Menu

Show posts

This section allows you to view all posts made by this member. Note that you can only see posts made in areas you currently have access to.

Show posts Menu

Messages - gil

#2431
Tactical Corner / Re: Ham Radio Camping Trip.
April 22, 2013, 11:40:41 PM
I'm back! Hello everyone. And thanks again to Ray for being there for all those skeds! It was a great week. I have much to report about radio and camping.. Probably not all tonight though.. I do have photos and video. To make a long story short, and Ray already did a great job reporting, here is how it went: The hike to camp was hard, mostly because of my 83Lbs pack. That was dumb. Twenty years ago, sure.. These days, my lower back isn't cooperating anymore. Though, we got there, my friend Christine and I. She stayed two days, and it was nice to have someone with me in camp to ease into the rest of the week solo.

On the radio side, everything worked flawlessly, though my paddle was acting up at times, and other times, horse flies were pestering me and causing extra dits and dahs  ::) Not to mention missed words while listening. I only used  one set of AA NiMH cells for the whole week, and only got them down to 9.6V or so.. Unbelievable! I could have used them another week! The MTR draws very little curent. That included 26 QSOs and much listening. One problem, or more of an annoyance, was the fact that my station was composed of a few items connected by wires: MTR, paddle, battery, key, speaker. Moving the whole thing was troublesome. I plan on getting a clipboard and securing all these items to it so that I can move the station around easily, along with a notepad. The combination of the BetterQRP tuner and LNR wire/choke was perfect. It did give me an SWR indicator for the MTR. The antenna was fed at the bottom and sloped. The tuner was resting on the ground, held by a tent stake. I would take everyting down every time, except the antenna, which stayed up the tree. I admit, when the storm hit last night, it took me a while to find sleep, even though I had moved the dangling wire away from my tent, which was pretty close to the tree. I was hoping my thermarest pad would offer some insulation in case of lighting strike.. Wishful thinking probably..

The GoalZero solar panel proved useful to recharge my Veho360 speaker and Guide10, which I used for the light, reading at night. Again, I did not have to recharge batteries for the radio.

I learned a few new lessons about camping. The first one I can summarize in one word: Weight. I knew already how important it was, but knowing and experiencing are two different things. When your straps start bruising your shoulders, you really understand what that means. The target is no more than 20% body weight. I had more than 40%. I won't do that again. Fortunately it was only a few miles.
One item I absolutely need to get is a head-lamp. A must-have for radio operations and anything else for that matter.

Well, I am getting tired but will post more tomorrow. That bleu cheese burger I had earlier makes me sleepy  ;)

This trip, I hope, is just a warm-up. The wild is calling me  ::)

Gil.
#2432
Tactical Corner / Re: Ham Radio Camping Trip.
April 16, 2013, 03:34:47 PM
Looks like it's a GO!

I was pumped full of iodine and irradiated this afternoon, but all went well. The radiologist can't diagnose of course, but I asked if it was wise for me to go camping, she said "absolutely you should go," which I am going to take the right way  ::) (blood work and EKG were in the green). If you wonder, I've been having bad stomach problems, and weird deep upper back pain, getting worse.. Hopefully it is nothing but stress..

My pack is of course way too heavy at 63Lbs, plus a 2.5Gal (20Lbs) bottle of water I am carrying. Fortunately there is a short cut we can take to cut the hike to three miles. Thank God! I don't think I could have hiked 9 miles via the scenic route.. Not with that weight and feeling like crap (excuse my French).. Half of the weight is food and water for a week.

I should be on the air mornings at 11:30 on 14067.5 (sked with Ray first), then I'll listen for others. Same at 20:00 to 21:00 (Eastern) on 7067.5.

If I make it to the camp site with all that stuff on my back ::)
The return trip will be soooo much easier!

Gil.
#2433
Technical Corner / Re: Rock-Mite 40M (7030)
April 16, 2013, 03:25:27 PM
QuoteI plan on getting the EFT-10/20/40 trail friendly antenna, and a KK1 straight key kit from American Morse

Excellent choices!

Gil.
#2434
Tactical Corner / Re: Ham Radio Camping Trip.
April 14, 2013, 10:05:15 AM
QuoteSounds like you're staying in a organized camp ground where there is a bit of staff.  Good enough.

Primitive camp site.. Staff is a few miles away.. Basically, you're out there with no facilities of any kind. I like it that way because if there happens to be other campers around, they are the kind who don't mind and actually can walk a few miles without dropping dead.. Which usually means more respectful and quiet.

