A Cold Activation...

Today was probably the coldest activation I have done this winter. It was -17C (1.4F) this morning, and I felt every one of those cold. negative. degrees. Luckily I can operate from my truck and get out of the wind, which certainly helps a bit. Unfortunately, because of the interference caused by the onboard computers, I can't run the engine, and operate, in order to stay warm. Once I start operating I'm going to be cold in a short time.

I worked 10m again as it was very busty with POTA and the North American QSO Party stations. It took just about 30 minutes to get 20 contacts in the log. First up was Carlos YV1GIY, and following him was OZ4MU, F8EXM, DO9SMS, DL9RP, F5NZO, and finally, GM4OIJ. I'm pleased with that performance, the KX3 worked flawlessly, and I never cease to be amazed at how well the hamsticks work.

Propagation numbers today were: SFI=222, SN=124, A Index=10, and the K Index=3. There was lots of very deep QSB as well to deal with.

Here's todays contact map:

Stay Safe Out There!!

SYP Weekend...

I'm looking forward to this weekends Support Your Park event. POTA holds these events every 3 months, so it's like having 4 extra field days a year. I quite enjoy portable operating these days, the much lower RF background noise in the parks makes it far more enjoyable to me.

Due to the weather, I won't be straying too far from home for this one. Some parking lots haven't been plowed out yet, and more snow is in the forecast, so I fully expect a wet and very sloppy drive in the morning.

I hoping to activate at least 5 of the local parks over the course of the event. 

I don't want to jinx the weekends forecasted propagation, so I'll let everyone look it up for themselves. 

Have a look HERE.

Enjoy the event, and Stay Safe Out There!

A Cold Activation...

It was a pretty cold day here in Eastern Ontario. There's not much snow on the ground, but the lakes are starting to freeze over. 

Parrotts Bay is about half frozen over these days and I expect it will be fully frozen over by next weekend.  The picture to the left looks decidedly warm.....don't be fooled, it was -21C with the wind blowing.

Over about 40 minutes I managed to put 26 contacts in my logbook.  First up was Bruno ON8BM, and he was quickly followed by DK5FF/p, LW2DO, DL1SWB, PD1CW, and EA2BD. The other contacts were mainly from the Central and Western USA.

All contacts were made on 10m with my KX3 set at 10w, and as usual, Hamsticks for my antenna. It's a winning combination and I see no reason to change it right now. Besides, it's too cold to be outside, fumbling around, and trying to get a wire up a tree.

Propagation today was: SFI=162, SN=136, A Index=10, and the K Index=3. The QSB was particularly bad at times.

I was really impressed with my SSB contact with LW2DO in Pehuajo, Argentina, which is a distance of 9,027 km away, or 902.7 km per watt.  Not too shabby!!

Here's todays contact map:

Stay Safe Out There!!

Coming Up Next Weekend...

The bands will be hopping next weekend with a couple of big events.....

First up is the North American QSO Party.  Times are 1800 UTC 18 January to 0559 UTC 19 January.  This contest is sponsored by the National Contest Journal, and nearly always fill the bands up. 

Rules for this event can be found HERE.

Next up is the Winter Support Your Parks Event for POTA. This is a massive event that like the NA QSO Party, fills up the bands.  Timings are 0001 UTC 18 January to 2359 UTC 19 January.

As you can see the two events overlap on their timings, so we can expect some very crowded band conditions.

Stay Safe Out There!

Sunday was Good...

Sunday was a cold, windy and snowy day here, with the temperature hovering around -14C  (7F). A perfect day to get out, do an activation, and get moving into the new year.

I chose the Frontenac Arch Biosphere, CA-0023, to activate. I hadn't activated this location for a while, and thought it would be a great place to start the years activations off. Interestingly, when I got to my spot I was the only car in the parking lot.

I decided to start on 10m as it looked fairly active. First up was Luis EA4TL, followed by IW4EOI, G0BVD, F4GYM, F5NZO, EA1CDH, EA7HW, CT2IWW, IW2MJQ, IW2BNA. Then the big surprise, SV3SFJ in Greece. He was 7728 Km from me, just an outstanding contact for 10w and a Hamstick!! I ended the activation with 29 in the log, and I was pretty pleased with that. It had become very cold, and needed a hot drink and a warm up badly.

The propagation numbers were: SFI=209, SN=191, A Index=32, and the K Index=3. Let's all hope 2025 is a good year for us propagation wise.

Here's the days contact map:

Stay Safe Out There!

2024 Comes to an End...

As 2024 comes to an end I sit here in wonderment at how fast the past 12 months have slid by, and wonder if 2025 will slide past even faster?

I started 2024 suffering from Covid, and it took a long time for me to get over it. It certainly wasn't a walk in the park for me, it was not a good experience, and one I have no wish to repeat at all.

There were some great amateur radio adventures during 2024 including a 30 day, 11,000 km trip to the west coast and back, camping out every night, and activating POTA parks as I travelled province to province across the country. That memory will stay with me for a long time.

I have ended the year with over 3500 new QSO's in my logbook, 213 POTA activations, 34 new POTA parks activated, and 3 island activations, all successfully completed. I survived Winter Field Day, Summer Field Day, and Chillycon, and I had a blast doing it all.

My 2025 plans have not been made yet, it may just be a quiet year....I don't think I could really top 2024 for activities. However, I do have plans for both Winter and Summer Field Days, Chillycon, and a couple of week long road trips are in the planning stages to activate some new (to me) parks a bit further afield. 

One plan I do have so far, is to do Summer Field Day in the Northern Ontario RAC Section, instead of Ontario East. 

A big THANK YOU to all my readers and visitors here, I really appreciate you dropping in.

From My Shack to Yours....May your year be filled with endless joy, new opportunities, and unforgettable memories.

Merry Christmas - 2024...

The snow finally arrived last night, and the last POTA Activation of the year of the year is done and logged. I'm still trying to figure out where the past 12 months has gone so fast; it seems like only last week I was writing Christmas wishes for 2023 while suffering through a bout of Covid. Hopefully 2025 will take a bit longer to get through!

Christmas is the perfect season to be reaching out to others when laughter and good tidings are in the air. Here's hoping that your Christmas will find you amongst friends and family, sharing the spirit of the season.

Stay Safe Out There Everyone!!

Great Weekend on the Bands

The ARRL 10m Contest is in full swing right now, and I have stayed away from that band all weekend. I didn't want to give the contesters any more competition than they all ready have....true story!!  Instead, I spent the weekend activating local parks on 40m and 15m; both of which behaved splendidly.

The propagation numbers have been very good all weekend, and I'm sure the contesters each made a pile of contacts. I was happy with the 64 QRP contacts I made today. My KX3 was in top form as were my hamsticks, it never ceases to amaze me just how well I do during my POTA activations. 

My furthest contact was with OH5TQ in Verla, Finland, he was 6438 km from me. That's a respectable 643.8 km per watt. In second place was IW2BNA at 6414 km away.

While I was out activating the park today I was thinking of my Dad, VE7CVQ (SK), and what he would have thought of POTA and operating portable in a park. My Dad was a Heathkit guy, his "baby" was his SB-101...and I can't imagine him dragging that rig out to a park to play radio. That would have been a foreign concept to him. 

However, as long as I provided the radio, I'm sure he would have loved it.

If the weather holds I'll be back out tomorrow at another park. I know the weather is going to turn for the worse...soon, so I'm trying to get as many activations in the log in the good weather I can.

Here's todays contact map:

Stay Safe Out There!