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RAC ARES Web Page
Welcome to the Oakville Amateur Radio Club ARES Information Page. Find out all about ARES, how you can participate and support your community.

ARES Newsletters

ARES Tools/Downloads

ARES SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT 04-28-2008 09:20AM

OAKVILLE A.R.E.S. GROUP FOX HUNT RULES FOR MAY 4, 2008

Communication between two parties only happens when the message is Sent, Received, Understood and Acknowledged. Everything else is just noise.

1. Area of the hunt will be confined to the Town of Oakville, located in an area accessible to the Public and within close walking distance to vehicle parking.

2. Starting point will be Tim Hortons on Cross Ave., opposite the GO Station.

3. Start time 1:00 p.m. It is estimated the hunt will be finished by 3:00 p.m. and in any case will be deemed finished by 4:00 p.m.

4. Fox will transmit on 146.580 Mhz. Control station will be on VE3OAK VHF RPT.

5. Object is to find the location of the fox as quickly as possible using RDF techniques and the clues that will be given by the fox in standard NTS form. You must have copied the messages correctly AND present them to the fox. There will be time penalties for incorrect messages, 10 minutes per message. The Hunter(s) with the least time will be declared the winner.

6. Oakville A.R.E.S. standard message forms, (or the equivalent including electronic form) are to be used.

7. Hunters may ask the Control stn. for repeats of the any message AFTER the second message has been transmitted by the fox. There is no penalty for such requests. Hunters that wish to withdraw from the hunt should contact the Control stn.

8. The fox will transmit one message every 10 minutes for a total of 4 messages. The fox will transmit each message twice during the scheduled time. After all messages have been transmitted the fox will transmit "finder bursts" to help with RDF.

9. Participation in this exercise is open to all interested amateurs. NTS forms are available in the A.R.E.S. section of the Oakville Radio Amateur Club web site at
ARES TOOLS

10. An entrance fee of $4.00 will be charged, with the First place winner receiving 50% of this. Second place will receive an A.R.E.S. related gift. Proceeds from this hunt will go towards the Oakville A.R.E.S. Group acquisition of items related to A.R.E.S. operations.

Hope to see you out there!

George, VE3OGP, A.E.C.
Oakville ARES - Oakville ARC

ARES NEWSLETTER APRIL, 2008 03-30-2008 05:20PM

OAKVILLE A.R.E.S. GROUP Newsletter

Communication between two parties only happens when the message is Sent, Received, Understood and Acknowledged. Everything else is just noise.

EARTH DAY

March 29 was Earth Day and one of the planned events was the 1-hour “lights out” Saturday night. Did you participate? Here at VE3OGP the whole family did and what I found was it was a great opportunity to check out all the battery driven items that I had set aside for my A.R.E.S. operations. Like our annual S.E.T. and Field Day, Earth Day can be used as a challenge to A.R.E.S. members to see if we are really ready for that disaster to come.

According to the news reports the power consumption was reduced by about 5% from the normal level.

MEMBERSHIP

Mike Cauterman, VE3QSK, A.E.C..

ARES Fox Hunt on May 4th
Greetings folks. It has been a while since I have put fingers to keys for a bulletin. My purpose is simple. To generate some interest and activity specifically in the area of ARES.

Question for you: How prepared are you (as a Ham) in the event of an emergency? What equipment can you grab in 3 minutes and do you know what to do with it? I think you will be surprised. You won’t really know until you try it.

August 4th 2003 Blackout. This was an eye opener to me. The power went out and it took relatively little time for major services to come to a grinding halt. Gas stopped pumping instantly. As a kid I always loved blackouts. Candles and flashlight were fun. Don’t we have an obligation as HAMs to come to the call of service in a real emergency? Where some people’s health or lives could depend on power, shelter, communications, etc? If you answered “no” to the last questions move on to the next article.

One thing I have always believed in about this organization is that we have some special talents and some very smart people in our group. Once presented with a worthy challenge this group is capably of great things. My challenge to you today is to be ready to be called into action. The list of things you need to do is short and relatively simple.

Read the manual from the RAC ARES Web site. Start with page 39 on Personal Readiness ARES Manual

Then prep your gear and come out to train and have some fun at the ARES Fox Hunt on May 4th. You will also gain some skills in message handling, and possibly win the prize! RDF equipment will help your chances of finding the fox. Bring the message forms from the A.R.E.S. Tools page of the OARC Web Site with you.

The starting location will be announced prior to the event and on the OAK repeaters on that day. The fox will be hidden in a place with public access and within the boundaries of Oakville.

“Ultimately you can become an "ACTIVE" ARES member”

- have a genuine desire to assist
- read all the literature about ARES
- attend ARES meetings
- participate in public service events and simulated exercises
- check into nets
- get involved in training others - take on some specific role

MIKE, VE3QSK

FORMAL NET

The Oakville A.R.E.S. Groups’ formal net that runs on Mondays has started to have more activity. I am currently trying to put together a record of check-ins and would appreciate if the NCS of the day would send me the info via e-mail, ( gdavis@interhop.net) so that I may report it in the this news letter. Indicate NET in the subject line.

FIELD DAY

The Oakville Amateur Radio Club will once again be operating a Field Day station. Field Day this year is on the weekend of June 28th and 29th and the event will once again be located at the Halton Region Building upper north parking lot. A.R.E.S. members are encouraged to come out and participate in this hands-on event. More information is available on the OARC Web Site.

