HF radio and bushcraft

[speckledjim]

I find Morse very relaxing, as Doc says there is something very special about it, almost magical. I will often just leave a rig on listening.
Graham

I agree entirely, it seem more 'natural' than other forms of long distance communication, with signals arriving at the receiver via a path which is not man-made. I think QRP brings you closer to that early pioneering spirit which the early inventors must've felt, the magic is definitely still alive.

I know after building my own radio I felt like a mordern day Marconi!

As for that cat, I couldn't decide whether it was disturbing or amusing. Maybe a bit of both.

 

[Doc]

Good kit the 320.
Not exactly lightweight of course, though I daresay it might protect you from being shot in the back.

Just another thought:

How about a sked? Maybe an evening 'Wilderness Net' on 80 sometime?

Or, how about a wilderness radio meet up one weekend in the spring? One option would be Loch Etive. Its fairly easy to get to from England and the Central belt, it is a sea loch so good for radio propagation and free fishing, wild camping/hammocking is feasible and legal, there is foreshore and driftwood for a fire, and it is one of the few routes that is doable by a mixed group of paddlers and walkers.

 

[speckledjim]

Good kit the 320.
How about a sked? Maybe an evening 'Wilderness Net' on 80 sometime?

Or, how about a wilderness radio meet up one weekend in the spring? One option would be Loch Etive. Its fairly easy to get to from England and the Central belt, it is a sea loch so good for radio propagation and free fishing, wild camping/hammocking is feasible and legal, there is foreshore and driftwood for a fire, and it is one of the few routes that is doable by a mixed group of paddlers and walkers.

I was musing on almost exactly the same lines myself Doc. I think both ideas are fantastic.

Not been on 80 since I was in scouts mind, I might have to look into ordering some new xtals or just order a new Rockmite ($27 you can't go wrong!)

 

[BorderReiver]

Oh dear,I'm going to have to buckle down and get back to learning the code.

I've been licensed for 16 years but mostly use vhf/uhf gear for Raynet purposes. Tried to learn Morse several times but I keep back sliding.

The 817 I have is one of the early ones and the internal battery charge just fades away in no time,even if it is just sitting in the cupboard.

Any recommendations for an ATU to use with the 817 ?

This thread has inspired me to get out and about on HF.

 

[speckledjim]

Oh dear,I'm going to have to buckle down and get back to learning the code.

Any recommendations for an ATU to use with the 817 ?

This thread has inspired me to get out and about on HF.

Greetings fellow antenna enthusiast!

I think Code Quick is probably the best way you can learn code from a complete cold start. It uses the language centre of the brain right from the beginning and gets you thinking in morse in no time. I've heard it said that it could even teach a tree stump the code! I downloaded it as a free trial years ago and learned the full alphabet by the time the software trial was over. I'd tried a few other ways before but got pretty much nowhere.
The system uses soundalike phrases for each character, it's also quite quirky and fun!

Hendricks QRP kits do a good range in ATUs. The Hendricks BLT (balanced line tuner) is selling like hot cakes. It contains an in build bridge circuit to use while tuning up the antenna so you don't fry your final PA. It also has an LED indicator which tells you when you've got a good match (no need for separate swr meter, although I think the 817 may have one built in).
There are also a whole bunch of simple mods to change/increase the frequency range of the tuner (adding turns on the inductor, and extra capacitance for example)
The ATU is rated at 5 watts so the 817 should be just fine with it!
It costs £35 inc p&p and is also extremely simple to build.

 

[crazyclimber]

There is a magic to using morse that is difficult to explain

You've got it... not sure what it is - probably a combination of history, awe about the comminication through a single tone, but it's musical too...
Though I've never transmitted on HF it's really that that interests me more than the speech side.

If there is some kind of meet I'd love to join you. Might not be licenced myself then, but... I'll take some photos or something to make myself useful

 

[BorderReiver]

Cheers Speckledjim,I'll give them a look.

 

[GrahamC]

It is also possible to use cw over the net, cw com , it is sometimes not working but when it is you can either communicate with someone else or just send code that gets translated to text (use the program without selecting 'connect'). It is a good way of checking that your code is readable. I sometimes use it at lunchtimes.

I would certainly be up for a sked sometime, 80m is a bit noisy here but would probably be the best band to use. A meet would be a great idea, all the better if I can combine canoe, bushcraft and radio!

In a drawer somewhere I have some spare toroids and some of the compression capacitors I used on the 30/40m end fed antenna tuner that I posted on the kite antenna web pages if anyone wants to try making one then let me know (PM) and I will try and dig them out. Of course, it only really does one band but packs away to nothing.

