The Canadian Ski Marathon is looking for operators

The following made it into my email inbox….

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I would appreciate it if you would help me by spreading the word throughout your local ham radio communities. We are looking for radio operators.

Once again the Canadian Ski Marathon (CSM) is spooling up. This year is the 47th anniversary for the CSM. This will the 40th year for Amateur Radio supporting the event.

The CSM depends on ham radio volunteers to provide important and timely safety and logistical communication for the benefit of the skiers. The amateur radio CSM web page (http://www.radio-1.ca) is up and running with 2013 information. The event runs between Lachute and Buckingham in western
Quebec – snow or shine.

If you would like to volunteer this year, please email Harold VA3UNK ( radio1@admin2.ca, va3unk@rac.ca, va3unk@gmail.com). Although I can’t promise anything, assignment requests are generally first-come, first-served.

Please join me the second weekend in February (09th-10th) and help make 47th our best year yet!

Bye for now,
Harold va3unk

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Net Control at the Chateau Montebello

As I have mentioned over the years the CSM runs in an area that is still “Cellular Challenged” and so we are needed.  I honestly doubt that this event could happen without Amateur Radio.

If you can spare some of your time why not sign up?

73bob

Some audio clips from the Canadian Ski Marathon

The audio in the following clips comes to us from Norm VE2NHK who was the radio operator at the end of the Marathon CKPT1.  Thanks for sharing them with us Norm…

I should mention that on odd years the Marathon runs east to west which would be checkpoint 1- Lachute QC  to checkpoint 11- Buckingham QC.  On even years the Marathon runs west to east which would be checkpoint 11 Buckingham QC to checkpoint 1 Lachute.  Even though Norm was at checkpoint 1…  this year he was at the end…

Anyway Norm posted the following clips on his youtube account and I thought you would like to hear what the repeaters used sounded like and how much was going on over the approximate 16 hours a day the communications group operated for.  By lucky coincidence I was the Net Control Station during these clips ( that worked out good) and they were taken on Sunday mid morning to early afternoon. 

View Larger Map

At that time we were using the VE2RM repeater (147.000 negative offset) at Mt Rigaud QC.

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Audio Clip courtesy VE2NHK

 

 

Audio Clip courtesy VE2NHK

 

 

Audio Clip courtesy VE2NHK

I will admit that it was not always that busy… 

 Sometimes it got hectic…

For those of you who have helped out with the CSM in the past it should bring back some good (I hope) memories and for the rest of you it just gives you an idea of what we go through every year…

73bob

 

Sorry about that… I was just busy…

Its Sunday evening and I am back home…  The Canadian Ski Marathon is completed for another year and I’m beat….

Its a nice feeling though…  I met some people I met for the first time over 20 years ago and I only get to see them one weekend a year… I had less weight and more hair back then… but its good to see them…

As far as the weekend goes we got on site about 1500 hrs or so and started getting the antennas up.  This event runs on 2m only so the rigs of choice was my Yaesu FT2900 75 watt mobile 2m mobile radio (powered by a Jetstream Power Supply) and an older Realistic HTX 242 45w 2m mobile (powered by an Astron Power Supply).  The antennas of choice for both rigs were copper J poles with the main antenna up at almost 60 feet and the back up antenna up at about 35 feet.  The main antenna was on 24 feet of masting  which was clamped to a railing on a fire escape and I estimated the the fire escape to be about 30 feet above ground.  The backup antenna was on a small piece of masting on the same railing…

For this event we had permission to use 6 repeaters but only needed to use 3 of them.  Repeaters VE2CRA and VE2RBH which we linked using a RF link covered the western area of the course.  VE2CRA is in Chelsea QC and VE2RBH is in Ripon QC.  For the eastern parts of the course we used VE2RM which is located in Rigaud QC.  In addition VA3PRA and VE3PRV both belonging to the Prescott-Russell ARES Group and VE3OJE in Moose Creek Ontario were available to us for backups as needed. 

