Backpacking and Ham Radio in the Deam?

[Smitty506th]

Anyone been out and about in the Deam wilderness area on 2m? I was just wondering if you could hit any of the repeaters down there on 5w?

 

[swatdoc]

5w and what kind of antenna?

 

[shibumiseeker]

On the ridges you can hit K9OK (or could, I haven't been on 2m in a while). When I used to go BP with and HT on 2m I'd carry a j-pole I made out of RG-58. Easy to sling up a tree.

 

[indyjoe]

That is the place for a 40 meter QRP rig with CW, isn't it.

I'd make a quick 2m dipole that you can use vertically. Forget the formula. Something like 468*/146 in length. *think that is right.

 

[straittactical]

wow is this in english ????? LOL

On the ridges you can hit K9OK (or could, I haven't been on 2m in a while). When I used to go BP with and HT on 2m I'd carry a j-pole I made out of RG-58. Easy to sling up a tree.

 

[swatdoc]

Here's a recommended source for a roll-up J-pole called a "Slim-Jim" made by a fellow hoosier ham N9TAX.

 

[Digital_photog]

Anyone up for an INGO ham hike in the Deam sometime next summer? I'll take my IC-703 for HF.

 

[swatdoc]

Sweet! How 'bout QRP from atop the Hickory Ridge Firetower? I've got a Yaesu FT-817ND and a Buddipole setup.

 

[Digital_photog]

Sweet! How 'bout QRP from atop the Hickory Ridge Firetower? I've got a Yaesu FT-817ND and a Buddipole setup.

I've never been to Deam, but by what I was reading online I thought about that location. I have a home made verticial similar to the buddistick. It also goes on my HFpack when I use that. But if we are backpacking overnight I would be taking the Gregory pack and not the small radio pack. Running 5 watts I have a pretty good battery life.

 

[Digital_photog]

I went out in the yard and took a picture of the antenna. WE are going to a basketball game tonight so will try to get it posted tomorrow.

<--- The Intelligent Donkey is pictured with the 703.

 

[RearFlankDowndraft]

wow is this in english ????? LOL

 

[straittactical]

I dont have a radio but i like to hike and learn if i didnt get in the way.

Anyone up for an INGO ham hike in the Deam sometime next summer? I'll take my IC-703 for HF.

 

[shibumiseeker]

I dont have a radio but i like to hike and learn if i didnt get in the way.

First you have to learn to speak english!

I'm sure a few non-hams who'd be willing to help schlep gear would be welcomed.

 

[PappyD]

2m

From the Tower Road lookout a few years ago- 3-4 watts into a 5/8 wave 2m collapsible antenna I was able to make the 146.70 MHz repeater located on the northside of Indy at 86th and Ditch...Man, that is high!! Remember, 2meters is FM=line of sight=height is your friend!

On top of the ridges (Grubb Ridge, etc) I could hit the Bloomington repeaters on 2meters and 440MHz...No one responded to simplex calls...

Very cool!

PappyD KG9KF

 

[randyb]

I am able to hit the bedford repeater 146.73 pretty well. The Bloomington repeater 146.64 should be good to go too.

 

[Digital_photog]

Here is a picture of the antenna I mentioned yesterday.

the coax and counterpoise are coiled up in this picture. I have a clamp mount that could be used on the fire tower. the tower could be the ground if we used it that way. I also have several wire antennas that could be hung from the tower. Those would give us a better signal out than my vertical or the buddipole. Swatdoc, I have used buddipoles and they are a good compact antenna, but a full size wire antenna will still outperform them.

 

[westfork]

i tried to get on the map using aprs out on the peninsula trail several years ago. no dice. i was using a kenwood d7 with the rubber duck on it. i was elevationally challenged where i was camped. aprs wasn't near as active then as it is here now, so i might give it another go this summer. from the top of the lookout tower shouldn't be a problem with that setup.

i always make a point to call on 146.52 when i'm mobile in a national forest or state park just to see if anybody is nearby and on.

and if i remember right wasn't there a group from down around bedford that would fox hunt out in the hoosier? that always sounded fun but i never found the time to get out and try it.

 

[swatdoc]

Nice short vid on the Hickory Ridge Fire Tower

Smithville | Hickory Ridge Firetower

 

[swatdoc]

Here is a picture of the antenna I mentioned yesterday.

Very nice setup. That's a robust tripod. Manually tuned screwdriver design? Home-brewed or purchased? If HB it's very nicely done! Do you use a balun for impedence matching and choking off common mode currents?

I also have several wire antennas that could be hung from the tower. Those would give us a better signal out than my vertical or the buddipole. Swatdoc, I have used buddipoles and they are a good compact antenna, but a full size wire antenna will still outperform them.

Agreed! And at 33m tall we could be almost a 1/4 wave high on 160m. But, of course, the height will start to degrade performance of a dipole on higher bands. And we'd have need to have a lot of guy line, a lot of coax, and/or an end-fed design (thinking sloper here).

In the video above, you can see the design of the tower obs area would lend itself well to getting antennas up.

 

[Digital_photog]

Very nice setup. That's a robust tripod. Manually tuned screwdriver design? Home-brewed or purchased? If HB it's very nicely done! Do you use a balun for impedence matching and choking off common mode currents?



Agreed! And at 33m tall we could be almost a 1/4 wave high on 160m. But, of course, the height will start to degrade performance of a dipole on higher bands. And we'd have need to have a lot of guy line, a lot of coax, and/or an end-fed design (thinking sloper here).

In the video above, you can see the design of the tower obs area would lend itself well to getting antennas up.

I have heavy tripods. need them for some of my large cameras. That antenna was part my construction and part purchased from a friend. he designed that coil. I have several single band coils that I made. he sells some of those coils and antennas on ebay. That coil wouldn't be hard to copy but at the price he sells them I couldn't mess around with it. with 2 of them you can make an antenna similar to the buddipole.

another video of the tower.
YouTube - Hoosier National Forest Fire Tower