VA2UTC Blog

This That & The Other Thing II

2012-01-14T11:08:00.000-08:00

Station Status

January is a rather bleak month. Reality sets in and we have to head back to work, the weather tends to be colder, etc etc. Ham radio wise there is not much going on, or so it seems to me. Most contests are CW or RTTY and the one that I do want to go into this year falls on my birthday, so this means waiting almost a whole month before I can sink my teeth into a test. BTW I am not complaining about not being able to op during my birthday. I would much rather party than play radio that day but, I may get an hour or two in on the NAQP test before diving into things birthday wise.

One of the things I am planning on doing is upgrading the station. This time around I am looking at replacing the tuner. There are 3 tuners I am looking at. All of them are MFJ's The MFJ 929, 934 and 994B. Each have unique features that I like, however it probably is going to come down to cost.

The 929's key feature is the ease of operation plus the LCD display. It is also the least expensive of the three tuners. What I like about the tuner is the layout of the back. Simple and effective. It's the front runner of the three that I am interested in. This tuner is commonly known as the Intellituner as it has the capability to store up to 1000 memories.

The 934 is a manual tuner but, here is the the cool part this tuner actually marrys the 931 with it. The 931 is an artificial ground that allows the operator to have a the ability to electrically create ground close to the radio even when the actual ground is far away. In my case 75 ft out in the back yard. There is also a 4:1 balun in the unit. This devise would replace the 931 that now sits atop my pow supply. The only drawback is the manual tuning. It is lower in price than the 929 but, still sits as the second option.

The last in the 3 is the 993B the key selling point for me is the dual meter and the fact that the unit will take up to 600 watts of power, much more than I need but, still useful. It is the most expensive.

LDG was also in the running but, I prefer to have an actual cross meter or LCD display. The LDG tuners all use a bar graph system which is not what I would be interested in.

I have a very nice iambic paddle key sitting on the desk that is not hooked up. I will have to get that up and running. That of course requires a keyer for dot-dash recognition. I may also look at the idea of connecting the radio to the compute and running digital modes along with the CW. Another project for later down the road.

On the Air

For those not in the know I have a Twitter account. The idea is to communicate station activities, specifically related to DXing and contesting. For those who are not hams who want to follow me, welcome. Please note that I am not looking for some hot babe for a one night stand nor am I interested in the latest MLM scheme.

As I mentioned at the top January is a weak month for operations. Besides a small run in the NAQP the only other test I plan to work is the UBA contest on the 28th. This test is run out of Belgium and runs for 24 hours from 1300Z to 1300Z. I should be on the air for this contest. In February there are some big contests coming up and the NGH contest crew should be active in at least one. This I believe would be the ARRL DX Contest.

DXing on the bands this winter has been fun especially back in November. I worked a lot of stations on 10 meters. Including Kuwait, 9K2HN. I also worked one Japanese station and a whole bunch of Europe. Other bands have also been fun to work. The only bands I have not been active on are 80 and 30 meters. 80 is a tough band to tune and 30, well I need to set the key up for that band which requires a keyer, that is the plan for the summer as mentioned earlier.

Other Activities

The only other activities I have planned are related to public speaking. I will be doing a talk at the MARC meeting this month. It will be held the last Wednesday of this month. The talk will be about contesting tools and how they affect ethics in the realm of radio sport. Other than that no other activities other than operating in contests and DXing are planned. Although in future there may be an opportunity to explore working from Zone 2 here in Quebec. I'll get into that at a later date.

Until then I hope to meet you on the bands or here on the blog. These days I am active on the weekends on the 12 or 17 meter band with a sprinkling of 15 and 20.

73 Cliff VA2UTC.

Two Weekends Two Contests Two Calls

2011-12-28T19:51:00.000-08:00

Back to back contesting, love it. I had a lot of fun this month working two contests, two weekends and under two calls.

The first was the ARRL 10 Meter contest. I ran as a Single Op Low Power Phone entrant and was aiming for 200 contacts. That did not come to pass but, I was able to make a total of 155 contacts with 50 multipliers and a nice score, 15,500 points. That is a record for the station. The thrill of the contest for me was working Quebec at around 8 Sunday morning. For those who are non hams working a local on 10 requires being very close to each other I used to chat with a group of hams in Ontario on 10 nightly when i lived in Hamilton. These stations were all running power and had good antennas and were relatively close. This allowed for what is commonly known as ground wave contacts. The band was just right to work VA2EM to get my QC multiplier. A few minutes before or after and I might never have worked him as 10 began to lengthen out as the sun rose.

Generally speaking Europe was present on the band up to about 1700Z then the west coast kicked in. Lots of Texas, Colorado and California along with a few other west coast states filled the frequencies after Europe faded into the noise. I did hear one African station but, the pile up was to big to break and I had to let him get away, eh next year I will get him, I hope.

Next up RAC Winter, I made 20 contacts under my call then headed to VE2NGH's station. George had done some work the night before giving the team a bit of a pad. After the hey how are ya guys and a coffee with some chips George loaded the rig up on 15 and I began to run the station. By the time I handed the mike over to Sheldon VA2SH I had brought the total QSOs up to 160 give or take. Sheldon, Paul VE2OFH and George tried their hand at running a pile up and did a fantastic job. Here is the cool part we worked DX of the back of the beam including a VK.

The NGH crew racked a total of 450 contacts and scored over 95K in points. We also worked QC on 6 and 2M. And, we got every province and territory. Hey Geroge you can apply for that Worked All Provinces Award. Besides the contesting the food ah that was great, pasta with meat sauce and apple pie for desert. I don't think the other guys will mind my saying thanks George it's always a pleasure to op a contest with you.

Next month NAQP for me as VA2UTC rings in the new year and as for the NGH crew, we should be, barring any Murphy interventions, on the air during the ARRL International DX Contest.

73 to all and happy new year.

Cliff

Radio Talk 2011

2011-11-30T02:03:00.001-08:00

Radio Talk 2011 is in the books. The first event held by WIARC which replaces it's annual hamfest was an overall success. There were some problems but, they were mitigated by some very interesting speakers and a cool display or old AM radios dating back to the beginning of the 20th century.

It was a pleasure to be the first of the speakers and from the feedback I have been getting people liked the presentation. I was asked to send a copy of the slide show for posting on the Radio Talk blog. And I have done so, you should see it soon on the site.

Of all the presentations, I have to say the one on Microwave was the most interesting to me. It was well presented, very well presented by Jim VE2JWH. It was interesting to learn about the propagation modes used in this radio format. I never knew that rain could be used as a means of propagating a signal, not to mention bouncing a signal off of buildings etc.

The other feature was the display section. I listened to CJAD on a radio that dates back to 1932. Unlike today's radios you had to use not one but three tuning knobs to tune the signal in. The Solder Spot crew also showed off their skills, VE2OFH Paul, had a couple of antennas on display and was recruiting for the next project, a 40M receiver. For more info on the Solder Spot you can go to http://www.solderspot.ca/forum/index.php or to http://www.solderspot.ca to say hi or jump in with your own ideas for the next project.

From my vantage point I think this is the way to go. Hamfests and flea markets are fun but, a conference like this is really innovative and needed. The idea is to bring talented and interested people together to talk about subjects related to ham radio. The concept worked and I think it is a great way to bring the radio and non radio communities together. Nicely done WIARC.

Cliff T. VA2UTC

What's Up At VA2UTC

2011-11-18T02:14:00.001-08:00

Contesting, one done one to go. I had the pleasure of doing a multi-op with George VE2NGH during the CQWW phone contest. I was the run operator while he and Paul, VE2OFH were the seek and pounce operators. Sheldon VA2SH also joined us during the weekend.

As a team we did very well. Scoring over 2 million with 1500 contacts on all bands, including 10. The results show that we had a good working plan and were able to execute it very well. Who knows this may be the beginnings of a new contest group. Time will tell.

Another contest looms Sweeps, the annual November contest has two parts CW and Phone. I will be working in the phone competition. The category has yet to be determined but, I am pretty close to deciding what I want to do.

Last, I am pleased to announce that I am speaking at Radio Talk 2011. This is a conference being held Saturday November 26th. It is hosted by WIARC, West Island Amateur Radio Club and will feature seminars and demonstrations with respect to ham radio. I will be speaking on the topic of Blogging. Ham Radio. For more on the event visit http://radiotalk2011.wordpress.com/.

Also of note, speaking of Public Speaking, is another talk I will present. On technologies and how they are affecting contests. I'll be exploring some of the ethical questions related to the various tech tools hams are using today to operate in the various contests that are out there. This talk will be held on the last Wednesday in January, the day that Montreal Amateur Radio Club members meet for their monthly get together. More details to come.

See you on the bands or in person during the two speaking events.

Cliff VA2UTC

VA2UTC Grounded so To Speak

2011-10-23T07:17:00.000-07:00

Well the basics are done RF Isolator and grounding rod are now in place the tuner and radio themselves are now grounded with single strand 14 AWG line to the rod.

Some interesting observations. One the tuner had to be reset, inductance transmit and antenna all needed to be reset. There is some slight RF in the headphones, then again they are not high end and that could be the reason for the RF but, it does seem to be that the RF monster has been reduced to nil or not at all as the radio does not light up like a Christmas tree or present RF on the knobs or face as well as the Chassis of the radio. I can actually run full power with the radio but, prefer to keep it below 100 watts.

The other tools I would like to add include a noise reducer, auto tuner and a keyer. The noise reducer only gets added after a new laptop gets bought. If the noise from it is low or nil then the noise reducer would be left out. The others are definite upgrades to be added.

CQWW is next weekend and I will be doing a split op for this test. Part of it will be a single op using VA2UTC and on the other side of the coin I will be working as part of a Multi-Op with VE2NGH. See you in CQWW.

73 Cliff VA2UTC

VA2UTC Tweets

2011-10-17T02:49:00.000-07:00

Well it was bound to happen sooner or later. I was never really a Twitter fan but, I figure why not have another avenue to let people know what is going on when I am on the air. So I have added Twitter into the mix. it's easy to find me just look for my call VA2UTC on Twitter and you should be able to follow what I am doing while on the air.

In other news the station is just about completed. The temporary ground is holding up OK but, will be replaced with a new proper earth ground and a Balun, 1:1 that acts as an RF isolator will also be added to reduce the RF and hopefully improve the antennas performance. Other mods include an auto tuner and unit that helps reduce noise by allowing the operator change the phase and gain of the antenna. My computer creates a noise level that reaches S5 on the meter and coupled with dirty electrical plugs and 50K lines a mere 30 to 50 away from the antenna and a huge transformer in the front of my house well you get the idea. Lots of unwanted noise. The reason for the new tuner, one it's an auto. Two it has a digital screen, Three did I mention it's an auto tuner. Anyway the idea is to have an easier operating experience.

Before I log off here one last thing, contesting, yes I am back at it this past month worked CQP and also the Worked All Germany contests. 10 Meters was fantastic for the WAG. In fact 10 12 and 17 have all been fun to work as we near or are at the peak of cycle 24. 20 has been less than stellar but, that should change. Speaking of operations I am awaiting news from George VE2NGH re CQWW. If the go ahead is given we will operate the contest as a team and there is rumour that VA2SH Sheldon and VE2OFH Paul will be in the shack as well. If we are not able to form a team look for me on the bands under my regular call.

Cliff VA2UTC.

VA2UTC Rebuild Part 2 Plus Some Interesting News About The Ontario Swap Shop

2011-09-17T18:16:00.000-07:00

The TS130 I bought from Martin VA2ZO is on the way as I write. The radio is expected to be delivered on the 20th. I am actively seeking the companion mic for the radio. Along with this item I am looking to get a ground rod and close to 250 ft of 14 AWG braided copper wire plus a mast.

The ground rod will be installed for grounding the radio power supply and antenna tuner. And the realignment of the end fed Zeppelin antenna that I have up in the backyard of my home will be made possible with the new mast. I am hoping to invert the antenna into a V with the apex at the top of the pole. As it stands now the V is on it's side, thus it looks more like an arrow which makes the antenna less effective. After the installations are done the station will then be tested to ensure that little or no stray RF is in the shack and that the radio is in working order. Which I am sure it is. Once this is done VA2UTC will return to the air. I am specifically gearing up for the November Sweepstakes contest in November. This year I have a plan but, I am not telling anyone what it is.....All I will say is it should net me a win in this competition.

Speaking of getting goodies for the shack. One way I have found stuff, outside of eBay is to log on to the Ontario Swap Shop. The site is an extension of two nets one on 40 during the day every Sunday and at night on 80 also on Sundays. I had read on the site that the nets were going to go off the air. I will confirm this with Nick VE3NJG. For now note the new address it's www.kwarc.org/swapshop.

The old OSS site will remain with it's other services including flea market and ham fest listings. KWARC's site is user and password protected. I have listed on it and it is quite user friendly. Though I must admit it will take some time to get used to the new format, I do think it will do very well.

I am looking forward to getting back on the air in October.

73 Cliff VA2UTC

VA2UTC Station Rebuild.

2011-09-03T09:12:00.000-07:00

Kenwood TS130S. No longer produced.
However one can still get this radio for as little as $200.00
Check your local swap net or visit the Ontario Swap Shop.
You may get lucky and find one there.

