Ottawa Chapter AESS - Aerospace and Electronic Systems Society - last updated 26 Sept 2009
The usual publicity will be used - e-mails to AESS local members and announcements via the IEEE Ottawa Section monthly email system

A NOISY LIFE: Worldwide Adventures in VHF Noise

Hugh Chivers, La Jolla Sciences, San Diego, California

RA Centre Ottawa, Riverside Drive, Courtside A Room

Thursday 28 May 2009, 6.30 p.m. for optional supper - 8.00 p.m. for the meeting

The speaker will present a personal history of radio noise observations from student days at Jodrell Bank, University of Manchester, to polar observations in the Antarctic and the Arctic and sometimes in between. La Jolla Sciences solid state Riometers, developed 30 years ago, have now been installed throughout the world and thus precipitated a series of adventures for the speaker.

Hugh Chivers graduated in Radio Astronomy at the University of Manchester, UK, in 1959. He moved to the USA and led a group studying the conjugate relationships of high latitude ionospheric absorption using the Riometer technique. In 1964 he set up the Space Disturbance Monitoring Station for ESSA (later NOAA) in Alaska by incorporating a variety of ground based sensors. In 1968 he joined the faculty of the University of California, San Diego, where he led a project studying the solar wind using observations of interstellar scintillations. After the deployment of the first automatic geophysical observatory in Antarctica (UGO), he formed a group to develop the fast response low power Riometer now manufactured by La Jolla Sciences since 1973. Later, developments led to pioneering work on the narrow beam steerable antennas for IRIS imaging systems, a portable wide-beam antenna system for synoptic Riometer observations, a precision reference RF noise source and a portable RF noise source adapted for field use with Riometers.

Optional pub supper in the adjacent Field House restaurant at 6.30 p.m.

Social hour with refreshments from 7.30 pm - All welcome. The presentation is open to all.

Pre registration requested for meeting, social hour and supper appreciated by contacting

Joint meeting: IET-Ottawa LN & IEEE-AESS Ottawa Chapter == Attend 9 - 4 IEEE 5 IET.

Technical presentation - all welcome, no charge

Microelectronics Reliability:

Its Evolution from Military to Commercial Requirements

Dr Ray Haythornthwaite - consultant

registration/refreshment from 18.00h - seminar 1830h - 1930h

Algonquin College, T-Building, Room T230

Parking Free after 5:30pm in Lots 8 & 9 only

Light snacks and refreshments will be provided.

Summary The talk will be in two parts. The presentation will be maths free with abundant illustrations of the internal structure of modern microcircuits. The first part covers practical reliability in a rapidly changing world where device sizes are approaching physical limits, yet are more complex and cheaper. It shows why the traditional reliability approach is no longer valid and how the need for survival has guided the industry to consider reliability seriously. The second part describes how physics and chemistry based reliability analysis is used to determine when traditional fabrication methods must be abandoned, - and as a vital tool for - selecting new and reliable technologies in both wafer fabrication and packaging that are appropriate to the commercial high volume market.

Meeting run by IEEE Ottawa Chapter Reliability Society, EMC & LEOS, with publicity support from MTT-AP, Comp Soc, VTS and AESS Chapters

A Double Lecture evening on Radar for Canada's 200Km Eco-Zone:

Overview of Tracking and Data Fusion techniques
Dr Zhen Ding - DRDC Ottawa

HFSWR for Surveillance in Canada's 200 Km Economic Zone
Dr Tony Ponsford - Raytheon Canada

The Crowsnest, Naval Officer Mess - 78 Lisgar St

Tuesday 21st April 2009 - 7.30 pm - 9.30pm
Bar available from 7.15pm

admission free, reservations appreciated Hugh Reekie h.reekie@ieee.org on street vehicle parking, short walk from buses on Elgin St
if arriving by car, travel north on Cartier St; the stub-end dead-end section of Lisgar is 2-way; most of Lisgar is one-way westbound..

Dr Zhen Ding's presentation A review of the current technical solutions and future trends for multiple target tracking and data fusion is given. Applications are presented from Maritime Domain Awareness (MDA) with HF Surface Wave Radar and Above Water War (AWW) for navy ships. The presentation is divided into three sections: firstly, two tracking problems are described and illustrated by a single sensor (radar) tracking example. Solutions for handling target maneuvers and false measurements are discussed, respectively. Then, the two problems are extended to a system with multiple sensors where data fusion becomes critical. Various architectures and algorithms for data fusion are discussed. Finally, a few recent achievements and some unresolved issues are presented.

