… The Choice had to be made…

Field Day 2024 will be starting in 3 hours. In previous posts I had mentioned that I was either going to be operating as a 1B station or a 1D stations depending on the weather. “Mother Nature” helped me make the choice and its not nice (or smart) to argue with Mother.

The choice is “1D” and if you read the following from The Weather Network you will see why.

---

Kingston, ON

Special Weather Statement

Issued at Sat 8:59 AM Jun. 22

Issued by: Environment and Climate Change Canada

Description:
Significant rainfall possible this afternoon into Sunday.

Hazard:
Rainfall amounts of 30 to 50 mm. Locally higher amounts possible.

Timing:
This afternoon into Sunday.

Discussion:
The potential exists for multiple rounds of showers and thunderstorms this afternoon into Sunday. Local amounts exceeding 50 mm are possible. A rainfall warning may be required for some areas.

For information concerning flooding, please consult your local Conservation Authority or Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry office. Visit Ontario.ca/floods for the latest details.

Heavy downpours can cause flash floods and water pooling on roads.

Watch for possible washouts near rivers, creeks and culverts.

###

---

So there you have it….

Setting up in a Park to operate 1B in a Monsoon is one way to ruin my almost new FT891 seeing that as a general rule they don’t like water.

And to be honest it would not be fun for me either.

I still will be participating and hope to give out the rare exchange of 1D ONE to as many stations I can contact during the event. At home I have the chance to operate VHF, 6m, and the HF Bands that the Field Day rules allow.

So have fun, stay safe and make lots of contacts

73bob

… The Choice had to be made…

Field Day 2024 will be starting in 3 hours. In previous posts I had mentioned that I was either going to be operating as a 1B station or a 1D stations depending on the weather. “Mother Nature” helped me make the choice and its not nice (or smart) to argue with Mother.

The choice is “1D” and if you read the following from The Weather Network you will see why.

---

Kingston, ON

Special Weather Statement

Issued at Sat 8:59 AM Jun. 22

Issued by: Environment and Climate Change Canada

Description:
Significant rainfall possible this afternoon into Sunday.

Hazard:
Rainfall amounts of 30 to 50 mm. Locally higher amounts possible.

Timing:
This afternoon into Sunday.

Discussion:
The potential exists for multiple rounds of showers and thunderstorms this afternoon into Sunday. Local amounts exceeding 50 mm are possible. A rainfall warning may be required for some areas.

For information concerning flooding, please consult your local Conservation Authority or Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry office. Visit Ontario.ca/floods for the latest details.

Heavy downpours can cause flash floods and water pooling on roads.

Watch for possible washouts near rivers, creeks and culverts.

###

---

So there you have it….

Setting up in a Park to operate 1B in a Monsoon is one way to ruin my almost new FT891 seeing that as a general rule they don’t like water.

And to be honest it would not be fun for me either.

I still will be participating and hope to give out the rare exchange of 1D ONE to as many stations I can contact during the event. At home I have the chance to operate VHF, 6m, and the HF Bands that the Field Day rules allow.

So have fun, stay safe and make lots of contacts

73bob

Sunday afternoon after I got home from the Rideau Lakes Cycle Tour I set my Buddipole up on my back deck.

Above pic shows the configuration but that’s not my deck…

It was set up as 6m dipole and was approx 20 feet off the ground. Using my Yaesu FT991a (my shack radio) I fired things up and spun the dial….

In a 30 minute time period I managed to get 9 Stations in the log. All of them were SSB contacts and they all were to the South West of my location.

Grid Squares EL87,EM31, EM53, EM73, EM90, EM94, EM98 were logged. And for the record Kingston Ontario (my home) is in FN14

I also tried 2m ssb with the 991 and my 2m halo but no luck hearing and being heard.

But still getting 9 contacts into the log using a simple dipole antenna in a small time period shows us why they call 6m the “Magic Band”

73bob

Sunday afternoon after I got home from the Rideau Lakes Cycle Tour I set my Buddipole up on my back deck.

Above pic shows the configuration but that’s not my deck…

It was set up as 6m dipole and was approx 20 feet off the ground. Using my Yaesu FT991a (my shack radio) I fired things up and spun the dial….

