Hi!

In the past two years, I have taken road trips through northern Arizona and parts of Utah and Nevada - lots of sightseeing, and lots of satellite operating. This year, I am escaping the desert heat, going north for a week. I will spend over a week in British Columbia, visiting much of Vancouver Island plus spending time in and around metropolitan Vancouver. I enjoy visiting Canada, and this is the perfect time of the year for me to head up there (it is hot in Arizona in early July - over 110F/43C!). During this trip, I plan on working satellites - FM and SSB - from many locations on Vancouver Island and some locations in and around metropolitan Vancouver as VA7EWK.

The only things that have been set in stone right now are my flights to and from Vancouver. I go to Vancouver on Saturday, 3 July 2010, and return home on Sunday, 11 July. Beyond the flights, all plans are tentative at this time. I am thinking of spending a few days, including part of the 4 July holiday (in the USA) weekend on Vancouver Island, and then a few days at the end of the week in and around Vancouver.

Based on several printed and online maps, it appears that I do not need a Jeep, tank, boat, or helicopter to visit 6 of the 8 grids on Vancouver Island (CN78, CN79, CN88, CN89, CO60, CO70). Of these 6, two of them are heard with some regularity on the satellites (CN88 and CN89), as those grids cover parts of Washington state and the Lower Mainland of British Columbia. I do not plan on much radio activity from them. The others are rarely heard, and those would be the focus of my radio operating while on the island. Two other grids on the island (CN69, CO50) could be visited, if I see passable roads when I am up there.

Back on the Lower Mainland, CO80 north of Vancouver is one that has been rarely heard on the satellites. This is where the Whistler ski resort is located, and an area I want to visit and operate from. I may be able to drive to CN99 east of Vancouver, depending on how much time I have at the end of the week - assuming I start the week on Vancouver Island. I also hope to meet up with some satellite operators while I am in Vancouver.

My recent trip to Dayton was partly a test in preparation for this planned trip to Canada. I wanted to bring a station with me to Dayton that I could use to work FM and SSB satellites, and in particular try to work long distances through the SSB birds to places I can't work from home in Arizona. As I had posted last weekend, I was able to make a couple of transatlantic QSOs via AO-7 from the Dayton area, and was able to work other satellites from points in and around Dayton. I will take my two FT-817NDs, Elk log periodic antenna, and other gear and accessories to Canada as my portable station - just like I did for Dayton.

I have started a web page for this trip at:

http://july2010.wd9ewk.net/

I will post updates there, as well as through messages to the -BB before and during this trip. Please e-mail me if you have any questions, comments, suggestions, etc. regarding this trip. Even though radio is only one part of the trip, I hope to have time to work many stations all over from up there.

73!

Patrick WD9EWK/VA7EWK http://www.wd9ewk.net/