Dr Tony Ponsford's presentation To protect maritime sovereignty, security forces require real-time data for location, identification and activity of ships in the 200 nautical mile Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ). Today, monitoring of surface activity within the EEZ is limited and largely dependent on co-operative vessels advising their plans to shore stations. Recent advances in technology provide maritime nations with opportunities to provide detailed information about targets - both cooperative and non cooperative. This talk gives an overview of a network-centric approach to maintaining a dynamic picture of surface activity within the EEZ. The use of land-based HF Surface Wave Radar (HFSWR) provides persistent surveillance of all ships. But translating this track information into actionable data also requires records with a high percentage data AIS - Automated Identification Systems . Those radar tracks not associated with an appropriate AIS, can be tagged for priority attention.

Dr. (Jack) Zhen Ding graduated from Northwestern Polytechnic University, Xi'an, China, with Bachelor, Master - then his Ph. D. in Electrical Engineering in 1995. He then was a researcher at NPU-USA (1989-1995) in the Multiple Target Tracking Research Center - then at Wright State University, Dayton (1996-1997), then at McMaster University, Hamilton (1998), and then at Raytheon Canada, Waterloo ON (1999-2007). Since May 2007, Dr. Ding has been a Defense Scientist in the Radar Systems Section, DRDC Ottawa.

Dr. A.M. (Tony) Ponsford was a Merchant Navy Officer. He joined Raytheon Canada Limited in 1991 and established the company's Maritime Domain Awareness Group. His career in HFSWR started at Birmingham University where he was employed as a Research Associate, obtaining a Ph.D.for his pioneering research. He moved to Canada in 1987 and joined NORDCO Limited, St. John's, NF, to establish Canada's first HFSWR test bed. This, in turn, became the world's first shore-based, EEZ surveillance sensor for tracking of ships, icebergs and aircraft to 200 NM. Two of these systems were then deployed on Canada's East Coast. He has participated in various international forums on Maritime Surveillance and has established many research programs between Raytheon Canada, the Canadian Government and Universities.

meeting sponsored/advertized jointly by IEEE Ottawa Chapters AESS, Computational Intelligence & Robotics/Control Systems & IET-UK Ottawa Network - attendance 33 IEEE memb 24 (AESS 3, CI 2) IET 8

Saturday 21st March 9.30 am - noon, with optional lunch afterwards

Please arrive from 9.15am, bring indoor walking shoes, and change on arrival.
Please register with Hugh Reekie h.reekie@ieee.org 613-728-5343 by 18 March, preferably by email

Vintage Wings of Canada operates year-round from its hangar at the Gatineau Airport , 20 minutes from downtown Ottawa. Their 23,000 sq ft hangar houses not only a significant collection of operating historic aircraft, but also a complete maintenance facility. Our tour is for 10 am - noon; but before we start we will have the pleasure of meeting someone who flew Spitfires in the Battle of Britain. Alan Griffin, an 87 year old former RAF pilot, who is also a Curator of The Museum of Canadian Scouting, will join us and share his love and enthusiasm for the aircraft that he flew as a young man. So please arrive by 9.15 am. We may be split into two groups. Aircraft to be seen include a Supermarine Spitfire, Hawker Hurricane, de Havilland Tiger Moth a North American Harvard and an amphibious de Havilland Beaver; there are usually nine aircraft on display. The facility is not a museum and our tour group has privileged access; friends and teenage children welcome.

48 attended; 14 IEEE; 22 IET-UK

See http://www.vintagewings.ca/ - Run jointly IEEE AESS & VTS Ottawa Chapters & IET-UK Ottawa local network

Anik F2

Ali Shoamanesh, Senior Systems Specialist, Telesat Canada

8pm Thursday 12 February 2009 - RA Centre, Riverside Drive, Courtside A Room
optional pub supper in the adjacent Field House Restaurant, 6.30 pm

reservations appreciated, especially for the supper - h.reekie@ieee.org 613-728-5343

The presentation will start with a few slides about Telesat; it will then discuss types of satellite communications - FSS, BSS, MSS. Both generative and non-generative payloads will be mentioned. The most sophisticated satellite that Telesat has purchased to date - Anik F2, with multi Ka-band spot beams and access to internet - will then be described. The types of modulation used will be mentioned. Also discussed - the reasons why these satellites cannot use modulation methods that are presently used terrestrially.

