Finally Got Out...

It's been a weird week both propagation and weather wise here so not much radio work has been done.....in fact today was the first time this week I have been out playing portable radio.

It was -4C (24F) when I arrived at Lemoine Park this morning for a very quick activation, It was a good job that no wind was blowing to make it even worse. Winter has definitely arrived already in Collins Bay.

Propagation looked awful. Fortunately I only looked at the numbers after I arrived in the park, otherwise I would have probably stayed home. Today they were: SFI=138, SN=64, A Index=22, and the K Index=4. On top of that the solar wind was up at 620 kps, which really doesn't help matters at all.

Radio used today was my KX3 set at 10w, and as usual I used a hamstick for my antenna.

I set up on 40m, which was shown as being in poor condition, and almost immediately had Ben, KM6HJC, call me from Ohio. Another thirteen contacts made it into my log before the band seemed to shut down and I packed up.

Next week's weather isn't looking too good at the moment. The weather man is calling for snow every day, so that may slow things down a bit.

Here's todays contact map:

Nothing outstanding, and no DX. Just good fun!

Stay Safe Out There!! 

A Complaint...

I received an email last night from a reader of the Blog asking why I do so much POTA. Apparently, he doesn't appreciate the fact that I like to operate QRP, and outdoors, and he's tired of reading about it.

First of all I like to operate outdoors. It's very relaxing, and I think a damn site better for me than sitting in the shack operating all day. 

Over the years I have been doing POTA I believe it's greatly improved my operating skills. It's certainly forced me to learn CW. Keep in mind I only operate QRP when I'm portable. With QRP you either improve your skill level or you don't make many contacts. These skills also transfer over to operating QRO, so it's a win-win situation. 

Why QRP? Well let's be honest here, any fool can go out and use 200w and make 100's of contacts using big rigs and heavy batteries. I prefer the opposite, small rigs and lightweight Bioenno batteries, items I can carry with no problem in a small rucksack. I also don't care if I make 10 contacts or 100 when I'm at a park, it's the fact I'm out relaxing in nature that matters to me.

QRP requires that you also have a good grasp of the daily propagation, and how it affects the various bands so it enhances your operating session. It's all part of the bigger learning package. 

And finally, it's my hobby and I do it my way. The only person I have to please is me. It's ok by me if you don't want to read about my adventures.

For many years after I left the Air Force I suffered with huge Anxiety Attacks, a form of PTSD. Nothing helped me, and for a long time I was in a pretty dark place. Then I found POTA and threw myself into it hoping it would give me something different to think about, trips to plan, and something to look forward to other than staring at four walls in the house. It has worked, I very rarely suffer through an anxiety attack since I started doing POTA.........That's why I do it.

The VA3KS Memorial Event...

It was 1C (33F) and raining when I left home this morning, it quickly turned to wet snow as I travelled north on Highway 15 to Portland Conservation Area. Arriving in the Village of Portland I was met with 5 cm (2") of fresh wet snow and an outside temperature of -4C (28F). Not the weather I had expected.

I was hoping that everything would go well for the VA3KS Memorial Event, in fact it went much better than I anticipated.

Propagation today was: SFI=119, SN=66, A Index=6, and the K Index=2. Not the best numbers, but usable. 

Looking at the POTA Spot page I decided to start the activation on 15m, that was a good idea. First in the log today was Ryszard, SP8DJY. He was quickly followed by 16 other European DX Stations. The furthest contact was with SY2BEW in Greece, he was 7,621 km away, and he gave me a 55 signal report, not too bad for 10w QRP into a 15m Hamstick!

Stations were worked in Poland, Germany, Finland, Austria, France, Spain, Ukraine, Italy, Greece, USA, and Canada. Throughout the day 40m, 15m, 10m, and 12m were used. I had planned on trying 20m as well, but it was so busy I thought it best to give it a miss. 

My good friend Eric, VE3DN, also activated Shirley's Bay in the afternoon to take part in the event. I believe there might have been a few others who also took part in the Ottawa area.

For this activation I used both the POTA spotting page and the WWFF spotting page, well worth the effort considering the contacts I got out of it. I will definitely use them again.

Here's todays contact map:

Stay Safe Out There!

I Couldn't Resist...

