to CARA. Thank you to:

• Peter LaGrandeur, VA6RPL,
• President Joel Weder, VE6EI,
• Vice-President Peter Barry, VA6PJB,
• Secretary Stephane Raimbault, VE6NR, Treasurer

Your service is much appreciated.

The new Executive

President Ken Read, VE6CBZ, Vice President Joel Weder, VE6EI, Secretary Andrew Webb, VE6EN, Treasurer Stephane Raimbault, VE6NR and Director-at-Large Frank-Michael Hofman, VE6FMH.

Unfortunately, due to circumstances beyond his control, Andrew Webb, VE6EN will not be able to continue service on the CARA Executive. The Executive will appoint a new Secretary and is looking for a volunteer to fill the vacancy.

CARA has had a few items donated and we need some volunteers to evaluate these items and then sell them if appropriate. Please reach out to Rob, VE6CCL if you’re interested.

September is coming up and with that several of our special interest groups will be starting up again, along with our General Meetings.

• The CARA Station/DX group will be meeting on September 7th at 7:30 PM at the CSCC, as well as over Zoom for anyone who cannot attend in person. Our Basic Amateur Radio Class started on September 12th at the Bowness Scout Hall ($65 per student).
• The VHF Interest group will next meet on September 14th. I don’t know yet (check the event calendar) if it will be over Zoom, in person, or a hybrid meeting.
• The next General Meeting will be on September 27th (check the calendar for this one too).

Doug Howard, VE6CID recently posted an interesting note on Twitter. Are you aware CARA has 7,252 tubes in the tube bank?

73,

Ken Read, VE6CBZ
President, Calgary Amateur Radio Association 

This message from Secretary Peter Barry VA6PJB

Hello Fellow Hams,

This month it has fallen to me, Peter Barry, VA6PJB, CARA Secretary to write the message from the CARA executive. May – June is the busiest times of year for ham public events. Coming up we have the Rocky Mountain Rally on May 28, the Banff to Jasper Relay on June 4, the Central Alberta picnic and ham fest on June 17-19, the MS bike tour on June 25-26, and Field Day on June 25-26 also. There will be lots of opportunity to join in, so check out the information on the CARA website.

On top of those public service events we have two other important things happening in June. The most important source of revenue for our public service and hobby infrastructure is the money received from the government through the casino volunteer program. This will be on Thursday June 8th and Friday June 9th. Please volunteer to support the club.

The other major event is the executive election coming up at the June general meeting. If you have been a member for the last three years, please consider volunteering to serve. Please contact VA6PJB@caraham.org if you can help.

The May and June general meetings are going to be hybrid events - in person at the Calgary Sports Car Club or online Zoom. Join us in the way that feels comfortable for you.

There are many ways to participate, we look forward to seeing you soon.

73 DE VA6PJB

Peter B

Message from Peter LaGrandeur VA6RPL CARA President

Greetings, fellow amateur radio enthusiasts.  Your Executive Committee continues to work hard for you.  Contact us anytime at executive@caraham.org .

As I write this, our flea market has just concluded, our first in three years.  We had a great turnout at Calgary’s Eastside City Church, with two hundred and twenty one persons going through the reception table.  Many thanks to coordinator Joel Weder VE6EI and the very large team of people who all contributed to the success of the day.  Some highlights of the day include a record 50/50 pot of over $1600.  Another highlight was the plethora of gifts from vendors BH Electronics and NTF Communications.  Thanks, Brian and Ray!  The main prize was the raffle for the $1700 ICOM IC-705 tri-band amateur portable base radio donated by GPS Central in Calgary.  Many thanks to Greg Kulin for that one, with GPSC employee Cory on hand to present the prize to the raffle winner.

