On Sunday, June 22, we spent the day in Québec City enjoying a local farmer’s market, visiting a café, catching up with friends, and taking a long walk in the woods. Somehow, we managed to return to our condo in St-Ferréol-les-Neiges, Québec, by 3:30 in the afternoon.
My wife and daughters decided to spend some quality time reading and doing art—and frankly, I was tempted to do the same. A friend had recently prompted me to dive into the world of Three Pines, so I was working on Louise Penny’s first book, Still Life [yes, QRPer affiliate link].
But then I looked outside, checked the time, and realized I just might have enough daylight to squeeze in a quick POTA activation! My only viable site nearby was Cap Tourmente, just a short 15-minute drive from the condo.
However, Cap Tourmente closes at 5:00 PM, and with propagation having been so poor lately, I knew I had to make haste.
Cap Tourmente Réserve Nationale de Faune (CA-0012)
In my last activation video at Cap Tourmente, I mentioned that park entry would be free under the Canada Strong Pass program. Unfortunately, I was mistaken—national wildlife refuges are not included in that program; it’s geared more toward national parks and historic sites.
No worries—I was still happy to pay the entry fee as I typically drop a donation at parks I frequent anyway.
By the time I reached the park entrance, it was about 3:45 PM. That left me just over an hour to deploy gear, hop on the air, and complete an activation.
It was a blustery Sunday afternoon. Looking out over the St. Lawrence River, I saw nothing but white caps. The upside to all that wind? Fewer mosquitoes!
I pulled into the same large parking area where I’d activated the previous day. I backed up to a tree line, which offered some wind protection and a natural spot to deploy my antenna.
For this activation, I wanted some frequency agility, so I opted to deploy my Tufteln end-fed random wire (EFRW) with a 31’ radiator and 17’ counterpoise.
I backed my car toward the sun so that the open hatch would provide some welcome shade. I then set up my Moonlander table and Helinox Chair Zero for a comfy operating position.
With everything deployed, it was time to get on the air!
Gear
Note: All Amazon and eBay links are affiliate links that support QRPer.com at no cost to you.
On June 17, 2025—two days after we arrived at our condo in St-Ferréol-les-Neiges—we drove to Québec City to pick up a few provisions.
My wife loves exploring thrift stores and had mentioned on the way into town that she’d enjoy popping by one before we returned that day. My POTA brain immediately pinged because I remembered a thrift store she enjoyed visiting was very close to one of the first parks I ever activated in Québec City.
I pitched the idea of an activation to my wife and daughters, and they readily approved. Fortunately, I already had my Canada Field Radio Backpack loaded with the Elecraft KH1 in the back of the car!
Domaine de Maizerets (CA-5020)
I first activated this park on June 20, 2022—almost exactly three years earlier. Here’s the field report. (I didn’t film that activation.)
Back then, it was an ATNO (All Time New One)—the park had never been activated before.
It was also one of the very first proper urban parks I’d activated. By “urban,” I mean a park that’s located in the city, on the smaller side, and fairly busy with activities and locals who live nearby.
Having visited this park several times over the past few years, I already had a good idea of where I’d like to activate and how I’d like to do it.
New Field Gear!
As I mentioned earlier this week, my buddy Mike (KE8PTX) has been hard at work in his top-secret, underground laboratory developing accessories for the Elecraft KH1 and AX3 antenna. I knew this activation would give me a chance to test two of them.
The first is a new kneeboard designed specifically for the KH1. It’s super simple, lightweight, compact—and I love it.
It also includes a steel base that can magnetically lock your key in place.
The board secures the KH1 and paddle, and the adjustable elastic strap keeps the board firmly on your leg. It’s so secure, you can easily stand up and reposition without anything sliding off. That’s a big deal—because during longer activations, I tend to shift positions or stretch. This kneeboard lets me do that without worrying about my rig.
Some of you might be thinking, “But isn’t the KH1 meant to be a pedestrian mobile radio? Why not operate handheld?”
