OVMRC – Week 14

This Week:

*VHF/UHF station operation by VE3EJJ
*Station setup & buying equipment by VE3OIJ

This week’s material covered a topic that hints at the summation of the course once everyone passes the Industry Canada examination – actually buying & using radio equipment. Ernie’s (VE3EJJ) talk covered various aspects of operating on the VHF/UHF (2m / 70cm) bands and the typical modes of communication that new amateurs will likely use. The principles of repeater operation were well presented, though I think that the discussion would benefit from a brief demonstration as to how half-duplex operation works.

The second topic was presented by Darin (VE3OIJ) and covered the fundamentals of station design, purchase and setup. There was some great information presented to help the neophyte operator decide what equipment they will require, what features to consider, and just as importantly, which options are a waste of money.

So it would seem that the radio theory portion of the course has more or less given way to the practical applications of amateur radio. I have a feeling that there will be much relief from those who were scared off by the theory.