[RAC-Bulletin] Thank you for attending the RAC AGM and thank you MAARC!

Thank you Moncton Area ARC!

Radio Amateurs of Canada held its biennial Planning Meeting in Riverview, New Brunswick (near Moncton) on Thursday, September 12 and Friday, September 13 and it was attended by members of the entire RAC Board and Executive.

On Saturday, September 14, RAC officials then enjoyed the Moncton Area Amateur Radio Club’s annual Fleamarket. The RAC Annual General Meeting was held immediately following the Fleamarket and in the words of the MAARC it was “a huge success!” (see below). 

RAC would like to thank everyone who attended the AGM in person or via Webinar. We hope to see you again next year.

Special thanks are extended to the Moncton Area Amateur Radio Club for being such great hosts and for presenting us with the Certificate of Appreciation shown above.

MAARC AGM Report:

The Moncton Area Amateur Radio Club posted the following on its website at the conclusion of the RAC Annual General Meeting and we are pleased to share it with you:

“Today, the Moncton Area Amateur Radio Club (MAARC) had the privilege of hosting the 2019 Radio Amateurs of Canada (RAC) Annual General Meeting in Riverview, New Brunswick. In attendance were various members of RAC led by President, Glenn MacDonell (VE3XRA). Also in attendance was the President of the American Radio Relay League (ARRL), Rick Roderick (K5UR).

Today’s meeting saw approximately 50 local attendees with the event also being streamed live to other Hams around the world. During the event, special guests were presented with various plaques to commemorate the occasion.

Several RAC members gave those in attendance and on stream various presentations covering financials, a review of RAC activities during the past year and also a special message from ARRL President Rick Roderick (K5UR).

Several presentations were also given by local MAARC members which included Denis (VE9MUD) presenting a review of MAARC History, JP (VE9BK) presenting a review of CARG and Yvon (VE1VON) presenting an overview of the new Fusion Repeater and site. At the end of the meeting, those attending were treated to a Q&A session.

MAARC would like to thank Radio Amateurs of Canada for choosing to have their AGM in our area and we hope to see them return again soon. A special thanks to all those who volunteered to help make the RAC AGM a success.”

Thank you MAARC for the kind words and for hosting such a great event! Stay tuned to the RAC website for additional photos as they are submitted to us.

A photo gallery is also available on the MAARC website at:

https://www.maarc.ca/news/radio-amateurs-of-canada-annual-general-meeting-hosted-by-maarc-a-huge-success
Alan Griffin
RAC MarCom Director



[RAC-Bulletin] Larry E. Price, W4RA, SK: Honorary Member of Canadian Amateur Radio Hall of Fame

