This event happens seasonally, on the 3rd full weekend of the month (Saturday & Sunday UTC). These are ‘activity weekends’ where the main purpose is to get out in the parks, and have as much fun as possible.
Winter – 3rd Full Weekend of January. January 18-19, 2025
Spring – 3rd Full Weekend of April. April 19-20, 2025
Summer – 3rd Full Weekend of July. July 19-20, 2025
Autumn – 3rd Full Weekend of October. October 19-20, 2024
Hope to get you in my Logs during the upcoming event….
This event happens seasonally, on the 3rd full weekend of the month (Saturday & Sunday UTC). These are ‘activity weekends’ where the main purpose is to get out in the parks, and have as much fun as possible.
Winter – 3rd Full Weekend of January. January 18-19, 2025
Spring – 3rd Full Weekend of April. April 19-20, 2025
Summer – 3rd Full Weekend of July. July 19-20, 2025
Autumn – 3rd Full Weekend of October. October 19-20, 2024
Hope to get you in my Logs during the upcoming event….
It was a great time being back in Ottawa, visiting with friends from my old neighborhood and also spoiling my Daughters two cats.
However on the “Radio side” of things …. not so good
The plans were that I would be able (weather permitting) continue to control my hour on the Trans Provincial Net while away. It seemed that “Mother Nature” had different ideas. Most days rain or the threat of rain kept me from heading over to the park.
Above pic showing where the park was and the route I took
As I mentioned in a previous post…. there was a local (non-POTA) park within walking distance to operate from. It was a local sports field and had some bleachers for when the crowds came for Junior Soccer/Football and or Rugby…
Below pic showing how I set up at the park
Although the operating position was excellent there was NO PROTECTION from the elements which in my case meant rain.
I was able to wrap my MFJ mast to one of the bleachers and stretch the end of the EFHW antenna to the other bleacher and it did work like a charm. Signal reports were great considering I was running 50w into the antenna
So for 1 out of a potential 5 operating days it was fun and dry. Walking home with the gear safely packed in the backpack “Mother Nature” paid a short visit.
I also managed to activate CA1515 and CA1516 using my Xiegu X5105 along with a 29 foot wire (supported by the same mast mentioned earlier) with a 9:1 unun, a 17 foot counterpoise with a choke on the radio end of the coax. Jose VA3PCJ was nice enough to offer me a ride there and back. I activated the parks using SSB and VA3PCJ activated the same parks using CW and his KX3.
For Jose’s version of the park activation click HERE
I am expecting to be returning to Ottawa in Mid-January 2025 for another visit with my GrandKits and like last years winter visit there will be a car to keep me warm and dry.
It was a great time being back in Ottawa, visiting with friends from my old neighborhood and also spoiling my Daughters two cats.
However on the “Radio side” of things …. not so good
The plans were that I would be able (weather permitting) continue to control my hour on the Trans Provincial Net while away. It seemed that “Mother Nature” had different ideas. Most days rain or the threat of rain kept me from heading over to the park.
Above pic showing where the park was and the route I took
As I mentioned in a previous post…. there was a local (non-POTA) park within walking distance to operate from. It was a local sports field and had some bleachers for when the crowds came for Junior Soccer/Football and or Rugby…
Below pic showing how I set up at the park
Although the operating position was excellent there was NO PROTECTION from the elements which in my case meant rain.
I was able to wrap my MFJ mast to one of the bleachers and stretch the end of the EFHW antenna to the other bleacher and it did work like a charm. Signal reports were great considering I was running 50w into the antenna
So for 1 out of a potential 5 operating days it was fun and dry. Walking home with the gear safely packed in the backpack “Mother Nature” paid a short visit.
I also managed to activate CA1515 and CA1516 using my Xiegu X5105 along with a 29 foot wire (supported by the same mast mentioned earlier) with a 9:1 unun, a 17 foot counterpoise with a choke on the radio end of the coax. Jose VA3PCJ was nice enough to offer me a ride there and back. I activated the parks using SSB and VA3PCJ activated the same parks using CW and his KX3.
For Jose’s version of the park activation click HERE
I am expecting to be returning to Ottawa in Mid-January 2025 for another visit with my GrandKits and like last years winter visit there will be a car to keep me warm and dry.
Remember yesterday when I mentioned the latest addition to my POTA setup, the Xiegu 5105 QRP rig….
Well this morning I decided to test it out and see how much work I would have to do with setting the parameters such as mic gain, processor, to make it sound like me… I was also testing out my EARCHI 9:1 unun with a 29.5 foot random wire to see how it would play with the built in AT of the 5105.
I figured I might as well do the testing at a POTA location just in case I was able to turn the test into an activation.
For this I chose Fort Frontenac POTA CA-5303. Its fairly easy to get there via the Kingston Transit system and its also close to downtown and all the amenities I might need. In the North East corner of the picture you will notice some white lines on the ground.