That’s a great point! Pedestrian mobile is absolutely the way to go if you’re using the included 4’ telescoping whip antenna. But if you want to use a different antenna—like the AX3 or a wire antenna—I prefer to sit and operate, since those options limit mobility.
AX3 Strap Mount
Speaking of the AX3, I planned to pair it with the KH1 for this activation—and I had a new secret weapon: a strap mount Mike designed.
It’s a brilliantly simple mount based on the ¼-20 threaded base on the AX3. Just a threaded adapter attached to a Velcro strap. That’s it.
So super simple.
Since the AX3 is so lightweight, this strap mount opens up a variety of mounting possibilities. For this activation, I planned to use it on a park bench.
At time of posting, Mike’s accessories aren’t yet available for purchase. Joshua (N5FY) at Tufteln will produce these for purchase in the coming weeks. When he does, I’ll announce it on QRPer.com.
Setting Up
I found a nice, albeit conspicuous, park bench next to the creek that runs through the middle of the park.
First, I mounted the AX3 to the top slat of the bench’s backrest. It worked brilliantly.
My daughter made a short video panning across the park–can you spot me?
From a distance, you can’t tell that the guy in the Tilley hat near the footbridge is a Morse Code and POTA nut!
Time to hit the airwaves!
Gear
Note: All Amazon links are affiliate links that support QRPer.com at no cost to you.
I suspected this would be a challenging activation—and I was right. Propagation had been in the dumps, and several friends had mentioned struggling with their activations that same day.
Normally, this isn’t when I’d choose to use a compromised antenna, but in this case:
I wanted to keep the setup very low-impact and respectful of other park guests, and
When we plotted our trip to Canada this year, I mentally set a goal for myself: to get better at Adaptive Urban Park Activating (AUPA).
Yeah, I just made that initiative up. Don’t laugh (too hard).
Let me explain…
Back home in North Carolina—and really, most of the parks I travel to in the eastern half of the U.S.—are large state and national parks. When I set up my field radio gear, I typically have a vast area with many choice sites to choose from. It’s easy to disappear into the void, and park staff have no issue with the antennas I deploy.
That said, I also activate quite a few small state historic sites, but in each case, I know the park staff and they know me. I always ask for permission before activating and describe the antenna I plan to deploy. We’ve built relationships over time, and they allow me to activate with essentially no restrictions. I can deploy wire antennas, verticals, loops—whatever I choose.
But the truth is, I have two conflicting interests when I’m in a park.
First, I enjoy being a public and (hopefully) positive impression of the amateur radio community when I’m approached by park guests and staff. POTA gives me an excuse to talk about the importance—and fun—of amateur radio. Since Hurricane Helene tore through western North Carolina, I’ve seen even more interest from locals who stop to ask what I’m doing because they heard that amateur radio played an important role in emergency communications during the aftermath.
That said, in general, I try to be as low-impact and inconspicuous as possible when operating in public spaces. I don’t want my antennas to be trip hazards or interfere with others’ enjoyment of the park. And if I’m being honest, I’m naturally introverted—I like to disappear and be left alone.
The balance I try to strike is deploying gear in a way that doesn’t interfere with others, while also not worrying too much if someone notices my setup. If I’m not bothering anyone but I’m visible enough to serve as a sort of radio ambassador, that’s the best of both worlds, right?
Right!
Adaptive Urban Park Activating
Which brings us back to this philosophy I made up five minutes ago…
When I packed for our trip to Canada, I knew most of the parks I’d be activating in and around Québec City would either be urban parks or national wildlife refuges. In both cases, I aim for field setups that are low-impact, sensitive to surroundings, and unlikely to attract negative attention.
I also had to pack compact and light—we maxed out our Subaru for this multi-week trip. So I brought my usual assortment of wire antennas (end-fed half-waves and random wires) and my self-supporting, low-impact verticals: the Elecraft AX1 and the new AX3.
I left behind the Chelegance MC-750, the Radioddity HF-009, and the Chameleon MPAS Lite self-supporting verticals.