Alireza (Ali) Shoamanesh received his PH.D and M.Sc. degrees in Electrical Engineering from the University of Manitoba and his B.Sc. (Honours) degree from the University of Tehran, Iran. He has been working for over 27 years for Telesat Canada in many areas of satellite communications, including System Engineering functions during procurement of Anik C, D, E, F and MSAT Satellite Series.

Park in the East lot of the RA Centre and enter by the corner door. - The RA Centre is located near Bronson and Riverside Drive.Meeting funded by & run jointly with IET Ottawa Network = 12 attended - 6 IEEE 6 IET

The Crowsnest, Naval Officer Mess - 78 Lisgar St Thur 30 Oct 2008 - 7 pm - 9.30pm
A Distinguished Lecture presentation
Myron Kayton - The Evolution of Aircraft Avionics

* Avionic Subsystems * State of the Art in 1955 * Antenna farm and avionics bay * Wiring and Data Bus
* System architecture 1910-present * Software * Cabin Electronics * Avionics Hardware * Testing * Air Traffic Control
* Military-Unique Avionics

Myron Kayton has over 50 years of experience designing avionic, communication and computer-automation systems. As a consulting engineer, he has served many clients with various design and analysis activities. He has worked on automated process systems, upper-stage spacecraft, commercial communication systems and many land, sea and air navigations systems. From 1968-1981 he was chief engineer for Spacelab Avionics. From 1965-1968 he directed contractors at the NASA Johnson Space Center - on inertial navigation systems, flight controls and radars. From 1960-65 he designed multi-sensor navigation systems at Litton industries. A Life Fellow of IEEE, he has served as President of IEEE-AESS. He has written many papers and books; standard texts are Avionics Navigation Systems and Navigation: Land, Sea Air and Space; he has served on standards committees and has presented many specialist lectures at UCLA. He is an IEEE-AESS Distinguished Lecturer. Dr Kayton has a PhD (MIT 1960) MS (Harvard) and a BS (Cooper Union). He is interested in history, languages and tennis.

- and - Ernest Brown - "Radio Waves Across the North" or Seat-of-your-pants Air Navigation in the Yukon - WWII

One of Ernie's colleagues in Lethbridge, AB, compiled a booklet of stories of many radio-operators who had been on stations of the Northwest Staging Route during WWII. So Ernie compiled "Radio Waves Across the North" to tell the story. For some of these stories, see - http://members.shaw.ca/va3oeb

A farm lad from southern Ontario, Ernie studied Radio Operating in 1940, and achieved his 'Second Class Certificate in Radio' in 1941. Volunteering, he was assigned to a ship of the Holland America Line as Second Radio Officer. On the second trip they were torpedoed and rescued. On another ship, they carried supplies to Iceland, then proceeded to USA, only to be torpedoed again and rescued by HMCS St Croix. While on survivor leave he got a job at DOT & spent 1942 at the Ottawa Monitoring Station intercepting German wireless signals. In 1943 DOT asked for volunteers to go to the Northwest to operate air/ground and point-to-point communications at remote locations. He went from radio operator to Officer in Charge at Fort Churchill Radio Range, to Technician in Winnpeg Office, and later to Ottawa HQ & retirement in 1976. - there will be a bar break between the presentations

Meeting sponsored jointly - Ottawa IEEE Chapters AESS, VTS and Robotics / Control Systems
Attendance 20 - 14 IEEE - 10 IET - 6 neither affiliation

Radio Astronomy in Canada: 60 years of monitoring at 10.7 cm - the little index that could

Ken Tapping, Dominion Radio Astrophysical Observatory
National Research Council, Penticton, British Columbia

Thursday 1st May 2008, 8 - 9.30pm - RA Centre, 2451 Riverside Drive - Courtside A Room, East Block
Optional pub supper, 6.30 pm Fieldhouse Restaurant - just along the hall - 2 course specials $12

story of how measurements with WWII radar parts became an international solar index used in everything from satellite drag models, radio propagation predictions, weather radar calibrations, space weather forecasting and climate change studies.

