VE – Whitehorse, Yukon Territory, Canada

Dates: 3 to 4 November 2012

Callsign: VY1EI

VE – Whitehorse, Yukon Territory, Canada 2025-01-16T18:58:23-05:00
Welcome to the Canadian Yukon !
Here is the front of the Westmark Hotel where I stayed for 3 nights. It was very nice in the center of town and had all the modern conveniences.
I flew here to Whitehorse, Yukon Territory, Canada for the contest weekend giving out Northern Territories during the CW version of the ARRL 2012 November Sweepstakes.
Canadian Yukon

Getting there . . .

Border of Canada
Border Crossing. Entering Canada at Niagara Falls, NY.
Air Canada Seat Back

Air Canada Seat Back This was cool having a choice of entertainment possibilities on the seat back in front of me. A USB port for keeping my iPhone up to snuff was handy. On the right there is also a 110v outlet available.

Vancouver Gate
Vancouver Gate. Ready to take the trip North from here.
mountains
From the airplane I can see plenty of mountain ranges.
Niagara Airport
Arrival. Here’s my jet sitting on the tarmac in Whitehorse
Niagara Airport Arrival gate
Arrival gate. Get into the terminal quickly. It wasn’t really that cold, just looks it.
Eric, VY1EI
Eric, VY1EI. My host was very nice to tote some of my luggage while we head for the vehicle.

The Station

Center of town, yukon

Station Location We are in an industrial area away from the center of town.

Dave, WJ2O in yukon
Dave, WJ2O peeking inside. Look here to find a complete ham shack in a trailer.
Eric and his shack
Eric and his shack. The extra propane canister is to keep us from freezing.
Eric setting up station
Station set-up. Here’s Eric getting the station set up to operate
Equipments
Window dressing. Ground, coax and 240v for the amp.
Complete equipment
Complete station. Here’s the station all set up except we haven’t found the keyer paddles yet.
Dave operating
Let the contest begin. I’m pretty happy things seem to be under control and we’re ready to get started.
Eric’s dog Scout
Scout. No ham station is completely without a trusty mascot. This is Eric’s dog Scout
Yagi antenna
Yagi antenna. Here is the tribander beam on this crank up portable tower at about 50 feet.
Dave fixing Yagi antenna
This tower was pretty stable all by itself and didn’t need me holding it.
Eric with the tower
Man vs. Tower. Is all I could think of. I love this shot!

About Town

Provincial Office
Provincial Office. This is Eric’s (VY1EI) place of work.
Shopping district in Niagara

Shopping district. I loaded up on trinkets.

Guy sweeping snow
Snow Sweeping. A couple of guys had these things that were motorized like a weedwacker but had a big spinning brush on the end. It seems to do a great job on the light snow.
Starbucks
Starbucks (Yukon Version) Just like home.
Dave with moose
Photo Op. It looks like the moose was disinterested in my advances however really this was the friendliest moose I met on the entire trip.

Heading Home

World’s Largest Weather-vane
The World’s Largest Weather-vane. Read more about it at Atlas Obscura.com.
ticketing counter inside Whitehorse airport
The counter. Here is the ticketing counter inside Whitehorse airport.
Eric, VY1EI
Eric, VY1EI. We’re just chatting while enjoying coffee prior to my airplane arriving to take me home.
Butternut HF-2V and the Mosley TA-33
In the foreground the Butternut HF-2V and the Mosley TA-33 out by the river.
wiping airplane wing
Deicing. You don’t need a million dollars worth of fancy equipment to perform the deicing ritual.

VY1EI QSL Card

VY1EI QSL Card
In 1952, Canada and the United States signed a Reciprocal Operating Agreement treaty. In the terms of the agreement, visiting amateurs may operate in the host country in accordance with the rules and regulations of the host country.
RAC
Courtesy of the RAC where you can find more information here.

Dave, WJ2O operating at VY1EI.

Dave, WJ2O operating at VY1EI
Equipment:
Elecraft K3 Transceiver
Toshiba Satellite Laptop
Ameritron AL-1200 Amp
Cushcraft A3S 3-element tribander with 40m Dipole Option
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Front of the airport terminal building, yukon
Front of the airport terminal building in Whitehorse
1st: Drive to Toronto – About 5 hours
2nd: Fly to Vancouver – About 5 hours
3rd: Fly to Whitehorse – About 2 hours