***REMINDERS***

***Oakville A.R.E.S. Meeting***
Sunday, April 13, 2008
Oakville Red Cross
1400 Cornwall road
Unit 15
1 – 4- p.m.

*** DURHAM REGION AMATEUR RAFDIO HAMFEST***
Saturday, April 19, 2008
Iroquois Park Recreation Centre
Whitby, Ontario
http://drhamfest.tripod.com/

*** CNIB HAMFEST ***
Saturday, May 24, 2008
CNIB Centre, 1929 Bayview Ave., Toronto, Ontario
www.cnib.ca/amateurradio/hamfest

SUPPORT YOUR A.R.E.S. GROUP, YOUR CLUB and the RAC. GET INVOLVED AND PARTICIPATE!

"We don't know who we are until we see what we can do." - Martha Grimes

George, VE3OGP, editor
Oakville ARES - Oakville ARC

ARES NEWSLETTER MARCH, 2008 03-05-2008 04:50PM

OAKVILLE A.R.E.S. GROUP Newsletter

SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT

Communication between two parties only happens when the message is Sent, Received, Understood and Acknowledged. Everything else is just noise.

PACKET UPDATE

Mid February the Regional Packet Group meet to discuss the future of a working packet network for A.R.E.S. use. A test was planned to stress the existing Halton BBS using the Outpost program and dummy test messages. The results will be published when available.

The VE3OAK KA-Node is now operational on the repeater site. It provides good coverage for Oakville, Burlington and Milton.

FEBRUARY MEETING

On February 10, 2008 the group held it’s by-monthly meeting at the Red Cross office in Oakville. The Red Cross has moved its offices downstairs and the meeting room is now upstairs. Where we will be meeting in the future remains to be seen.

Items covered:
• Rick, VA3NV, reported on the Jan., 2008 HRECT meeting.
• Membership: The A.R.E.S. Group now has a new A.E.C., Mike, VE3QSK, is now in charge of the A.R.E.S. Membership.
• Request for donations of equipment: Please see the list in the Feb. issue.
• Nets: The changes to times and Freq. of the A.R.E.S. net were announced. The net is now Mondays at 7:30 p.m. on VE3OAK VHF Rpt. The need for NCS operators and a Net Manager were discussed. Members were encouraged to check into this net and the Tuesday net on VE3ADT at 8:30 p.m., (VE3HR as the alternate repeater).
• Future Meetings: Alternate locations are still being considered for
.. April 13, 2008 – Possible presentation on the NTS form
.. June 8, 2008
• Operating practices, Codes of Conduct (to be in line with our sponsoring agency).
• Rick reported that the Red Cross will be having their Shelter Management exercise sometime in May, (May 3rd is tentative). This will probably require communication support by us between at least 2 or 3 locations. More information will follow.
• The Regional Communication Plan was discussed and will be made available on the web site for downloading by members.
• Future training seminars are being set up by our EC. Dates for the Introduction, Basic and Intermediate courses will soon be announced.
• There was a discussion about raising public awareness of A.R.E.S. in general and our group specifically. Business type cards will be designed for this, then uploaded to the web site. Some venues, such as Fall Fairs, were mentioned as possible high profile areas.
• On a similar topic high profile vests, like the type they use on the west coast, were considered. It was pointed out that the Province of Ontario would soon be adopting an ICS type emergency management plan that defines colours and ID vests for the groups involved during an incident. More research on cost and availability will be needed.
• Pictures of all those at the meeting were taken for the I.D. badges. Thanks to Dave, VA3DDA for bringing his camera and photographic “eye”. Mike, VE3QSK and myself will adjust the photos and backgrounds prior to making them available for the I.D.’s.

BURLINGTON MARATHON

The Burlington Chili Marathon was held on March 2nd and communication support was run by the Burlington A.R.E.S. group. Oakville A.R.E.S. assisted and the event was well attended by our members.

FIELD DAY

The Oakville Amateur Radio Club will once again be operating a Field Day station. Field Day this year is on the weekend of June 28th and 29th. A.R.E.S. members are encouraged to come out and participate in this hands-on event. More information will be available on the web site.

***REMINDERS***

***Oakville A.R.E.S. Meeting***
Sunday, April 13, 2008
Oakville Red Cross
1400 Cornwall road
Unit 15
1 – 4- p.m.

*** HAM-EX 2008 HAMFEST***
Saturday, March 29, 2008
Brampton Fall Fairgrounds,Heart Lake Road
www.ham-ex.ca

*** CNIB HAMFEST ***
Saturday, May 24, 2008
CNIB Centre, 1929 Bayview Ave., Toronto, Ontario
www.cnib.ca/amateurradio/hamfest

SUPPORT YOUR A.R.E.S. GROUP, YOUR CLUB and the RAC. GET INVOLVED AND PARTICIPATE!

“Wisdom is knowing what to overlook." WILLIAM JAMES

George, VE3OGP, editor
Oakville ARES - Oakville ARC

ARES NEWSLETTER SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT 02-08-2008 04:25PM

OAKVILLE A.R.E.S. GROUP Newsletter

SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT

Communication between two parties only happens when the message is Sent, Received, Understood and Acknowledged. Everything else is just noise.

BURLINGTON MARATHON

Volunteers are needed on Mar 2, 2008 for the winter marathon that takes place in Burlington. Times are approximately from 7 am to 2 p.m., depending on where you would be assigned. Those operators interested in helping out are asked to contact the Oakville A.R.E.S. Group EC, Rick Harrison, VA3NV, via e-mail at: radio62@idirect.com

Indicate “Marathon” in the subject line and give details about how long you would be available that day.