In 1946, Arthur Covington and his colleagues at the National Research Council in Ottawa used the receiving part of a wartime radar to make Canada's first radio telescope. Its operating wavelength. 10.7 cm, was simply what the radar was designed to operate at. The small antenna and crude receiver meant that the radio telescope was only sensitive enough to detect the Sun. So Canada's first radio astronomers used the instrument to measure the intensity of solar radio emissions and how they changed with time. .25 attended - 9 IEEE

meeting sponsored by IET-UK Ottawa Network with support from IEEE-AESS Ottawa Chapter

MEOSAR - a 21st Century Satellite System for Search and Rescue
Jim King, Communications Research Centre

8pm Tuesday 22 Jan 2008 - RA Centre, Riverside Drive, Courtside B
optional pub supper in the adjacent Field House Restaurant, 6.30 pm.

The international satellite-based Search and Rescue System - SARSAT - has a number of limitations. Despite payloads on newer synchronous spacecraft, which reduce problems with the LEO constellation to a degree, both time delays and limited coverage create problems for distress detection. Jim will talk on the new MEOSAR system, which overcomes these difficulties; his presentation includes details of the configuration, including pictures, graphics and some satellite orbit animations.

Attendance IET 8 IEEE 14 total 17 supper 7 - see photo at: http://www.iee-ottawa.org/MEOSAR.htm
This event run and funded by IET-Ottawa Network, with publicity assistance from IEEE AESS Ottawa Chapter

Tuesday 11th December 2007, 8 - 9.30pm - RA Centre, Riverside Drive
meet the speaker in the lecture room, 6.15pm; optional dinner 6.30 pm; Presentation 8pm

An informal presentation about some of the ways Google does things, and some of the "projects in progress". The presentation will include a tour of the companies headquarters. For more details about the company see http://www.google.com/corporate/tenthings.html "The perfect search engine would understand exactly what you mean and give back exactly what you want." says Google co-founder Larry Page. To that end, Google has persistently pursued innovation and pushed the limits of existing technology to provide a fast, accurate and easy-to-use search service that can be accessed from anywhere. To fully understand Google, it's helpful to understand all the ways in which the company has helped to redefine how individuals, businesses and technologists view the Internet.
Google is involved in everything from space exploration: http://www.googlelunarxprize.org/
to cheap clean energy: http://www.google.com/corporate/green/energy/ to electric cars: - http://www.google.org/recharge/

Neil Fraser was educated at Lisgar Collegiate Ottawa, a Batchelor's Degree from Carleton University & a Masters Degree in Software from the Open University, UK. To find out more about his life and interests, see http://neil.fraser.name/

Pre registration requested (state whether dinner required, in the adjacent Field House Restaurant, in the RA Centre) - Hugh Reekie 613-728-5343 Attendance 50: IET 15; IEEE 10; guests 25 (CRC Friends 8, BIFHSGO 2) - including 2 teenagers
Sponsored by IET-UK Ottawa Network with support and publicity from IEEE AESS & Computer Society Chapters, Ottawa

SuperDARN - an HF Radar to Investigate the Northern Ionosphere
George Sofko, University of Saskatchewan

The Crowsnest, Naval Officer Mess - 78 Lisgar St
Wednesday 25 July 2007 - 7.30 pm - 9.30pm - bar available

SuperDARN is an International Radar Network of 12 specialist HF Radars used for Studying the Earth's Upper Atmosphere, Ionosphere, and Connection into Space. See http://superdarn.jhuapl.edu/index.html Prof Sofko is responsible for radars at Rankin Inlet, Prince George BC and Saskatoon; he will give an overview of the entire prgram. The web pages shows some real-time results.The initial part of Prof Sofko's research career in radar studies of the ionosphere was done at VHF; however, it was realized that, at HF, there is enough refraction to allow the ionospheric rays to reach perpendicularity with the magnetic field (i.e. perfect magnetic aspect sensitivity) over a considerable range interval from a few hundred km away from the Tx to thousands of km away. Since the scatterers are believed to have their greatest cross-section when we look perpendicular to the source, the return to HF began in the late 80's and the 8-18 MHz range has been used ever since.