CARA’s parallel event at the ESC Church was the ‘annual’ Learning Conference aka ‘Ham University’.  Like the flea market, this was the first one in three years, due to the Covid 19 interlude.  That didn’t deter a full room of learners from attending the three sessions, all of which were top flight from great presenters.  “The New Solar Cycle” from ‘Professor’ Jerry Spring VE6TL, “Portable Operation in the Rockies” from Paul Mower VA6MPM, and “DMR In Calgary” from Peter Barry VA6PJB.  Well done gentlemen!  Many kudos goes to this year’s Learning Conference coordinator, Peter Barry VA6PJB.

We are now heading into our busy spring period of events, and our hats go off to all the organizers and volunteers who make them the great success that they always are.  Please see the Events Calendar https://caraham.org/events for upcoming activities.

As I look back on the last two years of the CARA executive committee, I can count numerous housekeeping tasks, and various improvements, that have made membership in CARA so much better.  Some of them include:

• Significant reduction of storage costs from $2000/yr to $700,  Most storage is now consolidated into a weatherproof sea can at a patrolled 24/7 accessible location very close to our clubhouse.  Shelves were built, which now enable efficient storage within, and keep things from being piled on the floor.  Our comm trailer has also been moved there, beside the container.  This site is flat and level, well drained, mouse free, plowed in winter, and easily accessible year round.

• This sea can has also been configured to serve as a remote radio station, and stands ready for the addition of radio gear and supportive infrastructure, when required.

• Our valuable bank of glass vacuum tubes has been better sorted and categorized, and now resides in the sea can storage facility.

• The ongoing large task of dealing with the tide of gear from Silent Keys, and donators, has been better organized and streamlined.  We now can assess the equipment, sort, categorize, offer to CARA interest groups, and advertise for sale on the CARA web site, with much greater efficiency.

• Our Policy and Procedure Manual has been updated, including clarification of CARA’s membership categories.  The electoral process has also been updated to provide better continuity from one year to the next, with annual elections, where only half the executive committee is changed out per year.

• That perennial, and worsening, problem of flooding in the basement of the Calgary Sports Car Club, which regularly endangered our world class VE6AO HF station, has now been mitigated.   Compounding the effect of water damage, was the looming threat of mold and potential condemnation of the building.  The improvements were achieved by negotiations with the CSCC to do significant landscaping and concrete work on the south side of the building.

• The VE6AO station has had some significant upgrades to its infrastructure:

• • An Earth Moon Earth (EME) bounce antenna system is close to completion.  

  • A log periodic antenna system is nearing completion, which will fill in gaps in bands for better comms and contesting.  

  • One of the HF contesting radios has been replaced with a new Yaesu FT-DX101D.  Preliminary reports on this radio indicate that its addition is a big success.

• A comprehensive member survey was conducted, which incorporated input from a large cross section of the interest groups.  The results have been made available to the members in unprocessed form.

• CARA’s web presence has undergone a revamp.  The objectives were two fold:

• • The previous CARA website functioned well enough to provide info for established members.  However, CARA has a great deal to offer in terms of activities and resources, and that website did not represent the club well.  Persons wanting to learn amateur radio, potential new members, amateur radio operators at large, our public service partners, benefactors like the AGLC, all had to root around in our menu system to find things, which were often buried several layers deep, in non-logical places.  To that end, a new “landing page” has become the new home page.  This new home page features “jump tiles” which showcase many of the great things CARA has to offer, and which facilitate “one-click” links to topics new visitors to CARA’s sites are commonly looking for.  

  • The website’s internal page structure has seen pages added, edited, amalgamated, shuffled, and retired, as required.  The result is a much more concise, intuitive interface with very limited “digging” to get to information.

• Our social media has been enhanced with a new FaceBook group page.  This complements our existing Twitter and YouTube streams.

