IEE/IET-UK Ottawa events, 2008:

May 01 - RA Centre 8pm - topic - Radio Telescopes - a speaker from BC

May 28 - Annual General Meeting with dinner at Britannia Yacht Club - details to follow - see the main IET Ottawa web page

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

Reservations for meeting and supper appreciated but not absolutely necessary David Boteler - boteler -at - iee.org

The 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. Completely serendipitously, wavelengths around 10 cm are the best ones for monitoring the general level of solar activity, and Covington's measurements marked the beginning of a programme that has continued for more than 60 years, providing information on the level of solar activity to users in science and industry. In this talk we will look at the history of the programme, the equipment and how the data is used. The future is bringing increasing numbers of users and applications for the data, which is leading us to the design for the next generation of solar radio monitoring instruments. This small programme has brought Canada worldwide recognition, and the 10.7cm solar radio flux is acknowledged internationally as one of the two most widely used astronomical quantities.

Ken Tapping started radio astronomy as a backyard hobby, and then found it possible to do it for a living. He received a BSc in mathematics and physics from the University of London (UK), an MSc in space science from University College London (UK), and a Ph.D in astrophysics at the University of Utrecht, The Netherlands. He worked with the Science Research Council in the UK and in 1975 joined NRC in Ottawa. In 1985, when the last of Arthur Covington's group retired, he became Head of the Solar Radio Monitoring Programme. In 1990, following the closure of the Algonquin Radio Observatory, Ken and the programme were transferred to the NRC's Dominion Radio Astrophysical Observatory, near Penticton, BC.

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

This will be held at Britannia Yacht Club. more details soon

MEOSAR - a 21st Century Satellite System for Search and Rescue

Jim King, Communications Research Centre

8pm Tuesday 22 January 2008 - RA Centre, Riverside Drive, Courtside B Room

The presentation is open to all. Please reserve by contacting Hugh Reekie max-com@allstream.net or phone 613-728-5343.

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.
Jim King is a Director at Industry Canada's Communications Research Centre in Ottawa, where he works on various Canadian and international satellite programs. Jim has over 25 years experience on Cospas-Sarsat, including 10 years at the Cospas-Sarsat Secretariat in London, England. He participated in the development, launch and testing of the first SARSAT satellite in the early 1980s, and continues to work on the next generation MEOSAR enhancement. Jim has a Master's degree in Electrical Engineering, specializing in satellite communications. Attendance IET 8 IEEE 14 total 17 supper 7

This event is run and funded by IET-Ottawa Network, with publicity assistance from IEEE AESS Ottawa Chapter

What's up at Google? Neil Fraser - a Google Software Wizard

Tues 11th Dec 2007, 8 - 9.30pm - RA Centre, 2451 Riverside Drive - Courtside A Room, East Block

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/

Sponsored by IET-UK Ottawa Branch with support and publicity from
IEEE AESS & Computer Society Chapters - Ottawa - 50 attended

Tuesday 4th December 2007 - RA Centre, Riverside Drive - Courtside B

An action-packed EV-ening to review recent progress/events and likely successful projects in the Electric Car field

5.30pm - Take a look at some EVs - Electric cars - 6 pm - Information table open - 6.30pm - Registration
6.40pm - Introduction of Speakers and Video WKtEC (7.15pm, 90 mins)
- Darryl McMahon of EVC Ottawa will give 2 presentations. 6.45 & 9pm - 9.45pm Wrap up and Close

Pre registration suggested - Hugh Reekie 613-728-5343 - Informal meal & drinks - no charge for pre registrants;
$10 walk-ins, $5 students and retired walk-ins Students welcome

See web sites: "The hydrogen economy" http:// www.econogics.com/ - Plug-In Hybrids http://www.pluginamerica.com/ http://www.calcars.org/ - The Chevy Volt Plug-In Hybrid http://www.chevrolet.com/electriccar/ - The Tesla Roadster http://www.teslamotors.com/ Advanced Li Batteries - http://www.a123systems.com/ - EV-World online magazine http://www.evworld.com/

Darryl McMahon is a member both of the Electric Vehicle Council of Ottawa and the Electric Mobility Council of Canada. He is Co-historian of the Electric Auto Association and is a Founding Member of the Electric Vehicle Association of Canada. He has given many talks on EV development and has written a recent book "The Emperor's New Hydrogen Economy". He has owned too many Electric Vehicles to remember; he currently drives an electric Porsche.

