Grid Expedition to EO91 (Moosonee, ON)
I'm happy to announce a grid expedition to Moosonee, ON, which is in EO91. I will be arriving early afternoon on Friday September 23rd and leaving late afternoon Monday September 26th. That gives me four days to put EO91 on the air via satellite.
Moosonee is a Cree village located on the Moose River, which empties into James Bay, about 15 km downstream. It's someplace I have always wanted to visit and when I'm not on the air I will be wandering through the town, photographing things of interest.
By land, Moosonee is only accessible by train; The Polar Bear Express that runs from Cochrane, ON. It's also accessible by air at much greater expense. I will be driving to Cochrane and taking a few days to get there, which will enable me to activate other grids along the way, such as FN06, FN07, FN08, EN98 and EN99.
Why not EO90? There's nothing there! There appear to be two roads into EO90 from the south, but I'm not taking my Volkswagen on them. Cochrane is at the bottom edge of EN99, so it would be a very long day's drive on unknown roads to even set foot in EO90 and return to Cochrane. Plus, as far as I can tell, there are no gas stations, food stops, accommodations or cellphone service along the way. If you break down you are well and truly screwed until someone finds you. Maybe some other time.
The Polar Bear Express has "flag stops" in EO90, where by prearrangement they will drop you off at the side of the track at one of several predetermined locations. Some of them are at power dams on the Abitibi River, where they are not set up to accommodate unexpected guests. Other flag stops are in the middle of nowhere, and have probably been set up decades ago to pick up and drop off prospectors and trappers.
The only part of the trip that is carved in stone at the moment are the days in Moosonee (EO91) itself. I'll start working out an on-air schedule based on what SatPC32 can tell me. Times will change slightly as we get closer to the date. Things are more fluid regarding the days before the train trip to Moosonee, but I have allowed about 3 or 4 days to get to Cochrane, which ought to be sufficient to operate a little from most of the grids I mentioned.
Updates will appear on Twitter. More verbose notifications will appear here.
Regards,
Ken VE3HLS
Ken,
Sounds like a marvelous late summer DxPedition.
I have been to Moosonee many times, by train (Polar Bear Express) and by air (fixed wing and helicopter). The Polar Bear Express is nice train ride. I used to like in Kapuskasing and Timmins (1988 through 2000, worked at the airport Flight Service Station). I have been up both sides of James too. Didn't have the opportunity to take Ham radio along for the ride though.
If you get a chance, take a ride across the river to Moose Factory Island. It is more of the center of activity. Moosonee is also a good spot to watch for aurora, you may get lucky and see some, make sure to have a look after dark.
Good luck, hope you make many contacts from the Near North.
cheers, Graham ve3gtc
On 8/22/2016, "Ken Alexander" k.alexander@rogers.com wrote:
I'm happy to announce a grid expedition to Moosonee, ON, which is in EO91. I will be arriving early afternoon on Friday September 23rd and leaving late afternoon Monday September 26th. That gives me four days to put EO91 on the air via satellite.
Moosonee is a Cree village located on the Moose River, which empties into James Bay, about 15 km downstream. It's someplace I have always wanted to visit and when I'm not on the air I will be wandering through the town, photographing things of interest.
By land, Moosonee is only accessible by train; The Polar Bear Express that runs from Cochrane, ON. It's also accessible by air at much greater expense. I will be driving to Cochrane and taking a few days to get there, which will enable me to activate other grids along the way, such as FN06, FN07, FN08, EN98 and EN99.
Why not EO90? There's nothing there! There appear to be two roads into EO90 from the south, but I'm not taking my Volkswagen on them. Cochrane is at the bottom edge of EN99, so it would be a very long day's drive on unknown roads to even set foot in EO90 and return to Cochrane. Plus, as far as I can tell, there are no gas stations, food stops, accommodations or cellphone service along the way. If you break down you are well and truly screwed until someone finds you. Maybe some other time.
The Polar Bear Express has "flag stops" in EO90, where by prearrangement they will drop you off at the side of the track at one of several predetermined locations. Some of them are at power dams on the Abitibi River, where they are not set up to accommodate unexpected guests. Other flag stops are in the middle of nowhere, and have probably been set up decades ago to pick up and drop off prospectors and trappers.
