Rainy day plans for Canada Day

It seems that Mother Nature might give us some poor weather for the Canada Day Festivities tomorrow…

Outside of getting wet when I install the vertical antenna tomorrow morning I am not that worried but others might be.

If you are visiting Ottawa tomorrow or just heading downtown please look at the following link:

Rainy day plans for Canada Day

As well as remembering to check the weather network website.

And for those of you who think that “seeing is believeing” here is the shot from the Parliament Hill Webcam which updates every 6 min or so which should give you a good indication of how good or bad things are…

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Here is a screen shot from the Hill Cam at Parliament Hill.  Remember that this is a “Live Shot” or at least almost live with the feed coming from a webcam set up across the street from Parliament Hill…

73bob

Getting ready for the CANADA DAY Contest

Now that we have gotten past Field Day its time for us to start to think about the

RAC Canada Day Contest

This contest as implied is run by our National Group the Radio Amateurs of Canada and runs from 0000hrs UTC on July 1st to 2359:99 hrs UTC.

In real time this means the contest starts on the Tuesday evening (if like me you are in the EASTERN Time zone)  and runs till Wednesday evening so remember the difference between UTC Time and your local time zone.

This is a very easy and laid back contest and along with the RAC Canada Winter Contest is the best way for Canadians to work Canadians.

You can find a very easy to use logging program and the rules for the contest itself by by following the hotlinks in these lines.

Normally for this contest I try and operate from home but in the QRP Catagory with my LDG QRP Tuner and my Yaesu FT 817 but the final equipment decision will be made on Tuesday evening just before the start of the contest.  If the bands seem good then it will be QRP and if the bands seem rough then it will be the FT 847  instead.

My normal goals for all contests will apply here…

(1) HAVE FUN AND MAKE LOTS OF CONTACTS

(2) Try and work all the Canadian Callsign Districts.  Seeing that I made my first Alaskian contact this year in Field Day this proves that working into the north (VE8 and VY0) are possiable with my meager antennas.

In the time that I was able to participate (approx 10 hours) I was able to work 7 provinces including all the Maritimes with the exception or Labrador.

(3) Work as many US States as I can.  I feel that in any North American Contest I should be able to work at least 50% of the lower 48 states.  In the approximate 10 hours that I was able to operate in Field Day 2009 I did manage 20 states so that goal is not out of line.

(4) DID I MENTION TO HAVE FUN???

Anyway due to a prior commitment I will be missing the first few hours of the contest so you won’t hear me at the start but you do stand a good chance to hear me on the low bands (40, 80 and 160) starting around 2330 EASTERN when I get home.  I plan to try and make some late night contacts before pulling the plug for a few hours nap.  Hopefully I will be able to operate for most of the daytime hours till the conclusion of the contest.

My unofficial results (brags or excuses) should be posted here just after the contest with a final follow up a day or so later.

Like I said its a great way for Canadians to work Canadians and also as DX Stations get points for working us its also nice to be at the receiving end of a pile up…  It gives you a nice feeling to hear CQ CANADA…CQ CANADA

Will you get one of these for a Canada Day contact?

Now everyone get your gear ready and lets play some radio and have some fun…

73bob

VA3QV 2009 Field Day Report

Well folks it was a hoot….

I operated as 1D (running at home off home power) with 100 w output

Antennas were a 2m loop, a 6m dipole, my inverted L for 10-160m and my Cushcraft Vertical for 10-80.

Picture shows loading coil for vertical-  Its in the 20m position

I would show you a picture of the inverted L but its hard to take a photo of a blue wire in a tree with a blue sky as a background…  Sorry!!!

For this event I used my FT 847 and my LDG Z100 Autotuner and my regular marine battery charged off a 12v charger powered by grid power.

So you see the toys that were used…. Nows here how they did…

I made 76 contacts (yes only) in 41 ARRL Sections…  This is down from last year when I made 109 contacts in 52 sections.  This year I was blanked on 10m and only made 3 contacts on 6m.  Last year I made 34 contacts on 6m so theres a good part of the score right there.  This year 6 was not open for me at least.  In addition it seems the VHF users are not bothering to drop in for a visit when the bands are not open.  Very little VHF Activity with only one “Big Gun” station answering my call.

