Did I Hear The Bands Turn Off?...

It was a great morning up on Fort Henry Hill.  It's a very quiet RF site now that the dozens of plasma TV's they had installed in the information centre have all broke and been removed.  The down side was the temperature which sat at -7C, not including the wind chill factor.

Todays propagation, not spectacular by any means, was:  SFI=92, SN=20, A Index=4, and the K Index=1.

I managed to work 17 stations on 20m, including CU3HY in the Azores, and KN6KI in California.  There were a number of repeat offenders who seem to find me every time I activate, and I'm very grateful for them.  

About 1500 UTC the bands instantly went quiet, the signals just disappeared.  There had been a great deal of very deep QSB on 20m, but at least you could hear something.  I spun the VFO several times across 20m, 40m, and 17m, and heard nothing, just static.  The bands, it seemed, had turned off.

I'm hoping that they turn back on in time for another couple of POTA activations tomorrow.  My original plan was to stop activating this year when I reached 100 activations...now I plan to keep going until the weather makes it uncomfortable to activate.  So I'll probably get about 10 more.

Stay warm out there!

Todays Contact Map.  10w from the KX3 into a 20m Hamstick.

A Milestone has passed...

A year ago this month I decided to get involved with the Parks On The Air (POTA) program, and I have absolutely had a blast doing it.

Yesterday, November 26, I achieved my 100th park activation this year, and have managed to put 2856 contacts in my log carrying out activations or hunting parks.  On top of this I have actually started to get my money's worth out of my KX3!!

Also this week my new powered speaker from West Mountain Radio arrived.  What a difference that has made to operating the KX3.  I can actually hear things properly now.  The signals I am hearing are now crystal clear, and there is no more of the famous KX3 distortion.

This speaker is a game changer for people, like myself, who have hearing issues.....and I have way too much time flying very noisy Chinook Helicopters.  And of course, as we get older our hearing gets worse.  

I've a few more activations to go before the snow starts to fall (which it did today for a short time).  It's definitely getting colder, and sitting in the back of the van doing an activation isn't the most comfortable of places these days.

The KX3 and new speaker set up in the van.

Stay warm out there!!

Great Morning on the Bands...

It was a cold morning here, just -1C when I left to activate the Frontenac Biosphere, VE-0023.  I didn't expect to have much of an activation, I know I'd get the ten required contacts, but I assumed it would be just the normal chasers.

How wrong I was.   The propagation this morning was SFI=78, SN=22, A Index=5, and the K Index=1.  The radio in use was my KX3, and I had a 20m hamstick on a mag-mount on the roof of my van.  This has been my normal setup for a few months now, and it never ceases to amaze me just how well the Hamsticks perform.  Today was no exception.

So with 10 screaming watts into the hamstick I worked Mike, CU3HY in the Azores, Jean, F4ILH in France, Rodolfo, I4RHP in Italy, and Bryan, KP4M in Puerto Rico.  I was just amazed as the DX stations called me, I never thought I would be doing cross-Atlantic contacts today.  It was just amazing.

Here's the contact map from today:

Looking forward to more of this!!

Good Results On The Bands...

The last two days I have taken the time to do a couple of POTA activations.....now there's a surprise.  But, I really felt the need yesterday, November 11th, to get out and operate as I really felt my Dad's presence.  He was a Signaller and a WW2 Veteran, and although he died 28 years ago, very rarely does a day go by when I don't think of him.  

Propagation wasn't too bad, SFI=87, SN=37, A Index=8, and the K Index=2.

I packed up the KX3 and Hamsticks and made a few successful calls using his, and now my call, VE7CVQ, and then spotted myself on the POTA app using my VE3FI call.  The results on 20m were an amazing 24 contacts in 19 minutes.  Here's the contact map below:

Today, Friday, I decided to go and operate after my morning walk.  I ended up at Lemoine Point and put 32 contacts in the log in 24 minutes, all on 40m with the KX3 and Hamsticks.

Propagation today was: SFI=84, SN=39, A Index=4, and the K Index=1.  Here's todays contact map:

Today was my 92nd POTA Activation this year (I'm shooting for 100) and I've put 2,632 POTA contacts in my log since January 1st.  Every time I do an activation I am constantly amazed just how well the KX3 and Hamsticks work together.  

It was a good couple of days, and I'm glad I got out to operate.

In Remembrance...