The only part of the trip that is carved in stone at the moment are the days in Moosonee (EO91) itself. I'll start working out an on-air schedule based on what SatPC32 can tell me. Times will change slightly as we get closer to the date. Things are more fluid regarding the days before the train trip to Moosonee, but I have allowed about 3 or 4 days to get to Cochrane, which ought to be sufficient to operate a little from most of the grids I mentioned.
Updates will appear on Twitter. More verbose notifications will appear here.
Regards,
Ken VE3HLS
Hi Graham,
I was originally thinking of going to Waskaganish (Ft. Rupert) not far from Moosonee. You can drive there, and I liked the idea of having my car with me. However, it's twice the amount of driving and through a very remote area. I wouldn't care to do it alone. There also appears to be more to do in Moosonee.
I'll definitely check out Moose Factory as well!
Hope to work you!
73,
Ken VE3HLS
On 2016-08-22 2:51 PM, planophore@aei.ca wrote:
Ken,
Sounds like a marvelous late summer DxPedition.
I have been to Moosonee many times, by train (Polar Bear Express) and by air (fixed wing and helicopter). The Polar Bear Express is nice train ride. I used to like in Kapuskasing and Timmins (1988 through 2000, worked at the airport Flight Service Station). I have been up both sides of James too. Didn't have the opportunity to take Ham radio along for the ride though.
If you get a chance, take a ride across the river to Moose Factory Island. It is more of the center of activity. Moosonee is also a good spot to watch for aurora, you may get lucky and see some, make sure to have a look after dark.
Good luck, hope you make many contacts from the Near North.
cheers, Graham ve3gtc
On 8/22/2016, "Ken Alexander" k.alexander@rogers.com wrote:
I'm happy to announce a grid expedition to Moosonee, ON, which is in EO91. I will be arriving early afternoon on Friday September 23rd and leaving late afternoon Monday September 26th. That gives me four days to put EO91 on the air via satellite.
Moosonee is a Cree village located on the Moose River, which empties into James Bay, about 15 km downstream. It's someplace I have always wanted to visit and when I'm not on the air I will be wandering through the town, photographing things of interest.
By land, Moosonee is only accessible by train; The Polar Bear Express that runs from Cochrane, ON. It's also accessible by air at much greater expense. I will be driving to Cochrane and taking a few days to get there, which will enable me to activate other grids along the way, such as FN06, FN07, FN08, EN98 and EN99.
Why not EO90? There's nothing there! There appear to be two roads into EO90 from the south, but I'm not taking my Volkswagen on them. Cochrane is at the bottom edge of EN99, so it would be a very long day's drive on unknown roads to even set foot in EO90 and return to Cochrane. Plus, as far as I can tell, there are no gas stations, food stops, accommodations or cellphone service along the way. If you break down you are well and truly screwed until someone finds you. Maybe some other time.
The Polar Bear Express has "flag stops" in EO90, where by prearrangement they will drop you off at the side of the track at one of several predetermined locations. Some of them are at power dams on the Abitibi River, where they are not set up to accommodate unexpected guests. Other flag stops are in the middle of nowhere, and have probably been set up decades ago to pick up and drop off prospectors and trappers.
The only part of the trip that is carved in stone at the moment are the days in Moosonee (EO91) itself. I'll start working out an on-air schedule based on what SatPC32 can tell me. Times will change slightly as we get closer to the date. Things are more fluid regarding the days before the train trip to Moosonee, but I have allowed about 3 or 4 days to get to Cochrane, which ought to be sufficient to operate a little from most of the grids I mentioned.
Updates will appear on Twitter. More verbose notifications will appear here.
Regards,
Ken VE3HLS
Ken,
Did that trip many years ago when I was a much younger man. No doubt it’s a rather sparsely populated grid as well as adventuresome. Did an over night flag stop to go canoeing. It was the late 1970’s when I was hardier and braver! Not one to argue with bear and moose these days!
Hope to hear you during your trip. Greg N3MVF
On Aug 22, 2016, at 2:10 PM, Ken Alexander k.alexander@rogers.com wrote:
I'm happy to announce a grid expedition to Moosonee, ON, which is in EO91. I will be arriving early afternoon on Friday September 23rd and leaving late afternoon Monday September 26th. That gives me four days to put EO91 on the air via satellite.
