I’ve recently been asked to write some instructional posts about how to become a Ham Radio or Amateur Radio Operator so let’s start off with what a Ham Operator is:

According to Wikipedia:

An amateur radio operator is someone who uses equipment at an amateur radio station to engage in two-way personal communications with other amateur operators on radio frequencies assigned to the amateur radio service. Amateur radio operators have been granted an amateur radio license by a governmental regulatory authority after passing an examination on applicable regulations, electronics, radio theory, and radio operation. As a component of their license, amateur radio operators are assigned a call sign that they use to identify themselves during communication. There are about three million amateur radio operators worldwide.[1]

Well, that sounds quite boring. Snore. Becoming a Ham was an exciting time in my life. My husband and I had opened an electronics repair shop which catered to Truckers. We fixed pretty much any electronic devices they had in their cabs but we focused mainly on two-way radio repair. I knew only basic electronics when we opened the shop, such as reading schematics, using a multi-meter and being able to fix simple electronics problems in my home.

My husband and I worked in close quarters, an 11’ by 24’ job site trailer, and I’m telling you that man is patient. He is also an excellent teacher! He taught me more than I thought myself capable of and it was amazing. Before long I was a very capable radio technician and the drivers began to trust my work. My focus was mainly on C.B. or Citizen’s Band radios… or “children’s band” or “Sesame Street band”. C.B. radios require no licensing and it shows. Some operators’ behaviour could be pretty outlandish but it could also be a lot of fun

C.B. radios run on the 11-meter band or 26.965 M to 27.405 M. (M = megahertz) What the heck does that mean? Radio is all about the length of the distance from the peak of one wave to the peak of the next wave, or wave tip to wave tip. The waves being electromagnetic waves, that range from radio waves all the way up through microwaves, x-rays and all the way up to light waves, infra-red and ultraviolet.

So C.B. radio is 11 meters from peak to peak hence it’s the 11 meter band. If you take the speed of light and divide that by 11 meters you get 27 M roughly, the speed of light being 299792458mps (meters per second).

We had quite a radio set-up. I was running an RCI 2970 at my bench which was connected to an Antron 99 antenna on a 40-foot T.V. tower. You could hear me for miles. It was a nice clean signal. (At this point I could get lost down a rabbit hole explaining why a clean signal is important but I’ll cover that in another post.) It was part of our marketing ploy to have me “man” the radio when drivers called in. I loved it!

When we bought this old girl she wasn’t working very well so I fixed her! Yup!! It was just some cold solder joints, which means the solder had broken and just needed to be redone. The hardest trick was finding it. After re-aligning the whole radio she worked beautifully.

One of our regular customers traded my husband’s tech work for the radio. It was a done deal and I was quite excited. I called our supplier, asked him to add an ARRL Handbook to our order and began studying for my exam.

I refer to my copy of the A.R.R.L. Handbook as my “Ham Bible” because it is the definitive guide to almost every topic regarding Ham Radio that a newbie would need. I’ll never forget building my first antenna using this book for reference. It was my first major accomplishment.

Here in Canada, we have a national association called R.A.C., Radio Amateurs of Canada which is an excellent source of information. You can enroll in an online class or purchase your study guides. If you prefer a classroom setting find out if there is a Ham Radio Club in your area and join it. They almost always offer classes.

Once you’ve earned your Amateur Radio call sign it’s yours for LIFE!! I will always be VE3LYY.

Even though I’m Canadian I highly recommend getting your hands on a copy of the A.R.R.L Handbook. It really doesn’t matter if it’s the most recent one. You can find them on E-bay or Amazon or maybe through a local Ham Club. A.R.R.L. or American Radio Relay League is the American equivalent of R.A.C and their website is another valuable source of information.

A word of caution: if you do have Ham equipment please ignore the impulse to key-up without a license. Airlines, emergency services and the military use these radios and the last thing you want to do is accidentally interfere with their operations. You will be heavily fined and possibly imprisoned.

Everyone has their own motivation for becoming a licensed Ham but when it comes down to it when the SHTF Ham Radio Operators are our first line of defence.

