Getting ready for QRP to the Field

Last night (after supper) Michel VE3EMB and myself headed out to do a “recon” of the site we were planning to operate from (along with Martin VA3SIE) this Saturday for the QRP to the Field contest….

In keeping the “HAPPY TRAILS” theme of this years event we had decided to operate from one of the Rideau Canal Lock Stations here in Ottawa as it fit the contest organisers defination of a “Trail”…

Heres the view from the picnic table looking across the Canal to Carleton University

We were fortunate enough to find a location with a bit of altitude, along with a picnic table and more than a few trees to string antennas from.  The best part is that its also off the main bike paths that are in the area so interuptions should be kept to a minimum…

One of the two (of many) antenna supports

Looking the other way

As you can see from the above pictures…  It should be a good location to operate from…

Although according to the Weather Network…  the weather guess is supposed to be excellent so things are looking up.  The plan is to arrive and be on the air for 11am EDST and operate till around 4pm EDST… Perhaps longer if the batteries hold out and we are still having fun…

However as its better to be safe than sorry…  We do have a covered operating area to play from if things get damp…  about 1km south of where we plan to operate from so….

Above- my FT 817

Below- Stock Photo of the KX3

I will be bringing my FT 817 and my antenna of the day will be my Par End Fed antenna….  Both Martin and Michel both have KX3s so I am expecting to get a good look at them in action…  I’m getting closer to “drinking the Kool Aid ” and so a good Elecraft performance today could finally tip the scales…

Above- PAR End Fed QRP (10-20-40m) Antenna

More on this after the event…

Hope to hear you on the air on Saturday…

73bob

Weather STILL effecting operating….

Well yesterday according to Chris St Clair of the Weather Network:

It snowed yesterday in Canada…  All over Canada…  In every Province and Territory of Canada…  it snowed!!!

For me that means that its another day the FT 817 will not see the park…  Not only that…  The added moisture on the ground adds a couple more days that I will be not going out due to soggy ground conditions…

Remember this from last week???

So as I write this posting looking at the upcoming WX forcast…  The temps are going to take a quick rise and we are expecting temps in the “Teens” (remember we are using “C” here in Canada) which will quickly melt the remaining snow the rest of the forcast includes lots of wet.  Remember the old saying that “April Showers brings May Flowers”  we should have a great garden in May…

However this does not help the Portable Operator as I need a dry operating location to play radio from…  So far things are not looking promising for a decent showing in the Ontario QSO Party which will be happening in a week from now…  If you had asked me over the winter what my plans were for the OQP my answer (most likely) would of been to load up the Electric Vespa and head out to a good operating location where the low noise floor would make up for the QRP signal of the FT 817 and have a great time playing radio…  Even a couple of weeks ago after I realized the Vespa would still be stuck in the snow in my back yard I had hoped to get out to a local park and get a few hours operating each day to get Ottawa on the air for the contest…

I still plan to get on the air and give out contacts but now its really starting to look like it will be from home with the higher noise levels….

The weekend (Saturday in the Eastern Time Zone) after the OQP is the QRP to the Field contest and for this one a few of us are heading out to play and as there are cars involved in the tranportation picture we have a location further out that has some shelter so rain or shine we will be there…

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KX3<———————————————->FT817

This will be a side by side comparision of the Elecraft KX3 and the Yaesu FT 817 so not only will it be fun but it will be informative…  I am expecting that any questions I had about the KX3 will be answered and my fears put to rest and …..  I’ll drink the Koolaid and end up ordering the new radio I have been procastinating about for so long…

And for those of you wondering what “Drink the Koolaid” means…  see below:

So there you have it….

A week today I will be giving out contacts in the Ontario QSO Party…  From where I give them out depends on Mother Nature…

But sooner or later…  The parks will dry out…  The temps will warm up and it will be a great time to be a  QRP Portable operator in an urban setting….  The location does not have to be rare or exotic…  It just has to be warm and dry with a low noise floor and I’ll be smiling…

For the record….  This telling you what I plan to do (compared to telling you what I did) really sucks…  I’m blaming it on the weather, but I really hoped to have lots more air time with the 817…  If I knew things were going to turn out like this I most likely would not of sold the 450 so quickly and operated more from home…  but then again as hindsight is always 20/20….  aw shucks…

Hopefully I’ll be back to bragging about contacts with my next post…

73bob

Its cold so I’m dreaming of Field Day

Yes that’s right…

In only 142 days from now (and a few hours) we will all be swatting mosquitoes and dodging raindrops while we call CQ Field Day CQ…

The big reason for this post today is that I just wanted to think warm for a bit because its a really cold day in Ottawa and since the good Doctor put me on blood thinners a few years ago I really don’t like the cold….  On the plus side of things though I don’t find the heat so hard to handle any more so there might be a positive thing about getting older…  So far that’s the only one I have found worth bragging about though…

Above left Yaesu FT817 and Above Right Elecraft Kx3

As you know I already own (and love) my FT817 and I am thinking of getting an Elecraft KX3 later in the spring (unless something else new and shiny catches my attention)

This year my Field Day will be a back to the basics style event…  My QRP Radio ( FT 817 or whatever might replace it) ) with the battery pack and a solar panel and a couple of antennas will be set up in what i believe is a good location and I will be operating from start to dark….  pack up and head home…. then back again at first light and go to the end…    Operate for as much or as little I want to and HAVE FUN….