Sponsored by IET-UK Ottawa Network with support and publicity from IEEE VTS - Ottawa Chapter and EVC Ottawa - 55 attended

Sustainability within a Generation - an Ontario Perspective
Phil McNeely, MPP Ottawa-Orléans

The Britannia Yacht Club, 2777 Cassels Street, Ottawa - Thursday 22 November 2007, 6:30 for 7:00 pm

Renewable Hydrogen - How to put Ottawa on the World Energy Map!

Daniel Aklil - Pure Energy Centre, Shetland Islands, Scotland Thursday 11 October, 2007, RA Centre

Dr. Daniel Aklil will talk about hydrogen technologies and how they can put an Island on the World map. He will speak about the First community owned hydrogen project in the world which supply five business units with heating and electrical supply, while the grid is used as backup. Topics will cover the history of the PURE, the present and its future. It will also cover how a hydrogen project can put Ottawa on the world map!

The presentation is open to all. Please reserve (state if dinner is required) by contacting Attendance - 12

Park in the East lot of the RA Centre and enter by the corner door. Dinner reservations appreciated by 8 Oct, but walk-in dinners without reservations are acceptable.
How to get there: The RA Centre is located near Bronson and Riverside Drive.

Plasco Processing Plant - Trail Road Ottawa Sat 21 July 2007 - 10 am - 11.30 am

By prior reservation only. Limit - 18 persons

Plasco have now started days of "Trials Mode" for their plant. The selected date is during a scheduled "Maintenance Mode" timeslot.
Attendance: 2 sessions of 16 persons.

Plasco Energy Group began construction on its plasma gasification demonstration project at the site of Ottawa's Trail Road Landfill in September in a partnership with the City of Ottawa. The $27 million plant is 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 CBC page reports an Ontario Funding Announcement: http://www.cbc.ca/canada/ottawa/story/2007/04/27/plasco-070427.html

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

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 observed perpendicular to the source, the return to HF began in the late 80's and the 8-18 MHz range has been used since. 18 attended.

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 Radars, developed in part by the University of Maine, and installed worldwide for sea state measurements.

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. Each pair of these Doppler radars is capable of measuring a large-scale map (about 4 million square kilometers in size) of the two-dimensional convection, the electric field and the field-aligned currents (FACs) in the F-region of the ionosphere. These electric fields and FACs are generated in the outer regions of the earth's magnetosphere where the solar wind interacts with the earth's magnetic field, and they are a direct measure of the transfer of energy from the solar wind to the earth. As of March, 1997, the SuperDARN network encompasses 12 radars in total, half each in the northern and southern hemispheres. The SuperDARN project includes direct participation from scientists in Canada, the US, Britain, France, Japan, South Africa, and Austalia, and associates in many other nations. Dr. Sofko was the Head of the Auroral Processes Team of the Canadian Network for Space Research (CNSR). Earlier, Dr Sofko employed radars to measure the signature of field crops - part of the RADARSAT program. RADARSAT can be used to assess the status of Canada's crops relative to those in the rest of the world - for marketing purposes etc.

AGM & Barbecue - The Britannia Yacht Club, Ottawa - 6:00 pm - 8:30 pm, Thursday, May 24th 2007

Electronic Controls for Diesel Engines: Performance, Emissions and Economy - Brent Rubeli, NRCan
Wednesday 2 May 2007 - 8pm - with optional 6.30 pm dinner - Courtside A Room, RA Centre

The integration of electronic control systems to mass production diesel engines began in 1986 with the Detroit Diesel Series 60 engine. This system revolutionized the industry and paved the way for rapid advances in engine calibration. Since that time, the modern diesel engine has become a clean, quiet, smooth-running power plant with impressive flexibility and reliability. This presentation will discuss the historical development of diesel engine electronic controls, modern system elements, the use of control flexibility for emissions compliance and remote monitoring, and future technology developments. Brent Rubeli has worked for over ten years in diesel engine certification and emission control system development. In addition to new engine type approval, he has designed automatic regeneration systems for diesel particulate filter technology, and recently was part of theteam that developed a mining-specific calibration for the Cummins ISB. Brent is currently employed at the Natural Resources Canada Diesel Emissions Laboratory, Bell's Corners.