Yes indeed, your Executive Committee, in concert with many members, has worked hard to make CARA a better place for our hobby.  May we ask each and every one of you to please consider taking your turn serving on the CARA exec committee.  The next election is at the June 28 general meeting.  Serving is a very rewarding experience.

from Joel Weder VE6EI, Vice President

The last time I wrote for Key Klix, it was November and winter was just getting started. Now it's March, and we're seeing signs that spring may really be near. The chickadees are calling out "Hi, sweetie!" all over town. By the time you read this, it may at least technically be spring, though we know there can be wicked storms in spring as well as winter, if not even more so!

            Speaking of spring, the CARA spring Flea Market and Learning Conference will be held on Saturday, April 9th at the Eastside City Church. The first conference session starts at 8:00 am. Doors will open for flea market vendors at 9 am, and for the general public at 10 am. Keep an eye on the CARA calendar and the Flea Market page (in the Resources menu) for more details. We'll also post any COVID-related changes there. We could still use a couple of volunteers, so please feel free to contact me to offer an hour or two of your time. Or if you'd like to reserve a table to offload some fleas, email me: tables@caraham.org

            The various CARA special interest groups are as busy as ever. There simply isn't room on this page to mention it all. The annual Kananaskis Cookie Race (cross-country ski "loppet") took place on the weekend of February 26, and was very successful. Thanks to all the volunteers who spent a long, cold day in the mountains, as well as organizer Dana VA6DJH. The club also assisted at the Cochrane Winter Rally on March 6th. Next up is the Rocky Mountain Rally, to be held on May 27-28. Details will be posted on the Events Calendar.

            The Station team has been busy performing maintenance at VE6AO, as well as doing prep work for addition of the station's new log periodic HF antenna. They've installed Winlink (email over radio) software on the station computers, and somehow found time to operate contests as well. Plus, they should by now have received a new Yaesu FTDX101 contest-grade HF rig to replace their faulty FT-2000.

            A successful Fox Hunt was held on February 12th at Confederation Park. There were about 20 attendees, a good very turnout for a winter event! Much thanks to organizer Neeroo, VE6NRO. We look forward to more hidden transmitter hunts, whether in warm weather or snow!

            Alan VE6BUZ is busy rounding up volunteers for the next casino, which will take place on June 8th & 9th. As the casino funds are a major source of income for CARA, we hope that you can find time to work a shift or two. Please contact Alan if you'd like to help out: ve6buz@telus.net

            Did you know that CARA has a presence on both Facebook and Twitter? Just search for "Calgary Amateur Radio Association." On Twitter our "handle" is @CARA club. We encourage all members to monitor our club feeds, and to post when you have interesting news to share!

            The next General meeting will be on VE6RYC, Tuesday March 26th at 7 pm. We'll be discussing the results of our big survey, which closed on February 15th with 85 responses. By the time this is published, you should be able to see the survey results by going to the Member Forum on the CARA website. We're aiming for an in-person general club meeting on April 26th, 7 pm at the Sports Car Club. That will be a welcome change for many of us. We hope to see you there!

Joel Weder, VE6EI   Vice President

Calgary Amateur Radio Association

this month's message from Stephane Raimbault, Treasurer VE6NR

Welcome to another monthly executive message. Spring certainly feels in the air with the warmer than usual temperatures since mid-January. This has played well for a very successful Winter Field Day activity which was held at the Edgemont Community Centre on January 29th and 30th. We would like to extend our thanks to the volunteers who organized the event for our club and the community.

In January we held our first open forum meeting on the 3rd Tuesday of the month. The purpose of this meeting is to invite club members to bring ideas and project proposals forward to the executive as well as garner feedback from other club members. We hope that this open forum provides an opportunity for all interested members to participate and be involved in project proposals and help identify priorities for the organization. We plan on continuing this on a monthly basis so please keep an eye on the event calendar if you would like to join the discussion. If you have a project you’d like to propose, please email the executive@caraham.org to ensure you get slotted on the agenda.

Recently club members have come together and have worked on reviving some of our club social media presence. This group has been hard at work at getting a facebook group and twitter feed back into a more active state. Next up are some much needed improvements to the website to improve the navigation on the website. Stay tuned for future updates on this front! Great work web dev team.

