Ham Radio in A/S

[rmkrum]

And appropriate first aid and emergency water and rations. I now live in earthquake country, which can be as rough as the tornados in Alabama...

'Be prepared' is what I earned as a Boy Scout and adult leader.

(Sorry, split post by accident)


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[Ag&Au]

Originally Posted by rmkrum

And appropriate first aid and emergency water and rations. I now live in earthquake country, which can be as rough as the tornados in Alabama...

'Be prepared' is what I earned as a Boy Scout and adult leader.

(Sorry, split post by accident)


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What's a pocket internet? I searched for it and all I found were devices that receive and play internet radio stations.

Ken

[ghaynes755]

Gary, I got my tech license about 15 years ago and used it extensively when flying gliders and hot air balloons. Put a radio back in the truck when I got the AS last year. A 2M/440 Yaesu FTM-450. On my fall trip back to Jackson Center I loaded up the memories with all of the repeaters along the route. In the entire 2200 mile trip I made only two contact on 2M. The band was dead. In the Denver area there was always chatter on the multiple mountain top repeaters but no longer. Very quiet.

So I got to thinking about going to HF. Took my General in October and bought an Yaesu FT-857d, Tarheel Antenna and a TurboTuner. Mounted them in the truck and the world exploded with contacts and literally around the world. Bought a power supply and LDG tuner for inside the house and a Buddipole system. Mounted the Buddipole on the back porch and got even more hooked. This combination is what I plan to use in the new year while camping the AS.

Worked and passed the Extra exam in mid November. Strung a couple of wire antennas, G5RV types and found a used Icom IC-7600. Joined a couple of Ham Nets (OMISS and YLSystem) and made lots of other contacts. Worked All States with OMISS in about 45 days.

Now I was really hooked. Current setup (Christmas is here) is a Flex Radio 6500. The Flex is a Software Defined Radio and you use your computer as the control. I am height restricted since I live next to an airport and installed a SteppIR BigIR vertical which is tunable from 10-80m. Couldn't be more pleased.

In my enthusiasm here you can tell I think it is a great hobby. Meeting lots of new folks on the air. Easy to make friends since I have traveled a lot over the years and sometimes know pretty close to where they live. My opinion is that 2M/440 has gotten quieter but HF is alive and well.

Lastly since I like to boondock in the mountains here in the west I know that I can always make some type of emergency contact with an HF radio. Cell phones and 2M/440 are good but HF simply opens up the world.

[Al and Missy]

Also check out http://www.winlink.org/ for e-mail via ham radio. It is not suitable for large messages, e.g. pictures or video, but works great for text messages. With a WinLink account you can send e-mail to any e-mail address.

Al

[Phodeaux]

Thanks Jim,

I live near 85/87 connection so am likely within easy driving distance. After the holidays I would like to get together to see your rig and chew the rag for a while.
I am currently lusting after a Yaesu FT-857D and wondering if I could mount the base unit in the Airstream and run the remote head into my TV for transport and then back to the AS when parked. Lots of options, some maybe too ambitious until I can be sure the ham bug sticks!

XYL calling so I MUST go! More later...

"You're probably 8-10 miles down 85 from me, if you'd like we can arrange a time and you can visit our 30ft 2004 Classic upon which I've mounted both a CB and dual-band antenna on either side of the broadcast 'duckie' top front."

[rmkrum]

Pocket internet is a satirical reference to my apple smartphone that goes with me everywhere. It's the 'internet in my pocket...'


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[Ag&Au]

Originally Posted by rmkrum

Pocket internet is a satirical reference to my apple smartphone that goes with me everywhere. It's the 'internet in my pocket...'


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Thanks, sometimes humor is wasted on me.

This will be my next cell phone:

http://xkcd.com/1465/

Ken W7TS

[rmkrum]

One of my favorite cartoons and cartoonist😃


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[Phodeaux]

Originally Posted by rmkrum

On ours we have a Yaesu FT857 with a control head remoted to the back desk. The main unit is mounted in a 14x14 Leviton modular wiring box screwed to the aft closet wall inside the closet. Power distribution inside the box with a West Mountain panel. Connections to the main unit are HF and VHF. They are capable of being jumpered to two feed-thrus that go from the closet interior into the fridge compartment by the upper door.

The permanent VHF antenna is fed through a spare packing grommet on our solar junction box on the roof that covers another hole into the closet from the roof. Antenna bracketed to a solar panel mounting foot.

For HF we open the fridge exterior door and hook the portable antenna up. One hole, but two antennas.

This works for our 22 foot international CCD

Hardest thing was fishing remote wiring under everything on the street side to the cabinet under the right side of the desk.


