Presentation to the RAC Canada Conference
In September 2021, the RAC Regulatory Team, held a presentation called “RAC and our Regulator – Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada”, by Richard Ferch, VE3KI, Paul Coverdale, VE3ICV and Bryan Rawlings, VE3QN
Richard Ferch, VE3KI – RAC Regulatory Affairs Officer 2016-2021
Richard obtained his first Amateur Radio licence as VE4AEO in Manitoba in 1978. Upon moving to Ottawa in 1980, he changed call signs to VE3IAY. After his retirement in 2006, he acquired his current VE3KI call sign, and is now also licensed in the US as AC1FE. His operating interests are focused mainly on HF CW and RTTY contesting and DXing. His home station is a fairly typical HF tribander plus wire antennas installation in a small town near Ottawa. In addition to operating from home, he has also operated in contests under various call signs from a variety of locations either while physically present there or as a remote operator, often as a member of a multi-operator contest team.
He began his professional career as a Computational Physicist, but spent the majority of his career working for the Canadian nuclear regulator in a variety of staff and management roles. This work history has given him familiarity with regulatory processes and government operations.
Since his retirement he has served as a volunteer for Radio Amateurs of Canada in a number of capacities. He managed the regulatory portfolio from 2006 to 2011 and again from 2015 to 2021. He is the licensee or sponsor for RAC’s club call signs and is a member of the TCA Editorial Review Committee. Richard is also a member of several other Amateur organizations, including CWops, FOC and QCWA. He has managed the weekly CWops CWT mini-tests since 2015, and was also Manager of the QCWA QSO Party for several years. He is the Secretary of Contest Club Ontario, and a member of the development team for the N1MM Logger contest logging software. He is a Past-President of the QCWA Ottawa Chapter 70 and a member of the West Carleton Amateur Radio Club.
Paul Coverdale, VE3ICV – Special Advisor for World Radio Conferences
Paul was first licensed in 1965 as G3TZJ in England. Emigrating to Canada in 1974, he became VE3ICV. His Amateur interests are primarily HF DXing and CW contesting, with outdoor QRP operation in the summer. He also enjoys antenna experimentation. Paul has been a member of the Ottawa Amateur Radio Club for many years, serving twice as President, and is a member of RAC.
Professionally, Paul spent 30 years with Nortel Networks, where he held a number of Engineering and management positions related to the specification, design, verification and standardization of wireline and wireless products, He took early retirement in 2005 and then for 15 years was a consultant in the area of Quality of Service/ Quality of Experience of telecommunications networks. Paul has been active for many years in international Standards Forums, and has participated in many meetings of the International Telecommunication Union’s ITU-T where he has worked with delegates from all over the world to develop and approve numerous new standards for telecommunications. He is a member of the IET, IEEE, and is a registered Professional Engineer.
Going forward, Paul’s main activity in participating in ITU-R meetings as a RAC Special Advisor will be to monitor proposals, and lobby to protect Canadian (and worldwide) Amateur Radio interests, in the run-up to WRC-23, the next World Radiocommunication Conference. It is the job of WRC to review, and, if necessary, revise the Radio Regulations, the international treaty governing the use of the radio-frequency spectrum and the geostationary-satellite and non-geostationary-satellite orbits.
Bryan Rawlings, VE3QN – WRC Consultant and IARU Technical Advisor
Bryan was first licensed as VE2AME in Montreal in 1959. Despite long absences from Amateur Radio while living overseas (Saudi Arabia 1978-88 and 1995-2001 and Russia 1992-1993), Bryan has again been an active Amateur since 2002 – now signing VE3QN from Ottawa.
Bryan’s interests are DXing and the digital modes. He has over 260 entities in his DX totals using mostly vertical and wire antennas from a location where terrain makes a beam impractical. When he operates in Quebec, Bryan may use his Quebec call – VE2QNN. Bryan is a member of RAC, ARRL, RSGB, QCWA, the Ottawa Amateur Radio Club, Ottawa Valley Mobile Radio Club and the International Amateur Radio Club (4U1ITU).
Bryan holds a B.Sc. in mathematics from Loyola College (Université de Montréal) and worked in telecommunications for nearly 40 years with Bell Canada, Telecom Canada and with several other employers in Canada, Saudi Arabia and Russia.
From 2008 until 2020, Bryan was RAC’s representative with our regulator – currently Innovation, Science and Economic Development (ISED). This has involved countless meetings with ISED’s Spectrum Management staff in Ottawa as well as attendance as a delegation member for the 2012, 2015 and 2019 World Radiocommunication Conferences.
Bryan continues this work as a consultant with RAC as well as a Technical Advisor for the International Amateur Radio Union (IARU).