Gil.
#2435
Tactical Corner / Re: Ham Radio Camping Trip.
April 13, 2013, 10:07:40 PM
Here is my whole HF CW station revisited. The Nomad 7 recharges the AA NiMH cells four at a time. The MTR uses eight. The solar panel also recharges the mini speaker. Everything is there for a fully autonomous station with global reach. It all fits in a very small bag and is very light. That includes the full size antenna and tuner! No heavy batteries to carry when your receiver current draw is 35mA! Power output with eight cells is 4.5W on 40m and 3.3W on 20m. This in my opinion is as small as you can get without losing performance. Total cost estimated at $430, including shipping charges. For a complete station including solar charging and antenna, it isn't bad at all. If a KX1 had been used instead of the MTR (which is rarely on sale and harder to build), you would add about $190 to that. The LNR Mantiz is also a good option if you don't want to build a kit: http://www.lnrprecision.com/transceivers/. As far as I know, the MTR is the smallest full-featured radio out there.

Gil.
#2436
General Discussion / Re: New guy checking in...
April 13, 2013, 09:39:00 PM
Welcome aboard Wally  :)

I was in Washington State two years ago. Beautiful state, though a bit cold and wet for me, even in August! Montana was 85F and Seattle was 60 and raining  ::)
I hope you get back to CW because I don't have anybody to talk to on the West Coast  ;) I'd be glad to help you work your speed up, if we can establish contact.
Morse is definitely where it's at for portability and efficiency!

Gil.
#2437
Tactical Corner / Re: Ham Radio Camping Trip.
April 13, 2013, 09:31:49 PM
Hello Geek,

Yes, I have a first-aid kit, forgot to include it.. My above-mentioned friend will stay for three days, and I will remain there alone for the rest of the week. There might be other campers there on Saturday and Sunday, probably not on Thursday night and Friday. So, I should not be alone the whole week, though I will enjoy my solo time, even if it is not the safest. Oh well, life is a terminal disease... Interestingly enough, I have always approached these activities as a solo endeavour. I used to solo-cave-dive, if that tells you anything... Probably wouldn't do that again now... I have mellowed down enough to get people to enjoy joining in my planned outdoors activities now, but I guess I am not yet used to the idea... Map and compass, yes, I have both.

Gil.
#2438
Tactical Corner / Ham Radio Camping Trip.
April 13, 2013, 08:24:50 PM
If all goes well, I should be putting my radio preps to the test this coming week. I say ?if all goes well? because of some current health concerns, and a myriad of other variables that could prevent me from going on a one week camping trip at a semi-remote location. That said, I am getting ready and will be sharing the ?adventure.? I can hardly call it such, but it will be a good test to figure out what works and what doesn't. I will be available for skeds from ?the boonies? on 20 and 40m CW. Ray will be my liaison to the outside world. I am not sure if there is cell phone reception there or not, but even if there is, my battery won't last a week anyway. If I get cell reception I will keep it charged for emergencies and probably check messages once a day.

This trip won't really simulate a bug-out, but might point out some deficiencies in my thinking...

I am sure you guys would be interested in what I am taking with me, so there it is:

RADIO:


I just received the LNR Precision trail-friendly end-fed wire and choke (see attached photo), it is very small and weighs just about nothing. I decided to use it without the LNR matchbox because I needed an SWR indicator to use with the MTR. For tuning, I will use a 9V battery for reduced power. Besides, I already have their 40/20/10 regular end-fed, so I can use that match box as well. The good thing about the BetterQRP end-fed tuner is that it can be used with any half-wave wire from 15 to 40m. I am very grateful to Larry at LNR Precision for selling me the wire & choke assembly separately. I just tested the combination and could get a 1:1 SWR on both 20 and 40m without having to trim the wire. I expect excellent results with this combo.

I might take my KX3 with me if my pack doesn't end-up being too heavy, but I have the sinking feeling that it probably will. It would be fine without food and water, but both are pretty heavy. What the KX3 would give me is short-wave reception, as well as 15, 17 and 30m on top of 20 and 40. No big deal, but SWL would be nice. If the zombies attack I am sure Ray would let me know via CW before they get to him.  ::) An excellent alternate option that does provide SWL would have been a KX1...

Here is a list of some camping gear I got for the trip (subject to change):


This is just the main stuff of course, I am also packing a number of other items not worth mentioning. I was not going to use my Eberlestock backpack but could simply not afford a bigger pack. I'll just have to strap a bunch of gear on the outside. If you think I am forgetting anything, please let me know.

