73 Rick Brown VE3IMG. And who says that our club members sit on the sidelines expecting to be entertained twice a. VE3MIS/VE3RCX Vol 12.

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1 VE3MIS/VE3RCX Vol April, 2009 From the Gavel As I sit down to write the Gavel, it finally hits me that my 2 year term as president is quickly coming to an end. After this, only one more Gavel to go. Elections are in 2 weeks and the new exec takes over next month in May. It only seems like yesterday when I reluctantly took on the position. I remember being concerned about the time commitment required to do a decent job. I was not sure I could deal with what I perceive to be club politics and personality conflicts. Why would anyone in their right mind want to take this on? It didn t take me long however to realise that everyone involved was passionate about Amateur Radio and had a genuine desire to promote various aspects of the hobby. The tricky part was figuring out how to do this as it was evident that our ambitions clearly outweighed our financial and human resources. Or at least I thought so. Despite these challenges, the exec and various club members found a way around these limitations. Over the past few years, we have gone from an unfinished and unfurnished industrial space to a full blown Club Station and meeting facility without bankrupting the club. Through generous club sponsors such as Danmax and personal donations (time, money and equipment) from our club members, we have a first class Contest/Club station second to none. And who says that our club members sit on the sidelines expecting to be entertained twice a month? Actually, that would have been me up until I got off my seat and got involved in running the club. You only have to look at the club exec page on the web to see our level of member involvement and commitment. These people are primarily responsible for maintaining the repeater, running ARES, and organising special events and special interest groups. We have an excellent news letter documenting these activities along with interesting and stimulating guest speakers at our general meetings. We are even well feed with coffee, drinks and other goodies by House Service. We had a record number of volunteers for Hamex, a huge event that requires year long planning and the combined effort of two clubs, MARC and PARC. Last, but not least is our Education Department that continues to pump out new hams in assembly line fashion. Club attendance and level of participation in these activities is proof positive that MARC is alive and well. While I would like to take credit for all this, the truth is that the club almost runs itself. It seemed at times that I was just along for the ride and what a ride it was! It was a fun and rewarding experience. I will miss it once it is all over. So much so, I was tempted to try and change the constitution to extend the 2 year term limit. However that has already been tried and failed. I guess I will just have to step aside and let someone else have all the fun! 73 Rick Brown VE3IMG This Month 2. Commentary 3. Club Calendar 4. A Brief History of VE3MIS part 2 8. The Roving Reporter 9. Educational Reflections 11. RAC Application Form Sunday Brunch Sunday brunches are held on the first Sunday of each month. Time is 9:30AM at Shopsy's, 6986 Financial Drive Unit 5 Mississauga (at the corner of Mississauga Rd and Derry Rd). All are welcome to come out and have an opportunity to chat in an informal setting. Club Nets 2 Metre Tuesday Night Phone Net Join in on the chatter starting at 8:30PM every Tuesday on the club repeater. Hosted by various net controllers MHz Tone Minus (-) offset. Contact our VHF Net Manager, Lorne (VE3CXT), if interested in becoming a net controller. 75 Metre Sunday Night Net Starts at 8:30PM every Sunday. Hosted by various net controllers. Contact our HF Net Manager, Michael (VE3TKI), if interested in becoming a net controller.