My station is about to get a long overdue makeover. The first step is a new radio. The Kenwood TS30S. This radio will be purchased next week. After I get the new radio the next steps are to get new grounding wire and the rod plus a new pole for the Endfed Zep. The goal is to be ready for ops by the beginning of October. Another goal is to get a backup radio. A second TS130S may be added as a back up should the first fail and I am also planning on getting a power supply for it. Then the final step a complete new radio.

A reasonably priced radio in Canada retail is $899.
This is the older version FT450 the D model has feet.

After looking at pricing and also functionality I have decided that I would like to get a Yaseau, the radio I am looking to get is the FT450D. There are several reasons whey I chose this radio. The first is price, under 1000 dollars before taxes. I know that the power supply will increase the price to around 1100 dollars and the tax plus shipping will probably put the cost close to 1500 dollars. This is still a good deal for a radio that is brand new. There are others priced lower, that said for what you get with this radio the price is not bad. Note I have not considered accessories for this model.

The second reason, ease of operation. The radio is menu driven a fact I am not crazy about, however unlike some of the other radios the FT450D'S front panel is not cluttered which leads to less confusion. That said the display itself does appear busy.

Third reason is interestingly the display. While it does look busy the fact that it is white on black makes it easy to read. Plus the buttons are also lit which really helps. This radio also comes with frequency readout, which makes it very usable for those persons with low vision or who are blind.

In my research I found that most radios appeared to complicated to operate based on being menu driven. Also of note were the display panels, these displays were a gross looking orange back lit with black lettering and numbering on them. Yes there are some mods you can get to change the colours but, I have to admit I am lazy and would prefer to keep it simple thank you very much. Also of note is the fact that other radios did have white, blue or other colours on black. These radios tended to be too small and overpriced.

The IC 7800 price 12,699 in Canada.

The biggest factor though is the price. Frankly speaking I have no problem investing money in my hobby but, 3 6 and 10K fat chance especially when I can get a complete station for under 1000. Maybe one day I will have that kind of money to spend and even then I may not make such a purchase. My opinion is that unless your very knowledgeable about radio and the workings of propagation there is no real need to for gear with tons of menus, spectrum analysis and world maps on them. These types of radios are nothing more then overpriced toys for boys who want to brag about having the biggest and baddest station on the air. OK unless you publish pictures and video of the gear it's just like any other station on the air just fancier.

Who knows I may just keep the new radio as the back up and run with the TS130S as the main station. The 120 I had worked well and that radio is probably one of the most simplest to operate. Look for me on the bands beginning in October. Until then thanks for reading, comments always welcome at va2utc@hotmail.com or cjames5a@gmail.com.

73 Cliff VA2UTC

Note prices for the IC7800 and FT450D were found on the Radio World website.

Randy K7AGE, The Youtube Ham Guru

2011-08-20T17:47:00.000-07:00

K7AGE is the call for Randy of Grass Valley CA. The Youtube ham guru of sorts has been making videos for a number of years. His page on Youtube has many interesting videos covering a range of topics. PSK, Moon Bounce, contesting and other types of on air activities.

Randy has also featured other hams on the site, using streaming to record and post the K7AGE QSO party's. I have not had the pleasure of working his station but, hopefully one of these days I will log a QSO. Hey maybe during the Cal QSO Party we'll hook up.

The thing that impresses me about the videos that Randy puts up is the quality. His videos look like they have been produced with commercial cameras and video editing equipment. Then again I can see why, Randy is a System Engineer for Nvision TV a division of Miranda.

Another feature is Randy's Shack Chats. An interesting insight into the activities Randy is into with regard to ham radio. By the way Randy has over 5900 subscribers to his channel and I am one of them. It is always interesting to see what he is up to and I do appreciate the work he puts into the site. Check out K7AGE on Youtube.

Cliff VA2UTC.

K2DBK, Another Ham Who Blogs, Neat

2011-08-01T17:43:00.000-07:00

As I have mentioned I do like to post about what other hams are doing. These tend to be a rare item but, i hope to change this beginning in September. After all it should not always be about me. Mostly me but, not always me.

Anyway, K2DBK has a blog. One of the posts that caught my attention was that of a 12M adventure, Dave was trying to see if he could hear 5R8UI out of Madagascar. The station working 5R8UI asked if 5R8UI, Mike had here his call then said question mark. Now I have to say I have used the word question mark as well. Usually in the context of confirming a call like VA2UT?. Dave also briefly explained the reason for the Q-coding system especially in CW ops. Interesting view and an interesting blog. Check the post and the entire blog out yourself.

Cliff VA2UTC, with no question marks LOL.

Field Day & IARU Contests-Summary

2011-07-20T10:52:00.000-07:00

As mentioned I promised to followup on the Field Day ops and the IARU tag team with George VE2NGH.

First Field Day, a slow start some foul weather and a near miss when a pole snapped helped to make the event; ummm eventful. The actual operations for the tri-club event began after 4 with 20M and 6M operations. I had the distinct honor of being first op on 6 and within the first hours racking up the points and QSOs. Close to 150 in just over an hour thanks in large part to an opening on 6 that lasted well into the night. When I got on 20 I was able to drive a nice pile up. But, the real story was 40. In the early hours Vlad VA2AN racked up an amazing 200 plus contacts on the CW portion of the band. In fact the CW crew did an amazing job excluding the 6M SSB count they did better by a long shot than the SSB side 504 vs 413 contacts. 6M added in for 207 contacts gave a sum of 620 contacts. As of this point minus the tally that ARRL will finalize we should do very well with the following, save for any errors we did not catch.

HF CW = 504 QSO’s = 2016 points.

HF SSB = 413 QSO’s = 826 points.

6m SSB = 207 QSO’s = 414 points.

Total QSOs 1124 = 3256

Bonus points = 850 points.

TOTAL = 4106 POINTS

There was an attempt made to work via satellite but, to no avail due to being in proximity to a Videotron, our local cable company, tower.

Of course the event is also about publicizing the hobby and emergency preparedness in communications. We had a number of people stop by which added to the bonus points. As for the emergency prep using a generator and also battery power helped us create the above 850 bonus points. And, last but not least food and friends who share a love of communications. These elements made for one of the more interesting Field Days I have had the pleasure of being part of.

Tag teaming in a contest is interesting to the say the least, I plan on doing more of these in the fall with George and hopefully the VE2MAB crew as we begin our 30th year operating. More on the MAB station in the next posting. For now lets talk IARU. VE2NGH George invited me to come and guest op during this contest and with the moral support of our good friend Sheldon VA2SH we had what can be considerred one heck of good time. We began our contest run late Saturday afternoon, working the 20M band. As we progressed we eventually got on to the low bands 40 was the band to work and most contacts were on this band. Besides operating our host George was very gracious cooking Sheldon and I super and breakfast. We noted that on 80 there were not a lot of signals and early Sunday morning 20 and 15 did not produce results that we expected. However given the late start and with some complaints from ops that the signal was breaking up at times I think I can say we did pretty darngood. Here is how we ended for this test.

Start Date : 2011-07-09

CallSign Used : VE2NGH

Operator(s) : VE2NGH, VA2UTC

Operator Category : MULTI-OP

Band : ALL

Power : HIGH

Mode : SSB

Score : 164,840

Total Time On from 14:34 to end of the test (874 mins)

The breakdown looks like this. To get this score the points are calculated by HQ stations plus Zones multiplied by QSO points.

Band	80	40	20	15	Totals
QSOs	4	276	155	46	481
POINTS	4	880	565	136	1585
HQ station	0	17	20	8	45
Zones	4	24	25	6	59
					164840

As I mentioned earlier in the fall George and I plan to work some other contests. I will update as we go. In the meantime look for me before the end of July as I plan a couple of trips to the VE2MAB station before starting my new job. I hope to work some good DX in the coming days. Plus also look for some other interesting articles here on the blog. I plan on featuring hams doing their thing more often as we head into the fall season. In the meantime some links for you to look at featuring the Field Day crew.

73 de VA2UTC Cliff

FD pics from M.A.R.C
Louis VA2LPQ has a nice array of photographs for viewing
W.I.A.R.C has a couple of shots to view
Morrie of Nunavik Graphics took a lot of pictures of the event.
And finally a video of the event where else, Youtube.

IARU Contest VA2UTC Guest Operator At VE2NGH

2011-07-09T06:17:00.000-07:00

During this years IARU contest I have been given the privilege of joining VE2NGH, George as a guest operator. We had a blast at Field Day working the SSB station on 20/10/15 and 6 meters. After the contest George commented to me that he would love to tag team on a contest and last week made the offer to join him during this years IARU event.

Look for us on all the bands SSB 80-10. If you want a card from us we both have E-QSL accounts and are also found on QRZ.com. Look for a report on this and the Field Day contest in the next posting here on the blog.

Just to give you some sort of hint on how we did in FD we managed 4000+ points based on over 1100 contacts on 6/40/20/15/10 and possibly 80 but, I do not know that for sure. I have some pics of me and a link to a 2 minute video of the event.

One last thing before I sign off here. During IARU contest if you record VE2NGH working in the test please send the audio I would love to feature it on the blog my email address is VA2UTC@hotmail.com

73 and see you in the test later this afternoon July 9Th on all bands.

Cliff VA2UTC.

2011 Field Day Radio In Da Hood

2011-06-05T12:27:00.000-07:00

Field Day is fast approaching. Hundreds of stations will be on the air June 25th and 6th including a 3 club effort here in Montreal. West Island Amateur Radio Club, Montreal Amateur Radio Club and the Concordia University Amateur Radio Club are all working together. The operators will work SSB, CW and VHF with the added modes of satellite and digital. The large focus will be on the SSB and CW components.

George VE2NGH and his team have been working to get the project off the ground tuning antennas, getting the location for the event squared away and other details are all part of the process they have gone through to get ready for Field Day. The call to be used for the event is VE2CUA and the team will be operating at Pine Beach Park in Dorval a suburb of Montreal.

For those who are not familiar with this contest it's really not a contest. It's more a test of skills. The concept is to take the operator out of his/her natural space and put them in conditions that would not be considered normal. Hence going out to parks, in fields or generally in places where it is difficult to operate radio gear are the norm for this unique test. Also operating without the niceties of having a fridge, electricity and getting little or no sleep are all par for the course. The contest in short is a test to see how prepared for emergencies radio operators are. Yes certificates are handed out to the best in all classes but, really the idea is to see how well one can do in adverse conditions. Field Day is a test of skill and teamwork and wit that said for anyone ham operator or not who is interested in disaster preparedness this is a great way to learn new skills an hone those already learned.

The three clubs invite any ham radio operator or anyone interested in emergency communications to join them during the Field Day weekend, June 25th and 6th. For more info you can visit the following sites and or contact George VE2NGH for more details.

WIARC, West Island Amateur Radio Club
MARC Montreal Amateur radio Club
CUARC Concordia Amateur Radio Club

Pine Beach Park a PDF file of Dorval shows where the park is. STM route 202 Dawson is the closest bus line, this route runs every 30 minutes. The best intersection is Claude and Dawson though you can get off a stop after at an address marker of 1301 Dawson.

At the the time this article was posted no talk in repeater was noted, though most likely it will be VE2RWI at 146.910 - 600 for the input. This repeater does not require a tone.

For more on the contest visit the ARRL Field Day event page.

Have fun and see you on the bands during Field Day 2011 as we do radio in da hood.

Cliff VA2UTC

A Tale of Two Contests

2011-04-30T05:15:00.000-07:00

Recently I got the results back from two contests, Worked All Europe and New England QSO party. One contest proved to be a disaster the other a surprise and both taught me lessons about operating a contest, let me explain.

The NEQP result was horrifying, then again I should have expected as much as this was the first test of the radio, minus a tuner. Which meant high SWR low power and low contact rates. In this contest my first when I got the TS120S I made under 10 contacts and scored a meager 49 points. The result second to last place in category and in Canada for Quebec, I was last.

Canadian Results

Call	QTH	Category	CW QSOs	SSB QSOs	Total QSOs	Counties	Score	Operators

Single Operator Low Power
VA1MM	VE1	SOLP	105	106	211	56	17,696
VE4EAR	VE4	SOLP	95	64	159	53	13,462
VE3GSI	VE3	SOLP	68	0	68	37	5,032
VE2AWR	VE2	SOLP	29	8	37	21	1,386
VA3RJ	VE3	SOLP	22	0	22	18	792
VA7ST	VE7	SOLP	21	0	21	17	714
VE7FCO	VE7	SOLP	0	25	25	18	450
VA3OR	VE3	SOLP	14	2	16	12	360
VE5BCS	VE5	SOLP	0	10	10	10	100
VA2UTC	VE2	SOLP	0	7	7	7	49
VE3MCF	VE3	SOLP	0	5	5	5	25

Single Operator QRP
VE3CW	VE3	SOQRP	18	10	28	19	874

The silver lining, if there is one is that I was one of only two ops in Quebec. So in reality it was no real contest for me. I am hoping that I will be allowed to work this contest again as a guest at a station here in Montreal as I have no radio at this time.

Worked All Europe was a different story. A surprise for me in that in the category I ranked 95th out of 174 stations. That is significant as it meant that the station and operating model worked.



