It's That Day Again...

Today I complete my 69th trip around the sun, and while it does tend to suck getting old, I have to say that it definitely beats the alternative. As a way of celebrating I decided to return, as I did last year, to Lemoine Point, CA-5141, and do another POTA activation - my 126th at that location.

The propagation numbers looked pretty good today, and I thought I would do well on 10m as I have done the last few times I'm been at the park. The numbers were: SFI=210, SN=117, A Index=7, and the K Index=3. The Bz was sitting at 0.0, the QSB was particularly bad, but I've operated with a lot worse than that.

I spent a lot of my time during the activation today thinking of my Dad, VE7CVQ (SK), and the fact that I'm now two years older than he was when he passed away, which is a scary thing. But I was really thinking about what he would think of the modern craze of portable operating....POTA, SOTA, BOTA, WWFF, etc. Dad was a CW rag chewer, a 50 word a minute guy, and had been since he was a high speed morse operator during WW2. If I was really being honest, I don't think he would think much of it. On the positive side, he would be happy with the up-tick of CW use during these portable activations.

I started today on 10m SSB, but I only managed to make 3 contacts before I switched to 40m. There were lots of comments about deep QSB on my signal, and my signal reports reflected that fact. While the number of contacts were down today, it was still good to get out of the house and play radio.

Here's todays contacts map:

Stay Safe Out There!!

Changes in the Shack...

Over the past few weeks there have been a few changes in the shack.  Both the G90 and the FX-4CR have been sold.  The two radios, while very good, did not suit my needs.  The G90, with its cooling fan attached, was too big and heavy, and the FX-4CR I just didn't like....it was too "fiddly" to use.  Both have now gone on to new homes.

To replace them both a new to me KX2 and KXPA100 Amplifier have appeared on the bench.  This will soon become my main shack radio as I start to downsize my gear.  My KX3 will stay as my main portable rig for portable operating.

Along with the KX2 I bought a new set of Elecraft paddles.  I've never had much luck using paddles, but I thought it was time to learn, so this will take up my spare time over the next month or so.

I find these days I'm spending more time on CW than SSB, which is a good thing. This is a skill I should have worked on 20 years ago.....but, better late than never.

For those lovers of the KX line you should have a read of this article written by Larry W2LJ on the KX3 and whether or not it's a Dinosaur.  It's a good article.

It's been a quiet month so far for portable operating, although I'm hoping to get out today for an hour.  The weather has been very cold, very snowy, and extremely windy.....not conducive for operating outdoors at all.

Stay Safe and Warm Out There!!

Another Decent Day...

It was another decent day on the bands, especially 10m. Today it was off to Parrotts Bay, CA-5142, a delightful spot about 8 km east of my home QTH. 

Of course today, being Sunday, brought the usual lids out to play on the bands. I had them all, the tuner uppers, the whistlers, the "get off my frequency" types, it was a delightful cornucopia of idiots - all of whom failed to ruin my day. If you ignore them they tend to go away and play elsewhere.

Propagation today was: SFI=182, SN=168, A Index=4, and the K Index=3.

First up today was Didier F5NZO, followed by DL9RP, F4ILH, LW2DO, I4JED, IU1HJF, and DL1SWB. Not bad for 10w and a 10m Hamstick!! Things quieted down after the initial run of EU DX, the big surprise of the day was the call from the Argentinian station. I switched to 40m and worked a few more stations closer to home.

It was -10C (14F) with a light wind that brought the temperature down another few degrees. I didn't find it as bad as yesterday though.

Here's todays contact map:

Stay Safe Out There!

It Was A Cold Day...

Very little portable operating has taken place this past week. It has snowed just about every day, and the temperatures have been low enough to make any amount of time outdoors uncomfortable, so it's been a slow radio week.

Today I had to get out of the house, regardless of the temperatures, propagation, and anything else the world could have thrown at me. It was a balmy -12C (10F) when I started, with winds 25 gusting 70, which took the ambient temperature down to where it was damn uncomfortable. Needless to say I didn't spend too much time outside chasing Parks and DX.

The propagation numbers today were: SFI=188, SN=180, A Index=9, and the K Index=1. I spent the whole time on 10m, and I had to fight some pretty deep QSB there. With the KX3 set at 10w and my trusty 10m Hamstick on the roof of my truck, I set out to capture some excellent DX out there. I did a bit of listening on 15m as well, but didn't operate there.

The first guy in the log was Pat PD1CW, and he was quickly followed by DL9RP, EA1BUL, F4ILH, DH3TK, EA7FC, and EI6IF. 

I had to pack it in after 40 minutes as my feet started to freeze, and I didn't want to risk hurting them. That's one of the downsides of operating in the winter in Canada.

 Here's today's contact map....more DX contacts than North American contacts:

Stay Safe and Warm Out There!!