I spent Saturday afternoon with another group of Hams, this time the Contest Club Ontario at their Winter Lunch.

Beyond a great lunch (and a great value!), the event featured three top notch speakers:

Nick Lekic VE3EY led off the talks describing his recent trip to Trinidad & Tobago's north coast to participate in a contest, "Field Day Style". Packing up an entire station "within baggage limits", constructing an antenna farm on the beach and operating for 48 hours (with a minor sleep mishap) - all within a weekend - is pretty impressive!

Mike Walker VA3MW went on to describe his remote station at the family cottage. Mike combined smart, detailed and entertaining to produce a terrific primer on how to make operating a remote station a reality, including power, control and software considerations. I learned that a Christmas tree timer can be an important component of a highly available network...

John Sluymer VE3EJ spoke about configuring his station for Multi Op 2, illustrating the complexity of making things simpler on what I can only describe as an Amateur Radio Campus. While John has the most impressive station many of us will ever visit, I continue to be impressed by the humble and thoughtful manner in which he shares his knowledge and experience.

Many thanks to the organizers at Contest Club Ontario for another terrific event. I'm really looking forward to the Summer BBQ.