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.
Getting there . . .
Border Crossing. Entering Canada at Niagara Falls, NY.
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. Ready to take the trip North from here.
From the airplane I can see plenty of mountain ranges.
Arrival. Here’s my jet sitting on the tarmac in Whitehorse
Arrival gate. Get into the terminal quickly. It wasn’t really that cold, just looks it.
Eric, VY1EI. My host was very nice to tote some of my luggage while we head for the vehicle.
The Station
Station Location
We are in an industrial area away from the center of town.
Dave, WJ2O peeking inside. Look here to find a complete ham shack in a trailer.
Eric and his shack. The extra propane canister is to keep us from freezing.
Station set-up. Here’s Eric getting the station set up to operate
Window dressing. Ground, coax and 240v for the amp.
Complete station. Here’s the station all set up except we haven’t found the keyer paddles yet.
Let the contest begin. I’m pretty happy things seem to be under control and we’re ready to get started.
Scout. No ham station is completely without a trusty mascot. This is Eric’s dog Scout
Yagi antenna. Here is the tribander beam on this crank up portable tower at about 50 feet.
This tower was pretty stable all by itself and didn’t need me holding it.
Man vs. Tower. Is all I could think of. I love this shot!
About Town
Provincial Office. This is Eric’s (VY1EI) place of work.
Shopping district.
I loaded up on trinkets.
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 (Yukon Version) Just like home.
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
The World’s Largest Weather-vane. Read more about it at Atlas Obscura.com.
The counter. Here is the ticketing counter inside Whitehorse airport.
Eric, VY1EI. We’re just chatting while enjoying coffee prior to my airplane arriving to take me home.
In the foreground the Butternut HF-2V and the Mosley TA-33 out by the river.
Deicing. You don’t need a million dollars worth of fancy equipment to perform the deicing ritual.
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.
Courtesy of the RAC where you can find more information here.
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
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