BCEN

The British Columbia Emergency Net is a CW Traffic and Training Net and is part of the National Traffic System. The BCEN meets daily at 19:00 Pacific time (18:00 during poor band conditions in the winter months as required) on 3652 KHz. All radio Amateurs are welcome.

The Net Manager is Len Hooper VE7XLH.

WELCOME TO BCEN

3652 KHz Daily at 19:00 local time year round

The British Columbia Emergency Network is a group of Amateur Radio operators using the International Morse code for the purpose of passing formal message traffic. It constitutes the B.C./Yukon section of the National Traffic System and through its affiliations handles traffic as a public service for Canada and the U.S.A.

The BCEN as well as being a traffic net is also a training facility for those wishing to upgrade their skills in the handling of formal traffic.

BCEN INFORMATION

1 The BCEN year begins on the first of January.

2. BCEN is part of The National Traffic System (NTS), which through its member stations handles formal message traffic for all of the USA and Canada.

3. BCEN is one of the two B.C./Alberta Section Nets; the other being the British Columbia /Yukon Traffic Net which is a SSB phone net meeting daily on 3716 Khz at 19:30 local. Together, the US and Canada are divided into 12 regions. We in B.C. along with Alberta constitute a section within region seven. A section net collects and distributes traffic within the section and also passes and receives traffic to and from the National Traffic System via the Region Net - RN7 (CW - 3560 khz at 7:30 & 9:30 PM)

4. Other sections in Region Seven are: Washington, Oregon, Montana, Idaho, and Alaska.

5. Traffic for areas in B.C. not covered by BCEN stations can be routed to the British Columbia /Yukon Traffic Net (SSB - 3716 Khz.) via our liaison station, VE7XLH, Len, or another station who can check into BCPYT Net. Traffic for outside of B.C. is relayed via our RN7 liaison station to the Seventh Region Net for distribution to other regions.

6. The number of messages you have sent during each net day should be reported to the Net Control Station (NCS) each day when you check into the net. Received messages are not reported but they count for SAR - see below.

11. At the end of each month you are requested (but not required) to send a Station Activity Report (SAR) to the Section Traffic Manager Paul VA7MPG. You can do this via Len, VE7XLH. Deadline - 4th of the month.

12 SAR information is recorded each month and published in "The Canadian Amateur".

13 Follow the instructions on page 2 of this booklet when submitting your SAR report at the end of each month.

THE STATION ACTIVITY REPORT

When you submit an SAR at the end of the month it, along with those of other BCEN members, will appear in print in "The Canadian Amateur" magazine in the column "Section News".

Here are the rules for compiling a correct SAR for the Section Traffic Manager to forward to "The Canadian Amateur".

The four categories of messages to be reported are: Originated messages, Sent messages, Received Messages and Delivered messages.

ORIGINATED - One point for each message from a third party for sending via your station.

RECEIVED - A message received over the air gets a received point, whether received for relaying or for delivery to the addressee. This includes all net bulletins received by you.

SENT - Every formal message sent over the air from your station to another amateur receives a point in this category. Thus a message that is eligible for an 'Originated" point as above receives another point when it is sent on the air.

DELIVERED - The act of delivery of a message to a third party receives a point in this category. And, of course it will have already earned a received point when received on the air.

TOTAL - In your report to the SM you list the above categories and the points earned in each. Then you state the total points for the month.

SAMPLE SAR -

Nr 1 R VE7XYZ XX KAMLOOPS BC MAR 1

PAUL VA7MPG

SAR FOR FEBRUARY 2001

ORIGINATED NIL

RECEIVED 20

SENT 5

DELIVERED 1

TOTAL 26

73 BOB VE7XYZ

Send your SAR to VA7MPG or VE7XLH. It must be in by the fourth day of the month.