In the past I have made comments about how these contests are important to get people interested in the VHF Bands and above but it seems no one listens or at least cares.  Perhaps its time to sell the beams and just work on HF….  I guess I will make a decision after the Canada Day Contest…

However this time I did handle traffic.  I guess I had to being the Net Manager of the Ontario Phone Net but there were so far 11 messages that have been routed through my station so far so its safe to say that my participation has helped generate over 600 points for other clubs in this years field day.  And the field day messages will most likely continue in the system for a few more days yet so that would change…

Goals met…  Like I mentioned yesterday the goals were simple….  Have Fun and I did have fun…  and contact stations I would not normally contact and boy did I ever…

Like I mentioned earlier I managed a contact with Alaska and today I was able to add Prince Edward Island, Newfoundland and W1AW all on 20m.

I also worked W1AW twice on 40m.  The first time my batteries died so I re loaded and called back again this time as VA3RCS just for the video.

I don’t think the extra contact will do much for their score…  Every time I heard them they were in a pileup…

I also wanted to contact at least 1/2 of the fifty states and all the Canadian Provinces/Territories by the end of the Canada Day Contest and I believe I have made a good start on that…

What I learned…  After last years field day I commented that everyone should try a solo effort and that stands true.  Just like they say

“Don’t try this at home…”

Its just not the same…  Its too easy to get distracted at home where in the Field you can just play radio, eat and nap….

Although the scores were low working Alaska made up for it…  Lets see how things go after the RAC Canada Day Contest…

73bob

Field Day 1/2 way and two goals met

Well this years Field Day is starting off on a great note….  I had a visit with the Ottawa Amateur Radio Club at their 2009 Field Day Site located at St Pauls University which is fairly close to my place.  I showed up around 1130 and left at 1330 so I could get home and finish my set up in time for the 1400 start…

The above video shows their Voice Tent and station…

The above video shows their 10m-40m antenna and their 80m antenna along with a view of the site itself

The above video shows their CW (Morse Code) Tent along with a radio that I just love which is the Yaesu FT 847.

Now lets talk about goals… The first goal of any radio event is Having Fun and after talking to some old friends for a couple of hours boy did I have some fun.

Another goal was to work some areas that I have not been able to find in the past…

One of the US States I have not been able to work in the past has been the Great State of Alaska.

Today that changed as KL7Y made it into my log.  Now it was not a strong contact as 20m was fading a bit but it was a contact and for the first time as an Amateur Radio Operator I worked Alaska!!!!

In addition to the contact of the day….  I also managed many contacts on 2m, 6m, 20m, 40m and 80m.  There was a small opening on 6 but most of my VHF work was local.

I also managed to check into the Ontario Phone Net and help to handle some of the Field Day NTS Traffic to the Ontario Section Management.  In traffic terms I received 2 pieces of traffic going out of Ottawa, I acted as a relay station for 3 pieces of traffic (pass thru) and then I recieved one piece of traffic that was bound for Ottawa.  Tomorrow during the day an attempt will be made to deliver the traffic to its destination via landline.

So far its been a great day and with any luck tomorrow will be even better….

73bob

Todays the day…

Field Day

My plans for today include taking my handheld and my Digital Camera out for a walk and checking out the only Field Day site thats within walking distance.

View Larger Map

So if you remember from my earlier posting on local Club activities I will be visiting the Ottawa Amateur Radio Club.

After the visit I will be heading back to home to give out some contacts as VA3QV 1E ON.

At 1800 EASTERN I will be running a NTS Feeder net on the local repeater VE3MPC to pick up the field day traffic to bring to the Ontrario Phone Net at 1900 hrs

Hope to talk to you on the air….

73bob

Fixing a broken link…

After doing some checking it seems that I have a broken link.  The link mentioned several times in the last 18 months for the Maple Island DXPedition is no longer working.

The DXPedition site is also here and this links works as of todays date…

Sorry for any mixups…

and as a reminder please send me an email—or just make a comment if you find a broken link on this blog.  I will try and do my best to rectify the problem if I can.

73bob

2nd day of “Doom and Gloom”WX Predictions

This just in….