Prior to the presentation, Hugh Reekie will give a brief overview of some other general aspects of HF Radar. The Nostradamus HF Radar, installed near Paris, France and reviewed in AESS Systems Magazine, Oct 2006, will be described, together with newer CODAR sea-surface Radars, developed in part by the University of Maine, and installed worldwide for sea state measurements. 18 attended.

Dr. Sofko is the leader of the Canadian SuperDARN Super Dual Auroral Radar Network team, funded by an NSERC CSP for which he is the Principal Investigator and including collaborators at the Universities of Alberta, Western Ontario and New Brunswick. SuperDARN is an international network of HF radar pairs.

Saturday 21 July 2007 - 10 am - 11.30 am
Arrangements made though Plasco's Ken Campbell - By prior registration only. Please reserve by 18 July. Limit - 18 persons

Plasco have now started days of "Trials Mode" for their plant. The selected date is during a scheduled "Maintenance Mode" timeslot, but this may change, so the trip may be cancelled - but unlikely

Plasco Energy Group began construction on its plasma gasification demonstration project at the site of Ottawa's Trail Road Landfill in September 2006, in a partnership with the City of Ottawa. The $27 million plant will to divert 85 tonnes of waste a day from the city's landfills - while generating enough electricity to run the facility and power 3,600 homes. A recent CBC page reports an Ontario Funding Announcement: http://www.cbc.ca/canada/ottawa/story/2007/04/27/plasco-070427.html

The Northwest Passage: Is Canada's Sovereignty over its Waters at Risk?

Gerry Kenney - Wednesday 30th May 2007

The Crowsnest, Naval Officer Mess - 78 Lisgar St - 1 pm - 2pm - Sandwich lunch - noon

luncheon: $5 IEEE members, $10 others with advance reservation, $15 with no reservation - all welcome - meeting no charge - 613-728-5343 - h.reekie@ieee.org

Gerard Kenney, or Gerry, as he likes to be called, is a Graduate of McGill University of Montreal in Communications Engineering. Gerry's work as a telecoms engineer has taken him to many countries of the world for the Canadian International Development Agency, as well as to the northern reaches of his native land while with Bell Canada in the 60s and 70s. For Bell, Gerry was responsible for the engineering management aspects of the telephone system based on short wave radio that served the eastern half of the Northwest Territories, Labrador and Nouveau Quebec.

In the late 60s while he was travelling on Ellesmere Island, Gerry was shown the horizontal member of a wooden burial cross, which had been found near Grise Fiord. The cross was in memory of a Norwegian sailor, Ove Braskerud, who had left his bones in the frigid waters of nearby Harbour Fiord in 1899. That chance encounter with Braskerud's cross eventually led to some research and finally three books on the Arctic. Dangerous Passage, published last year, is Gerry's third book about the North. His previous books are: Arctic Smoke & Mirrors, published in 1994, and Ships of Wood and Men of Iron, published in 2004.

Gerry is now retired which gives him more time to pursue his interest in writing about - and exploring - things northern. Last September, he traveled to Gjoa Haven on Prince William Island, Nunavut where he met with the grandchildren of Roald Amundsen, the Norwegian sailor who was the first captain ever to take a ship through the Northwest Passage in 1903 to 1906. Gerry lives in Ottawa and has two daughters, Amanda in Montreal and Jessica in Ottawa. Attendance 14. 4 IEEE LM; 8 IEEE; 6 IET.

A Royal Air Force Engineer - some personal observations
Something old, something new, something technical - and it's all true!
Squadron Leader Alan James, RAF - Courtside A Room, RA Centre, 2451 Riverside Drive

Thursday 15 March. 2007, 6.30 pm for optional dinner - 8.00 pm for the meeting
attendance 20; 10 IEEE 10 IET
Social hour in Courtside A 6 pm; Dinner 6.30 pm in the Field House Restaurant, presentation in Courtside A at 8 pm. Bar available. -

Fugro's Airborne Geophysics Survey Activities
Hosted by Richard Smith - Fugro N.V. - at Uplands Airport
Thursday 8th March or Wednesday 14th March. (date to be established) 2007, 8.00 pm