2 VE3MIS/VE3RCX Vol April, 2009 Page 2 Commentary There are a couple of issues in a year that I call bumper issues. These are issues where all the articles are contributed by club members. This is one of them. Issues like these are gems in our annual line up. Writing an article takes commitment and time but I am sure you appreciate such articles. A number of you have commented on this in the past. We have the contributors to thank for this. I wish to see many more local articles from you in the coming months. On another note, instead of the regular meeting on the second Thursday this month, we have planned a field trip to the Hammond Radio Museum in Guelph. I encourage you to take this opportunity and visit this place that captures the history of Ham Radio so elegantly. Of course you can decide to go there by yourself on another day but don t you think it will be much more fun to join other members on the trip? For even more fun, make sure you pool cars. Do take lots of pictures that we could publish in future newsletters and even on the MARC web. It would be really nice if one of you can come forward to write about your experience of this event. I am very excited about two events that are coming up soon the Dayton Hamvention in May and the Field Day in June. As usual I expect a number of regulars will make the trip to Dayton and a few firsttimers will join them. I plan to be one of the firsttimers this year and am looking forward to actually being at the greatest of all Hamfests! As for the Field Day the plans are already being made. Lorne, VE3CXT has had two meetings with the managers and all is looking good. The Field Day is a great opportunity to try out new things, whether it is building a new antenna, running QRP, trying out digital modes, or perhaps even working a satellite. If you have been at a Field Day, you will agree with me that every year you learn something new. Have a great time! 73 Thomas VA3TMB. Executive Directors President: Rick Brown VE3IMG 1st Vice President: Asim Zaidi VE3XAP 2nd Vice President William Bressette VE3WPJ Treasurer Scott Gregory VA3NMI Secretary Dan Goodier VE3NI Past President Dave Harford VA3DFH Club Managers Membership Manager Dave Harford VA3DFH Education Manager Earle Laycock VE3XEL House / Visitor Host Manager Murray Yewer, VE3JMY Newsletter Editor Thomas Bernard VA3TMB Net Managers HF Net Michael Brickell VE3TKI VHF Net: Repeater Manager Michael Brickell VE3TKI Dave Harford VA3DFH John Lorenc VA3XJL Bryan Jay VA3BLJ Bob Boyer VE3XBB John Duffy VE3DRZ Asim Zaidi VE3XAP Tony Champion VA3QC Robin Stubbs VE3VVS William Bressette VE3WPJ Club Station Manager Stefan Bejusca VA3OBR Rick Brown VE3IMG Asim Zaidi VE3XAP Alex Malikov VE3MA Bryan Jay VA3BLJ Field Day Manager 1 Field Day Manager 2 Thomas Godden VE3TWG - Documentation Tony Champion VA3QC - Logging Jody Levine VE3ION - Refreshments John Duffy VE3DRZ - Press and Publications Reg Vertolli VA3JQA FSV Manager Dave Stubbs VA3BHF William Bressette VE3WPJ Programs Manager Thomas Bernard VA3TMB Webmaster Manager (Source Code and DB) Dave Harford VA3DFH Dan Goodier VE3NI Rick Brown VE3IMG Legal Consultant Public Information & Media Relations Manager Tony Champion VA3QC Photography Reg Vertolli VA3JQA Dan Goodier VE3NI Education Basic Theory Courses Earle Laycock VE3XEL Basic Theory Courses Bob Hawkins VE3AGC Basic Theory Courses Jody Levine VE3ION Basic Theory Courses Basil Burgess VE3JEB Basic Theory Courses Michael Brickell VE3TKI Advanced Theory Courses Thomas Bernard VA3TMB Advanced Theory Courses Basil Burgess VE3JEB Advanced Theory Courses Earle Laycock VE3XEL CW Courses Frank Lamb VE3HTX CW Courses Earle Laycock VE3XEL Audit Committee Auditors Coordinator Basil Burgess VE3JEB Public Service ARES Emergency Coordinator Dan Goodier VE3NI Past Coordinator & AEC Sean Conlin VA3MED EC - 1st Day Michael Brickell VE3TKI EC - 2nd Day John Duffy VE3DRZ EC - 3rd Day Bob Boyer VE3XBB EC - 1st Night Sean Conlin VA3MED EC - 2nd Night Dave Harford VA3DFH EC - 3rd Night CANWARN Manager Peter Mosher VA3PKM Special Events / Walks Manager Bob Boyer VE3XBB

