GUYWIRE
DECEMBER 2009
Editor VE5SC sewert@sasktel.net
The online publication of the REGINA AMATEUR RADIO
ASSOCIATION is published monthly except July and August
and is distributed free of charge as a service of RARA
to all licensed hams in the Regina Area who have e-mail
addresses. Anyone NOT wishing to receive future copies
should send an e-mail to the editor and your name will
be removed from the mailing list.
The RARA WEBSITE can be found at:
www.ve5nn.ca
The website contains RARA news, repeater lists, net
listings as well as links to other amateur resources.
Club meetings are held the 2nd Wednesday of each month,
with the exception of July and August, at the Science Center.
------------------------------------------------------------
------------------------------------------------------------
THERE WILL NOT BE A REGULAR MEETING IN DECEMBER. INSTEAD RARA
WILL HOST THE ANNUAL CHRISTMAS AMATEUR GET-TOGETHER. IT WILL
BE HELD AT CLASSIC BUFFET, 100 ALBERT ST. STARTING AT 6:00 pm.
ON DECEMBER 9TH. ALL AREA HAMS, WHETHER MEMBERS OR NOT,
AND THEIR FAMILIES ARE WELCOME TO ATTEND.
REPEATER CHANGES
There will soon be changes on the Regina repeater scene
but it won't affect users. The Regina Repeater Group has
decided to disband and turn its assets over to the
Regina Amateur Radio Association. At the last RARA
meeting the club passed a motion accepting their offer.
The assets involved are the VE5TH (City Hall) repeater
and the VE5REC (Balgonie) repeater.
The RRG group and RARA executive are working out the
changeover which will probably come sometime after the new
year. The only noticeable effect may be that the VE5TH
callsign might disappear due to an Industry Canada
prohibition against assigning new two letter suffix call
signs to clubs.
Industry Canada RIC 9 states:
1.5.1 Call signs for club stations will be issued with
three letter suffixes only. Existing two-letter club
station call signs will remain valid until the club
disbands or the callsign is released.
We will be checking with Industry Canada to see if this
applies only to club stations or also to repeaters
owned by the club.
UPCOMING EVENTS
It appears that the Klondike Hike this year will move from
its usual location at Wascana Park to the RCMP Training
Center. Details are still being worked out and should be
available next month.
VE5CTM
Clayton VE5CTM has suffered an unfortunate accident. While
working as a tow truck operator last month he had the
misfortune to be pinned between two vehicles and suffered
extensive injuries. He is presently in the Regina General
Hospital and is looking at a one year recovery period. If
anyone is visiting at the hospital or would like to go up
to see Clay, he would appreciate visitors.
RADIO GIVEAWAY
The Friday International IRLP Net is hosting the annual
Radio give Away, Just check in to the net on any net night
from now until New Years and you could win one of three
Alinco radios plus a 25amp power supply. No membership
required. The net starts Fridays at 0100 UTC (7 PM CST)
on reflector 9205.
The winner will be announced on the Around-the-world
New Years Eve Net which starts when New Zealand and
Australia bring in the New Year and continues through
Europe and then North America. This net is on
Reflector 9200.
Both those nets are available on the VE5WM repeater
by dialling up the reflector number.
You have to be on the New Years net and answer in to win.
PAPER THIN SPEAKERS
Scientists in Taiwan say that industrial
production of an ultrathin, flexible loudspeaker made
mostly out of paper could begin by the end of 2010.
”Aside from use in family, stereo, or automobile hi-fi
equipment, it can also be used in earphones or for
industrial antinoise purposes,” says Johnsee Lee,
president of Taiwan’s Industrial Technology Research
Institute (ITRI), where the technology has been under
development since 2006.
The device, named fleXpeaker, is basically a sandwich of
paper and metal filled with an electroactive polymer that
contracts and expands with an audio signal’s electric field.
RAC TARGET OF PHISHING ATTACK
Several messages have been received from users of the
@rac.ca e-mail alias system who have received e-mails
purporting to be from RAC claiming that maintenance
was to be performed on the e-mail system and that
certain information was requested to be sent to the
sender of the message.
Please note that this message was not originated by
anyone at RAC. We would not ask for such information
as usernames and passwords in an e-mail. It can safely
be ignored. E-mails relating to the @rac.ca e-mail
alias system would come from alias-help@aliases.rac.ca
or vptas@rac.ca or other identifiable RAC e-mail address.
Thanks to Earle Smith, VE6NM, who sent me the message
with complete headers which made it possible to report
this activity to the provider from which the messages
originated as well as the provider of the e-mail address
to which replies were to de sent.
James R. Hay, VE2VE ve2ve@rac.ca
Vice President, Technical and Administrative Services
Radio Amateurs of Canada
WEBSITES OF THE MONTH
A good source of information on assigned frequencies,
amateur and otherwise can be found at:
http://www.cromwell-intl.com/radio/frequencies.html
Listen to radio stations all over the world without a
radio. Go to: http://www.live-radio.net/european.shtml
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
R.A.R.A. Membership Application 20092010
(Please write clearly and enter Y or N in boxes as required)
Name: _____________________________________________
Call Sign: ______________ Current RAC membership
Mailing Address: _____________________________________
_____________________________________
e-mail Address: _____________________________________
Renewal or New Membership
Single Membership ($30) ____ Family membership ($35) ____
I have enclosed $____ for ____membership(s) indicated above.
Please include this application with your fee to club treasurer
Allan Tidball or mail cheque to Regina Amateur Radio Assoc.
(VE5LAT) Box 153 Station Main
Regina, Sask. S4P 2Z6