A rare opportunity has recently been offered: Fugro, a world-wide airborne geophysics company headquartered in The Netherlands, has an aircraft and offices in Ottawa, and the companyís Richard Smith is pleased to welcome a small group of engineers for a short tour. There is an opportunity to look at their CASA 212 aircraft during one of its layovers in the city; it has an active airborne electromagnetic system installed. This will be followed with a presentation describing the company, the services offered, and how the data gathered from the airborne measurements are processed to produce end-user information ñsuch as maps and reports. Visit http://www.fugroairborne.com/

We meet in the lounge inside the main entrance at the north-west corner of the Shell Aerocentre, 300 Comet Pvt at 5.50 pm, for a 6 pm start. After a review of the electronics and hardware on the aircraft we will adjourn to a boardroom for an informal presentation. This activity is in support of Fugroís Outreach Program for the International Year of Planet Earth (IYPE); it has been co-ordinated by IET's David Boteler and Hugh Reekie, together with Peter Fernberg of NRCanís Geomagnetic Laboratory in Ottawa. The two selected date opportunities suggest a good chance that the aircraft will be available. Please reserve by contacting Hugh Reekie by 3rd March. The selected date will be known by 5th March; soon afterwards you will be contacted with a firm date and any other possible changes of arrangements. Attendance 12 - 7 IET & 5 IEEE.

Some of us are likely to go on to a local hostelry for a pub supper after the visit - probably the Royal Oak, Hunt Club. Everyone is welcome to join us. This activity is jointly planned by the IET Ottawa Branch and the IEEE-AESS Ottawa Chapter. It is limited to 18 persons on a first-come basis; open to all. For reservations contact Hugh Reekie max-com@allstream.net 613-728-5343.

How to get there: Go south on the Airport Parkway and approach the airport. After passing the underpass, take the first street left (Airbus Pvt). Then, at the junction, turn left. The Aerocentre is on the right; there is a big parking lot.

Radio Frequency Identity (RFID) Tags are changing the way we do things. Over 90% of what you have read about RFID is nonsense.
But the 10% that is true is going to have a huge impact on you. Find out how and why. The presentation is hosted jointly by the Ottawa Branch of the the Institute of Engineering and Technology - the IET - formerly the Institution of Electrical Engineers - IEE at the IEEE AESS Ottawa Chapter. The presenter, John Rivenell, C.Eng. MIEE. MIQA. MIAM has considerable experience in the field. -- . 12 + 12 attended IET IEEE

 Social hour in Courtside A 6 pm; Dinner 6.30 pm in the Fieldhouse Restaurant, presentation in Courtside A at 8 pm.

Title: Software in Safety Critical Aeronautical Products - Speaker: Branimir Dulic, P.Eng.,Aircraft Certification Branch, Transport Canada

Tuesday, October 31, 2006, 6:30 pm - 8:00 pm, Algonquin College, Ottawa
IEEE members: Free Non-members, Retired/Job Seekers: $5 Non-members, Students: $3 Non-members: $10

Visit to NEPTEC, Kanata - host Ian Christie

A plant tour, including an overview of Neptec's optical camera assistance with Space Shuttle tile examination system. For a company profile, see http://www.neptec.com/

Neptec is located at 303 Legget Drive, Kanata - between Herzberg Road and Schnieder Road - close to the old Canadian Marconi Building. Registrants are asked to be in the parking lot by 6.50pm, to permit an orderly entry by the main door; pub visit afterwards. Attendance - 15 - prior registration only

Avionics for Manned Space - by Myron Kayton, Santa Monica, California
The Crowsnest, Naval Officer's Mess, 78 Lisgar St., Ottawa  Monday 10 April 2006 - 7.30pm

+ Earliest spacecraft, X-15  +  Ballistic Spacecraft, US and Russian +  Space stations, US and Russian +  Space Shuttle +  On-board vs Ground Navigation + Tracking networks and TDRS  +  Shuttle upgrade, return to Moon +  Manned missions to Mars

Reservations appreciated - contact Hugh Reekie 613-728-7343   Free admission - bar available - By car, go north on Cartier and turn right (eastern end of Lisgar is 2-way).
Members and friends of the Canadian Royal Astronomical Society are most welcome to attend

Sponsored jointly by IEEE Ottawa Chapters AESS and Robotics/Control Systems and IEE-UK Ottawa Branch - 20 attended - 8 AESS 12 IEEE 4 IEE-UK