FEBRUARY MEETING REMINDER

On February 10, 2008 the group will hold it’s by-monthly meeting at the Red Cross office in Oakville. Due to a conflict with other users we will be holding the meeting upstairs, where we held the SET in November.

FIELD DAY

Amateurs of both the O.A.R.C. and the A.R.E.S. Group who are interested in participating in Field Day are asked to contact via e-mail George Davis, VE3OGP, at: gdavis@interhop.net

Indicate “FD” in the subject line and if possible give your preferences, i.e. operating,setup etc. Field Day will only happen for the group if there is sufficient response.

A.R.E.S. NET UPDATE

For a trail period the A.R.E.S. will be moving to the OAK VHF machine ( 147.015) at 7:30 on Monday’s. Net controllers are needed as well as a Net Manager. Please contact Rick Harrison at the e-mail address indicated above. SUPPORT YOUR A.R.E.S. GROUP, YOUR CLUB and the RAC. GET INVOLVED AND PARTICIPATE!

“Wisdom is knowing what to overlook." WILLIAM JAMES

George, VE3OGP, editor
Oakville ARES - Oakville ARC

ARES NEWSLETTER FEBRUARY 2008 02-02-2008 12:32AM

OAKVILLE A.R.E.S. GROUP Newsletter

February, 2008

Communication between two parties only happens when the message is Sent, Received, Understood and Acknowledged. Everything else is just noise.

PACKET UPDATE

The month of January found Amateurs from Halton and Peel meeting to discuss the future of a working packet network for A.R.E.S. use. While many topics were covered, of note is the immediate testing of the existing nodes in the area. This has resulted in packet activity that we haven’t seen in decades. If you have a packet station sitting around now is the time to bring it online. The next meeting for the packet group is in February and I hope to be able to attend.

FEBRUARY MEETING

On February 10, 2008 the group will hold it’s by-monthly meeting at the Red Cross office in Oakville. Due to a conflict with other users we will be holding the meeting upstairs, where we held the SET in November. Topics will include:
• Report on the Jan., 2008 HRECT meeting:
• Membership: The A.R.E.S. Group needs more active members and more discussion on defining what the groups mission statement is or should be, training material, training certificates and incentives.
• Donations of equipment: If you have any of the following equipment that you wish to donate please bring them to the meeting;
  .. VHF, UHF, Dual Band mobile/base radios
  .. HF radio ( 6 & 10 mts in particular)
  .. Power supplies
  .. VHF, UHF, Dual Band HT’s
  .. TNC’s
  .. Tools, tool boxes or cases
  .. Feedline( coax ), powerline, outlet strips
  .. Antennas
  .. Laptops, older Dot Matrix Printers (working)
  .. Pelican cases for storage/transport
• Nets: The future of our nets will be discussed.
• Future Meetings: Alternate locations for:
  .. April 13, 2008
  .. June 8, 2008
• Operating practices, Codes of Conduct (to be in line with our sponsoring agency)

R.A.C. ID.’s

The latest TCA has a notice on page 66 that all authorized ARES are requested to obtain official ID from RAC. For more info see the web site at:

This ID will not replace any other that we may be required to have from the Region, but will be a standardized national photo ID.

***REMINDERS***

***Oakville A.R.E.S. Meeting***

Sunday, February 10, 2008 Oakville Red Cross 1400 Cornwall road Unit 15 1 – 4- p.m.

***Big Event 30 Flea Market and Hamfest***

Saturday, Feb. 2, 2008 St. Catharines, Ontario
Big Event 30

***Burlington ARC Spring Flea Market***

Saturday, Feb. 23, 2008 Burlington, Ontario
BARC

SUPPORT YOUR A.R.E.S. GROUP, YOUR CLUB and the RAC. GET INVOLVED AND PARTICIPATE!

“Wisdom is knowing what to overlook." WILLIAM JAMES

George, VE3OGP, editor
Oakville ARES - Oakville ARC

ARES NEWSLETTER JANUARY 2008 01-03-2008 6:22PM

OAKVILLE A.R.E.S. GROUP Newsletter

January, 2008

Communication between two parties only happens when the message is Sent, Received, Understood and Acknowledged. Everything else is just noise.

Happy New Year

PACKET UPDATE

The holidays allowed some of us to move another step closer to establishing a working packet network. First, the Oakville node, VE3OAK, has been delivered to the sites key holder for installation beside the OAK repeater. As well the actual node hardware that will be used for the HAL node was installed at Mike’s,VE3QSK, QTH and is now operating as :
VE3QSK-0 DIGI
VE3QSK-1 PBBS
VE3QSK-7 KA-NODE
ALIAS QSK

The following frequencies are our standards for A.R.E.S. Operations:(Update)

ASSIGNMENT NET:
MAIN REPEATER - VE3OAK - 444.325 (+)
BACKUP RPT. - VE3OKR - 442.450 (+)
SIMPLEX (BACKUP) - 446.100 (S)

SHELTER NET:
MAIN FREQUENCY - 146.580 (S)
BACKUP RPT. - VE3OAK - 147.015 (+)
SIMPLEX (BACKUP) - 147.450 (S)

PACKET RADIO: OAKVILLE LAN - 145.750
APRS: North America - 144.390

The HAL KA-NODE continues to operate at VE3OGP’s QTH and there is an excellent path between both nodes. QSK reaches Oakville and Burlington well.