Moosonee is a Cree village located on the Moose River, which empties into James Bay, about 15 km downstream. It's someplace I have always wanted to visit and when I'm not on the air I will be wandering through the town, photographing things of interest.
By land, Moosonee is only accessible by train; The Polar Bear Express that runs from Cochrane, ON. It's also accessible by air at much greater expense. I will be driving to Cochrane and taking a few days to get there, which will enable me to activate other grids along the way, such as FN06, FN07, FN08, EN98 and EN99.
Why not EO90? There's nothing there! There appear to be two roads into EO90 from the south, but I'm not taking my Volkswagen on them. Cochrane is at the bottom edge of EN99, so it would be a very long day's drive on unknown roads to even set foot in EO90 and return to Cochrane. Plus, as far as I can tell, there are no gas stations, food stops, accommodations or cellphone service along the way. If you break down you are well and truly screwed until someone finds you. Maybe some other time.
The Polar Bear Express has "flag stops" in EO90, where by prearrangement they will drop you off at the side of the track at one of several predetermined locations. Some of them are at power dams on the Abitibi River, where they are not set up to accommodate unexpected guests. Other flag stops are in the middle of nowhere, and have probably been set up decades ago to pick up and drop off prospectors and trappers.
The only part of the trip that is carved in stone at the moment are the days in Moosonee (EO91) itself. I'll start working out an on-air schedule based on what SatPC32 can tell me. Times will change slightly as we get closer to the date. Things are more fluid regarding the days before the train trip to Moosonee, but I have allowed about 3 or 4 days to get to Cochrane, which ought to be sufficient to operate a little from most of the grids I mentioned.
Updates will appear on Twitter. More verbose notifications will appear here.
Regards,
Ken VE3HLS _______________________________________________ Sent via AMSAT-BB@amsat.org. AMSAT-NA makes this open forum available to all interested persons worldwide without requiring membership. Opinions expressed are solely those of the author, and do not reflect the official views of AMSAT-NA. Not an AMSAT-NA member? Join now to support the amateur satellite program! Subscription settings: http://www.amsat.org/mailman/listinfo/amsat-bb
Hi Greg,
I'm looking forward to the trip! It's been a longtime dream to at least see Hudson or James Bay, so I'm hoping I can get a boat ride down to salt water while I'm there.
I remember being hardy and adventuresome back in the 70's. This will have to do for now!
Hope to work you!
73,
Ken VE3HLS
On 2016-08-22 2:57 PM, Greg wrote:
Ken,
Did that trip many years ago when I was a much younger man. No doubt it’s a rather sparsely populated grid as well as adventuresome. Did an over night flag stop to go canoeing. It was the late 1970’s when I was hardier and braver! Not one to argue with bear and moose these days!
Hope to hear you during your trip. Greg N3MVF
On Aug 22, 2016, at 2:10 PM, Ken Alexander k.alexander@rogers.com wrote:
I'm happy to announce a grid expedition to Moosonee, ON, which is in EO91. I will be arriving early afternoon on Friday September 23rd and leaving late afternoon Monday September 26th. That gives me four days to put EO91 on the air via satellite.
Moosonee is a Cree village located on the Moose River, which empties into James Bay, about 15 km downstream. It's someplace I have always wanted to visit and when I'm not on the air I will be wandering through the town, photographing things of interest.
By land, Moosonee is only accessible by train; The Polar Bear Express that runs from Cochrane, ON. It's also accessible by air at much greater expense. I will be driving to Cochrane and taking a few days to get there, which will enable me to activate other grids along the way, such as FN06, FN07, FN08, EN98 and EN99.
Why not EO90? There's nothing there! There appear to be two roads into EO90 from the south, but I'm not taking my Volkswagen on them. Cochrane is at the bottom edge of EN99, so it would be a very long day's drive on unknown roads to even set foot in EO90 and return to Cochrane. Plus, as far as I can tell, there are no gas stations, food stops, accommodations or cellphone service along the way. If you break down you are well and truly screwed until someone finds you. Maybe some other time.
