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.
Call signs used : Dave: WJ2O/VE2, VE2NRK John: WB2K/VE2, VE2TJA
We Arrived. After many long hours of driving through the night it’s nice to see we arrived in Sept-Îles.
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. 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.
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 spacious club house. (left to right) John, WB2K, Jean Paul, VE2UA, Rod, VE2NN and Dominique, VE2DMG.
Assembling the Mosley PRO-37 that we brought and gave to the club.
John (WB2K) did all the tower work on a very cold windy day. I’m sure his fingers were frozen.
All set and ready to contest.
Beverage feed point. At the club station we strung out beverages in 3 different directions. The switching is performed in this box.
Everything was a blur, I only remember being cold and wanting to be inside.
John (WB2K) took time to snap some shots too.
John (WB2K) testing the antenna and the whole setup.
Station 1 was ready for operation
The Chalet
We had lots of aluminum to unload from the van.
Chalet in Canada.
Interior of the chalet we used as our radio shack.
Chalet kitchen.
Chalet bedroom
Back of the chalet
John (WB2K) pulling antenna sections. Antenna assembly is fun!
Dave clowning around. We had a bit of a problem as our original mast did not handle the weight.
In the foreground the Butternut HF-2V and the Mosley TA-33 out by the river.
Mosley TA-33 erected near the chalet.
Station 2 ready.
Contest Operating
John operating at the club station.
Dave (VE2NRK) operating station 2 (The Chalet)
Going Home
John (WB2K) packing the Mosley TA-33 back on the van.
WJ2O/VE2 – VE2NRK QSL Card
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.
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 amateur radio.
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.
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
We drove 7 hours non-stop from my home in upstate New York upstate to Quebec, Canada.