Don’t miss the BVARS AGM! December 10th, 2017 13:00 hours at the Ranger Park Building, Smithers.

There will be the business meeting followed by a technical presentation and equipment demos.

Weather forecast looks good for annual North America wide Field Day exercise this coming weekend!
The BVARS will be testing it's 'Grab n Go' station at the home QTH of ve7ept and ve7lha. Will start setup right at 10:00 Saturday, operational through Sunday at 13:00. In honour of Canada 150 we will be using the callsign CG7RBH.
Members and others interested, come and get familiar with the equipment and try some contacts! Informal BYOS (bring your own stuff) bbq about 17:00 Saturday.
Operations will include HF WinLink email, and look for CG7RBH on APRS system (https://aprs.fi).

Emergency Management BC is holding a major earthquake response exercise this coming week from 08:00 June 7th until 12:00 June 10.  We are not directly involved, as the focus is on Vancouver Island and the Lower Mainland. However, I expect our Winlink HF email gateway (VE7RBH) will see a lot of use - it has become the ¨go-to¨ gateway for many southern BC and west coast USA stations. I believe there is a co-occuring exercise in Washington State. We will be keeping a close eye on it to see how well VE7RBH copes!

All Amateur stations are welcome to monitor the exercise or check in to the event net to be run from Kamloops EMBC station VE7KAZ. We are asked not to try contacting VE7PEP or other official stations in the ¨affected area¨ , unless requested to do so, so as to not impede traffic and add demands on stations staff.

More details on the radio operations can be found at www.percs.bc.ca/news . More info on Coastal Response generally can be found at http://www2.gov.bc.ca/assets/gov/public-safety-and-emergency-services/emergency-preparedness-response-recovery/embc/exercises/coastal_response_update_one.pdf 

BC QSO Party 2016 is just a week away!
 1600z Feb 6 to 0400z Feb 6.   (That's Feb 6, from 8am to 8pm in BC.)

This is a fun chance to fine tune you HF operating skills, and folks will be looking for BC stations! Here are the detrails from the organizer.......

¨Please let your club members know that BCQP 2016 is coming up very soon. For anyone who is still unsure what BCQP is all about, direct them to the FAQ page at http://www.orcadxcc.org/bcqp_faq.html

Key Information/Resources
Exchange: BC stations give give RS(T) + federal electoral district
              Out-of-province stations give RS(T) + state/province/"DX"
Rules: http://orcadxcc.org/bcqp_rules.html
Multiplier Lists: http://orcadxcc.org/bcqp_districts.html

FAQ, rules, multiplier lists as well as in-depth event analysis/reports and scores from past years ... all available for viewing from links on the Orca homepage and/or the BCQP page of the Orca website at http://www.orcadxcc.org/bcqp.html

Remember…
1. For CW operators, consider the alternate suggested frequencies for 80M, 40M and 20M — the NA Sprint bands — between 0000z and 0400z. This will keep you above the mayhem of the Sprint. These frequencies are quite high up in the respective bands, encroaching on other mode allocations, so CW operators should be careful and courteous. Suggested frequencies are, after all, suggestions NOT requirements. The most important rule in our hobby is to listen before transmitting. If necessary, move up or down a bit to avoid QRMing others.
2. BC federal electoral districts have changed! Confirm your district at elections.ca/home.aspx and use the revised multiplier list to determine the corresponding three-letter code for BCQP. And make sure your logging software is properly updated. Logs using the old multipliers will not be eligible for awards. 
3. High profile! BCQP has acquired a high profile, and stations near and far will be on a treasure hunt for district multipliers. VE7/VA7s calling CQ should listen all around.  
4. BC stations can contact anyone anywhere. Utilize other on-air events to trade QSOs if appropriate. Look at the helpful hints for BC stations at http://www.orcadxcc.org/content/pdf/2016_hints_for_bc_stations.pdf to get an idea on how to maximize QSO potential.

Tangible Rewards
Certificates: Photo-based certificates for top scores in every mode and power class in BC and outside BC
Special Recognition: If submitted logs are particularly numerous in any given category, additional certificates will be awarded as appropriate.
NEW! Top District Awards: Top score in each federal electoral district of BC will receive a certificate. You only need 10 QSOs to qualify!
Plaques: Top Score BC (single-op), Top Score Canada outside BC, Top YL Score, Top Score US, Most Federal Electoral Districts Worked, Top DX, Top Mixed Mode, Top Club BC (new)*, and Top Score BC (multi-op) (new)
* For an individual score to count toward a club aggregate, the submitted log MUST indicate in the Cabrillo header the club to which the score should be allocated.
Logging Software
The goal of BCQP is to get BC operators on the air to practice their skills. Everyone should keep a log of their contacts, because someone may request a QSL card (eQSL, LoTW, etc) at some point later on, but if a program does not support BCQP, there may be problems inputting data and/or getting an accurate score. 
BCQP is fully supported by N1MM Logger+ software as well as CQ/X GPS-enabled software for mobile contesting and QSO party software by N3FJP. Other programs have generic QSO party options, but all software really needs the computer and radio to be interfaced to work as intended. So if that is not an option, paper logs are OK. No one should worry about logging software — or lack of it. Each operator can use whatever logging method works for him/her. And if the program used doesn't generate an accurate score, no one should be overly concerned. The log-checking team at Orca DXCC will make sure everyone gets the points s/he is entitled to.
But, and this is a big but, logs MUST show the required information. See the rules for details. Anyone using N1MM Classic must upgrade to N1MM Logger+ or self-edit the section list. Logs using the old multiplier list will not be eligible for awards, so PLEASE use the revised list!! 

