North Okanagan Wildfire Scanner Feeds

Are you interested in monitoring the BC Forest Fire Service in the North Okanagan area, feel free to use these streaming links which do not require any radio equipment or the sharing of special or private frequencies. 

The use of streaming links assures that radio interference does not occur from the general public monitoring. When using actual radio equipment the operator could improperly transmit on these critical channels if the radio is improperly programmed or the user is improperly trained on its use. 

Streaming links also offer excellent audio quality as the radio receivers being used are located where the signal is strong and clear. 

Photo Credit: Contributed photo from Castanet.net

White Rock Lake fire photo taken from across the lake from

Canadian Lake View Estates in Vernon at about 11:15pm on Sunday

Web Browser Streams

Stream Title: North Okanagan Scanner

http://provoice.scanbc.com:8000/

Scroll down until you reach Mount Point /northok

Stream Description: BCEHS, Regional Fire Dept, BC Forest Service

Content Type: audio/mpeg

Stream Genre: Scanner

Social Media Stream URL: https://twitter.com/northokscanner

iOS and Android Apps

Browser your device app store for Police Scanner Radio & Fire

Download the free app. Listening for free can be done with the occasional interference for ads. You don't need to purchase the app subscription unless you wish to pay and go ad-free.

App appearance in the app store (iOS)

App icon on your phone after installation (iOS)

Once you have the app loaded and running search for North Okanagan RCMP Fire BCAS and SAR

You can mark the feed as a Favorite so it's easier and quicker to find it later.

Network Power Control for Remote HF Stations or Repeaters (Luxul PDU-02)

 

     

Controlling the AC power on equipment in a remote location can be very helpful. The scenario I think of is a repeater 'locking up' in the dead of winter, getting to the site is difficult. It will take time to get to the site. In the end, you only need to turn the equipment off and on again. A job that should only take a few minutes if you can do it remotely over the internet.

Whether it's your remote PC, HF transceiver, or a repeater, if you have networking and the internet, a PDU can be a very handy piece of equipment.

My local ham club has a custom programmed Raspberry Pi doing multiple functions in one of our repeater shacks. Remotely rebooting that Pi has already been seen as a valuable feature especially in the dead of winter.

Recently I picked up a number of the Luxul PDU-02's. A professional piece of network power equipment designed for purposes like networking, home theatre, automation scenarios. MSRP on the PDU-02 is approx $225 US.

The setup couldn't be simpler.

• Plug the provided 2ft. power cable into an AC power source. Any standard IEC PC power cord can be used if you need something longer. 
• Plug the network into the ethernet port. Add the provided RF choke to the ethernet cable as close to the PDU as possible.
• Plugin the power cables for two devices (or a string of devices on power bars if you need more plugs).
• Get onto your network with a PC or laptop
• The PDU will pickup an IP address over DHCP. If the PDU 2 fails to find a DHCP server the unit will default to the IP address 192.168.0.6. You can use a network scanner to identify what IP it's using and plug that into your web browser to access the device's handy web interface.

Key features and specs.

• Individual IP outlet control of 2 outlets.
• 12 amp continuous load, 15 amp peaks.
• Easy setup and control
• IP “Autoping” and recovery for optimized system reliability
• MOV surge and spike protection
• Fast and easy configuration
• Automatic actions improve system reliability
• Automatic notification of connection status
• Control start-up or shut-down with remote sequencing
• Seamlessly interfaces with third-party control systems and cloud platforms for scheduling, control, reporting and customization
• 3-year limited warranty
• Connected equipment warranty
• Mounting kit included with a metal bracket for wall or flat surface mount.
• RF choke provided for ethernet cable
• Ground connector built-in.
• The unit shipped with the latest firmware 1.10.00
• Three account levels are built-in (admin, user, control system account). 
• Accurate time from a network time source.
• Configure email alerts.

The web interface for the PDU has all the basic features and is very nicely laid out.

Specifications Document

Installation Document

Field Day 2021

Official Times

Field Day is always the fourth full weekend of June, beginning at 1800 UTC Saturday and running through 2059 UTC Sunday. Field Day 2021 is June 26-27.

Local Start (British Columbia, PST)

• 6:00 p.m. Saturday, Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) is
• 11:00 a.m. Saturday, in Lumby, BC

Local End (British Columbia Canada PST)

• 8:59 p.m. Sunday, Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) is
• 1:59 p.m. Saturday, in Lumby, BC

'Poor Hams' USB VFO Knob for PowerSDR & Legacy Flex SDR's

Don't get me wrong, the FlexControl from FlexRadio Systems is a fantastic VFO knob for your Flex SDR. But the price tag might scare some away, and people like me prefer to keep my FlexControl at home in the shack with my primary Flex SDR transceiver, away from the grit and grime of outdoor use.