Over the years through our local radio club, L.A.R.C. (London and Area Radio Club) I’ve been involved in a search for a missing child (this turned out positive and the child was found safe and sound.), I’ve been part of the CANWARN team which monitors crazy weather and reports in and various other activities like patrolling London on Devil’s Night. Being a member of a Ham Community is never dull and I’m always learning new things.

Until next time friends…

When I found out that a “Call to Arms” had been sent throughout @thealliance family I wasn’t really sure how to contribute, at first. I mean I knew I could write any post and donate the proceeds to @youareHOPE but I really wanted to focus on something to do with community. The funny thing is I was sitting in Carling Heights Optimist Community centre while I was pondering this. LOL!! Finally, while walking down the hall towards the pool I started really looking around. “How could I have missed all this?”

A whiteboard for everyone to enjoy colouring!!

The Community built Fairy Gardens!

My husband and I are here once or twice a week yet I’ve not really noticed the small things that make it a family-focused community centre.

A community member built pretty boxes to plant fairy gardens then engaged the Day Camp children to use their imaginations and plant the gardens. Adorable! There are several Rock stickers on the hall floor with fun things to do relating to the fairy gardens.

Even the stairs leading up to the pool viewing area have activities to occupy young minds!

The Carling Heights Community Centre was originally built as the community centre for the Canadian Forces Base locally known as “Wolseley Barracks”. The land was sold to the city at some point, possibly during the 80’s, but I learned that via word of mouth so I’m not sure. According to my “Army Bratt” friend, who grew up in a military family, the centre hasn’t changed much over the years.

The Carling Heights Optimist Community Centre has most of the amenities you would ever need but my husband and I only use the pool. I am thinking about taking a Tai Chi class this winter, something I’ve always wanted to do.

If you are interested in the Community Centre here’s their website. If you’d like to look a little further here’s a good site about the Carling Community and if you are interested in the history of the Canadian Forces Base this site is a good start.

So get out into your Community and start looking around! I bet you’ll be surprised what you find!

Until next time friends…

Hey everyone! I want to share a little story about how my daughter and I unexpectedly found ourselves at Pride this year. We had planned just to hang out downtown, completely unaware that it was the day of the Pride parade. I only realized it when my bus had to take a detour.

Stepping off the bus, I noticed the stormy sky and hoped to dodge the rain. My daughter had the same thought and suggested we wait it out at a new coffee shop. Though I can’t recall its name and forgot to snap photos (oops!), the place was lovely, and the iced tea was fantastic! I was just so excited to catch up with my daughter after weeks apart that the name of the coffee shop slipped my mind.

We sat there, chatting away and sipping our drinks, watching others get caught in the rain and sharing a laugh about our good fortune. When the rain let up, we decided to brave the parade, confident we wouldn’t melt in the drizzle.

Approaching the parade route, we were greeted by a sea of colourful, cheerful people, undeterred by the rain. The atmosphere was vibrant with music and laughter, but there were a few protesters too, with police nearby ensuring everything stayed peaceful. Interestingly, off-duty officers were also part of the parade, donning pink shirts and looking quite cute!

The parade was a celebration of peace and love, and it was heartwarming to see everyone so happy and friendly. It’s a shame that some people can’t move past their prejudices, but hey, all that negativity can’t be good for anyone. Once the parade started, the music and cheers drowned out any dissenting voices.

I admit, I didn’t take many photos – I was just so caught up in the fun and excitement! People were dancing, handing out beads and candies, and no one minded getting a bit wet from the Super-Soakers and mist sprayers on the floats. The atmosphere was incredibly positive and inclusive.

It was amazing to see groups like the Teacher’s Union and Scouts, who might not have participated a decade ago, now fully embracing the event with bright colours and high spirits. It’s a sign of growing acceptance, and it gives me hope for the future in other areas like race and ethnicity.

The parade ended with a much-anticipated appearance by the firemen – let’s just say, they did not disappoint! As the crowd dispersed, my daughter and I strolled through Victoria Park, taking in all the sights and booths. It was a day where the extraordinary became ordinary, and it made me wish every day could be that open and accepting.

Eventually, real life called, and we parted ways, feeling happy and content to have shared such a wonderful experience. I’m definitely planning to be back next year, and who knows, maybe I’ll join in and deck myself out too!

Until next time friends…