Watts on Wheels

My portable operating station - which I use principally for POTA activations - is constructed in the form of a manpack inside a very rugged cotton canvas NATO-style rucksack. Nearly everything is hooked up, ready to go. I don't need to find a picnic table, the manpack has an internal frame just high enough to … Continue reading Watts on Wheels →

The Decline and Fall of RaDAR

One of the first things that attracted me to this hobby was operating in the great outdoors; or as I refer to it now, my Big Blue Sky Shack. I enjoyed erecting wire antennas out in the field and calling CQ to see if I could get any responses. That was in the days when … Continue reading The Decline and Fall of RaDAR →

Why I Log with Pencil and Paper

A fellow member of my club has very strong opinions about logging. He is an avid contester and uses N1MM for nearly everything - including POTA activations. At a recent presentation to club members he derided pencil and paper loggers and said "this is the 21st Century!" I wasn't offended; he said it in a … Continue reading Why I Log with Pencil and Paper →

3 (not 4) Activations in the Beaver Valley

The great November weather continues and so does my enthusiasm for getting out into the Big Blue Sky Shack and doing some more Parks On The Air activations. A few days ago my wife and I took a short drive to Ontario's beautiful Beaver Valley. My target was to activate Old Baldy Conservation Area (VE-5654). … Continue reading 3 (not 4) Activations in the Beaver Valley →

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? →

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? →

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 →