Events

Ham Radio Operators Heat up White Bear Lake With RF

Hams On The Ice 2023

Ham radio operators from across the Minnesota/Western Wisconsin region flooded to White Bear Lake at Mahtomedi Beach for some radio fun on February 11th, 2023. Approximately twenty ham radio operators took to the ice to socialize and operate High Frequency (HF) on four different portable setups.

The annual Hams On The Ice event is a staple in the Twin Cities ham community. Every Winter hams come out and play radio on the frozen lakes. It’s great to get outside and see fellow hams as we survive the long harsh Winter here in the land of 10,000 lakes. It’s the sister-event to the monthly Hams In The Park meetup that occurs in warm weather months in the Twin Cities.

Pete Guldan, KD0SQJ, brought out his Yaesu 991a radio and paired it with a Chamaeleon EMCOM II end-fed antenna that he ran up to a piece of PVC pipe at 10′. Pete and others operating his portable setup were making 59 contacts all over the United States — including some newer hams getting their first taste of HF radio.

Dave Mangin, NOTXW, was also in attendance and operated his Yaesu FT-891 with a magnetic mount hamstick on his Ford Explorer. Dave was working DX stations in Brazil on the higher bands from his simple vertical antenna using 100 watts.