Tests were conducted between HAL and VA3DDA with good results. While we were testing QSK we established a connect withVE3DDL but the Oakville station redirected us to its PBBS and then froze. Some minor work will be required there.

DECEMBER MEETING

On December 9, 2007 the group held it’s by-monthly meeting at the Red Cross office in Oakville. Here are some of the items that were discussed:

• Report on the Nov. 28, 2007 HRECT meeting: There have been changes to the Regional Frequency list with updates to tone freqs., packet freqs. and emergency capabilities of the various sites. The most important change for our group is the removal of the VE3OAK VHF Repeater for the use as the Common Team Frequency. This frees up the repeater for our use and after some discussion by those in attendance it was thought that we should leave it free for back-up emergency coms.
• Report on the SET that took in Nov.: There was a round table discussion about the activities during the SET with many excellent comments and ideas for the future.
• Membership: The A.R.E.S. Group needs more active members and the discussion included defining what the groups mission statement is or should be, training material, training certificates and incentives. Possible events that would be both fun to participate in and at the same time would allow us to practice our EMCOM procedures were suggested. More on this as plans are formalized.

• Donations of equipment: The group is in need of the following equipment;
.. VHF, UHF, Dual Band mobile/base radios
.. HF radio ( 6 &10 mts in particular)
.. Power supplies
.. VHF, UHF, Dual Band HT’s
.. TNC’s
.. Tools, tool boxes or cases
.. Feedline( coax ), powerline, outlet strips
.. Antennas
.. Laptops, older Dot Matrix Printers (working)
.. Pelican cases for storage/transport
• Nets: The Oakville A.R.E.S. will remain at 8:00 p.m., Mondays on the OAK UHF machine. While the meetings attendees preferred that the net to be more informal it was decided to remain as a formal net at the start. The need of NCS volunteers was discussed and the script will be made available on the web site shortly. Copies will also be handed out at the next meeting.
• Future Meetings: Dates for future meetings were set pending conformation of site availability. These are:
.. February 10, 2008
.. April 13, 2008
.. June 8, 2008
All will be from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. at the Red Cross office in Oakville.

SOFTWARE

Here are some links for various software sites,
www.w1fn.org/fnpack/index.htm
www.ares.org/
www.washcoares.org/res-docs.html#manuals
www.kc2rlm.info/soundcardpacket/

***REMINDERS***

***Oakville A.R.E.S. Meeting***

Sunday, February 10, 2008 Oakville Red Cross 1400 Cornwall road Unit 15 1 – 4- p.m.

***Big Event 30 Flea Market and Hamfest***

Saturday, Feb. 2, 2008 St. Catharines, Ontario
Big Event 30

***Burlington ARC Spring Flea Market***

Saturday, Feb. 23, 2008 Burlington, Ontario
BARC

SUPPORT YOUR A.R.E.S. GROUP, YOUR CLUB and the RAC. GET INVOLVED AND PARTICIPATE!

“Experience enables you to recognize a mistake when you make it again." FRANKLIN P. JONES

George, VE3OGP, editor
Oakville ARES - Oakville ARC

ARES NEWSLETTER December 2007 12-07-2007 8:00PM

OAKVILLE A.R.E.S. GROUP Newsletter

December, 2007

Communication between two parties only happens when the message is Sent, Received, Understood and Acknowledged. Everything else is just noise.

SIMULATED EMERGENCY TEST

The Simulated Emergency Test, (SET), took place November 3, 2007.
A.R.E.S. Groups from Oakville, Burlington and Milton participated. The OZONE station in Peel was also activated. After the SET was finished we had a brief review of the days work. A further debriefing will take place at the December meeting. Please plan to attend.

The following frequencies are our standards for A.R.E.S. Operations:(Update)

ASSIGNMENT NET:
MAIN REPEATER - VE3OAK - 444.325 (+)
BACKUP RPT. - VE3OKR - 442.450 (+)
SIMPLEX (BACKUP) - 446.100 (S)

SHELTER NET:
MAIN FREQUENCY - 146.580 (S)
BACKUP RPT. - VE3OAK - 147.015 (+)
SIMPLEX (BACKUP) - 147.450 (S)

PACKET RADIO: OAKVILLE LAN - 145.750
APRS: North America - 144.390

RAC

A recent trip to the RAC web page showed that the Field Services Group will be offering the A.R.E.S. ID badges to all A.R.E.S. members. Info, instructions and forms are available on line at their site.

There will be more discussion about ID’s at the next meeting.

SEASONS GREETINGS

As this is the last newsletter of the year I would like to thank all of you for your commitment to our A.R.E.S. work and to wish you and your families all the best this holiday season.

***REMINDERS***

***Oakville A.R.E.S. Meeting***

Sunday December 9, 2007 Oakville Red Cross 1400 Cornwall road Unit 15 1 – 4- p.m.

***Big Event 30 Flea Market and Hamfest***

Saturday, Feb. 2, 2008 St. Catharines, Ontario
Big Event 30

***Burlington ARC Spring Flea Market***

Saturday, Feb. 23, 2008 Burlington, Ontario
BARC

SUPPORT YOUR A.R.E.S. GROUP, YOUR CLUB and the RAC. GET INVOLVED AND PARTICIPATE!

