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!!