Busted...at first!!

The day didn't start very well today radio-wise.  I had decided to try another POTA activation and do the Great Trail of Canada, better known to many people as the "Trans-Canada Trail", which is VE-5082.  It crosses Highway 38 about 15 km north of the city, so it's pretty easy to get to.

I arrived at the nearly empty parking lot, and set up for 40m.  Wow!  What a surprise.  Both 40m and 20m had a S9+20 noise floor.  I couldn't hear a thing across both bands, and the other bands were the same.  There are no power lines or building near the trail, so I have no idea where the noise is coming from.

The propagation numbers this morning were: SFI=73, SN=18, A Index=4, and K Index=2.

I gave up, packed up, and went home defeated......but not for long.  Later in the afternoon I decided to activate, again, VE-0023, the Frontenac Biosphere.  This is an easy drive from home and this will be the third or fourth time I done this site.

To be honest I wasn't expecting much after the mornings disappointment, and once again I was surprised.  

Over 60 minutes I put 26 contacts in the log, including EA1AF in Spain, DJ4POT in South Germany, and NP3MR in Puerto Rico.  I also had contacts in Newfoundland, Manitoba, and Saskatchewan....places I haven't worked in months. 

I was using my KX3 at 10w with a 20m Hamstick with a mag-mount on my van roof....nothing fancy, but it works.

So it turned out to be a pretty good day after all.