VY0/VE3VID – Igloolik Island, NA-174

http://ve3vid.webs.com/

VY0/VE3VID – Igloolik Island, NA-174


NA-174 QSL Cards are all mailed.

Hello to everyone who has sent a QSL card request for the NA-174 Igloolik Island operation. The good news is I have sent out all of the reply cards currently received. There may be some stragglers, but all cards received so far have been answered.

So far there was only 1 station who was not in the log. Lucky for Corrado NA-174 will be active again much sooner than previously expected.

I am very pleased and impressed with everyone's attension to correct return postage, and many who sent donations toward printing - Thank you, everyone.

Of the 477 contacts with NA-174, rest assured, all requests for QSL will be answered.

73 to all
David


IOTA NA-174 Activation

It took no one else as much by surprise as me, when there was suddenly huge interest by the RTTY and SSB communities in a rare IOTA entity calling CQ with about 75 watts on 20m. In February-March 2013 I took a microHF rig by Yaesu (857D) and a SignaLink audio device to work on Igloolik Island in hopes of making some fun contacts from a truly strange place. I figured this would make for some good chats and give something enjoyable to do between hours of work . It took a week and good bands for me to realize what was going to happen when NA-174 hit the spotting networks.

Below is the QSL card. There were 477 contacts. 386 on RTTY; 80 on SSB and 11 on PSK. The Gold Star goes to Paul at VK4MA. Beaming long path past Antarctica and up the Atlantic to the top of Baffin. Paul's call sign decoded on MMTTY - cheers!

Igloolik Island will be back on the air in 5-6 months. Next time antennas for 40-17m.

(17 Apr, 2013 - The QSL cards just arrived from the printer.)


Working DXpedition, IOTA NA-174 at Grid EP99





Starting late in 2012 I will be making trips to the Arctic community of Igloolik, Nunavut. Along for the trip will be a Small Wonders QRP rig for PSK-31 and a folded dipole for 20m. Igloolik Island lies 2700km north of Ottawa, Canada, is IOTA NA-174 and Grid Square EP99. Subsequent trips to Igloolik will see more robust radio equipment and antennae installed.


New Station QTH

Early 2011 I moved the VE3VID radio station from the open meadow of the PaleSun Farm to a new location. Renfrew and the Pinewood area were becoming more populated and problems with antennas and towers were soon to follow. VE3VID is now operational from the true wilderness of the Westport Highlands. The station is now located in a log cabin high in the rocky Canadian Shield between Ottawa and Kingston Ontario.

Added to the station this year has been a cherry Kenwood TS-850s as a back up rig, and a Yaesu FT-2000. The TS-450s has become a dedicated digital rig doing mainly RTTY and some PSK and OLIVIA. The new shack is about 750 sq feet, has 110v AC and internet. The solar power equipment will be incorporated to the staion in case of black outs.

When the tower assembly is complete there will be a Cushcraft 3 element yagi for 17m and 12m. The Mosley TA-33M has had a complete overhaul and waits on a temporary tower about 35ft up.




http://ve3vid.webs.com/