The POTA20 mast
I did bring my POTA20 Explorer carbon fiber pole, which easily fits in my backpack. While the POTA20 Explorer mast is pretty conspicuous when deployed—no way around that, especially if I’m not backed up against a wooded area—I paired it with very short 4:1 and 9:1 EFRW antennas that are super easy to deploy, giving me a stealthier self-supporting vertical option.
In a sense, I chose my lightest, stealthiest antenna options.
When I feel comfortable hanging a wire in an urban park, I do it in a low-impact way: keeping the wire, throw line, and counterpoise all within view and away from high-traffic areas. I keep the footprint as small as possible.
The Propagation Factor
Of course, all of this depends on propagation…
In these urban activations, I’ve placed more emphasis on compromised antennas—either my 4-foot AX1 and AX3 verticals or 17-foot end-feds. And I knew before leaving that propagation’s been spotty these past few weeks (months?). I expected I’d need more time to activate parks with these setups.
Indeed, the first park I activated in Canada was Fort Wellington National Historic Site (here’s a link to the field report). That day, a festival brought a lot of foot traffic to the park, so I went very low-impact—not just out of respect for the historic site, but also the crowds.
I set up my KX2 and AX1, unsure if I’d manage to activate at all. Fortunately, I did.
Over the next few weeks, you’ll see a common thread in my Canadian field reports: stealth and the challenge of becoming a better, more adaptive urban activator. It’s been great practice.
A Few New Tools
I’ve also added some new tools to my kit.
My friend and mad-scientist 3D-print designer, Mike (KE8PTX), made clamp and strap mounts for the new Elecraft AX3 vertical in addition to a new KH1 knee board.
These have made it ridiculously easy to deploy that antenna pretty much anywhere. So far, I’ve mounted it to a park bench (you’ll see this in an upcoming field report) and clamped it to a picnic table in gusty winds.
In many of the Québec City parks I’ve activated, I rarely see staff—there’s no one to ask for permission. So if I’m using an AX1 or AX3 on a table, I feel like I’m having less impact than the average family picnic. If a park employee were to approach me, I’d like to think there’d be no grounds for complaint.
CW + Earphones = Super Stealthy
I’ve also been using earphones a lot more than usual. I actually enjoy using earphones for activations, but I typically rely on my speaker instead because, frankly, it makes for quicker and easier activation video setups.
But when you’re doing a CW activation with earphones, you’re super stealthy—no sound, no fuss. This is one major benefit of CW over voice modes: we can send without speaking out loud.
For this reason, I’ve been recording my audio directly from the radio for activation videos when I’m in an urban park setting.
To be clear, I actually think the sound of CW can be pleasant and even intriguing to many people. But I can’t assume everyone feels the same way—especially in urban parks, where visitors are often trying to escape noise. A quiet, discreet setup just feels more respectful in that context.
What About You?
The KH1 in Pedestrian Mobile mode is a very low-impact way to do urban POTA.
Do you activate urban parks or low-profile sites where you aim to remain low-impact? What’s your default setup?
I’d love to hear how you approach this—especially if you’re working with limited space, increased visibility, or extra constraints.
You’ll see more on this topic in my upcoming videos.
Besides radio, one thing I love to geek out about is bags, pouches, backpacks—and more specifically—how and what I pack.
In fact, some of my favorite YouTube videos are those where the host shows how they pack for, say, summer travels in Asia, a one-week business trip to Helsinki, or what’s in their Everyday Carry (EDC).
Although this is one of my favorite types of videos, I don’t make enough of them about my own philosophy of packing: what I take, how I pack it, and how it all works in the field.
My Canada Backpack
If you’ve been watching my videos for long, you’ve probably noticed that one of my favorite field backpacks is the one with a Canadian flag on the front:
It’s a 21L GoRuck GR1 USA. I’ve owned this backpack for the better part of a decade and use it for both field radio and travel. I’ve many other backpacks, but this one is just the right size for almost any of my radio adventures. It also meets the “personal carry-on” size restrictions for even low-cost carriers (at least, at the time of posting). I’ve packed this—with radio—for a week of air travel. I’ve also taken this pack on numerous SOTA hikes.