"If you can't make a mistake, you can't make anything." MARVA COLLINS

George, VE3OGP, editor
Oakville ARES - Oakville ARC

ARES NEWSLETTER November 200711-01-2007 11:30AM

OAKVILLE A.R.E.S. GROUP Newsletter

November, 2007

Communication between two parties only happens when the message is Sent, Received, Understood and Acknowledged. Everything else is just noise.

SIMULATED EMERGENCY TEST

The Simulated Emergency Test, (SET), has been scheduled for November 3, 2007.
A special e-mail will be sent out prior to the weekend of the SET.
Other A.R.E.S. Groups from Halton will be operating as well.

This would be a good time to recheck your equipment and GO kits.
If you are planning to participate please make sure you have message forms.

The following frequencies are our standards for A.R.E.S. Operations:

ASSIGNMENT NET:
MAIN REPEATER - VE3OAK -444.325 (+)
BACKUP RPT. - VE3OKR -442.450 (+)
SIMPLEX (BACKUP) -446.100 (S)

SHELTER NET:
MAIN FREQUENCY -146.580 (S)
BACKUP RPT. - VE3OAK -147.015 (+)
SIMPLEX (BACKUP) -147.450 (S)

PACKET RADIO: OAKVILLE LAN -145.750

RED CROSS UPDATE

On October 28, 2007 the group got together some of the equipment needed for operating out of the Red Cross and tried a dry run. The antenna and mast system was assembled and tested. VE3DDL went mobile and we were able to check the simplex paths to the west of the Red Cross. The operating position at the site is currently upstairs and will have the dual bander for net operations, the packet radio and packet computer, and a place for the Station manager. The antenna feeds can now run out the top windows and down to the ground, (this was not possible before as the windows that were originally installed did not open. Fortunately someone at the Red Cross likes fresh air!)

CALL UP TREE

If you are on the Call Up Tree you should have received a phone call asking you to please confirm your info and willingness to continue in the group. We also were asking about Hell night and Halloween night patrols. If we missed you, please contact your EC or AEC's

The Comet Dual Bander installed east of the building. (White doors.) Comet Dual Bander

***REMINDERS***

Nov. 3, 2007
S.E.T.

Exercise usually starts sometime in the morning and wraps up with a debriefing around 1 or 2 p.m.

Oakville A.R.E.S. Meeting

Sunday December 9, 2007
Oakville Red Cross
1400 Cornwall road
Unit 15
1 - 4- p.m.

SUPPORT YOUR A.R.E.S. GROUP, YOUR CLUB and the RAC. GET INVOLVED AND PARTICIPATE!

"A large part of communicating is listening well. Listen closely to the others instead of concentrating on what you're going to say next; then what you do say will make more sense." -PHYLLIS MARTIN

George, VE3OGP, editor
Oakville ARES - Oakville ARC

ARES NEWSLETTER October 200710-08-2007 09:15AM

OAKVILLE A.R.E.S. GROUP Newsletter

OCTOBER, 2007

( Note: this issue was delayed for confirmation of SET date)

SIMULATED EMERGENCY TEST

The date for our groups annual Simulated Emergency Test, (SET), has been scheduled for November 3, 2007. Some information on this was discussed at our last meeting, but of course not all details will be released until the actual day of the test.
A special e-mail will be sent out prior to the weekend of the SET.
It is anticipated that other A.R.E.S. Groups will be operating as well.

This would be a good time to recheck your equipment and GO kits.
Please try and attend this meeting if you are intending on participating in the SET.

RED CROSS UPDATE

On October 28, 2007 the group will be gathering together the equipment needed for operating out of the Red Cross and trying a dry run. The antenna situation remains our biggest challenge as the Red Cross office is in a Condo complex that does not allow permanent outside antennas. Most of the gear is locked up in storage and we have no permanent operating position at this time. It should be quite interesting what solutions we come up with.

If there are enough members attending, some on air testing for overall signal coverage In the area might be done.

No time had been set for this work but it will probably be in the afternoon close to our regular meeting time.

CALL UP TREE

If you are on the Call Up Tree you should have received a phone call asking you to please confirm your info and willingness to continue in the group. We also were asking about Hell night and Halloween night patrols. If we missed you, please contact your EC or AEC's

***REMINDERS***

OCT. 13, 2007
Hamilton ARC Hamfest 2007
http://www.hwcn.org/link/radio/

OCT. 27, 2007
York Region ARC Hamfest
http://www.yrarc.on.ca

OCT. 28, 2007
Equipment test
Oakville Red Cross

OCT. 30, 2007
Hell Night Patrol
( Tentative, info to follow)

OCT. 31, 2007
Halloween Patrol
(Tentative, info to follow)

Nov. 3, 2007
S.E.T.

SUPPORT YOUR A.R.E.S. GROUP, YOUR CLUB and the RAC.

PARTICIPATE!

"We have been given two ears and but a single mouth in order that we may listen more and talk less." ANON

George, VE3OGP, editor
Oakville ARES - Oakville ARC

ARES NEWSLETTER SEPTEMBER 200709-05-2007 06:15PM

OAKVILLE A.R.E.S. GROUP Newsletter

SEPTEMBER, 2007

SIMULATED EMERGENCY TEST

Plans are now under way for our groups annual Simulated Emergency Test, (SET). The September meeting will have some information on this, but of course not all details will be released until the actual day of the test.
Please try and attend this meeting if you are intending on participating in the SET.