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“SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH: City of Ottawa Issued at 10:39 AM EDT FRIDAY 26 JUNE 2009

CONDITIONS ARE FAVOURABLE FOR SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS TO DEVELOP FROM NOON TO 8 PM. MONITOR WEATHER CONDITIONS..LISTEN FOR UPDATED STATEMENTS. IF THREATENING WEATHER APPROACHES TAKE IMMEDIATE SAFETY PRECAUTIONS.”

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Well yesterday I believed them and they were not quite accurate although the storms seemed to go around Ottawa.  I did disconnect EVERYTHING before I went out last night and then hooked everything up this morning….  I guess I am stuck doing the same thing cause if I don’t then thats when I will take the strike….  Murphys Law no doubt….

Here are the usual links to the Weather Network and Environment Canada and their Weather Radar…  By now you most likely have them bookmarked…

Gordon VE3XGD and Darin VE3OIJ also mention the local Weather and you might want to check their blogs out…

Other than that stay safe and if you can protect the toys….

73bob

WX calls for “Sound and Light”- watch antennas

Well folks we are getting closer…

Thursday, Friday then Field Day but today we have a bit of an issue….

GAWD ITS HOT OUT TODAY…. Accord to the Weather Network its currently 28 Deg C (thats 82 Deg F for you are not in Canada) but this afternoon the forcast is as follows:

32 C with a humidex of 40C (89F with a humidex of 104F)

This evening we get a bit of a break with

24C with a humidex of 32C (75F with a humidex of 90F)

And overnight we get a break with a temp of 17C (62F)

However there are forcasts for serious Thunder and Lightning (Severe Storms) in this time frame as well and as they do warn us it could spawn something nastier.

There is a “Storm Watch” right now for Southern Ontario and it appears to be heading east so later tonight we will get it…

Keeping a radio on the weather frequency for your area if you are in Eastern Ontario could be a good idea for the next little while!!!

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Even though I gave you the link here is a Direct quote from the weather network as of 1213hrs EASTERN…

“A Prairie cold front moving south east across southern Ontario and Quebec today will meet with daytime heating causing thunderstorms.

Some of these thunderstorms may become severe with the possibility of localized flooding, damaging winds and hail. Rainfall amounts could vary significantly across the region as is typical with thunderstorms. While most areas will likely see some rain, amounts will range for nothing to possibly over 50 mm. Hail is possible with the most severe storm cells. Tornadoes are always possible with severe thunderstorms but in this weather situation the tornado risk is low.

With the risk of damaging winds and flooding associated with these thunderstorms, people should take precautions and keep up-to-date on the latest weather conditions.

Severe thunderstorms watches and warnings are already in effect in some areas.”

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Getting back to the radio side of things for a bit…. Outside of the monitoring of the weather radio network try doing the “disconnect thing” for your antennas/radios as we don’t really want to test out your grounding system or your lightning  arrestor.

Doing the same with your computers might not be a bad idea as well.  Although I do take these warnings with a grain of salt its better to be safe than sorry.

Enjoy the warm weather, drink plenty of water to keep hydrated and stay safe…

73bob

RAC Liability Insurance – INFO from WEB Site

Good Wednesday morning….  Thursday, Friday and Field Day to go….

Anyhow if you remember a  few days back I made this posting… which was mentioning the liability issue for the Search and Rescue Groups in BC especially with the insurance side ot things.  I had also questioned if that could happen to us as ARES/NTS volunteers…

After searching the RAC website I found the following page which seems to cover most of what I was asking….

To refresh your memory my question was:

“Could we as a volunteer amateur radio communicatior be liable for not responding, for not providing the service or even worse for making a mistake when relaying data….  When passing voice traffic sometime letters and numbers do seem to sound alike in a noisy environment…  If somethng like this happens are we covered???”

Now when I asked that question I was hoping that someone at the RAC offices might have read the blog (as I know they have in the past) and sent an official comment but with it being summer and all perhaps not.  However free for the asking is the answer from the website and I will give you the link needed to read up on the insurance issue.  The link is here and once you read it over you should have few questions…  If you do have any questions I suggest you contact the RAC Office or your regional director.