I have other backpacks I love, but this one strikes the right balance of being big enough without being too big. The main compartment is boxy, somewhat structured, and fits some of my longest field kit items: my Joby Tripod with action camera attached, hiking sticks, Helinox Chair, and carbon fiber telescoping mast.
Ready for Any Activation
While here in Canada, I’ll be activating parks I’ve never visited before, so I need to be prepared for just about any situation. I’m also activating a lot of urban parks in and around Québec City.
When I packed for this trip, I assumed that some of the parks wouldn’t have picnic tables—and some might not even have available park benches. That’s why I pack a collapsible hiking chair and folding knee board. With those, all I need is a flat spot on the ground and I can operate comfortably and complete an activation.
Somewhat Modular
In my pack, there are core items I don’t take out, like my:
Helinox Chair and Ground Sheet
Folding Knee Board
POTA20 Explorer Mast
Logging Pad and Pencil
Throw Line and Weight
A few antenna options
A LiPo battery and USB charger
Garmin InReach
Headlamp
Camera and Audio recording Gear
First Aid, Sunscreen, Nitrile Gloves (for picking up rubbish), etc.
I do, however, rotate the radio kit inside.
My KX2 Field Kit
For example, in this video, I feature my venerable Elecraft KX2 kit (see photos above).
My MTR-3B Kit
But I can take that one out and replace it with either my Elecraft KH1, CFT1, or MTR-3B field kits.
My KH1 Kit
They are all packed in small Pelican cases that easily fit in the center of my backpack.
Weight
When fully loaded, my backpack isn’t exactly lightweight. Besides all of my radio gear, I’m usually packing a bottle of water too. I haven’t weighed it, but it’s relatively heavy. That’s not an issue for POTA since I’m rarely walking more than 10 minutes (and often just 2 minutes) to find a site to set up.
For SOTA outings or hikes that are an hour or more, I shed any items I know I won’t need. That frees up space for more water and lightens the overall load.
For example, on SOTA hikes I plan to only take my Elecraft KH1 transceiver and a few accessories. That means I can leave behind cable assemblies, extra keys and key base, POTA20 mast, ground spike, and throw line and weight. (The KH1 kit includes a minimalist throw line/weight if needed.) It significantly reduces the pack weight.
In fact, I brought a second, smaller backpack for times when I want to go very minimalist with the KH1 or MTR-3B. Both have fully self-contained field kits in individual Pelican cases. This smaller backpack is perfect when I’m with family—say, spending the day in Vieux Québec visiting museums, shops, restaurants, and one or two urban parks where I can squeeze in activations.
Extras
Note that there are a few extras always in my car that I didn’t include in the video because they typically stay there: my portable table, HT, and a 2-liter water bladder.
Also, a bedroll that we use for family picnics. All of these items work for both field radio, family picnics, and lounging on the shores of the mighty St-Lawrence.
All of these items get heavy use since our family spends so much time outdoors.
Video
In the video tour of my field radio backpack from this trip to Canada, I take you through each individual item I packed. Below, you’ll find links to each item (when available), in the order they appear in the video.
This video didn’t take long to shoot because, as you know, I don’t edit my videos—they are what they are.
Putting together all of the links and video chapters, however, takes a long time. I do plan to make a video of my other, more minimalist backpack and my new Red Oxx Gator EDC bag I’m using for all of my extra supplies.
My Red Oxx Gator EDC Bag
I’d love to hear your comments about your own field packs—and I especially enjoy your Field Radio Kit posts for our Field Radio Kit Gallery!
Thank you
Thanks for reading this post—I hope you enjoyed the “What’s in my pack?” video. I certainly enjoyed the process. It was a fun excuse to nerd out about packing!
Of course, I’d also like to send a special thanks to those of you who have been supporting the site and channel through Patreon, and the Coffee Fund. While not a requirement, as my content will always be free, I really appreciate the support.
