Last POTA of the Year...

Lemoine Point VE-5141

What a beautiful day it was here at the QTH.  Blue skies and +6C, and not a drop of wind......far too good weather to sit around at home, so off I went.

The propagation this morning was:  SFI=160, SN=118, A Index=5, and the K Index=3.

Today was two activations for the price of one.  Recently they added VE-6003 The Great Lakes Waterfront Recreational Trail, and by chance this trail intersects a good number of local POTA sites.  So I had both VE-5151 and VE-6003 up on the air at the same time today.

It wasn't a good day for DX, in fact there wasn't any.  Furthest contact today was with Ron WD5CSK, in Oklahoma.

Antenna today was my 28.5' vertical and 17' ground radial, held up with my SOTABEAMS tactical mini-mast.  Radio was my KX3 at 10 watts.

Propagation looks to be dropping in the toilet for the next two days, so this looks like this was my last activation of the year.  

Here's todays contact map:

Stay Safe Out There!!

Christmas Time....

May peace, happiness and goodwill be with you and your family not only on Christmas, but throughout the year and beyond. 

From my house, to your house, here's wishing you all a very 

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year for 2023.

More POTA...

Today was probably the last POTA activation before Christmas this year, things are starting to get busy around here.

It was a gloriously bright day, blue sky and a very balmy -3C, so I decided to go to Parrotts Bay VE-5142, which is not very far from my home QTH.  The first problem I had was when I arrived there, the parking lot had not been plowed out and there was over 2' of hard snow over it.  Once I got into the parking lot I was fine, but it touch and go at first.

Today's propagation was not too bad: SFI=155, SN=131, A Index=6 and the K Index=1.

It took me 26 minutes to put 32 contacts in the log, including one from Mike, CU3HY, in the Azores.

Here's today's contact map:

Todays rig was the KX3 at 10 watts, antennas were my 20m and 40m hamsticks.  

Stay Safe Out There!!

Back on the Air...

After eleven days off the air I finally felt well enough to get out and do a POTA activation.  The past week has been a blur of coughing, sneezing, and generally feeling chilled to the bone.....there were times I could not get warm at all.

Today was the second day that I woke up feeling better, so I decided to chance getting out the house and doing an activation.  I'm glad I did, the experience made me feel even better, and I feel that I'm well on the road to being my old self now.

Todays propagation was ok: SFI=143, SN=139, A Index=11, and the K Index=3.

I started on 40m but I  only made 4 contacts before the band dried up and a switched to 20m.  The pileup started after my second CQ call.  Fifteen minutes later, and another 25 contacts in the log I decided to go QRT.  I even managed to put Vicente EA2EZ in the log after I pulled him out of the pileup.

As usual I used my KX3 and a screaming 10w, and a 20m or 40m hamstick mounted on the an roof with a 5" mag-mount.

All in all it was a great day on the bands, and it was made even better by the fact I felt well enough to get outside and play radio.

Here's today's contact map:

Stay safe and healthy!!!

Sunday on the Air...

What a great day to be out in the park and on the air today!!  We're just about finished with November and the outdoor temperature here is still +8C, and everything is green.  Who could resist getting outdoors and playing radio today?

For a change of scenery I chose to activate the Frontenac Biosphere, VE-0023.  There is a nice quiet spot, just off of the K&P walking trail, that I use north of town.

First in the log today was Stuart, M0TTQ, who was in a UK park.  Then it was the turn of 20 US and Canadian stations up and down the east coast, and I finished with two more DX stations, EA1DHB, and IK4IDF.  Not a bad day on the bands!

While there was a very amount of QSB today, the good thing is there was no deliberate QRM that has been plaguing many POTA operations lately.

I used my 20m and 40m hamsticks today, as well as the KX3 set at 10 watts.  

Here's today's QSO map:

Todays mid-morning propagation was:  SFI=107, SN=56, A Index=20, and the K Index was 2.

Whoever said "Life is too short for QRP" has obviously never operated QRP.  It's an absolute thrill every time I have a SSB QSO with somebody across the pond.  Tomorrow, I might take out my FT-817 and try it again with a screaming 5 watts.

Stay safe out there !!

Portland Bay Conservation Area...

What a great activation this morning at Portland Bay Conservation Area, POTA VE-5957.

I ended up with 101 QSO's in the log after 1 hour, 50 minutes on the air. That included 3 Spanish stations and one from the UK, and 8 Park to Parks. I used my KX3 at 10w into a 20m or 40m hamstick on the roof of the van.......it worked a charm!!

The site at Portland is great, and it's a brand new site.  It's just off the highway, best of all there is no charge to use the place, and the washroom's are open year round....which is unusual here in the winter months.

