The Canadian Amateur Radio Hall of Fame’s Board of Trustees is pleased to announce that Helen Archibald, VA1YL, of Port Williams, Nova Scotia and Neil King, VA7DX of Vancouver, British Columbia have joined the Board of Trustees for three-year appointments.
Helen Archibald, VA1YL, achieved her Amateur Radio certification and call sign VE2YAK in Quebec in 1992 because she “wanted to be able talk to her husband Fred, VE2SEI and her daughter Anne, VE2WHO, who started going on expeditions to activated rare IOTA islands in 1991. In 1992 she communicated with them again at Charlton Island (VE8CWI) in James Bay. She also wanted to operate the Guides on the Air event.”
In 1994 Helen, a member of the West Island ARC, went with her family on the club expedition to St Paul Island as CY9CWI. She “became hooked on IOTA expeditions and she has been on about 15 annual IOTA contest expeditions to many Maritime, islands, making thousands of contacts.” When she operated in the Guides on the Air Contest in 1992, a YL told her about the Canadian Ladies Amateur Radio Association (CLARA) net. Helen didn’t know that there were nets! When the CLARA net controller moved away Helen became Net Controller and is still serving in this position on 40m and 20m.
In 1993 Helen got her Advanced and her daughter Margaret became VE2ZOO at age 11. In 2003, Helen and Fred moved to Nova Scotia and she became VA1YL and Fred became VE1FA, and they joined both the Kings County ARC and the Halifax ARC. Helen still enjoys being the CLARA Net Controller on 40m and 20m. Helen and Fred look forward to the end of the pandemic so they can resume Field Days and IOTA expeditions!