For food, I got help from a hippie friend who is used to Rainbow Gatherings and camping.. Without her, I would not have included fresh vegetables (potatoes, sweet potatoes), chia seeds, mixed nuts and dried fruits.. I got tea, protein bars and will get eggs and canned meat on Monday. Oh, and of course some port and liquor  :) I leave on Tuesday afternoon. Again, any suggestion would be welcome.

This will also be an excellent opportunity for me to practice Morse code without the help of a computer as a backup. I am starting to head-copy, but I still miss many words. At about 12 to 15wpm (on a good day), I can copy without much trouble. Faster than that and my brain refuses to cooperate, yet... I think the small CW rig and end-fed will prove to be the ultimate in camping / SHTF applications. It has taken me a while to slim down my portable station and try different options, but with the MTR and the KX3, I think I am now all set.

Stay tuned for more...

Gil.
#2439
News of confiscation would spread so fast, there would be no way to enforce it.

Gil.
#2440
Well said Ray. Moreover, prepping is about survival, not putting one in harm's way... There was much cheering and bravado at the onset of the last Civil War. That changed quickly when people started dropping like flies on both sides... Thank God we are far from anything like that, besides what some are saying, and even hoping for. I've seen these Internet warriors on many forums, covering many hobbies and activities. Like that "Rambo of The Month!" Take that guy and put him into some Olympic event, and see how it pans out... Wouldn't last one race/match, whatever... Much talking...

Radio, and Ham operators are no threat. Nobody under 45 owns a short wave radio anymore. Not to say it isn't useful of course, that's what this forum is about. If things ever go bad, I want to hear about it, so I can walk the other way, not towards trouble.

Confiscation? Unlikely. If it ever got to that, we'd have much bigger problems to face that surrendering radios...

The big problem these days is the lack of interest and education about politics. I am routinely floored about the lack of understanding most people have on how the world actually works. And these people vote! They vote because they need the handouts. I've met college students who could not place Africa on a map! No kidding. How could these people possibly elect a reasonable government?

Well, hopefully reason will prevail, though I'm not holding my breath. In the mean time, I am making sure I am self-sufficient, stay in good shape and am ready to head the other way... If I owned land and had spent most of my life working on it, I might have a different opinion, but I don't. At the slightest hint of travel restrictions, I'll be out of here faster than you can say "where to?" Actually, I am starting to think that a few years abroad might not be such a bad idea... Or maybe move to a more "remote" locale.

Anyway, enough rambling... Enjoy the week-end  :)

Gil.
#2441
Antennas / Re: Bought wrong antenna
April 07, 2013, 01:35:30 PM
QuoteSo how would I measure the S-units that I am getting?

That would be printed on the screen while receiving, as a bar graph.

Gil.
#2442
I started seeing it on Ebay... Sounds great, but indeed, 500mA is A LOT!
I'm used to 60mA (K1, MTR)  ;) (well, 150 to 200mA with the KX3).

Gil.
#2443
Antennas / Re: Bought wrong antenna
April 06, 2013, 09:30:24 PM
Yep, I added a rat tail to my Ft-270R after Bob's post back then and got three S-units more on the local repeater. Awesome!

Gil.
#2444
QuoteAny idea how long that set up would take to charge up the 4 AA batteries?

I will be testing it pretty soon; waiting for a missing cable to arrive. I can charge the Guide-10 via the USB cable, but it will take longer. The documentation says it will charge four AAs in three hours. So, I expect four hours. That means I can recharge a full set of eight batteries in a day. Since eight cells will last a few days of operation with the MTR, it is ample power, and I should be able to recharge other devices. I am planning a one week camping trip on the 16th, so that will be the true test... If I operate enough to drain a set of cells! You guys will just have to keep me talking  ::)

Gil.
#2445
Antennas / Re: Bought wrong antenna
April 06, 2013, 12:12:09 PM
Hello Wildsky,

I don't think an adaptor would degrade performance in a way that could possibly be noticed.. I would be careful however about the mechanical sturdiness (or lack thereof). What connector do you have on your handheld, BNC? My Yaesu has an SMA connector, female part on the handheld, and that antenna would probably fit? I do prefer BNC though, it just seems stronger. A BNC to SMA adaptor would probably be OK, since in case of shock to the antenna, it would probably break at the antenna/adaptor junction, as opposed to the handheld/adaptor, which would be bad..

Gil.