As you know (if your call starts with VA3 or VE3) that this is a Long Weekend in Ontario with Monday being a “Stat Holiday”…
Enjoy your weekend….
73bob
Archive for July, 2010
Redneck Radio
July 31, 2010Friday afternoon outing
July 31, 2010If you follow me on “Twitter” or noticed the comments “Bob said on Twitter” on the top right side of your screen you will know that I headed out in the afternoon to test out an 88 foot doublet and a home brewed 4:1 balun…
Now you get a little more detail…
I walked over to Hutton Park which is about a 10 min walk from home and set up…
[The radio was my FT 817 with my LDG QRP Autotuner and I set up at the baseball diamond at the park...
Anyway although the band conditions were not the best the antenna loaded up on 10-80m with no problems and did load up even on 160m but the tuner did fight it a bit…
Contacts were made on 40m and stations were heard on 20 and 80m…
It was an hour well spent…
73bob
Mixing Business and Pleasure Part 2
July 30, 2010While bored and surfing you tube I found a few examples of how Amateur Radio Operators could work in their hobby… The first few will be the obivious ones….
Now although this one and the first one are “Pro Canadian Forces” and a few more will be as well I am not trying to get you to sign up and I am not a “Hawk” or a “Dove” but I am a radio/technical enthuaist…
If your hobby is radio and electronics why not get a job where you get to play with the best electronic toys Canada has to offer.
It gives you a choice especially if you get seasick….
Keep your political views to yourself and look at the radio side of things…
73bob
Mixing Business and Pleasure Part 1
July 29, 2010While bored and surfing you tube I found a few examples of how Amateur Radio Operators could work in their hobby… The first few will be the obivious ones….
And if you also enjoy boating this one could be a real bonus….
73bob
Maplecon 2010- 24 Days and Counting
July 27, 2010Thats right…
24 Days to Maplecon….
Click on the above Logo to go to their site for the most up to date information
I’m still planning to get there at least for the Saturday and if the family permits the 3 Days…
73bob
ARES in VE5Land
July 27, 2010Early this morning while surfing Youtube I came upon this interesting video…
… I found it to be a fantastic example of ARES being taken very seriously by all three levels of goverment. As the video states the Mobile Command Post was sponsored by various levels of Goverments and it goes anywhere in VE5 as needed…
Like I said “FANTASTIC”!!!
73bob
Back a bit early but happy…
July 23, 2010The weather was not really cooperating but as the trailer is a “Fairly Large” Park Model we wern’t suffering…
Roughing it does not come to mind…
Doug and I arrived on Wednesday afternoon and started working. His wife had bought a new sofa bed and it would not fit in the main door. As the patio doors can come off all this would be was time consuming. We got the patio doors off and the sofa bed inside. It took a bit longer to get the doors back on but it did get done…
After that task we headed into Arnprior Ontario to pick up some small items at the Rona Store along with having supper at a local restaurant and as we were camping (slightly) pick up a small box of beer to relax with later…
Unfortunately by the time we made it back to the trailer we had missed the 2nd region net and the Ontario Phone Net…
Given the time we decided to just take life easy and watch a movie on the Bell Expressview System (told you we were roughing it!!!)
Thursday morning I got up and stretched the W3EDP up between 2 pine trees about 25 feet above ground hooked up the FT817 and played some radio. I was able to make several 80m contacts before 10am with the good people on the ONTARS Net including one with a portable station at a Provincal Park near North Bay Ontario… He was using 25w into a G5RV and was excellent copy. The low noise floor at Doug’s trailer really made it easy for me…
Not rare DX bit not not bad from a portable QRP station
I tried checking in to the COMSONT Net on 7.153 at 10am but had no luck… A couple of the participants thought they heard someone in the mud (ME) but no joy in the long run…
After that I jumped over to 20m and managed to check in with the NCS of the Maritime Mobile Service Net then take a break for a few more chores. After lunch I was back on 80m and had a long QSO with John VE3CAK who is in the Kingston area.
After that I left the rig on in the background and just sat on the deck enjoying the piece and quiet.
