1500 Mile Targeted Contact with HF Radio
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- čas přidán 30. 05. 2024
- It's easy to use handheld radio to talk over short distances, but what about hundreds or thousands of miles? Are the HF radio bands only for random contacts with ham hobbyists, or can we call specific people directly? We team up with TheTechPrepper and KM4ACK for a simulated emergency contact based on a pre-made comms plan, and test the limits of our skill and equipment.
- Věda a technologie
Great job Gaston and Jason! Thanks for making this video all!
Thanks, Josh!
Tons of coordination and preparation. Nice work, all.
Gaston, I don’t think I’m too far from your area, in CC. KK7THA
@@Model_Student I'm on 40m JS8 daily from 1400 to 2300Z. I love me some regional comms.
I put this comment here hoping it will be seen. I noticed that Jason's choke was at the radio and not the antenna end of his coax. If that had been flipped would it have helped with some of the noise?
Adding KM4ACK was a nice surprise i didn't expect.
He was the secret to success.
He actually knows what he's talking about @isaacbotkintrex
As much as I absolutely love the science of this channel, my absolute favorite bit is how Isaac will struggle through the process of whatever the topic is. As much as we want things to go smooth and straightforward, the reality is that you’ll hit bumps and I just think it’s awesome that it’s being shown and explained as well as the ideas for ways to fix and get through it. Great video!! Definitely one of my favorite channels to watch!
I love the practical IRL setup and implementation of this video - helps visual learners really grasp the end goal and implementation of the more theory heavy videos out there.
@@pnwgeek 100% agreed!
And how he leans on a friend after struggling alone for a bit, asking for help but without expecting to be spoonfed.
What is this, a 2A channel that is posting ham radio content that's actually accurate and helpful?
I was told not to do it, of course.
@@isaacbotkintrex please keep it up!
I was told if I bought an MPU5 and put it in my Crye vest it would just work. You mean we have to practice this stuff?
Move, shoot, communicate. Amateurs do tactics, and professionals do logistics. S2 Underground is also helpful.
This is not a 2a channel. It is a life skills channel.
HF comms was one of my specialites in the Army. It's free satelite. Yeah, don't cheap out on the radio. I've set up base stations for my commo guys at base and ran around the middle east using a manpack and created my own antennea designs depending on the enviroment and time. It's a science that becomes art. Love me some HF. Set that antennea up on the roof behind you using sandbags to hold the poles. Also, a corrogated metal roof works wonders to amp the signal.
Something of note with the failure on the G90: That port that broke on the front is really just needed for the computer to change frequencies on the radio, and for the radio to key the radio. The cable and port that does the audio side of the interface was fine.
With some settings changes, like setting it up to use VOX, the sound of the computer audio would key the radio rather than the CAT control, and you'd have to manually put your radio on frequency, rather than having the computer change frequency for you.
With that knowledge of the equipment, you could have still used your radio to make the digital comms happen. This is another reason that you have to train with your equipment on a regular basis, so you know not only that it works, but the foundations of HOW it works. Knowing these things allows you to troubleshoot and find alternative methods before you need them. Same way with your rifle and vehicle, and other tools necessary for survival.
Great video TREX, and awesome to see Jason and Gaston too
Many moons ago when I was in the Royal Signals - we had to go a HF comms test from South Georgia (on a glacier) back to the Falklands via voice... that was fun in a howling blizzard and no handy trees, on a glacier remember...
Would love to see a series for beginners in layman’s terms. Covering how to create a family coms plan to troubleshooting transmissions.
I'm already a subscriber to all three channels. What an All Star team!
Thanks for the support. It was great working with Isaac and Jason. Stay tuned for my AAR next week.
Me too!
same. agreed.
@@TheTechPrepper You rock!!!! Epic video!!!!!
Having a specific station, time and alternate frequencies makes it a lot easier. It’s all about the antenna as you know
And the atmosphere. And the environment. And the ...
With HF, Its not so much the power, but rather the antenna, antenna tuning and antenna location. Time of day (or night, review LUF and MUF) and atmospheric conditions make an enormous difference. 40 years ago remote area HF communication was a norm, kids in remote areas went to "the school of the air" etc etc. Having said that I very much enjoyed the content and presentation. Was surprised at the tolerance for letting ham operators "channel" sit for conversation, in other parts of the world, that conversation would be interrupted at a break in transmission with a call sign and a request to transmit on a comms plan for 5 minutes. Most adults will accept that and despite what licensed hams think, they do not own the airwaves.