They are actually the walls of what’s left of that part of the Fort. Also the only parts of the Historic Site that is open to the public.
I leaned my MFJ 33 foot mast (supporting the 9:1 and wire in the vertical configuration) up against the tree.
And then ran the COAX over to the remains of the wall and set up my radio there and started operating.
My first contact was on 7.255 with the NCS of the ECARS net. He did hear me and considering I was QRP I was pleased. He did tell me that my audio seemed hot as if I was overdriving things. Lowering my voice seemed to help.
After that I looked at POTA Spots and managed to get W2IDG and VE3FI into the log from their parks and then finished up with the NCS of the MidCars net on 7.258.. All contacts were made on 40m SSB. I tried 20 SSB and was hearing lots of stations including a POTA Activation in VO1 but no luck breaking any of the pileups.
Then I figured it was time to get home and try to re configure the radio to my liking… I turned off the Speech Processor and lowered the Mic Gain from 60 to 40. Over the next few days I will get out again and see what else I have to do to get things sounding right.
Remember yesterday when I mentioned the latest addition to my POTA setup, the Xiegu 5105 QRP rig….
Well this morning I decided to test it out and see how much work I would have to do with setting the parameters such as mic gain, processor, to make it sound like me… I was also testing out my EARCHI 9:1 unun with a 29.5 foot random wire to see how it would play with the built in AT of the 5105.
I figured I might as well do the testing at a POTA location just in case I was able to turn the test into an activation.
For this I chose Fort Frontenac POTA CA-5303. Its fairly easy to get there via the Kingston Transit system and its also close to downtown and all the amenities I might need. In the North East corner of the picture you will notice some white lines on the ground.
They are actually the walls of what’s left of that part of the Fort. Also the only parts of the Historic Site that is open to the public.
I leaned my MFJ 33 foot mast (supporting the 9:1 and wire in the vertical configuration) up against the tree.
And then ran the COAX over to the remains of the wall and set up my radio there and started operating.
My first contact was on 7.255 with the NCS of the ECARS net. He did hear me and considering I was QRP I was pleased. He did tell me that my audio seemed hot as if I was overdriving things. Lowering my voice seemed to help.
After that I looked at POTA Spots and managed to get W2IDG and VE3FI into the log from their parks and then finished up with the NCS of the MidCars net on 7.258.. All contacts were made on 40m SSB. I tried 20 SSB and was hearing lots of stations including a POTA Activation in VO1 but no luck breaking any of the pileups.
Then I figured it was time to get home and try to re configure the radio to my liking… I turned off the Speech Processor and lowered the Mic Gain from 60 to 40. Over the next few days I will get out again and see what else I have to do to get things sounding right.
People who know me have heard me say that after all these years there are 3 radios I have sold that I actually regret selling. Well now there are only 2 radios that I regret selling…
.
Welcome the Xiegu X5105 back into my portable shack…
.
Between my FT991a and my FT891 there was a bit of a gap. The Yeasu FT891 Portable Station was a bit too heavy for my old bones. I needed something in a lighter backpack to make it easier to carry if I was to choose to activate one of the local POTA Parks here in Kingston.
The above pic shows my old X5105 with the Bandspringer attached
The Xiegu X5105 fills that gap. With the built in battery pack, the built in automatic antenna tuner along with the contest keyer and the built in CW Decoder it makes it a dream portable station.
My antennas are a 40m EFHW made with 28ga wire and a QRP AMAZON 49:1 unun. I also can use a 29foot end fed random wire using a QRP EARCHI 9:1 unun.
I also have the SOTABeams Bandspringer antenna that plugs right into the antenna input and uses the built in tuner to operate between 10m and 60m.
So what’s the other two radios you might ask?
Above is my first QRP setup. FT817, LDG QRP Autotuner.
If I could work a deal for a Yaesu FT817 and a Flex 1500 it would complete the list. However used rigs are pricy and it seems most hams think that radios seem to appreciate with age so like I mentioned above it has to be a good deal for both the seller and myself.
People who know me have heard me say that after all these years there are 3 radios I have sold that I actually regret selling. Well now there are only 2 radios that I regret selling…
.
Welcome the Xiegu X5105 back into my portable shack…
.
Between my FT991a and my FT891 there was a bit of a gap. The Yeasu FT891 Portable Station was a bit too heavy for my old bones. I needed something in a lighter backpack to make it easier to carry if I was to choose to activate one of the local POTA Parks here in Kingston.
The above pic shows my old X5105 with the Bandspringer attached
The Xiegu X5105 fills that gap. With the built in battery pack, the built in automatic antenna tuner along with the contest keyer and the built in CW Decoder it makes it a dream portable station.
My antennas are a 40m EFHW made with 28ga wire and a QRP AMAZON 49:1 unun. I also can use a 29foot end fed random wire using a QRP EARCHI 9:1 unun.