This year Murphy did not hit us as hard as usual and the backups were not needed but they were still appreciated…

By the time everything was installed and inspected at the Fairmont Chateau Montebello we almost missed a great supper.  Now if you followed the link you will see a first rate Hotel/Resort but in reality we were there for the Marathon and the Radio Room was located in two of the meeting/conferance rooms and to be honest I camped out on a roll out cot in the Radio Room.  There was no point in even dreaming for a room as we worked 18 hour days to keep things running as smoothly as we could…

If you ever get a chance to get out that way I do strongly recommend the dining room there as the buffet (Breakfast, Lunch and especially Supper are to die for…)  Its safe to say that my diet lost out this weekend… 

But back to radio for a few lines…

We managed to get through the weekend next to no serious injuries (radio operators or participants) …  Things ran fairly smoothly… The station log for the weekend was about 50 hand written pages as we tracked 12 checkpoints, about 2000 participants and 50 radio operators along with a few more logistical vehicles with scanners that we dispatched as needed…  As I had mentioned earlier the course was 160km long and most of the area is lacking dependable cell phone coverage.  Amateur Radio provides the only dependable communications for this event.  We look after the logistical, operational, administrational and SAFETY communications for this event and are pleased to give our time and equipment freely back to the community.  Its always fun to show off our hobby to the general public…

Thats about all I can think of for now… and to be painfully honest… Its nap time

73bob

Waiting for the Canadian Ski Marathon

The crate with the radio gear is loaded and waiting by the front door…

My suitcase is waiting by the front door….

And yes… my Coffee Maker is in the crate with the radio toys…

Its the calm before the storm as I will be leaving Ottawa around 1400 to arrive at 1600 and get the Net Control Station on the Air hopefully by 1800 to start the talk in for the other radio ops who will be providing communications this weekend on the Canadian Ski Marathon…

I know I do have internet at the Net Control so there is a good chance I will be updating the blog with some interesting tidbits as time allows and also will be tweeting with the same time constraints…

Thanks to the 50+ Amateur Radio Operators who give up their weekend or parts of their weekend to provide this service to the communities as well as showcase our hobby to the world….

Heres what sort of weather we are expecting for the CSM (Start of the Marathon)

Heres what sort of weather we are expecting for the CSM   (Middle of the Marathon)

Heres what sort of weather we are expecting for the CSM (End of the Marathon)

 

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View Larger Map

 

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Above Map showing Buckingham area, Montebello area and the Lachute area  for the weather areas listed above the map

Please remember that the Marathon does not follow the highway so the above map just shows the approximate start and finish.  The route it actually takes is much north of the main roads and travels along farmers fields and snowmobile trails etc.  Actual trail maps are available on the CSM Website which was mentioned earlier in this post…

Not to mention its fun to prove your toys work…

73bob

Changes in weather to allow some Amateur Events

Its Saturday am here in Ottawa.  Around 0930 EST or 1430UTC and we are digging out after two days of snow.  We have received more snow in the last 36 hours than we have found for the winter so far.  In addition the temps today of -20c and with the wind chill of -31c are doing their best to make sure the snow will be staying and the lakes/rivers should be freezing…

Although I am no longer a big fan of winter…  (Ever since the doctor put me on blood thinners I really feel the cold much more) the snow and cold weather will almost guarantee that a few amateur radio winter events will no go on…

A few of the local Ottawa and Area Amateurs are planning a SOTA DXPedition on Feb 4th to Mount O’Brien which is located north of Ottawa in the Province of Quebec.  They will most likely doing the assent wearing snowshoes…  I wish them well and will be listening for them from Ottawa as well as following them up the hill on APRS..  I’m not the best climber in dry weather and I really don’t do snowshoes so….  I will have more info on this event for you later….

