Category Archives: CFARS

Canadian Forces Affiliate Radio System

VE100VIMY – I’m Going to Vimy Ridge

I have been selected as an operator by the Vimy Commemorative Station Society and will be travelling to Vimy, France, along with my wife, Cassandra McBride, VA3MEW, to operate from the Canadian National Vimy Memorial in April of 2017, to mark the 100th anniversary of the taking of Vimy Ridge by the Canadian Armed Forces during World… Read more »

Exercise Noble Skywave 2016

It’s been a long while since I’ve written anything here. Catching up with life after the (extremely successful) St. Paul Island DXPedition has kept me busy, but I’ve still managed to find time to play radio. Once again, the Canadian Military Communications and Electronics Network (CMCEN) and the 8 Air Communications and Control Squadron are hosting Exercise Noble… Read more »

HF Automatic Link Establishment (ALE)

Automatic Link Establishment, or ALE for short, has become a worldwide standard for initiating HF communications between two or more points. In short, you program a radio with the channels you have access to, and that radio scans and “sounds” periodically establishing knowledge of other radios similarly scanning and sounding to create a network. At… Read more »

CAF/CFARS: Exercise Noble Skywave 2015

For the past couple of years, the Canadian Forces School of Communications and Electronics has hosted an international HF communications exercise that includes the “Five Eyes” nations of Canada, the US, Great Britain, Australia and New Zealand. One of the best parts about being a member of CFARS is that I get to participate. At 4AM… Read more »

Are Amateur Radio-Based Emergency Communications Still Relevant?

There are many long-standing arguments within the Amateur Radio Community, and I’d have to say this one probably sits in the Top 10. It’s one of those things that every ham has a strong opinion on, from “we are the be all and end all of disaster communications planning” down to “hams who show up to… Read more »