Page 20 January February 2018 TCA
P. 20
The Canada C3 Expedition: CG3EXP Data Collection and Analysis
Barrie Crampton, VE3BSB, John Gilbert, VE3CXL and Graham Collins, VE3GTC
A Report by Graham Collins, VE3GTC
The following is a report about the
analysis of the data gathered from the
onboard WSPR beacon – an Amateur
Radio experimental propagation
transmitter (EPT) – onboard the Polar
Prince for the duration of its journey.
The EPT was one of Hans Summer’s
(G0UPL) QRP‑LABS U3S kits. Jeff Milne,
VE3EFF, was brought onto the team and
employed a computer running Hans’ near
real‑time tracking software used to update
the QRP‑LABS website. I contacted Barry
and Jeff about my interest in the
endeavour and offered to collect CG3EXP
data, plot the ship’s position and provide
an analysis of the data during and at the
end of the voyage.
One of the compelling arguments used to
justify the installation of the EPT for the
The Polar Prince sailed into Victoria Harbour on schedule on October 28. Photo by Allan Miller. Canada C3 Expedition was to study Arctic
HF propagation – an interest of Barrie and
The voyage of the Polar Prince, With the several members of his team – and
circumnavigating Canada from successful worldwide crowdsourcing techniques,
Toronto to Victoria, British completion of using Joe Taylor’s K1JT WSJT‑X
Columbia via the Northwest the Canada C3 application (see page 25) and its WSPR
Passage, came to an end with Expedition it mode, has been an ideal tool.
the following post on the has been
Canada C3 website: “After 150 necessary to In order to study something you must be
days, we made it to Victoria! retire the able to observe and take measurements.
Thank you for following our CG3EXP Over my workbench I have a quote of
journey from coast to coast to special event Lord Kelvin (Sir William Thomson) on
coast.” call sign. An measurement which is as apropos today
opportunity as it was over a hundred years ago:
On October 28, the Canada C3 arose to have
Expedition’s Polar Prince the Polar “In physical science the first essential step
sailed into Victoria Harbour on Prince carry in the direction of learning any subject is
schedule after completing the the Ultimate 3 WSPR beacon as the ship to find principles of numerical reckoning
25,323 kilometre, 150‑day voyage along returns to the East Coast via the Panama and practicable methods for measuring
the three coastlines of Canada. A Canal. For this unique Amateur Radio some quality connected with it. I often say
spectacular achievement after visiting all opportunity, the Polar Prince is now that when you can measure what you are
the planned communities, historic sites transmitting with the call sign VE0EXP. speaking about, and express it in
and significant points of interest on numbers, you know something about it;
schedule. The CG3EXP WSPR beacon Michael Cavallin, VE7XMC (shown in the but when you cannot measure it, when
was privileged to be along for the ride and above photo), a graduate student from the you cannot express it in numbers, your
Canada’s coastline gained the attention of University of Victoria where they are knowledge is of a meagre and
Amateurs on all continents except currently assembling an Ultimate 3, unsatisfactory kind; it may be the
Antarctica. undertook and made the necessary call beginning of knowledge, but you have
sign change. We invite all Amateurs to scarcely in your thoughts advanced to the
The Ultimate beacon transmitter made a continue tracking the Polar Prince as it state of Science, whatever the matter may
total of 64,800 transmissions that resulted completes the circumnavigation of be.” [PLA, vol. 1, “Electrical Units of
in 397,964 receptions that were upload to North America. Measurement”, 1883-05-03]
the WSPRnet.org and maintained in a
database. The location of the received The CG3EXP WSPR team would like to In order to observe the effects of
signals and their signal‑to‑noise ratio thank all those stations that tracked the propagation on an HF radio signal we
have been compiled by Graham Collins, Expedition, uploaded their receptions and must first have a source signal, in this
VE3GTC and presented to the Canadian applied for eQSLs and award certificates. case the EPT onboard the Polar Prince
Space Weather Research Laboratory in and the CG3EXP WSPR transmissions.
