Results from the Contest

It was a very small effort put in this year….  It was also the first Major Contest that I had tried to operate QRP and it was not as good as expected….

However as a result of the contest the following was attained….

27 contacts in 19 different DXCC Entities.  Out of those 19 DXCC entities worked 8 of them were new ones for my QRP DXCC and two of them were new ones for my DXCC.

Contacts were made on 10m, 15m, 20m and 40m

This brings me up to 150 DXCC worked with 104 confirmed by LoTW and 50 QRP DXCC worked.

I was operating 5w SSB using my FT 817 radio and my S9 43 foot vertical.  Total operating time would be approximately 4 hours…

I had a great time but did have difficulties working the Big Guns and everyone heard them…  I had much better luck trying to work the 100w stations that I had trouble hearing but they had much better luck working me…  It was very hard breaking pileups with 5w but I did manage it a couple of times…

Next Year…. look for another QRP attempt but this time with some sort of directional antenna to help combat the Kilowatts.  If not a directional antenna then operating from a location where I can stretch out wire antennas to compliment the 43 foot vertical.  There is still lots to learn…

73bob

How things should work…

Over the last few days I have been doing some searching and pouncing on the bands looking for a few more QRP DXCCs while the big gun stations are getting all the bugs out for the ARRL DX Contest this weekend…

On Feb 26th I made a 17m contact with KP2/K0BBC and I got my LoTW confirmation and EQSL confirmation on the morning of the 27th….

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On Feb 27th I made a 15m contact with KP2/K0BBC and I got my LoTW confirmation and EQSL confirmation on the morning of the 28th…

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Nice touch…  Matthew realizes the importance of confirming his QSOs from a DXPedition in a timely manner….  There are a few DXPeditions over the last few years that I am still waiting for…. In his case less than 24 hours from the contact to the confirmation is outstanding…  Guess who I will be looking for in the contest…  He has already proven he can hear a QRP Signal and I hope to give him a few more chances in the contest…

Way to go Matthew…

73bob

Its going to be a Quiet Weekend…

Thats what I am guessing at least…

This weekend is the ARRL CW Sweepstakes Contest and as most of you know I am not much of a CW Operator…  In the past it has been said that my CW Skills would have to improve by 300 % just to be concidered “bad” and I can’t really argue with that comment other than to say I thought it was more like 350%…

But for a good number of Contesters who have their stuff together…  This will be a busy weekend….  I will be doing some antenna work here in anticipation for the ARRL SSB Sweeps which is coming up in two weeks from now…

I plan to get my backyard cleaned up and get a few extra radials out with the hope that in the Sweeps I might pick up a few States that I need for my WAS or might get a few more on the DXCC list as now I am sitting at 144 DXCC with 96 confirmed…

Whatever you are up to…  Enjoy your weekend….

73bob

Final for the CQ WW SSB Contest

Just before the contest closed I spun the dial one last ime and added a few more to the total….

So here is the updated (final) results for the CQ WW SSB Contest

Operating as VA3QV in the SOAB (Single Operator All Bands) Low Power (100w) Catagory

60 QSOs

41 DXCC worked

6 Continents worked

1 new DXCC worked

At least 3 existing DXCC should be confirmed by LoTW

Contacts made on 10-15-20-40m

This time I was not really contesting but more giving out the rare contest exchange “5/9-4″.  I was looking to increase my DXCC count by working a few new ones as well as “Backfilling” some of the older DXCC contacts that I have not been able to confirm on LoTW.  I believe I was successful on both counts on this one.  I was sitting at 94 confirmed before and hopefully as everyone submits their logs I expect to be very close to the 100 confimred DXCC  mark.

Seeing that the contest logs (if you were submitting) should be in within 7 days hopefully next week I should be a happy person…

As I mentoned in an earlier post I also learned some stuff and I am pleased to report that I have my voice keyer software installed on my old netbook and all I need to do is find a headphone splitter and I should  be good to go with that plan.  Version 1.0 gives the contest exchange for the SS with gaps built in for the increasing serial number.  For this time I will have to manually give the serial number… (thats why I need the headphone splitter)   but…  The 5 pre-recorded phrases should save my vocal cords as well as keep the noise down in the house (especially on the overnite hours) which will keep the family happy…

I also found I missed the 80m band more than I thought I would and Bob VE3MPG has offered to loan me a tuner so I can get back on 80m for the contests…  I am still watching the swap nets and looking for a replacement for the LDG Autotuner I should not of sold….

