VE – Sept-Îles, Quebec, Canada (CQ Zone 2)

Dates: 26 October to 1 November 1994

Callsign: WJ2O/VE2 and VE2NRK

VE – Sept-Îles, Quebec, Canada (CQ Zone 2) 2024-04-15T20:45:57-05:00

Accommodations:

We rented the 2-bedroom chalet for 100 dollars Canadian per day. It was an excellent place to stay with all the comforts of home right down to the coffee pot. Our main contact was Jean Claude, VE2XY. He made all the arrangements to rent the chalet and is the key individual at the club station. He lives so close to the club station that you can see his antennas from there.

Place to stay in Sept-Îles

Call signs used : Dave: WJ2O/VE2, VE2NRK John: WB2K/VE2, VE2TJA

arrived in Sept-Îles

We Arrived. After many long hours of driving through the night it’s nice to see we arrived in Sept-Îles.

Sept-Îles River

The River. Up here the river is so wide you could mistake it for the Ocean because you can’t see the other side.

The Clubhouse

Club members in Sept-Îles

Club members. Here are the local hams who gave us a lot of assistance during our visit. (left to right) Jean Paul, VE2UA, Dominique, VE2DMG and Rod, VE2NN.

Back of club station in Sept-Îles

This is the back of the club station and what the tower looked like when we first arrived. That is John at the base.

Inside the club house in Sept-Îles

Inside the spacious club house. (left to right) John, WB2K, Jean Paul, VE2UA, Rod, VE2NN and Dominique, VE2DMG.

Assembling Mosley PRO-37

Assembling the Mosley PRO-37 that we brought and gave to the club.

John (WB2K)

John (WB2K) did all the tower work on a very cold windy day. I’m sure his fingers were frozen.

Antena

All set and ready to contest.

Beverage feed point

Beverage feed point.
At the club station we strung out beverages in 3 different directions. The switching is performed in this box.

Dave WJ2O in Sept-Îles

Everything was a blur, I only remember being cold and wanting to be inside.

John WB2K

John (WB2K) took time to snap some shots too.

John WB2K testing the antenna

John (WB2K) testing the antenna and the whole setup.

Station 1 in Sept-Îles

Station 1 was ready for operation

The Chalet

Antena on car

We had lots of aluminum to unload from the van.

Chalet in Canada

Chalet in Canada.

Interior of the chalet

Interior of the chalet we used as our radio shack.

Chalet kitchen

Chalet kitchen.

Chalet bedroom

Chalet bedroom

Back of the chalet

Back of the chalet

John WB2K pulling antenna

John (WB2K) pulling antenna sections. Antenna assembly is fun!

Dave clowning around in Sept-Îles

Dave clowning around. We had a bit of a problem as our original mast did not handle the weight.

Butternut HF-2V and the Mosley TA-33

In the foreground the Butternut HF-2V and the Mosley TA-33 out by the river.

Mosley TA-33

Mosley TA-33 erected near the chalet.

Station 2 in Sept-Îles

Station 2 ready.

Contest Operating

John operating at the club station

John operating at the club station.

Dave operating station 2 in chalet

Dave (VE2NRK) operating station 2 (The Chalet)

Going Home

John WB2K packing the Mosley TA-33

John (WB2K) packing the Mosley TA-33 back on the van.

WJ2O/VE2 – VE2NRK QSL Card

WJ2O/VE2 – VE2NRK QSL Card front
WJ2O/VE2 – VE2NRK QSL Card back

There is a reciprocal agreement between the United States and Canada that allows us to operate in each other’s country without any licensing or notification requirement whatsoever.

John and I wanted to see if we could get our Canadian licenses anyway. We made arrangements to take the test in Kingston, Ontario a couple of months before the trip. Our Canadian VE, Bernard Bardsall, VE2NB, administered the tests from his home. First you are given a basic exam followed by 12 wpm code test and then the Advanced exam. Much to our surprise, we passed. About a month later our licenses came in the mail. We registered our station location as Sept-Îles so we would be issued VE2 calls.

Certificate of proficiency in radio

Certificate of proficiency in amateur radio.

Radio Station License for WJ2O/VE2

Radio Station License for WJ2O/VE2 – VE2NRK.

John operating at the club.

Sept-Îles, Quebec, Canada. Two stations were set up, one at the local club station which was right on the edge of town and another at a chalet about 15 miles NE of Sept-Îles. We drove North with a van chucked full of equipment and antennas. We permanently installed a Mosley beam at the club station with a lot of help from the local hams.

John operating at the club

Station 1 (Club)Yaesu FT-1000 Transceiver
Alpha 87A Amplifier
Toshiba Portable 386-SX Computer
K1EA Voice Digitiser
Mosley PRO-37 Beam
1/4 Wave Dipoles on 40 through 160
3 Beverages with K2ZJ Beverage Box

Station 2 (Chalet)
Kenwood TS-940 Transceiver
Alpha 76A Amplifier
486 DX Laptop Computer
Home-Brew Voice Digitiser
Mosley TA-33 Beam
HF2-V Butternut Vertical with 160 add on coil
Beverage with K2ZJ Beverage Box

Travel route

We drove 7 hours non-stop from my home in upstate New York upstate to Quebec, Canada.