3 VE3MIS/VE3RCX Vol April, 2009 Page 3 CLUB CALENDAR FOR 2009 April, Thu Exec Meeting 04 Sat SP DX Contest 05 Sun Sunday Brunch - Shopsy's 07 Tue VHF/UHF - 2 Meter Net 09 Thu Field Trip to Hammond Radio Museum 14 Tue VHF/UHF - 2 Meter Net 16 Thu Radio Night at Club Station 18 Sat Ontario QSO Party 21 Tue VHF/UHF - 2 Meter Net 23 Thu Club Meeting - Member's night 28 Tue VHF/UHF - 2 Meter Net 30 Thu ARES Meeting May, Sat ARI International DX Contest 03 Sun Sunday Brunch - Shopsy's 05 Tue VHF/UHF - 2 Meter Net 07 Thu Exec Meeting 12 Tue VHF/UHF - 2 Meter Net 14 Thu Club Meeting - Member's night 19 Tue VHF/UHF - 2 Meter Net 21 Thu Radio Night at Club Station 26 Tue VHF/UHF - 2 Meter Net 28 Thu Club Meeting - Speaker's Night 28 Thu Club Meeting 29 Fri CQ WW WPX Contest Provisional Schedule Below... June, Tue VHF/UHF - 2 Meter Net 04 Thu Exec Meeting 07 Sun Sunday Brunch - Shopsy's 09 Tue VHF/UHF - 2 Meter Net 11 Thu Club Meeting 16 Tue VHF/UHF - 2 Meter Net 18 Thu Radio Night at Club Station 23 Tue VHF/UHF - 2 Meter Net 25 Thu Club Meeting - Pot Luck Dinner 27 Sat ARRL Field Day Contest 30 Tue VHF/UHF - 2 Meter Net 30 Tue RAC Canada Day Contest July, Sun Sunday Brunch - Shopsy's 11 Sat IARU HF World Championship 25 Sat IOTA August, Sat North American QSO Party 02 Sun Sunday Brunch - Shopsy's 07 Fri Worked All Europe DX Contest 15 Sat North American QSO Party September, Fri Worked All Europe DX Contest October, Fri CQ WW DX NOTES 1. Meetings start 7:30PM at St. Thomas A Becket Church Hall, 3535 South Common Court unless otherwise noted. 2. Brunch is at 9:30AM unless otherwise noted. 3. Classes are from 7:00PM - 9:00PM at Meals On Wheels at 2445 Dunwin Drive Visit our website: for any updates of the calendar.

4 VE3MIS/VE3RCX Vol April, 2009 Page 4 A Brief History of VE3MIS part 2 By Asim Zaidi VE3XAP It is said that when it rains, it pours. Not only had we lost the club station at the Scout hall, but also the ability for the club to conduct normal business due to lack of a venue. Fortunately it was summer and there were no meetings planned. The slow process of stripping down the club station at the Scout hall began mid This included radios, amplifier, consoles, antennas and other items that are used in station setup. It was heart breaking to have to disassemble all the nuts and bolts after having put so much time and effort in having set it up. Station consoles being dismantled The tower and all the antennas were to be removed and stored away. A tower rigger was considered as the best option, as we had very little time to move the equipment out of the Scout hall. The 6 element tri-band beam and the Alpha Delta was lowered and, moved to one of the member s garage space. Similarly the station console, file cabinets and other peripheral equipment was also housed in someone s garage, temporarily until such time we had another location to move this equipment. The hunt was on. Many new locations were scouted for, but nothing seemed to firm up. There was always some glitch. More on this in another article. A new location was quickly arranged for the club meetings, courtesy Michael VE3TKI and the club started their meetings from the church location where it is still today. However, there was no place for a club station to setup. Tower and antenna removal at the Scout hall. Circa 2002 It was not until about 2 years later, that we were lucky and fortunate to be accommodated in the present location. A major part of this is credited to Alex VE3MA, who convinced the owner of this site, that it would be good for his business too. An initial survey of the site, suggested that much work was needed to bring it up to par. An industrial unit that was near the airport, we were given the go ahead to start building. This was certainly as unbelievable then, as it is now. A sec-

5 VE3MIS/VE3RCX Vol April, 2009 Page 5 tion of the 2 nd floor of the unit was earmarked for the station. Plans were drawn, volunteers solicited, and in about less than a year s time, we had constructed an operating room, a conference room and a storage area. Many hands went into accomplishing the task. Noteworthy being John VA3JSG, Robin VE3VVS, Michael VE3TKI, Tony VA3QC, John VE3DRZ and many more that assisted in various capacities. I must emphasize, that we had support from almost all active members of the club, in some form. I am restricted by space in mentioning each one individually. But you know who you are. There were some delays some heartache but with some assistance from Jerry (Danmax) the project was completed. We finally had a new club station, and by the end of 2005, we had moved in. It was now almost three years since VE3MIS had been off the air waves. Part of the old tower was stripped down and was mounted in order to accommodate the 6 element tri-bander, and cables and grounding was completed by the winter of that year. During the last days of the station at the Scout hall, we found out that the Kenwood TS850SAT that was our main HF radio was badly damaged by static electricity during a lightning storm. Luckily, we were covered by insurance, and were able to acquire a new Yaesu FT1000 MKV as a replacement. The new station location was just the right occasion to position the new radio in the operating room. Minimal