What a great day to be out playing POTA. It was a beautiful clear sunny day, with the temperature hovering around 4C (39F). You don't get many of these days at this time of year here.....so off to the park I went.

Parrott's Bay is pretty quiet this time of year, you get the odd dog walker, but that's about it. The cold wind coming in off Lake Ontario keeps most people safe in their warm homes.

The propagation wasn't too bad either, the SFI=121, SN=74, A Index=8, and the K Index=1. There was lot's of QSB though. We're expecting similar propagation in the morning as well.

After looking at POTA Spots I decided to start on 15m SSB. It was a good decision as I managed to get 19 contacts in the log on that band, followed by another 2 contacts on 10m. 

The DX was excellent as well. First up was Juan, HI8JCD. He was followed by OE4JHW, OE4MXB, F5NZO, DL1SWB, EA2KP, and EA3HAB. Not too bad for a 10w QRP station!

The main reason for today's activation was to make sure my equipment is ready for tomorrow's VA3KS Memorial Event. I made sure to charge all of my batteries when I returned home, and all is ready for the great adventure tomorrow. The only down side is that the weather forecast has changed, and snow mixed with rain is now expected in the morning.

Here's todays contact map:

Stay Safe Out There.

Sunday, November 23rd...

Kieran VA3KS

Coming up this Sunday, November 23rd, will be the second anniversary of unexpectedly losing our great friend Kieran, VA3KS.

To help keep Kieran's memory alive, myself, and Don, VE3MNE, will be activating Portland Conservation Area, CA-5957. This is the last location Kieran and I did a joint POTA activation. Eric, VE3DN, may also attempt an activation in the Ottawa area.

We are hoping to be QRV by 1500 UTC, and will start on 40m SSB before moving to 10m, 15m, 17m, and 20m. There may be an opportunity to activate on CW as well.

We hope to work some of you as we remember our good friend.

Stay Safe Out There.

It's Getting Better...

Yesterday on the bands wasn't bad, but today was much better! After my trip yesterday to Lemoine Point, I decided to take a drive out to Parrott's Bay and see how things were. It was great!

Propagation this morning was: SFI=145, SN=87, A Index=5, and the K Index=1. 

The temperature was hovering around 1C (3.8F), so winter is definitely on its way. I'll have to make sure that my truck has some extra warm items for the coming winter POTA season.

The Radio today was my KX3 and various hamsticks as usual.

First up today was Dave, KJ5MTY, from Rockwall, Texas, on 10m. I started there as it looked really busy, but I actually only managed to make 3 contacts on the band, all into Texas, before I moved on to 12m.

Now I don't have a 12m Hamstick, but using my ATU the 10m hamstick tuned up on 12m with no problem. Contacts on this band today included Didier, F5NZO, and Sepo, IZ8BIR, both of whom were booming into my location. 

I moved to 15m after a short time and made 11 contacts there. Surprisingly I didn't work any DX on this band. It was mainly the US West Coast, Texas, and Oklahoma that made it into my logbook. 

It was a good day, and hopefully I'll manage to get out again tomorrow and do it all over again.

Here's today's contact map:

Stay Safe Out There!

Band Test...

After the terrible band conditions over the past week I decided that today was perhaps the day to get out there and see if things had improved yet. Aside from a bit of QSB things were actually not too bad.

I did a quick 30 minute activation at CA-5141, Lemoine Point, and managed to put 14 contacts in the log from there. 

As usual I had my KX3 set at 10w, and a 40m Hamstick is use, and a fine job they both did. Propagation this morning was: SFI=156, SN=102, A Index=59, and the K Index=1. 

First in the log today was Chris, N0TAR, in Groton, CT. No DX was worked, and that's OK as I really just wanted to see how the bands were. I've decided that looking at the numbers for the weekend I'll try and get an activation in, between rain showers, on both days.

Here's todays activation map:

Stay Safe Out There!

Remembrance Day - 2025

In Loving Memory of the

Officers, NCO's, and Men

of

2816 Squadron, RAF Regiment

December 1941 -  June 1946

In Loving Memory of

WO Derek Pilkington, BEM

Sgt Tam MacDonald

Cpl Dave Cromb

Cpl Willie Crosley

In Loving Memory of

LCol David "Doc" Purich

Maj Colin "Turk" Fisher

MWO Ben Lemarbre

MCpl George Game

Cpl Dave Jodoin

Cpl John "JC" Smith

Cpl Randy Hampel

Cpl Sam Gordon

Also,

MWO Darlene Powers

Gone, but not forgotten.

