Bruce Peninsula Multisport Race

[VA3KOT John]

           

My station in the 2021 Bruce Peninsula Multisport Race was at the entrance to Spirit Rock Conservation Area on Highway 6. I setup my dual-band Icom field radio running on AC power from my Honda EU2000 generator. I set the radio to crossband repeat and accessed the event net through VE3OSR using my HT. The generator was employed to prevent drain on my truck battery during my 5-hour operating period. The EU2000 is an inverter model that runs quietly and has an economy feature that reduces fuel consumption when the power drawn is low.

Unfortunately, the station location was directly underneath the high tension hydro lines running along the side of the highway and they seriously impacted my signal. Even boosting the power to 50 watts didn't help. A better field survey prior to the event might have highlighted this issue. The only other minor problemette I encountered was with the club A-frame signs which fell over with the lightest breath of wind. That should be an easy fix.