ARRL QN SIGNALS FOR NET USE

QNA * ANSWER IN PREARRANGED ORDER (usually alphabetical)

QNB ACT AS RELAY

QNC NET BULLETIN

QND* THIS NET IS A DIRECTED NET

QNE* ENTIRE NET STAND BY

QNF NET IS FINISHED AND NOW INFORMAL

QNG TAKE OVER AS NET CONTROL STATION

QNH YOUR FREQUENCY IS HIGH

QNI NET STATIONS REPORT IN *, I AM REPORTING IN

QNJ CAN YOU COPY ME ?

QNK* TRANSMIT YOUR MESSAGE TO

QNL YOUR FREQUENCY IS LOW

QNM* YOU ARE QRM-ING THE NET

QNN NET CONTROL STATION IS

QNO STATION IS LEAVING THE NET

QNP UNABLE TO COPY YOU

QNQ* MOVE FREQUENCY TO...AND WAIT...FOR

QNR* RECEIVE TRAFFIC FROM

QNS* THE FOLLOWING STATIONS ARE ON THE NET

QNT REQUEST PERMISSION TO LEAVE FOR... MINUTES

QNU* THE NET HAS TRAFFIC FOR

QNV * CONTACT... HERE AND MOVE HIM TO... KHZ

QNW HOW DO I ROUTE MESSAGES FOR

QNX* YOU ARE EXCUSED FROM THE NET * OR REQUEST SAME

QNY * SHIFT TO ANOTHER FREQUENCY TO CLEAR TRAFFIC

QNZ PLEASE ZERO BEAT YOUR SIGNAL WITH MINE

-------------------------------------------------------QN SIGNALS ARE FOR CW NET USE ONLY

QN SIGNALS MARKED WITH (*) ARE FOR NET CONTROL USE ONLY

AMATEUR MESSAGE FORM

There are four parts to a message:

I - Preamble. II - ADDRESS. III - TEXT. IV - SIGNATURE.

CW MESSAGE EXAMPLE

I- NR 5 R VE7AB 9 DELTA BC JAN 2      BT

II- JIM SMITH (AA)

125 MAIN STREET DARTMOUTH NS (AA)

TEL 434 5131 BT

III- LOOKING FORWARD TO YOUR VISIT IN MAY X LOVE

IV- BT RUTH AR

I- PREAMBLE: (5) - MESSAGE NUMBER; (R) - ROUTINE MESSAGE; (VE7AB) - STATION OF ORIGIN;

(9) - WORD COUNT, TEXT ONLY; PLACE OF ORIGIN OF MESSAGE (NOT NECESSARILY LOCATION

OF YOUR STATION); DATE; (BT) - SEPARATES PARTS OF PREAMBLE & ADDRESS.

II- ADDRESS: NAME, STREET ADDRESS, CITY, PHONE NO. (AA) helps separate parts of address)

(BT) - SEPARATES ADDRESS FROM TEXT AND TEXT FROM SIGNATURE.

III- TEXT: NO PUNCTUATION ALLOWED EXCEPT "X" FOR FULL STOP WHICH

IS COUNTED AS ONE WORD. USE THE WORD "QUERY" FOR QUESTION MARK.

IV- SIGNATURE

AR - INDICATES END OF MESSAGE.

HANDLING INSTRUCTIONS

Some messages have a handling instruction which appears

immediately after the message number. Thus:-

NR 5 R HXG VE7AB 9 DELTA BC ---

HXC - Report time and delivery to originating station.

HXE - Delivering station get reply and sent back.

HXF - Hold delivery until... date.

HXG - Cancel message if toll charge involved to deliver.

BCEN INFORMATION

ARRL NUMBERED RADIOGRAMS

Occasionally ARRL numbered messages are included in the text of a message. When this is the case an

indicator is placed in the preamble to indicate that there is one.

Thus: NR 5 R VE7AB ARL 9

COMMONLY USED ARRL NUMBERED RADIOGRAMS

SEVEN -   PLEASE REPLY BY AMATEUR RADIO THROUGH THE STATION

DELIVERING THIS MESSAGE.

FORTY SIX - GREETINGS ON YOUR BIRTHDAY AND BEST WISHES FOR MANY MORE TO COME.

