I am starting to hear the Big Gun Contest Station Flex their Radio Muscle in anticipation of the Contest. Strong signals from Africa, Thailand and the Middle East so far have found their way to my antenna here in Ottawa. The problem is so far that the weak signal from my “Pop Gun” station has not been even acknowledged by the “Big Guns”…. I know the rig/antenna/tuner combo is working as I am making contacts a bit closer so I am assuming that when they are running full legal power and I am hearing them with a clear 5/9 signal so is the rest of the world and my return signal is just not strong enough to break the pileups of the DXers who don’t really want to contest to get them in the log…
Due to some time constraints I did not manage to get out to the park yesterday with the QRP Portable station. I checked the bands from home and they were weak… I then had to head out and do some shopping and in my travels I dropped into the RAC Office on Belfast (Right beside a very large new multi-postal code shopping plaza thats close to my home… Anyway saw some RAC Volunteers working hard on our behalf and also had a nice conversation with Mike VE3FFK about portable ops and the thought has been planted of heading out as a multi-multi portable op for one of the contests… This would be a good pairing as Mike is one great CW Op and I (as you know) prefer SSB so we would not be fighting over whose turn it is to talk… If there are only two operators and bands to chose from between 10 and 160 normally frequency coordination is not too bad. Most of us have managed a 2A Field Day station with little issues although last years 3A was a little busy at times… More on this if it becomes more than a dream…
Later today (Thursday) I am supposed to meet up with Mike VE3IPC for a caffine fix at one of the local Timmies. Mike is currently Assistant Section Manager for the Ontario Section of RAC as well as District Emergency Coordinator for the Capital District of Ontario ARES. With the restructuring of the Ontario Section he has been nominated for the position of Section Manager for the new Eastern Ontario Section (Whatever they will call it). I’ve known Mike for over 20 years now and he has given a lot back to our hobby first as a volunteer with the Ottawa Valley Mobile Radio Club, then once he moved out of Ottawa he was the EC (Emergency Coordinator) for Prescott Russell ARES, to the positions I have mentioned above. As with any RAC election they are normally acclimations or appointments, but I think Mike will do a good job on our behalf if he gets the position.
So before coffee with Mike I am planning to double check the antennas here in the shack and also perhaps get the VHF Loops (2m and 6m) along with the flimsy telescopic masting they use up in the air for the season. As I live in the city with an exceptionally small lot using loops is about the best I can do for the VHF Bands unless I want to point a small beam in one direction and leave it locked there. The loops at approx 25 feet (just above roof height) work great for me. Gives me a groundwave distance of about 100miles and if the bands are open well just watch out. I use my FT 897 as my VHF Rig and this gives me 100w on 6m and 50w on 2m. Last year the reports were really good including a couple of VHF contacts with a SOTA DXPedition and I am hoping for the same this year.
(above shown 6m loop and 2m loop sitting on ground before going up)
The key phrase being “Flimsy” means that I leaned my lesson a couple of years ago and don’t leave the mast out in the winter time. But with the recent weather being in the 70′s F + or high 20′s C perhaps its time to get back to the Magic Band… Earlier than I usually do but I thinks things are safe for now at least…
73bob
Tags: amateur radio, amateur radio contesting, RAC, Radio Amateurs of Canada, Amateur Radio Portable Operations, Amateur Radio DX, SOTA, Summits on the Air, VE3IPC, VA2EPR, Ontario Section of RAC, New Eastern Ontario Section of RAC, VHF Loop Antennas
