Due to spending all free time making stuff I seem to have successfully dodged any winter bonus points! Ah well soon be winter again.
The YL and I go up the mountains most weekends but she isn’t really interested in radio so I don’t take the radio. Last weekend we had a beautiful day in T shirts the whole way visiting GW/SW-009, Mynydd Troed and GW/SW-015, Mynydd Llangorse on a longish loop, no radio.
However last week I received one of the Baofeng UV-82HP handhelds for 144/432MHz. I actually got it to take to the States rather than the FT-817 to activate a couple of 14,000ers in Colorado (quick and simple as in a small group sightseeing) so when the YL found us a new summit to vist and I checked it out and it’s a summit thought I’d take it up and give it a go.
Was a cracking day for walking, dry and the sun came out later and quite calm except on the summit ridge where the wind bit a bit keen but not terrible. Good 3G signal on the track and summit so spotted myself and got a contact on 145.500 quickly, moved away and had 4 QSOs in succession before it dried up! that was lucky.
Little handie with its standard rubber duck seemed to work well.
Hi Steve,
I’d recommend you take an extra aerial when you go to the states, something better than the rubber ducky antenna - as you dont want to have to set up a mast, even a simpy quarter wave whip on top of the HT will give better results than the rubber duck antenna.
An external speaker/mic can help in windy conditions as well (and allows you some freedom in positioning the HT in the clear of your body for better reception).
Hi Ed. Thanks. I was planning to make a flowerpot type dipole to fit onto a quick release plate on my camera tripod (trip is sightseeing and photography, with some geocaching thrown in, and now a little radio )
Though the two peaks overlook Colorado Springs and Denver with a pretty clean line of sight I think.
I have a few months to experiment with the handie.
OK, with the camera tripod, you have a few good options and as you say if you are line of sight to two large towns, you won’t need so much gain. With you schedule with the others, I guess you’ll grab 4 contacts and then head off to avd keeping the others waiting.
I tend to operate HF on activations and for 2m, I simply take the quarter wave whip of the cars mag mount and screw it into the SO239 on the back/bottom of the FT817, this seems to work rather well, without having to carry much extra. The 2m rubber duck antenna on the FT817 isn’t very good.
Thanks Ed.
Yes I need to be quick as I will also be doing landscapes and panos, and probably (there is usually one) a geocache. Don’t want the others to get too bored. Hopefully they’ll be enjoying the view though. It helps two are seniors (70+ both) so I can bat on ahead and get a lot done before they reach the same spot
But I’m thinking a small dipole based antenna on a bit of RD316 to an SMA and back to back.
Though checking, Pike’s Peak is about 13miles from centre of Colorado Springs as crow flies, and Mt Evans is about 35miles from the centre of Denver, with good views to the both.
My version: The YL and I go up the mountains on occasion but she isn’t really interested in radio, though I do take the radio. She carries a warm blanket and a book.
If you are running that dipole vertical you need to run the feeder out for 1/4 wavelength before it hangs down or it will either have a horrible match or a bizarre radiation pattern or both. End fed vertical will probably be more usable.
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