But with my other Flex, I was looking for a smaller, lighter, cheaper USB VFO knob solution for outdoors & Field Day. Something that I wouldn't be as worried about losing or damaging. So, that's why I went down the rabbit hole of USB Volume knobs. Many of these are inexpensive but also hardwired to control volume and mute functions only on computers and tablets. I needed something programmable to mimic the mouse wheel or keyboard clicks that would adjust my VFO up and down and other functions like locking the VFO.

Thanks to RemoteTX.Net (https://remotetx.net/usb-vfo-knob-setup/), I found a solution for certain USB Volume knobs with a hidden programming feature. If it worked for their remote station solutions, maybe it would work for PowerSDR and my QRP Flex 1500?

What I decided to try was the AIMOS USB Volume Control from Amazon for under CAD $35, a big difference from the CAD $240 FlexControl from RadioWorld. Reading the online reviews for this particular USB volume knob I saw one person mention the hidden programming feature, and I was willing to give it a try.

When the knob arrived I attempted the hidden programming mode and was thrilled when it loaded as described. I won't try and replicate the fantastic instructions on the RemoteTX website, but I will go into detail about how the Flex PowerSDR configuration is different. Use the link above to get the really detailed step-by-step instructions from RemoteTX.net, then once you understand the process, you can read my notes on how I customized it for PowerSDR.

1. First off don't plug the USB knob into your computer right away unless you want to test it for its volume control functions before programming it.
2. Next, open the Notepad software on Windows and leave the Notepad window open and blank. Make sure the window is active (at the front of all other windows), in Windows jargon, this is called FOCUS, the app that you are interacting with.
3. Hold the Knob button DOWN while you plug it into a USB port on the computer and then RELEASE the button after 1 second.
4. Slowly after a few seconds, the text will appear in the Notepad window. 
5. DO NOT touch the mouse or keyboard from this point on, ONLY USE the knob and its button function and the lists and menus that it generates in your Notepad window. This is how to make all programming choices until the programming is completed.
6. For PowerSDR I programmed the clockwise motion of the knob to increase the VFO by the PowerSDR increments set in the PowerSDR software. This uses the keyboard modifier of CTRL, and the key of the UP ARROW key.
7. Next, I programmed the counter-clockwise motion of the knob to decrease the VFO by the PowerSDR increments set in the PowerSDR software. This uses the keyboard modifier of CTRL, and the key of the DOWN ARROW key.
8. Then I programmed pressing the knob down (like a button) to lock/unlock the VFO frequency. This uses the keyboard modifier of CTRL and the key of the L key.
9. There are 3 additional programming options that I modified to NONE for both the modifier and the key. I might change this in the future, but I don't want to make it more complicated especially when sharing my portable rig with others at events like Field Day. These extra modes were;
• Press+Clockwise Turn (maybe for mode change up?)
• Press+Counterclockwise Turn (maybe for mode change down?)
• Long Press (maybe for triggering the autotuner?)
10. When you have the options that please you, one last step is clicking on SAVE & QUIT. After you get the OK! you should unplug the USB knob, wait a few seconds, plug it back in, and test your new programming with the PowerSDR software. 

Sample images of the Notepad programming screens

UPDATE

I have tested the USB Volume controller with the modified VFO programming on the final official version of PowerSDR ver 2.7.2, and also with Power SDR by KE9NS ver 2.8.0. Both work great. I did not test on newer Flex Radios (6000+) that run on the SmartSDR software.

  

Here is the PowerSDR Keyboard Shortcut list I used. I've highlighted the ones I used, the remaining three modes supported by the volume knob could be used with any of the other keyboard shortcuts listed below.