PACKET UPDATE

As reported last newsletter the Oakville KA-Node has been finished and operating out of VE3OGP's QTH awaiting final installation at the repeater site. It has a PBBS and will also operate as a digipeater. The Oakville LAN will operate on a frequency of 145.750 MHz.

The regional KA-Node,VE3HAL-7, is now operational from the same location, pending finding a permanent location. These nodes will operate until full function nodes can be built and coordinated into a full packet system.

***REMINDERS***

NEXT MEETING IS SUNDAY SEPT. 9, 2007, 1-4 p.m.

Red Cross, Oakville

OCT. 13, 2007
Hamilton ARC Hamfest 2007

http://www.hwcn.org/link/radio/

OCT. 27, 2007
York Region ARC Hamfest

www.yrarc.on.ca

SUPPORT YOUR A.R.E.S. GROUP, YOUR CLUB and the RAC.

PARTICIPATE!

"Genius is the ability to put into effect what is in your mind." F. Scott Fitzgerald

George, VE3OGP, editor
Oakville ARES - Oakville ARC

ARES NEWSLETTER August 2007 07-31-2007 09:21PM

OAKVILLE A.R.E.S. GROUP Newsletter

Communication between two parties only happens when the message is
Sent, Received, Understood and Acknowledged. Everything else is
just noise.

AUGUST, 2007

FIELD DAY

The final point tally that was sent to ARRL came to 4988. These break down to 4138 contact points and 850 in bonus points. There were 805 CW contacts and 459 Phone contacts. Congratulations to all.

PACKET UPDATE

The Oakville KA-Node has been finished and operating out of VE3OGP's QTH awaiting final installation at the repeater site. It has a PBBS and will also operate as a digipeater. The Oakville LAN will operate on a frequency of 145.750 MHz.

Future plans include installing a KA-Node on the same frequency in the Milton area. These nodes will operate until full function nodes can be built and coordinated into a full packet system.

ON THE WEB

W2IK has a series of web pages related to A.R.E.S., including his stories about the World Trade Center. There are some practical projects and ideas worth looking into. http://hometown.aol.com/alonestaryank/webpages.html

If you have any sites that you think might be of interest to other members just send me the link and I will put it in the newsletter.

INDUSTRY CANADA

Industry Canada has introduced new regulations regarding 'Radio Communications and Broadcasting Antenna Systems' (CPC-2-0-03 June 2007). These new regulations effect the Amateur Radio Service and are a MUST READ for all amateur radio operators. The official document release can be found online by visiting the Industry Canada Website.

A.R.E.S. MEETING

The following items were discussed at the July 28, 2007 meeting

Rick, VA3NV, started the meeting talking about Field Day and confirming the names of those who attended the event. He will include this information in his report to R.A.C. field services. Rick also mentioned a change in how R.A.C. will be providing A.R.E.S. I.D.'s. This story was mention in the latest TCA.

Next item was a quick report on the Halton radio group meeting. Of interest was the appointment of Mr. Nick Buczynsky as the Regions Community Emergency Management Coordinator.

The topic of the annual Simulated Emergency Test (SET) was the third item. The Oakville A.R.E.S. group will be running our own, sometime in the fall. Certain goals will be required to be met, including passing messages via packet. The actual scenario and theater of operations for the SET has yet to be determined.

George, VE3OGP, reported that the KA-node for Oakville was ready to be installed at the repeater site. There was some discussion about future work on the packet system.

To end the meeting, future Public Service Events were discussed. At this time there is the possibility of a Half Marathon in Oakville on the Labor Day weekend and providing help during Hell night in October. More info on these and others as it becomes available.

***REMINDERS***

NEXT MEETING IS SUNDAY SEPT. 9, 2007, 1-4 p.m. Red Cross, Oakville

SUPPORT YOUR A.R.E.S. GROUP, YOUR CLUB and the RAC. PARTICIPATE!

"Vision without action is a daydream. Action without vision is a nightmare." JAPANESE PROVERB

George, VE3OGP, editor
Oakville ARES - Oakville ARC

ARES NEWSLETTER JULY 2007 06-28-2007 08:15PM

OAKVILLE A.R.E.S. GROUP Newsletter

JULY, 2007

FIELD DAY

Field Day has come and gone and I must say it was a success. While we haven't got all the numbers tallied, I think we did quite well. There were a total of 15 participants, of which, 9 were members of the A.R.E.S. group. The site also had 3 visitors.
A big thanks to all.

I would also like to thank Mike Cauterman (VE3QSK), Greg Foster (VA3GGF), Harry Kosterman (VA3EC), and Derek Latremouille (VE3DDL). These individuals provided their station equipment for the event.

Set up went well, with the site providing us with a few challenges to keep it interesting. The weather was clear all weekend and the band propagation seemed to cooperate. I hope to get some pictures posted on the O.A.R.C. web site later on.

ON THE WEB

An interesting site to hit is the www.hard-core-dx.com
I found the section on grounding very good. Check it out. ( /nordicdx/antenna/ground )

If you have any sites that you think might be of interest to other members just send me the link and I will put in the newsletter.

***REMINDERS***

NEXT MEETING IS SUNDAY JULY 29, 2007, 1-4 p.m.

33rd ONTARIO HAMFEST JULY 7, 2007 MILTON, ONTARIO www.barc.ca

SUPPORT YOUR A.R.E.S. GROUP, YOUR CLUB and the RAC. PARTICIPATE!