Outside Europe
SINGLE-OP LOW
Place	Callsign	QSOs	Multi	QTCs	Total Score	Deduction	Club
1	RG9A	1 560	420	1 583	1 320 060		SUCC
2	9Y4W	1 769	373	1 716	1 299 905		BCC
3	3V8SS	1 490	411	1 412	1 192 722		RRDXA
4	4X0T	1 576	375	1 427	1 126 125
5	HI3TEJ	1 649	346	1 368	1 043 882		PUP CG
6	TA2/DL2JRM	1 349	342	1 359	926 136		BCC
7	UN7PBY	975	298	1 000	588 550		TEMIRTAU
8	VE3DZ	1 040	261	1 060	548 100		CCO
9	RN9CM	863	305	876	530 395		UCG
10	W3LL	802	271	821	439 833		PVRC
11	K3NM	749	254	753	381 508		FRC
12	ZX2B	649	256	642	330 496		ARAUCARI
13	PY2DY	648	239	638	307 354		CANT DXG
14	7Z1SJ	687	223	690	307 071
15	RW9C	534	191	543	205 707		UCG
16	VY2LI	458	195	466	180 180		MCC
17	PY9MM	411	189	433	159 516		RIO DXG
18	YB1TJ	506	155	515	158 255
19	CN8SG	511	234	150	154 674
20	PY3KN	329	182	348	123 214		ARAUCARI
21	H2E	358	145	365	104 835
22	TA7EB	370	139	364	102 026		GTRAD
23	VE3VID	285	166	283	94 288
24	VE1ZA	241	198	227	92 664		MCC
25	R9FR	307	150	309	92 400
26	RA0ACM	331	136	332	90 168
27	KB3LIX	219	183	223	80 886		AVRA
28	DV1JM	320	122	335	79 910
29	JT1BV	402	187	0	75 174
30	VE5MX	257	140	254	71 540
31	K2MFY	248	145	239	70 615		YCCC
32	UA9FGJ	307	114	309	70 224
33	EC8AFM	238	140	232	65 800		RRDXA
34	RU9WZ	284	113	297	65 653		ARCK
35	N8DE	230	166	159	64 574		MRRC
36	EK3SA	438	76	410	64 448
37	NK3Y	356	179	0	63 724
38	PY2CX	330	96	321	62 496		CANT DXG
39	N1API	279	110	288	62 370		YCCC
40	KR2Q	227	123	230	56 211
41	W1MAT	196	136	200	53 856		YCCC
42	WA1Z	196	135	198	53 190		YCCC
43	4L9QQ	172	157	161	52 281
44	VE1ZD	193	134	184	50 518		MCC
45	VE3IAE	175	142	170	48 990		CCO
46	K0FX	190	125	185	46 875		GMC CO
47	XU7ACY	231	104	207	45 552		FRC
48	VA3SWG	383	110	0	42 130		CCO
49	KP2DX	265	154	0	40 810		DX4LIFE
50	YB3IZK	190	103	185	38 625
51	PW2B	154	104	156	32 240		CANT DXG
52	K3WOW	131	127	110	30 607
53	VU2DK	190	80	190	30 400
54	AI4QY	124	121	124	30 008		FLCG
55	EA8BQM	160	100	128	28 800		CIDXS
56	4K9W	193	74	189	28 268
57	VE3UTT	119	120	110	27 480		CCO
58	HZ1DG	211	62	220	26 722
59	N6RV	147	87	151	25 926		SCCC
60	AB2TC	158	126	0	19 908
61	TC2X	140	66	139	18 414		TCSWAT
62	UA0WY/0	158	58	150	17 864		CSDXC
63	K3TN	98	90	95	17 370		PVRC
64	NP3CW	164	104	0	17 056
65	W9ZRX	94	81	107	16 281
66	KU5B	65	109	66	14 279		CTDXCC
67	PY4EK	156	60	80	14 160		CANT DXG
68	VK4LDX	107	74	84	14 134		VKCC
69	VE3TU	129	109	0	14 061		CCO
70	PY2NZ	129	99	0	12 771		CANT DXG
71	VA2BK	96	125	0	12 000
72	JM1NKT	111	58	90	11 658
73	N1OXA	68	87	64	11 484
74	KB1REQ	101	112	0	11 312		WHITMAN
75	VA7ST	85	72	70	11 160		BCDXC
76	VR2PW	138	78	0	10 764
77	K4OD	105	100	0	10 500		SECC
78	L33M	150	56	10	8 960		LUCG
79	DU1JI	148	56	0	8 288
80	W0YJT	63	58	74	7 946
81	W9VQ	79	66	40	7 854		SMC
82	4Z5PJ	66	58	69	7 830
83	YC9DEB	97	50	55	7 600
84	W9TTT	61	75	40	7 575
85	K3TW/4	54	70	53	7 490		FLCG
86	JA6DIJ	69	52	72	7 332
87	BA1SN	67	56	59	7 056
88	WP3GW	94	75	0	7 050
89	LU5MT	100	70	0	7 000		LU1MA
90	TA3X	83	47	60	6 721
91	VA3GUY	101	62	0	6 262
92	PY1GQ	54	60	50	6 240		RIO DXG
93	VE2QAU	70	89	0	6 230
94	W7IJ	72	48	52	5 952		WWDXC
95	VA2UTC	60	66	30	5 940
96	YC9AOS	68	48	55	5 904
97	UA9CBM	87	64	0	5 568
98	K4IU	48	52	50	5 096		MNWA
99	AJ1E	74	68	0	5 032		YCCC
100	PY2SEI	86	58	0	4 988		CANT DXG
101	N3XRU	59	56	30	4 984
102	LW3DN	75	58	0	4 350		LUCG
103	7N2UQC	58	42	30	3 696
104	CX9AU	51	36	41	3 312
105	VE3JSQ	64	48	0	3 072
106	6W7RV	49	58	0	2 842
107	PY7RP	42	37	33	2 775		WWYC
108	UA9OKM	65	42	0	2 730
109	JR4VEV	31	37	36	2 479
110	VE2AXO	48	48	0	2 304		CGQ
111	YC1BTJ	56	40	0	2 240
112	VE2XAA	33	67	0	2 211		CGQ
113	KR9E	36	60	0	2 160
114	K2SI	25	50	18	2 150		RNYDXA
115	JI1ALP	31	32	34	2 080		599CCJ
115	PY2RDZ	52	40	0	2 080		CANT DXG
117	RA0AY	32	32	27	1 888		ARCK
118	W8ASA	39	48	0	1 872
119	YC2LEV	42	44	0	1 848
120	W9OA/9	48	38	0	1 824		MDXC
121	N1NN	36	42	4	1 680
122	JF3NKA	32	30	19	1 530
123	KD2MU	29	47	0	1 363
124	K6GEP	26	47	0	1 222		SCCC
125	N4DTF	27	43	0	1 161		TNCG
126	YB5VB	41	28	0	1 148
127	VE3RCN	26	44	0	1 144		CCO
128	BD4CD	22	28	18	1 120
129	PY3FOX	18	22	17	770		ARAUCARI
130	KC9QHL	20	37	0	740
131	VU3LMS	30	24	0	720
132	BD9BU	27	26	0	702
133	VE1BZI	20	35	0	700
134	VA3TPV	20	34	0	680
135	AE6YB	26	26	0	676		NCCC
136	KD8HHG	19	33	0	627
137	PP5KR	24	26	0	624		RIO DXG
138	N8PJ	14	32	0	448		MARIETTA
139	DU1LC	23	18	0	414		DX1ER
140	VE1SQ	17	24	0	408		MCC
141	JA2GHP	17	14	10	378
142	PY5FO	15	25	0	375		PERDIGU
143	VE2GLA	18	18	0	324
144	N4ENL	15	20	0	300
145	UA9XBJ	10	18	5	270
146	JE4MHL	13	20	0	260
147	BD4TS	13	18	0	234
148	BU2AU	14	16	0	224
149	W1BJ	12	18	0	216
150	PY2PT	13	16	0	208		SPCG
151	PU1KGG	9	16	0	144		RIO DXG
151	VE3AJ	8	18	0	144		CCO
153	JH3DMQ	11	12	0	132
154	NG4L	7	18	0	126		FLCG
155	DS5TOS	10	12	0	120
155	K1HG	10	12	0	120
155	XV4TUJ	10	12	0	120
158	KS4X	7	13	0	91		TNCG
159	BD4WM	9	9	0	81
160	BA4WI	8	10	0	80
161	NX8G	11	6	0	66		PORTAGE
162	JA1FO	6	10	0	60
162	JK2VOC	6	10	0	60
164	JG5UWK	7	8	0	56
165	BA4TB	6	6	0	36		BCC
166	NS6T	4	8	0	32		NCCC
167	KD0BLZ	3	9	0	27
168	HL5JCB	4	6	0	24
168	JR1NKN	4	6	0	24
168	PY4XX	4	6	0	24		RIO DXG
171	JR2AAN/2	3	6	0	18
171	PY1CX	3	6	0	18		RIO DXG
171	YB0ECT	3	6	0	18		JDXCC
174	JG1GCO	2	4	0	8

As you can see in this table the number of QSO's multipliers and the QTC count made the difference. Also having a properly tuned antenna and a good operating pace helped to make the difference.

The lessons learned were, stay on a band that is busy with activity and has strong signals. It was tempting to bounce around the bands. However staying on a band that was open, in my case 15 meters made the difference. Avoid the big pile ups, as a low power op I came to the realization that trying to break he wall of Kilowatt transmitters was a waste of time and effort. It was better for me to look for a station calling CQ on a clear channel and working them first then attempting to break the pile ups. I found I had little success with the latter so I did make much of an effort to do it. For me calling CQ a waste of time and effort, I never got a call back and in a contest time is crucial for a successful run. I would say that in some instances it might be a good idea to call CQ, for me I found it was more work than it was worth.

Contesting, for the serious operator needs to be planned and that plan needs to be executed. If you want to win you have to plan and you should not deviate from it, that was the biggest lesson I learned. Having fun is important and for most contesting is just that. A time to have fun work a few stations and see what you can do. For the avid contest operator who is looking to score high and win an award be prepared to work on your game plan and stay true to it. Doing so will net results down the log.

Until next time on the air and on the net 73's and thanks for reading.

Cliff VA2UTC.

WAEDXC 2010 results in full.

NEQP Results in full.

Most Successful Contest Run Comes With A Cost

2011-03-27T06:34:00.000-07:00

The most successful contest run to date 116 contacts in CQ-WPXX-SSB nets close to 32,00 points. Unfortunately it came at a cost. The TS120S speaker is no longer functioning. The radio puts out it's full 100w on carrier but, no audio is coming from the speaker a sign that most likely it has been damaged. At the present the radio is being sold as a tech special on the Ontario Swap Shop and also a search is on for the replacement rig.

Now people might say hey why not just replace the part yourself. Being that I am a white cane that makes such work tricky and also costly as I would have to pay for the part and probably the labor to put the the speaker in. It is better at this point just to replace the radio. So for now I am off the air but, I plan on it being a short time. Too bad as I think I could have made 200 contacts in the test. But, c'est la vie.

Cliff VA2UTC.

JA-JP Jjapan Earthquake

2011-03-13T05:56:00.000-07:00

On Friday a major earthquake struck Japan. The quake measured 8.8 and also created a Tsunami that has devastated the northern region of the country in particular the Prefecture of Myagi with it's capital, Sendai.

NHK has been reporting continuously on events related to the quake as they unfold. As for hams, the JARL (Japanese Amateur Radio League) has posted a bulletin to their site, in Japanese noting that JA7RL/7 has requested a clear frequency for emergency traffic on 7.030 SSB. Other bands were not mentioned JARL also requests that Twitter be used to communicate. Below are the latest bulletins in Japanese\English.

【重要なお知らせ】
　JARLでは、東北地方太平洋沖地震に際し、JA7RL/7 ほかRL局において、主に7.030MHz SSBにより非常通信のワッチを実施しています。各バンドにおける非常通信用周波数をクリーンな状態に保てるようにご協力をお願いします。　(3/12)

●JARL中央局JA1RLとJA3RL局はTwitterによる情報の収集と発信を行っていますのでご活用ください。
　JA1RL (http://twitter.com/JARL_ARESC)
　JA3RL (http://twitter.com/JA3RL_Hijyo)　 (3/13更新) Tweets are in Japanese

[Important Notices]
JARL in northeastern Taiheiyou earthquake occasion, JA7RL / office in addition to 7 RL, 7.030MHz SSB is mainly carried out by the very watch of communication. Thank you for your cooperation to keep their clean state of emergency traffic frequencies for each band. (3 / 12)

● JARL JA1RL central office and the office JA3RL Please use Twitter do so with the collection and transmission of information.
JA1RL (http://twitter.com/JARL_ARESC)
JA3RL (http://twitter.com/JA3RL_Hijyo) (3 / 13 Update)

listening to 7.030 I noted that there was light traffic on the air.

In an emergency we all want to try and help but, that sometimes can create more problems for those trying to meet the needs of the victims. Some things to remember when dealing with an emergency like this one.

Check media outlets for bulletins
Don't go to the affected area unless you absolutely must and can assure that you won't get in the way.
Do your best to keep phone lines clear so that emergency calls can be made. Instead of many calling a family member in Japan designate one person to do so. The less circuits are busy the better.