Key Sequence	Function
space bar	TX/RX Toggle after MOX is on until you click on any other button of the GUI
-	AF gain decrease
+	AF gain increase
*	Mute Toggle
[	XIT Up
]
, (comma)
. (period)
; (semi colon)
\ (back slash)
A	Freq. Down 1 MHz*
B	Filter Up*
C
D	Freq. Down 10 KHz*
E	Freq. Up 10 KHz*
F	Freq Down 1 KHz*
G	Freq Down 100 Hz*
H	Freq Down 10 Hz*
I	RIT Down*
J	Freq Down 1 Hz*
K	IF Shift Left
L	IF Shift Right
M	Band Change Up*
N	Band Change Down*
O	RIT Up*
P	XIT Down*
Q	Freq Up 1 MHz*
R	Freq Up 1 KHz*
S	Freq Down 100 KHz*
T	Freq Up 100 Hz*
U	Freq Up 1 Hz*
V	Filter Down*
W	Freq Up 100 KHz*
X	Mode Change Up*
Y	Freq Up 10 Hz*
Z	Mode Down*
ALT+A
ALT+B	Toggle NB On/Off
ALT+C	CW Form
ALT+D
ALT+E
ALT+F	Filter Wider
ALT+G	Copy VFO A to VFO B
ALT+H	Copy VFO B to VFO A
ALT+I	IF Shift Reset (centered)
ALT+J
ALT+K
ALT+L
ALT+M	Memory Form
ALT+N	Toggle NB2 On/Off
ALT+O
ALT+P
ALT+Q	CW Speed Up
ALT+R	RIT Zero
ALT+S	Setup Form
ALT+T	Toggle TUNE on/off
ALT+U
ALT+V	Swap VFOs A/B
ALT+W	Wave From
ALT+X	XVTR Form
ALT+Y	XIT Zero Beat
ALT+Z	Zero Beat
F1	CW Memory 1
F2	CW Memory 2
F3	CW Memory 3
F4	CW Memory 4
F5	CW Memory 5
F6
F7
F8
F9
F10
F11
F12
CTRL+ "up arrow"	VFO A Increase freq. by tune step
CTRL+ "down arrow"	VFO A decrease freq. by tune step
CTRL+"-"	AGC-T Gain Down
CTRL+"+"	AGC-T Gain Up
CTRL+A	Toggle AGC on/off
CTRL+B	Toggle NR on/off
CTRL+C	Quick Save
CTRL+D
CTRL+E
CTRL+F	Filter Narrower
CTRL+G
CTRL+H
CTRL+I
CTRL+J
CTRL+K
CTRL+L	Toggle VFO lock/unlock
CTRL+M	Toggle MOX on/off
CTRL+N	Toggle ANF on/off
CTRL+O
CTRL+P	Preamp
CTRL+Q
CTRL+R
CTRL+S	Toggle Split on/off
CTRL+T
CTRL+U
CTRL+V	Quick recall
CTRL+W	CW Speed Down
CTRL+X
CTRL+Y
CTRL+Z
CTRL+ALT+U	UCB configuration form

Amateur Radio in Canada. What It Is, And What It Isn't.

The statements and comments in this post are the opinions of the writer. If I'm wrong on important details please correct me. If you have your own 'opinions' feel free to express them elsewhere, this is my blog hi hi.

So many repeated threads online related to the hobby. Sometimes I have the patience to answer the same questions over and over, and sometimes I wish people would search or scroll down and find the same questions answered over and over in the previous posts.

1) An Amateur Radio 'Certificate of Proficiency' is issued to a person by the Canadian Government department ISED (Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada) formerly Industry Canada. 

• Many Amateurs refer to this as a 'license' which technically it's not. I'm one of those people that doesn't mind the term license as it's easier to say and remember.
• An Amateur Radio 'Certificate of Proficiency' is issued when you pass the multiple-choice test with an Accredited Examiner. These examiners are volunteer Amateur Radio operators of a high knowledge level in the hobby who had been certified to run exams on behalf of ISED.
• Passing the Basic exam with a score of 70% or higher is a pass. You will be issued the Basic Certificate of Proficiency in Canadian amateur radio and a callsign. You will be allowed to operate radios in the 6M band and above (VHF, UHF, Microwave).
• Passing the Basic exam with a score of 80% or higher earns you the designation Basic with Honors. You will be issued the Basic with Honors Certificate of Proficiency in Canadian amateur radio and a callsign. This unlocks HF band privileges combined with 6m and above. So you can use ALL of the Canadian bands and frequencies allocated for amateur radio use.
• Once you have your Basic Certificate of Proficiency you can stop, or continue to study and take the Morse code add-on (5 WPM in CW plus exam), or take the Advanced test and try for your Advanced Certificate of Proficiency in Canadian amateur radio, which grants some additional benefits like building your own radios and operating and maintaining repeaters.

2) An Amateur Radio 'Certificate of Proficiency' DOES NOT allow you to operate in other radio-related modes and systems in Canada including;

• Marine radio (required to operate boats)
• Aeronautical radio (required to operate planes)
• Land Mobile radio (used commercially between work vehicles and office base)  
• Rural Route radio (used on rural & logging roads to call out traffic locations)

An Amateur Radio 'Certificate of Proficiency' is only for use in the spectrum of radio assigned to the Amateur Radio hobby. Yes, this is a lot of bands and frequencies, but there is little to no overlap and one 'license' does not replace or substitute for another.