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 .- att 20 - 8 IEEE 12 IET. 12 for dinner

Getting Light Rail Back on Track in Ottawa - April 19th 2007 - David Jeanes, President - Transport 2000
RA Centre, 2451 Riverside Drive, Courtside A Room - use East entrance - Exhibition from 6pm, optional dinner 6.30 pm Presentation 8pm

David Jeanes, a Professional Engineer, President of Transport 2000 Canada and Spokesperson for "Friends of the O-train will talk about the status and prospects for light rail in Ottawa. The diesel O-Train which has been running for mor3e than 5 years has met all its objectives and is carrying nearly twice the forecast ridership, with 10-15% growth each year. But the panned electric light rail project by three levels of government is an on-going controversy. The presentation of technology and service options, display of models and maps, will show there is still a future for light rail as the solution for Ottawaís growing transit problems.

The presentation is open to all. Joint meeting IEE/IET Ottawa Branch & IEEE VTS  - att 24 12 IEEE 12 IET. 12 for dinner

The presentation is open to all & is joint with IEEE Power Engineering Soc Ottawa Chapter. - Social hour in Courtside A 6 pm; optional Dinner 6.30 pm in the Fieldhouse Restaurant next door in the same building, presentation in Courtside A at 8 pm. Download a map: http://www.racentre.com/e/about/map.htm

The IET Ottawa Annual Dinner was held at the Britannia Yacht Club on Tuesday the 28 th November. The speaker was Dr Rolf Mamen, Director General of Space Operations at the Canadian Space Agency. Rolf Mamen included an overview of the Canadian Space Agency with an emphasis on its operational missions RADARSAT-1, SciSat, Canadarm 2 and the David Florida Lab (DFL). Some aspects of Steve MacLean's flight on STS115 were shown, as were current assembly, integration and test activity on RADARSAT-2. The talk also addressed current and planned satellite aided navigation and concluded with a question and answer session.

Prof James Gover elected to spend the whole of his one-week "holiday" between semesters visiting Ottawa. He is a Senior lecturer at Kettering University, Flint, Michigan formerly the General Motors Institute, and gives classes during each of the four semesters at that Institution. There is no long summer holiday there! He gave two specialist seminars at Carleton University, on the Tuesday and Wednesday evenings. The first was the more specialised, describing the processes for handling electromagnetic interference with Hybrid Automobiles. His presentations had many vivid illustrations, and hardware with exposed semiconductors was passed around for comment and inspection. Faraday cages to constrain the radiation within the control modules were much in evidence, and carefully designed cables and connectors are used, particularly for handling the 400V 3-phase power transfer, at about 100A. These conditions were demonstrated using the Toyota Prius, where all modules are designed and manufactured by Toyota in Japan. The Ford Escape hybrid, also shown in detail, usedspecialist modules designed and produced by various Japanese manufacturers. From the many comments, observations and questions from those attending, Jim Gover noted that his audience included some experts. In particular, he was very interested in reports of the work done in California, where some Toyota Prius units have been refurbished with different batteries and control units, thereby increasing efficiency.

The Wednesday seminar, in the same presentation room kindly arranged by Prof John Knight of Carleton University, described the merits of different fuels available for motor vehicles. The main discussion was on ethanol, but hydrogen and fuel cells were also mentioned. The relative efficiencies of series, parallel and series-parallel hybrids were also mentioned. Many buses in service are simple "series hybrids" (as is a vehicle from 1920s in the car collection at the Museum of Science and technology!). The economics of various material sources, and processing options were discussed in detail. Again, a specialist group went home, informed and happy. On the Thursday, Prof Gover gave two similar presentations. An early afternoon one was sponsored by the Friends of CRC - a group of retirees determined to serve their engineering community; the audience included many CRC staffers - about 40, a little larger than the evening attendance at the RA Centre. The same illustrations of the various modules, presented on Tuesday, were given, together with a vivid description of the difference between the Otto Cycle engine and the Atkinson Cycle internal combustion engine. The Atkinson Cycle has an extended inlet port opening time, permitting extra energy from the explosion to be transferred into mechanical energy. This gives improved efficiency, but a reduced speed operating range. The main disadvantage of the Atkinson Cycle is a noticeable reduction of low speed torque - quite unsuitable as the sole energy source for a road vehicle in traffic. The presentation proved so popular that Prof Gover's offer of sharing his presentation was taken up at the end, with attendees presenting Jim with flash drives, for high speed transfers of his presentation material.

