Sunday, March 8, 2020 - Aberdeen Plateau, North Okanagan, BC
Jerome VE7JAR + kids + Dad, Jake VE7WEA + friend, Kevin VE7XY, Ted VE7UIH and Mike VE7KPZ spent this last Sunday in the woods playing radio, hanging by the campfire and eating very well.
The group headed up to the end of Bluenose Road in Lavington for the day.
First orders of business were antenna raising and fire building. Jerome and kids, Kevin and Mike strung up Jerome's new home-built 20m dipole. A variety of line-setting devices were used and the antenna was raised to approximately 40' above ground level. A check with Mike's RigExpert AA-230 Zoom antenna analyzer showed low SWR across the entire 20m band, so we were good to go.
Meanwhile, Jake and friend went on a pallet collection run and soon returned with enough firewood for the entire day. A fire was started and Kevin and Jake's specially selected smokies were soon roasting. To make things even better, Jerome brought out a pot of home-made chipotle chili with 3 lbs of bacon mixed in. A massive array of condiments and the opportunity to make chili dogs guaranteed nobody was hungry.
Jerome's Dad brought his snowmobile and a sleigh so the kids jumped in and went for a scenic tour of the area.
Weather consisted of a mix of snow and sun. Here's Jerome working hard at the station with a dry radio:
Logging was done the old-school way, with paper and a pen:
Notable contacts were made into Japan and Finland.
The event was enjoyed by all:
Hope you'll join us next time to work HF from the S0-noise woods.
73s,
Mike VE7KPZ
NORAC Vice-President and advocate for playing radio away from the city