When operating I had a S1 or S2 noise floor, and while the site is very close to the main Highway, and a power line, the highway noise wasn't bad at all and there is nothing from the power line.

Propagation today was: SFI=113, SN=61, A Index=3, and the K Index=1.

Here's todays contact map:

Stay Safe Out There!!!

This Weekends Propagation...

Well, this certainly doesn't look too good...

This is thanks to the November 14th CME event.  We've had an amazing few days of great propagation, but apparently we're in for a few garbage days.  Oh well, it will improve!!

Stay Safe Out There!

Good Bands Today...

It was snowing when I got up this morning, the very first snow of the season.  So, what was I to do other than go out and activate another park!

Todays propagation was: SFI=137, SN=74, A Index=5, and the K Index=1.  Given those numbers the bands were not too bad, the QSB was there, but it wasn't bothersome.

No DX to speak of, but the 23 contacts made me happy.  Radio today was my usual KX3, the antenna was a Packtenna 40m EFHW held up with a SOTABEAMS Tactical-mini mast.  By the time I had finished the activation of VE-5142 the snow had stopped and it had warmed up to a stunning +1C.  

Old man winter has arrived, let's all hope next April comes quickly!!

Stay safe and warm out there!!

Remembrance Day....

In Loving Memory of the

Officers, NCO's, and Men

of

2816 Squadron RAF Regiment

1941 - 1946

"PER ARDUA"

"When You Go Home, Tell Them Of Us And Say,
For Your Tomorrow, We Gave Our Today."

Bands are Improving...

As most of you will know, the propagation has not been the best over the past few days. So it was a pleasant surprise today to see the bands had improved somewhat.

Yesterday (Friday) I managed to pull off a POTA activation at Parrott's Bay, VE-5142.  I had deep QSB and found it very hard to hold a QSO without the other station disappearing totally. In the end I closed down after 27 minutes with 17 contacts in the log.  

The propagation numbers were: SFI=125, SN=82, A Index=26, and the K Index=3.

Oh yeah, after the activation I went and got my Extra Strength Flu shot for this year. So far other than a sore shoulder, I'm OK.

Today (Saturday) I decided to go to Lemoine Point, VE-5141, for another morning activation.  It was a great day, the temperature was +21C, and I was in shorts.....in November....in Canada!!!!!  While the QSB was bad, it wasn't as bad as yesterday. In fact I managed, after 40 minutes, to put 39 contacts in the log.  While I had no Trans-Atlantic DX, it was still a really good day.

Today, the propagation numbers were: SFI=118, SN=82, A Index=16, and the K Index=3.

As is usual for me I was using my KX3, set at 10w, and my 20m and 40m Hamsticks.

Here's todays contact map:

Stay Safe Out There!!!

Nice Day Out in the Park...

Today was a great day to go out and play radio in the park.  It was only +9C (48F) here in Collins Bay today, but the sky was a very deep blue, and was absolutely perfect.  This is probably one of the last nice days before the winds and rain arrive for the Autumn.

Propagation today was: SFI=122, SN=72, A Index=5, and the K Index=3.  I had some QSB issues, but the majority of my troubles today was QRM.  People just don't listen before they tune up and press transmit.  One has to wonder how much of it was/is deliberate.

Today was supposed to be just a quick activation of Lemoine Point, VE-5141, but the pile up never stopped for the 30 minutes I was there.  As it was supposed to be a quick one I just used my 20m and 40m hamsticks with a mag-mount on the roof of my van....and the radio was my trusty KX3 set at a whopping 10 watts.

Starting on 40m, which was supposed to have poor conditions, I put 10 contacts in the log in eight minutes.  Not too shabby for a QRP activation.  The remaining 20 contacts were all done on 20m.  

Here's today's contact map:

And......here's the forecasted solar weather for the next few days:

Stay Safe Out There!!

What a Difference a Day Makes...

Yesterday the bands were just hopping, and the propagation numbers were pretty good. We woke up today to see: SFI=109, SN=48, A Index=5, and K Index=5. 

Here's what It's going to look like for the next couple days:

Bands Have Improved...

I did my first activation POTA in a week today, the weather was cool (+5C) and the sky was blue, so I thought "why not?".

So it was off to Lemoine Point after lunch, VE-5141 as it's known in the POTA World. The parking lot was nearly full with afternoon hikers and dog walkers using the trails. Anyway, I managed to tuck myself away in a corner and get on the air.

Today's operating position in the back of my van is shown on the left. My Kent Engineering Standard Morse Key got a good workout with several contacts down into the Southern States.  GA and FL seemed to have a pipeline to my location, as I worked several of them one after the other.