contesting activity was started early 2006 and as we progressed funds were made available to equip the station with additional peripherals such as a VHF multi band vertical antenna. Member garages were emptied and we were able to use much needed space to accommodate and store club assets. The digital SIG was also working on setting up a corner to work the digital modes. Plans were being made to facilitate holding small meetings at the station site. Thanks to some generous members who donated tables, chairs, shelves, microwave, vacuum cleaner etc. Radio, antennas, computer equipment, routers and homemade wooden shelves amongst other equipment were also donated by some members. It was truly a club effort that made it possible to have perhaps one of the best available ham radio club stations in the area. VE3MIS was onthe-air and in 2006, we were given the green light by Jerry (Danmax) to go ahead and order antennas that would give us some visibility on the bands. Force 12 was contacted and a quad band 4CXL and a Magnum 2 (80 / 40) were ordered. This would give us yagis for 10 meters through 80m. For 160m we were lucky that we had enough space to string a full wave dipole. A search for appropriate towers to hold these antennas was now under way. Once again thanks to some of the members we were fortunate to get the proper towers that we needed to mount these new antennas. Force 12 4CXL on the building bench. Once delivered the assembly of the antennas was started. The quad-bander was quickly put together. In order to accommodate this array the 3 element 40m beam had to be removed this had gone up in early spring. 3 element 40 m beam.

6 VE3MIS/VE3RCX Vol April, 2009 Page 6 Alex VE3MA operating position Circa 2008 The combination of this and the TH6 DXX gave us some muscle power to operate. But with the arrival of the Force 12 antenna, this was taken down and replaced with the 4CXL quad band yagi. We were still limited to wire antennas on 80 and 160. A DPST switch was installed to switch between the yagi and the wire antennas, but there was also a need at times, to unplug and redirect the yagis. Our capacity on lower bands was limited due to no directional arrays. In early 2008 we were able to budget for and purchase a remote switching box. Earlier attempts to build one did not bear fruit. This switching system now provided a single feed to the operating room, and this assisted in switching antennas without the need to unplug the connectors. In the spring and summer of 2007 the 80/40 beam was laid out on the roof for assembly. There was no other way but to assemble this humongous antenna in open space. At this time we did not have the proper tower that could support the 200lbs. plus antenna with a boom length of 40 feet. The elements are 76 feet and it does take a fair amount of turning torque to rotate this monster. An offer from Paul, VE3TA of a tower (Rohn-45) with enough sections to suit our needs, was immediately accepted. The tower was delivered on site, by him. This was exactly what we were looking for, and are very grateful to Paul for his contribution to the club station endeavours. It was not till mid 2008, that the Magnum was finally hoisted on to the tower and tuned for operation. There were many obstacles that came along the way, and at one point we were not sure if this antenna would ever be mounted. However, once it was placed atop the tower, we still had some lingering issues with the rotor. The size and weight of the antenna is such that we will need to address them as a separate project As mentioned earlier our benefactor, was observing our station improvements. It appears his interests are intertwined with our own. One fine day we were informed that he had purchased a used Alpha 99 linear amplifier and fixed it for our use. Voila, we now had some real muscle power. Contesting from VE3MIS had taken another turn, for the better. Even better, we were in the middle of a contest one afternoon, and suddenly here comes Jerry with large package under his arms. We were the recipients of a high power antenna tuner. It was quickly placed in line. Indeed it made up for all the high VSWR we were generating, at times playing havoc with his test instruments downstairs. Jerry took it upon himself to administer the tuning of the Magnum. You can see in the picture that he acquired a bucket lift, and took a whole weekend to tune the 80m section of the antenna. Jerry and helper tuning the Magnum 2 Having setup the large array along with the existing arsenal of antennas, plans were underway to provide a second operating position. A second radio was acquired, a used Yaesu FT-847, that covers 160m through 440 MHz. This would also provide the ability to get on 6, 2 and 70cms. Initial runs suggested that there was some cross modulation when both stations were on the air. To overcome this deficiency, multi band filters (Dunestar) were purchased, and installed eliminating this condition. Now we needed to provide for the second position, some decent power amplifier. Once again, we found another member stepping up to the plate. Bob, VE3HOW came forward with the idea that the club should pick up the Henry 3K A that was sitting in a basement gathering dust. We are thankful to Bob for the much needed contribution. We now have 2 positions that