I came back on the air at 1830 hrs with the 2nd region net where I picked up a piece of traffic for Ontario. After the 2nd region I went to the Ontario Phone Net (1900 hrs- 3.742) where I was able to check in with the NCS and handle several more Pieces of traffic. To be honest I did better with the portable station than I do at home… The antenna not folded at home and the lower noise floor do wonders… After the nets I took the antenna down
All in all it was a great break away from reality and a good time was had by all…
73bob
Out of town for a few days…
July 20, 2010VA3QV hits the road again on Wednesday… Around noon or a little later Doug VE3DLJ will be picking me up and we will be heading out to Doug’s trailer at White Lake Ontario for a few days of R & R… (Radio and Relaxation)
Doug keeps his trailer at Bayview Lodge Campgrounds and its a Beautiful place to hide for the summer…
As always the Ft817 go bag will be coming with me so there will be some operating from the deck of the trailer.
Listen for me around the OPN Frequency (3.742) at 1900 and before then at 1830 on 3.925 for the 2rn. Later in the evenings most likely around 3.730.
We will be operating QRP on all bands between 2m and 160m with the W3EDP on 20-40-80 and 160 and the buddistick on 10-12-15-17-20-40 so if the bands are open and the storms stay away you stand a fairly good chance of hearing us…
Depending on internet access I might be able to post some pictures while up there but most likely not much will be done till I get back… I believe I have cell phone access up there so you might look for some Twitter updates on the Right hand side top….of this page…
I should be back either Friday evening or Saturday am as I have a commitment for Saturday evening which I can’t get out of…
73bob
August World Radio On Line now out
July 20, 2010It seems that someone in magazine publishing came out with a fanatastic idea. That idea would be to publish an “On Line Magazine”… No printing costs and the bandwidth on the WWW is next to nothing compared to the price of paper… This allows for the advertisments to pay the expenses and we get to download it for FREE…
So if you click on the logo below you will go to the WRO site and then look around and follow the instructions for downloading the latest issue…
And of course thanks to CQ Magazine for giving us the free reading material…
And speaking of CQ…
Don’t forget the CQ VHF Contest is this weekend!!!
73bob
How the weekend went
July 19, 2010Its now Monday afternoon and lets take a look back at the (lack of) radio activities over the weekend…
Saturday had afternoon had me playing back yard or Patio Portable as I was forced outside by the high temps and the lack of central air. There was a threat of Thunderstorms and worse and although my little area of Ottawa South was spared from the “worse” Toby, Saber and myself did get chased indoors a couple of times in the late afternoon. However I did get to watch several serious storms make their way east-south-east on the weather radar on line website and was glad I was not living along the St Lawrence River close to Cornwall.
On Saturday evening I was able to check into the 2nd region Traffic net at 1830 local (eastern) time and represent Ontario with no Traffic going out to the net and nothing coming to Ontario from the net. At 1900 local (2300Z) I was the scheduled Control Station for the Ontario Phone Net on 3.742. Even with the poor band conditions I was able to carry out my duties and operate the net.
Signals were good into to South River Ontario and Parrys Sound ( both in the general area of Huntsville Ontario which you might remember from the recent G8 Summit) and other stations were in Southern Ontario and the GTA who for some reason were not as strong.
As mentioned in Saturdays post the rig for this exercise was my FT 897 powered by a 12 volt automotive booster pack. As the W3EDP is resonant on 80m I did not need my tuner.
After the end of the net I packed up the gear cooked supper on the BBQ and that finished my radio work for the evening.
Sunday morning I did not get on the air in time for the OVMRC summer version of the Pothole net. The net runs on 3.760 starting at 10am Ottawa Time and formally does not run between Field Day and Labour Day but there is a group of “keeners” who do try and say hi and catch up on the weeks gossip on that frequency/time over the summer months. My gear was functioning but my timing lousy as I remembered about the net at about 1030 and all was quiet by then…
Later on Sunday (1300 eastern)I did manage a couple of short 40m contacts checking into the ARES Ontario 40m HF Net on 7.080. For this event I operated from the Shack (temps were a bit lower) and managed contacts with Bob VE3YX in Deep River Ontario as well as a few other net participants.
I normally like to try and check in with the QRP Yaesu FT817 and a portable W3EDP antenna from a local park but today if was my FT847 from home with the home version of the W3EDP. The big difference between antennas is that the home version is a bit higher where the portable version is normally lower to work within the NVIS Principals… On Sunday NON NVIS and QRO managed to get the job done…
For the rest of Sunday I had some non radio stuff to do so the shack was vacant till this afternoon which finds me writing this to you…
Just to jog your memory we are getting closer to Maplecon in Late August and the Ottawa Amateur Radio Club Carp Hamfest after Labour Day. There is still lots to do in the summer using amateur radio. The different clubs might slow down after Field Day but you don’t have to slow down… You can still get out there and have some fun in our wonderful hobby.
73bob
