Flirting with Radiation at Wasaga Beach Provincial Park

The first of November 2022 was an unusually warm day in Southern Ontario so the urge to go and activate a new-to-me park was irresistible. Wasaga Beach Provincial Park (POTA entity VE-0426) is about a one hour drive from my home in Owen Sound but it's a very pleasant drive along the south shore of … Continue reading Flirting with Radiation at Wasaga Beach Provincial Park →

Can You Legally Activate an Ontario Park That is Closed for the Season?

We have reached the time of year when most Ontario Provincial Parks have closed for the season. Gates are shut and padlocked, water and electricity are turned off and washrooms (aka restrooms for US visitors) are locked. But can visitors still enter provincial parks on foot without violating any rules? For POTA activators this is … Continue reading Can You Legally Activate an Ontario Park That is Closed for the Season? →

What’s in my POTA Backpack?

A recent post by Thomas K4SWL on his QRPer.com blog that I follow inspired me to write about my own portable operations backpack. Thomas' post was entitled A tour and deep-dive of my SOTA/POTA Backpack (Spec-Ops Brand T.H.E. Pack EDC). Thomas and I approach our outdoor operations from a different perspective. While Thomas gets involved … Continue reading What’s in my POTA Backpack? →

How to Design and Build a Field Expedient End-Fed Half-Wave Antenna for 20m, 40m and 80m

Field expedient antennas differ from home-based, permanent antennas. At a home QTH there is often plenty of room to install a larger, higher antenna. In the home shack, the radio is often capable of putting out a much more powerful signal than a field radio. Out in the field, for example at a campsite, space … Continue reading How to Design and Build a Field Expedient End-Fed Half-Wave Antenna for 20m, 40m and 80m →

Why I Quit QRP (and maybe shouldn’t have)

For many years I was a dedicated QRP operator. I even took my "Portable QRP Operation" show-and-tell out on the road for presentation at ham clubs in my area. Then along came the dark, gloomy depths of the solar cycle minimum. My forays out into the Big Blue Sky Shack became a series of disappointments. … Continue reading Why I Quit QRP (and maybe shouldn’t have) →

Hello, What’s Going On Here Then?

Do you ever feel slightly guilty about operating your ham station out in the big blue sky shack in full view of the public? I do. A ham station can look very suspicious to somebody who doesn't understand the hobby. Where I like to operate there are often signs with rules about "permitted activities". The … Continue reading Hello, What’s Going On Here Then? →

To V or not to V? Obey the rules!

Rules? It has been said that rules are for the guidance of wise men and the obedience of fools. Sounds a bit harsh but it may have some truth to it. In our hobby it might be better expressed as "rules are for the guidance of experts and the obedience of novices". What is an … Continue reading To V or not to V? Obey the rules! →

3 Days, 3 Activations, 2 Parks

It is getting near the end of camping season for 2022. We have one more trip planned for the beginning of October before we winterize the trailer and prepare to hunker down for the long, cold winter. It won't be long before I'll be switching to local park activations in the snow using my radio … Continue reading 3 Days, 3 Activations, 2 Parks →

POTA Activation VE-5658 Spirit Rock Conservation Area

Spirit Rock Conservation Area is located at the top of the escarpment in Wiarton, Ontario (home of one of Canada's leading weather forcecasters, the albino groundhog "Wiarton Willie", who issues only one weather prediction per year in February). Access to the park is difficult. It is easy to drive right past the main entrance on … Continue reading POTA Activation VE-5658 Spirit Rock Conservation Area →

Vertical Antenna Redesigned

I have posted before about my DIY vertical antenna. It is a rapid deployment antenna that has served faithfully for several POTA activations. But, recently I came to realize it wasn't meeting my needs for all three ways in which I needed to deploy it. Time for a redesign! My vertical antenna is a centre-loaded … Continue reading Vertical Antenna Redesigned →