I am looking forward to giving out the new Ontario East (ONE) section to anyone who will contact me…  This is about the closest thing to rare DX I will be so…

Anyway folks…  If your in US 1, 2 or 3 Land or Canadian 2 and 3 Land try to stay safe and dry… This will be a trying week for us…

73bob

About to start the contest

Its been a busy day here in Ottawa…  Been fine tuning the gear getting ready for the CQ WW SSB Contest as well as following how Hurricane Sandy will be making a mess on the Eastern Seaboard later in the weekend…

I did find time to make a few contacts as well as you can see…

Not as busy as yesterday but I did manage to get one new one and he is on LoTW so that puts me at 143 unconfirmed with 94 confirmed but #95 should be here soon…

So now as we get ready for the contest heres what I would like to do….

Have fun…

Get 5 new DXCC in the Log

Try and fill in some of the unconfimred 46 DXCC contacts on LoTW

Getting the missing 7th continent in the log would be fantastic…

Easy to accomplish goals for this one I think but lets see how good I do at the end of the contest…

73bob

 

 

It was a VERY busy weekend (Part 3 Mt Ste Marie Microwave Contest)

Continued from Part 2…

Made it home by about 1015pm and then tried to get some sleep because the Mount Ste Marie Microwave DXPedition started early (way too early) on Sunday Morning but thats for Part 3…

The alarm on my phone woke me up at 6am BC (Before Coffee) and I stumbled around getting ready.  On the bright side the kit bag was still packed from yesterday’s use at Britannia (see part 1) and Kemptville (see part 2) so I knew it was all good to go…

I made a coffee and turned the handheld on the VE2CRA Repeater and waited for the call from VE3XRA Glenn telling me that he was getting close and I should head out to the parking lot…  I had already heard from Dave VE3TLY who was going to meet us in Wakefield (at the Timmies) and Martin VA3SIE who was going to pick up Tom VA2EPR (you might remember Tom from my last Foymount DXPedition back in April 2012) and also meet us at Wakefield…

View Larger Map

Just before 7am I heard from Glenn and by 7am we were on our way to Mt. Ste Marie QC to participate in the ARRL Microwave Contest.

The map does not show everything…  The roads from Ottawa to the ski hill are great….  The road from the bottom of the ski hill to the top of the mountain are less than stellar…  I would describe it as a “Rough Trail that is covered with rocks (to avoid washouts in the rain) and those rocks are roughly between the size of golf balls and softballs… If you happen to spin your wheels on the road you will just dig in and although its easy to get unstuck and go backwards down the hill its very hard to get moving forward again unless you are driving a 4 X 4.

Above Photo courtesy VA3SIE/VA2EPR– This pic shows Martin on the hike down but pay attention to the path/road.  This was about AS GOOD AS IT GOT…  The rest is in much worse shape…

Glenn’s station wagon made it about 3/4 of the way up the hill before we had to park it on the side of the trail but thank goodness that Dave owned a Jeep and it made it the rest of the way with the gear although I had to hike up the last km with my gear…

Above Photo Courtesy VA3SIE/VA2EPR-  Shows who/what we share the summit with… 

There was some 2m intermod issues even though the towers were behind the beam but it was not that bad

The only reason I can see for the road is so the Techs that service the massive amount of electrical gear on the towers at the top so I guess they all drive 4 Wheel Drive vehicles of some sort…

Anyway it did take us a bit longer than expected to get up and to get set up but finally we were setting up the gear at the GAZEBO (how did they lug the wood up there?) at the summit…

Above Photo- VA3QV- Showing the marker at the summit… (First time I have ever seen one close and personal)

For those of you who are interested in Summits of the Air (SOTA) Stuff this peak was VE2-OU-001 if I remember correctly from working them in a previous DXPedition

Above Photo – VA3QV- Shows the the antennas at the Gazebo-  Orange Pole (far left) 88 foot doublet for HF, then the 24 GHZ Dish, then the 10 GHZ Dish and then if you look very carefully on the rt hand side you might see the 2m beam we used to arrange contacts.  More on that later…

It did not take that long to get the 10 GHZ and the 24 GHZ stations up and running although it seems we did have a problem with the 10 GHZ station which had to be fixed.  Fortunately it was corrected in time that we could make our only contact of the day.

The Operators

VE3TLY (L) and VE3XRA (R)  (photo VA3SIE/VA2EPR)

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VA3SIE (photo VA2EPR)

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VA3QV (photo VA3SIE/VA2EPR)

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VA2EPR (photo VA3SIE)

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So now let me try and explain how this thing works… remember this is from a Newbie’s eyes….