Note: This first field report from my 2025 trip to Canada happens to coincide with Canada Day (today, July 1, 2025). Happy Canada Day!
by Thomas (VY2SW / K4SWL)
In a previous post, I mentioned that my family was heading north into Canada for a few weeks this summer. This trip wasn’t easy to carve out of our schedule, but we were looking for a bit of escape from all of the Hurricane Helene clean-up—and, frankly, we were craving some family time.
We arrived in Canada (via the Thousand Islands Bridge) on Saturday, June 14, 2025, in the late afternoon. Had it not been such a tiring drive that day, I would have activated Thousand Islands National Park (CA-0099), but honestly? We were all ready to check into our hotel in Brockville, Ontario, take a stroll along the waterfront, and grab some dinner.
Brockville waterfront
The next morning (June 15, 2025), I took a look at the POTA map and determined that we had plenty of time for a park activation before heading into Québec. Several options lay along our route, but one, in particular, caught my attention:
Fort Wellington National Historic Site (CA-4868)
Fort Wellington is a Parks Canada site situated right along the St. Lawrence River, which we were traveling beside. Even better, it was only about a 15-minute drive from our hotel.
We arrived on-site around 10:15 AM local time and immediately noticed the parking area in front of Fort Wellington was barricaded for an event. I saw two Parks Canada rangers standing out front, so I asked them about the event and whether it was okay to park on the street in front of the property. They couldn’t have been kinder.
Turns out, the town was hosting an outdoor BBQ ribs event that Sunday. It’s as if they expected a ham from North Carolina to pick their site for POTA! It was a pretty big event for a town as small as Prescott—there were loads of entertainers, food trucks serving all forms of BBQ, and tours of Fort Wellington.
I asked the rangers if they were familiar with Parks On The Air (they were!) and if I could set up on the NHS property closer to the river and away from all the festivities. They gave me permission.
I should add here that I volunteered not to put any antennas in trees or place stakes in the ground to mount my telescoping carbon fiber pole. As a rule of thumb, I default to my lowest-impact setups when at archaeological or historic sites. I feel it’s not only respectful but also leaves a good impression of ham radio operators for park staff who may encounter activators after me.
My wife and daughters were encouraged to take a free trolley tour of Prescott—how could they resist? They told me later that it was a hoot.
I made my way down to a shady spot under a tree by the river.
To keep things low-impact, I set up my Nemo portable table and Helinox chair, then deployed my KX2/AX1 field kit.
I’ll be honest here…
Propagation had been very rough the previous day, and numbers were indicating challenging conditions during my activation as well. This wasn’t a day I’d normally opt for my most compromised antenna, but here we were. My hope was that I could call CQ on every band possible using the AX1 and somehow gather enough contacts (10 total) to validate the activation.
Backpocket strategy
So here’s the deal: most of us activators aim to get the minimum number of contacts in order to complete a valid activation (10 for POTA, 4 for SOTA).
When I’m activating a park I’ve done numerous times before? I honestly don’t care if I don’t reach 10. I’m just happy to get outdoors and play radio. I try not to let the threat of poor propagation stop me.
However, when I’m activating a new-to-me park, I really want to validate it. I want those 10 contacts—and I’m willing to spend more time on the air to get them.
Technically, since I’m traveling with three other licensed hams (my wife and daughters) and we have two dual-band HTs in the car, I really only need to make four HF contacts. I could make three FM contacts on 2 meters, then three more on 70 cm with my family. That gives me 10 total.
In fact, I also have multiple HF radios and dummy loads in the car, so I could get away with never deploying an antenna at all—I could just log 10 park-to-park contacts with my family.
But where’s the fun in that, right?
Actually, I say that, but it can be fun—in situations where you’re left with no other options—to do P2P contacts with your own crew, as my buddy Vince proves here.
Still, I was determined to log “my ten” all on the HF bands, using five watts into my 4’ AX1 antenna.
The only way to find out if I could? Hit the air!
Gear
Note: All Amazon and eBay links are affiliate links that support QRPer.com at no cost to you.
