POTA in Montreal

This past summer of 2024 I had the opportunity to go on vacation with my family in Montreal, Quebec. I was really excited to have a chance to operate amateur radio in a foreign country for the firs time.

US radio amateurs in Canada

The US and Canada have a reciprical agreement for radio amateurs operating in our countries.

From this link (https://www.arrl.org/us-amateurs-operating-overseas) on the ARRL website: “When a US amateur operates in Canada, simply bring your FCC license, proof of your US citizenship (a birth certificate or other proof) and identify as call / Canadian identifier, like N1KB/VE3. At least once during the communication, you must state your geographical location, like ‘30 km north of Toronto.’”

This means that I could operate in Canada as long as I identified myself as W1YTQ/VE2 (VE2 is Montreal’s Canadian regional identifier) and shared my general location (Montreal, QC) with each contact I made.

It took a little practice for my new call sign, W1YTQ/VE2, to feel natural on my fist.

POTA operations

We were renting an apartment in the Plateau / Mont-Royal area of Montreal right down the road from Parc La Fontaine. Parc La Fontaine is registered in the Parks on the Air program as CA-0992. Over the six days in Montreal I was able to walk down the street to the park and activate it twice.

For both activations I used my KH1 radio which shines in an urban park like La Fontaine where I don’t want to throw lines up into trees.

Here’s a map of my contacts made from Parc La Fontaine during my stay in Montreal.

First successful activation

Radio propogation was horrid throughout the trip. I was unsuccessful my first trip to the park and only made two contacts.

The next day I went to the park determined to make 10 contacts required for a POTA activation. Lucky for me the park was a short walk from our apartment; I activated the park over three separate sessions at morning, around noontime and then before dinner.

It rained that afternoon and when I went for my evening session the park’s benches and tables were wet. The KH1’s “pedestrian portable” capabilities meant I could operate without dealing with a wet seat.

Second successful activation

On our final evening in Montreal I walked down to the park while my wife and the kids rested. Lucky for me radio propogation was much better that day and I was able to activate the park in a single session.

It was a beautiful evening and there were dance performances at the pavilion.

I found a picnic table and set to work. A famiily came by with their picnic basket and asked if they could join me. I enjoyed answering their questions about Morse code and radio. They were amazed I was connecting with people so far away. I really appreciate the low key operations provided by the KH1 and Morse code.

Great food!

On the way to Montreal we stopped at Farnham Ale & Lager in Farnham, Montreal. The food and beer was great.

We had so many great food experiences in Montreal. I made a special trip with my son, Josh, to Wilensky’s Light Lunch.

I learned about Wilensky’s through Dave Chang on TV.