7 VE3MIS/VE3RCX Vol April, 2009 Page 7 are fully capable to put out the legal limit power and operate simultaneously without cross modulation or harmonics. Just recently, the sale of an older model Collins 30L-1 amplifier that had become redundant, assisted in adding some much needed filter capability to the flagship HF radio the Mark V. more antennas that would allow for multi operations in major contests. Some thought is being given to providing and facilitating VHF / UHF capabilities. However, the club station continues to evolve. Provisions are in place to allow various special interest groups the space and opportunity to implement their plans. One of these has been the placement of the IRLP node at the site. Internet capabilities and customization of the network was done by William VE3WPJ, John VA3XJL and Michael VE3TKI. Main operating position Second operating position Where do we go from here? There have been rumblings of creating a third operating position in order to provide an opportunity for more members to participate in any future contests. These plans are still on the drawing board. It is intended at this time to consolidate what we have and make it more efficient. There are some loose ends that need to be tied down. Better grounding, rotor concerns and perhaps This assisted in providing for an IRLP node, that has been setup in a corner of the operating room. You may have already read about this in another article in the newsletter. There are also plans to run preliminary tests at this site for the new 6 meter repeater that is now operational and running from a member s residence. Some members have shown interest in home brewing. Others have been planning on setting up a Wi-Fi capability at the site. In closing I would like t thank Jerry (Danmax) for his continued interest and encouragement. Also to Alex VE3MA who made all this possible. Kudos to Rick VE3IMG who has put in a tremendous amount of his personal time, in assisting and spending many hours to make what the station is today. A big thank you to the Mississauga ARC from me for giving me the opportunity to play-radio.

8 VE3MIS/VE3RCX Vol April, 2009 Page 8 The Roving Reporter Your roving reporter manages to scoop everyone else in obtaining this exclusive talk with Jacques (VA3JACQ). You will find out more than you might ever want to know about this truly odd character. ED RR: How did you get interested in Amateur Radio? VA3JACQ: Ha long time hago, wen I was very petit, mon pere was blah, blah, blah hon de radio. Hi tink dat dis his amusant hand Hi like to blah, blah hon de radio aussi. Maudit, my Hinglish is pas bon, Hi m sorry. Hi listen to Radio Moscow hand Hi tink, dis his fun. Hi remember Hi listen to de Pic Bois (woodpecker-ed) dat de Commies use and I try to hunderstand what dey were sending. Mon Dieu, my Hinglish is so mauvais. Many years later, Hi found hout dat dey were jamming les frequences and were not sending un code special hat hall. Dis was maybe 10 years dat Hi ad spent at the grand ordinateur (computer-ed) inputting the Pic Bois hand trying different halgorithms (algorithms-ed) to break de Commie plot. Besides all dat, Hi like de sound of cw. RR : OK Jacques, so you spent ten years of your life trying to decipher what you thought was a special code imbedded in the Woodpecker, only to find out that it was strictly a jamming device. Are you sure you re playing with a full deck? VA3JACQ : Qu est-ce-que full deck? RR : Never mind. How did you find out about the Mississauga Amateur Radio Club? VA3JACQ : Dis was ard to do. Hi look dans l'annuaire (telephone book-ed) hand I don t see nothing habout La Club Des Amateurs de Radio a Mississauga. Me, Hi taut dis was a pays bilingue (bilingual country-ed), but den Hi tink, Mon Dieu, hov course dey cannot be dans l' annuaire de Quebec. Me, Hi taut toutes a tourné autour (all revolved around ED) le Quebec. Hanyway I look hon de ordinateur for de site internet (website-ed). I halso tink dat I should look for da Hinglish traduction (translation-ed). Voila, Hi