VE-1187 is a beautiful park located just outside of Lethbridge, Alberta. It’s a great spot for operating QRP (low-power amateur radio). Today, January 7, 2023 I had the pleasure of activating the park and making a few contacts on the 20 meter band.
The band conditions were fantastic – the solar flux was high and the K index was low, which meant that signals were coming in loud and clear. I was able to make contact with stations all over the continent with just 10 watts of power and my trusty PackTenna EFRW strung up in a tree.
Activating the park was a breeze. I arrived at VE-1187 in the AM and set up my station in less than 10 minutes. I chose a spot with a clear view of the sky and free from any obsticles as I setup the PackTenna with my arborist throw line. I then powered up my rig and tuned in to the 20 meter band. With a nice quiet noise floor and a clear channel I started to call CW to alert the RBN and spot me. Within three calls I heard from WB0RLJ – Jim from NE. He’s often in the logbooks and really set a great tone for the day with 599 into Southern Alberta. This was at 17:24UTC.
Before long, I was making contacts left and right. I worked stations in California, Kentucky, and even as far away as New York. It was great to make contact with hams from all over the country and share my love of QRP operating. I had activated the park by 17:33 or approximately 9 minutes. I left at 17:39 having made 15 contacts in 14 minutes.
Overall, it was a fantastic day of operating QRP at VE-1187. The band conditions were excellent and I was able to make a bunch of contacts in a short amount of time. I can’t wait to get back on the air and see who I can work next! I’ll likely be out there tomorrow and it would be great to get you in the log.
73, Tyler Kacsor