3) I'm an avid offroader and I was told Amateur Radio is an excellent way to communicate off the beaten path and utilize mountain top repeaters where the cell phone is out of range.

• Yes, you can utilize amateur radio this way. You must follow the amateur radio rules and share the bands and frequencies with others. You cannot claim a frequency as your own, or tell others to get off your frequency.
• Keep in mind if it's multiple people in your party, and each has a radio in their vehicle or on their person they ALL need an Amateur Radio 'Certificate of Proficiency' to communicate with one another.
• You can't use your amateur radios for other purposes (like rural route radio communication on logging roads for example).
• There are alternatives to Amateur Radio for offroading. Look into https://vernoncommunications.ca/4wdabc-gets-bc-wide/

4) What does it cost to get an Amateur Radio 'Certificate of Proficiency'

• Typically it should cost $100. Radio clubs run courses that typically cost around $100. These will typically include the coursebook from Coax Publications with a value of $50 and will also include the classroom teaching and the final exam all together in that $100 bundle.
• There is free course material online on the internet, the quality of that material varies, where the Coax Publication coursebook works on being up to date to match the current government exam.
• If you chose to self-study you will need to find your own examiner and that might also include a small fee as examiners are allowed to charge for their expenses if they wish. 
• If you research online well, you can find all the materials you need to study for free, you could also find an examiner for free, so potentially the cost could be nothing. More often people don't mind the $100 investment in getting classroom learning, a good book to keep and study from, and the convenience of an examiner-led scheduled exam at the end.

to be continued...

Antenna SWR Chart

 

Click on chart image for a larger view

Spent some time in the shack this weekend moving cabling around and inserting the new LDG auto tuner in the previous blog post.

Whenever I make changes like this I like to test everything on the antenna analyzer to make sure the SWR doesn't change and also refresh my memory on which HF antenna provides the best SWR on each band.

As part of the process, this new chart was made and will be printed and placed at eye-level from my main operating position.

Key information presented in the chart;

• Tuner input by name
• Antenna assignment in the tuner
• Antenna by name
• All HF bands that are workable on either antenna.
• All SWR levels from the approximate center of each band,
• Color coding, green for SWR of 1 to 3. yellow for SWR of 3 - 5, orange for SWR of 5 - 10
• In the blue cells, I identify the bottom and top frequencies for each band.
• And finally, the grey cells identify the center band frequencies that I use when testing the SWR on each antenna with the antenna analyzer.

Happy to confirm that with just 2 HF antennas there are 8 HF bands that I can operate on with an SWR of 2:1 or lower. And I can push that up to 10 bands with the help of the tuner.

New Year & New Wiring Configuration

With a new year comes a new purchase and a re-wire of the shack. 

The new purchase is an LDG AT-200ProII antenna tuner. Some nice features of this unit include two antenna inputs and a 200-watt max power handling with SSB and CW signals on most bands. Another great feature is the versatility of this model line from LDG allowing them to work with almost any transceiver instead of some of their other models that are designed to pair with a specific model of transceiver (for example my Yaesu FT-847 transceiver and it's matching LDG YT-847 auto tuner).

The new wiring layout suits my operating style, one operator using one radio at a time. It will allow me to have up to 4 of my HF transceivers wired into a grounded antenna switch. I can select one radio at a time to operate on. Typically the other radios are turned off when not in use.

After deciding the radio to operate with, and switching to that radio on the switch, my signal will pass onto a nice large display HF SWR Meter (Daiwa - CN-801HP) before passing into the new auto tuner (LDG AT-200ProII). In the tuner, I can select either one of my HF antennas (dipole or beam) to transmit & receive on. Each antenna has a high-quality lightning arrestor installed and proper grounding of all the equipment and antennas (safety ground, lightning ground, & rf ground).

I know this isn't rocket science and I'm not inventing something new here. For my solo operating style this is just a new versatile configuration that supports all of the following;

• Four (4) transceivers wired in and available for use (always just one at a time).
• A manual switch that also supports a straight to ground position when no equipment is being used.
• An investment in a nice big & well lit SWR Meter that works with any radio selected in the configuration.
• An investment in a nice Auto Tuner that works with any radio selected in the configuration.
• Two HF antenna choices that can be easily selected on the Auto Tuner.