Hello and greetings to all OVMRC members and supporters! September is upon us and the new Club season has started.

Several changes have occurred during the break, most notably the removal of Club repeater VE3TWO and repeater VE3MPC from service due to the loss of facilities at the RCMP establishment in Orléans. This has necessarily forced some of the usual nets we frequent to move off to other repeaters, particularly the Phoenix Net and Pete’s Café now being hosted on VE2CRA, 146.94/34, 100 Hz.

The OVMRC 2 m. FM Net is moving to repeater VE3OCE, 146.88/28, 136.5 Hz. Perhaps it’s fortunate that the net took a break over the summer, so there was no scramble for facilities to keep things going. The net will begin once more with the start of the new season on September 9 at 8 p.m. Also a reminder that anyone in the Club who wants to take a turn at hosting the 2 m. net from time to time is most welcome to do so. Simply send me an email indictating when you’d like to give it a go.

The Sunday Pothole Net continued after Field Day 2021 on an unchanged schedule, continuing to provide a forum for passing items of news and interest to our group. Thanks go out to Ernie, VE3EJJ, and Glenn, VE3XRA, for co-hosting the Pothole Net through a second summer thus keeping the net going continuously since the Autumn of 2019. The slow increase in sun spot activity appears to be having a positive effect on 80 m. propagation, so give it a try if you can, all are welcome. The net meets every Sunday morning at 10 a.m. Ottawa time, 3760 kHz., LSB.

Roger Rose, VE3XRR, who served as Net Control for the Pot Lid Slow Speed CW Net has decided to retire from that position as of June 2021, following many years as host of the PLN. A call for volunteers to take over the role of PLN Net Control has been open since Roger’s announcement to retire however no takers have come forward as of this writing. Normally, the PLN would start the new season on September 12, but with no controller it is likely to go defunct. That’s not to say there won’t be people checking in on Sunday mornings 11 a.m. for a CW rag chew on 3620 kHz. but it will be informal unless and until someone decides to take Net Control duties.

Lastly, the Digital Experimental Net that I started up in November 2020 has not attracted much participation so it may also cease activity if there’s no interest. The DEXNet meets on Sunday evening at 7:30 p.m. Ottawa time and will start the 2021-22 season on 6 metres, 50.750 MHz., horizontal pol., check-in is on BPSK-31. This is a move from operation on 2 metres last year, with a view that many potential participants had no SSB capability on 2, but are more likely to have it on 6. This remains to be seen.

As always, Club members’ comments and suggestions are welcome for improvements or modifications to the OVMRC nets. Please send all net-related correspondence to my email – ve3ktn@rac.ca.

Best wishes to everyone for the coming season.

73,

Hugo, VE3KTN.