Great test guys! 1500 miles out of the blue direct point to point portable is no easy feat! JS8Call is currently probably the best option for that. Cheers and 73.
JS8 really shines. I'm so glad it's gaining popularity
The tech prepper and yall did a really good job on showing what a HF can do, and how portable it is.
I was waiting for this one! Amazing that you were able to skip the signal such a long distance. Time windows are key for successful comms. As the tech prepper says, "No random contacts."
I watch all 3 of these guys on here regularly.
Love TTPs channel and I live how you are explaining this in easily understandable language.
One other thing to consider - you've mentioned the appliance factor - you want a radio like an appliance. Unfortunately it will cost you - the 705 does everything you want it to do, you can connect to it with a MS Surface tablet via wifi direct, and run all of your apps on the tablet (that's what I do), meaning its completely cordless with the exception of the connection to the antenna or if you run an external battery. Convenience is not cheap though as you've noticed. Nothing that has quality in the amateur radio market isn't cheap - HT's are going for $600+ now, when they used to be $400+ (FJB). The 705 is where it's at for a QRP radio that does everything (heck you can even get a Hardrock 50 watt amp kit that includes a tuner as well, that runs off of a 12v battery, but that will cost you more).
I subscribe to this method; had “nothing” to do with a guy named Julian whose call sign starts with O and ends in N. 😛
The 705 is golden. I run a rm Italy amp for it.
I really want to talk to Julian on JS8Call. That's what I'm working up to.
@@T.REXLabsGhost Net that S2 Underground set up would be a possible meeting place. And a TRex net
Our entire family (ages 16-75) has been working on a disaster comm plan.
Your laid out all the options, plus their stregnths and weakness, in one terrific video.
The fact that audio options didn't work out is a realistic senario in a regional disastor and was an asset..
Good job.
Kydex tent pegs, not something I thought I would ever hear LOL. Goods comms does not come cheap but this was a great way to show people the possibilities of HF.
These are just common rookie pitfalls you learn when you're a young ham. Just keep learning and keep experimenting - that's part of the fun!
I have a G90, and will be ordering a Digirig. My goal is to remove the digirig from its case and build it directly into the G90 case. There is plenty of room in the G90 case for the Digirig board, hardwired into the radio circuits. I will have to add a USB-C port on the back of the G90, which should be pretty easy.
Upload a video of that when you get it done
That was a great video!! Thank three for making the effort and taking the time to promote radio!
Watched TTPs view, now the lab view. What a great Friday!
Happy Friday!
It is nice that you were able to get two legit hams to help on the video. KM4ACK and The Tech Prepper are very well known and highly regarded in the amateur radio community. Very cool. I really liked your conclusions at the end too.
Tech prepper is the bees knees. Not a sad ham like other channels
Great collaboration! Learned a lot from both of yall. Keep up the great work and training
I like your idea/system of authenticating the person on the other end
This was a great introduction to your channel for me! Been following Jason for a long time, and Gaston, and now you! Glad you are also a good ol Vol!
What a wonderfully well produced video. A joy to watch.
Communicating with someone over 1000 miles away without any sort of infrastructural help, I would deem that a massive success. For 99% of the history of the world, that would be unimaginable.
Really appreciate the additional channels putting out fantastic content
Nice support team! Great demonstration of dealing with issues. Great job 🎉
Hi nice video very informative Icom IC 705 for the win Regards from South Africa ZS6JES here
Thankyou Jason & Gaston for an excellent real-life tech demonstration. This was exceptionally useful.
73s.
Been eagerly awaiting this since The Tech Prepper’s first video on the topic!!!
Great content and excellent technical quality. Very professionally made, gentlemen, thank you.
Awesome collaboration and content!
You're hanging out with legit radio dudes (IMHO). Outstanding. Good content. K0ATV
Thanks!