A Backside Lunar Observatory - an Innovative Proposal - Myron Kayton, Santa Monica, California

RA Centre, 2451 Riverside Drive - Courtside A Room - 11 April 2006 - 8 pm; 6.pm Social hour; Dinner 6.30 pm

 + Radio Astronomy  + Lunar librations  + Location of Observatory+ Data transmission to Earth  +  Relay stations  +  Lagrangian Satellite +  Lunar Trajectories  + Relay Station Construction  +  Maintenance + Organization of Preliminary Design Team  +  References

24 attended - 10 IEEE 12 IEE-UK, 6 AESS 3 Life members
A CV for Myron Kayton is available - Sponsored jointly by IEEE Ottawa Chapters AESS and VTS, and IEE-UK Ottawa Branch

Space Weather and its Effects on Technology - by David H. Boteler
The Crowsnest, Naval Officer's Mess, 78 Lisgar St., Ottawa Thursday 16 February 2006 - 7.30pm - 9.30pm

Abstract: During solar eruptions high energy particles are thrown out from the Sun and travel to the Earth where they cause the aurora, ionospheric disturbances and magnetic storms. This sequence of phenomena is now referred to as "space weather". These phenomena affect technological infrastructure in a variety of ways. . A recent magnetic storm, in October 2003, was more focussed over Europe - and caused a power blackout in Sweden. Natural Resources Canada operates the Canadian Space Weather Forecast Centre (www.spaceweather.ca) which provides forecasts of magnetic storms and related hazards to Canadian industry and emergency organisations. In addition we work closely with industry to understand the physical processes involved, assess the hazard and look at ways of mitigating the impact. This talk will give an overview of these processes, the forecast services available and will describe work being done to mitigate the effects. Attendance 12 - 8 IEEE members.

David Boteler has a B.Sc in Electronic Engineering, M.Sc in Geophysics and Ph.D. in Physics and extensive experience in engineering and geophysics, including work on multidisciplinary projects in the Arctic and Antarctic. He is a Fellow of IET and a Senior Member of IEEE.

Here is a listing of other specialist Society Chapters of the IEEE in the Ottawa Section.
The AESS Ottawa Chapter officers are presently:

• Chairman: Hugh Reekie 164 Bayswater Ave OTTAWA Ontario Canada K1Y 2G3
• Vice Chair Mel Walker

Meetings are often held usually on Monday or Tuesday evenings of the winter months on a range of specialist topics, sometimes in conjunction with other technical chapters or societies. See the IEEE Ottawa Section Home Page ; see the list of upcoming events. 

Tour of The Diefenbunker, Carp - 7 pm, 25 October 2005

Buried deep under a hillside in the village of Carp, the Diefenbunker was designed to house crucial elements of the Canadian government in the event of nuclear war. Exhibits and recreated areas provide a startling glimpse into Cold War history. You will be able to take a guided tour of this unique facility, which covers over 100,000 square feet and occupies four stories underground. Some of the focal points include the Prime Minister's suite, the War Cabinet Room, the CBC radio studio, the Bank of Canada vault, and the Emergency Government Situation Centre.The Diefenbunker is a privately funded museum which relies upon tour admissions, philanthropy and grants to survive.

Brian Jeffrey, one of the most experienced and knowledgeable of the Diefenbunker volunteer guides, has agreed to conduct the tour. More information about the Diefenbunker visit www.diefenbunker.ca). 32 attended - 16 IEE and 16 IEEE. 14 went to the pub.

Communications and Aids to Navigation at the Joint Arctic Weather Stations - A Retrospective covering 50 years
The Crowsnest, Naval Officer's Mess, 78 Lisgar St., Ottawa  Thursday 9 June 2005 - 11am - 2pm
John Gilbert - formerly with Transport Canada, Communications Canada and Industry Canada

The talk will cover the facilities, operations and use of communications and aids to navigation at the five Joint Arctic Weather Stations (JAWS) with emphasis on 1957 - The International Geophysical Year (IGY). The first part of the talk will provide an historical overview of communications and aids to navigation across Canada comparing the populated areas of Canada with the extreme isolation of the Arctic. The establishment of the Joint Arctic stations will be described briefly. The stations, and their date of establishment, were Eureka (1947), Resolute Bay (1947), Isachsen (1948), Mould Bay (1948) and Alert (1950). The second part of the talk will illustrate, through anecdotes and key events, the challenges of communications and navigation at the stations. Illkustrations shown have been mainly gathered and identified over the past three years at the web site:
http://groups.msn.com/MouldBayEurekaIsachsenAlert/_whatsnew.msnw This brief retrospective of the communications and navigational activities of the JAWS in the 1957 provides a baseline against which to contrast the dramatic technological advances in these fields over the intervening 50 years.