In January, the executive prepared a members survey to garner feedback from its members to ensure the executive committee understands its club member’s interests and priorities regarding the hobby and what CARA should ensure it’s properly focused on. The survey closes February 15th and we are excited to share the results once the report has been tabulated. Watch this space for updates!

It’s been a busy few weeks and it doesn’t stop there. Upcoming on the events calendar is a public service event which provides our members an opportunity to volunteer at the Calgary Sports Car Club’s annual Cochrane Winter Rally. Check out this exciting opportunity to volunteer while utilizing your ham radio experience to provide safety and communications for this public event. More information can be found on our website's events calendar.

We wish you a great month and look forward to connecting with our members at the upcoming meetings this month. See you (virtually) soon!

 

73 de VE6NR

Stephane Raimbault, Treasurer

Calgary Amateur Radio Association

47 & 73,

from Peter LaGrandeur VA6RPL, CARA President

Greetings, fellow amateur radio enthusiasts.  Happy New year from the CARA Executive Committee!  We  continue to work hard for you.  Contact us anytime at executive@caraham.org .

Our latest news is, subject to Covid, the annual CARA Flea Market and Learning Conference has been announced.  Joel WederVE6EI will be the coordinator for the flea market this year, on April 9th, and can be reached at VE6EI@caraham.org .  We will soon open up the registration for this event on the posting on the CARA Events page.  Payment for the tables may also be made there.

Many thanks goes to Neeroo VE6NRO for coordinating this year’s Winter Field Day, January 29th and 30th.  Registration for this event can be done on the posting on the CARA Events page.

https://caraham.org/event-4597903 

Registrants, please contact Neeroo at VE6NRO@gmail.com to let her know what time you would like to be scheduled on the Roster.  Ongoing information for the event is posted in the General forum, including the  Roster.  Though not in the official modes for WFD, we have added WinLink, which is email over radio, to this year`s activities.

The station interest group continues to hold DX contesting on a regular basis.  CARA continues to take home awards for high scores in these world wide events.  Kudos to all those DX’ers working the bands!  stationteam@caraham.org 

The VHF interest group is putting on activities involving radio direction finding, RDA antenna building, and fox hunting.  Contact the VHF group at VHFgroup@caraham.org for details.

Our Member Survey is scheduled to go live later this month (January).  Expect an email, announcing its readiness, through a link on the CARA website.  Look for results on the CARA website, and in the KeyKlix.  Contact us at executive@caraham.org  for queries on this.

A coordinator is needed for Maker Faire 2022, May 14th and 15th, is at the BMO Centre in Calgary.  https://calgary.makerfaire.com/  Please shoot us an email at executive@caraham.org for more info.

Please contact our casino manager, Alan VE6BUZ, at VE6BUZ@telus.net to volunteer for a shift at our 2022 June 8th and 9th casino.

Our revamping of the CARA web site, plus closer management of FaceBook and Twitter, is going well. Social media are vehicles that can bring much attention to CARA so we want to manage these web presences well.  In particular, the Home or ‘landing’ page will have a whole new look and functionality, to make sure all the great things that CARA has to offer are showcased right up front.  Look for the rollout in March.  Direct enquiries about this to webdev@caraham.org .

The repeater interest group reports they are working on 2 m voice linking from VE6RYC out to VE6AQA Fortress.  This is a long awaited functionality we are avidly expecting.  We also hope to use VE6AQA at the Great Cookie Race in February.  Well done, repeater team!

Lastly, but far from least, a big hand goes to Garry VE6GDS, Dana VA6DJH, and Sharron Spicer MD, for organizing and compiling the Rally Radio Operator Survey Report. https://drive.google.com/file/d/1r7-jyCJ5FSjZoDhBQM9OYvDeijLQsSe3/view   What a valuable source of information for planning future rallies!  Great initiative!  Super job, all!

from Peter LaGrandeur VA6RPL, President

Greetings, fellow amateur radio enthusiasts.  It is the Yuletide season, and we are looking forward to a slightly less Covid-restrictive Christmas season this year.  The CARA Executive Committee extends a merry Christmas and Happy New year to you and yours.

