CenTor ARC Basic Qualification licensing course graduates, from left, Sam Leung, Donna Liu, Ian Hannah and Don Trynor, VA3XFT. Photo courtesy Roy Clark, VE3BVR.

Please join me in congratulating Sam Leung, Donna Liu and Ian Hannah, the graduates from our recent Basic Qualification licensing course! Congratulations to you all! Also, I’d like to extend a special thanks to our Training team for making this course such a success!

Cheers!

Don, VA3XFT
President – CenTor ARC

Learning to use Amateur Radio can help people prepare for any disaster, including a Zombie Apocalypse. Photo credit: Daniel Hollister – http://www.thatzombiephoto.com

The threat of a zombie pandemic, commonly known as a zombie apocalypse, is ever present in today’s world of widespread genetic engineering and frequent international travel. Fortunately, Amateur Radio can help minimize the impact of such a catastrophe and as such, the Central Toronto Amateur Radio Club (aka CenTor) will be offering an Amateur Radio licensing course starting May 1, 2013.

Often called “ham radio”, Amateur Radio is a non-commercial radio service that allows licensed operators to use various types of radio communications equipment to communicate with one another, both locally and around the globe, for both public service and recreational purposes. Amateur Radio operators, often referred to as “hams”, are federally licensed by Industry Canada and are allowed to use specially allocated radio frequencies to carry out their operations. Hams come from all walks of life and are located all over the world.

“During a zombie apocalypse, the only reliable form of communication would be using Amateur Radio, as cellphones and the Internet will become useless”, said Don Trynor, President – CenTor, and licensed Amateur Radio operator with the call sign of VA3XFT. “By teaching people to use Amateur Radio, we can provide them with a valuable skill that they can use in times of emergency or natural disaster to stay in communication with one another,” Trynor added. He further noted that while the likelihood of a zombie apocalypse actually occurring is very low, people who are prepared for one would also be prepared for any disaster that might actually occur.

The Amateur Radio licensing course, which will be 10-weeks in duration, will cover a variety of topics, such as basic electronics, radio wave propagation, antenna theory, regulations and operating practices, plus much more. For more information on this upcoming course, please check out the following link at: http://va3cta.net/get-a-licence/

For further information, contact:

Don Trynor, VA3XFT
President – Central Toronto Amateur Radio Club
Tel: 416-262-7911
Email: trynor@gmail.com

Ian Gallimore’s presentation about the happiness that can be found in returning old, broken down, and HEAVY radio gear was the presentation at our April meeting.  A copy of his work can be downloaded here.  Careful, it’s a big file… about 700MB.

Join the Central Toronto (CenTor) Amateur Radio Club members for a ham breakfast at the Golden Griddle restaurant on Saturday April 6th @ 9:00am. Drop in as you may, as there’s no formality for this event.

TALK-IN FREQUENCY
441.9500+ PL 100.0 Hz (VA3XPR Analog)
442.3375+ DMR Local Talkgroup (VA3XPR Digital)

The regular monthly meeting of the Central Toronto Amateur Radio Club will be held on Tuesday April 2, 2013 at 19:30 EST at the Leaside Retirement Residence, 10 William Morgan Drive.

All visitors are welcome! Note that visitor access is restricted if you have a cough, cold or flu. The Theatre is located to the left of the elevator, down one level from the main entrance.

PRESENTATION
A presentation on vintage radio gear restoration will be provided by Ian Gallimore, VA3ODA following the coffee break.

DIRECTIONS
Driving: From Don Mills Road turn west on Overlea Blvd to the next traffic lights, then right (north) on William Morgan Dr. Park free of charge in the long, narrow lot west of the residence (you can use any non-reserved parking space).

By TTC: The #25 Don Mills bus stops at Overlea and Wm Morgan Dr, and connects to Pape Station.

TALK-IN FREQUENCY
441.9500+ PL 100.0 Hz (VA3XPR Analog)
442.3375+ DMR Local Talkgroup (VA3XPR Digital)

The regular monthly meeting of the Central Toronto (CenTor) Amateur Radio Club will be held on Tuesday May 7, 2013 at 19:30 EST at the Leaside Retirement Residence, 10 William Morgan Drive, Toronto, ON.

All visitors are welcome! Please note that visitor access is restricted if you have a cough, cold or flu. The meeting room is the basement level Theatre, which is located one level down from the main entrance to the left of the elevator.

PRESENTATION
The Rasberry Pi, a small, fast, yet low cost computer, has revolutionized the world on mico computing. This wildly popular computer, which only costs $35 and can fit in the palm of your hand, has unleashed a plethora of applications and uses beyond anything the mind could imagine.

Our guest speaker, Greg Blair, VE3OBJ, will be introducing us to the facinating world of Raspberry Pi, with a pacticular emphasis on how this gizmo is inspiring hams around the world to take ham radio to places that it has never gone before.

Greg, who is one of the CenTor ARC instructors and accredited examiners, is a mathematician by education that works extensively in signal & image processing, computer vision, computer graphics and and enjoys fooling around with micocontrollers and ARM processors.

This presentation will kick-off a series of workshops focused around the set-up and use of the Rasberry Pi, which is sure to delight the DIY hobbyists in all of us.

DIRECTIONS
Driving: From Don Mills Road turn west on Overlea Blvd to the next traffic lights, then right (north) on William Morgan Dr. Park free of charge in the long, narrow lot west of the residence (you can use any non-reserved parking space).

By TTC: The #25 Don Mills bus stops at Overlea and Wm Morgan Dr, and connects to Pape Station.