"Communication is something so simple and difficult that we can never put it in simple words" - T.S. MATTHEWS

George, VE3OGP, editor
Oakville ARES - Oakville ARC

ARES NEWSLETTER JUNE 2007 05-28-2007 08:15PM

OAKVILLE A.R.E.S. GROUP Newsletter

JUNE, 2007

A.R.E.S. MEETING REPORT
NETS

A.R.E.S. Members and other interested operators are reminded of the formal net onMondays at 8:00 p.m.
If the regularly scheduled NCS has not opened the net by 5 minutesafter the regular start time any other operator on frequency should assume the NCS status and begin running the net for the duration.
The National organization is asking that all local A.R.E.S. groups try to have a H.F. Net Representative who would check in at least once a week,(more if possible ), to the Ontario Phone Net on 80 Mts.
The net runs 365 days a year on or around 3.7425 Mhz. Check in time would be around 7:15 local.
Any one interested should contact Rick, VA3NV, E.C. at radio62a@hotmail.com.

CANWARN

A discussion was held concerning CANWARN in the Oakville area.
Rick gave a brief history of the weather reporting group and asked if the Oakville A.R.E.S. members were interested in reestablishing and participating in CANWARN, noting that many members of A.R.E.S. already have taken the training.
More info on CANWARN can be found at these web sites:

http://www.on.ec.gc.ca/canwarn/home-e.html and
http://emoares.org/canwarn.shtml

RED CROSS BUILDING

The new Red Cross building poses some challenges for our A.R.E.S. group, so members attending the meeting discussed some ideas related to setting up a station during an emergency.
Topics included antenna placement, power concerns, instructions and storage of equipment.
Some excellent ideas were suggested which will be followed up at later meetings.

OTHER UPDATES

Members attending this meeting were asked to fill out new A.R.E.S. information sheets so that the groups resource info may be kept up to date.
The I.D. badges were not given out at this time but hopefully will be available at our next meeting.

The old O.A.R.C. packet TNC was delivered to VE3OGP and hopefully a digi/KA-Node will be set up soon at the repeater site.
This will serve the Oakville L.A.N. until a proper node system can be built and integrated into a Halton L.A.N.

A sample Powerpole connector was passed around the room so members could see how this system goes together.
We are still trying to find a supplier that will give a discount on a bulk purchase of these connectors.

HANDOUTS

The following Handouts were made available at the meeting:

Guidelines for the Amateur Modified “Go Kits”
EMCOMM EQUIPMENT CHECKLIST and
NVIS: Near Vertical Incidence Skywave

FIELD DAY

Field Day is at the end of this month, June 23 and 24, 2007.
Operators are needed, as this is a 24-hr. event.
Please contact the Field Day Coordinator, VE3OGP, if you are interested in participating.
This year it will be held at the Halton Region Building on Bronte Rd., just north of the QEW.
We have the upper north parking lot, right beside the golf course, set aside for us.

***REMINDERS***

NEXT MEETING IS SUNDAY JULY 29, 2007, 1-4 p.m.

CENTRAL ONTARIO HAMFEST JUNE 9, 2007 FERGUS, ONTARIO
www.hamfest.on.ca

33rd ONTARIO HAMFEST JULY 7, 2007 MILTON, ONTARIO
www.barc.ca

"If I can't understand what you are sending we ain't communicating..."
Gunny Cotton's Rules of Radio Communication.

George, VE3OGP, editor
Oakville ARES - Oakville ARC

ARES NEWSLETTER MAY 2007 04-29-2007 06:15PM

OAKVILLE A.R.E.S. GROUP Newsletter

Communication between two parties only happens when the message is Sent, Received, Understood and Acknowledged. Everything else is just noise.

MAY, 2007

Hopefully spring has finally sprung and for most of us Hams our attention turns to the outdoors and, in particular, to the sky above and ANTENNAS! That being said, I got an e-mail from Mike,VE3QSK, about his adventures in planning an H.F. antenna for his marine mobile. Included was link for a site that had everything you would want or need to know on how to install a mobile radio in your car. Topics include grounding, wiring power, noise problems, antennas, coax , safety, etc. One page has pictures of other hams installations and ideas. Well worth the browse, www.k0bg.com/

POWERPOLE UPDATE

The technical specs and assembly instructions are now up on the O.A.R.C. web page. It has been suggested that if enough of the A.R.E.S. members want to get these connectors that perhaps a bulk purchase might be arranged. This will be discussed at our May meeting.
http://www.oakvilleamateurs.net/ARES.html
Previous newsletters are also posted on the site now.

NET

A.R.E.S. members are reminded about the new time of 8:00 p.m. for the Monday night A.R.E.S. net. Rick, VA3NV, E.C., also asks for members to volunteer as net controllers.
ARE YOU PREPARED?

The week of May 6 to May 12, 2007 is Safety Week in Canada. Both the Federal and Provincial governments have web sites related to this topic emphasizing Family preparations for a 72 hr. emergency. Check out both sites at

www.getprepared.ca/

or

www.epweek.ca/index_e.asp

REMINDERS

*Next A.R.E.S. Meeting is Sunday May 20, 2007. Located at the Oakville

Red Cross, 1400 Cornwall Rd., Unit 15., from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m.*

**Dayton “3 Days in May”, May 18. 19. and 20.**

***Field Day June 23 and 24, 2007***

“Noise is any sound signal which interferes. Noise is the destroyer of things we want to hear.” -R. Murray Schafer

George, VE3OGP, editor
Oakville ARES - Oakville ARC

ARES NEWSLETTER APRIL 2007 04-10-2007 06:30PM

Hello,

Welcome to our 2nd issue of our newsletter. I hope that the information provided helps all our A.R.E.S. Members.