Looking back over the last 5 years that this blog has been around,  I think the two things I have really stressed have been:  “that it has to be fun….”  along with  “that Radio can be an outdoor sport…”

Field Day is just one example of the above statement…

However this weekend there is the BC QSO Party and (I think) the Arizona Scorpions have the FYBO….

I say “I think” as the scorpions run an excellent contest but their website is not updated so….  I have seen various snippets of info that the contest is going as usual…  The rules can be found here….  but the website is slightly behind the times…. But if you give a listen on the usual QRP Waterholes you should hear the usual group …  Don’t forget to check the SSB Portions of the bands as more and more people are finally finding out that you can make lots of contacts with QRP SSB…

Anyway get on the air and have some fun this weekend

73bob

KX3 testing

What a great way to start out the 2013 Portable Radio Season

Well it was sunny and warm…  Warm being the relative term…  It was around -8 deg c  in the sun if you were out of the wind…  Recently Jose VA3PCJ and myself have had to cancel our plans for an RF outing for many reasons but most of them were weather related so we figured that it would not get much better than this…

One thing we did find out is that our favourite operating location at the Mer Blue Swamp was swamped…  It seems many more people snowshoe and Cross Country Ski than just walk the nature trails…  The parking lot was packed and we ended going back into town and setting up in a public school parking lot… 

Photo courtesy VA3PCJ

This worked out fairly well with the snowbanks ( about 6 feet high approx) giving us a reasonable wind break from the south and east.  There were houses to the north of us  and we were open to the west where we got the most benefit from the sun which made the operating tolerable.

The rig of the day was the Elecraft KX3 along with the Par end fed QRP antenna.

Photo courtesy VA3PCJ

This is the 10-20-40m qrp version but it will work on 12-15-17m with the excellent auto tuner in the KX3.  The antenna today was in a vertical configuration as we were using the 43 foot telescopic pole that normally supports the S9 vertical that Jose would be using.  It supported the Par just as well…

After getting everything set up I made a contact with Shawn VE3PSV who lives in Cambridge Ontario on 7.055 ssb which is the frequency (as you know from earlier posts) for the Trans Provincial Net.    The second contact was made with Nick VE3NJG on 7.055 who lives in London Ontario.  Concidering where I was and the fact I was running 5w into a vertical I was very pleased with the reports…

I then QSY’d over to 14.342.5 usb and started calling CQ on the HF Pack calling frequency and got an immediate response from W0MNA   in Leavenworth Kansas who also was using a KX3.  Gary also had a  FT 817 and so we had a qreat QSO discussing the pros and cons of both rigs.  Discussions aside this was also a QRP to QRP ssb QSO of a distance of just over 1000 miles or 1600 kms.  Not too bad for a day with not the best band conditons…

My second contact was with a Florida station whose call I got written down wrong .  He was a solid S5 and was also a QRP Station.  I could of sworn I had the call right but… Not according to QRZ.com at least.  Its been a while since I have done any portable logging in the cold.  Guess I just found another thing to work on…

We also heard WB4GCF on 17m and W7KDL on 10m but the conditions were not the best and all I can give them is a SWL report as we could not make the contacts.

About an hour after we started setting up the sun started to drop and with the temps quickly dropped and so we packed up and headed back home…

So far after 3 test drives I can only say good things about the KX3.  Great Filtering and no one has complained about my audio so far…  Thinking this might become part of my shack before the summer…  I am a bit concerned about the minor issues with the quality of the audio from the internal speaker.  I am hoping this is a fixable issue.  Its not a deal breaker but it is annoying…

On another topic for a second…   It seems that LoTW is getting back up to speed again.  I now have 102 confirmed DXCC out of 147 claimed in the log.  The only missing QSOs for me are the ones I made on December 29th when I was giving out contacts in the RAC Canada Winter Contest.  Still wish my remaining 9 states (which are in the log) would confirm so I could apply for my WAS at the same time that I apply for my Mixed DXCC.

