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Field Day 2026 and RAC Canada Contest 2026
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- Category: Training
- Hits: 28
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[2026-06-06] Field Day 2026 is rapidly approaching, followed by the Radio Amateurs of Canada Canada Day Contest. Field Day is a continental-wide emergency preparedness operation for the amateur radio service in North America (although other countries can check in for a DX contact). Hyperlinks to both operations, masked as contests, are set out above with the two logos.
Traditionally, participation in Field Day has been limited by Society members. They have work or are traveling or are availing themselves of the summer (4 months here and then 8 months of winter).
This year our participation in Field Day will be a bit unconventional, not aimed at point scores, but rather aimed at performing certain activities including message handling, QRP operation, copying the Field Day general messages and testing out new batteries, solar panels and the like. Message handling in particular will be something we will be promoting in order to achieve points, allow others to rack them up and to gain greater proficiency in that. Some new (or used) equipment might be tested. Generally we will likely operate as a 1A or 2A NT station.
To recap:
- June 27-28 (11 AM to 11 AM)
- Yellowknife Sandpits
- Field Day 2026
Local Experiments with APRS
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- Category: Members' Projects
- Hits: 29
[2026-06-06] VE8IR has very little experience with APRS (Automatic Position Reporting System) and Packet Radio. He recalls VE7NB experimenting with this in the late 1980s - at least packet radio. Some of the local amateur radio operators here in Yellowknife have been experimenting with it for some time and have set up various receiving stations (IGates) linking to the Internet. Digital packets concerning position reports, weather data or whatever telemetry is of interest are sent to these stations and read by other local radios directly or through the Internet.
QSOs with Stations in Israel, Palestine and Lebanon
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- Category: Public Information
- Hits: 578
2026-05-08 - Again for Israel, Palestine (Gaza and the West Bank) and Lebanon, Google AI reveals the following information. Again keep in mind that radio transmissions can be subjected to direction-finding and the transmitting station could be targeted:
Read more: QSOs with Stations in Israel, Palestine and Lebanon
QSOs with Stations in Iran
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- Category: Public Information
- Hits: 659
2026-05-08 - Amateurs making contacts (QSOs) with stations in Iran should exercise caution due to ongoing hostilities between Iran, Israel and the United States. Remember that their stations can be subjected to direction-finding and targeted. So a contact, like for Ukraine, could place the Iranian station in real danger. The following is what Google AI reveals (but strangely it does not urge caution and safety):
QSOs with Stations in Ukraine
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- Category: Safety
- Hits: 634
2026-05-08 - This is old news but recently some of our members were asking about contacts (QSOs) with other amateur radio operators in Ukraine. Members (and amateur radio operators generally) are advised to read the response and adjust their operating practices accordingly. Spelling/typographical errors are left in deliberately. A quick Google AI query returned the following response.
FCC Approves AST Space Mobile's License for Operations in 430–440 MHz
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- Category: Public Information
- Hits: 656
IARU 2026-04-29 - On April 21st, 2026, the FCC granted AST Space Mobile permission to conduct emergency Telemetry, Tracking & Control (TT&C) operations outside the United States in the 430–440 MHz amateur radio band for all their planned 248 satellites. More than 2,500 comments were submitted by ARRL, AMSAT, other IARU societies and individual radio operators during the FCC review period. The license allows emergency operations when no other bands are available for up to 24 hours on the center frequencies of 430.5 MHz, 432.3 MHz, 434.1 MHz, 435.9 MHz, and 439.5 MHz (each with 50 kHz bandwidth), and was granted by the FCC pursuant to Article 4.4 of the ITU Radio Regulations.
Read more: FCC Approves AST Space Mobile's License for Operations in 430–440 MHz
Weekly YARS Net - Sundays 9 PM
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- Category: Public Information
- Hits: 14040
2026-05-09 - The Yellowknife Amateur Radio Society is re-activating the weekly VHF net on VE8YK/R (146.940 MHz with -600 kHz offset with a 100 Hz sub-audible tone). It should be accessible from VE8RAE/R (145.150 MHz with -600 kHz offset) based in Behchokǫ̀ (formerly Rae). All amateur radio operators are welcome to check in. This is part of our emergency preparedness in that it amounts to a weekly test of the repeater systems and gets local HAMs checking their own equipment. As check-ins become more regular, we can rotate net control.
If there is interest in running a CW net, please let Chris Cameron (VE8WD) or Ian Rennie (VE8IR) know.
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