Merry Christmas...

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

Wishing you all a very Merry Christmas and a

Happy New Year for 2026.

Last Activation Before Christmas?...

The question today is: "Can I go 5 days without doing a POTA activation?".....probably not, but I'm going to try. However, given the incoming weather and propagation forecasts for the next week it may be easier than I think.

This morning I drove to Lemoine Point and did a quiet activation there. It was nice and quiet, I suspect most of the usual walkers and dog people are busy doing their Christmas shopping, and have no time for exercise.

Propagation today was: SFI=118, SN=47, A Index=6, and the K Index=1. There was also no sign of any QSB today.

First in the log today was John, K8ELS, from Huntington, WV. Interestingly, John is the third generation of his family to have that callsign. Both his Grandfather and his Dad had it before him. I can't imagine that there are many third generation callsigns out there.

John was also operating QRP, 5w SSB. He had a fantastic signal, a solid S9 into my location. I was using my KX3 at 10w into my usual hamstick antenna. I used both 40m and 15m today, and managed to get 15 contacts in the log. 

The only DX contact today was with Gaspar, KP4GSC, in Puerto Rico, he managed to work me on 15m SSB with a nice S9 signal.

Here's today's contact map:

Stay Safe Out There!!

Nice Day...

Thursday was a nice day around here....for a change. Gone were the negative temperatures, and just to be different we had a positive temperature, with no snow or freezing rain falling from the heavens. It was time to go and activate a park!

I have a choice of two, very close, local parks, Lemoine Point and Parrott's Bay. The last time I was at Parrott's Bay the parking lot was a total mess due to not being plowed after a large snow fall, and I thought that might be the last activation there for the winter as it was turning to solid ice. Well.....unusually for this time of the year they finally got around to cleaning out the lot, so it was off there for a quick activation. 

First up was Gary, VA3GHB, in Halliburton, with a nice S7 SSB signal, and thirteen contacts later I shut down. All contacts were made on 40m with my KX3 and a Hamstick.

Propagation was SFI=119, SN=75, A Index=18, and the K Index=3. I didn't notice any QSB which made for a nice activation. There are a few more days coming up where the weather looks half decent enough to get out and play radio in a park. I can't see travelling too far from home given the uncertainty of the weather patterns we seem to be having. But it will be nice to get away from the noise and Christmas rush, and just relax with the KX3.

Here'e the contact map:

Stay Warm and Safe Out There!

10m Contest...

ARRL 10-Meter Contest is this weekend starting on Saturday, December 14 at 0000 UTC, and concluding on Sunday, December 15 at 2359 UTC. 

Stations may contact any other station, regardless of location, using CW and phone.

The Rules can be found HERE.

I'm hoping to get on for a few hours over the weekend. It's been a long time since I took part in this contest, but this year it looks pretty good propagation wise.

Good Luck, have fun out there, and Stay Safe!!

A Cold Day...

This morning I decided to activate Parrott's Bay, CA-5142. This will probably be my last activation there until the spring unless they decide to plow out the parking lot.....which they didn't do last year. The conservation area is still open, but I needed to turn on my 4-wheel drive to get into the parking lot, as it has about a foot of snow over it.

It was a nippy -18C (0.4F) morning with the wind there today, making antenna changes very uncomfortable.

I started on 40m SSB and called for over 10 minutes and another 8 minutes on CW without a response, This is highly unusual as I can normally scare somebody up on that band....but not today. There were a number of stations on POTA Spots shown working on 40m, but I went looking for them and never heard a single one.

I then moved to 20m and made 22 easy SSB contacts in 18 minutes, so it seems 40m was just being fickle today. First in the log was John, N2XD in North Carolina. No DX was either heard or worked.

Radio was the KX3 with hamsticks for my antenna.

Propagation was: SFI=194, SN=131, A Index=8, and the K Index=0, and no QSB.

Here's todays contact map:

Stay Safe and Warm Out There!!

Finally Got Out...

It's been a weird week both propagation and weather wise here so not much radio work has been done.....in fact today was the first time this week I have been out playing portable radio.

It was -4C (24F) when I arrived at Lemoine Park this morning for a very quick activation, It was a good job that no wind was blowing to make it even worse. Winter has definitely arrived already in Collins Bay.

Propagation looked awful. Fortunately I only looked at the numbers after I arrived in the park, otherwise I would have probably stayed home. Today they were: SFI=138, SN=64, A Index=22, and the K Index=4. On top of that the solar wind was up at 620 kps, which really doesn't help matters at all.

Radio used today was my KX3 set at 10w, and as usual I used a hamstick for my antenna.

I set up on 40m, which was shown as being in poor condition, and almost immediately had Ben, KM6HJC, call me from Ohio. Another thirteen contacts made it into my log before the band seemed to shut down and I packed up.

Next week's weather isn't looking too good at the moment. The weather man is calling for snow every day, so that may slow things down a bit.

Here's todays contact map:

Nothing outstanding, and no DX. Just good fun!

Stay Safe Out There!! 