We Will Remember Them.

Another Sunday 4 Park Rove...

Sunday is fast becoming my favourite day to get out and play radio. There's a couple of reasons for this, normally the parks are somewhat quieter as many people are in church, and as a result the bands are quieter, and any contests going on are actively listening for contacts...which helps my QRP status.

So with that I got up at "O'dark Thirty" and high tailed it up the highway 2 hours to Ottawa, where at 0900 I was set up and ready to operate at CA-1040, Burnt Lands Provincial Park. There are no facilities at this park, it really is just a patch of burnt land where a forest fire went through years ago. I've no idea why it would be a provincial park, or a POTA site. There's hardly any parking here, the few available spots are along a busy major road.

It took 6 minutes to get this park activated, all on 40m, which is a record for me. First in the log was Bruce, K9ICP, who thankfully works me at just about every park I activate. After 13 contacts I closed down and moved along to my next park.

Next up was CA-5083, Diefenbunker National Historic Site. This was not such an easy activation. In the 20 minutes to get there it seemed the propagation had changed and it was not such an easy go. In fact it took 40 minutes to get 12 contacts in the log, and I used both 40m and 20m to get the job done. First in the log here was Wayne, VE3UWA, a local Kingston boy.

The third activation of the day was at CA-5644, Pinhey's Point National Historic Site. This activation was done using 15m only, and I ended up with some good DX contacts from here. First up was Raf, IK4IDF, and was closely followed by EA1BUL, F5NZO, EA7ANC, F5PYI, and the surprise of the day, Ken, 8P5KM, who was at park BB-0036 in Barbados.

Here's the contact map for this activation:

The final park of the day was CA-1621, Shirley's Bay Conservation Reserve. First in the log here was Eric, VE3DN. This is a fantastic site to operate from, no RF interference at all, I had an S0 to S1 noise floor the whole time I was there. This activation was done using both 40m and 15m. The view isn't too bad either across the Ottawa River:

As usual the radio was my KX3 set at 10w, and hamsticks for antennas on a mag-mount on the roof of my truck. 

The propagation never really changed all day: SFI=115, SN=25, A Index=14, and the K Index=2. There was a small amount of QSB, but that caused me no issues at all. It was fairly cool all day with the temperature hovering around 7C (44F).....but at least it didn't rain or snow.

Thanks to Eric, VE3DN, who gave me guidance to the sites I activated. It's a lot easier to do with some local knowledge in your back pocket. Eric and I met up and had a great lunch together at a Kanata restaurant where we caught up on all things ham radio.

I did try one last activation, to try and get 5 in for the day. I had to go through Perth on the way home and I stopped at CA-5956, Perth Wildlife Reserve. The noise floor here was S9+20, just a ridiculous amount of noise on the site, and the propagation had fallen into a garbage can. I tried for about 10 minutes, made zero contacts, and then headed home into the rapidly appearing dusk. I had forgotten with the time change it would be getting darker a lot earlier than I was used to.

It was a great day out, and I'm looking forward to my next few multi-park roves before the snow flies.

Stay Safe Out There!!

15m is hopping...

What a great day on 15m it was today! I thought I would get out an do an activation as I don't plan on doing any activations over the weekend as the CQ WW SSB Contest will be on, I don't feel like fighting over-powered QRO stations with my QRP transmitter to try and make a contact.

Propagation today was: SFI=130, SN=98, A Index=6, and the K Index=2. Radio, as usual, was my KX3 with 10 screaming watts into a hamstick. There was a fair bit of QSB, but not enough to cause any real issues.

I actually started the activation on 40m, but after two contacts the band simply dried up and I couldn't rustle up any other contacts at all. So, off to 15m it was.

First DX in the log today was Bernd DL2DXA in Dresden, Germany. He was followed by GW0RQC, OE1DXU, DL1AX, F4ILH, DA2PK, ON4ON, IK3SWB/qrp, G0RQL, OS8D, EA2CPG, IZ4NPE, and SP8DSX. Interestingly, IK3SWB/qrp was using 5w SSB, and he was 55 into my station, and I received a 53 from him. 