In a 30 minute time period I managed to get 9 Stations in the log. All of them were SSB contacts and they all were to the South West of my location.

Grid Squares EL87,EM31, EM53, EM73, EM90, EM94, EM98 were logged. And for the record Kingston Ontario (my home) is in FN14

I also tried 2m ssb with the 991 and my 2m halo but no luck hearing and being heard.

But still getting 9 contacts into the log using a simple dipole antenna in a small time period shows us why they call 6m the “Magic Band”

73bob

With the HF band conditions as they are today:

It might be a good thing that this weekend seems like its going to be a VHF Weekend.

Saturday and Sunday our local repeater group are assisting the Rideau Lakes Cycle Tour on Saturday and Sunday.

Long time readers of this blog (thank you) will remember that this Tour has been running for many years now and 3 Amateur Radio Groups assist by providing communications for it.

The tour starts in Ottawa (Ottawa Amateurs step up) (VE2CRA Repeater)and take the back roads to Perth Ontario (Perth ARES Group) (VE3KJG repeater) and then from there take the back roads to Kingston (where the Frontenac Amateur Radio Club is located) (VE3FRG Repeater) and spend the night at Queens University.

The map is not exact…. Just shows where the tour starts and finishes

Sunday morning they do the trip in reverse…. Depart Kingston for Perth and then arrive in Ottawa on Sunday late afternoon

For my part I will be at the Saturday Finish at Queens University and will be back again at Queens at 6am for the Start of the Return trip to Ottawa.

But (if you read my previous post) this weekend is also the ARRL June VHF Contest so….

Once I get home after the Saturday shift and my Sunday shift of the Bike Tour I will be trying to give out the rare “FN14” grid square on 2m, 6m and 70cm. No beams here but its the best I can get away with here.

Enjoy your weekend and I hope to get you in my log…

73bob

With the HF band conditions as they are today:

It might be a good thing that this weekend seems like its going to be a VHF Weekend.

Saturday and Sunday our local repeater group are assisting the Rideau Lakes Cycle Tour on Saturday and Sunday.

Long time readers of this blog (thank you) will remember that this Tour has been running for many years now and 3 Amateur Radio Groups assist by providing communications for it.

The tour starts in Ottawa (Ottawa Amateurs step up) (VE2CRA Repeater)and take the back roads to Perth Ontario (Perth ARES Group) (VE3KJG repeater) and then from there take the back roads to Kingston (where the Frontenac Amateur Radio Club is located) (VE3FRG Repeater) and spend the night at Queens University.

The map is not exact…. Just shows where the tour starts and finishes

Sunday morning they do the trip in reverse…. Depart Kingston for Perth and then arrive in Ottawa on Sunday late afternoon

For my part I will be at the Saturday Finish at Queens University and will be back again at Queens at 6am for the Start of the Return trip to Ottawa.

But (if you read my previous post) this weekend is also the ARRL June VHF Contest so….

Once I get home after the Saturday shift and my Sunday shift of the Bike Tour I will be trying to give out the rare “FN14” grid square on 2m, 6m and 70cm. No beams here but its the best I can get away with here.

Enjoy your weekend and I hope to get you in my log…

73bob

This weekend is the ARRL June VHF contest. Its a fun way to test our your VHF Capabilities and your antenna systems…

The following is a “cut N paste” from the ARRL Website:

---

About

Contest Objective: For amateurs in the US and Canada (and their possessions) to work as many amateur stations in as many different 2 degrees x 1 degree Maidenhead grid squares as possible using authorized frequencies above 50 MHz. Stations outside the US & Canada (and their possessions) may only work stations in the US (and its possessions) and Canada.

Dates: The second full weekend in June. (June 8-10, 2024)

Contest Period: Begins 1800 UTC Saturday, ends 0259 UTC Monday.

---

Now this is a busy weekend for me (radio wise) as the Rideau Lakes Cycle Tour will be in Kingston during that time and its the only scheduled Public Service Event that our local group does every year.The picture on the left was taken the first year I assisted the Kingston Group on the event. Previous to that I lived in Ottawa and I participated with the Ottawa Group on the same event.