Google Crisis is an excellent portal for those interested in accessing resources with respect to this emergency and other disasters. In fact the net is a great tool for reaching out to family and friends in the affected area. Next to the media sites like Twitter and other social sites are the best places to gather to obtain the latest eyewitness accounts and information on the situation at ground level.

For the amateur operator the best thing to do is support fellow hams in Japan by keeping known emergency frequencies clear and to assist when asked.

Remember 7.030 should be kept clear at this point so that emergency traffic can flow during the earthquake/Tsunami relief efforts in Japan.

73 De VA2UTC-Cliff

REF And ARRL DX Phone Cotest Ops

2011-03-07T18:46:00.000-08:00

Back to back contests, love it. For the past two weekends I have been on the air working contests. The first the REF contest was a fairly successful venture, 16 contacts, 3 on 20 and the rest on 15 Metres netted a score of 720.

This past weekend was even better 86 contacts for a score of 15K and some new countries on the following bands 40, 20, 15 and 10. I was very pleased to work KP2, KP4, KG4 and V2 on 10 but, the highlight was 15 metres. The conditions were outstanding and I worked some really good DX. Honduras the Bahamas and Madeira Island CT3 are in the contest log. But, the prize QSO was between 6 and 7 am on Sunday when I worked TF3W out of Iceland.

I even worked HB9CXZ the owner of a remote I used to use often in Edmonton when I was VE6TJL. I was aiming for 100 contacts but, had some work to do in the afternoon hours and settled for the 86 contacts. I feel that I had a great showing regardless of the fact that i was 14 shy of the 100 I wanted in QSOs. At the end of this month is the the CQWPX phone contest and yes I will be taking a run at this contest.

KP2 U.S. Virgin Islands
KG4 Guantanamo Bay
KP4 Puerto Rico
V2 Antigua

The above are the first ever DX contacts for me on 10 metres and I have been a ham for 20+ years.

73 Cliff VA2UTC

VA2UTC Wins KSQP-- Canada/SOLP

2011-02-02T16:14:00.000-08:00

I received a pleasant shock today. Checking my mail I noticed a rater large brown envelope and was surprised to see it was for me. Thinking I had one an award or was being sent a certificate for working a special event station I opened it to find that I had indeed won a contest, the second only in my ham radio experience. The first was the ARRL DX contest back in the 80's QRP for Ontario. This time round the win is for the Kansas QSO Party.

I am pleased to announce that I have won two categories. Taking first place for Canada in this contest and also winning first place for Single Operator Low Power. For the purpose of the contest itself the score sheet reads First Place Canada. The funny part of this is I only made 7 contacts, what clinched the win were the two bonus stations I worked.

It just goes to show that unless you operate a test you will never know if you would have won or not.

73 Cliff VA2UTC.

VA2UTC-Operating Position & Antenna

2011-01-31T02:19:00.001-08:00

Many have asked me what kind of antenna I am using along with the rig. On Facebook I do have a picture taken with my cell phone of the TS120S on as my profile picture. For my birthday I got a great gift an iTouch. This iPod has a video and still picture function on it and I had a bit of a light bulb moment and thought hey why not snap some photographs of the station.

I took a number of photos of the station ops position and the antenna. First off the ops position as you can see in the first photo I have the laptop and next to it sits the radio. The next shot is of the back of the radio, note the connections, left to right radio to tuner antenna to tuner. You can also see the grounding line. The next photos are of the end fed Zepp. The first shows the antenna coming out of the bedroom window, it is followed by a shot of the pole that is tied to the balcony and the last is of the other end which is hooked on to the clothes line. The antenna is 22.8 meters in length the radiator is 15.24 meters, in feet 25 for coax and 50 for the radiator.

Hopefully by the summer the radio will have a companion, a new Yaseau FT450SAT and the antenna should be raised up higher. As for the ground system because I am on the second floor of the duplex I will probably be going with an artificial ground and may also include a meter to ensure that the system is matched to a 1:1 ratio. For the VHF UHF bands I have a ground plane antenna plus a simple antenna given to me by VE2ESP that I can use. The second is a steel quarter wave antenna that can be clamped on to a rail. Most likely I will be using that antenna for portal ops and installing the ground plane as the main VHF UHF radio. I have not decided on the radio for this part of the station yet. I also plan on replacing the table for a desk set. All together the project should run me about 2k. This will include radios grounding and the new table, I hope. For now the simple operating position is working very well and I am pleased with how the TS120S is holding up.

So there you have it a complete run down of the VA2UTC ops position with a revised look at what is in store for the future. Hope to see you on the bands especially on Feb 5 as the BSCC contest is scheduled to run. Last year I worked the test under VE2MAB, and by the way we got an award for our efforts. This year I will be doing the test as VA2UTC SOAB. (single Op All Band). The 24 hour test is sponsored by the Black Sea Contest Club and the exchange is call signal report and zone. See you on the bands.

73 Cliff VA2UTC.

VE2DX Jesus Island Also Known As Laval QC Canada

2011-01-02T07:06:00.000-08:00

I like to chase DX and part of DXing is chasing stations working on islands. So when I heard VE2DX calling CQ on 15M looking for DX outside of North American I stopped and listened to him. He claims to be on Jesus Island, which technically he is. Jesus Island is just north of the Island of Montreal but, when you look on a map you won't find it. Instead you will see Laval and a little blurb on the map Ile de Jesus.

The island dotted with the suburbs of Laval and is mainly residential in nature. None the less this is a well built up and developed land mass. Total population of about 400,000 makes it the 14th largest city in Canada.

I was surprised that the station was taking a lot of calls from Europe then again it would be quite reasonable to a ham on the other side of the QSO to think they were working a rare DX station. In fact that is not the case, although credit should be given to VE2DX for being creative. As mentioned Laval is on Jesus Island, it's not rare but, hey it's still a legal contact.

73 Cliff VA2UTC.

This That & The Other Thing

2010-12-19T05:35:00.000-08:00

With Christmas coming around the corner that also means a new year is set to dawn. Ham radio wise it has been an interesting year. Since April when I got my TS120 I have managed 346 contacts. The bulk on 20M but, the other bands have also been equally interesting to work. It should be noted that the QSO rate is really much higher when contests are added in but, I am not adding them in, although some contacts received on EQSL are contest related and they are counted in but, as regular QSO's only. Confused, put it this way the actual contest logs are not counted but, there is a mix of regular and contest QSOs in the regular log. There that should clarify things a bit more. When the contest Season ends, which for me is Field Day 2011 I will probably upload those stats at that time.

Speaking of contests I just submitted my log for the RAC Winter Contest. 40 contacts not a lot then again not bad for me. In general I am trying to work a contest each month. The nice thing is that the call is getting noticed by other ops during the tests, for me a good sign as I want to establish myself among those in the contest community with a solid reputation as a strong competitor. I have yet to win one under the VA2UTC call but, I hope I will soon.

On the QSL side of things I have worked many countries that should be easy to get cards from but, have not gotten cards back from as of yet. It seems that electronic QSLing has not taken off as it was supposed to. However I have to say that the response is not horrid. To date 135 contacts have been confirmed. That is 38% give or take a point. Not bad really of course getting some rare ones in would be nice like the HV0A contact I got 2 months ago. Hey the Vatican is a big deal you know. I have also worked some spec event stations and a couple of stations in Greenland. I dug out a card from the IRB days. The EQSL comes from a contact via VK3UR remote base out of Ballarat Australia. The base has since gone off the air but, man did I have fun with it. The card to the right is one of the nicer ones I have in the collection from those days. I do have to admit that I miss the rem ops but, having an HF rig on the air makes up for it big time. Speaking of DX look for BV100 a special call issued by China to celebrate Taiwan's 100Th birthday. The station will be active until the end of 2011.

Speaking of stations, a refit of VA2UTC is coming. My goal in the spring will be to add to the station. HF wise, I am looking to add the FT450AT to the lineup I am also hoping I can put an amp and raise the antenna up higher, I may also add an external auto tuner. My dream station would be FT450AT, TS120, which I have already, TS130, TS440 and VHF/UHF base with the antenna up at 30FT. Shhh don't tell my XYL yet, I promised her more snowmen figures, her Mary Kay and candles. So I kinda have to deliver on those before I can spruce the shack up.

73, Merry Christmas and Happy New Year DE VA2UTC Cliff

Contesting 101 Presentation

2010-12-05T09:28:00.000-08:00

Recently I had the pleasure to present to a local club on a topic of interest to me, contesting. In the slide show I gave I spoke about the basics of contesting and how those interested in radio sport can enter the world of contesting. This topic will be discussed again in January at the monthly meeting of the Montreal Amateur Radio Club.

What was real cool was being able to present the slide show to beginners and skilled contest operators. I was surprised to note that VE2TZT Gilles was in attendance along with a couple of other celebs of the contest world here in Quebec. Getting the nod of appreciation and approval from them was very much a feather in the cap. A special thanks to WIARC (West Island Amateur Radio Club) for letting me be the speaker for November. I truly enjoyed the opportunity to present to the members of the club.

Below is the slide show

VA2UTC

Contesting 101

QRZ Africa Please

2010-10-29T06:42:00.000-07:00

Recently while listening on 15M I heard HC8A working a large pile up. The operator for the most part was working Europe but, a couple of times he would call for Africa and Asia. Interestingly the stations in Europe and dare I say some here in North, Central and South America continued to call him. In my mind I mused, which part of Africa or Asia did you guys not get? Generally speaking I listen for what the operator is doing on the band before I make my call. Some op split, others do it by call area. Some will also call for the last letters of the call sign. No matter which mode of operating they use there is a methodology behind what the operators of DX stations are doing and generally it is to keep some control of what can only be described as utter chaos. Pile ups are hard to control. I know this from my own experience working them at VE2MAB, especially during sweepstakes when QC is the last section for stations, yes we do become a prized and wanted station in those moments. It is an incredible feeling being the chased station. The sound of a pile up is hard to explain but, in the best way I can it is like listening to those Vuvuzelas they had during the World Cup. The only difference really is that the buzz is the sound of letters and numbers that make the calls up. It is for this reason that stations will use split, by the number or last letter methods along with calling for specific regions. I usually will listen for the clearest signal in a pile up and take that call.

One thing that drives DX and contest ops up a wall is when people decide not to follow what the operator is doing. A classic example is when the op is calling for Asia and stations from Europe or other regions continue to call them. Which part of Asia did they not get the A or sia....Really, is it that hard to figure out that the station is calling for the region your not in. Another pet peeve is when stations call for 2s and 4, 5 and 6s still call, another of course is last letters DU and stations with XY call. Please wait your turn, if you remain patient and follow what the DX or contest operator is doing you'll get to work them. I have ignored stations in the past who do not follow my flow even if they have the biggest signal. Not that I am trying to deny a station the opportunity to work me but, there is some common operating norms that should be respected and one key one is that you follow what the station calling is doing. It's not just a matter of being polite, it's respecting the other operator and his style. If you do want to ask a question of the DX or contest op, ask if it is OK to ask a question. Most station ops, I think, will be happy to stop and answer the question you have. Respect them and they will be happy to engage in a quick QSO to answer your query.

About the only other thing that drives contest ops and DX ops up that proverbial wall is tuning up on the operating frequency. Try using a dummy load or move up or down a couple of KC to tune. Nothing is more unpleasing to hear than a 1KHZ tone from a station tuning up over a station working a pile up.

I will be the first to say that it is frustrating to try and work a rare DX station running low power and a wire antenna. I use the Kenwood TS120S and an End Fed Zep antenna. The antenna is 8 meters up and has a low profile. That makes working conditions challenging. Having said that I have worked some interesting DX, including a recent contact with the Vatican on 15M and Japan one Saturday morning on 20. Contesting with the antenna is really a challenge, unlike the beam at the VE2MAB site which hears and sends a great signal out the End Fed with it's low profile does not allow me to be the calling station. Meaning that my scores for VA2UTC are lower. Hopefully next year I will get the antenna up to 10 meters and or get a better antenna up. Of course some power probably would help to. That said it is not impossible to work DX. what does make it hard is when others do not follow the calling stations flow. I have often been the intended station being called by the DX only to have someone else with a similar call nudge in and work the DX or, needed mult in a contest and gotten beat out by a station with a similar call. I do find that frustrating but, I am not going to lose my mind over it LOL. However I think it would be nice if people did not do that. In short may I suggest that everyone respect the flow of the DX and or contest op, wait your turn and listen before jumping into the pile up. A few simple steps can save you from being ignored by a DX or contest op.

73 and see you on the bands.

Cliff VA2UTC

VA2UTC considers Ridning The Rails And Operating HF On Canada Day 2011

2010-10-12T07:59:00.000-07:00

As noted in an earlier posting here I had mentioned an interest in doing a DXpedition. That still stands. I have yet to hear back from anyone at CFS Alert regarding going up to the site to operate during a contest to activate zone 75. V31 and possibly Japan are also in the mix. I would also be interested in other suggestions. One thing I am considering and have received a note of interest re working aboard an active train. Via Rail Canada operates several trains daily from Montreal to Toronto/Toronto to Montreal. I have received an email from a source in the company asking what the operation would be about and I have passed on the specifications of the operation to them.

The idea would be to do a round trip during the Canada Day Contest for next year operating under a special event call. The bands would be HF mostly on the 20M and 15M bands, 40/80 require larger antennas and that is not workable. It would also be possible to work on the WARC bands but, since this will be a contest operation 20/15/10 would be the bands that would be used.

