By VE6AB
“This day finds me out operating HF portable from the top of a high butte overlooking the Red Deer river valley badlands of southeastern Alberta.
I am not the first person to set up camp on this butte, as I was set up beside a tipi ring, signifying the fact that first nations people had been using this spot for setting up their tipi’s for many years past.
If you expand the photo and look at my vertical antenna with its guy-lines, you can visualize a tipi sitting in this spot, chosen for its commanding views in all directions over the grasslands.
The owner of the ranch who’s land this butte is located on, was telling me that back in the 1800’s, the Hudson’s Bay company had established a fur trading fort on the banks of the Red Deer river, the location of this fort only several kilometers from my location on this butte.
There are tipi rings to be found all along the ridges of this range of buttes and hills located east of the ghost town of Dorothy AB throughout the grasslands bordering the Red Deer river.

Earlier in the pre-dawn darkness, I had left Calgary with plenty of time to reach the grasslands located in the Wintering Hills of southeastern Alberta, where I hoped to catch the sun rising over the beautiful rolling grass bordering the badlands of the Red Deer river. Once I reached the end of the blacktop of highway 564, I planned on working my way north through these hills that roll down against the badlands bordering the Red Deer river. I already knew my destination on the day where I would be setting up to operate HF portable from a butte overlooking these grasslands. Off the end of highway 564, you drive a twisting backroad that descends through the badlands to a cool girder bridge on the Red Deer river, and after you cross this bridge, it is just a short distance to the ghost town of Dorothy.”.…READ MORE
Home but never alone: Celebrating World Amateur Radio Day
Image credit: Otava Tuomi. Early last year, when the outbreak of coronavirus (COVID-19) first pushed much of the world into lockdown, one traditional... Read more
JS8Call Overview and Settings 2021
JS8Call Overview and Settings 2021 Read more
The K7RA Solar Update
Tad Cook, K7RA, Seattle, reports: On April 12, new sunspot group AR2814 appeared following 5 days of no sunspots. Daily sunspot numbers on the next 4... Read more
How do I Ground My Transceiver in a Recreational Vehicle
Devin, KM4ENW, asks how to ground his 2m/70cm radio in his RV. I show how to use the frame of the RV as a good counterpoise. Read more
National Science Foundation Funds Creation of Research Lab at Alaska’s HAARP
A 5-year, $9.3 million National Science Foundation (NSF) grant will allow the University of Alaska Fairbanks (UAF) Geophysical Institute to establish... Read more
An Earth-Directed Stealthy Storm Launches as Activity Bumps Up | Solar Storm Forecast 04.14.2021
https://youtu.be/Tti4AZUa458 Read more
FTdx10 & FT-991A SSB Receiver Comparison
“My good friend Joel, KC4WZB, loaned me his brand new Yaesu FTdx10. When I say loaned, I mean he picked it up at Ham Radio Outlet and brought it... Read more
St. Vincent Radio Amateurs on Alert During Volcano Emergency
Donald de Riggs, J88CD, on the Caribbean island of St. Vincent, says that on April 13, the 42nd anniversary of the 1979 eruption of the La Soufriere v... Read more
Can You Cook A Hotdog With Ham Radio?
“I’ve always been facinated by the physical affects of RF. Today, a light experiment testing if can cook hotdogs with RF. The test incorpo... Read more
Updated Radio Frequency Exposure Rules Become Effective on May 3
The FCC has announced that rule changes detailed in a lengthy 2019 Report and Order governing RF exposure standards go into effect on May 3, 2021. The... Read more
Lab599 Discovery TX-500
Today i’m bringing you an update on a very exciting qrp ham radio from Lab599. It’s called the Discovery TX-500. The TX500 is a HF & 6... Read more
RTL-SDR BLOG L-BAND Patch Antenna Version 2 – Inmarsat – Iridium – GPS
Here we take a look at the brand new L-Band Patch antenna from RTL-SDR Blog. This antenna is designed to work with Inmarsat, Iridium and GPS signals. Read more
The Malahit DSP portable SDR receive
A nifty little portable SDR receiver. I still have lots to explore with it, but here’s an overview. 【Frequency Range】50 kHz~2.0GHz (Registered v... Read more
Comparing the Elecraft KX2 and the Icom IC-705. Which should I buy?
Comparing the Elecraft KX2 and the Icom IC-705. Which should I buy? Read more
80M Antenna with HOA Constraints
Welcome to the 400th Ask Dave video! Ken, VE7ZY, is having trouble with an 80m dipole mounted very closely to the roof flashing. He is seeking other a... Read more
The K7RA Solar Update
Tad Cook, K7RA, Seattle, reports: Sunspots were only visible on 4 days of the current reporting week — on April 3-6 — and now on Friday morning,... Read more
TOP 10 ACCESSORIES FOR IC-705
This week Jonathan goes through his top 10 must-have accessories for the IC-705! Read more
March 2021 Volunteer Monitor Program Report
The Volunteer Monitor (VM) Program is a joint initiative between ARRL and the FCC to enhance compliance in the Amateur Radio Service. This is the Marc... Read more
Traditional Amateur Radio Contesting Faces a Demographic Cliff
Frank Howell, K4FMH, followed up his two-part National Contest Journal (NCJ) series, “The Demographics of Contesting,” with a post to his Social Circu... Read more
ARISS USA Gets IRS 501(c)(3) Recognition
ARISS-USA, a Maryland nonprofit corporation, has earned recognition from the US Internal Revenue Service (IRS) as a Section 501(c)(3) charitable, scie... Read more