Over the next few weeks, you won’t see my US callsign, K4SWL, out there in the spots—but you will see my Canadian callsign, VY2SW!
Yesterday, we finished packing the Subaru, handed our keys to a friend who’s house-sitting, and hit the road!
We’ll be in Canada through the rest of June and most of July for some much-needed family rest and relaxation.
The past few months have been a bit hectic on the home front with storm clean-up, parent health issues, and family obligations. We’re looking forward to a real break—and hoping there’s no reason to cut the trip short.
More ‘OTA for VY2SW
If you’ve been trying to work me from a spot where North Carolina’s a tough catch, you might have better luck while I’m roaming through Ontario and Québec.
I plan to do a fair bit of POTA, and hopefully some SOTA, while in Canada. I’m especially excited to activate a few parks and summits I’ve never visited before. If solar conditions stay the same (read: unstable and poor!), I’ll likely spend extra time on the air at each location.
Radios Packed
For this trip, I packed four of my smaller HF rigs: the KX2, KH1, MTR-3B, and CFT1. I had planned to bring a larger radio like the RGO One, Argonaut VI, or K2, but there just wasn’t space.
A six-week road trip with a family of four means every nook and cranny in the Subaru was put to work—and I’m quite proud of the packing job, to be honest! (One of my daughters helped—she and I are both known for our extraordinary abilities in loading the dishwasher… obviously a transferable skill!)
Ham Alert?
If you have a moment, please go ahead and add VY2SW to your Ham Alert. I’ll definitely need all the hunter help I can get on those activation days!
Now to get my muscle memory ready to send CQ POTA de VY2SW—I guarantee I’ll accidentally send K4SWLat least a few hundred times! Ha ha!
Time to hit the road again—I hope to catch you on the air soon!
We started off our trip in Ottawa where we spent four days.
Only moments after arriving at our hotel that first day, Vince (VE6LK) made time in his schedule to administer my Canadian Basic exam remotely. That evening–despite being a bit bleary eyed after a fairly long day of driving–I passed my Basic with Honours. (I’m still chuffed about that!)
By the next morning, I already had the callsign I requested: VY2SW. My mailing address in Canada is in Prince Edward Island hence the VY2 call. Since essentially every new call in Canada is a vanity call, I chose the suffix SW to reflect my US call. PEI is one of the few provinces where as a Basic license holder you can request a 2×2 call.
My first activation in Canada was at Hog’s Back Conservation Reserve. I had the good fortune of meeting up with Andrew, one of my subscribers, at the park. It was great getting to know him–what a nice fellow–and to start off a series of activations in Canada on the right foot.
St-Anne River in Saint-Ferréol-les-Neiges
After leaving Ottawa, we made our way to Saint-Ferréol-les-Neiges, Québec where we’d reserved a condo/townhome for 6 weeks. That served as our home base as we traveled around Québec City, Saguenay, the Charlevoix region, and the North Shore of the St-Lawrence.
At our local farmer’s market in Saint-Ferréol-les-Neiges, I especially loved the VW campervan bookstore.
I noted in many field reports how surprised I was to discover that a number of popular parks were still ATNOs (All-Time New Ones) in the POTA network. Then again, POTA hasn’t been in Canada as long as other similar programs like WWFF and SOTA.
Many of the POTA activations I made in Canada were in urban parks–especially the ones in/around Québec City. These activations took me outside of my comfort zone; I’m used to activating state and national parks back home that are expansive and largely in rural areas.
I mentioned in a previous post that I’ve been studying for my Canadian Basic license exam.
I’ve been working on this in my very limited spare time for a few weeks now, balancing study from the book above and HamStudy.org–both brilliant resources.
Now that I’m actually on Canadian soil, I scheduled an online exam with my friend, the amazing Vince (VE6LK).
Vince must be one of the busiest remote examiners in all of Canada. He’s professional and has the process down to a science which makes the whole experience very fluid and low stress. His website has a load of resources!