You aim your 2m beam towards the area you think you might hear one of the participants.  There are not that many microwave types out there so being a small group you tend to know everyone it seems…

Once you make contact on 2m you exchange grid squares so you know exactly what heading to aim your dish at.  Both parties do this…

Station “A” then sends a long series of dashes via cw so station “B” can adjust slightly the bearing of his dish to get the best possiable signal…

Above photo (VA3SIE/VA2EPR) shows VE3TLY watching VE3XRA as he adjusts the position of the dish while trying to make a 10 GHZ contact

Station “B” then sends a long series of dashes via cw so Station “A” can adjust slightly the bearing of his dish to get the best possiable signal…

Going on the assumption the two stations have successfully heard the other stations dashes then they either have their microwave contact in either CW or SSB depending on the quality of the signal and the equipment….  The contest exchange is the qrid square  ( ours was FN25bw) the 5/9 signal report (it is a contest right?)   You also exchange some social comments as you have the time as the pileups are small…

Our one contact was with station on Mt Mansfield (FN34) which was a distance of approx 300 kms from Mt Ste Marie.  The contact was initiated on 2m ssb and then was successfully completed on 10GHZ.  We also tried on 24 GHZ but had no luck on that band.  In our defense we did work about 10 station on 2m ssb in attempts to get a 10 GHZ or a 24 GHZ contact but although we could do it on 2m …  the higher band contacts eluded us…  As in any contest a bit of luck is often needed…

And yes… You did hear me use the term “Newbie”…  Sunday was the first time in over 20 years as an Amateur that I have ever concidered operating a Microwave station.  I’m still trying to get a feel for the whole process…  I enjoyed the very low stress side of the contest…  It makes the RAC Canada Contests seem hectic in comparision…  I enjoyed being able to chat with my fellow station operators…

Above- The circle at the bottom of the picture shows the Gazebo where we operated from.  The Square shows the parking spot we had the Jeep in and the line between is the 200m approx of the trail which I mentioned below thatI really found hard going…  I guess is a sign of things to come…

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I did not enjoy the hike up (especally the last200m or so which was more of a climb than my body wanted to do.

The younger (lighter) operators were going like mountain goats and well…

I felt a bit self consious and if we had been going further I would of felt I was holding them back…

Next time I should take the elevator…

But its all a learning experience…  And I learned that I am not in as good shape as I thought I was and I also learned when to say no…  That sould of been before I started the last 200m…

However the view was worth all the pain the next day…

Above Photo- VA3SIE/VA2EPR

So sorry about all the pictures and the more rambling than usual but I did enjoy myself and the scenery (as you can tell was just fantastic).  If I could borrow a 4X4 I would love to get up there when the leaves finish turning but….  definately no climbing or hiking…

Thanks to VE3EMB, VA3SIE and VA2EPR for the photos provided in all 3 segments….

Well between Part 1 – Part 2 & Part 3 you now know more than you wanted/needed to  about my weekend…  but how was yours?

73bob

ALL NINE AZORES ISLANDS, CU1 THROUGH CU9, ACTIVATED AT ONCE

I got the following from a newsgroup that I follow…

Figured that some of you might be interested in going for it so I thought I would share it with you here…

If you decide to participate… GOOD LUCK

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Tuesday, 14.08.2012

ALL NINE AZORES ISLANDS, CU1 THROUGH CU9, ACTIVATED AT ONCE

Are You Ready to Fly to Azores for Free by Making Nine QSOs?

Yes indeed, those of you willing to spend 24 hours or less on the radio are eligible to participate in an Azores lottery for two all-paid packages to the beautiful Azores Islands in the Atlantic, completely free of charge. The project is organized by the Azores-Finland Friendship Consortium in partnership with the Amateur Radio Associations of the Azores Islands and supported by the Azores Promotion Agency (ATA) and Azorean Airlines (SATA). Just look at <www.visitazores.com> and make up your mind.

Not many people know that the Azores consist of nine populated islands, stretching over a distance of 602 km (305mi) from East to West, next to USA and Europe. And it is not widely known that the Azores have their own airline (SATA) flying to each island, in addition to many destinations in Europe and North America. Each island has its own characteristics and its own blend and alone qualifies for your visit there. While these islands count for a single DXCC entity, they offer three (3) IOTA groupings.

With this unique AZORES 9 ISLANDS HUNT, an invited international group of amateur radio operators together with resident Azores amateurs will be activating the nine islands, offering an opportunity to the world to contact these islands all at once over one weekend.

Activity Weekend

Saturday, September 29, 1200 UTC to September 30, 1200 UTC (24 hours). These stations will be active starting Friday, September 28 as soon as they become operational.