The Polar Bear Express has "flag stops" in EO90, where by prearrangement they will drop you off at the side of the track at one of several predetermined locations. Some of them are at power dams on the Abitibi River, where they are not set up to accommodate unexpected guests. Other flag stops are in the middle of nowhere, and have probably been set up decades ago to pick up and drop off prospectors and trappers.
The only part of the trip that is carved in stone at the moment are the days in Moosonee (EO91) itself. I'll start working out an on-air schedule based on what SatPC32 can tell me. Times will change slightly as we get closer to the date. Things are more fluid regarding the days before the train trip to Moosonee, but I have allowed about 3 or 4 days to get to Cochrane, which ought to be sufficient to operate a little from most of the grids I mentioned.
Updates will appear on Twitter. More verbose notifications will appear here.
Regards,
Ken VE3HLS _______________________________________________ Sent via AMSAT-BB@amsat.org. AMSAT-NA makes this open forum available to all interested persons worldwide without requiring membership. Opinions expressed are solely those of the author, and do not reflect the official views of AMSAT-NA. Not an AMSAT-NA member? Join now to support the amateur satellite program! Subscription settings: http://www.amsat.org/mailman/listinfo/amsat-bb
Ken, Sounds like an excellent trip. I'm jealous! I'd love to get upthere some day. BTW, my Fall Grid Trip this year will have me in that generalarea. The first week of September will take me to SS Marie, Chapleau,Timmins, Cochrane, Hearst and Wawa. My main objective is toactivate EN88 & 89 which I missed on last year's trip up North. Getting into EO by vehicle north of Route 11 would be a verydifficult challenge. Even though I have an AWD SUV, I'm not willingto drive 100 miles each way on dirt/gravel roads with no service orfacilities to make a few QSO's - HIHI Good Luck & Safe Travels, Bob - K8BL
From: Ken Alexander k.alexander@rogers.com To: amsat-bb@amsat.org Sent: Monday, August 22, 2016 2:10 PM Subject: [amsat-bb] Grid Expedition to EO91 (Moosonee, ON)
I'm happy to announce a grid expedition to Moosonee, ON, which is in EO91. I will be arriving early afternoon on Friday September 23rd and leaving late afternoon Monday September 26th. That gives me four days to put EO91 on the air via satellite.
Moosonee is a Cree village located on the Moose River, which empties into James Bay, about 15 km downstream. It's someplace I have always wanted to visit and when I'm not on the air I will be wandering through the town, photographing things of interest.
By land, Moosonee is only accessible by train; The Polar Bear Express that runs from Cochrane, ON. It's also accessible by air at much greater expense. I will be driving to Cochrane and taking a few days to get there, which will enable me to activate other grids along the way, such as FN06, FN07, FN08, EN98 and EN99.
Why not EO90? There's nothing there! There appear to be two roads into EO90 from the south, but I'm not taking my Volkswagen on them. Cochrane is at the bottom edge of EN99, so it would be a very long day's drive on unknown roads to even set foot in EO90 and return to Cochrane. Plus, as far as I can tell, there are no gas stations, food stops, accommodations or cellphone service along the way. If you break down you are well and truly screwed until someone finds you. Maybe some other time.
The Polar Bear Express has "flag stops" in EO90, where by prearrangement they will drop you off at the side of the track at one of several predetermined locations. Some of them are at power dams on the Abitibi River, where they are not set up to accommodate unexpected guests. Other flag stops are in the middle of nowhere, and have probably been set up decades ago to pick up and drop off prospectors and trappers.
The only part of the trip that is carved in stone at the moment are the days in Moosonee (EO91) itself. I'll start working out an on-air schedule based on what SatPC32 can tell me. Times will change slightly as we get closer to the date. Things are more fluid regarding the days before the train trip to Moosonee, but I have allowed about 3 or 4 days to get to Cochrane, which ought to be sufficient to operate a little from most of the grids I mentioned.
Updates will appear on Twitter. More verbose notifications will appear here.
Regards,
Ken VE3HLS _______________________________________________ Sent via AMSAT-BB@amsat.org. AMSAT-NA makes this open forum available to all interested persons worldwide without requiring membership. Opinions expressed are solely those of the author, and do not reflect the official views of AMSAT-NA. Not an AMSAT-NA member? Join now to support the amateur satellite program! Subscription settings: http://www.amsat.org/mailman/listinfo/amsat-bb
Hi Bob,
You're going to be in some interesting grids! If you're going to be in Cochrane anyway you should hop the train to Moosonee and at least stay overnight. It leaves Cochrane at 9:00 AM and arrives in Moosonee around 1:30 PM. Next day it leaves for the return trip at 5:00 PM, arriving in Cochrane around 9:30. A train ticket is about Cdn $55 each way. That gives you the better part of 2 days in EO91!