Todays propagation was good, SFI=116, SN=60, A Index=7, and the K Index=0. There was a bit of QSB on the signals, but not enough to worry about or make life difficult.

As usual I was using my KX3 and 20m and 40m Hamsticks.

No DX showed up today on the bands for me, and here's my QSO map for today:

Stay Safe Out There!

Jamboree on the Air 2022...

Hey!!!  This weekend is the Boy Scouts annual Jamboree on the Air (JOTA). JOTA is a worldwide event, and Scouting stations around the world will be looking for contacts as well. 

In North America keep an ear on the following frequencies:

3.690 and 3.940

7.090 to 7.190

14.290

18.140

21.360

24.960

28.390

Get on the air and work the kids !!!!

Chillycon 2022 - It's over...

Another successful Chillycon is over, and this one while short on attendees, was pretty good.  It turns out a number the regulars didn't come out for it as they thought it as going to be too cold.  In fact the weather was great, yeah it was a little cool first thing in the morning, but it soon warmed up.  At least we had no rain!!

I spent Thursday and Friday doing road trips to various local parks listed on the POTA app, in fact I ended up having to submit 10 separate POTA logs for the time we where at Rideau River Provincial Park.  Ok, so I went a bit nuts this year, it was my holiday - give me a break.

Saturday on the air was spectacular, I made 99 contacts that day, see the QSO map below:

The lines heading off on the right side of the map were heading to Europe, four contacts were made into Spain and one into Poland.  Not too shabby for 10w and a 40m EFHW antenna.

One of the antenna experiments I did this weekend was trying to get on 80m using various pieces of equipment I have.  I used my Buddipole VersaHub with the large Buddipole low-band coil, and then topped it with the MFJ 17' telescopic whip.  Along with that I used three 17' ground radials, and had it working just fine.  The match at 3.750 was 1.2:1.  This is definitely a keeper.  

Eric, VA3AMX, won the DX Trophy, for what seems the 100th time, with a nice cw QRP contact with a VK6.  I guess it helps if you sit up all night waiting for the right moment 😎

Over the past year I have been looking at various cw keys, trying to find the right one, and the most comfortable one for me.  So thanks to Eric, I'm now the proud owner of a Kent Engineering Standard Morse Key, and what a beauty it is!!!  I remember my Dad using one of these keys, but I don't know where it ended up after he passed away.  Anyway, Thanks Eric, it will be used!!

Stay Safe Out There!!

Saturday on the Bands...

Fort Henry from todays "shack"

What a fantastic morning on the bands it was today!!   It was warm and we had blue skies, quite the change from yesterdays activation were it poured down the whole time I was on the radio.

I had 38 contacts in the log when I finished, including 8 park-2-parks.  Both 40m and 20m, while not looking too good on the forecast, actually performed very well.

The propagation numbers where:  SFI=146, SN=128, A Index=12, and the K Index=3.  

I was under the impression that the Fort was closed for the season, but judging by the full parking lot that isn't the case.  I managed to find a quiet spot near the Fort and set up with no hassle...a few strange looks, but no issues.

POTA activations at the Fort always do very well, regardless of the days propagation it seems.  I'm sure the height of the hill has something to do with it.  

Here's todays contact map:

Another view from todays "shack", looking over the 1000 Islands.

Stay Safe out There!!

Chillycon 2022...

Coming up on September 30th to October 2nd is this years edition of Chillycon.   In normal years this would have been held last weekend, but the park has decided to stay open a few more weeks this year, so we took the option of going later in the year with the hope the campground will have less visitors and be a heck of a lot quieter than last year.

Chillycon is the annual gathering of QRP'ers in Eastern Ontario, and many lively discussion on various radios and antennas will be held around a campfire.  This year there will be a large gathering of Eastern Ontario POTA operators, so it will be interesting to hear about their activation stories and techniques. This year I expect there will be a good number of local POTA activations in the area around the park.

So far the weather looks cold but dry....which is a lot better than cold and wet!  I just hope the propagation is good for the weekend, as we have to beat Eric, VE3AMX, in the DX Trophy Contest that weekend.

I'll be spending this weekend cleaning and packing camping equipment.  My portable radio gear is already to go as it is my normal POTA gear that I use almost daily.

I'll have a full report of the event after I return home.  Until then, Stay Safe!

Hurricane Net - 2022...

Tis the Season....

This info is just in......this years Hurricane Watch Net is up and running. Please keep clear of the following freqs so they can work emergency traffic if needed:

14.325

7.286

In addition the Dominican Republic Amateur Radio Society is currently operating on 7.065 and 3.785 as Hurricane Fiona is working its way towards them.

Let's all hope the Nets are not needed!!