But lets get back to the contest for a bit:

First of all…. Head over to the ARRL website for the latest update and the full rules for the Contest.

Click on the ARRL logo below for the Rules PDF

Using my Yaesu FT991a I plan to be giving out the “Rare FN14” Grid square on both 2m and 6m SSB.

On Saturday my Bike tour shift will finish around 6pm (EDST) or 2200 (UTC) if I did the conversion correctly… So I plan to operate from 2300 UTC for a couple of hours.

On Sunday my tour will finish around 9am (EDST) or 1300 (UTC) once again if the conversion works and will try again then around 1400 UTC once I get home.

My 2m/70cm antenna will be a simple Halo or loop which will be horizontal at approx 20 feet above ground. The 991a has an output of 50w ssb on 2m. As the loop is “sort of” useable on 70cm I will be able to give some locals an extra multi.

My 6m antenna will be a simple “Buddipole 6m Dipole. The 991a has an output of 100w ssb so it should be able to get a bit of a signal out across the Lake (at least I hope it will).

Later tonight there is a vhf net that starts on 144.250 usb that is based in Eastern Ontario. Check out the West Carleton Amateur Radio Club for more into on that. After that they call the role on 70cm and 6m. I stand a change on 6m and 2m if someone has their beams aimed southwest. More on how this works later.

Lets see who can hear the “Popgun” with the tiny antennas…

73bob

This weekend is the ARRL June VHF contest. Its a fun way to test our your VHF Capabilities and your antenna systems…

The following is a “cut N paste” from the ARRL Website:

---

About

Contest Objective: For amateurs in the US and Canada (and their possessions) to work as many amateur stations in as many different 2 degrees x 1 degree Maidenhead grid squares as possible using authorized frequencies above 50 MHz. Stations outside the US & Canada (and their possessions) may only work stations in the US (and its possessions) and Canada.

Dates: The second full weekend in June. (June 8-10, 2024)

Contest Period: Begins 1800 UTC Saturday, ends 0259 UTC Monday.

---

Now this is a busy weekend for me (radio wise) as the Rideau Lakes Cycle Tour will be in Kingston during that time and its the only scheduled Public Service Event that our local group does every year.The picture on the left was taken the first year I assisted the Kingston Group on the event. Previous to that I lived in Ottawa and I participated with the Ottawa Group on the same event.

But lets get back to the contest for a bit:

First of all…. Head over to the ARRL website for the latest update and the full rules for the Contest.

Click on the ARRL logo below for the Rules PDF

Using my Yaesu FT991a I plan to be giving out the “Rare FN14” Grid square on both 2m and 6m SSB.

On Saturday my Bike tour shift will finish around 6pm (EDST) or 2200 (UTC) if I did the conversion correctly… So I plan to operate from 2300 UTC for a couple of hours.

On Sunday my tour will finish around 9am (EDST) or 1300 (UTC) once again if the conversion works and will try again then around 1400 UTC once I get home.

My 2m/70cm antenna will be a simple Halo or loop which will be horizontal at approx 20 feet above ground. The 991a has an output of 50w ssb on 2m. As the loop is “sort of” useable on 70cm I will be able to give some locals an extra multi.

My 6m antenna will be a simple “Buddipole 6m Dipole. The 991a has an output of 100w ssb so it should be able to get a bit of a signal out across the Lake (at least I hope it will).

Later tonight there is a vhf net that starts on 144.250 usb that is based in Eastern Ontario. Check out the West Carleton Amateur Radio Club for more into on that. After that they call the role on 70cm and 6m. I stand a change on 6m and 2m if someone has their beams aimed southwest. More on how this works later.

Lets see who can hear the “Popgun” with the tiny antennas…

73bob

Its easier to give you a pic to describe how the bands are today rather that type “Bloody Awful” 500 times.

73bob

If you went to the Smith Falls Hamfest hope you had fun… I’ve got a 2m halo antenna (for my 991a) and a 9:1 unun (yes another one) being delivered later today as I was unable to make it there. More details on the new toys after I get to test them out

AFTERTHOUGHT: Not sure if EARCHI is still offering the unun but the website is still up so perhaps would be better to email them first before you send funds.