I also have the SOTABeams Bandspringer antenna that plugs right into the antenna input and uses the built in tuner to operate between 10m and 60m.
So what’s the other two radios you might ask?
Above is my first QRP setup. FT817, LDG QRP Autotuner.
If I could work a deal for a Yaesu FT817 and a Flex 1500 it would complete the list. However used rigs are pricy and it seems most hams think that radios seem to appreciate with age so like I mentioned above it has to be a good deal for both the seller and myself.
The lastest (and largest) addition to the Great Lakes Museum collection in Kingston Ontario is the SS Keewatin.
I took this pic Saturday May 25 just before the Museum opened the exhibit.
Its new home is in the Kingston Drydock which is on the shore of Lake Ontario and its history goes back before Canada’s Confederation.
The above shows the Keewatin in the Drydock over the winter. Thanks to Google Maps and Doug Knutson for the Graphics.
Now on the the Radio Part of this….
This coming weekend is the Museum Ships Weekend event (June 1st and 2nd) and the Keewatin will be on the air for this event and we are in really good company.
SHIPS PARTICIPATING FOR 2024 – 101 Ships
updated 26 May 2024 NAME TYPE OF SHIP LOCATION CALLSIGN
K1USN Watson Museum Braintree, MA K1USN USS Hornet Aircraft Carrier Alameda Point, CA NB6GC USS Midway Aircraft Carrier San Diego, CA NI6IW USS Lexington Aircraft Carrier Corpus Christi, TX W5LEX USS Yorktown Aircraft Carrier Charleston, SC WA4USN ST-695 Angels Gate Army Tugboat San Pedro, CA K6AA USS Montrose Memorial Attack Transport(Haskell Class) Montrose, CO N0P USS Alabama Battleship Mobile, AL KQ4RXA USS Massachusetts Battleship Fall River, MA NE1PL USS New Jersey 8am to 6pm from drydock Battleship, New Jersey NJ2BB USS Missouri Battleship Pearl Harbor, HI KH6BB USS Wisconsin Battleship Norfolk, Virginia N4WIS USS Iowa Battleship San Pedro, CA NI6BB USS North Carolina Battleship Wilmington, NC NI4BK USS Oklahoma Mast Memorial Battleship Mast Memorial, OK WW2OK **HS Georgios Averof Battleship Paleo Faliro, Greece SZ1AB USS Tennessee Museum Battleship Museum Oneida, TN W4BSF SS Col. James M Schoonmaker Bulk Carrier Toledo, OH K8E **SS William A Irvin Bulk Ore Carrier Duluth, MN W0GKP Claud W Somers Chesapeake Bay Skipjack Reedville, VA W4NNK CSS Neuse (Jun 1 only) Civil War – Ironclad Gunboat Kinston, NC KN4RAM MV Iris-Joerg Cargo Ship Wischhafen,Germany DL0MFM MV Cap San Diego Cargo Ship Hamburg,Germany DL0MFH USCG Ingham CG Cutter Key West, FL NR4DL USS Potomac CG Cutter/Pres. Yacht Oakland, CA. NE6JP USS Indianapolis CA-35 Memorial Cruiser Indianapolis, IN WW2IND USS Littlerock Cruiser Buffalo, NY W2PE USS Olympia Cruiser Philadelphia, PA WA3BAT USS Salem Cruiser Quincy, MA N1SLM HMAS Vampire Destroyer Sydney, Australia VK2VMP USS Turner Joy Destroyer Bremerton, WA NS7DD USS Cassin Young Sat only 9am-3pm EST Destroyer Boston, MA WW2DD USS The Sullivans Destroyer Buffalo, NY K2EAG USS Orleck Destroyer Jacksonville, FL K4D USS Laffey Destroyer Charleston, SC NT4HI USS Slater Destroyer Escort Albany, NY WW2DEM USS Stewart Destroyer Escort Galveston, TX N5FKP Evelina M Goulart Fishing Schooner Essex, MA W1E **HMCS Sackville Flower Class Corvette Halifax, Nova Scotia VE0CNM SS Grandcamp Memorial French Liberty Ship Texas City, TX K5BS HDMS Peder Skram Frigate Copenhagen, Denmark OZ1RDN SS Hope Memorial Station Hospital Ship Memorial Chatham, MA W1HNJ Krasin Icebreaker St. Petersburg, Russia R1LK SS Sankt Erik Icebreaker Stockholm, Sweden 8SØHRA **Ernest Lapointe Icebreaker L’islet, Qc, Canada VB2MMQC USCGC Mackinaw WAGB-83(Maritime Museum) Icebreaker, MI W8AGB SS Jeremiah O’Brien Liberty Ship San Francisco, CA K6JOB SS John W Brown Liberty Ship Baltimore, MD K8JWB Amrumbank /Deutsche Bucht Lightship Emden, Germany DF0MF LS Ambrose Lightship