As more details become available I will post them to the blog. I hope to have things set up by March at the latest and when I do I will post all QSL and other details here and on QRZ.com.

Cliff VA2UTC.

VE2MAB Takes First Place High Power Multi Single In RAC Winter Contest

2010-09-28T11:48:00.001-07:00

Wow!

Congratulations are in Order for VE2MAB. The station received word from RAC that it had taken first Place in the High Power category Multi-Op Single Transmitter.

The station made 215 contacts during the contest and placed 10th overall in Canada in the class.

The next event for the station is the annual November Sweepstakes contest held in the 3rd weekend in November. More details about involvement in the test will be made available on this blog. For now you can see the certificate sent by RAC confirming the win for the contest below.

VE2MAB

Zone 75 V31 Or Other DX?

2010-09-25T09:14:00.000-07:00

One of the things I have always wanted to do is partake in a DXpedition or do one of my own. My ultimate would be to work from Japan but, other places of interest include Belize and up near the north pole to activate zone 75. In fact I am considering such an idea. Now here comes the tricky part. I am a white cane op which makes these kinds of ops tricky. DXpeditions are not for the faint of heart or for people who may have physical limitations. That said I would still love to try one. And, I would like to do it next summer during the IARU HF championship test. Another possible spot would be Canada's Sable Island, the 65th most wanted on the DX top 100 according to DX News.

Islands are much harder to gain access to than actual countries but, some countries are not so easy to get into either. the rarest entity is North Korea, the last known operations were short lived and a very long time ago, at least 20 years. I doubt they are interested in having hams visit and operate from the capital or any other place. So this leaves 98 other places in the top 100. Which leads to my question which DX entity would you like to see pop up on the bands? One way or another I will be doing something next year and it would be nice to find out where people in the ham community might want ops to come from.

Let me know what you think here on the blog or via va2utc@hotmail.com til then 73.

Cliff VA2UTC.

Contest Log Submission Process

2010-08-28T11:52:00.001-07:00

I am a bit of a contest nut. Ok I am a contest nut, love to work them. In July alone I did Canada Day, IOTA and the IARU test. In September I will be working the WAE phone and the IARU Region 1 FD tests and if I hear them stations working the various QSO party tests. Oh and in this month I worked the NAQP. That generates a lot of paper work for me, which I do not mind. However like any contest operator I have a set criteria I like to work under.

The most critical of the rules I set for myself is the number of contacts I log before submitting the log to the various sponsors out there. Generally speaking I like to have at least 10 contacts in the log before I consider the log to be official. My reasoning behind that is simple. Sending a log with less than 10 is just not worth the effort. The score is too small and the work for me and the sponsor to cross reference the log would be time consuming. It may sound strange but, the bigger the log the easier it is to cross check it with other logs, at least that is the way I look at it.

The other is sending the log into the sponsor early. I made the mistake of not submitting my log in time for the IARU and therefore decided not to submit it at all. I was well past the deadline for entry thus the log would become a check log. As an avid player in contests it is the idea of ranking in the test and possibly winning the section or dare I dream the contest itself. so sending a log in only to have it used as a check log, not a ghost of a chance of happening.

I choose the contests I enter carefully. This is another process I have. One can find contests on the bands every weekend. Not all of them are worth entering. And, in some cases propagation and the configuration of my station makes it difficult to run some tests. I believe each ham should run within reasonable limits or within the scope of what the station can and can not do. A low power station with a wire antenna is not a big gun....Then again when conditions are right or in certain situations a low power station may do well as the station calling CQ during the test. Sweeps comes to mind when time is fading and people are looking for places like Quebec. I know for a fact that VE2MAB is hugely popular during this contest for that reason. Although this year we will be a big gun with 500w. The point here is to be competitive you have to plan and for that reason I choose how I spend my time on the air during a test while operating. Contesting is meant to be fun as well as competitive and nothing is more frustrating that not getting anywhere during a test. For me the goals are to have fun beat my best from the previous test and to see if I can win one or two tests in the process. So with that we'll see you on the bands.

73 Cliff VA2UTC

VE2MAB Log Audit & EQSL Upload

2010-08-03T18:33:00.000-07:00

The VE2MAB logs have been cracked open, so to speak. I have begun to work on the main log book dating back to 1984. Along with the cross checking to see if cards were sent and received EQSL is being updated with the data from the log. When I finish a page I will list the calls that were uploaded to EQSL.

Cliff VA2UTC.

VE6TJL Logs Cleared

2010-07-18T07:32:00.001-07:00

I am happy to announce that the VE6TJL EQSL file is now up to date as far as sending cards ou via EQSL. There are still some that have not been sent as the stations listed are not members of EQSL. there also may be others who are not on the logs as the paper logs are in Edmonton. Once returned I will update the data and also send paper cards to those not listed as members of EQSL. Stations wanting paper cards please indicate so on the EQSL and when I get them printed I will happily send them via the bureau.

Also you will notice a new look to the blog. Blogger has updated it's templates and are offering newer templates. The new colors and style are meant to bring a more modern look to the blog. Comments are welcome.

Cliff VA2UTC.

Old Logs And Other Details

2010-07-17T08:58:00.001-07:00

Well the work begins. I have begun to start the sort process for VE6TJL and VE2MAB re the logs. I will be starting with the VE6 first then moving into the VE2MAB records. Please be aware that I will be looking at the logs from VE6TJL minus paper copies that is because those are stored in Edmonton. So essentially unless the mode is wrong most likely you will get a card if you worked me especially on 80M while I did remote ops via HB9CXZ. I am working on getting to the VE2MAB logs by the end of next week. Those logs are much more detailed and span 20 years. That means working at a slower pace. However once done the two stations will be in order paper wise.

3 contests lots of fun and some cool call signs. I love working stations with unique calls and during 3 recent contests I did work a few. Of note VE4EAR in the Canada Day Test N2BJ in all 3 tests FD Canada Day and IARU test and N4NO in the IARU test. IOTA puts on a test each year and I expect to be on the air for it. Speaking of interesting hams I have spoken with GI0AIJ via VE2MAB nice gentleman with a lot of timely sage advice. But one of the most interesting is W8ERN Brighton Michigan. Angelo has a very cool web site and also a very neat sign off always mentioning the station location he is working and his own. I had the pleasure of working him recently on 20M.

For 30 years VE2MAB has been on the air and to the right this card has been the symbol of the station. I have not yet spoken with VE2ESP Earl or Sheldon VA2SH but, shortly I will to see if we can start to put special even days on and maybe also run a special call before November Sweepstakes. We won't use such a call during the contest as the station is so well known in this test that it would not attract the high volume of contacts using an alternate call. We may do a special call for WPX and I would run it out of VA2UTC or another host station. Another possibility is to look for guest operators during Nov SS. I will post news of events related to the station details become available.

Last on the list. AC4BB and I worked while I was VE6TJL and we did a remote PSK QSO. The card he sent is one of the nicest in the collection. The picture of the building in front of the mountains is really nice. It just goes to show that not every card needs to have radios on it. Very simple very neat. Another interesting thing I noted was Bryan's last name Gather. Wonder if there is a relation to the Gospel troop. Anyway it was fun working PSK and getting the card to confirm.

Cliff VA2UTC

New QSL card

2010-07-03T17:38:00.001-07:00

To the right of the page is the design I created for my QSL cards. The PDF needs to be printed to card stock, then I need to send envelops to the bureau and also reply to the stations who have no EQSL and or email. I may even try using these in emails as well. The image reflects the suffix of the call UTC with clocks and time zones along with the increments +/- for UTC.

I am very happy to say that the call is generating response when i get on the air. Many are catching on to the unique suffix and I am pleased with how it is being received on the bands. One operator jokingly noted that I must always be on time.

Some other calls I have an eye on that end in the following QQ, ZEE and a few others with cool endings. The idea is to pick up another call to use more or less during contests. Speaking of I am happy to say that in Field Day and Canada Day contests I did well. Both netted 54 contacts. The next contests are IARU World HF and IOTA. Until then happy hamming.

Cliff VA2UTC

KZ8O 14.270 And The Sad Saga On Air

2010-06-30T11:38:00.000-07:00

14.270 has become a magnet of sorts for an on air saga, a very sad saga at that. It's the hang out for KZ8O, Mike an operator who seems to feel that he is the sole owner of this frequency. I have worked him once. He seemed like a nice op who likes to work DX. But, as I listened I began to hear things that were disturbing.

Foul language, comments about operators sexual preferences and lewd remarks about wanting to have sexual relations with operators daughters and wives have been heard coming from this operator. I have to give Mike some credit he is not afraid to use his call but, that is where my respect ends. Even during Field Day the lewdness continued with KZ8O calling for FD contacts and then offering a report of 44DD an obvious reference to the bust size of a woman.

I was reluctant to post about this station as there has been some litigation initiated against those who oppose him but, fact is fact, he swears and makes nasty remarks about women on the band and pushes anyone off who is on 14.270. Last I checked the amateur frequencies are not for sale nor are they the possession of any one included would be KZ8O hence the pic of the dunce cap. Because, lets face it only a dunce would do this stuff.

If there is a bright spot here it is that I know the band is open when I hear him. And when he does operate properly he is very skilled, it is just a shame that he has resorted to being less than his best. The FCC is at fault here for not dealing with this correctly. It is clear he should be off the air until he cools his jets a bit. Oh well I guess this is the price one pays for being in a service that has no monetary value in the eyes of the regulator. It really should not be that way but, there it is money talks. Here is hoping this changes sooner rather than later.

Cliff VA2UTC

VA2UTC Adopts Second Logging Tool

2010-06-26T06:47:00.001-07:00

As of this date I will be adding into the mix the QRZ log book. Stations wanting to log a QSO can use this tool to send a confirmation for credit on the QRZ site and also to confirm a contact in general. EQSL is still the preferred method of QSL but, soon I will have paper cards and I will also be using the bureau. Direct is another option with return envelope and postage.

Cliff VA2UTC

CQ FD! plans For VA2UTC Ops

2010-06-24T08:16:00.000-07:00

Field Day approaches. Within 72 hours region 2 IARU North America US Canada, the sound of CW SSB and Digi modes will blast on to the bands. The 2010 edition of FD begins at 14h local 18h GMT and it is going to be interesting. Bands like 10 have been open for days and the sun spot numbers look very good. Here is hoping that will continue along with the 10 meter openings.

For the uninitiated Field Day is a radio contest wherein hams take their gear and supplies out to, well, a field and operate in extreme conditions. Heat, wet cold etc all can be experienced during the 27 hour period of the event. The goal to operate in these conditions contacting as many stations as possible in a given time period in less than ideal conditions and for the most part using battery or generators to power radios. Sounds simple right not really. There are tons of rules for this contest and setting up now that is a different ball of wax. Imagine as many as 20 stations in a circle about 1500 ft in diameter, can you say challenging? I new you could.

I will be operating as a 1D meaning I will be at home using regular power. I had planned on going to a site but, decided that was not a good idea. As it would take me lots of time to get out to the site even with a lift and if I were needed back home, yikes. So I will be on the air the air for a good portion of the contest, probably about 14 hours. For all those working in the test this weekend good luck and have fun.

For more info on the contest follow the link to Field Day http://www.arrl.org/field-day

Cliff VA2UTC

Planet Claire and CW

2010-06-17T13:08:00.000-07:00

While listening to the B52's song Planet Claire I thought I would like to know what the CW is. Turns out that the CW in the song is real code. Brian Pasternack, KA3VSP notes in an article posted on hamradio-online.com's website the following.

Dave, N0DET, adds that there is code in the song "Planet Claire" by the B-52's. In the intro to "Planet Claire", a kind of Spy vs. Spy mood is created by the music, and plainly audible CW. The Morse code says, "NAKS DE CFH I I ZKR F13395 5156 AS 662 ....,", then fades to music. Dave believes that 'NAKS' and 'CFH' are commercial station callsigns. More information pertaining to the code comes in from Ron, VE3RYN. Ron says that "NAKS" should be "NAWS" which stands for 'North Atlantic Weather Station' and "CFH" is a CDN military ship/shore station located near Halifax, Nova Scotia.

Sure enough when I turned up the volume on my computer while listening to the song on Youtube it was clearly what is described above. In fact there are many songs that have code in them. Some are clever some vulgar and others just plain mumble jumble. I thought it was pretty cool to hear the code in the tune and to figure out what it said.

73 Cliff VA2UTC

K1TTT & Interesting QSL Card Plus VE2MAB Ops & Field Day

2010-06-05T08:35:00.000-07:00

Hams on the Internet. Nothing new here but, it's what they do on the net that is interesting. One station that I came across during a contest was K1TTT. To my surprise I noted that David not only has a unique call he also has a unique station. A super station as he calls it. K1TTT is a station that is very active in contests and use of the station is to generate interest in on air activities. The station is open to guest operators most weekends for contesting and special events at no charge. The only request, that operators have a positive attitude and a desire to get on the air. David has also created a very informative and well built site on the net. The site offers info on the station, activities and links to resources for hams.

During my most recent visit to VE2MAB to get some QSL cards we received via the bureau and also to pick up some control cables I decided to swing the beam East and worked some stations out of Europe. One of those stations was TP60CE. The station is celebrating the 60th anniversary of the European Convention on Human Rights. They were driving quite the pile up but, with a little help from the IC2KL I quickly got a hold of the station. Other stations of note that I worked include SV1PAS in Greece and W4ALL.

