After Winter Field Day...

A good weekend was had, but the weather could have been a lot better though as it snowed for most of it.  This year I did a combined POTA / WFD event, so I had the best of both worlds.  This was possible because the new WFD Executive has allowed a new class, that of "Mobile".

This allowed me, over the weekend, to go to seven different local POTA spots, setup, and take part in both POTA and WFD...and a good time was had!

I had originally made plans to take my 31' collapsible mast and a 40m EFHW antenna, but to be honest I don't think it would have stayed vertical with the wild wind we had.  So it was back to the old standby of hamsticks and a mag-mount.   My KX3 worked great, with no issues at all.

Was I happy with my results?  Not really, but given the fact I only operate QRP and use a severely compromised antenna system, I like to think I could certainly do better.  The other factor was the fact that while the propagation numbers looked good, in reality - not so much.  The numbers were: SFI=145. SN=76, A Index=9, and the K Index=2.   We also had a lot of deep QSB to contend with.

Operating in the back of my van at night causes some problems.  I like to stay as stealthy as I can at night, as you never know who's about, or what they are up too.  So I don't like using bright lights.  Last week I found a small, USB rechargeable light, it's supposed to be used to read a book in bed, but I used it to illuminate my log book so I could see to write.  It worked great, and it was pretty stealthy as it's not too bright.

All-in-all it was a good weekend, apart from the 37cm of snow we received that is.  

Here's the weekends contact map:

Stay Safe Out There!

Winter Field Day 2023...

 

Great Propagation...

I had a few free minutes yesterday so I decided to run out and do a fast activation of Parrott's Bay, VE-5142, so I could at least take part in the Support Your Park winter event being held this weekend.

Weather wise it wan't a nice day.  The outside temperature was only -2C, but it was very damp out and the wind was pretty strong making it feel a lot colder.

It was great to see that for the first time in years both the SFI and the SN was above the 200 mark, almost ensuring a good day on the bands.  The days propagation numbers were: SFI=218, SN=204, A Index=6, and the K Index=2.

This weekend also has the NAQP SSB Contest taking place, lucky I got on the air, and completed the activation, before the wall of hungry contesters hit the airwaves.  

I ended up with 30 contacts in the log in 25 minutes, using both 10m and 15m. This was the first time I have activated on those bands, and I was very pleased with how it went.  As usual I used my KX3 at 10w, and 10m and 15m hamsticks.

Here's todays contact map:

Stay safe out there!!

In Todays Mail...

An interesting package arrived in the mail today. It was addressed to me....but it had no return address on it, and even more mysterious was the fact there was not even a note inside the package. It arrived as a surprise and completely anonymous.

So, what was in the package you ask?  Well, that's where it gets interesting. It was a 1878 Jerome Redding & Company CW set. The set comprises of a full-sized camel back brass key on a jappened base and a sounder. It's stamped with the Jerome Redding & Co mark, and a resistance rating of 4 ohms. So it was designed for use with a single 1.5 volt cell.

The original cost was $4.20 in US dollars, or about $148 today in 2023.

Here is the drawing of it in the 1880 company catalogue:

And.....here are pictures of the actual machine on my desk today:

As I stated above, I have no idea who sent this to me, but Thank You Very Much!!!!  This will be the centrepiece of my key collection.

2023 Plans...

As I did this time last year, I have started to think about making some radio plans for this year.  I think it’s safe enough to travel these days, as long as you play it safe around crowds…..which I don’t plan to be in or near.  Just like last year, my main plan this year is to simply survive without catching anything nasty!

So far this year, apart from a few cold days, we really have not had the bitter cold winter we normally get.  I’m sure this will change as we roll further into January and February, but for now I’m enjoying the heat wave of +2C.  I should mention that it hasn’t been cold, but it has been very damp which is worse in my book.

Given the current price of gas (petrol) here I really shouldn’t be making any long distance travel plans as the prices are expected to rise even further….a lot!  But, in the end it’s only money.  

So with this in mind I have resurrected some plans I made last year for a few POTA micro-DXpeditions.  At this point in time, I’m pretty certain my big trip out to the west coast isn’t going to happen (even though it’s planned down the last detail) so I will replace it with several short duration camping and radio trips.  

The first trip I have planned is down to Point Pelee in South-West Ontario, and return home along the lakes, activating the many POTA locations as I pass them.  That one will be a 5- day trip with each night at a different park.

The second one that I also had planned for last year, will be a trip to Penetanguishene and around the Georgian Bay POTA parks to Tobermory. That one will be a 4-day trip, and once again each night will be at a different park.

The "pre-pre-planning" for both Field Days, winter & summer, has already started, and plans are in the works for the W/VE Island QSO Party and the International Lighthouse Weekend both held in August.  Chillycon is also on my agenda for September.

Stay safe out there!!