find hit. RR : You really are a few bricks short of a load eh? VA3JACQ : Pardon?? RR : Let s get this over with. My heads reeling. My next question I ask with some trepidation. In fact a lot of trepidation. What do you have hin, oh my, I m beginning to sound like you. What equipment do you have in your station? VA3JACQ : Hi ave lot s of hequipement hin my station. Big stuff, little stuff, ot stuff, not so ot stuff and some cold stuff aussi. De cold stuff is broke hand does not work. De cold stuff Hi keep parce-ce-que hit looks nice hand mes amies har himpressed. Dey tink it works good, mostly because Hi tell dem dat. Hi hexplain dat hits efficace quant à l'énergie (energy efficient-ed). Dey believe me. RR : Sounds like your friends are a few lights short of a lit room too eh? Must be quite something to see you operate. VA3JACQ : Non! Non! I don t hoperate because Hi m not a docteur! Tabarnouche, you tink Hi m crazy or something!!? RR : Well, the thought had crossed my mind to be honest. What other interests do you have? (This ought to be good!) VA3JACQ : Hi like to peche (fish-ed). Hi use de dynamite hand Hi troe hit dans la lac (in the lake-ed). Les poissons (fish-ed), dey doesn t like dat and sautent (jump-ed) way hup in de haire. Hi den go haround hand Hi pick hup the ones dat are still hin one piece. Hi hallways get halot dis way hand den Hi can go hand ave some biere. Hactually, Hi have beaucoup de biere. Hi like to peche, but Hi like de biere heven more. RR : How long have you been licensed? VA3JACQ : Qu est-ce-que??? (What s that? -ED) RR : How long have you had an amateur radio licence? VA3JACQ : A biens. I ave a long time mon licence. Hi make it about ten years hago on de photocopieuse (copy machine-ed) hat mon bureau (office-ed) where Hi work. Hit s hin couleur hand is tres beau. Hi tink hit s enough good, n est-ce-pas?

9 VE3MIS/VE3RCX Vol April, 2009 Page 9 RR : I must say that this has been one of the most unusual interviews I have ever done. I m hoping the editor will give me some time off to recuperate. Actually I m going to request LTD. I m sure the Fisheries people and IC will be knocking at your door one of these days soon. Good luck and I ll come and visit you when you re doing your time. VA3JACQ : C est rien et merci. Voulez-vous une biere? RR : Thank goodness it s April and there is no real VA3JACQ. Educational Reflections By Earle Laycock, VE3XEL Our club has grown to be an active, well recognized, vibrant club. Sure we have hit bumps along the way, but over all we have accomplished much and have much to be proud. Part of our success has been our educational offerings. I joined MARC in 1991 and finally got my ham radio license thanks to the MARC Basic Course. At that time, Tony Allsop VE3FTA (SK) was the Education Manager. Having achieved a life-long dream, I offered to help Tony teach a class or two. When Tony passed on, I helped to continue the tradition that Tony and others had begun. Today, MARC has a strong group of skilled, knowledgeable and enthusiastic instructors. We offer courses to help potential hams obtain their Basic license and then if desired their Advanced and CW qualifications. The success of these courses is confirmed in that we draw students from Toronto to Burlington and all points in between and north to Georgetown. Every class, I am so thankful for instructors like Jody VE3ION who continues to inspire with her firm grasp of the material, her engineering background and personal stories from the world of high-voltage. Basil VE3JEB has done a lion s share of the teaching for both the Basic and Advanced material. A Professor at Sheridan College, Basil brings professionalism and structure to the classes along with his love of radio. Thomas VA3TMB is a joy to behold. Thomas has been the driving force behind our Advanced class and his knowledge and humour makes the classes most enjoyable. Whenever Thomas is speaking, there is always a sparkle in his eyes and his enjoyment of amateur radio is clearly evident. When Thomas and Basil start their tag-team teaching, just sit back and enjoy Sitting in on the Advanced classes has been pure joy for me the last couple of years. I <<think>> that am even starting to understand some of the theory now!! We do try to enrich the classes when possible. Michael VE3TKI has been a regular contributor with his presentation on repeaters with special emphasis on our system. The repeater is such an important part of our club that this effort is well justified. Peter VA3PKM dropped by one night and gave a short introduction to satellites. I think everyone found this quite exciting even the trip out to the parking lot in mid-winter. Let s not