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.

It's Getting Better...

Yesterday on the bands wasn't bad, but today was much better! After my trip yesterday to Lemoine Point, I decided to take a drive out to Parrott's Bay and see how things were. It was great!

Propagation this morning was: SFI=145, SN=87, A Index=5, and the K Index=1. 

The temperature was hovering around 1C (3.8F), so winter is definitely on its way. I'll have to make sure that my truck has some extra warm items for the coming winter POTA season.

The Radio today was my KX3 and various hamsticks as usual.

First up today was Dave, KJ5MTY, from Rockwall, Texas, on 10m. I started there as it looked really busy, but I actually only managed to make 3 contacts on the band, all into Texas, before I moved on to 12m.

Now I don't have a 12m Hamstick, but using my ATU the 10m hamstick tuned up on 12m with no problem. Contacts on this band today included Didier, F5NZO, and Sepo, IZ8BIR, both of whom were booming into my location. 

I moved to 15m after a short time and made 11 contacts there. Surprisingly I didn't work any DX on this band. It was mainly the US West Coast, Texas, and Oklahoma that made it into my logbook. 

It was a good day, and hopefully I'll manage to get out again tomorrow and do it all over again.

Here's today's contact map:

Stay Safe Out There!

Band Test...

After the terrible band conditions over the past week I decided that today was perhaps the day to get out there and see if things had improved yet. Aside from a bit of QSB things were actually not too bad.

I did a quick 30 minute activation at CA-5141, Lemoine Point, and managed to put 14 contacts in the log from there. 

As usual I had my KX3 set at 10w, and a 40m Hamstick is use, and a fine job they both did. Propagation this morning was: SFI=156, SN=102, A Index=59, and the K Index=1. 

First in the log today was Chris, N0TAR, in Groton, CT. No DX was worked, and that's OK as I really just wanted to see how the bands were. I've decided that looking at the numbers for the weekend I'll try and get an activation in, between rain showers, on both days.

Here's todays activation map:

Stay Safe Out There!

Remembrance Day - 2025

In Loving Memory of the

Officers, NCO's, and Men

of

2816 Squadron, RAF Regiment

December 1941 -  June 1946

In Loving Memory of

WO Derek Pilkington, BEM

Sgt Tam MacDonald

Cpl Dave Cromb

Cpl Willie Crosley

In Loving Memory of

LCol David "Doc" Purich

Maj Colin "Turk" Fisher

MWO Ben Lemarbre

MCpl George Game

Cpl Dave Jodoin

Cpl John "JC" Smith

Cpl Randy Hampel

Cpl Sam Gordon

Also,

MWO Darlene Powers

Gone, but not forgotten.

We Will Remember Them.

Another Sunday 4 Park Rove...

Sunday is fast becoming my favourite day to get out and play radio. There's a couple of reasons for this, normally the parks are somewhat quieter as many people are in church, and as a result the bands are quieter, and any contests going on are actively listening for contacts...which helps my QRP status.

So with that I got up at "O'dark Thirty" and high tailed it up the highway 2 hours to Ottawa, where at 0900 I was set up and ready to operate at CA-1040, Burnt Lands Provincial Park. There are no facilities at this park, it really is just a patch of burnt land where a forest fire went through years ago. I've no idea why it would be a provincial park, or a POTA site. There's hardly any parking here, the few available spots are along a busy major road.

It took 6 minutes to get this park activated, all on 40m, which is a record for me. First in the log was Bruce, K9ICP, who thankfully works me at just about every park I activate. After 13 contacts I closed down and moved along to my next park.

Next up was CA-5083, Diefenbunker National Historic Site. This was not such an easy activation. In the 20 minutes to get there it seemed the propagation had changed and it was not such an easy go. In fact it took 40 minutes to get 12 contacts in the log, and I used both 40m and 20m to get the job done. First in the log here was Wayne, VE3UWA, a local Kingston boy.

The third activation of the day was at CA-5644, Pinhey's Point National Historic Site. This activation was done using 15m only, and I ended up with some good DX contacts from here. First up was Raf, IK4IDF, and was closely followed by EA1BUL, F5NZO, EA7ANC, F5PYI, and the surprise of the day, Ken, 8P5KM, who was at park BB-0036 in Barbados.

Here's the contact map for this activation:

The final park of the day was CA-1621, Shirley's Bay Conservation Reserve. First in the log here was Eric, VE3DN. This is a fantastic site to operate from, no RF interference at all, I had an S0 to S1 noise floor the whole time I was there. This activation was done using both 40m and 15m. The view isn't too bad either across the Ottawa River:

As usual the radio was my KX3 set at 10w, and hamsticks for antennas on a mag-mount on the roof of my truck. 

The propagation never really changed all day: SFI=115, SN=25, A Index=14, and the K Index=2. There was a small amount of QSB, but that caused me no issues at all. It was fairly cool all day with the temperature hovering around 7C (44F).....but at least it didn't rain or snow.

Thanks to Eric, VE3DN, who gave me guidance to the sites I activated. It's a lot easier to do with some local knowledge in your back pocket. Eric and I met up and had a great lunch together at a Kanata restaurant where we caught up on all things ham radio.

I did try one last activation, to try and get 5 in for the day. I had to go through Perth on the way home and I stopped at CA-5956, Perth Wildlife Reserve. The noise floor here was S9+20, just a ridiculous amount of noise on the site, and the propagation had fallen into a garbage can. I tried for about 10 minutes, made zero contacts, and then headed home into the rapidly appearing dusk. I had forgotten with the time change it would be getting darker a lot earlier than I was used to.

It was a great day out, and I'm looking forward to my next few multi-park roves before the snow flies.

Stay Safe Out There!!