As well the Canadian Ski Marathon  occurs on Feb 11th and 12th but the amateur radio side of things starts on the Friday so for some of us its the 10th, 11th and 12th.  I am heavily involved with this event so you will be seeing more reports as we get closer to the date…

Some of you might remember my failed attempt of activating Pig Island in Ottawa for the CISA Program about a year ago. Martin VA3SIE who was with me  on the attempt also blogged about it.  Well with the freezing cold weather there is no doubt that the Rideau Canal will be in shape for the walk from the shore out to the Island.  Last year the day that the attempt was made was just too cold and given the choices of playing radio (and freezing solid) or warming up…  I wimped out and walked back to shore to thaw out…  I am planning anouther attempt after the Ski Marathon as long as the weather is cold enough to keep the ice solid,  but a bit warmer so I don’t freeze…  More info on the CISA Program can be found here.

Lets see how things look towards the end of February…

Getting ready for the Canadian Ski Marathon

Wednesday evening found me at the Jan meeting of the Ottawa Amateur Radio Club here in Ottawa.  While at the meeting I managed to have a short chat with Harold VA3UNK who is the Comms Co-ordinator (Amateur Radio) for the Canadian Ski Marathon.  Although the schedule is a work in progress he informed me that I will be at Net Control for the Friday, Saturday and Sunday based at the Chateau Montebello in the village of Montebello QC.

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View Larger Map

We will be setting up the Radio Room in one of the Meeting Rooms which has a window with a screen that can be removed along (and a window that can be partially opened so the coax can get outside to the antenna.  The antenna itself will be a 2m Jpole which is attached to about 20 feet of masting which is clamped to the fire escape.  This gets the antenna about 40 feet off the ground and does quite well into the repeaters we use for the event.  The main radio we will be using at Net Control will be my (recently returned from the shop) Yaesu FT 2900 which is a 75w 2m mobile radio. I will be using my Jetstream 30amp switching power supply to power the radio as well as a handheld that we use for secondary monitoring.

Traditionally we set up on Friday afternoon and immediately open up an informal net to talk the mobiles in to their staging areas.  Some amateurs arrive on Friday evening and are either billeted at the High School in Papineauville or in the Staff Quarters at the Chateau Montebello.  I normally just have a roll out cot brought into the Radio Room and sleep beside my desk for the two nights (Friday and Saturday) that I stay there.  The days start around 0500 (Saturday and Sunday) and finish around 2200 so the days are long but fun…  We normally have 3 radio operators in NCS with one operating, one logging and the third acting as a runner between the radio room and the Ski Marathon office which is located at a different location inside the hotel for the weekend.

CSM+2012+V1[1]

Click on the above link for a PDF file of the Marathon Route.  You will have to have the PDF reader installed for this to work though

The course runs this year from Buckingham Quebec to Lachute Quebec taking a Northern route covering a very large area that (in this day and age) is still lacking for the most part dependable cell phone coverage.  This is one event that needs ham radio and we provide 90% (rough estimate) of the Safety, Operational and Logistical communications on the repeaters (listed from the above link.)

For now (at least) I know where I will be operating from and that means I know what sort of Radio Toys to bring to play with. The big thing is to remember to plan for the unexpected.  For this you need to “Plan for the worst and Hope for the best” .  You have to make it work with what your bring so its a good plan to pack heavy…The event itself runs on VHF and for the most part things will be way too hectic for anything else as the net runs at Light Speed when the skiers are on the course and there is still a fair bit on traffic on the net in the evenings as skiers are looking for lost articles (mitts, skis, skiers) and the logistical people are working on the trail and the checkpoints…  Its a very busy 3 days…

There will be more on this as we get closer to the date….  Its a hell  heck of a event and it really showcases our hobby to the media, the public and more importantly keeps the participants safe…

73bob

Canadian Ski Marathon 2012 is getting closer

The following found it way to my email inbox today.  The Canadian Ski Marathon is a fantastic way to test your skills as a communicator.  It takes place in a “Rustic” location where commercal radio services are scarse and the cell phone technology has not really found its way yet.  Amateur Radio provides 99% of the communication needs of the Ski Marathon.  Logistical, Safety and Security traffic starts on Friday evening and continues on for the whole weekend.

Military Radio Operators sitting in the same room controling a Military Net (as the Canadian Land Forces Reserve Units provide logistical support as a training exercise) with Amateur Radio Operators controling several amateur nets on various VHF/UHF Frequencies. 