All in all, it was a very worthwhile co-operation between the IET Ottawa Branch and the IEEE Vehicular Technology Society & its Ottawa Chapter.

The Rideau Canal & The Ottawa Canals - Burritts Rapids Community Centre - 6:00 pm, Wednesday, June 21st 2006

Enjoy a pleasant drive, light supper and double presentation on a general topic. From 6 - 6.30 - Social Hour; enjoy a fruit punch. Then 6.30 - 7.15pm - light supper. Main course buffet is cold cuts, spring potato salad, lettuce greens, assorted pickles & slices of assorted cheeses. Dessert is a sweet plate selection - squares, etc. $10 per person. The presentations, at 7.30 pm cover the local canals. A speaker from the Rideau Canal Authority will give a presentation on the Rideau Canal. Hugh Reekie will then discuss the lesser-known Ottawa Canals between Grenville and Lake of Two Mountains. His presentation is entitled "The Development of Transportation, Ottawa-Montreal 1790-1910". The Burritts Rapids Community Centre is an interesting building with a multi-faceted history. Built in 1835 as a General Store, it has changed hands many times, the first being in 1892; since 1945 it has been a Community Centre. It is an excellent example of Classical Revival Style Vernacular architecture. The front windows have panelled surrounds; there are also engaged pilasters, returned eaves and quaint multi-paned upper windows. Come and see the features! This event has been set up to permit an easier journey for all IET members from Eastern Ontario. To get to Burritts Rapids. From Ottawa go 416 south and take exit 42 west - Dilworth Road. This soon takes you to county rd 5. Turn left (south) - signs to Kemptville. Keep right (leaving the Kemptville road over the Rideau); the road becomes county rd 2 signed to Merrickville; this is Donnelly road. Just before the southern end of Dwyer Hill Road (a possible route from some) turn left into Burritts Rapids. The Community Centre is on the left (east side) before the bridge. Coming from the seaway valley, take 416 north to the "main, or northern" Kemptville exit - county road 43 west. Keep on this road through Actons Corners and turn right onto county rd 23 - signed Burritts Rapids.

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 302 Legget Drive, Kanata - between Herzberg Road and Schnieder Road - close to the old Canadian Marconi Building. Registrant are asked to be in the parking lot by 6.50pm, to permit an orderley entry by the main door. 15 attended

This year, in conjunction with our AGM, we are inviting members, their spouses and families to join us for a Barbeque at the Britannia Yacht Club. There will be a reasonably priced meal available. 6.00 -Barbeque -- 7.00 Business Meeting -- Reports on Activities from 2005 -- Election of Committee for 2006/2007, 7.30 &endash; Replay of the 2005 Faraday Lecture &endash; "Emission Impossible: Can Technology Save the Planet?" The lecture explores exciting developments in computer climate modeling as well as current technologies designed to lessen our environmental impact, such as novel building designs and exciting new vehicles. Current and future power technologies such as solar, wind, wave, tidal and nuclear are also on the agenda.

How to get there: From the East: Proceed along Carling Avenue or Richmond Road to the point at which they meet. Take the first right on Carling Ave after the junction onto Britannia Road. Proceed north to Cassels Street. Turn left and carry on until you reach the Britannia Yacht Club entrance.From the West: Take Pinecrest Road, Richmond Road or Carling Avenue to the junction of Richmond Road and Carling Avenue. Proceed on to Richmond Road and turn left on to Poulin, just before Britannia Plaza and continue north to Howe and then turn right on to Britannia Road.