Looking for something to do to fill in some spare time?
Moved to a new home where you can't put up your antennas and work all your old radio buddies?
Interested in trying some things in radio you may not have the equipment to do yourself such as digital modes, satellite, slow scan TV, or D-STAR?
Would you like the opportunity to show off amateur radio and pass some of your knowledge to the public?
If you answered yes to any of those questions, perhaps you could consider volunteering at VE3JW.
VE3JW is the amateur radio exhibit at the Canada Science and Technology Museum. It is the face of amateur radio for thousands of visitors each year. OVMRC has been the sponsor of the exhibit since 1974, but VE3JW volunteers can come from anywhere (OVMRC membership is not a requirement)
At VE3JW, you have the opportunity to:
- Work with satellites in voice, CW, and packet, including the International Space Station
- Use APRS and packet radio
- Use D-Star digital voice
- Access HF bands in all modes
- Use state of the art equipment like the Flex-3000 software defined radio, the TS-2000, and the Icom ID-880
- Inform the public about the educational and public service value of amateur radio.
VE3JW is staffed by volunteers. From personal experience, it is best if there are 2 people manning the station at any time, although it would be nice if we had 1 person each day.
Volunteers don't have to make a huge, lifelong commitment. Even a few hours every couple of weeks would be a great help. More is even better, but we recognize that not everyone has whole days to dedicate to the task.
As a volunteer with the museum, you get the benefits of the museum volunteer program (discounts at the museum stores, free admission to Science, Aviation, and Agriculture museums, and formal recognition of your volunteer hours at an annual dinner).
Right now, we need volunteers to help the skeleton crew manning VE3JW. The ability to speak French would be a bonus as well, but is not required.
Volunteers need to obtain a Government of Canada enhanced reliability check. This will be done during the application process.
If you are interested in volunteering at VE3JW, please contact me (Darin,
VE3OIJ@amsat.org) or Maurice-André Vigneault (
VE3VIG@amsat.org).
Even if being an official volunteer doesn't interest you, VE3JW is available for your use when a volunteer is manning the station. Admission to the museum is free for licenced amateurs - just tell them you are there to operate at VE3JW.
