Information on our Communications Team provided by SLt Matthew Batten
Hello all,
Welcome to the RCSCC QUINTE Communications Department! For all of you that are new, and recently joined the department, here is a brief rundown with some of the information and activities which you are becoming involved with. What began as a pre-pandemic experiment to build a unit radio room and bring a higher standard of Naval communications training to our unit, has exploded into a Canada wide initiative involving 10+ Cadet units, and even parts of the regular and reserve force!
QUINTE maintains a Communications Department, where we emulate many of the duties, training, and tasks at a light level which are performed daily by Naval Communicators of the RCN. Using amateur radio training and operations with subsequent federal licensing, we can deliver a targeted education with regards to science, technology, engineering, math (STEM), and communications procedures and operations. The bonus is we accomplish all that while participating in it as an enjoyable interactive community-based hobby on the world stage.
With the Navy League supplied equipment installed at our unit in the Communications Control Room (CCR), you will be involved in performing communications work, maintenance and other practical operations which similarly occurs daily on ships and shore establishments. While functioning under our unit's licensed callsign VA3GKY, your will be able to specialize or qualify in some of the following areas:
Federal Qualifications:
-Basic Amateur Radio Qualification License
-Advanced Amateur Radio Qualification License
-CW (morse code) licence endorsement
-ROC (M) VHF Marine license
Direct Sea Cadet Qualifications:
Communicator level One, two, and three, consisting of
-Semaphore
-Flags and Pennants
-ROC (M) VHF
Building on these qualifications, you'll be able to specialize some or all the following areas:
-Long Range HF Voice and Data/Digital transmission and reception
-Short range VHF/UHF Voice/Data/Digital transmission and reception.
-Repeater use and telecommunication linking
-Satellite / orbital communications and tracking
-APRS (Automatic Packet Reporting Systems)
-Directional finding
-Visual Signals, Aldis lamp/signal projector
-Linguistics
-Line signals
-Local Weather, weather station, satellite reporting and beacon operation
-Network control and Operations, for the Naval and Land environment
-Emergency Communications operations, protocols, and procedures
-Canadian Forces Affiliate Radio System operations
And much more!
The best part is you'll be functioning together professionally with other like-minded Cadets from across Canada, but also internationally with different nation's cadet forces involved in similar training. Additionally, theres a whole word of amateur radio operators, including astronauts on the International Space Station waiting to speak to you!