There are several B&Bs in Moosonee and I think at least one smallish hotel.
73,
Ken VE3HLS
On 2016-08-22 4:52 PM, R.T.Liddy wrote:
Ken, Sounds like an excellent trip. I'm jealous! I'd love to get upthere some day. BTW, my Fall Grid Trip this year will have me in that generalarea. The first week of September will take me to SS Marie, Chapleau,Timmins, Cochrane, Hearst and Wawa. My main objective is toactivate EN88 & 89 which I missed on last year's trip up North. Getting into EO by vehicle north of Route 11 would be a verydifficult challenge. Even though I have an AWD SUV, I'm not willingto drive 100 miles each way on dirt/gravel roads with no service orfacilities to make a few QSO's - HIHI Good Luck & Safe Travels, Bob - K8BL
From: Ken Alexander <k.alexander@rogers.com>To: amsat-bb@amsat.org Sent: Monday, August 22, 2016 2:10 PM Subject: [amsat-bb] Grid Expedition to EO91 (Moosonee, ON)
I'm happy to announce a grid expedition to Moosonee, ON, which is in EO91. I will be arriving early afternoon on Friday September 23rd and leaving late afternoon Monday September 26th. That gives me four days to put EO91 on the air via satellite.
Moosonee is a Cree village located on the Moose River, which empties into James Bay, about 15 km downstream. It's someplace I have always wanted to visit and when I'm not on the air I will be wandering through the town, photographing things of interest.
By land, Moosonee is only accessible by train; The Polar Bear Express that runs from Cochrane, ON. It's also accessible by air at much greater expense. I will be driving to Cochrane and taking a few days to get there, which will enable me to activate other grids along the way, such as FN06, FN07, FN08, EN98 and EN99.
Why not EO90? There's nothing there! There appear to be two roads into EO90 from the south, but I'm not taking my Volkswagen on them. Cochrane is at the bottom edge of EN99, so it would be a very long day's drive on unknown roads to even set foot in EO90 and return to Cochrane. Plus, as far as I can tell, there are no gas stations, food stops, accommodations or cellphone service along the way. If you break down you are well and truly screwed until someone finds you. Maybe some other time.
The Polar Bear Express has "flag stops" in EO90, where by prearrangement they will drop you off at the side of the track at one of several predetermined locations. Some of them are at power dams on the Abitibi River, where they are not set up to accommodate unexpected guests. Other flag stops are in the middle of nowhere, and have probably been set up decades ago to pick up and drop off prospectors and trappers.
The only part of the trip that is carved in stone at the moment are the days in Moosonee (EO91) itself. I'll start working out an on-air schedule based on what SatPC32 can tell me. Times will change slightly as we get closer to the date. Things are more fluid regarding the days before the train trip to Moosonee, but I have allowed about 3 or 4 days to get to Cochrane, which ought to be sufficient to operate a little from most of the grids I mentioned.
Updates will appear on Twitter. More verbose notifications will appear here.
Regards,
Ken VE3HLS _______________________________________________ Sent via AMSAT-BB@amsat.org. AMSAT-NA makes this open forum available to all interested persons worldwide without requiring membership. Opinions expressed are solely those of the author, and do not reflect the official views of AMSAT-NA. Not an AMSAT-NA member? Join now to support the amateur satellite program! Subscription settings: http://www.amsat.org/mailman/listinfo/amsat-bb
Sent via AMSAT-BB@amsat.org. AMSAT-NA makes this open forum available to all interested persons worldwide without requiring membership. Opinions expressed are solely those of the author, and do not reflect the official views of AMSAT-NA. Not an AMSAT-NA member? Join now to support the amateur satellite program! Subscription settings: http://www.amsat.org/mailman/listinfo/amsat-bb
participants (4)
-
Greg -
Ken Alexander -
planophore＠aei.ca -
R.T.Liddy