Although I’d been on the road most of the day yesterday and was a bit tired, I was ready to write the exam. I gave Vince my schedule and told him I would even be willing to schedule as early as 9:00PM last night or anytime this weekend.
The 9:00 time worked for Vince, so he sent me a Zoom link and I did a bit of last-minute study before meeting him online for the exam.
The Canadian Basic is a 100 question test, so it takes some time to get through it all.
I was absolutely chuffed to pass with 94% which meant passing Basic with Honours.
Vince started the online process which allowed me to create an account on the ISED website.
Getting a call
I’d been giving my callsign a little thought.
Since my mailing address is in Prince Edward Island, I knew the prefix would be VY2.
Every new call issued in Canada is essentially a vanity callsign and you’re allowed to choose from available suffixes (and even purchase additional callsigns in the future).
PEI is one of the few provinces that also allows Basic licensees to claim a 2×3 or even a 2×2 call. If I were in Ontario, for example, I could only request a 2×3 as a Basic with Honors license.
This morning, with my first cup of coffee in hand, I finished setting up my ISED account and requested my callsign.
VY2SW
I decided that I wanted my Canadian call to reflect the suffix in my US call, so I requested VY2SW.
As soon as I hit the SUBMIT button on the ISED website, it confirmed that the call had been assigned to me. A couple hours later and I’m showing up in the callsign database.
The Canadian licensing system is incredibly efficient and effortless to use.
POTA and SOTA in Canada
Now that I’m VY2SW, I cannot use my US callsign as K4SWL/VE3 or K4SWL/VE2 while on the air.
I’ve already added VY2SW in the POTA system as my second callsign, so I believe it’ll compile all of my park activations under one account. I suppose there’s a way to do this in the SOTA system too.
Sometime within the next two days, I will be doing my first activation as VY2SW here–a park somewhere in the Ottawa region. I can’t wait and I certainly hope to work you!
There’s no logic in getting a Canadian license because as a US license holder, I can simply add /VE2 onto my call while in Québec et voilá I’m legally on the air!
That and, here at home, I’m juggling numerous projects before we leave, so study sessions are crammed into short openings and are sporadic. Not how I like to study for something like this.
Thing is, I want to fit in the bulk of my studies within the next two weeks so that as soon as I’m on Canadian soil, I can go ahead and schedule a remote exam (one must be in Canada to take the exam even if via Zoom). I don’t want to spend my whole vacation studying, so I’d like to knock this out very early on.
So why get a Canadian license?
In the past, our family has spent whole summers in Canada primarily in Prince Edward Island and Québec. We know there’ll be many more of these trips in the future and my wife and I even entertain the idea of spending nearly half the year in Canada once we’re empty nesters.
I feel like it would be beneficial to have an actual Canadian call for those extended trips; especially in PEI where it’s so easy to grab DX almost anytime I hop on the air.
In fact, my callsign–should I pass–will have a VY2 prefix because that’s where our mailing address is.
There’s another reason, if I’m being honest with myself: I like the challenge of trying to pass the test. It’s just…my timing is kind of [understatement] crappy. Continue reading The Canadian Basic Exam→
In my last activation video at Cap Tourmente, I mentioned that park entry would be free under the Canada Strong Pass program. Unfortunately, I was mistaken—national wildlife refuges are not included in that program; it’s geared more toward national parks and historic sites.
By the time I reached the park entrance, it was about 3:45 PM. That left me just over an hour to deploy gear, hop on the air, and complete an activation.
For this activation, I wanted some frequency agility, so I opted to deploy my Tufteln end-fed random wire (EFRW) with a 31’ radiator and 17’ counterpoise.
I backed my car toward the sun so that the open hatch would provide some welcome shade. I then set up my Moonlander table and Helinox Chair Zero for a comfy operating position.
Note: All Amazon and eBay links are affiliate links that support QRPer.com at no cost to you.
I started calling CQ POTA on 20 meters, hoping I could log at least ten stations in the ~40 minutes I had left before packing up. Continue reading Short on Time, Yet Loads of Fun: Gusty QRP POTA at Cap Tourmente! 
