RAC Bulletin 2009-10-03

RAC Ontario Section Bulletin for October 3, 2009

NATIONAL NEWS

ONTARIO SECTION NEWS

1. Bill 118 In Effect Oct. 26

Ontario's Ministry of Transportation announced today that Bill 118
is coming into effect as of Oct. 26. The new law will make it illegal
for drivers to talk, text, type, dial or email using hand-held cell
phones and other hand-held communications and entertainment devices.
Following a three-month period that begins October 26, where the
focus will be on educating drivers, police will start issuing tickets
on February 1, 2010.

All two-way radios in all vehicles with the exception of emergency
responding vehicles must be hands-free in three years time. At the
end of the three-year exemption, all commercial, CB and amateur radio
equipment used in moving vehicles by the vehicle operator must be
hands-free in operation.

-- RAC Blog

ITEMS OF INTEREST

2. Hamilton Hamfest

The Hamilton Amateur Radio Club will hold its 2009 Hamfest on
Saturday, October 17, at the Ancaster Fairgrounds, 630 Trinity Rd.,
at the southwest corner of Hwy 53 & Hwy 52, about 1 mile south from
the Hwy 52 exit from the 403. Open to the public at 9 a.m.; talk-in
on VE3NCF repeater, 146.76 (-), tone 131.8. For more information
visit www.hamiltonarc.ca

-- RAC Events Database

3. Midway Island DXpedition

The 2009 Expedition to Midway Island, DXCC Entity KH4, will take
place from 9 October to 19 October 2009. For more information see
www.midway2009.com

-- K4M Expedition Team

4. ARISS Contact with Cedarview School

Students attending Cedarview Middle School in Ottawa experienced an
Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) contact on
Thursday, September 24. Astronaut Robert Thirsk, VA3CSA answered 20
questions put to him by the students. CTV Ottawa and other local
media provided news coverage.

-- ISS Fan Club

5. Old IRCs About to Expire

If you do a lot of QSLing and regularly use International Reply
Coupons (IRCs) you should be aware that the old-style IRC -- the
Michelangelo two fingers about to touch -- was recently replaced, as
of July 1st, by a new coupon -- the Nairobi model IRC.

The old style IRC will be accepted for redemption at post offices
around the world until December 31st 2009. Anyone with a stockpile of
this older IRC version should make plans to cash them in for stamps
as soon as possible.

-- Howard Dickson, VE1DHD, via RAC News Service