In Loving Memory

of the 

Officers, NCO's, and Men

of

2816 Squadron, RAF Regiment

December 1941 - June 1946

GONE, BUT NEVER FORGOTTEN

PER ARDUA

Back At It...

It didn't look a good day to play radio today, this morning the propagation numbers were:  SFI=84, SN=28, A Index=69, and the K Index=3.  It was pretty noisy and there was lots of deep QRM.

By mid-afternoon the effect of the last CME on the propagation had started to settle down.....so it was off to play POTA.

It's a short drive from my house to Lemoine Point, VE-5141, and I set up the KX3 and 20m Hamstick upon arrival.  It took 27 minutes to get 25 contacts in the log, including EA1AF in Spain, W6KC in California, and K7SEN in Arizona.  I did not expect to make half the contacts I made, it was amazing the way they kept answering my QRZ.

I'm hoping that band conditions hold up all weekend so I can get a few more activations in.  I've done 87 activations so far this year, and my goal is to complete 100......13 to go!!

Here's a look at todays contact map....

K Index = 7 !!!

It's not often you get to see a K Index of 7 !!!!  I don't imagine the bands are going to be very good for the next few days.

Updated as of 1510 UTC, November 4th....still looking bad:

Sunday Morning Propagation...

Well, the bands are still fun of screaming contesters....no sign of the CME yet.

Here's the latest graph showing what is forecasted.

I guess it's a game of "wait and see".....but I'm off to do a POTA activation before things get really bad 😁

Saturday Morning on 17m...

Not a very nice day here in Kingston this morning, it was 7C in heavy rain.  As soon as you stepped out of the front door the damp cold hit you.  But there was no  time to complain, I was off to do a POTA activation at Parrott's Bay, VE-5142, not very far from my home.

To be honest, I wasn't expecting much today after the X1 flare and CME warnings that we have had over the past two days.  However, the bands seemed to be in good shape, except for the million and a half rabid contesters all screaming "CQ Contest" on 20m and 40m.  

I knew I wouldn't stand a chance of being heard on either 20m or 40m, so I chose to activate on 17m, something I haven't done before.  

Today's propagation numbers were: SFI=112, SN=82, A Index=3, and the K Index=1.  Those numbers are down from yesterday, but not by much.

Even with the pouring rain it didn't take me very long to set up.  This was the first time I had used my 17m Hamstick so I was off in unchartered territory.  I was a bit worried as there was only two POTA stations on 17m when I started, so I didn't think my chances of being successful were too good.  

It worked great with my KX3 set at 10w.  First in the log was KP4RK in Puerto Rico, he was operating with 5w SSB, and we were 53 both ways.  Later I worked VE5XU, Clarence, in Yorkton, Saskatchewan, and it was 53 both ways as well.  

Tomorrow will be a day off from Radio, well, until at least the evening when the worse of the CME hit has blown through.  

Parrott's Bay from the air.

Today's contact map.

Propagation Has Exploded...

What a great morning I had today playing radio!!  The propagation news yesterday wasn't very good, apparently we had a X1 flare and an earth-bound CME.  The CME isn't expected to hit us till late Saturday, but the X1 flare sure messed things up.  So I didn't expect good results today at all.

I drove to the Frontenac Biosphere, VE-0023, and set up to do a POTA activation.  As usual I used my KX3 at 10w, and 20m Hamstick with a mag-mount on the roof of my van.  

What a surprise I had....first up was Joe, KI7IOC in Bend, OR, with a tremendous 59 signal, and he gave me a 53.  Then it was the turn of Heinz, VA7AQ, in Langley, BC, with another great 59 signal, and I received a 57 from him.  I then worked Raffaele, IK4IDF in Ravenna, Italy with a 58 signal, and he gave me a 55....which I was very happy to get.  Towards the end of my activation I worked Gerry, VE8GER, up in Inuvik, NT, and it was 44 both ways...but we had a small rag-chew before we said 73.  

I also worked stations in OR, CA, TN, FL, AR, AL, IL, and MN.  The log had 20 contacts in it when I went QRT.  My expectations of this activation was not very high when I left home today, so I was extremely surprised to have contacts where I did.

Propagation numbers this morning were:  SFI=113, SN=96, A Index=3, and the K Index=0.  A lot better than was advertised yesterday.  

We'll have to see what happens with the propagation tomorrow, and see if we can sneak in another POTA activation.

Today's map of contacts

Not looking good for the next few days!!

Updated Saturday morning, Oct 30th.