Thanks!
awesome video, thank you both, and your teams
As someone that has been into two way radio since the 1990's I found your video to be a real joy and a good intro for those outside of the hobby! I would like an Android app for sure for digital comm's and some options for for very small qrp type rig especialy if you do not need to build it yourself. If the kit is simple enough though then that would be fine as well. You want this to all be accessible to someone with zero interest in the radio hobby!
HF communications is too complex for someone who "is not interested in the hobby". You would at least need someone knowledgeable in radio to set it all up for you. Antennas, frequency characteristics, time of day verses usable frequency, the sunspot cycles effect on HF communications, different modulation schemes, digital techniques, there are too many variables to just expect to turn it on, and have instant communications.
Another point, don't expect reliable communications with a low power radio. Just buy a mainstream 100 watt radio, not some "cheap Chinese junk low power". You can buy USED perfectly good 100 watt HF transceivers, starting at around $400.00.
And if you are planning on SHTF, TEOTWAWKI, communications, you won't have internet, you won't have GPS, you won't have Garmin, you won't have cell phones. You won't have Sat. phones.
Cw / Morse code can often get through when side band voice calls won't. The current sun cycle has really made me appreciate cw even more.
I own an inreach and keep in mind that inreach depends on ground infrastructure, just something to keep in mind
Additionally, medium distance contacts are kind of the tricky spot. Close? dual band. Good for very close. HF great for "distance" 100s-1000s of miles. Those intermediate distances? HF with NVIS but this can be a handful. My big focus is the 20-100 mile range without repeaters. Definitely NVIS. Usually 40 or 80m. Tricky though. Good vid. Thanks.
Yeah, NVIS requires alot of practice to understand what works and what doesnt. Not sure where you are, but there is a PNW NVIS net every week - dont recall the details but a quick search should help. This is something I need to get going as well.
You should do a video about Winlink, When conditions are bad, digital is king.
I did one with my g90...not as slick but its there.
IMPORTANT: The authentication table needs alternate light coloured rows (like computer sheets or the old Apple iTunes playlist layout) and columns so the intersection points can be easily and quickly located.
I'm with you guys. I dig all the stuff the other YT Hams are doing and watch them a ton (Josh, lil Jason, etc.) but I don't have a desire to use radio like they do. As one infamous tuber puts it "I don't want to talk to anonymous men across the country". I am in AZ too, and I want to be able to communicate with my people across the city, in CA, and northern AZ, if and when the need arises. I've been following Gaston on this project and its cool to see the final outcome, gonna follow you now as well. You should check out S2 Underground, he has a very comprehensive emergency comms solution he put together called GhostNet. I think it fits nicely with what you and Gaston are doing. Keep up the great work.
While that is perfectly understandable when you get into HF you need to use the equipment so you can learn how it all works and more importantly learn propagation. UHF/VHF, sure thats almost plug and play. HF is a fickle beast where you can be going around the world one second and then barely ground waving across town.
I agree, the G90 was the weak link in the setup. I still love the IC-7200; it’s a little big, but very reliable.
If you want a truly pocketable HF digital radio setup, look at the QRP Labs QMX.
Anything is weak when you drop it unless you're getting military grade
A strength of the G90 that Gaston provided is that it has a great internal tuner that can use a lot of antennas. Unfortunately, that great tuner doesn’t help once the radio broke. The ICOM-705 that Jason provided for your use, is a great (but expensive) low power radio, but it doesn’t have any internal tuner, so that is one of the reasons Jason did not want to use the EFHW antenna that Gaston provided. Jason used a dipole which is very good for a single band. If people are going to use an ICOM-705 for their ENCOM, then a linked dipole might be a great antenna to have in your ENCOM pack, since the linked dipole can be used on several bands. You do need to manually disconnect the links in the antenna when changing bands. The CaHRTenna Mercury (Linked Dipole) looks pretty neat. (I recently bought one, but haven’t put it together yet.)
Unfortunately the FT-857 has been discontinued for a while. If you want a 100W all band radio that's still in production, the FT-991A is a decent radio.
857 still king even discontinued, 991A is a different kind of beast with double the price(or more), a good replacement is the 891 (for HF only)
@@callsignseth7679 Not exactly, they are very similar. Both HF and VHF/UHF radios. Yes, the 991 is bigger and heavier but its still the closest comparison. The 891 is HF only. Btw, used 857s are selling for around $900. A new 991 is $1100.