forget our opening night for Basic. With John VE3DRZ s help, we try to get the class on the air the first night to get a taste of on the air operation. I am always pleased the way John is able to introduce newcomers to the hobby with friendliness and sincerity. I would also like to acknowledge the help we get from the Red Cross and Barbara Chomski in particular, who have been so generous in providing a classroom for us. Each year students from the Red Cross join us and work toward their license. This aspect is becoming increasingly important as the Red Cross is trying to train more of their people in Amateur Radio. My thanks to Jack Summers VA3XR at Radioworld for supporting our educational programs in numerous ways including a gift certificate for the highest score in the Basic examinations. Richard Kennedy VE3RHD, our youngest licensed member

10 VE3MIS/VE3RCX Vol April, 2009 Page 10 The Basic Course batch at Pizza Night Finally, thanks to everyone who volunteered to be an Elmer for our new hams. One of our weaknesses is that we do not have enough practical exposure in the courses. The Elmer program helps new hams get started and make some friends in the club. Graduates of the Basic class included: Brenda Mack VE3KBK, Brian D Beere VA3WVA, David M Shilling VE3XDS, Donna Marie Mack VA3OYS, Eileen Fernandez (Red Cross) VE3BFP, Eric Alfred Hutchins VA3PSK, Jason Del Bosco (Red Cross) VE3BNV, Michael Mabee VA3JKA, Paul Brian Clough VA3BPC, Richard East VA3XRE, Richard Kennedy VE3RHD, Robert Hudson VE3CWU, Sheldon Pementel VE3CWU and Thomas Dawe VA3XNY. Robert VE3CWU won the $25 Radioworld gift certificate and Eric Hutchins VA3PSK the ARRL Handbook. Richard Kennedy VE3RHD was a special graduate. Only 12 years old, Richard joined our Basic class after spending most of the summer in Sick Childrens Hospital with a brain infection. Not only did Richard get his license, he also got honours and HF privileges. Good work! As of now, our Advanced class graduates include: Brian Clough VA3PBC, David Shilling VE3XDS, Ed Fedorowski VE3TXN, Eric Hutchins VA3PSK and Ric East VA3XRE. Ed VE3TXN took top honours with a perfect score on his Advanced exam. Dave and Eric missed a perfect score by only 1 question with others not far behind. Standby as I expect we will have a few more graduates to announce shortly. Finally, I would like to recognize one of our graduates from 2007/2008, Gino Cunti VA3JUV. Gino took the Basic and Advanced classes with one goal in mind: to contact the International Space Station with his Humber College Wireless and Telecommunications Technology classmates. On on February 2 nd Gino and his classmates made worldwide headlines when they successfully contacted Astronaut Sandra Magnus NA1SS aboard the ISS. You can read about Gino s accomplishment in the upcoming edition of TCA. Gino and his classmates Patrick, Paul and Kevin visited MARC and gave a very interesting talk about their space station QSO. Another reason to be proud of our graduates and classes! The Advanced Course batch right after the exam. We will be back giving more education in the fall. If you know of someone who might like to get their licence or upgrade their qualifications, point them to MARC Education program! ANTENNA ROMANCE... From the Internet Two antennas met on a roof, fell in love and got married. The ceremony wasn't much, but the reception was excellent. Since they were a perfect match, soon they generated harmonics. Wrapped the harmonics in dipoles. But later the harmonics turned out to be parasitic elements.

11 VE3MIS/VE3RCX Vol April, 2009 Page 11 RAC MEMBERSHIP APPLICATION/SUBSCRIPTION TO TCA MAGAZINE Please enter applicable choice(s) 1 year RAC membership; (includes $45.00 subscription for * 1 year RAC membership for a blind person NO * Family membership; price per extra family $20.00 per year (one TCA per family) * (Does not apply to simple subscriptions.) ($20.00 x ) GST: 5% *Taxes applicable: 5% GST, 15% HST (NB,NS,NL) not included in the above amounts + Ontario PST of 8% applicable to TCA subscription without membership.pst (if applicable): 8% CONTACT INFORMATION Name: Call sign: Address: City/Town: Province: Postal Code: Family Member Name Family Member Call sign: If you enter something on line above, a charge of $20.00 will be added to your membership Phone #: DONATION OPTIONS Donation to the RAC Foundation enclosed $ Donation to the Defence of Amateur Radio Fund enclosed $ Donation to the Youth Education Programme enclosed $ PAYMENT OPTIONS (Cheque or) Grand Total: $ Visa/MasterCard No: Card Expiry Date (MM/YY): Name on credit card: Mail to: Radio Amateurs of Canada Inc. 720 Belfast Road, Suite 217 Ottawa, ON K1G 0Z5