The whole time I was activating today I was wondering what my Dad, VE7CVQ (SK), would think of POTA. He was a CW only guy, very rarely did he pick up a mic. I don't remember him ever doing Field Day, he just operated from the shack like 95% of hams did in those days. But you know, I like to think he would enjoy it. I'm sure the size of today's radios would shock the hell out of him. He had the complete line of the Heathkit SB-101, top of the line for its day. 

Here's todays contact map:

Oh yeah, I heard today from a US operator that QRP doesn't work........who knew????

Stay Safe Out There!!

Sunday on the Air...

I was not going to go out and activate today as the forecasted propagation was supposed to be pretty bad. So I thought about it for a short while and thought, "what the heck, let's go give it a try". You know what they say, "A day playing radio is better than doing the honey do list".

Wow, what a surprise I had, it was a good move to go to Lemoine Point Conservation Area!

The propagation numbers were not spectacular, but seemed to be decent enough.  They were: SFI=156, SN=80, A Index=36, and the K Index=2. Lot's of bad QSB about as well.

I chose to start on 10m, not a band I use a lot, but it's that time of year when it starts to get active. Did I pick a good time to get on that band! In the first 6 minutes of the activation I worked: OS8D, PR8ZX, F4HJO, EA8CTF, and GM4VYQ. Not too shabby for 10w and a Hamstick!

After a while I moved to 15m and worked EA8DQP, EA8ED, EA3HAB, and EA2EZ. It was definitely a day to speak Spanish. I certainly didn't expect to work 3 stations from the Canary Islands. It just shows you, just get out there and call CQ, you never know who's going to answer your call.

I know there were other DX stations calling me, but they were under my noise floor and I just could not pull them out of the noise. I hate disappointing people, but I just couldn't get them in the log.

It may be a few days before I get out again, we have a series of heavy rain days coming in, starting tomorrow, so I'll hunker down and get some things done around the house before winter hits properly.

The hour I had available to play radio passed pretty quickly, but it was a good day with another 24 in the log.

Here's todays contact map:

Stay Safe Out There!!

Tuesday in the Park...

It's not very often that I get to activate a park on a Tuesday, but today was that day! 

Fall was definitely in the air, it was only 14C (57F) out under a very cloudy sky that was threatening rain....which luckily never happened.

Propagation had been pretty bad for the weekend and Monday, but today it was: SFI=141, SN=96, A Index=23, and the K Index=1. There was some QSB on the bands but it wasn't there all the time.

Radio in use today was my KX3, and the antennas were Hamsticks on a 5" mag-mount on the roof of my truck. 

First up today was Joaquin, EA2CCG, near Pamplona in Northern Spain, and he was immediately followed by Richard, KA6NPD, in Hemet, California. Both contacts were made on 15m. Those two contacts set the tone for the rest of the activation. The other thing that was nice to see today was the fact that I worked 6 YL stations, I've never worked that many in a single activation before.

I made 15 contacts on 15m, and 11 contacts on 40m. It took 36 minutes to put the 26 contacts in the log, which I didn't think was too bad for a QRP station.

Hopefully the bands will be good for this coming weekend so we can enjoy the POTA Support Your Park Event, and the NY QSO Party.

Here's todays contact map:

Stay Safe Out There!!

Fall Support Your Park Weekend...

Coming up on the weekend of October 18/19 is this year's Fall SYP Weekend. This event runs from 0001 UTC on 18 October to 2359 UTC on 19 October.

The idea of this event is to get people out into the local parks and get them on the air. The weather should be cool and the bugs will have disappeared for the year, so there are very few excuses as to why you can't get out and do this one.

I have plans to be on the air at 0001 UTC on the 18th, and activate a 3fer in the local area that evening. This will allow me to travel further afield on Saturday and Sunday to get other "not so common" parks in the log. I particularly like doing the late shift on these weekends as there tends to be good pile-ups.

Also going on that weekend is the NY QSO Party. You can click on the link to go to their page and the Rules.

Hope to work you on the bands during the event!

Stay Safe Out There!!

