BC Boaters' Net

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BC Boaters Net: The purpose of this net is to provide information to amateur radio
   operators in BC waters, and to facilitate communications with friends and relatives back home.

The BC Boaters' Net operates daily during the summer months from 1700 PDT using the Vancouver Island Trunk System. The starting date for 2011 will be June 10 or 17 (still to be decided). The purpose of this net is to provide information to mariners, and to facilitate communications between boaters
and with friends and family back home. Methods of contacting us are given below.

If you wish to see an azimuthal equidistant map of the world centered more or less on coastal British Columbia (Victoria to be precise) please click here.

BCBN Operations

VHF

Vancouver Island Trunk System at 1700 PDT. The BC Boater's Net can be accessed from any of the repeaters connected to the VITS. A big thank you to the dedicated group of hams that maintain the Vancouver Island Trunk System! www.islandtrunksystem.org

 

 

New Boaters

If you haven't checked into the BCBN before, please download this text file (boat_description.txt) and follow the instructions to send a description of your boat to the email address that is shown in the text file.

Contacts

To request more information concerning the British Columbia Boaters' Net please email Len VE7BSA at info@bcbn.ca.

During the boating season, traffic for boaters via email can be sent to bcboatersnet@bcbn.ca. This is an email reflector which will send your message to all of the net control stations. The appropriate net control will then relay your traffic to the intended boater. Please include the callsign of the intended recipient as well as the vessel name, and the location if you know it. Email should be in plain text format and not in HTML format.

 

HF

These HF nets are run independently of BC Boaters Net and we encourage you to check-in to these nets as well). The informal West Coast Boaters' Net net on 3860 KHz (formerly 3855 KHz) at 1800 PDT for stations unable to access the Island Trunk System.

There are two other HF nets that you may be interested in:

 

Vancouver Island Trunk System

The Vancouver Island Trunk System (VITS) is a system of linked repeaters running the length of Vancouver Island. VITS is an 'open' system and you are welcome to utilize it to make a QSO at any time. Generally, no tones are required on 2 meter frequencies of the trunk repeaters with the exception of Nanaimo 145.430 / -600 which now requires a 141.3 Hz. tone. The official webpage for the VITS is www.islandtrunksystem.org and the reader is referred to that page for details. Just hover over the map to view the appropriate frequencies for the different geographical areas. Other information can be viewed at the Nanaimo Amateur Radio Association website at  www.ve7na.ca. There is an updated (April 5 2009) copy of the a diagram and DTMF codes for the VITS at www.ve7na.ca/its.

Please note that most repeaters on the VITS are normally connected to the trunk all of the time. However, the Net Control will if necessary connect any repeaters that aren't already connected to the trunk prior to starting the net. All you have to do is listen to the appropriate repeater.

2011 - Schedule of VHF Net Control Stations

Start End   Call Name Location
June

10

June

16

VE7WEM Morris
June

17

July

23

VE7WEM Morris
June

24

June

30

VE7KAL Kate
June

01

July

07

(July 1 Canada Day Holiday) KD7BFA Tom
July

08

July

14

VE7PLH Pat
July

15

July

21

VE7PLH Pat
July

22

July

28

KD7BFA Tom
July

29

Aug

04

(Aug 1 B.C. Day Holiday) VE7JMF John
Aug

05

Aug

11

  VE7WEM Morris  
Aug

12

Aug

18

KD7BFA Tom
Aug

19

Aug

25

VE7JMF John
Aug

26

Sept

01

(Sept 1 Labour Day Holiday) VE7BSA Len
Sept

02

Sept

08

VE7CPO Bob
Sept

09

Sept

15

VE7WEM
VE7KAL
Morris
Kate
Sept

16

Sept

22

VA7PLH Pat
Sept

23

Sept

28

last day VE7CPO Bob

View a copy of this month's calendar.

Stew VE7VAX

farewell from Stew VE7VAXSent: June 3, 2011 2:47 PM
To: Len.H
 Subject: BCBN Farewell

Hello all

It has been a great five years working with you all. What always frustrated me was all I heard was a voice with no view of who I was talking to. On the other hand, you never saw (the pita) me either. So here I am in my junky ham shack and saying good bye under doctors orders. It has been fun and more than rewarding to feel that I was contributing to helping run the BCBN along with a great bunch of people. I wish the net continued and successful operation over the coming years.
73 to all
Stew  VE7VAX


Straits Weather Protocol
A Sea Conditions Program For Interested Amateur Boaters

While transiting Georgia, Malaspina, Johnstone, or Queen Charlotte Strait, amateur boaters are encouraged
to monitor and utilize the 2-meter Island Trunk System (ITS) for the purpose of exchanging observed sea conditions.
To initiate a request for actual sea conditions on one of the four straits, place a call on the ITS to any vessel on
location. For example:

Calling any vessel located on Johnstone Strait for a sea conditions report.
This is VE7XXX, the M/V “LION” at Port McNeil.

To initiate providing a sea conditions report while transiting one of the four straits, place a call on the ITS to any
vessel indicating your availability to provide on request a sea conditions report on the named strait. For
example:

Calling any vessel in need of a sea conditions report for the Strait of Georgia.
This is KE7XXX portable VE7, the S/V “TIGER” located on the Strait of Georgia
four miles SW of Merry Island.

Marine Amateur Radio Flag

Ron Drinkwater, VE7AIX (formerly VE7LEA), designed this flag. It is individually handmade by Ruth Reader, VE7BAG, and is now flown over a dozen countries. Pricing is $20 for 10.5" x 17", $35 for 18" x 28", $50 for 24" x 40". Patch $7. For more information about the flag, make an inquiry to the net control station, or contact Ruth directly at 250-746-5831 or write to: 140 Campbell Street, Duncan, B.C. V9L 3G8

Join our group at YahooGroups

To join send an email to bcbn-subscribe@yahoogroups.com or click here for more information.

Weather Links

Boaters' Links

Other Links of Interest To Area Cruisers and Hams

Links for the Net Control Stations

Do you have the correct time? Click here (Pacific Time Zone).
Need to convert units? Click here.


Last modified: 2011-08-16
Comments and suggestions for this document should be mailed to: webmaster@bcbn.ca
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