East River, NY City, NY W2AQ LS Westhinder III Lightship Antwerp, Belgium ON9BD Borkumriff Lightship Island Borkum, Germany DL0BRF USS LST-325 LST Evansville, IN WW2LST LST-393 LST Muskegon, MI N8LST Chatham Radio/WCC Station Maritime Radio Station Chatham, MA W1WCC SS Selma Merchant ship WWI(Concrete Hull) Galveston, TX W5MSQ **Edwin Fox Museum Merchant Ship Picton, New Zealand ZL2KS USS Lucid Minesweeper Stockton, CA N6MSO HNLMS Abraham Crijnssen Minesweeper Den Helder, NL PA38AC HNMS Mercuur Minesweeper Port of Vlissingen, NL PA6PARE KRS 575 “Hans Beimler” Missile Corvette Peenemuende, Germany DL0MFN Farragut Nav Training Sta.Brig Naval Training Station Athol, ID N7F NS Savannah Nuclear Merchant Vessel Baltimore, MD K3SAV SS Hohentwiel Paddle Steamer Bodensee, Austria OE6XMF/9 RMS Queen Mary Passenger Ship Long Beach, CA W6RO SS Rotterdam Passenger Ship Port of Rotterdam PI4HAL
SS Keewatin Passenger Steamship Kingston, ON VA3QV
HMAS Gladstone Patrol Boat(Fremantle Class) Gladstone QLD, VK4GLA **USS Pueblo Memorial Research Ship Pueblo, CO N0K MK1 PBR #105 River Patrol Boat Charleston, SC WD4PBR PB Niederoesterreich (Jun 2 only) River Patrol Boat Danube/Vienna, OE3XNO Tall Ship Elissa Sailing Barque Galveston Island, TX N5E MS Seefalke Salvage Tug Bremerhaven,Germany DK100DDSR USS Ticonderoga (1814) Schooner Whitehall, NY W2C USS Cod Submarine Cleveland, OH W8COD USS Cobia Submarine Manitowoc, Wisconsin NB9QV USS Blueback Submarine Portland, OR W7SUB USS Drum Submarine Mobile, Alabama K4DSR USS Razorback Submarine N.Little Rock AR N5R USS Nautilus Submarine Groton, CT N1S U-995 Submarine Laboe Germany DL0DMB USS Croaker Submarine Buffalo, NY N3ARB USS Albacore Submarine Portsmouth, NH NM1JY Flore Submarine Lorient, France TM2FLO HMCS Onondaga Submarine Pointe-au-Père, Quebec VA2GNQ Nazario Sauro Submarine Genoa, Italy II1NS S-61 Delfin Submarine Torrevieja Spain EH5DLF USS Batfish Submarine Muskogee, OK WW2SUB USS Pampanito Submarine San Francisco, CA NJ6VT USS Cavalla Submarine Galveston, TX N5FKP USS Silversides Submarine Muskegon, MI N8SUB H. L. Hunley Submarine – Civil War Charleston, SC N4HLH Novosibirskij Komsomolec (B-396) Submarine 641-B Moscow, Russia RU3AWK USS Thresher Memorial Submarine Memorial Kittery, ME W1WQM USS Parche Memorial Submarine Memorial Bremerton, WA N7P **”The Fin Project” Submarine Fin Memorial Seattle, WA NR7WL **CSS Acadia Survey Vessel Halifax Nova Scotia VE0MMA USS Hoga YT-146 Tugboat N. Little Rock, AR N5H USAT LT-5 Tugboat/Cargo Transport Oswego, NY W2LGA SS American Victory Victory Ship Tampa, FL W4AVM Red Oak Victory Victory Ship Richmond, CA K6YVM
And as you can see we will be in pretty impressive company…
Now the only issue with this (the first) activation of the new museum ship is that the passenger areas of the ship are open to the public but the Radio Operators Room is still waiting for some period equipment to be set up as a display. So until that is done we can’t install as we don’t know how much room there will be for the “modern” equipment.
So for this event I will be operating from “alongside” the ship (see below pic)
The Radio I use for this event will be my POTA Station gear which is a Yaesu FT891 along with a 40m (64:1 unun) EFHW supported by a 33 foot MFJ Telescopic mast. Backup antenna will be a 17.5 foot vertical (using same mast) fed by a 9:1 unun with a single raised counterpoise.
The operating plan is to be operating from the “American General” parts of the different bands. Hoping that 20m and 40m will be good for us but we have the equipment to operate from 6m to 40m
I hope to start operating at 1300 (UTC) and run till the 20ah battery dies out ( or darkness arrives) on both days.
Will be operating as VA3QV and will uploading logs to LoTW, EQSL and QRZ.com.
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