Simply outstanding video!
Something I forgot to add is the use of Selcall which can target and "ring" a specific user. Other users of Selcall on the ALE frequencies wouldn't even hear the conversation. This is widely used in Australia, Africa, South America and even Alaska where cellphone coverage is non-existent. In many countries, such as Australia, they have a service similar to ”911" for HF radios. I believe Alaska still has this service as well.
Great video. Always test your gear before the emergency scenario occurs folks! 🤝
Great demo of EMCOMM usage!
Thanks for creating a video that reminds us why even the tech literate prepper community with high-end gear that is well-tuned are just as fucked as the rest of us when it comes to getting out a message to anyone who may need to hear it. Can you imagine how busy the airwaves are going to be in a SHTF situation... Yeah, nothing but a big room with 20,000 people talking over each other with muffled voices... Perhaps we need to cross our attention over to community funded LoRa mesh networks covering thousands of square kilometers...
For the G90, you can do digital via the 8pin data port on the back. bd7-Maple sells a ready made cable for about $17 on ebay that takes the 8pin to a 3.5mm jack for your computer's mic/headphone jack. One cable, no need for the CE-19 or DE-19 interface box. Route to front of your radio as you did your antenna jack and add a coupler so you that becomes your wear and tear/ stress point instead of the actual port.
that so cool I'm way lost in some of it but still learning the texting part was I'm sold scale . great video guys
That was a very good video and it shows what ham radio can and cannot do.
Having a quality sdr is a great tool for scanning the bands and seeing what's in use, noise, and general listening.
So not is lost. If you get the CE-19 that goes with that radio, you can do digital out of the back Acc port. That is how I run mine. I agree the price issue but the radio will work good on cw and digital. Great video explaining comms plans. I tool like the mast as I have one of those as well. Digital is the way to go for sure. The signal is much smaller than voice so it is like throwing a pebble vs large boulder. They go further and less wattage much like CW. Great content as always. Keep it up.
Yep the CE or DE converters you can use the acc port, and bypass a lot of the voice processing too as a bonus.
I have 2 go boxes (apache). I used a FT-891 for POTA but have moved it into my Ecomm box. As a backup I got the G90 (great rig) for POTA and incase a backup for the 891. Thanks for all the ideas. I'll pass this video on to my group. 73 Bob WB6TIS
Love this! I follow all involved and it's great to see collaborations for the benefit of the "cross section" community.
I went with the Fx-4CR HF Transceiver. It is $100 more and a 2 month waiting list (by email) but I much prefer it over the Xeigu G90.
very versatile and Great videos, love it.
So interesting watching your com plan. The secret validation code was an interesting twist. 73 from N5KU
Very Very Nice friend!
Been looking fwd to this one!
Great video!
What I'm really interested is NVIS communication with DIY antenna on a vehicle. Pretty useful for emergency situations.
Thank you for making a ham radio that is practical and understandable.
I have had nothing with trouble on my G90. Unusable. Many hours and hundreds of hours troubleshooting. I just sent it back for replacement. I would not trust this in any emergency.
This is my style of communication, thanks.
Great job guys! Looks like you had a lot of fun and got the job done. Check! Check!
Great job to all involved
The x6100 and x6200 both have USB and wifi data capabilities.
I also have that exact mast (Jason's recommendation). I use a hitch flagpole mount. Carefully watch the diameters. My 2" flagpole mount works if I take the cap of the bottom of the mast, then drop it through. Works great. MUCH cheaper than the drive on supports.
Cool to see Gaston, Jason and you work together.
Im on the same with you about the radio manufactures.. they just dont produce robust, compact sized radios..
take a look on the qmac hf90, this with a builtin tuner like the g90 and a builtin soundcard like the x6100 and ic705 would be awesome.
small display = fine! its not the main priority, but having a (even small) waterfall is very practical.
had the g90 (was broken), have a x6100 -> i love it but its not really suitable for such things, all those radios are just too sensitive to outdoor stuff/not rugged enough. rainproof would be enough, we guys love to build our cases on our own but make them weatherproof with builtin stuff like i mentioned.. but no.. they just dont do it..
until today we still got no successor to the 857d which is still tbh not really a suitable radio (powerdraw, not weatherproof, no soundcard, no waterfall)
the g90 is the closest one to perfect but it just doesnt do it..