The Big Day...

Today was not supposed to be a radio day, it was supposed to be a quiet day at home, and then out lunch with my XYL. The propagation had been forecast to be in the dumps and didn't hold much promise, however, that was not the case. So I snuck in a quick activation of CA-0023 before meeting my lunch date.

I had completely forgotten that this activation would be my 800th Park Activation until I got home and started inputting my log. 

The propagation numbers today were SFI=131, SN=88, A Index=15, and the K Index=2. There was also a great deal of deep QSB as well.....along with the usual tuner uppers, whistlers, and the "get off my frequency" crowd. They were all out today.

First in the log today was Allen, KC1SJS, with a great 59+ signal. No DX made it into the log today, but the 10th contact, the guy who put number 800 activation in the book, was Merrell, AB4MM/qrp, from Columbiana, Alabama.....Thanks Merrell!!!!

Now I start working towards activation number 1000th.

Here's today's contact map:

Stay Safe Out There!

Another Four Park Rove...

Sunday was a great day to get out and play portable radio. The day didn't start off too warm, but by mid-afternoon was pretty hot out.

I had decided earlier in the week to finish off my rove of Northern Northumberland County, and the parks along County Road 9. The fall colours were fantastic, and I really enjoyed the great views along the roads.

Thankfully the west-bound traffic on Highway 401 was pretty light that morning, most people would have still been in bed when I was heading west. I used my KX3 with 10w and my usual collection of Hamsticks. Propagation wasn't too bad, it was SFI=158, SN=109, A Index=20, and the K Index=2. Those numbers didn't change all day.

I was prepared for bad propagation on this trip, I took along my small 40w HF amplifier. Thankfully I never needed it, as once the contacts started they kept coming.

The first park was a 1.5 hour drive east of my home QTH. This was CA-5648, Garden Hill Conservation Area. It's a small site, right off County Road 9. It didn't take me long to get set up, and I quickly decided to start on 40m as it looks fairly busy. First in the log from there was Reed, AB8AS. After putting 13 in the log, all on 40m, the band seemed to dry up...so it was off to the second park.

The next park was CA-5647, Rice Lake Conservation Area. This is truly a gorgeous site, very quiet, and lots of places to get an antenna up in the trees. First station in the log from here was Wayne, VE3UWA, a fellow Frontenac County ARC member. This activation was also completed all on 40m.

CA-5636, Hazel Bird Nature Reserve. Another very quiet location for radio work. The parking lot is pretty small here, probably good for 6 to 8 cars. I moved to 15m at this location and made 11 contacts on the band before moving back to 40m. First in the log here was Darin, KG5HBX, in De Leon, Texas.

After Hazel Bird Nature Reserve I drove for about 25 minutes to Warkworth Conservation Area. First though I stopped for a quick lunch at "K Okay Cafe", one of the many restaurants on the Main Street. I can definitely recommend the ham and brie sandwich there. 

Warkworth Conservation Area is tiny, and has about 3 parking spots which are across the street from the actual conservation area. I was lucky to get one, and hauled my equipment across the street and set up on the one and only picnic table there. The antenna for this site was a 25' Rybakov vertical, with a single 17' ground radial. It was on a SOTABeams tactical mini mast, and it worked well for me that day.

I decided to stick with 15m as it seemed busy, and I guessed that I might get some good DX....I was right. First up was Pedro, PR8ZX, in Brazil, and he was followed by EA1FIC, EA1BUL, F4ILH, EC7DZZ, DF7TR, and SM3NRY. Those contacts made the day!

It was another great day chasing POTA contacts, and I really enjoyed myself. Now it's off to plan the next 4 Park Rove, which should be in a few weeks.

Stay Safe Out There!

My First Four Park Rove...

Weather wise Saturday was going to be the best day of the weekend to get out and do things. It was also going to be, according to the forecast, the best propagation day of the weekend as well. So off I went on a four park rove around Northumberland and Hastings Counties.

The drive down the 401 Highway was fine, the crazy drivers must have decided to sleep in, or just stay home as traffic was light and moved very well.

Radio was my trusty KX3 with 10 screaming watts, and of course I used my various Hamsticks. The propagation for the day, and it never changed, was: SFI=165, SN=127, A Index=7, and the K Index=1.

