An Antenna Experiment...

I'm sure you've all seen pictures of portable Hustler Antennas mounted on a single mount on a mast. Have you ever wondered why Hamsticks have never done the same?

It's getting cold up here in the "Great White North", these days and the less time I have to spend outside changing Hamsticks while operating portable, the better I like it. For a few days I contemplated buying a few Hustler Antennas and testing out their multiple antenna adapter mount....but then I thought "Why waste the money?". I have Hamsticks, all I needed was the mount.

Lucky for me, Don VE3MNE, had the mount, and he didn't need it...Yahoo! The adapter plate was quickly mounted on one of my mag-mounts, and off I went to Lemoine Point, CA-5141, to do a quick POTA activation with the new antenna system....but would it work? Would there be interaction between the three antennas? I was sure there would be, but how bad could it be?

I have to admit it was a bit unwieldy putting the antennas on the mount, you really need three hands to do it, but it got done. You also must remember that everything takes longer in the cold, so don't rush. The lengths of the individual whips were not changed, I just left them as they were when I use them individually, so I did expect some issues with that.

The mount put up on the roof of the truck with a 40m, 20m and a 10m Hamstick on it, I could actually put a fourth antenna on the mount, but I thought that might be pushing my luck a bit. Three contacts were made on both 10m and 40m and another twelve contacts on 20m. 

So what actually happened? Well, there were no issues at all. It worked as I had hoped it would, with no noticeable interactions between the individual whips that I could see or hear. I had no negative comments about my signal, and they tuned as normal with the Elecraft KX3 ATU. Too bad I didn't think of this last winter!

The other telling point is that I saw no difference in what my daily contact map looked like. I still worked the same areas of Canada and the USA as I normally do. 

I think it was a great success and I can see this antenna system being used a lot this winter.

Here's a few pictures of the antenna:

And, here's todays contact map with that antenna:

Stay Safe Out There!

First Snow of the Year...

It had to happen, we've had it far too easy this winter so far. We awoke to a gentle snowfall that is supposed to last until at least noon. I doubt we will get too much of an accumulation, but it is a reminder of things to come!

Lemoine Point was calling my name today, it was time to get another activation done down at CA-5141.

Conditions today were cold and snow. Propagation wise the numbers were: 

SFI=225, SN=137, A Index=5 and the K Index=0. The QSB wasn't too bad, especially compared to yesterday.

Only 20 contacts in the log today during a short 30 minute activation....guess who didn't bring a warm jacket with him? They say that if you don't like the cold you're not a true Canadian. For the first time in a very long time, I was the only person in the parking lot, so I got to choose the best spot to operate from.

Contacts were made on 10m SSB, with the KX3 and a Hamstick on the roof of my truck. It's too cold to fool around with masts and wire antennas. This year my winter philosophy is to get there, get it done, and get home where it's warm. It's true that the older you get the more you feel the cold.

Here's todays contact map:

Stay Safe & Warm Out There!!

VA3KS Memorial Event - Part 2...

It was a great activation today up at Portland Bay, CA-5957, for the actual Memorial Event.  The weather wasn't so good, it was -1C (30F) while I was there, with a stiff icy breeze coming off the lake. To top it off there was a brief snow shower around noon.

Propagation wasn't too bad, unfortunately the QSB was not very good.  The numbers for the day were: SFI=200, SN=148, A Index=8, and the K Index=1.

Due to the breeze I decided not to put up my mast and Rybakov antenna. I stuck with what works well for me, my KX3 set at 10w, and a Hamstick for whatever band I'm on.

The day started off great, I had 14 contacts in my log in the first 11 minutes. First up was 2E0VPF from England, then in very quick succession stations from Poland, France, Norway, Brazil, Belgium, Spain, Venezuela, Austria, and Sweden.

A number of my contacts mentioned that they had worked Kieran in the past, and a few shared some stories, which made the day even more special.