There are a number of ways to get the TP60CE card displayed to the left. For info on the event you can go to the web address listed on the card or to the link I have to this site, European World Wide Award.

It's hard to believe that the VE2MAB station will celebrate 30 years on the air but, indeed we are going to be celebrating this milestone. No plans have yet been made on how we will celebrate the event. This is in part due to changes at the MAB/MacKay Rehab Centre. These changes affect our abilities to operate during certain times of the day and week. But, we will be looking to do something to mark our anniversary. Come back soon for more details on this subject.

Field day is coming up real soon. I know two operations that will be taking place during the weekend slated for FD, June 26 and 27. The first is WIARC's event. The coordinator is George VE2NGH. They will be operating from the Morgan Arboretum and the other is being hosted by John VE2EQL out in or shall I say near Lacolle Quebec which is near the US border. Operators are welcome and needed to operate as well as setup and tear down before and after the contest.

To contact George or his assistant Malcolm VE2DDZ. Send email to ve2ngh@rac.ca or ve2ddz@rac.ca. if you wish to join the WIARC team.

To join John VE2EQL in Lacolle send an email to him at jgrow@sympatico.ca

Finally, below is a card from the collection dating back to the first days as VE6TJL. The EQSL confirms a QSO via the VK6UR remote. Note the mountain in the background. This land mass probably made working DX a challenge. But, none the less I was happy to be able to make the contact with Warren.

If you have anything ham radio related that you want to share on this blog or to let me know about special events, or contests let me know via email to va2utc@hotmail..com. Thanks for reading I hope you will come back often.

73s Cliff VA2UTC

K4NBN No Bad News/And PP display of QSL Cards for MAB

2010-05-28T19:12:00.000-07:00

"NO BAD NEWS". Ah yes I remember this call from way back. As I was going through cards to use during a presentation for the Montreal Amateur Radio Club, Show and Tell meeting, I came across this card from 1984. Del, now a silent key, was the owner of the call K4NBN.

Del was a fixture on the bands. I remember working him in the 80's on 20M. He spoke of those who were Canadians and Brits as cousins and was often heard reading poetry on the air. The QSL card he sent was a voucher for a free Alligator, yes a real live free if you wanted it Alligator. It is also widely known that his wife was shall we say well endowed with a very large chest. I do believe at one time we had this card along with the free Alligator card but, to date I can not find it.

As I eluded to earlier the card was featured in a presentation to the M.A.R.C (Montreal Amateur Radio Club) during a show and tell session. I have uploaded the Power Point document to Windows Live and you can click on the picture to the right to see it and the other cards in the display. Of interesting note regarding our own QSL card. The card has been in use now for 29 years and probably will be changed now that the MAB has merged with the McKay Rehab Centre. The original call for the group was VE2GGU and the card featured the Olympic Stadium in blue on the front I apologize but, the cards for GGU are no longer in the shack as they were tossed out after the call was changed to VE2MAB.

73 Cliff VA2UTC

30W for now

2010-05-20T16:04:00.001-07:00

VA2UTC on low power ops for now. As I begin to work on clearing the RF at high power up in the shack I have been able to find a sweet spot. Low power 30W works very well the tuner will match at 1:1 on most bands a good sign as I have put the carrier to that level as well as the mic gain. In the coming weeks I will get an RF choke and ground the radio to earth. The next step to put the antenna on the roof and ground planes under it for the 15 20 and 10M bands. The other alternative will be to put said ground plains to the tuner and use them as counter poise. The only other solution of course is to ditch the end fed Zepp. The real purpose is to use limited space to my advantage and to not bother the landlord or the folks downstairs. This where the drawback to renting lies. But, at least I am on the air and that is what really counts.

Cliff VA2UTC

RF!

2010-05-18T02:46:00.000-07:00

The tuner came in I set it up and then RF problems crept up. End fed antennas are known for having the characteristic of creating RF in the shack and mine is no different. The antenna matches but the rig gets hot with RF and so does the mic. I have asked a local ham to come and look at the station to make sure it is electrically sound and to give me some ideas on how to clear the RF problem up. Until then I am playing it safe and not operating. It's most likely grounding and height issues with the antenna that are creating the problem. On bypass the antenna is at 5:1 VSWR and the rig only puts 10w out. Matched it will put the full 100 but, RF builds and of course that means a nasty bite when any metal gets touched like a metal mic clip. At 100w it feels like a nasty bee sting or static shock at higher power this would be very dangerous. In fact even at 100w RF should not be messed around with.

Cliff VA2UTC.

It Was Fun While It Lasted....IRB Ops Ends For VA2UTC

2010-05-16T05:40:00.000-07:00

IRB ops ends for VA2UTC ex VE6TJL. After much thought and consideration of the current state of the W4MQ system I have decided to delete the program and no longer will use the remote system. There seems to be software issues with the system and the fact that I have an HF station set up also factors in. The key problem is the software. It simply is not working properly, most likely due to the need of updates. My laptop is loaded to the brim and I do not need to stress the old gal out by putting more stuff on it especially stuff that needs constant updates or tweaking.

Remotes are a great idea and if one has broadband connection and is in a location that causes severe restrictions on operating. But, the drawback to the system is that those controlling it need to continue to add to software and also hardware structure not to mention the stations themselves from time to time need to be fixed up. I know of no other networks that are out there that allow for HF radio use but, I am sure they exist. Most likely these entities are private networks for clubs and groups of ops or individuals who want to be able to access their gear from afar. Other technologies are advancing and enabling hams to connect, D-Star, APRS and Echolink along with the QSOnet system are all allowing for a more stable connection. HF is tricky to use via the net and until more stability is achieved the VHF UHF and Internet connected systems offer the best alternatives to hams who can not set an HF station up.

There is room for IRB systems and HF on the net is doable but, they need dedicated infrastructure to work well and dedicated hams like W4MQ to maintain them. I see this as a small blip in the system and I am sure that those involved in this world within the ham world will build a bigger field of ham radio dreams for all to use.

73 Cliff VA2UTC

VA2UTC Ops/VE2MAB Ops and MARC Meeting

2010-05-15T06:58:00.000-07:00

Due to operational changes at Montreal Association For the Blind McKay Rehab Centre VE2MAB has had to change the way we do things. This does mean less activity and therefore the blog we started has been deleted. Info about the station will be posted here. Speaking of notes it is now official VE2MAB won the M class Quebec for November Sweeps. To see the results for the contest as a whole or to look us up visit the ARRL Contest Section. At a later date I will do a full report on this contest showing all the details about our activity in the 2009 Sweeps.

If you are in the Montreal area and are interested in learning more about ham radio or are a ham and you want to hang out with the guys and or girls, yes there are ladies who have ham radio licenses, you can visit The Montreal Amateur Radio Club. The club meets on the last Wednesday of each month. This month the topic is Show and Tell. i will be presenting at this meeting, A History of VE2MAB Through QSL Cards. Some of the most interesting cards we have in the box will be presented in a slide show during this months meeting. And, believe me there are some interesting cards including one from K4NBN that dates back to the early days of the station. There are some other gems but, you'll have to come and see those at the meeting.

By the way congrats are in order for the club and thanks to Sheldon VA2SH, George VE2NGH and others for the fine work done on VE2BG. The repeater is up and working very well.The tuner is scheduled to arrive sometime Monday/Tuesday. But, even without it I have been enjoying the use of the radio. On 20M I worked AA1KS out of Maine very unusual in that propagation on 20M is not usually that short in the afternoons. But, the fun really begun later in the day as 10M opened up and late last night I worked VA3DPR near London and N3AMR in Clarion PA., a town west of Youngstown PA. Hope to see you at the meeting or on the bands.

73 Cliff VA2UTC

nearing Completion VA2UTC Ads MFJ 945E Tuner

2010-05-11T18:09:00.000-07:00

One important piece of equipment every shack should have in it is an antenna tuner. Although the TS120S was marketed as a radio that did not require a tuner, it is recommended in the operating manual that a tuner be placed in line with the radio for the antenna but, the radio itself does not need to be tuned according to the brochure I found on Rigpix. This is a true point the radio itself does not need to be tuned. But, every radio I have used always without fail needed to have a tuner with one exception and that was the old FT205 I used while operating as VE3TJL back in the mid 80's.

Thanks to VE4GHD/VA4GD Grant in the small town of Pinwa MB I was able to buy the MFJ 945E pictured in this article. Used mainly for mobile operations this tuner will tune stationary antennas like the end fed Zepp I have up. The manual for the tuner does mention ladder line antennas but, from what I can see on photos of the back there are no posts for such antennas. However this does not mean it can not be done. One note of caution when using ladder line or 300 Ohm TV line is to, and this should be obvious, never touch the leads to the tuner while in tune or transmit modes. Lets just say it would be, bad pun coming, shocking....If not revolting.

The tuner sees everything in real time. This means that the SWR Forward and Reflected power is viewable. No need to push buttons to see them individually and the meter is calibrated at the factory. For more info on this tuner, still on the market today, visit MFj on the web.

Cliff VA2UTC

JA7DNO Echolink QSO And QSL

2010-05-11T17:45:00.001-07:00

Some purists in the ham world would argue that an Echolink QSO is not really a QSO and that in fact any remote used to make a contact via the web is not considered to be a contact and programs that connect repeaters and or people are also excluded from consideration as modes of operation.

I however beg to differ. After all radio users on the commercial end use technology to gain audience and communications more often than not these days is often linked to programs and hardware that connects people via radio through said technologies. So it stands to reason that this should and does extend to Amateur Radio. which brings me to this really cool card I got from Japan on Echolink. Cima and I worked New Years Day 2006 via Echolink when I was here in Montreal back in 06, 6 months before I took the call VE6TJL in Edmonton.

It is very hard to work Japan from Montreal on HF so getting this card was and still is something to brag about, at least in my mind it is. I hope that the bands will open up to Japan so that I can work stations on HF. Until then this is just one of the few cards I have from JA. Thanks Cima.

Cliff VA2UTC.

VA2UTC Now On Air.

2010-04-29T15:38:00.001-07:00

I am happy to announce that the Zepp is installed and the radio works great I am now on the air with the TS120S. At 21:13Z i worked my first station SP7VC.

Cliff VA2UTC

QSL Card AC7HA

2010-04-27T18:27:00.001-07:00

This is one of those funky looking cards. I like the lettering on it. As you can see this was a PSK QSO with Mike in Flagstaff AZ. The QSO on the 40M band was via W4MQ while I was VE6TJL. Very interesting band to do this type of mode. My challenge will be to see if I can use PSK when the TS120S goes live in a week or so. I hope to post 1 QSL card per week here on the blog so that people reading can admire them as much as I do.

Thanks again Mike for the nice contact back in 07.

In a later posting I will explain, in lay terms, what PSK is and how it is used.

Cliff VA2UTC.

VE2MAB Contest Results All Asian DX

2010-04-25T07:11:00.000-07:00

Contests come in all shapes and sizes and difficulty levels. The JARL sponsored All Asian DX Contest was for us a real challenge. At the time of the test back in 2009 the station was using 100w of power into the beam instead of the 500w we now use. This proved to be our weak link in the contest. Managing only four Qs for a total of 16 points. In all aspects of the contest results our showing was for lack of a better expression, a disaster. That of course is if one basis the results purely on the desire to win or is a total nut about contesting. As an operator I love radio sport and of course I want to win. But, was it a total disaster for us. Not in the least, in fact it was interesting to do this contest as it gave me as an operator the chance to hone a skill, that of patience. Not to mention determination to continue in spite of challenges that I faced while working this test. And, I definitely plan to try again this year either at VE2MAB or with my own call. My contest philosophy is to learn, have some fun and do my best win or lose; what counts is that I try.

Contesting requires patience and lots of it when the bands are not good or if the station has a configuration that does not lend itself to the usual dynamic of contesting. Meaning, if there are no huge beams and power is at the basic 100w and the location of the station is not the best and technology use is limited or non existent. In this case we had the beam but, power and the location were not there. VE2 to Asia is a challenge. The beam headings are either North or at the West about 260 degrees, if one is in Montreal. As for tech well I did use a laptop to log but, no Internet meant I could not spot. So when I say this contest was challenging believe me it was and that was the fun part. The challenge to get contacts using limited resources made it more interesting to do the contest. Now I will say that I am glad the station has improved. New amp, tuner and antennas that have been fixed up have brought the station up to the standard of contest level station. We are proud of what we have a achieved given that we are blind and visually impaired and we are grateful for all the help we get. Especially from the MAB and also from the Montreal Amateur Radio Club. So no matter what the outcome the fact remains any contest we do is worth the time and effort.

Getting back to the contest results. As mentioned earlier VE2MAB came in last overall in Canada. To the right the list shows close to 20 stations from Canada who participated in the AA. With the exception of one Multi Multil the rest are A which is all bands and the 20M band. The winners for Canada were VE6CNU VE2XAA and VE9ML.