                                                                                                                                                                       

The first park of the day was CA-5637, Goodrich-Loomis Conservation Area. This park is off the beaten track, but easy to find and is about 1.5 hours from my home. I put 12 in the log at this park, all on 40m. I didn't stick around as I wanted to make sure I had sufficient time to get all four parks completed that day.  First in the log was Mark, KD8MIV, in West Virginia.

Fifteen minutes north is CA-5086, Seymour Conservation Area, this site is right off of County Road 30. It was quite busy with hikers and families out for a stroll. The large parking lot allowed me to hide away in a corner out of everyone's way.

This park saw 13 contacts added to the log, and all contacts were made on 20m. First up here was Sherwin, KF0SVO, in Rock Valley, Iowa. 

The next park, CA-5088, King's Mill Conservation Area was about 23 minutes away to the west, and is easy to fine. There is a nice gravel parking area to park in on Wellmans Road, and a million or so ducks in the large pond all noisily awaiting their trip south for the winter.

Another 12 contacts went into the log at this site, all done on 15m. First up was Thomas, SM3NRY, in Nyravagen, Sweden. He was followed by Alex XE1UYS, and Fernando EA8DQP. 

The last park of the day, CA-5089 Sagar Conservation Area was 15 minutes south on Golf Course Road. This spot was the only site that actually had a washroom to use on it.  The other three did not. It does have a large gravel parking lot, and for most of my time there I was the only person there.

I ate a late lunch here and admired the view. It was nice and peaceful. At this park I used 15m, 17m, and 40m and put 16 contacts in the log. First up was Pat, W1WX, in Littleton, Massachusetts. He was followed by a good number of DX stations, all of whom had excellent signals into my location.

It was a great day, and I really enjoyed myself. There are several other parks in this general area that I still need to get to and activate before the snow flies, so hopefully I will get them done in the next few weeks.

Here's the contact map from the last activation of the day:

Not too bad at all for 10w and a Hamstick!

Stay Safe Out There!

The Bands Are Back...

From everything I've seen over the last few days it looks like the bands are back in business as Fall rapidly approaches!

After several months of garbage to mediocre band conditions, the past day or two has shown us that they're back in action.

On Wednesday I activated Lemoine Point CA-5141, and had great success with it. I made 20 contacts in about 30 minutes on 40m, 15m, 17m, and 10m. Four of the contacts were from across the pond, Harald DL1AX, Matt ON6MAT, Mal GW6OVD, and Chris MW0JKU.

The propagation was: SFI=171, SN=157, A Index=14, and the K Index=2.

Today, Friday, September 26th, I activated a new park to me, CA-1673 Little Cataraqui Creek Conservation Area. The only issue at the location is that it is very low ground, almost a bowl, and hard to get a signal out of it.

That being said, it only took me 41 minutes to get 36 contacts there, including seven DX Stations. First up was Jose EA1BUL, followed by IK4IDF, DL1AX, EA1GIB, DO5IE, EA2BD, and OK2TS.

The propagation today was: SFI=170, SN=124, A Index=8, and the K Index=2.

There was still some QSB around, as well as the usual idiotic "Tuner Uppers" on the frequency. I ended up having to move twice due to some deliberate QRM, I don't say anything...I just 'disappear' and find a new clear frequency. Some people's attitude towards "their" frequency is quite interesting. 

Here's todays contact map:

Stay Safe Out There!

Chillycon, the Aftermath...

Chillycon, the annual gathering of Eastern Ontario QRPers lived up to its name this year as Friday and Saturday nights went down to +1C (33F). Luckily we survived as we took along enough warm clothes.

I managed to complete all the goals I had set out this year, six new parks went into my logbook. As well as Rideau River Provincial Park - CA-0365, where we camp, was activated everyday.

Parks that are new to me and activated were:

Pine Grove Conservation Area, CA-1579

McCarthy Woods Natural Area, CA-1506

Mer Bleue Conservation Reserve, CA-1516

Mer Bleue Bog Conservation Reserve, CA-1515

Mississippi Lake Migratory Bird Sanctuary, CA-0307

Mississippi Lake National Wildlife Area, CA-0057

There were a number of other parks I had on my list to do if I had time, but the bad road traffic in Ottawa made timings hard to do.  Perhaps next year!