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Thanks, Great information! I am considering either the FT-857D or maybe the FT-897D. Looking at them made me go ahead and get the General. I plan to work on the Extra when the holiday dust settles so I won't have to worry about band limits. I will use the VHF/UHF to contact club members on caravans and approaching rally's. I have noticed there isn't a lot of activity on local (SF Bay area) repeaters so HF should be an improvement!

[jbxx]

AD6WX, extra here, Northern California.

[ghaynes755]

Both of the FT's are nice. With the FT-857D you can mount in your TV easily and remove it and bring it into the trailer. Using the FT-897D mobile might be a challenge due to size.

[JimAspinwall]

- I think the trick to remoting the FT-857 head is finding the reasonable limit of the cable length - it may be negligible in some/most extended installs, or finite. My FT-857 is at the end of it's provided cable in the 'TV' - which is all too embedded to consider as a field radio working out of the truck without some new considerations I may explore - which means more antenna connection options than anything else.

- Between the 857 and my IC-706 I think the 706 with DSP option is a better radio for receive quality/dynamic range. Something about the 857 RF Gain/AGC and audio effectiveness is lacking to my ear. But, that's why we have options.

- The real key to any mobile/portable operation is getting as close to optimal antenna arrangement as possible for the desired operation. Nothing changes Airtstream. mobile, field day or fixed station - vertical radiation pattern always favors DX and horizontal, more omni/broader pattern is more universal local/stateside. It's as impressive as heck working Europe from the patio table under the awning (with a vertical) as more reliable nets and familiar contact operation with a piece of wire tossed to a nearby tree.

I travel fully equipped to do either no matter which rig. It's always a pleasure, seldom disappointing, to pitch 50-60 feet of wire or so with a cross-bow and some string, and have at least the trailer if not the entire camp electrical and plumbing system as counterpoise. (Cool - someone already buried 5 acres of radial for me!!!)

Whether a 'random' short whip or the 31' LDG vertical or short-whip screwdriver I always turn up challenged for contacts that should be out there. Again - nice to have options.

I'm trying to cover this and appropriate power schemes as a modern-day follow-on to the work of Don Johnson (sk) who's basic sound approach to all of this has helped me more than any money spent at HRO/AES, etc.

Nothing beats a trip in an Airstream, replicating your own mini-Field Day, just having a blast on HF without really trying too hard.

[68 TWind]

I run a little Elecraft K2 when camping in the Airstream and love it. It has the 100W amp built in. I have experience with the 897 doing work with the State medical assistance team. I do not like the radio. I have to keep the nifty-fifty book handy as nothing about the radio is intuative to me. I'm not saying it is a bad radio, just hard to use unless you use it every day. I run a TenTec rig at home and I think if I were going to buy a new radio for camping I would get a TenTec Eagle. They have a great receiver and a small footprint. The KX3 is a fine radio but with the external amp you have a lot of cables and stuff, plus it is pricy. Since my wife does not like to listen to me on the radio I have never felt the need for HF in the truck. I do have a dual band and like someone mention earlier, I never hear much activity when traveling. I can usually make a QSO if I try all the repeaters in the area if it is a bigger town. Lots of days I'll travel 300 miles with every machine along the route in the radio and never hear anyone.

[cwf]

Just found this.. WY3A RockMite

[slowmover]

Originally Posted by cwf

Just found this.. WY3A RockMite

My first thought on reading was, "wouldn't people be impressed if you pulled out a cigarette-pack sized tin and told them you could talk around the world with it".

Guess I really have reached greybeard status.

[rmkrum]

It's impressive performance in such a small package.

However, IMHO life's a bit short for nothing but QRP operations, and I'm useless at CW, despite my best efforts.

I'll run 100 watts or less for my toys...voice and digital only.


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[Tom Bray]

pSK31 is almost as good as CW. I have had some fairly impressive contacts with my KX3 and a Buddipole and wasn't really trying all that hard. Maybe an android tablet has better psk apps than the iPad, but I find a small laptop does just fine.

[rmkrum]

I have a stand-alone PSK-31 modem with a display, just add keyboard and transceiver and adjust. Has a spectrum scope as well. It's from NUE-PSK. Runs on its own batteries darn near forever with my FT-450 rig.

Ref 'www.nue-PSK.com

Well worth what I paid for it.


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[Ag&Au]

Originally Posted by Tom Bray

pSK31 is almost as good as CW. I have had some fairly impressive contacts with my KX3 and a Buddipole and wasn't really trying all that hard. Maybe an android tablet has better psk apps than the iPad, but I find a small laptop does just fine.

With all due respect. I am sure that even the most dedicated CW ops (which I consider myself to be one of) can not pull a signal out of nothing like a properly adjusted PSK-31 2 way QSO can. Don't feel bad however, one is human and one is robot.

Ken W7TS

[rmkrum]

I've solid copied PSK-31 signals that you can't even hear on the speaker...it's flat-out amazing what a small microprocessor can do with the right software.


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