A Complaint...

I received an email last night from a reader of the Blog asking why I do so much POTA. Apparently, he doesn't appreciate the fact that I like to operate QRP, and outdoors, and he's tired of reading about it.

First of all I like to operate outdoors. It's very relaxing, and I think a damn site better for me than sitting in the shack operating all day. 

Over the years I have been doing POTA I believe it's greatly improved my operating skills. It's certainly forced me to learn CW. Keep in mind I only operate QRP when I'm portable. With QRP you either improve your skill level or you don't make many contacts. These skills also transfer over to operating QRO, so it's a win-win situation. 

Why QRP? Well let's be honest here, any fool can go out and use 200w and make 100's of contacts using big rigs and heavy batteries. I prefer the opposite, small rigs and lightweight Bioenno batteries, items I can carry with no problem in a small rucksack. I also don't care if I make 10 contacts or 100 when I'm at a park, it's the fact I'm out relaxing in nature that matters to me.

QRP requires that you also have a good grasp of the daily propagation, and how it affects the various bands so it enhances your operating session. It's all part of the bigger learning package. 

And finally, it's my hobby and I do it my way. The only person I have to please is me. It's ok by me if you don't want to read about my adventures.

For many years after I left the Air Force I suffered with huge Anxiety Attacks, a form of PTSD. Nothing helped me, and for a long time I was in a pretty dark place. Then I found POTA and threw myself into it hoping it would give me something different to think about, trips to plan, and something to look forward to other than staring at four walls in the house. It has worked, I very rarely suffer through an anxiety attack since I started doing POTA.........That's why I do it.

The VA3KS Memorial Event...

It was 1C (33F) and raining when I left home this morning, it quickly turned to wet snow as I travelled north on Highway 15 to Portland Conservation Area. Arriving in the Village of Portland I was met with 5 cm (2") of fresh wet snow and an outside temperature of -4C (28F). Not the weather I had expected.

I was hoping that everything would go well for the VA3KS Memorial Event, in fact it went much better than I anticipated.

Propagation today was: SFI=119, SN=66, A Index=6, and the K Index=2. Not the best numbers, but usable. 

Looking at the POTA Spot page I decided to start the activation on 15m, that was a good idea. First in the log today was Ryszard, SP8DJY. He was quickly followed by 16 other European DX Stations. The furthest contact was with SY2BEW in Greece, he was 7,621 km away, and he gave me a 55 signal report, not too bad for 10w QRP into a 15m Hamstick!

Stations were worked in Poland, Germany, Finland, Austria, France, Spain, Ukraine, Italy, Greece, USA, and Canada. Throughout the day 40m, 15m, 10m, and 12m were used. I had planned on trying 20m as well, but it was so busy I thought it best to give it a miss. 

My good friend Eric, VE3DN, also activated Shirley's Bay in the afternoon to take part in the event. I believe there might have been a few others who also took part in the Ottawa area.

For this activation I used both the POTA spotting page and the WWFF spotting page, well worth the effort considering the contacts I got out of it. I will definitely use them again.

Here's todays contact map:

Stay Safe Out There!

I Couldn't Resist...

What a great day to be out playing POTA. It was a beautiful clear sunny day, with the temperature hovering around 4C (39F). You don't get many of these days at this time of year here.....so off to the park I went.

Parrott's Bay is pretty quiet this time of year, you get the odd dog walker, but that's about it. The cold wind coming in off Lake Ontario keeps most people safe in their warm homes.

The propagation wasn't too bad either, the SFI=121, SN=74, A Index=8, and the K Index=1. There was lot's of QSB though. We're expecting similar propagation in the morning as well.

After looking at POTA Spots I decided to start on 15m SSB. It was a good decision as I managed to get 19 contacts in the log on that band, followed by another 2 contacts on 10m. 

The DX was excellent as well. First up was Juan, HI8JCD. He was followed by OE4JHW, OE4MXB, F5NZO, DL1SWB, EA2KP, and EA3HAB. Not too bad for a 10w QRP station!

The main reason for today's activation was to make sure my equipment is ready for tomorrow's VA3KS Memorial Event. I made sure to charge all of my batteries when I returned home, and all is ready for the great adventure tomorrow. The only down side is that the weather forecast has changed, and snow mixed with rain is now expected in the morning.

Here's todays contact map:

Stay Safe Out There.

Sunday, November 23rd...

Kieran VA3KS

Coming up this Sunday, November 23rd, will be the second anniversary of unexpectedly losing our great friend Kieran, VA3KS.

To help keep Kieran's memory alive, myself, and Don, VE3MNE, will be activating Portland Conservation Area, CA-5957. This is the last location Kieran and I did a joint POTA activation. Eric, VE3DN, may also attempt an activation in the Ottawa area.

We are hoping to be QRV by 1500 UTC, and will start on 40m SSB before moving to 10m, 15m, 17m, and 20m. There may be an opportunity to activate on CW as well.

We hope to work some of you as we remember our good friend.

Stay Safe Out There.