The day ended with 71 contacts in my log, so I was extremely pleased with that. Bands used were 10m, 15m, and 40m. I did try 20m but the noise floor was far too high for me to copy any stations at that location. Thanks to all of you who chased me on 40m. They were difficult QSO's to complete due the bad QSB, but I'm sure I worked all who called me.

Here's todays contact map:

Stay Safe Out There!!

VA3KS Memorial Event...

It will soon be one year since we suddenly lost our good friend Kieran VA3KS. I have missed his wise counsel greatly, as well as his totally warped sense of humour. The thing I have missed the most though, is meeting up with him at different locations and doing POTA activations.

Next Sunday, November 24th, is the one year anniversary of his passing. Here in Kingston, several parks will be activated in his memory, and I will be activating one of his favourite places, Portland Bay Conservation Area, CA-5957.

Eric VE3DN, will have the Pinhey Forest Conservation Area, CA-1581, on the air as well for the event. This was the last park Kieran activated. 

Those stations taking part will put "VA3KS Memorial Event" on the comment line on their spotting page. If you see us on the spotting page, give us a call, and help celebrate the memory of a great ham, and a fantastic friend.

Stay Safe Out There!

FX-4CR...

The new tuner arrived this week, and works perfectly with the radio. I'm very pleased with it. It's taken a bit of time to remember to reduce power to 5w and switch to FM mode in order to tune, but repetition will make it easier to do.

This particular tuner was originally designed for the FT-817/FT-818, and actually comes with a CAT cable for those radios. Thankfully it also works with most QRP radios, and the tuner is actually good for up to 30w.

So far it's worked with my 138' EFHW, and my Hamsticks, so it's definitely a keeper.

The radio itself is pretty intuitive, and it gets easier to use every time I get it out of the case. I actually busted a pile up with it the other day, I heard a station in South Dakota calling CQ POTA, and he was immediately hit with a  pile of stations calling him.....and I was the guy who got through with 20w!!!  It made my day!!

Stay Safe Out There!!

Remembrance Day 2024...

 

In Loving Memory of the

Officers, NCO's, and Men

of

2816 Squadron, RAF Regiment.

December 1941 -  June 1946

Lest We Forget.

It Arrived...

The FX-4CR arrived yesterday, and what a little beauty it is!!! I'm very impressed with the quality and workmanship, it's absolutely top notch!

It's a 20w, all mode transceiver (SSB, CW, AM, FM) that will fit in the palm of your hand. It also has CAT Control via Bluetooth.

The manual is written in perfect English, and is easy to understand. 

I've done a lot of listening on it today on it, trying to get used to its menu system. I don't have a resonant antenna at home so I can't transmit until the MTU-MAT-10 ATU I ordered from DX Engineering arrives; it should be here next week. By then I should have the menu system down pretty good. 

The screen is very much like that on the G90, and it's crystal clear, very easy to read. I'm not sure the waterfall is going to be big enough to be a help, but it will, at least, give you an idea of what is happening on the band of choice.

I'll post more as I start using it in the field.  I think this radio is going to be a game changer!

Right side of radio.

Left side of radio.

Heatsink on the bottom of the radio.

Stay Safe Out There!

Arriving Next Week...

I recently bought a brand new G90 radio. While it's a great radio, and I really do like it, it doesn't fill the niche I thought it would. It's a bit heavy to throw in a backpack and hike to a POTA or SOTA site for my liking........your results may vary.

After using the G90 a couple of times I found it got very hot after operating for a while, so I bought the external cooling fan for it.....adding even more weight and bulk to the radio.

Now, I do have a reputation for packing more gear than I actually need. With that in mind I've decided to get rid of the G90, and replace it with a brand new FX-2CR, which will arrive next week. I'm hoping that with this small 20w radio I'll be able to finally get all my needed radio gear in a single small pack, and travel lightly.

From all I have read, and the Youtube videos I have watched, this radio looks to be just what I'm looking for. It's not a replacement for my KX3, that radio is staying, but the FX-2CR is going to be a fantastic addition to my portable shack equipment.

Stay tuned for some field reports!

Stay Safe Out There!!