FIFTY -  GREETINGS BY AMATEUR RADIO.

FIFTY ONE -    GREETINGS BY AMATEUR RADIO. THIS MESSAGE IS SENT

AS A FREE PUBLIC SERVICE BY HAM RADIO OPERATORS HERE AT

FIFTY THREE RECEIVED YOUR         MANY THANKS.

FIFTY SIX -      CONGRATULATIONS ON YOUR ...

A MOST WORTHY AND DESERVED ACHIEVEMENT.

SIXTY ONE -     WISHING YOU A MERRY CHRISTMAS AND A HAPPY

NEW YEAR.

SIXTY SEVEN   YOUR MESSAGE NUMBER ...        UNDELIVERABLE

BECAUSE OF...     PLEASE ADVISE.

NOTE:

ARRL NUMBERS MUST BE SPELLED OUT IN WORDS IN THE TEXT

EXAMPLE IN TEXT-

ARL FIFTY THREE CARD X ARL FORTY SIX X LOOKING FORWARD TO YOUR VISIT IN

MAY X LOVE BT

RUTH    AR

A TYPICAL BCEN SESSION STARTING AT 7:00 PM ON 3652 KHZ.

BCEN BCEN BCEN DE VE7BCL British Columbia Emergency Net is a traffic and training net and

is part of the National Traffic System X BCEN meets daily at 1900 Pacific time on 3652 Khz X All

Radio Amateurs are welcome X

QND QNN VE7BCL RAY IN VICTORIA (This is a directed net and formal procedure applies. Net control is --- VE7BCL)

PLEASE QNZ BCEN (check to see that you are on frequency.)

ANY QNC BCEN ? (bulletins are handled first when all are present at the beginning of the net.)

VE7ANG IS GOING TO RN7 (VE7ANG being our liaison station with the RN7 region net for this day to take out-of-province traffic. RN7 traffic must be handled early to meet the 7:30 deadline for the start of the RN7 net.)

ANY QTC RN7 ?_ (Give your call if you have traffic for RN7 and the net control will instruct you to meet with VE7ANG.)

ANY QTC BCEN? (B.C. and Alberta traffic handled here. Give your call suffix and indicate how many messages and their destinations.)

ANY QTC FOR BC NET? (BC Traffic not able to be handled on BCEN)

BCEN ROLL CALL (Alphabetical from the top A-Z or from bottom Z-A as indicated by the net control station.)

PLEASE QNA (Answer in order as called by giving your call suffix, thus - 'BNI GE Ray QRU" or 'BNI GE Ray QRU QNX pse if he wished to be excused from the net.)

NOTE:- On a directed net such as BCEN you must not break in unless a matter of importance. The NCS will ask for help if needed to pick up a weak station.  You are expected to stay for the entire net or until excused by the NCS.

BCEN ALL QRU STATIONS NOW QNX - (At completion of roll call the NCS excuses you from the net.)

BCEN LATE OR MISSED QNI ? (Stations not on the roll may now check in. Stations that have not been QNI for a month or more may be dropped from the roll.)

BCEN ANY NEW STATIONS QNI ? (New stations should give their call, name and QTH.)

BCEN LAST CALL QNI QTC? (Last chance fox checking in or passing traffic.)

BCEN NOW QNF THANK YOU FOR YOUR QNI GE DE VE7BCL VA (The formal net is over and the frequency is now informal.

• Monday NCS VA7HU Hu and RN7 VE7TRM Alan

• Tuesday NCS VE7DWG Dave and RN7 VE7TRM Alan

• Wednesday NCS VA7DM Dave and RN7 VE7ANG Angela

• Thursday NCS VE7XLH Len and RN7 VE7XLH Len

• Friday NCS VE7NI John and RN7 VE7DWG Dave & VE7OM Ralph

• Saturday NCS VE7OM Ralph and RN7 VE7ANG Angela

• Sunday NCS VE7TRM Alan and RN7 VE7XLH Len

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