Cliff VA2UTC

コンテストは、すべての形や大きさと難しさのレベルに来る。出来ばえは我々にとって本当のチャレンジしたすべてのアジアDXコンテストを開催しました。テストの時間に戻る2009年には駅が我々が現在使用して500ワットの代わりに、ビームに力の100ワットを使用していた。これは、コンテストで私たちの弱いリンクが明らかになった。 16点の合計は4 Qsを管理します。私たちの上映が良い表現、災害の欠如だったコンテストの結果のすべての側面で。これは、もちろんの場合は欲望勝つために、または争うについて合計ナット、純粋に1つの単位の結果。演算子として、私はラジオのスポーツを愛し、もちろん私が優勝してほしい。しかし、それは私たちの総災害だった。それは演算子として、チャンスをスキルを磨くために私を与えたとして、少なくともしないで、実際にそれが面白かったのこのコンテストを行うには、忍耐の。決意を、このテストをしながら私が直面した課題にもかかわらず、継続するのは言うまでもない。そして、私は間違いなく今年VE2MABで、または自分のコードを試してみる予定です。私のコンテストの哲学を学ぶには、いくつかの楽しいし、私の最高の勝つか負けるかです。何が私が試してカウントされます。

争うは、忍耐を必要として多くの場合バンドは良い場合、または駅は争うの通常の動的に自分自身を貸すしない構成を持っていません。そこはもう巨大なさが意味は、ビームパワーは、基本的な100ワットで、駅の場所ですと技術の使用がbest制限または非存在ではない。このケースでは、ビームがあったが、パワーと場所がありませんでした。アジアへのVE2が課題です。 1つはモントリオールにある場合、ビームの見出しのいずれか北かでウェスト260度については、されます。私はよく技術としてログオンするラップトップを使用しますが、インターネットは私が見つけることができなかったことを意味。だから、私はこのコンテストはされ、それが楽しい一部だった私を信じて挑戦したと言う。課題は、連絡先はもっと面白いコンテストを行うに加え、限られたリソースを使用して取得します。今は、私は喜んで駅が改善されていると言うでしょう。新しいアンプ、チューナーまで修正されているアンテナは、コンテストのレベルの駅の標準にステーションを持ってきた。我々は、我々は盲目であり、視覚障害者と我々は感謝してすべての助けを私たちが取得された達成している私たちの誇りです。 MABを特にからもモントリオールアマチュア無線クラブから。どのような結果が実際私たちはすべてのコンテストのままに関係なく時間と労力を費やすだけの値打ちがあるので。

取得バックコンテストの結果に。以前VE2M述べたようにABは最後のカナダで全体的に来た。右側のリストにするには20に近いカナダAAで参加から駅を示しています。 1つのマルチMultil残りの例外とされるすべてのバンドと2000万のバンドです。カナダの勝者はVE6CNU VE2XAAとVE9MLした。

クリフVA2UTC

End Fed Zep From Fourteen Enginering

2010-04-20T18:08:00.000-07:00

I was going to get a YoYo antenna but, after looking at the location I came to the conclusion that the End Fed Zep antenna from Fourteen Engineering. This is a 75 FT 80-10 antenna fed with a 50 coax line and 25 feet of radiator wire. The whole antenna is insulated and has a PL259 connection at the end that feeds the radio. The antenna will handle up to 200W.

You can find the antenna on Ebay or by contacting the company at http://www.fourteneng.com/fourteneng/main.html. The antenna is inexpensive shipping included it will cost you 50 to get this low profile multiband antenna.

Cliff VA2UTC.

QSL Card 2E0XIS

2010-04-18T11:57:00.000-07:00

I am beginning to go through my EQSL cards and I figured it might be nice to pick those that are eye catching.

It was not hard to find the first one to grab my attention. This card features a very nice sunset scene and was sent to me by Matt 2E0XIS. The QSO was via remote on HB9CXZ. An 80M SSB contact when I was in Edmonton under the old call VE6TJL.

Thanks for the card again Matt very nice to have it in the log.

Cliff VA2UTC

TS120S Arrived with Powr Supply

2010-04-17T08:09:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I received the TS120S and the power supply to go with it. I am now waiting for the antenna to come and then I can test the radio.

The only things noticed on the radio that do not seem to work is the RIT and the meter lamp. The speaker of course is deaf because no antenna is in line but, a quick check shows that the full 20A is flowing through the radio.

I have to admit I was tempted to lug the radio and supply down to VE2MAB and test it there but, the thought of being on a bus for close to 2 hours with 20 10 pounds of gear on my back caused me to pause a wee bit. I tried the old coat hanger trick to see if I could hear anything but, the radio seems to be designed to work only when it is connected to an antenna. A smart feature that Kenwood built in to protect the finals and the whole radio itself.

I most likely will be needing to get a tuner as the one thing that is missing on the meter is SWR. Interesting that was not built in. Then again at the time of the radios presence in the market it was touted as a plug and play radio. for anyone who is just getting into the hobby this radio is very simple no bells or whistles are on it at all. It's a straight forward turn on tune and go radio. I am looking forward to putting it on the air.

Cliff VA2UTC.

VE2MAB Cards

2010-04-14T16:51:00.001-07:00

I would like to announce that I will be looking through our logs, including past and current contest logs and cross referencing them with received and non received QSLs. The idea is to link calls to cards on EQSL and in the paper logs and also to make sure that everyone who wanted or wants a card gets them.

I would ask for patience. The logs go way back to the 80's and along with checking for cards I am also checking DXCC status as well. This will be an ongoing project for an undefined amount of time. The project is slated for commencement May 1.

Also of note is the VE2MAB blog. It has not been added to in recent this too will change and as of May 1 postings exclusive to VE2MAB will be posted to that blog and no longer will be reported on this blog. The idea is to establish a clear identity and presence on the web for VE2MAB. The last thing I would want is for people in the ham world to think is that I am the trustee for the station or, that there is just one person operating the station when this is clearly not the case. It should be noted that the club trusted is VE2ESP, Earl. I am responsible for the logs and cards and also for operations during contests at VE2MAB. This will be explained further in the relaunch of the VE2MAB blog on May 1.

All things VE2MAB will be on that blog which I will link to before May 1 via this blog so that people coming here looking for VE2MAB news can make the connection and switch to the new site.

Cliff T VA2UTC.

VA2UTC Shack Begins To Take Shape.

2010-04-14T16:39:00.000-07:00

I am pleased to say that the radio has been bought, power supply as well. The antenna an Endfed Zep type is also on the way and after checking to see if I need a tuner I may get that as well and of course the Grounding wires need to be purchased. It looks good for May 1 as the first on air date for the station. I am going to be looking at EQSL to clear off old cards before beginning to work on the new log for VA2UTC starting this weekend.

For those wanting a paper QSL I will look into this during the summer months as I will need to have cards for VE6TJL and VA2UTC made and or I may have to download a program to do some crating of my own. Then I need to send some envelopes to the VE2 and VE6 bureaus for outgoing and incoming cards that may be on file and that does entail some money. Look for this to happen in June/July.

Cliff VA2UTC.

VA2UTC gets closer to going live HF/VE2MAB ops

2010-03-17T07:30:00.000-07:00

After a bit of hunting, bidding, and emailing I was finally able to snag a rig. The TS120S from Kenwood. The only bands missing are the WARC 12 17 30 meter bands. Ah well at least this is a start. The next parts to get are the antenna, A YoYo Tena Deluxe Two Reel Dipole, the power supply PS-30 or comparable and the tuner. I hope to have the station on the air by May but, more than likely it will be June before VA2UTC goes live to air. Given that I am a contest fiend
not having WARC is not an issue for me. Power is, in future I hope to bring the station up to a level that is competitive, that means another 1 or 200 watts of power would be in order. The trick of course is making sure TVS don't dance when I key up and also that I do not fry the antenna and other parts of the station.

For info on the YoYo deluxe visit this link http://www.hamradiofun.com/yoyodeluxe.html.
Speaking of contests.

VE2MAB has been doing quite well. Results from the Worked All Europe Contest came in and the station placed in the top 100 in our category. When it comes to how we did in Quebec overall dead last same re our category, then again there were only 3 in our class. Comparison to the rest of Canada 22nd out of 26 stations from VE2 3 4 6 7 and 9. Prelim results from ARRL Nov Sweeps gives us the section be default and a very good ranking overall. Speaking of ranking we did very well in the ARRL DX contest logging 300+ contacts for an amazing 82,800 points in just 6 hours. Ops in this contest were me Sheldon VA2SH and Mike VE2XB.

Cliff VA2UTC

VE2MAB Cancels Ops For Winter Field Day

2010-01-30T07:46:00.001-08:00

Due to a cold weather snap gripping the Montreal area our participation in the SPAR Winter Field Day has been canceled. -30 degree temperatures, windchill included have prevented us from operating due to safety concerns for operators traveling to the site, especially those using public transit. However there is good news. Next week barring weather or other factors we should be on the air during the Black Sea Cup contest. There are some other interesting tests coming up in the not to distant future so look for us on the bands.

Cliff VA2UTC.

VE2MAB Places 9th In CQWW-Unofficially

2010-01-24T18:16:00.000-08:00

After checking the log submissions page of CQ Magazines CQWW test it looks like we unofficially came in 9th place in the Quebec Section. Out of a total 13 ops we placed 9th, in the top 10. As for our category Non Assisted, Single Op Low Power, All Band we came in 4th out of 7 stations.

Results are not official and will not be until the fall but, if all stays the same, meaning no logging errors are found then we will have for this first run out on this contest done very well.

This Saturday I will be on the air working the SPAR Winter Field Day contest. Our the Exchange for this contest is quite unique in that it includes the local temperature. Another feature of this contest is that the true signal report is required not the standard one used in contesting.

Example for us would be 1I 59 32F. 1 op Indoor 59 temp 32f. Look for us on the bands Saturday as I and or if other ops are on the air with me, we, work this unique new contest.

PS check out the official VE2MAB blog there you will find out a little more about our group feel free to log on to this site and read for yourself about our activities and events.

Cliff VA2UTC.

Haiti---Earthquake--Emergency Response

2010-01-14T07:39:00.001-08:00

Communications to the island nation of Haiti are beginning to come up. HH6JH out of Ile de Vache was heard on 14.265 yesterday and today. On Echolink IRESC is up and working around the clock to provide communications to Haiti. At this point only emergency traffic is being routed but, with almost no infrastructure this has been difficult at best. Aid is beginning to flow to Haiti from around the world and hams are involved in processing radio traffic to support those efforts.

Hams should note that the following frequencies are in use for emergency traffic in and out of Haiti. 7.045, 3.720, 14.265 and 14.300. Other operations include ALE via http://hflink.net/. Another resource on the net is a blog called Shortwave Central, many links related to the earthquake are listed on this site.

Due to the scale of the emergency communications is going to continue to be sporadic until more teams get to the scene to help. It is recommended that the key frequencies be left clear for emergency traffic. According to reports cell phone service is sporadic and users running out of minutes have to buy them as the cell companies are not issuing credits. Also Skype is working in Haiti.

VE2MAB ops at this point is not scheduled as my wife has had a diabetic episode and is still recovering. However, if things are more settled by Saturday I will head to the shack and op nets for inbound traffic to Montreal. In the meantime I am monitoring IRESC and also via Global Tuners for traffic. At this time none has come my way.to contact us at the MAB send to ve2mab@gmail.com. If you have a need for our assistance with health and welfare traffic include it in your post. If you are an operator in the Montreal area let us know. We may need your assistance again send info to our e-mail address and we will advise you on what is being done.

Cliff VA2UTC.

VE2MAB Blog

2010-01-13T08:13:00.000-08:00

Due to current conditions in Haiti a blog has been created for use by club admins to post operational details during this time of difficulty for Haiti. In general we will be using the blog for special events and emergencies only. Routine operations like contests and regular operations are going to continue being referenced on this blog.

The blog address is ve2mab.blogspot.com. Persons wanting to contact VE2MAB with specific requests can do so at the blog or via or by contact me through this blog and my ham e-mail address va2utc@hotmail.com of course you may also contact us via our direct e-mail address at ve2mab@gmail.com. Currently we are assessing the situation in Haiti and are expecting to make an announcement on ops in support of relief efforts in the region.

Cliff VA2UTC

RAC Winter Contest

2009-12-20T05:36:00.000-08:00

RAC winter Contest was a huge success for VE2MAB. I had no idea that we would do so very well in this contest. In the shot period I activated the station I was able to rack up 16980 in points working 215 stations. The most interesting was a station out of Scotland on 40M in the early afternoon the call was GM4YXI and was at 1827 GMT that the QSO was made, 1327 local time, not bad for 40M.

The funny thing was we also worked NL and NT sections the last two we needed in the sweeps on 20M, how ironic is that. We missed PEI NS and YT on 20M and as for the other bands well on 10 no QSO's on 15 only AB was worked. 40M ON NB and AB were the mults on 80M it was ON. We do not have 160M so that band was not used. The end result was a surprise in that I only expected to do no more than 100 QSO's and even that was in doubt, doing 215 was an absolute surprise.

In January there is an interesting contest called Winter Field Day. The sponsor is SPAR. This contest will be held on the last weekend in January. The info is on their site, click the image to the right to get to the site. In January I will post a more comprehensive listing of contests VE2MAB will be in.

