[karc] VE3RCMP and VE3SJAM
- From: "CJ Chapman" <va3kgb@xxxxxxxxxx>
- To: "KARC Freelist" <karc@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Tue, 17 Jun 2014 20:59:29 -0700
On tonight's net, the trivia question's answer was the call sign VE3RCMP.
Steve, VE3KC mentioned that he believed that it was the first 4 letter call
issued.
I commented that that I had worked VE3SJAM (Sir John A Macdonald) operated by
the Kingston ARC while posted to Greenwood but never did get a QSL card for the
contact (I was too late in sending my QSL request by mail).
In the June 2003 issue of the Kingston Amateur News there is an article on
VE3SJAM.
Quote
Kingston Amateur Radio Club's 4-letter Call Sign - VE3SJAM
In a letter from W. D. Holland, Radio Inspector at the Belleville district
office, a special call sign VE3SJAM
has been assigned to the Kingston Amateur radio club (K.A.R.C.) for the month
of June 1991 to
commemorate the 100 th anniversary of the death of Sir John A. Macdonald on 6
June 1891. Not many four
letter calls have ever been issued, perhaps only VE3RCMP. It is understood that
the International
Telecommunications Union (ITU) permits only a maximum of three letters for
Amateur call signs.
A special station using HF and VHF was set up in Bellevue House, a former
residence of Sir John,
now a museum on Centre Street Kingston. This was operated only on 6 June and
special QSL cards with a
picture of Sir John were made by VE3IAJ, Joe, of Heritage Screencraft and sent
to stations contacted that
day. The President of K.A.R.C., Don VE3KBN was present to meet the Honourable
Perrin Beatty, Minister
of communications who visited that day and showed great interest in the museum
and the amateur station.
Other K.A.R.C. operators were Bill VE3DXY, Garry VE3HWS, Bob VE3PSC, Brian
VE3CTE, Howie
VE3NWB. Bernard VE3NB, committee chairman, was interviewed by landline on the
CBC radio program
Morning Side.
The call VE3SJAM was used during the month by K.A.R.C. members from their home
stations. The
front cover of The Canadian Amateur magazine for June 91 had a copy of the
portrait of Sir John that hangs
in Memorial Hall, Kingston City Hall.
VE3NB
end quote
To see what the QSL card looked like go to
http://www.qsl.net/ve9wgs/CDNSPEC.html and scroll down to 1991.
There have been quite a few other 4 letter calls two of which I know I worked
and have the QSL cards
In 1991 - XL3CWHM commemorating the 50th anniversary of the Lancaster
Bomber, during the contact the Merlin engines were being started up and I was
the last contact until the Lancaster took off.
In 1992 - VE1RCAF celebrated 50 years of CFB Greenwood, Nova Scotia. Not only
operated using the call, but I also contacted it as aeronautical mobile when it
was being used aboard an CP140 Aurora aircraft. We also got a lot of you're an
illegal call" during Field Day that year but W4USN worked us calling "Canadian
Air Force this is the US Navy" and promptly announced we were a legitimate call.
There has been one 5 letter call (that I know of) in 2005 - CF3VEDAY was a
special callsign to commemorate the 60th anniversary of VE Day
Thus endth today's trivia
Perhaps we should resurrect VE3SJAM
73
Chip, VA3KGB
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