Larry E. Price, W4RA, Silent Key: ARRL and IARU President Emeritus and Honorary Member of the Canadian Amateur Radio Hall of Fame
American Radio Relay League (ARRL) and International Amateur Radio Union (IARU) President Emeritus, Larry E. Price, W4RA, of Statesboro, Georgia, died on September 10 at the age of 85.
At the age of 16, Larry was one of the first to qualify for the Novice Amateur licence. He entered college to study Electrical Engineering (EE) and upon graduation, worked in test equipment design at Bendix Aviation.
Upon being drafted into the military, he put his EE degree, Amateur licence and knowledge of the Morse Code to good use in military special signals programs. Afterwards, he returned to university to earn the MBA and Ph.D in finance and banking. He later joined the Business Faculty of Georgia Southern University, became Department Head in Finance and Law, and then Emeritus Professor.
Larry was active in Amateur Radio leadership roles for more than 30 years. He served as the ARRL President from 1984 until 1992 and as the President of the International Amateur Radio Union (IARU) from 1999 until 2009.
He attended numerous meetings of the ITU World Radio Conference and is credited with protecting Amateur Radio frequency allocations and the creation of new Amateur Radio LF bands, and the expansion of 40 metres in ITU Regions 1 and 3.
Larry was recognized by many societies for his contribution to Amateur Radio. In 2014, he was named Dayton Hamvention’s Amateur of the Year and he was presented with the ARRL Medal of Honour at the ARRL Centennial Convention in Hartford, Connecticut.
The Norwegian Radio Relay League appointed Larry as Knight of the Order of the Golden Key for his many years of service to the IARU, the ARRL, and Amateur Radio in general. The Radio Society of Great Britain honoured him with its Calcutta Key for promoting international goodwill.
At the 2009 annual meeting of the International Amateur Radio Club, he was honoured with an ITU Certificate of Achievement by ITU Secretary-General Hamadoun Touré, HB9EHT. In 2006, the Quarter Century Wireless Association (QCWA) elected Larry to its Hall of Fame. On Saturday, May 21, 2016, Larry was inducted into the Canadian Amateur Radio Hall of Fame (CARHOF) as an Honorary Member at the 2016 Dayton Hamvention by RAC President Glenn MacDonell, VE3XRA and former CARHOF Chair Ed Frazer, VE7EF. The appointment was in recognition of Larry’s many years of support of Radio Amateurs of Canada and Amateur Radio in Canada.
As President and later as President-Emeritus of the American Radio Relay League (ARRL), Larry was very generous with his time and advice in support of the leaders of the Canadian Amateur Radio Federation (CARF) and the Canadian Radio Relay League (CRRL) in their difficult negotiations toward the merger that created RAC in 1993. He not only attended both CARF and CRRL meetings, but he continued to visit and provide much advice to RAC for years after the merger. This precedent set by Larry continues to the present day.
Larry also ensured that the RAC President, or his representative, was welcome at the ARRL Board and Annual General Meetings. During his earlier office as ARRL Vice-President International Affairs, Larry invited the opinions of respected Canadian Amateurs during critical radio debates at the World Radio Conferences of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) in Geneva, Switzerland. He was a tireless supporter of Canadian Amateur Radio interests for many years.
IARU Secretary and retired ARRL CEO David Sumner, K1ZZ, enjoyed a 46-year relationship with Larry:
“As a young ARRL staffer, I had the good fortune to be asked to serve as Assistant Secretary of the ARRL Foundation in 1973 and worked closely with Larry from that point on. His accomplishments as President of the ARRL and the IARU are too many to list, but neither organization would be what it is today without his vision, dedication, and hard work. We all owe a great debt to Larry and his family for their many sacrifices on our behalf.”
IARU President Tim Ellam, VE6SH, recalls his many years of association with Larry:
“The Amateur Radio fraternity has lost a valued colleague today. Larry Price was the Dean of the IARU, and under his leadership the organization not only achieved great success for the Amateur Radio services but the respect of those we work with in the International Telecommunication Union (ITU). His work and tenacity on a number of issues gave the IARU the admiration of many administrations and senior leadership at the ITU, which we continue to enjoy today.”
For additional information on Larry’s achievements please visit:
https://www.rac.ca/carhof/2015-larry-price/
— With thanks to Ed Frazer, VE7EF, former CARHOF Chair of Trustees and to the Amateur Radio Relay League and the International Amateur Radio Union

Alan Griffin
RAC MarCom Director



Hurricane Watch Net Sets New Activation Record during Dorian

From the ARRL Letter

Hurricane Watch Net (HWN) volunteers set a new record for total hours activated during a single storm. The net was active for 157 hours — 139 hours of which were continuous. HWN Manager Bobby Graves, KB5HAV, said the continuous activation record stands at 151 hours for Hurricane Matthew in 2018.

“During this marathon activation, members of the Hurricane Watch Net collected and forwarded countless surface reports to the National Hurricane Center in Miami,” Graves noted.

After devastating Abaco and Grand Bahama islands with winds clocked at 200 MPH or more, Dorian made its way slowly toward Florida, before sliding up the southeastern US coast and making a second landfall on Cape Hatteras, North Carolina. It wasn’t over, however. Dorian veered out into the Atlantic, affecting New England before hitting Maritime Canada, where it knocked out power and downed trees.

During its lengthy initial activation, the HWN attempted on numerous occasions to raise stations in the Bahamas but was unable to contact anyone in the most-affected area.

The HWN activated for the last time during Hurricane Dorian last Saturday, as the storm was, by then, speeding up the east coast of the US as a Category 1 storm. Poor propagation plagued net operations throughout the activation, even right up to the end. At one point, propagation was lost between net members and Nova Scotia on 40 meters, although the net continued for a while longer on 20 meters.

Early on, Amateur Radio Emergency Service (ARES®) volunteers went on alert along the US east coast, preparing for the worst. The major problem was storm surge-related flooding. Evacuations were ordered ahead of the storm.

The ARRL Headquarters Emergency Response Team convened early on to monitor the situation closely. ARRL officials were in regular communication with partner agencies, particularly FEMA and the Department of Homeland Security. W1AW, which had already planned to be in operation for the Hiram Percy Maxim 150th birthday special event, remained ready to assist with emergency communications.

The VoIP Hurricane Net activated over the weekend in conjunction with WX4NHC at the National Hurricane Center to keep on top of ground-truth weather information.