Frequency Windows

CW: 7000-7015, 18080-18090 and 14050-14065 kHz

SSB: 7175-7195, 18120-18135 and 14250-14275 kHz

Nine Islands and their Stations

Santa Maria, CU1ARM; San Miguel, CU2ARA; Terceira, CU3URA; Graciosa, CU4ARG; Sao Jorge, CU5AM; Pico, CU6GRP; Faial, CU7CRA; Flores, CU8ARF; Corvo, CU9AC.

Operators and Island Hosts

Sergio, CU1AAD; Jose, CU2CE; Francisco, CU2DX; Guilherme, CU2IF; Domingois, CU3CS; Guilherme, CU4AB; Jose, CU5AM; Jorge, CU6AB; Manuel, CU7CA; Claudio, CU8AAE; Joao, CU9AC; Franz, DJ9ZB; Richard, DF9TF; Nigel, G3TXF; Michael, G7VJR; Diane, K2DO; Rich, KE3Q; Mike, KI1U; Marius, LB3HC; George, N2GA; Martti, OH2BH; Juha, OH8NC; Ghis, ON5NT; Carine, ON7LX; Claude, ON7TK; Alex, OZ7AM; Kenneth, OZ1IKY; Yuri, VE3DZ and Ed, VE3FWA.

Two Hunt Awards

Those making a QSO with at least 5 different islands will have a corresponding number of tickets placed into a lottery for a free trip to the Azores (e.g. if you have QSOs with 7 islands, you will get 7 lottery tickets). Additionally, the first 25 operators making QSOs with all 9 islands will be eligible for a second lottery. The free trips are from the closest airport served by SATA; including
flight, accommodation and transfers..

During or immediately after the weekend, the logs will be posted on Club Log to display your band/mode slots. The lottery will be drawn on October 15, 2012.

QSL Cards

All QSOs will be confirmed through the bureau network with special full-color cards. Direct QSL requests via Jose Melo, CU2CE.

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So there you have it…

Have fun…

73bob

Getting packed up and got a QSL card

The “Electric Vespa” will be earning its keep this afternoon as its carrying my portable station and me to Dale Park this afternoon for the  CQ WW VHF Contest.  Although there is no mountian there I will be operating in the HILLTOPPER Catagory which means QRP and a maximum operating of 6 consecutive hours.  In addition to the portable radio gear I had to find a way to get the 3 element 2m beam and the 6m delta loop (with its 6 foot boom) safely attached to the Vespa for the trip.

Note to self:  Re engineer the delta loop boom to break down to a more workable length for travelling!!! 

Its a good thing the park is not that far from my place… about 3km give or take a bit…

On to the QSL….

This found when I checked my EQSL inbox

Glad to see I got them in the log…

Calgary is not rare DX but its good to get A Canadian Tradition in the log…

73bob

ps…  hope to work you in the contest

UPDATE for the CQ WW VHF Contest

VA3QV will be active for the CQ WW VHF contest from FN25ej  operating in the Mountian Topper Catagory starting at 1800 utc for the maximum allowed time of 6 hrs or till the batteries die,,, Whatever comes first.

 

I will be using my Yaesu FT817 (5w maximum) and the antennas will be my 3 element arrow 2m beam on a camera tripod and my home brewed 6m delta loop

Hope to hear you in the contest  so I can  give out the RARE FN25 Grid Square

73bob

An upcoming Radio Weekend

This is a fairly busy Radio weekend as far as local VHF comms go:

Saturday is the day for the Ottawa Valley Mobile Radios Clubs “Larry Wilcox Memorial 2m FM Simplex Contest.”  Larry VE3WEH<SK> was a great supporter of the Club and also getting on the air.  That seems to be something missed these days as most of the repeaters are waste lands and the vhf net participation in most cases seem to be declining…  So once a year we hold a fm simplex contest in his memory.  Its fairly simple…  We use the City of Ottawa and the City of Gatineau Wards as the multis along with power levels— The lower the power level the higher multi you can claim…

It gets a lot of people looking for high ground with a ribbon j pole and a hand held set at low power calling CQ contest and its a fun way to spend 4 hours…  I prefer to put the mobile radio in line… crank it up to the full 75w… (the heck with the power multi) and give out lots of contacts…

Thats how I plan to spend my Saturday…

Now on the Sunday our local ARES group is helping out with communications for the CN Cycle for CHEO.  For those of you not from Ottawa…  CHEO stands for Childrens Hospital of Eastern Ontario.

Over the last 35 years CHEO has looked after my Daughters, my Grandchildren and now my Great Grand Son… 

I figure if there ever was a cause I can support this one is it…  We will be looking after checkpoint and safety traffic on the EMRG main repeater from 7am to 1pm…  Still waiting to find out what checkpoint I will be parking the Electric Vespa at but I will be there…

Its going to be a great weekend…

73bob