Guides 100th Anniversary Rally Get on the Air (GOTA) Station Ontario Place  May 15 2010 VE3EMO Emergency Management Ontario VA3EOT Toronto Office of Emergency Management

Over 10,000 Guides along with 1000 Leaders & Volunteers celebrated the 100th Anniversary of Guiding at Ontario Place. The Toronto Emergency Communications Group setup a Guides on the Air (GOTA) amateur radio station and spoke with other Guide venues in Thunder Bay and Newfoundland. Our military partner the 709 Communications Regiment assisted and gave a tour of military communications vehicles.

GOTA Station Volunteer Staff

Jim Taylor (VA3KU)  GOTA Station Manager / Emergency Management Ontario/Toronto Office of Emergency Management
Gord Hewit (VE3GIH) Digital Station / York Region EmComm
Dean Cassar (VA3SUG) Morse Code Teacher / Ontario Science Centre Radio Club
Peter Burke (VA3EMF) HF Station / Linked to Newfoundland
Teresa Taylor (VA3TNP) IRLP Station / Linked to Thunder Bay

709 Communications Regiment Staff
Cpl. Jothirajah
Cpl. Bassan
Cpl. Hernandez
Cpl. Ngo
Cpl. Baeta
Cpl. Semionov 
Cpl. Lo  
MCpl Spessot
Cap. Buller

Action Report
May 14 
19:30 - Arrived with 709 Communications Regiment at Ontario Place, very difficult time setting up modular tents and antenna mast due to severe high winds. Assembled HF and VHF/UHF antenna, run feed line to tent.

22:00 - 709 Comms departure
23:00 - Jim Taylor, first security shift, setup IRLP & HF radio equipment.

May 15
02:00 - Gord Hewit second security shift, setup digital radio equipment.
08:00 - Military personnel return, finish erecting antenna system, complete systems check.
10:00 - Establish communication link with Thunder Bay and Newfoundland.
10:20 - Captain Hal Buller arrives for site inspection....all OK.
10:30 - 16:00 Guides arrive in group rotation
16:30 - Stand down, return to Fort York Armories

Special Notes

Our volunteer staff had a very enjoyable time working with the Guides;

- Teresa Taylor (yes my daughter) was on the Thunder Bay radio link helping guides and brownies chat with one another from Ontario Place to Thunder Bay

- Peter Burke manned the Newfoundland radio link and had great success with letting guides chat together from Ontario Place to Newfoundland.

- Dean Cassar was a popular hit with the morse code demonstration teaching girls how to send their name and favourite color on the morse code key.

- Gord Hewit gave demonstrations on digital communications and also welcomed each group as they arrived explaining all about amateur radio.

- The 709 Communications Regiment staff were a favourite with the girls a they gave tours of the communications vehicles allowing them to sit behind the steering wheel and caring for their safety as they entered and exited...great job guys!

- Jim Taylor (that's me, behind the camera) had the easiest job by far, all I did was walk around making sure everything operated smoothly.

- A special note of thanks to David Spessot who rescued me with all of the Toronto EOC equipment and drove me home, thanks David.

Acknowledgments

Guides of Canada: Request GOTA Station
Emergency Management Ontario: Authourization of GOTA Station.
Toronto Office of Emergency Management: Use of Amateur Radio Field Operations Equipment and EP handouts.
Toronto Police Service: "911 Use it don't Abuse it" handouts in many languages.
709 Communication Regiment: Assisting with setup and military equipment.

Report submitted May 16 2010
Jim Taylor, VA3KU
Amateur Radio Program Coordinator
Emergency Management Ontario/Toronto Office of Emergency Management
 

Report from Thunder Bay (Submitted by Fred Lesnick)

Here are some photos from the Girl Guides 100th anniversary Rally yesterday at the KOA campground. It was a wonderful day for this event.

Thanks to those who leant us the code oscillators and keys, the girls really liked learning their names in phonetics and and in morse, some real naturals out there for sure.

Thanks to Ken VE3EFZ and Mathew (my son) for helping out, we put many through our station with about 300 girls present and many worked VA3EMO at Ontario Place. Thanks for being there gang on IRLP as HF was a wash for us, could hear Nfld. but very weak.

Thanks to Vicky for the invite and having us participate in this special event.
 
Fred
CIW649/VE3FAL
CFARS Member
SATERN Member
SATERN Amateur Radio Liaison Officer
DEC Amethyst District ARES