Author Archives: VA3QR

About VA3QR

Obtained Basic (Canada) license on March 21, 1994. Received 5WPM Morse Code endorsement in the summer of 2003. Obtained my Advanced in the winter of 2014. Active on all Amateur bands between 160m - 70cm (excl. 1.25m), all modes. Primary rig is a Flex 5000A with ATU, RX2 and VHF/UHF module. Mobile rigs include Kenwood TM-D710A, and TM-480SAT. Antennas include Cushcraft MA-5B, Cushcraft A6270-13S, Hustler 6-BTV (with all 3 DX Engineering mods), 2 x Comet CX-333, Custom-Made Random Wire (tunes 160m - 10m), and MFJ Active Receive Antenna. I host the VE3PAQ Repeaters on 1.25m and 70cm, the VE3YAP APRS Digipeater, and the APRS2 Tier 2 network node for Ontario.

Hamvention 2017 – Day 2

Good afternoon from a very warm and muggy Xenia, Ohio. It didn’t start out that way though. It was about 15C and overcast when I fell out of the trailer at 8:50AM ET this morning – quite comfortable in contrast to the heat of the day before. The crew from RAC found an alternate route… Read more »

Hamvention 2017 – Day 1

My wife surprised me this past Christmas with tickets to Hamvention 2017, and I couldn’t have been more pleased. I was planning on going to Dayton in 2016, but circumstances made that impossible – I was very happy to be going, and not just to Hamvention, but the very first Hamvention not at the Hara… Read more »

Last Day at TM100VIMY

Cassandra and I woke up early again this morning to get me to my 2nd (and last) shift for 7:30AM CET (0530z). I was invited as a guest operator and had only ever planned to spend 2 days operating in between our other stops. More than just a radio-based trip, this is the first vacation… Read more »

Getting Started at TM100VIMY

My wife and I have been travelling for a few days now. Before arriving in France, we spent a few days with old friends in Banbury, UK, and took the opportunity to take the train into London for a couple of days and play tourist. We got to our B&B – Les Cèdres Bleu –… Read more »

VE100VIMY – I’m Going to Vimy Ridge

I have been selected as an operator by the Vimy Commemorative Station Society and will be travelling to Vimy, France, along with my wife, Cassandra McBride, VA3MEW, to operate from the Canadian National Vimy Memorial in April of 2017, to mark the 100th anniversary of the taking of Vimy Ridge by the Canadian Armed Forces during World… Read more »