Register with Hugh Reekie before 1st June - h.reekie@ieee.org or 728-5343 The presentation is in 2 parts - 11am - 11.50am and 1 - 2pm.
An AESS Ottawa Chapter meeting will be held at 12.50pm, for officer elections. A light sandwich lunch will be served, noon, $5 for pre-registrants (IEEE & IEE members), $7 pre-registrant non-members and $10 without reservations. Cash Bar. Attendance 12; IEEE members 8 . LM - 1.

Dr. Bill Ward, MIT Lincoln Lab, Boston, MA - an AESS Distinguished Lecturer - his CV is below
Thursday 10th February 2005, 8 pm

RA Centre, Courtside A Room, 2451 Riverside Drive
use East parking lost and access by the new, corner entrance
send an email stating numbers, and yes/no for dinner - Hugh Reekie - 613-728-5343
reservations appreciated, but walk-in dinners without reservation is acceptable
80 attended the lecture -- 47 IEEE members, 20 IEE-UK members - 65 attended the dinner

Northern Canada Distant Early Warning Radar -- MIT Lincoln Labs "From the DEW Line to the Texas Towers"

Dr. Bill Ward, MIT Lincoln Lab, Boston, MA - an illustrated presentation

Friday 11th February 2005, 9.30 am - CRC Auditorium, Bldg 2A - 3701 Carling Avenue
Bill Ward is an AESS Distinguished Lecturer - pre-registration is required for all visitors without card access to Building 2, CRC

Massachusetts Institute of Technology's Lincoln Laboratory has pioneered advanced electronics since its beginning in February 1951 as a Federally Funded Research and Development Center. Its fundamental mission has remained little changed since its inception: the application of science and advanced technologies to critical problems of national security. Early Lincoln Laboratory research focused on the design and prototype development of the Dew Line and BMEWS networks of ground-based radars and aircraft control centers for continental air defense.  Attendance - 24 total - 12 IEEE members

A History of Navigation - Myron Kayton, Santa Monica, California -- RA Centre, 2451 Riverside Drive, Ottawa
Tuesday 4 Feb 2003, Dinner - 6 pm - presentation 7.45 pm for 8 pm

There has been interest from various sources for an active IEEE Life Member group in Ottawa, and informal lunchtime gatherings have been held. A midwinter dinner and presentation have been arranged. The Dinner is at the Fieldhouse Restaurant in the new East Block of the RA Centre. For the dinner, select from the full menu and make payment as in any restaurant; there is no set menu..  Myron Kayton, who has his own consulting company in California, is well informed about all types of radars and navigation systems. He is an excellent speaker, and is coming to Ottawa under the AESS "Distinguished Lecturer" program. There will be a discussion at 7.45 pm to consider the formal creation of a Life Member group in Ottawa - presently it is informal. The technical presentation will start at 8 pm. The "Courtside A" lecture theatre is just a moments walk from the restaurant - there is a special elevator for those unable to take the stair - Attendance 18 - IEEE 8, non-member 10

The St Lawrence Seaway Vessel Automatic Identification System - AIS -- Bert Tepper - Canadian Coast Guard

Ship-Shore Communications in Canada, and the Introduction of Digital Selective Calling -- George Olmstead - Canadian Coast Guard - Fisheries and Oceans Canada

both presented on Mon Apr 28 2003 - Attendance 18 - IEEE 10, non-member 8

Inertial Navigation Systems - Myron Kayton, Santa Monica, California
Monday 3 Feb 2003, 1.30 - 3.30 pm - Auditorium, Bldg 2A, Communications Research Centre - 3701 Carling Ave, Ottawa - Attendance 37 - IEEE 16, non-member 21