Enthusiast III
- 676
- First Name
- Dave
- Last Name
- Eldredge
- Member #
51753
- Ham/GMRS Callsign
- WL7H / wsfr417
I noticed a bunch of hams posting but nobody mentions HF ops. It's kind of a PITA to get a license from scratch but most stop at Technician license (I guess) . It's the same frame of mind but an additional push will get you to general class and get you to high power comms over the entire continent. There are plenty of cheat um study guides online.
This last camping trip was partially to test my 14 mhz ground plane antenna. It's a 17 foot whip (Chameleon) mounted on top of a telescoping painters extension pole (Home Depot) . It's strapped to the side of the camper and guyed by the ground radials. The 45 degree angle raises the feedpoint impedance to around 50 ohms (about 20-30 at ground level) so that the SWR is less than 1.3:1 over the entire 20 meter band. The advantages of HF are distance communications i.e., I made contacts with Alaska, California, Iowa, Illinois, Connecticut, Florida, Texas, and Arizona, both CW(morse code) and SSB. No need for repeaters, internet, or permission from anyone. I was running an ICOM 7100 at 100 watts and the components and wire gauges are good enough to run an amp to a full gallon (1000 watts). $$$ . Next trip will test a 7mhz antenna (40 meters) which will be better for 200- 500 mile skip. I'm kind of a beat to fit and paint to match sort of craftsman...
I have the 7100 mounted on a cup holder and I also use it to run 2 meter vhf (antenna poking up on the corner of the camper). I have the Midland 575 hanging near the glove box (their stubby antenna mounted on the plate on the roof of the camper) and a Midland CB on the other corner of the camper.
View attachment DSC_0888.jpg
And removed the back seat and have 1000 AH LiFePo with DC-DC converter and relay isolater 7100 main unit and gmrs main unit strapped down. Glimpse of Vevor diesel heater on floor.
View attachment DSC_0889.jpg
Anybody wanna go camping?
This last camping trip was partially to test my 14 mhz ground plane antenna. It's a 17 foot whip (Chameleon) mounted on top of a telescoping painters extension pole (Home Depot) . It's strapped to the side of the camper and guyed by the ground radials. The 45 degree angle raises the feedpoint impedance to around 50 ohms (about 20-30 at ground level) so that the SWR is less than 1.3:1 over the entire 20 meter band. The advantages of HF are distance communications i.e., I made contacts with Alaska, California, Iowa, Illinois, Connecticut, Florida, Texas, and Arizona, both CW(morse code) and SSB. No need for repeaters, internet, or permission from anyone. I was running an ICOM 7100 at 100 watts and the components and wire gauges are good enough to run an amp to a full gallon (1000 watts). $$$ . Next trip will test a 7mhz antenna (40 meters) which will be better for 200- 500 mile skip. I'm kind of a beat to fit and paint to match sort of craftsman...
I have the 7100 mounted on a cup holder and I also use it to run 2 meter vhf (antenna poking up on the corner of the camper). I have the Midland 575 hanging near the glove box (their stubby antenna mounted on the plate on the roof of the camper) and a Midland CB on the other corner of the camper.
View attachment DSC_0888.jpg
And removed the back seat and have 1000 AH LiFePo with DC-DC converter and relay isolater 7100 main unit and gmrs main unit strapped down. Glimpse of Vevor diesel heater on floor.
View attachment DSC_0889.jpg
Anybody wanna go camping?