Great video. It was good to see the other side of TTP’s video. Who makes that mast??!!
Awesome channel and content 🙂👍
Good stuff guys!
My suggestion is that you might want to use commercial solutions, as amateur radio is just to cumbersome, unpredictable, and mainly designed for hobbyists. That's why some have USB (like the Xiegu X6100) and some don't (like your G90).
HF propagation from one fixed point to another fixed point is hard to get without a ton of power, in any given time and day. It all depends on the band condition, your antenna optimized angle of radiation, and many other factors.
But if you fit your radio into a military brown carry case and dress like a military, at least you look cool, and it doesn't matter if the radio works or not. You get the respect regardless.
Antennea design is HUGE!
I would definitely love some sort of ultra-portable/android/digital/HF setup, please wake me when it arrives.
I have a few.videos on my channel usinh the G90 and a Microsoft Surface pro. For mw, having a full screen laptop is key to run all the programs.
Best takeaways. Plan, test and practice your plans, have a backup plan, have a contingency plan. Success isn't an accident.
I'll be doing an after action report video this week. Lots of lessons learned here. Cheers.
Talking about WWII Comms there was a recording device where they could record a short message with a straight key and then play the recording at around 100 wpm so the message was very short and to the point. The receiving point would receive the message and record it and play it back at a speed that one could decipher. Don’t know what was used for recording at that point in time and it was probably classified.
Love this 👌🏼
HF comms: where art and science meet
Thanks Isaac!
Fantastic presentation!! Thanks 73 W8RLP
I have a barebones SGC2020 that is totally analogue. It’s in a carry bag and works just fine for what I do. First Gen ADSP NOISE limiting accessory from the factory, an LDG Z100 tuner and a 20 meter dipole .
As I have come to learn, ham radio is an activity of not 1 or 2 things, but of many things. A radio and antenna might sound like all you need, but you’ll end up getting an analyzer, digital adapter, tuner, ununs or baluns, etc. I’m not complaining, I think it’s cool to learn and experiment, but I also hate having to buy yet another thing just to get something else to work. I couldn’t agree more and I hope that manufacturers start to incorporate more features into radios that as of right now are just additions or add-ons.
Yes, JS8Call for Android would be absolutely great.
Someone please port js8 call to android I would pay for that
Jason, You should check out the new Xiegu 6200 Transceiver. It similar to the Icon 705 but at a lower price point. Just came out so it's unproven, but I am very hopeful about it as it checks most of the boxes I (and you) seem to want.
What an awesome exercise. I'd also love to see radio manufacturers branch out and start serving customers other than DX contesters.
Great collaboration video! Loved that you both had a plan and were successful. Hopefully, my comment doesn't get lost in the noise, but by the video you supplied at 3:54, it looks like you have a cold or unconnected solder joint in the TRRS connector. It would be the upper or outer most ring connection.
Just a thought if you dive back into it to fix the connection.
73
Good video🇺🇸
Digital HF using 2G, or better yet, 3G ALE makes it very possible, even in with some tough band conditions. For a civilian, the Icom IC-F8101 with RapidM modem, Codan Envoy, or Barrett 4050 or 4090 come to mind. In many cases they can provide intelligible communication even when the signal strength is at or below the noise floor.
Icom 705 should serve you well. Buy once, cry once... you should know that.
Great video. For Digi emcomm, nothing like an Icom IC705.
You should check out the Lab599 TX-500. There is no HF amateur radio with a better combination of capabilities and ruggedness. It is my go to radio any time I step outside.
I'm waiting for the Manpack version.
Great job guys! I’d be very interested to see what is the best you can get out of HTs when all infra is down and HT is the only thing you have. (You only have 50% battery remaning) would be an additional challenge.
IC-705 cost is well worth it. That radio is a swiss army utility knife.
S-2 underground, forward observer, & trex labs are becoming good content channels, should do more collaboration between good content creators in the space
Love this video. I have been trying to figure out a solution and totally agree. We need a radio from Kenwood or Icom that is built for guys like us. the 705 seems like the best option right now. Have you looked at the M17 project?