Throughout the weekend the bands were really not too bad. There was a bit of QSB, but it was workable. It's very obvious that the bands are starting to settle down and get back to normal. Hopefully they will be fine for the CQ World Wide DX SSB HF Contest at the end of October, and the Fall Support Your Park Weekend held in mid-October.

For the weekend I only used my KX3 set at 10w, and for the antenna I just used my normal hamsticks on a mag-mount. I decided not to put up a wire antenna as I would be spending a considerable time away from the campsite activating outside parks. In the end I managed to put 11 DX countries in the log:

Brazil, Venezuela, Belgium, France, Italy, Poland, England, Austria, Dominican Republic, Germany, and Spain. Puerto Rico and Alaska also made it into my log. I haven't had that much DX success in many months!

We had about 20 hams there over the weekend. Some camped and others just dropped in for a few hours and visited. Most stayed for the traditional pizza supper on Saturday evening where the prizes are given out.

Overall it was a great weekend, lots of radio and chatting about antennas, as well as POTA and SOTA.

Already looking forward to next year's gathering.

Here's a few pics:

Matt VA3UMM receiving the plaque for the best SSB DX Contact
from Don, VE3MNE.

My contact map for Saturday.

Mississippi Lake, just a gorgeous spot to operate from!

Chillycon - 2025...

Next week (Wednesday) I'm off to the annual Chillycon gathering of QRPers at Rideau River Provincial Park. This will be the 15th time I have attended the event, and I look forward to it every year. So far the weather forecast is looking good, with no rain expected during the week we are there.

The numbers of attendees at the gathering has dropped some since covid hit us, but hopefully it will start to recover. We are expecting a large crowd to be camping for the weekend, and several others coming out to visit on the Saturday.              

I have several new (to me) POTA parks that I wish to activate, and I'm planning on doing that on Thursday and Friday. Saturday will be spent visiting other attendees and talking radios and antennas. Sunday we do a brunch at a local restaurant and then head home, fired up and ready for next year.

The parks I'm planning on operating from are:

Pine Grove Forest Conservation Area - CA-1579

McCarthy Woods Natural Area - CA-1506

Central Experimental Farm - CA-5095

Hogs Back Conservation Reserve - CA-1596

If I get the time I might also try to activate:

Mer Bleue Conservation Reserve - CA-1516

Mer Bleue Bog Conservation Reserve - CA-1515

These parks are also VEFF Parks and I will submit my logs to them as well.

This weekend will be spent getting my camping equipment sorted out and ready to go. That shouldn't take too long as I just used it for Field Day.

Look for my writeup and pictures after I get home.

Stay Safe Out There!!

The Weekend, and incoming Solar Storm...

The weekend was quite the roller coaster of band behaviour. On Saturday the propagation numbers made us believe that it would be a great day to play portable radio.......we were wrong. While the numbers looked really good, the truth of the matter was they they were not that good and the very deep QSB certainly didn't help matters at all. 

On Saturday it took me 2.5 hours to make 20 contacts. These were split between 40m and 20m, and the last six contacts of the day were on 40m CW. No Canadian or DX contacts were made, but 13 US states made it into the log.

Instead of my usual hamsticks I put up my 29 foot EFRW with a 9:1 Unun, and two 17 foot ground radials. There was no difference in the contact pattern on my contact map, from when I use a simple hamstick. 

Sunday was a different matter.  The SFI had climbed up to 317, the highest point of the cycle I believe, and the bands just rocked, and had all the previous night.

In a little over 40 minutes I managed to get 24 SSB contacts in my log, including two from the UK – G7SQW and G7PNF, one from Belgium – OS8D, and the other from the Netherlands – PA4PA. Not too bad for 10w and a hamstick.

It’s interesting that this morning (Sunday) a US ham published a YouTube video about how QRP operators are killing off POTA. Somehow I don’t think he grasps the concept of either POTA or QRP operating.

All-in-all it was a great weekend on the bands. 

Sunday's Contact Map:

There’s a G2 & G3 Solar Storm warning issued for Monday and Tuesday, we’ll be lucky to have decent stable bands back by Friday.

Stay Safe Out There!!