73 Cliff VA2UTC

The VEMAB Station Part 1

2009-12-11T16:51:00.000-08:00

It's been around for almost 30 years. ARS VE2MAB, located in Montreal a the the Montreal Association for the Blind McKay Rehabilitation Centre. And to say it has gone through some changes would well; be an understatement. The location of the shack has changed at least 3 times and so has the equipment. I'll tell the tale of where the club came from and where it is now in another post; after all I have to keep something in the bag to get more hits. For now lets focus on the HF gear and other goodies along with some other interesting tidbits.

First off a new radio. For over 20+ years the IC730 with power supply and SM8 mic were the workhorses of the station. That has changed, about a year ago the rig was retired and in it's place sits the Kenwood TS480DSP. It is a fantastic radio that is augmented with an IC 2KL Solid State Linear Amplifier and the IC AT500 Antenna Tuner with power supply. The antennas are the Cushcraft ATB34 4 Element Yagi for 10/15/20 and a 40/80 Dipole. The beam sits on a a 50FT tower and it weighs in at 42Lbs/42Kg. The IC 2Kl is a 500w amp that covers 160 through 12 Meters. This is a US model therefore 10M is not covered on it. The antenna tuner will tune all the bands minus 30M, interestingly the 40/80M dipole will tune on 17M but not 30M or 12 for that matter. A new computer also sits in the shack I have not seen it so I will have to pass on the specs in a later post. But, of this I have been assured it is much newer. I'll spare you the story of the old one.

In future there are plans to experiment with blue tooth, as well as digimodes and most likely QRQ on the CW bands as it is the plan to sync radio up with the computer thus completing the refit to the station. Even functions like logging will soon be performed electronically making the environment virtually paperless. New grounding wire was installed, 6 gauge, now that station is running with power. New rope now holds the dipole up and along with some fine tuning this antenna and the beam now work very well.
As I mentioned in my post about the ARRL November Sweeps we ran the amp and on peaks we were pushing 800w out the carrier sat at 600w. When all was said and done for this years event we had seen a huge improvement.

As I mentioned at the beginning the station was comprised of the IC 730 and it's power supply with the SM8 another Icom product. For years this radio was the main primary rig for HF. We still have the radio. For now it will be the back up should the Kenwood go down, an unlikely situation as the station is not active most times of the week. This is due to the fact that many have left Montreal to pursue other ambitions and have also gone to the great shack in the sky, SK are such ops as Garnet Parsons VE2GOP and his brother Russell VE2PAR. In another post I will do a roll of the members of the club past and present. In summation the club is getting a bit of a fresh start with new equipment and a new vision for the future. This year marks number 29 for VE2MAB and beginning with the 2010 ARRL November Sweepstakes number 30 will be launched. Those who operate and maintain the station are looking forward to another 30+ years of ham radio at the MAB/McKay Rehab Centre and I am Sure Earl VE2ESP won't mind my saying thanks to all who have helped along the way to make this small but, unique club a part of the ham radio landscape and history in Montreal.
amateur radio an interesting one.

Cliff VA2UTC

VE2MAB November SS results

2009-11-24T18:04:00.001-08:00

November Sweeps the phone version is now in the history books. And, the log from VE2MAB is now in the ARRL contest bin for review. Four guys one gal and a guide in a 13 hour period made for fun and a good run during the contest. We scored 84,552 with 542 Qs during the time on air. We managed to claim 78 sections, missing a clean sweep by two, Newfoundland and the Northwest Territories. Despite the miss we actually improved on the most recent past. The last time I was with VE2MAB we made 358 contacts, another 16 would have made it an extra 200. Not bad considering we had a late start.

The late start was due to some last minute tweaks as the station has been upgraded. We now have a tuner and 500w linear in the shack. After the new 6 gauge ground was installed the linear and tuner were setup and the radio synced to them. On drive we hit 500w out and peak at 800w. On the next posting I will give a detailed run down on what we now have in the shack. Along with a description of antennas. The picture above is of me oping and logging.

The crew VA2SH Sheldon, VE2NGH George, VE2ESP Earl, Cliff VA2UTC (me aka the guy writing this blog) Nora VA2NH and XFour, Earls guide dog, ok the dog did not op but, he was there hence the mention. The most exciting of all our contacts were on 15M. We worked Puerto Rico and U.S. Virgin Islands one after the other or close to it on 15. We did hear Newfoundland on 20 but, could not work the station.

The next contest is RAC's Winter contest. I will be on the air from VE2MAB on the 19th of December. In January I hope to post the schedule for the year re contests. Thanks to all in the crew and those who contacted us on the bands for a great weekend of contesting. Until December 19th take care and 73

Cliff VA2UTC

CQ WW

2009-11-03T16:23:00.000-08:00

The CQWW SSB log was submitted. 112 QSOs and a total of 22,795 points. Not bad, for a first crack at it via VE2MAB. Most likely one of the top guns, VE2XAA will win the section they had over 500,000 points, wow.

One of the more memorable calls heard and worked 3DA0WW zone 38 Swaziland. I did hear Sudan and Japan but could not work stations in the respective countries. The beam worked Will West and South and Europe going East was very nice to hear. This is one contest I am sure we will repeat next year. 10 meters was open mainly to the south and 15 proved to be more East West early in the day and south as the day progressed.

40/80 total bust as SWR due what may be a fallen leg of the dipole caused the power to peak at a mere 25w. Not that this would be bad but, on noisy bands like them it helps to have some punch. The next contest will be the SSB potion of the famed November Sweepstake's. If all goes well we may for the first time get a clean sweep, I hope. Operators for the contest on the weekend of the 21st are myself VA2UTC Cliff VA2SH Sheldon and VE2ESP Earl. Quebec is a hot one during this test and we are hoping to drive the pile up.

73 Cliff VA2UTC.

CQP

2009-10-07T17:42:00.000-07:00

Hello fellow hams out there.

I was going to be working int the California QSO party last weekend but, my wife sprained her thigh and that put an end to that. I will be in the CQWW test later this month working out of VE2MAB.

73 Cliff VA2UTC.

WAE - Worked All Europe Contest

2009-09-13T14:29:00.000-07:00

57 Q's make up for a total of 3082 points including the 1 QTC set I sent to S57DX. Better than last week during the AA All Asian contest. No more contests this month, in October one only and that is the CQWW. November has 1, our major the SS or Sweepstakes run by ARRL. In December RAC Winter and probably if 10 is open the ARRL 10 Meter contest.

Another cool thing, getting back to WAE, was hearing myself on the KO6SY remote. I confirmed that the antenna is set so that when it faces West it does reach into California. Mind you my signal was week about a 5/5 but, this is a good sign that the gear is set correctly.

I was also happy to figure out how to get the VOX set and that means we can now op hands free. Would be better with a desk mic and a connection to a laptop for full control. However, that is another story for another day.

Cliff VAT2UTC.

16 Points AA Contest

2009-09-07T07:31:00.000-07:00

Well that was certainly an interesting run, for hardcore contest types it would have been a total waste of a day. But, 16 points during the All Asian DX test is a start. This is especially true given that IARU Region 1 Field Day was also running as was a state QSO party and a number of special events. It would probably be a better test on the Sunday so next year I may try that and also work IARU Region 1 Field Day on the Saturday, how about 2 for the price of one.

This weekend coming DARC WAE. This probably will be a better test as the beam works well into Europe. As for contests I will probably also work RAC Winter in December, tha test is on the air December 27.

Cliff VA2UTC

VE6TJL / VA2UTC

2009-09-03T06:35:00.000-07:00

Ok here is the dope on what I am doing per my personal call. I have to get my stuff out of storage from Alberta to get my logs. Once I have them I will fully update EQSL data and send the cards out and move over VA2UTC ops.

Speaking of I am on a 3G network, and the IRB systems can not handle the speed, too slow, so for now very little ops will take place on IRB's as it is a pain point right now. Once back on cable I will be back on the air using VA2UTC or possibly another call specific for use on VOIP networks details to follow soon, I hope.

Cliff VA2UTC.

17M with 80/40 Dipole

2009-09-03T06:30:00.000-07:00

W9RZR worked on 17M using a dipole for 40/80. A first for VE2MAB. Thank you to Bob for the nice contact on the band. FYI for the most part 17 is usable with the Dipole but, the SWR is 2:1 on this band with tuner in line so I do not suspect much operation on it except for a rare DX station.

Cliff VA2UTC

JY4CI

2009-09-03T06:19:00.000-07:00

Wow what a QSO that was. Yesterday while at VE2MAB I had the pleasure of a short but, very nice QSO with Rafiq JY4CI. This is our first JY QSO and I will be sending Rafiq a card. While Rafiq does prefer direct you can also get electronic cards from him via EQSL.cc.

Contest Schedule for VE2MAB

2009-08-16T08:21:00.000-07:00

Here is the list of contests I will be involved with at VE2MAB.

September 12 and 13 WAE contest. This radio sport competition will be held during the second weekend in September from 0 hours UTC Saturday 12 September to 2359 UTC on Sunday September 13. This is a 48 hour test which begins on Friday September 11 at 8 PM EST and ends 1959 EST on Sunday. For more information on this contest visit DARC, I will be on the air operating from about 1400 UTC to 0000 UTC on the Saturday.

Also in September during the first weekend I will be working the All Asian DX Contest. This should be a challenge as this part of the world is very hard to work from Montreal. Congrats to JARL for sponsoring this contest. This year marks the 50th anniversary of this radio sport. For more info on the contest visit JARL. Like the previous test I will be on the air on the saturday. The contest period is September 5 through the 6th.

また最初の週末の間の9月以内に私はすべてのアジアDXのコンテストを働かせる。これは世界のこの部分がモントリオールから働き非常ににくいので挑戦べきである。このコンテストを後援するためのJARLへのお祝い。今年この無線のスポーツの第50記念日に印を付ける。コンテストの訪問JARLのより多くの情報のため。前回のテストのように私は土曜日の空気にある。コンテストの期間は第6によって9月5日である。

In October the CQWW SSB contest is the next to be entered The period it runs from is on October 24 and continues on through to the 25th again this will be a Saturday Operation. for this competition and is the only one I will run VE2MAB for in October. CQWWDX contest rules and info including the new XTREME can be found by going to the officaial site.

It wound not be fall without the famous ARRL November Sweepstakes contest. And, after a coouple of years of not being on the air VE2MAB will again make a run for a clean sweep. The contest runs from November on Saturday November 21 and ends on the 22/23. Start time is usually at 2100 UTC on the Saturday and ending is usually at 0300 UTC on the Monday but, for local purposes we say it runs 4 PM EDT on Saturday to 10 PM EDT on the Sunday for a total of 30 hours. Generally we work from start of the competition until 2 am grab some sleep for 6 hours eat a nice meal provided by our host the Montreal Association for the Blind Mackay Rehabilitation Centre and stay on air til about 7 PM EDT. Operators during this completion include me Earl VE2ESP and Sheldon VA2SH

if conditions warrant on 10 Meters in December then I will activate VE2MAB during the ARRL 10 Meter Contest from the 12th to the 13th of December. ARRL has a complete list of contests they run on their site. I have pasted a link to it below.

2009 ARRL Contest Calendar

Cliff VA2UTC

30 Meter Activity

2009-08-02T13:16:00.001-07:00

Been a while since I got on the bands with my home call. Did that last night with the W4MQ remote. Worked two stations on 30 Meters. DR800GRZ was nice to work on the band.

Cliff VA2UTC.

Update 10-10 QSO Party

2009-07-30T17:54:00.000-07:00

Due to the fact that the log will be considered a check log for this contest as VE2MAB is not a 10-10 member I will not op this test.

In September WAE and All Asian tests will be entered into.

Cliff VA2UTC

247 DX Net

2009-07-30T17:48:00.000-07:00

Now this was cool. I checked into the net to work HR2J and was asked if I would like to be on the list of DX stations for others to call. That was a nice treat for VE2MAB to be listed on this well known net which is on the band at 14.247 daily Monday to Saturday.

Cliff VA2UTC

TA3GO

2009-07-30T17:47:00.000-07:00

Great QSO with Can via VE2MAB. I think it is our first Turkish QSO ever at the MAB.

10-10 International Contest

2009-07-29T12:54:00.000-07:00

Look for VE2MAB on the 10 Meter band this weekend. I will be operating the station during the 10-10 QSO party this Saturday for most of the the day. VE2MAB is not a member of 10-10 but, a multiplier is a multiplier none the less.

Cliff VA2UTC.

Operations VA2UTC and VE2MAB

2009-07-24T10:17:00.000-07:00

Some notations. VA2UTC contact info has changed from cjames5a@hotmail.com to va2utc@hotmail.com. Please send ham radio related information to this address other e-mails can still go to my cjames5a account.

VE2MAB is a call I manage re QSL information. You can send via bureau, eqsl or direct to the club or to me via EQSL I suggest sending EQSL to them as it makes it easier to track things.

Cliff VA2UTC.

EQSL for VE6TJL

2009-07-13T06:44:00.001-07:00

Note. I do not have all my paper logs on hand so for those looking for EQSL for VE6TJL please bear with me as I have to get those back and then I will update the data and send cards out. After that I will be adding VA2UTC and also VE2MAB to my data base. I plan to manage all cards for VE2MAB. Just as a note, I have to go back in history, so to speak and check older logs at VE2MAB so I can send missing cards. Earl VE2ESP who is the party responsible for VE2MAB is on vacation and when he returns we will have a sit down and discuss what he would like done.

Cliff VA2UTC.