Don’t forget our virtual Christmas Party, on Zoom, on Dec 21 at 7 PM.  Don your favourite reindeer antlers, Santa hat, or elf getup, and show us your favourite eggnog concoction.  My personal eggnog includes nutmeg and a cinnamon stick. 

Login details:   https://caraham.org/event-4497570?CalendarViewType=1&SelectedDate=12/10/2021

Your Executive Committee has, indeed, been very busy.  Not only are our regularly scheduled monthly meetings filled with much club business, but we communicate on pretty much a daily basis via email, phone, and texting to share information, gather opinions, and even make decisions.  Contact us anytime at executive@caraham.org .

Our Member Survey will soon be available for release.  It is scheduled to go live on 2022 January 15, and will cover many facets of the club.  All members will receive an email, letting them know it’s ready.  It will be accessed through a link on the CARA website.  The raw results will be posted on the CARA website, and be published in the KeyKlix newsletter.  Your Executive Committee will definitely act on the results of this survey.  Yes, we listen!  Queries?  Contact us at executive@caraham.org .

Winter Field Day is on for 2022!  www.winterfieldday.com/ Please contact the event’s coordinator, Neeroo VE6NRO, at VE6NRO@gmail.com, for more information, volunteering, and/or radio operating at this event.

Maker Faire 2022 is at the BMO Centre in Calgary.  https://calgary.makerfaire.com/  CARA plans to have a presence there to showcase our communications trailer and promote amateur radio and its extensive home-brew pursuits.  A coordinator is needed.  Please drop us an email at executive@caraham.org for more info.

The Alberta Gaming, Liquor and Cannabis (AGLC) agency has granted us a fund-raiser casino on 2022 June 8 & 9 at the Cash Casino Place in Calgary.  Please contact CARA’s Casino manager, Alan Kearley VE6BUZ, at VE6BUZ@telus.net to volunteer at this event.

At long last, we are finally revitalizing our web site.  It has served us well over the years, at least for existing members.  However, it did nothing to provide information to potential new members, specific amateur radio user groups, the general public, potential new public service clients, and our AGLC benefactor.  Of primary focus is the Home Page, aka the “Landing Page”, followed by some reorganization of the interior pages.  New pages will be added, as required, to better support the topics presented on the landing site.   I can’t say enough about what a fantastic group of people who have joined our web development and social media committee.  Many kudos go to Pat Spencer VE6PDS, Brady Fullerton VA6BAM, Ralph Garnett VA6RHG, Dave Krull VA6DQ, Warren Shockey VE6WMS and Peter LaGrandeur VA6RPL.  A great depth of web development, social media smarts, and industry knowhow exists in this group.  Any questions about this initiative can be directed to webdev@caraham.org .

The development of two new potential amateur radio user groups at CARA is being pursued.  One group is the motorized off-roading community which includes “jeeps”, snowmobiles, and ATV’s.  The other is the offshore cruising sailor community which typically have MF, HF, and SSB amateur radio rigs complementing their communications capabilities on board their vessels.  WinLink has already been installed on all VE6AO operating positions.  These groups, and supporting web pages, will be included on the coming new CARA Home and interior pages.

Many thanks goes to the repeater interest group for doing last minute work on the VE6RYC station roof before the snow started flying.  Well done, guys.  Sixteen stations are currently listed on CARA’s lineup of repeaters. https://caraham.org/Repeaters  That’s no small feat and a great deal of gratitude is owed to the team that sets these up and keeps them going.  Questions about our repeaters can be directed to:  repeaterteam@caraham.org .  Other news includes a renewed priority to implement voice linking between our Calgary, Kananaskis, Bow Valley, and Carbon repeater stations.  The next voice linking is to be out to Fortress VE6AQA.  Suggestions have also been heard to add a voice linked VHF repeater to the south area of Calgary.  Calls have also been heard for this voice linked system to have enough coverage within the Calgary city limits for handheld users to access the system.

