HF

[Mossback]

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.
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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.
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Anybody wanna go camping?

 

[TexasLandman]

That’s a nice set up. I’m shooting for my General license over here (I’ll get there… ). Just need to get off my duff.
My company truck is a Colorado and I have to say I’m impressed with what you have in there!

 

[El-Dracho]

Thanks for the post. You have got a great setup there.

We have a similar structure here for the different licenses, in total also three of them. We call them N, E, and A. N is strictly a beginner/user license, and A is the highest level, comparable to your Extra. When I started, N didn not exist yet, so I went straight for E (the intermediate level now). And as you said, it is very doable with the right drive and willingness to learn.

I even went on to pass the exam for the highest level. That is not as easy, and the other test-takers all had backgrounds in electrical engineering, physics, or similar fields. We have a question bank with a total of 1,750 questions; 75 of them are selected and divided into three sections, with a passing score of 19 out of 25 for each section. I managed to pass without having a professional background in telecommunications or electrical engineering. So, I think it is all doable with some effort, if you really want it.

 

[Mossback]

One "problem" I had operating there was that there was absolutely no noise floor. What this meant was that I had perfect copy on stations that didn't even move the s meter. In cities it's pretty common to have a noise floor of S7 to S9 or more and if the signal you put out doesn't break through that you won't be heard. All those cheap wall warts, printer and computer power supplies, refrigerator motors, fluorescent lights etc. all add up to a pretty scratchy audio. So if more overlanders ran HF, we would be able to communicate perfectly ! I heard numerous stations in EU, Sweden, Belgium, Germany and France but got no reply. Aw.

 

[Mossback]

That’s a nice set up. I’m shooting for my General license over here (I’ll get there… ). Just need to get off my duff.
My company truck is a Colorado and I have to say I’m impressed with what you have in there!

Thanks but not much of a build actually. I added the Mud Terrain tires but they are stock size so I have a cheap spare underneath. Still have the drool bib under the chin because I don't bend well enough to cut it out and not willing to pay shop rate to have someone do it for me. Underneath the penthouse it's stock truck with the Decked System drawers so I can still haul stuff to the dump. Then when camping I can load up a wide range of gear for the specific place I'm going. If I lived in the Rockies again it might need to get lifted and bash plates installed.