Ottawa. We are pleased to be able to For a good overview of the Canada C3 Secondly, we must be able to make
provide Graham’s report and charts in the Expedition Award please visit: measurements in a consistent and
next few pages. http://wp.rac.ca/operating/rac‑awards/ repeatable fashion, and lastly be able to
canada‑c3‑expedition‑award/
18
Barrie Crampton, VE3BSB, John Gilbert, VE3CXL and Graham Collins, VE3GTC
A Report by Graham Collins, VE3GTC
The following is a report about the
analysis of the data gathered from the
onboard WSPR beacon – an Amateur
Radio experimental propagation
transmitter (EPT) – onboard the Polar
Prince for the duration of its journey.
The EPT was one of Hans Summer’s
(G0UPL) QRP‑LABS U3S kits. Jeff Milne,
VE3EFF, was brought onto the team and
employed a computer running Hans’ near
real‑time tracking software used to update
the QRP‑LABS website. I contacted Barry
and Jeff about my interest in the
endeavour and offered to collect CG3EXP
data, plot the ship’s position and provide
an analysis of the data during and at the
end of the voyage.
One of the compelling arguments used to
justify the installation of the EPT for the
The Polar Prince sailed into Victoria Harbour on schedule on October 28. Photo by Allan Miller. Canada C3 Expedition was to study Arctic
HF propagation – an interest of Barrie and
The voyage of the Polar Prince, With the several members of his team – and
circumnavigating Canada from successful worldwide crowdsourcing techniques,
Toronto to Victoria, British completion of using Joe Taylor’s K1JT WSJT‑X
Columbia via the Northwest the Canada C3 application (see page 25) and its WSPR
Passage, came to an end with Expedition it mode, has been an ideal tool.
the following post on the has been
Canada C3 website: “After 150 necessary to In order to study something you must be
days, we made it to Victoria! retire the able to observe and take measurements.
Thank you for following our CG3EXP Over my workbench I have a quote of
journey from coast to coast to special event Lord Kelvin (Sir William Thomson) on
coast.” call sign. An measurement which is as apropos today
opportunity as it was over a hundred years ago:
On October 28, the Canada C3 arose to have
Expedition’s Polar Prince the Polar “In physical science the first essential step
sailed into Victoria Harbour on Prince carry in the direction of learning any subject is
schedule after completing the the Ultimate 3 WSPR beacon as the ship to find principles of numerical reckoning
25,323 kilometre, 150‑day voyage along returns to the East Coast via the Panama and practicable methods for measuring
the three coastlines of Canada. A Canal. For this unique Amateur Radio some quality connected with it. I often say
spectacular achievement after visiting all opportunity, the Polar Prince is now that when you can measure what you are
the planned communities, historic sites transmitting with the call sign VE0EXP. speaking about, and express it in
and significant points of interest on numbers, you know something about it;
schedule. The CG3EXP WSPR beacon Michael Cavallin, VE7XMC (shown in the but when you cannot measure it, when
was privileged to be along for the ride and above photo), a graduate student from the you cannot express it in numbers, your
Canada’s coastline gained the attention of University of Victoria where they are knowledge is of a meagre and
Amateurs on all continents except currently assembling an Ultimate 3, unsatisfactory kind; it may be the
Antarctica. undertook and made the necessary call beginning of knowledge, but you have
sign change. We invite all Amateurs to scarcely in your thoughts advanced to the
The Ultimate beacon transmitter made a continue tracking the Polar Prince as it state of Science, whatever the matter may
total of 64,800 transmissions that resulted completes the circumnavigation of be.” [PLA, vol. 1, “Electrical Units of
in 397,964 receptions that were upload to North America. Measurement”, 1883-05-03]
the WSPRnet.org and maintained in a
database. The location of the received The CG3EXP WSPR team would like to In order to observe the effects of
signals and their signal‑to‑noise ratio thank all those stations that tracked the propagation on an HF radio signal we
have been compiled by Graham Collins, Expedition, uploaded their receptions and must first have a source signal, in this
VE3GTC and presented to the Canadian applied for eQSLs and award certificates. case the EPT onboard the Polar Prince
Space Weather Research Laboratory in and the CG3EXP WSPR transmissions.
Ottawa. We are pleased to be able to For a good overview of the Canada C3 Secondly, we must be able to make
provide Graham’s report and charts in the Expedition Award please visit: measurements in a consistent and
next few pages. http://wp.rac.ca/operating/rac‑awards/ repeatable fashion, and lastly be able to
canada‑c3‑expedition‑award/
18