If anyone has any questions about BCQP, there’s still time to ask. Email me at va7bec@rac.ca 

73 es GL
Rebecca VA7BEC

Orca DXCC, BCQP Contest Coordinator 

Hi All. Time is flying by! The Northern Net ham gathering/camp out is less than a week away!

Below is the itinerary (courtesy VE7MHW). Weather allowing, Saturday I hope to make a visit to the Glentanna repeater site for those who want to see the solar system we recently installed, do some antenna tweeks, and install a WiFi radio for internet connection to town.

We have also been putting together a portable station ´grab and go´ kit that we will be working on over the weekend.

Hope to see you next weekend!

Doug, VE7EPT

4 serviced campsites are pre-booked in the park for Friday to Monday.The cookhouse is booked for use on Saturday to Monday.Friday: -4 Campsites booked for early birds and set up. Saturday: -People are encouraged to set up stations in the Cookhouse -General gathering and eyeball qso-wiener roast dinner. Sunday: -09:00 Breakfast supplied by BVARS. All HAMS at the breakfast please sign in your call. -09:30 2 meter net. Signed in calls will be checked into the net. -10:00 or after breakfast we will do a swap and shop. -After the swap we can have some ham related activities and demos. -18:00 Potluck at the cook house. -20:00 check ins on the BC Northern Net 3775 kHz.

The BVARS Annual General Meeting is this Sunday, January 25th, at 13:00 in basement of Ranger Park Building, Smithers. Business meeting followed by tech session.

We received the following communication about the upcoming BC QSO Party....

My name is Rebecca VA7BEC and I am contest coordinator for the British Columbia QSO Party, sponsored by Orca DX and Contest Club. I found your email address as the contact for Bulkley Valley ARS, but if the BCQP invitation should go to someone else for distribution to members, please forward it and let me know so that I can update my contact list.

I have attached the official announcement for BCQP. I'd appreciate it if you'd let members know about our event. I'll send out a reminder email in January but knowing about the event with some time to prepare is always better, right?

The most important thing to know is the date and time of the 2015 event: February 7, local time, 8am to 8pm (UTC 1600z Feb 7 to 0400z Feb 8).

February seems so far off but it is less than three months from now. 

BCQP has been around for a while but has gained a much higher profile in the last few years. The event attracts considerable interest now from within BC and beyond, but BC stations are a vital key to success and fun. BC stations can contact anyone anywhere while stations outside BC must search for us, so time spent at the radio passes very quickly. Multipliers in this contest are the federal electoral districts in BC, and a QSO with operators in your area would be very lucrative indeed. 

A notable difference between BCQP and other QSO parties is that the certificates and plaques are photo-based, highlighting something scenic or special about BC, and the photos are different every year, taken especially for the event. Top scores in every class receive one of these beautiful certificates, and if submitted logs are particularly numerous in any given category, additional certificates are awarded. They are definitely shack-worthy. 

In addition, the plaque program has grown and thanks to the continued commitment of sponsors, we are able to offer plaques in eight categories: Top BC Score, Top YL Score, Top Score Canada Outside BC, Top US Score, Most Electoral Districts Contacted, Top Rookie, Top DX, and Top Mixed Mode.

To see how the 2014 certificate and plaque photos turned out, go to http://www.orcadxcc.org/bcqp_awards.html

Rules, tools, helpful hints, in-depth event analysis/reports and scores from past years... all available for viewing from links on the BCQP page of the Orca DXCC website at http://www.orcadxcc.org/bcqp.html

BCQP is an opportunity to hone operating skills, try out a new mode, pass on knowledge to others, enjoy the camaraderie of a team effort, support a home-grown contest, beat last year’s score, capture a unique, photo-based certificate or maybe a plaque, test out equipment and/or software, or simply, meet up with some good people. This is not a high-stakes, gotta-beat-the-world kind of contest. It is casual and friendly and a great way to encourage greater activity in our hobby.  

As contest coordinator for BCQP, I am here to help. If you or your club members have questions, I’m just an email away.

73,
Rebecca VA7BEC
Contest Coordinator for BCQP, Orca DX