OAKVILLE A.R.E.S. GROUP NEWSLETTER
APRIL 2007

In the recent March/April TCA, Public Service/ARES Section, Bob Cooke, VE3BDB, called for A.R.E.S. members to start taking photos of their participation in A.R.E.S. activities.
What a great idea! If you don't have a camera phone then maybe the last piece of equipment to go in the mobile should be your old camera.
Aside from the P.R. side of it, in a real emergency, accident or disaster those photo shots may provide follow up investigators with that tiny bit of evidence they need in their review.
Never underestimate the amount of information that the pros can get from a simple shot. Who knows…you might get to be famous!

A.R.E.S. MEETING REPORT

A.R.E.S. Net
For years the Oakville A.R.E.S. Group has been operating an informal Net on Mondays at 7:00 p.m. At our meeting on March 18, 2007 it was suggested to move the time to 8:00 p.m., giving people more time to get home etc. Also the format of the Net will be changed to a more formal mode to enhance the groups training and Rick, VA3NV, requested members to takes turns running the Net on a scheduled basis.

This is an excellent training opportunity for A.R.E.S. Members and can been done from the comfort of your home QTH.
Contact Rick at radio62@cogeco.ca for more info and to schedule a time.

COURSES
Continuing on the topic of training possibilities our E.C. announced that in the near future the Oakville A.R.E.S. Group will once again offer the Basic and Intermediate A.R.E.S. Training Courses. Some revisions are required and when done the dates will be announced.

A.R.E.S. I.D.'s
Halton Region is currently in the process of updating all of their I.D. cards, including those volunteer radio cards issued to A.R.E.S. Members. This prompted a discussion at the meeting as to what type of I.D.'s our group should be carrying. It was decided to go with the RAC/A.R.E.S. Photo cards and the new Halton Region cards, ( when they are available ). Next meeting we hope to issue the cards to those who need them. The A.R.E.S. info sheets will also be updated at that time , so please plan on attending the May meeting.

RED CROSS
With the March meeting being held in the new location of the Oakville Red Cross, it gave the attendees the opportunity to see the limitations of the facilities from a radio operator's point of view. No permanent station can be set up and antennas can not be mounted on the building. Space is very limited, so all equipment will have to be stored until required. There is no provision for back up power generation on site at this time.

The group discussed various solutions and ideas for some of the problems. More on this as it develops.

POWERPOLE CONNECTORS
The group discussed standardizing the 12-volt D.C. power connectors. The use of the higher current capable Anderson Powerpole 15/45 system was presented and after some discussion it was decided that we adopt this type of connector. A technical specification will be drafted giving the part numbers, assembly instructions and alternate sources.
Other A.R.E.S. groups have done something similar.

***REMINDERS***

NEXT MEETING IS SUNDAY MAY 20, 2007, 1 -4 p.m.
OAKVILLE RED CROSS

HAM-EX 2007 FLEAMARKET SAT. MARCH 31, 2007, 9a.m.- 1p.m.
BRAMPTOM FALL FAIRGROUNDS

www.ham-ex.ca

CENTRAL ONTARIO HAMFEST JUNE 9, 2007
FURGUS, ONTARIO

www.hamfest.on.ca

33rd ONTARIO HAMFEST JULY 7, 2007 MILTON, ONTARIO
www.barc.ca
SUPPORT THE RAC AND THE OAKVILLE A.R.C.
JOIN TO-DAY

"Communications without intelligence is noise, intelligence without communications is irrelevant"
-- General Alfred M. Gray, USMC

George, VE3OGP, editor
Oakville ARES - Oakville ARC

HELL NIGHT AND HALLOWE'EN - 2006 10-30-2006 09:00PM

Hello,

NCS will operate from the Region of Halton Emergency Operations Centre on Bronte Road in Oakville. The EOC station should be on the air about 6:45 pm. both evenings. VE3OAK UHF repeater - 444.325 MHz. - will be the main frequency for ARES and amateur radio operators. The OAK VHF repeater - 147.015 MHz. - will also be monitored for those who don't have 70 cm. radio capabilities.

Oakville REACT personnel should operate on their normal VHF commercial frequency. The REACT control station will also operate from the Region of Halton EOC.

When you first come on the air, check in with your control station for you patrol area assignment.

A few notes regarding Hallowe'en and Hell night operations:

1) Check in with the NCS every 20 minutes or so and advise them of your status.

2) Do not place yourself in dangerous situations. Stay in your car; do not drive into an area that you have to back out of.

3) Report any suspicious activities that you observe. Keep your eyes open for groups of teenagers who act suspiciously.

4) Keep an eye on churches, schools, graveyards, malls and other targets in your patrol area.

5) If you need to step out of your vehicle for coffee, or for other reasons, advise your control

station of your location and how long you expect to be off the air. Once back in your vehicle, advise your NCS so that they know you are safe and back on the air.

Remember; even though things may seem slow at times, we are providing a valuable service to the Halton Police Service and our communities.

Thanks again for your assistance.

Rick Harrison, VA3NV
Emergency Coordinator
Oakville ARES - Oakville ARC


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