Of course, you don't always need an ATU in the woods as a dipole can be strung up between the trees.

Oh I'm getting excited about finishing the KX1 now, the solder smoke is rising
73
Graham

 

[speckledjim]

If any of you folks use the radio while bushcraftin'/wilderness traveling, what sort of antenna arrangements do you make?

I was thinking along several lines:

1. Doublet (inverted V position) used with ATU

2. End fed wire used with ATU

3. Resonant dipole (possibly no ATU)

Any experiences with these configurations? Any more ideas?

Been using an MFJ 1899 (designed for the 817) which is a base loaded all band antenna with telescopic whip. It's ok, but I'm thinking a little bit of experimentation with a more efficient design may make the most of that qrp power!

 

[Doc]

Hi Jim,

Its worth looking at the Adventure radio society website for field-expedient antennas.

I have been using a 6.7m Roach pole as a mast. Its light enough for backpacking. I have a 10m Roach pole, and a 5.4m ex army Clansman GRP mast but they are heavier.

I've tried a 40m coax fed inverted V dipole without atu but the problem is the swr varies with different ground.

Currently I'm using an Emtech ZM-2 balanced atu I built from a kit. It tunes long wires, a loop, or a balanced feedline doublet.

For multiband use, there is much to be said for using speaker wire as a balanced feedline to the top of the mast, where you split the two strands into an inverted V doublet.

For monoband use, an endfed half wave needs little or no ground, and is as efficient as a half wave dipole.

By the sea, I might be tempted to use an end fed vertical tuned against a quarter wave counterpoise for low angle takeoff.


Thinking about a bushcraft/hf radio meet again, if there is interest, this would be fairly easy to arrange. I know from experience that the best thing is to set a date and see who is available. My own thoughts were:

Late April/early May (Long days but no midgies)

Scotland (favourable access laws)

Sea loch (free fishing, good propagation, fires legal on foreshore, driftwood available)

Maximum 8 people (access laws allow 'small group' wild camping - so a realistic maximum is 2 groups of 4 camping in two nearby groups)

Obviously would have to be done under the access code so would be strictly leave-no-trace camping/hammocking and fairly modest campfire.

Probably just a short (2 to 5 mile) walk/paddle in to allow time for setting up camp/playing radio.

Would be plenty of opportunity for non-radio stuff.

Probably just a Saturday/Sunday but that leaves scope for anyone wishing to arrive on the Friday night to wild camp Friday.

As mentioned, I would favour Loch Etive, as it ticks all the boxes, starting from the North West head of the loch and walking/paddling a short distance down the north shore. Its about 2.5 hrs from Edinburgh, maybe 1.5 hrs from Glasgow by car. It might be feasible to pick up people from Crianlarich or Tyndrum rail stations too.

If anyone interested could advise interest/availability on this thread, once we have a nucleus of at least 3-4 people I can start a new thread on the Meets forum.

Loch Etive:

 

[Doc]

Another pic

 

[backwoodsman]

to true, now where can l get one

 

[Scytale]

Wow, a bushcraft/amateur radio thread......both ends of the technology spectrum in one thread!

I've had a licence since 1990 and never actually transmitted anything on any band. I kept the licence going because I always meant to get into it. My callsign is G7GUN. My mate who took the exam at the same time got G7GIN. What's the chances of that?

It was in the days of A and B class licences and I went for a B class because I didn't think I could cope with learning morse. I notice now that, with no effort on my part, I now have a full licence.

Regards

John

 

[speckledjim]

Thinking about a bushcraft/hf radio meet again, if there is interest, this would be fairly easy to arrange. I know from experience that the best thing is to set a date and see who is available.

It's a very nice idea! But unfortunately I would be unable to commit to anything at this time, I'll keep a note of the folks on this thread though, and maybe organise something in the future if possible.
I'd love to say I could make it but I wouldn't want to let anyone down if things didn't go as planned.

Loved the pictures BTW, excellent place indeed!

 

[rik_uk3]

I'd love a meet, but to be honest Scotland is just too far for me at the moment. Any hams going to the bushmoot this summer?

 

[crazyclimber]

That looks a great location there Doc. At this stage I can't say where I'll be around that time but if I can make it I will. Don't you just hate people that say that
Will also try to make the bushmoot

 

[Doc]

No worries guys. Its always difficult to get a time and a location that works for everybody.

If this looks doable I'll just list it under the meets thread and see.

BTW, there is an Elecraft K1 rig and T1 automatic qrp tuner on ebay just now. No connection with the seller, just a heads up for anyone interested.