National Overland Comms Plan

[pugslyyy]

I just stick on CB 19 and 2m 146.52 when rolling down the road. I really don't find that there is a lot of chatter, and it saves having to switch over to 146.52 every hour to monitor.

 

[robgendreau]

Seems to me that the availability of repeaters is key. I was just in Mammoth, eg, and figured anyone who wanted to get anyone would use its repeater (although I didn't hear anybody, tho I wasn't monitoring for long periods). I think it was last year I picked up a guy in the backcountry, and relayed to cellular since I had reception in camp.

The problem is that obviously it takes some effort to program in the repeater, as opposed to just listening to a simplex frequency, and it's not something you're likely to do if moving. In my fantasy world a GPS enabled radio with a stored database of repeaters would do that automatically, but until then when moving I stick with the 146.520 hailing, and then pick a repeater if I camped and have time.

 

[mjohns2]

... In my fantasy world a GPS enabled radio with a stored database of repeaters would do that automatically....

So I'm not the only one wishing for this, except my wish included Wi-Fi to be able to update the repeater database

 

[Krytos]

just my two cents but on a recent death valley trip I was one of 4 hams. The other three were on the nice little Baofeng UV-5Rs. Coms were spotty all day from the front of the convoy to the dust spaced back. One of the guys with a baofeng suggested we go to UHF and things were much better. I dont know if thats just the wavelength properties or the Baofengs (stock antennas) work better on UHF, but it was enough to add a UHF simplex freq to all our future trips. There are bound to be alot of those HTs on the trail so I figured it was worth adding.

In using the UV5Rs, I've noticed it does much better in UHF out of the box, especially when operating out of a vehicle (which might itself be a result of the UHF wavelength making it through barriers much better). Once you add a new antenna, either a 701 or a mag mount, or in the alternative, operate in the open, VHF goes back to being king.

$.02

 

[jerdog53]

I don't know my buddy and I use these radios for trail com and he has the rubber duck antenna and we have had no problems now granted I have and external mag mount on the roof...maybe I don't know what I am talking about.

 

[AA1PR]

dont understand how UHF will propagate more then VHF since its more prone to line of sight blockages

I'd chose a 6M frequency if it was me

I've talked with several friends locally while out wheeling around 20 miles on 6M ssb running 5 watts

I'll program in that 146.46 in my rigs

I still listen on 146.52 every half hour on the hour when I can

talked to many LT hikers that way over the years, not any wheelers yet

 

[Dougherty03]

There is no reason to make up a dedicated overland freq for emergencies. The wilderness protocol already exists and is monitored by a significant number of stations. 146.52 is monitored nationwide for emergencies.

UHF works better from inside vehicles due to the propagation characteristics of that band.

 

[DaveInDenver]

http://www.arrl.org/news/view/ham-radio-aids-in-rescue-of-injured-colorado-hiker

07/24/2014
While Bill Eberle, AB0MY, of Boulder, Colorado, and his wife Mary were hiking in the back country on July 21, they encountered a team of paramedics rendering aid to a 67-year-old man — Michael Schuett, of Broomfield, Colorado — who had lost his footing while crossing a stream near the Fourth of July Campground west of Nederland, Colorado. Schuett had struck his head on a boulder and was found unconscious and face down in the water by a Good Samaritan, who pulled him to safety. The paramedics, who had been heading to a youth camp, also had stumbled onto the scene.

With no cell telephone coverage available, Eberle put out a distress call on the hand-held transceiver he always takes along when he hikes. Promptly answering his call on the statewide Colorado Connection Repeater system was Ryan Frederick, KD0TSZ, in Colorado Springs. Frederick contacted the Boulder County Sheriff's office. The authorities quickly turned to Scott Whitehead, KA0QPT, of Longmont, a sheriff’s department radio specialist and 30-year veteran of the Rocky Mountain Rescue Team. Whitehead was able to contact Eberle via the repeater network, and the two coordinated equipment and rescue personnel.

Crews from Nederland Fire and Rescue and the Rocky Mountain Rescue Team arrived on the scene within due course, and Schuett was evacuated from the scene, treated at an area hospital, and released. Schuett credited ham radio for bringing the rescuers to him. — Thanks to John Bigley, N7UR, Nevada Amateur Radio Newswire

 

[Crom]

http://www.arrl.org/news/view/ham-radio-aids-in-rescue-of-injured-colorado-hiker

Great story. Love happy endings. Thanks for posting.

 

[uli2000]

So I'm not the only one wishing for this, except my wish included Wi-Fi to be able to update the repeater database

I believe some of Icom's newer radios do this (IC-31, IC-51, IC-5100, and IC-7100), though it only will do it with D-Star repeaters. It stores the repeater database on a microSD card, you would need to take it out of the radio to update it. Not sure if they will ever extend the function to analog FM repeaters.

 

[Dougherty03]

I believe some of Icom's newer radios do this (IC-31, IC-51, IC-5100, and IC-7100), though it only will do it with D-Star repeaters. It stores the repeater database on a microSD card, you would need to take it out of the radio to update it. Not sure if they will ever extend the function to analog FM repeaters.

They use the lat/lon stored with the repeater data stored on the SD card with the GPS to plot nearest repeater. Really neat feature, the 7100/9100 needs an external GPS as it isn't onboard.

 

[abruzzi]

They use the lat/lon stored with the repeater data stored on the SD card with the GPS to plot nearest repeater. Really neat feature, the 7100/9100 needs an external GPS as it isn't onboard.

Seems like a lot of equipment is almost there, but not quite.

 

[swduncan]

Does anyone know if there is an HF net for folks who are on the road/overlanding? I thought there might be enough folks doing it that they'd meet on the air from time to time.

 

[Dougherty03]

Seems like a lot of equipment is almost there, but not quite.

Makes it an accessory. The final purchaser decides if they want that feature or not. Allows the retailer to sell at a lower advertised price point and then hook you with the add ons.

 

[K4CLC]

Does anyone know if there is an HF net for folks who are on the road/overlanding? I thought there might be enough folks doing it that they'd meet on the air from time to time.

http://www.4x4ham.com/netinfo.php

Hope this helps...