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Its been a while since I had a chance to get out and play radio…  Although I almost froze…

I guess its time I got used to Winter Operating again…It  was fun and also good practice for the upcoming SPAR Winter Field Day…

73bob

Its still Wednesday…

And we are still on the go…  Its been a busy day…

The great Canadian KX3 vs FT 817 Shoot out was cancelled due to cold… 

The temps were supposed to be around 0 dec C and when we were getting ready to depart for the park the temps were -5 with a -8 deg C with the windchill and it was a damp cold…  Both VA3PCJ and myself decided we would hold off for another day to test the rigs in a heads up competition.

We will wait for another day to test out the rigs with the Par and the Alex Loop

Right now Trisha and myself are getting ready to leave for the OARC Meeting and we will be bringing my TAK TENNA out with us.  Chris VA3CME is going to give it a test on his balcony and see if it suits his needs… Should confuse the neighbors because it sure don’t look like an antenna…

Will let you know later how Trisha and I did on trivia nite at the OARC

Wednesdays’s stuff on the go

Good Morning…

Just checked my Logbook of The World account and find that my QSOs for December 2nd and December 3rd were processed overnight and that I have one new QSL for a 15m contact made on November 18th.  Don’t know when he/she uploaded to LoTW but my December 3rd QSOs were uploaded early on December 4th so perhaps the system is speeding up.

The EQSL account is showing 4 new contacts.  Three were from the November Sweeps and the 4th from a earlier contact over the summer.  All 4 contacts were from the same person so I guess he finally got around to uploading his logs….  It will be interesting to see when they show up (if they show up) on LoTW as a QSL

As far as todays local amateur stuff goes…  The Ottawa Amateur Radio Club will be meeting tonight at City Hall at 7pm.  There is no guest speaker tonight so after the club business has been taken care of we split into teams and have a amateur radio based Trivia Game with token prizes for every correct answer.

Last year my daughter Trisha and myself participated and we won enough Timmies Gift Cards to cover my coffee fix for the rest of the month…  If you are in the downtown core tonight….  Drop in for a visit… Guests are always welcome.

Today will be a fairly busy day before the meeting.  As the weather is warming up to above 0 deg C I am planning to meet Ottawa’s newest (as far as I can tell) KX3 owner and we are going to do a side by side comparison of his new baby and my old friend.

KX3 vs FT817.

I am guessing that our transmit on SSB will be very close and I am expecting his filtering in the RCV section to be quite a bit superior to my FT817.  But then in reality you have new technology up against a 12 year old radio.  Yes my FT 817 went into production 12 years ago now.  The last upgrade was the FT817 ND but mine (like me) is a golden oldie…  I am looking forward to test driving another KX3 (and its warm enough to drool) as I keep on looking for excuses not to buy one…

It looks like its going to be a fun filled day…  Temps will be  just warm enough not to freeze me…. and I even to go out for supper with my daughter before the OARC Meeting…

73bob

And after the Hamfest comes the VHF Contest

Starting on September 8th at 1400 EDST is the ARRL September VHF Contest.  As it stands right now Michel VE3EMB and myself will head up to the Champlain Lookout in FN25  and operate QRP Portable with his KX3 on 6m and my FT 817 on 2m and 70cm till the batteries give out.

View Larger Map

As you can see from the above map the Lookout area is just north of Ottawa in the Province of Quebec (VE2Land)

The last time Michel and I headed out to play we went up to Mt Rigaud for a SOTA Activation. 

Michel has his Buddipole 6m beam and I will be using my Arrow Dual band Sat Beam on a camera tripod.  Don’t know how good we will do but I do know we will have fun and make some local contacts as long as it stays dry.

Above Elecraft KX3

Above Yaesu FT 817

Right now the Weather Network is stating that we could get wet…  On the brightside nothing about Sound and Light but we could get wet…  Not sure how that will work out yet…  No shelter up there unless we string a tarp between 2 trees somehow so we will be watching the WX very closely this week…

There will be more about this later in the week

73bob

Goodbye to an old friend

Yesterday after much soul searching my FT897 went to a new home…  The new owner says he will be nice to it and treat it right and I know he will appreciate it…

Above Yaesu FT 897d

Above Yaesu FT 817 (great in the field- tough as nails)

Its one of those things that I just was not using it enough…  The FT 450 is my main rig in the shack and my FT817 is my main rig in the field so… What do you do with a rig thats has no real place to operate from???  The answer was obivious….