TALK-IN FREQUENCY
441.9500+ PL 100.0 Hz (VA3XPR Analog)
442.3375+ DMR Local Talkgroup (VA3XPR Digital)

Starting May 1st, the Central Toronto (CenTor) Amateur Radio Club will be offering a Amateur Radio (ham radio) licensing course for the Basic Qualification to anyone interested in getting their Amateur Radio license. Information about this course is outlined below.

SCHEDULE

The course will be held on Wednesday nights from 7:00pm to 9:00pm for a 10-week duration. The class dates will be as follows:

Week 1 – 1-May, 7:00pm – 9:00pm – Introduction to Amateur Radio & Getting Down to Basics
Week 2 – 8-May, 7:00pm – 9:00pm – Ohm’s Law, Power, Inductors & Capacitors
Week 3 – 15-May, 7:00pm – 9:00pm – Diodes, Transistors, Tubes & Power Supplies
Week 4 – 22-May, 7:00pm – 9:00pm – Waves, Wavelength, Frequency, Bands & Propagation
Week 5 – 29-May, 7:00pm – 9:00pm – Transmission Lines & Antennas
Week 6 – 5-Jun, 7:00pm – 9:00pm – Modulation, Transmitters & Receivers
Week 7 – 12-Jun, 7:00pm – 9:00pm – Radio Frequency Interference & Safety
Week 8 – 19-Jun, 7:00pm – 9:00pm – Regulations
Week 9 – 26-Jun, 7:00pm – 9:00pm – Establishing and Operating an Amateur Radio Station
Week 10 – 10-Jul, 7:00pm – 9:00pm – Review Class
Week 10 – 13-Jul, 10:00am – 12:00pm – Examination

COST

* $50 (includes the course fee, examination and a 1-year CenTor ARC membership);
* Students will need to purchase their own study guide for $45 + tax. See details below.

LOCATION

* 10 William Morgan Drive, Toronto, ON
* Basement Level Theatre Room

STUDY GUIDE

* Canadian Amateur Radio Basic Qualification Study Guide, 8th Edition
* Published by Coax Publications
* For more information or to purchase your study guide, click here.

REGISTRATION

The registration deadline for this course is April 25th. Space is limited, so register early!

The Central Toronto Amateur Radio Club (CenTor ARC) is giving away a brand new Baofeng UV-5R dual band HT! To win this ultra-cool radio, all you have to do is:

1. “Like” the CenTor ARC Facebook Page
2. Leave a comment on the CenTor ARC Facebook Page with your call sign

It’s that easy! The contest closes on April 1, 2013 @ 6:00pm EDT and the winner will be announced on the CenTor ARC Facebook Page.

To participate, contestants must be 18 years of age and a licensed amateur radio operator.

Have fun and good luck!

Don, VA3XFT
President – CenTor ARC

Point your antennas to the moon on Mar 16, 0000Z – Mar 17, 2400Z for 144 /432 MHz Worldwide EME event!

Also, this coming weekend March 16-17:

• Mar 16, 1200Z – Mar 17, 1200Z – 1.8-28 Russian DX Contest
• Mar 16, 1300Z - 3.5-28 50 Oklahoma QSO Party  - See website Multiple operating periods
• Mar 16, 1400Z - 1.8-28 50-440 Virginia QSO Party 
• Mar 17, 0000Z – Mar 17, 0400Z - 3.5-14 North American Sprint SSB  

Next weekend, March 23-24 – does anyone have worked Alaska for your WAS award yet?

• Mar 23, 1800Z – Mar 24, 2359Z - 1.8-28 Alaska QSO Party
• Mar 23, 0001Z – Mar 30, 2359Z - 1.8-28 Lighthouse Spring Lites QSO Party

The last but not least - the CQ WPX SSB Contest!

• Mar 30, 0000Z – Mar 31, 2400Z - 1.8-28 CQ WPX SSB Contest 

For more contests, special event stations, and state/provincial QSO parties, feel free to check:

• WA7BNM Contest Calendar
• State & province QSO party calendar 
• ARRL contest calendar
• ARRL Special Event Stations

Also, check the new article on QRP Contesting by W2LJ!

Credits: ARRL, Paul VA3PAW

WHEN: Thursday March 21, 2013 @ 7:00pm
WHERE: Rivera Leaside Retirement Residence, 10 William Morgan Drive, Toronto, ON – Basement level Conference Room.
COST: Free – voluntary donations to the CenTor ARC accepted
CAPACITY: 20
RSVP: Don, VA3XFT @ trynor@gmail or via Facebook Page and Meetup Page

Heard a lot about social media, but not sure what it is? Interested in learning more about the power of social media, or just simply how to use Facebook? If so, then you need to attend this introductory social media seminar, sponsored by the Central Toronto (CenTor) Amateur Radio Club. During this seminar, we will provide an overview of social media, how it is used and how hams around the globe are embracing this technology for the benefit of amateur radio.

Sign in at the reception desk just inside the front door of the west wing. Please note that visitor access is restricted if you have a cough, cold or flu.

The Conference Room is located to the right of the elevator at the end of the hall, down one level from the main entrance.

Driving: From Don Mills Road turn west on Overlea Blvd to the next traffic lights, then right (north) on William Morgan Dr. Park free of charge in the long, narrow lot west of the residence (you can use any non-reserved parking space).
By TTC: The #25 Don Mills bus stops at Overlea and Wm Morgan Dr, and connects to Pape Station.

Talk-in frequency: 441.950+ PL100.0Hz (VA3XPR)