Please read the following and then see if you can free up some time in your weekend plans…

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Subject: Looking for Amateur Radio Operators for the Canadian Ski Marathon 2012 – February 11-12, 2012 in Western Quebec/Ottawa Valley

From: Harold Hamilton

I would appreciate it if you would help me by spreading the word throughout your local ham radio communities. We are looking for radio operators.

Once again the Canadian Ski Marathon (CSM) is spooling up. This year is the 46th anniversary for the CSM. Radio is a few years behind that.

The CSM depends on ham radio volunteers to provide important and timely safety and logistical communication for the benefit of the skiers. The amateur radio CSM web page (http://www.radio-1.ca) is up and running with 2012 information. The event runs between Buckingham and Lachute in western Quebec – snow or shine.

If you would like to volunteer this year, please email Harold VA3UNK (radio1@admin2.ca). Although I can’t promise anything, assignment requests are generally first-come, first-served.

Please join me the second weekend in February (11th-12th) and help make 39th our best year yet!

Bye for now,

Harold VA3UNK

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Hope to see you there….

73bob

 

Getting ready for the Canadian Ski Marathon

Sorry folks about not posting as much  as I usually do but the last few days has been busy with getting gear ready for this coming weekend for the Canadian Ski Marathon.

I’ve had to program my radio with the new frequencies for the event along with gather coax and make sure the JPole works and I can find the masting for it as I will be one of the operators at the Net Control this year. 

And theres more to it than just making sure the gear works…  I spent about 5 hours on a road trip today with the COMMS Coordinator for the event making sure that all the places they have picked as checkpoints for this two day event actually could get into one of the three repeaters we will be using. 

More on this as we get closer to the event….

73bob

SPAR Winter Field Day UPDATE

Well its Sunday morning here in Ottawa and I just got home after visiting the two operators who were on shift for the Ottawa Valley Mobile Radio Club’s Winter Field Day efforts for today.

Yesterday we had 3 operators (VE3VIG on 20CW, VE3EUS on 20SSB and 15SSB and myself VA3QV on 40SSB, 2FM and 70cm FM)… 

 Today Maurice-Andre and Joe decided to return (they had so much fun yesterday) and today MA was on 20CW, 80CW and 80SSB and Joe was on 20SSB and 40SSB and when I dropped in for my visit this morning they all were smiling and making contacts…

Not sure what the final counts will be as I won’t see the logs from each operator till the OVMRC Executive Meeting this coming Thursday night and then I have to merge them into my submission to SPAR but right now it looks like something like this…

From looking at the log sheets briefly but not dupe checking or counting scratches on the lines I would guess around 100 contacts on all bands…

Multis- 8

Along with the 3000 bonus points (Battery Power, Outdoors and not at home)

I would guess that our estimated score would give us First Place in Ottawa but then I think we were the only ones who participated from Ottawa.  If there was more than us then I can guaranteee we were in the top 5…

Hell…  I mean HECK… We had fun…  No one got frostbite and we made contacts…  The scores will be posted here once I see the completed logs but I really would be suprised if it was much more than I mentioned above…

Here are a couple of Pictures as taken with Joe’s camera but not sure who took the actual photos…

Above VE3EUS and VA3QV

Above  VE3VIG on 20m CW

I think this one was taken by Harold VA3UNK when he dropped in for a visit…

I’ll get the final report on this one done much later this week as I won’t even see the logs till Thursday evening and nothing will get done till some time on Friday…  With the preperations for the Canadian SKI Marathon taking priority it will get done but just not soon…

Its gonna be a very busy two weeks here at the QV Shack… 

73bob

A little more on the CSM

I just had a short 2m contact with Harold VA3UNK who is the head honcho as far as communications go for the Canadian Ski Marathon.

Harold advises that from a communications point of view all is going well and everything else seems to be running smoothly as well.  Only minor glitch was when they had to change to a back up repeater and if thats the worst that happens this year…WOW…

Once again Congrats to Harold and his crew for an ongoing job well done…

73bob