Above Yaesu FT 450 (work horse at home)

Anyhow…  its working and making contacts on HF already and the new owner is pleased…  And my new radio fund has greatly expanded…

Above Elecraft KX3 (in the running)

Not sure what new rig will be  coming in….  I’ve operated a couple of KX3′s and I like them…  I’ve also seen a Flex 1500 up close and personal but the computer types in our hobby can’t give me a straight answer on how much computer you really need to operate one…

Above Flex 1500 SDR Radio (in the running)

Its no deal if my new $750.00 radio needs a new $2000.00 computer so it can operate…  If I wanted to pay that much for a QRP Rig that works at home I would pick up a K3…

Above the Elecraft K3 (in the running but mostly in my dreams)

There is lots of time to figure it out as the FT817 and the FT450 are both working great for me….

More later on whats happening this weekend once I check with some friends and see where we are going to operate from…

73bob

SOTA Activation this week (maybe)

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No…  its not meant as a teaser but this Thursday August 2nd   (if the weather cooperates  ) Michel VE3EMB and myself are planning to head out to Mount Rigaud Quebec and activate SOTA Summit VE2/ML-005.

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View Larger Map

According to Google Maps its only a 130km or 90 minute drive from Ottawa so its within easy range for a day trip.

I am planning to bring my Yaesu FT 817 with the Par End Fed for my HF antenna.  I will be bringing a 6m dipole which also works on 2m for those of you with the wish of SSB communications on 2m and 6m.  I will have more than enough battery to last for our time on the hill.

Last time I went out to the park with Michel he brought his nice new and shiny  KX3 with a buddistick vertical which worked great for him so I am expecting the same gear to be with him this time..

So knowing the gear and the antennas its a safe bet that we can be operating anywhere there is an open band between 2m and 40m.  Look for us on the HF Pack Freqs on 20m and 17m.  I’ll spend some time on 144.205 usb and 50.130 usb for those of you who might want a VHF Contact.  I also enjoy 40m so good chance of finding me around 7.280 lsb or so. 

If you hear us please spot us on the cluster and on SOTAWATCH

Although I have not had much luck with it so far I will also have my Yaesu VX8gr with me and will be attempting to beacon out via APRS on the way there and hopefully right up to the Summit and back down again after so if you feel like tracking our efforts you can  look for VA3QV-7 on aprs.fi

Michel VE3EMB also is active on APRS and you can look for VE3EMB on aprs.fi.  Between the two of beaconing hopefully one of the signals makes it into an IGATE so you can see where and what we are up to…

Like I said…  It all depends on the weather as the last thing I want is to be stuck up at the top of a mountain with an antenna in the air during a thunderstorm…  So the plans are in place but plans were also made to be changed… So crossing fingers and lets see what happens on Thursday…

73bob

Super SOTA Activation

After being an Amateur since May 1991 I finally had my 1st SOTA Activation.  With the assistance of Martin VA3SIE  I was able to attempt and complete the activation of SOTA Summit VE2/OU/14 which is Mount Morissette QC.

The above is a cut and paste from the APRS.fi website

Martin picked me up in Ottawa just after 10am EDST and we headed north out of Ottawa en route to our destination…

View Larger Map

The drive took us about 2 hours…

We arrived at the summit and we then proceeded to install both stations.  I was using my Yaesu FT817 along with my Par end fed QRP Multi ban der (covers 10 to 40m) and I also put up my homebrewed 6m dipole just in case…  I was glad I did as I made one 6m ssb contacts but more on that later.  Martin was using his new KX3 (thats 2 of them I have seen in the last couple of days and I am still impressed with them…) along with an 88 foot doublet…

After installing both stations we got on the air at 1700 UTC and the fun started…. My contacts for the day were…

14.342.5 usb—– KB1RJC—Herman in ???

14.342.5 usb—– KB1RJD—Merle in ???

^^^Husband and wife team travelling together^^^

14.342.5—–N4EX—Rich in North Carolina

14.342.5 usb—–WA2USA— Dennis in Indiana

14.342.5 usb—–NS7P—Phil in Oregon

14.342.5usb—–W7CNL—Jack in Idaho

14.342.5usb—–AJ5C— Bob in Arkansas

14.342.5usb—–WI2W—Steve in New Jersey

50.128usb—–W4IMD—Peter in Georgia (EM84)

The weather person had threatened us with some “Sound and Light” and although we did see a little of it we managed to get about 2 hours of operating in before being chased off the mountain.  I made 9 contacts and I’m not sure how many Martin made but I know the KX3 made some SSB and CW contacts but outside of my one contact on 6m it seems that 20m was the band of the day.  I had listened on 40m, 17m and 15m and heard a few stations but no one answered my CQs there.  Today it seems 20m was the moneymaker for sure…

We drove back to Ottawa in a couple of pretty fierce downpours but the rain stopped before we arrived back at my home QTH.  Just after I got in the front door it started up again so I was lucky at home as well as at the summit…

A big thanks to Martin for taking me up there (and bringing me back) and a very special thanks to the 9 amateurs listed above who helped me have a successful SOTA activation on my first try…

73bob