At the VE6AO station, where Alberta Health Services (AHS) has recently relaxed Covid restrictions, the members have seen some semblance of life and activities there returning to normal.  The station interest group has been hard at it with ongoing projects.  One of the initiatives the members are working on is the Earth Moon Earth (EME) project aka “moon bounce”.  On hold for the last few years, the EME project has resumed, and the antenna for this is being mounted on the southernmost tower in CARA’s antenna farm behind the CSCC clubhouse.  Other projects in the works include a log periodic antenna which will fill the gaps in bands not easily available through existing infrastructure.  Contact this group at stationteam@caraham.org for more information.

With the widespread vaccination of Alberta’s population, and if variants don’t resurge the Covid pandemic, we are hoping that in-person meetings may resume later in the spring.  Someday … sigh... life will eventually return to normal and we can resume our socials, meetings, and gatherings at our various venues.  Hoping that Santa remembers us all, I bid you all a good night !

(November message from Joel Weder VE6EI, Vice President CARA)

All of a sudden, here we are in the middle of November. How the heck did that happen?

At least the weather's not too bad at the moment for antenna projects. Are you planning anything? Though as I write this there were terrible HF conditions due to a big solar flare. But at least the aurora was amazing! Or so I hear - I slept through it, again!

There is a lot going on with various club special interest groups recently. The Repeater team got up to VE6RYC on Nose Hill to finish the roof project. Thanks to VE6CID, VA6PJB and VE6WXQ for getting that messy project dealt with before winter. And they're starting to look at a project to link to VE6AQA, the Kananaskis voice repeater. That will come in very handy as winter closes in and Hwy 40 becomes more treacherous. And any time of year really, as there's so much recreational activity through that area.

The Station team has been busy cleaning up and organizing the Sports Car Club yard. Lots of hardware for upcoming projects or leftovers had accumulated. The team, including VE6TC, VE6CCL, VE6WMS and others, made a concerted effort to separate items that could be sold or disposed of from items that were to be kept for near-term projects. This was very timely, as the CSCC has recently completed a landscaping project to improve drainage in the area. Work done will help ensure the club station remains dry when there's heavy rain. Thank you CSCC!

We received word recently that CARA will be assigned a casino time slot in the spring of 2022. The funds received from casinos help us to fund many projects, large and small. As our Casino Coordinator Martin VE6VH (thanks Martin!) has recently stepped down, we are looking for someone to take on the role. And when the time comes, we hope we can count on some of you to offer your time to work a shift.

We had an enjoyable monthly general meeting, this time held on VE6RYC. Attendees were asked about what could be done to improve CARA. We received some very well thought-out ideas. Thank you to those who participated. For those who didn't attend, just so you know, General meetings are held on the fourth Tuesday of the month at 7 pm, with the exception of our Zoom Christmas Party, which will be held on Tuesday, December 21st at 7 pm. Meetings have been held on Zoom, or occasionally on VE6RYC, though we do hope to start holding them in person sometime early in the New Year. You can always find the details by going to the club website (caraham.org) and checking the Upcoming Calendar Events section.

One of the topics brought up at the general meeting on VE6RYC was "How do we get more youth interested in ham radio?" Suggestions included doing presentations and demonstrations for the Scouts, Guides, Air Cadets and also the SAIT & university engineering students. Some of this has taken place over the years, but efforts could certainly be stepped up.  Anyone interested in taking on this task? It really ought to be up to ALL of us to promote our wonderful hobby/service, whenever we see the opportunity.

73 for now, until we see (or hear) each other next time...

Joel Weder, VE6EI

Vice President, CARA