THE BIG THING IS THAT YOU HAVE TO BE A RAC MEMBER TO BE COVERED BY THE INSURANCE AND WHAT YOU ARE DOING HAS TO FIT IN THE GUIDLINES AS MENTIONED ON THE WEBPAGES.  ONCE AGAIN IF YOU HAVE ANY DOUBTS/QUESTIONS PLEASE FOLLOW UP WITH  THE PERSON LISTED AT THE BOTTOM OF THIS POSTING.  I AM JUST POSTING THIS INFO AS A REFERENCE MATERIAL AND ANY SPECIFIC QUESTIONS SHOULD BE DIRECTED AT THE RAC CONSULTANT LISTED BELOW BEFORE YOU START YOUR ACTIVITY.

Quoting from the website address of http://www.rac.ca/en/rac/services/insurance/#Coverage comes the following:

Q. - What kind of activities are covered?

A. - The Application that RAC submitted for the policy listed all the “amateur radio activities” we could think of that might apply to RAC, its officials, members and registered RAC-affiliated clubs. These include support communications in public service events such as parades, rallies, races, etc; amateur radio displays at shopping malls, schools, arenas or municipal parks; amateur radio courses and examinations; Field Day, ARES and NTS real emergency and simulated emergency exercises, amateur radio repeaters on towers or buildings owned by others, etc.

Q. - I am a paid-up Full Member of Radio Amateurs of Canada. What must I do to obtain coverage?

A. - Nothing except to maintain your membership. As a RAC Member, you are already covered.

Q. - What is the coverage for Life Members, Associate Members, or Family Members?

A. - All of these membership classes are considered to be RAC members. Please note that a $20/yr RAC Family Membership must be paid for each family member you want to be included as a RAC Family Member.

Q. - My ARES group is covered by the county or municipality, as unpaid part-time employees, under Workers Compensation. Is that not all the coverage I need?

A. - Workers Compensation protects you against the cost of a personal injury while “on the job”quot;, usually only during a real emergency and not if you are injured in a simulated emergency drill or exercise. In contrast, this liability coverage protects you against a lawsuit to recover the costs that might be incurred by a party you might inadvertently injure and who claims compensation. This even extends to an error in a message you handle, or your failure to transmit or receive a message. The two types of insurance are not overlapping. They are complementary.

This liability insurance also protects you in dozens of other non-ARES amateur radio activities, as noted above.
And finally come the following:

Getting Further Answers

Q. - Who do I contact to get further answers?

A. - Please do not contact your Director, a RAC Executive, RAC Section official, the RAC office, or AXA, the insurer

First read the previous Q&A material. Other questions should be referred to :

Luc Leblanc, VE2DWE // <![CDATA[//

Luc is the insurance consultant who has kindly agreed to assist us. Of course he may have to refer some questions to the insurer, but at least he knows who to ask at the insurance company.

So there you have it…  As far as we can trust the website…. As long as the website is kept updated…. but seriously…

From the info we have at hand we as communicatiors (not SAR TECHS) are covered for basic liability.  For more info please follow the directions on the RAC Website.

And once again you have to be a member to be covered…  Therefore you better sign up….  or keep renewing your membership…. I’ve said many time you get what you pay for and in this specific case if you don’t pay…

73bob

Ottawa to Maine on 2.5w

This afternoon I was testing out some gear including a new to me antenna.  The rig I chose to use was my FT 817 (without the auto tuner)

and my antenna of choice today was a used HY-GAIN AV18VS vertical antenna I had propped up in my backyard for todays test…  The antenna was actually ground mounted and was using the existing radial system for the inverted L antenna.

Today the test was to do some quick A/B comparisons between the inverted L and the Vertical on 20m and heres what I found…

(I found this great vid on youtube which shows the antenna in all its glory…  I hope you enjoy it…)

The Vertical out performed the inverted L on recieve and transmit.  Using 2.5 w with the FT 817 I managed a ssb contact on 20m with AA1KS in Eastport Maine. According to his QRZ.com data this make it approx 422 miles from my door to his door.  I gave him a honest 5 x 9 report and he gave my QRP signal a 5×2 but then raised it to a 5×5 after a few minutes of the QSO.

View Larger Map

When I switched to the inverted L he could not hear me and I could barely hear him…  It seems the Vertical will be better for the Higher bands as I have doubted the Inverted L in the past.  The inverted L seems to be much better for the lower bands and does a great job on 40m, 80m and 160m….

Although I do not plan to leave the vertical up under regular operating circumstances I will be putting it up and running two antennas (one for 20 and higher and the other for 40 and below) for contesting and special events hunting…

73bob