diff --git a/content/blog/2024-07-26-camping-radio.md b/content/blog/2024-07-26-camping-radio.md new file mode 100644 index 0000000..a264dca --- /dev/null +++ b/content/blog/2024-07-26-camping-radio.md @@ -0,0 +1,106 @@ +--- +title: Taking a radio camping +description: The noise floor is a lot lower in the forest +date: 2024-07-26 +draft: true +extra: + auto_center_images: true +aliases: + - /blog/camping-radio +--- + +Recently, my father and I recently took a trip out to a local provincial park for a weekend of camping. + +Last time I had been camping happened to coincide with the period of time that I was starting to gain curiosity about amateur radio. I vividly recall being out there wishing I had a radio that I could use to communicate from the campsite. + +So, to appease my past self, the present-tense radio-license-having version of me took my HF rig along to make some contacts. + +## Taking a step back + +A glaring problem in this plan was that I didn't actually have an antenna to bring. So a week in advance, I set out to build one for the trip. + +I opted to build a duplicate of my current fixed-in-place at-home antenna, a slightly more sketchy variant of [WB3GCK's speaker wire end-fed half-wave](https://wb3gck.com/tag/speaker-wire-antennas/). + +![](/images/posts/camping-radio/spkr-wire-efhw-lengths.png) + +Now, I'm not very good at following other people's antenna instructions. I like to tinker with the specifics. + +WB3GCK's design was *probably* intended to produce two distinct antennas out of a single 50ft spool of speaker wire, but I prefer to use the whole thing as a single unbalanced dipole. The more I think about it, the more the math regarding that 34ft segment breaks down, so I choose not to think about it too much. + +Having already built one of these antennas before, I just set out to the local Canadian Tire to buy the same components again and repeat my last antenna build. + +...slight problem, they didn't have speaker wire. + +So I began searching for *literally anything conductive*, and came across a pile of spools of 24-ft "lamp wire". + +Lamp wire looks like speaker wire, so I figured its probably fine. Although the **24ft** part was a bit more of a problem. You generally don't want to build your antennas *too short*, but :man_shrugging: thats what antenna tuners are for I guess. + +Armed with a surprisingly large amount of wire, I began the process of splicing and measuring. + +![](/images/posts/camping-radio/PXL_20240713_194740810.jpg) + +Everyone in my immediate life has spent the past two weeks listening to me say "100 feet is *a lot* of wire!", so this is now your opportunity to hear it too. + +I also decided to hack up the wire packaging and use a little paracord to make insulators for the tips of the antenna. + +![](/images/posts/camping-radio/PXL_20240713_202756448.jpg) + +## Preflight checks + +The next day, I took some time to pack up all my radio gear and give the antenna a test run. + +![](/images/posts/camping-radio/PXL_20240714_151953924.jpg) + +My original intent was to head to a nearby trail and find some trees to set up in. + +![](/images/posts/camping-radio/PXL_20240714_153600599.jpg) + +![](/images/posts/camping-radio/PXL_20240714_153706887.jpg) + +But I wasn't super satisfied with the area, so I instead did what any sane radio operator would do. + +I headed across the street, and set up in a grocery store parking lot. + +![](/images/posts/camping-radio/PXL_20240714_162523877.jpg) + +Feeling rather *in the open*, I sat down, watched out for people, and spun up [iFTx](https://apps.apple.com/ca/app/iftx/id6446093115) to see what kind of reach I could get with my new antenna. + +![](/images/posts/camping-radio/Screenshot_20240714-124916.png) + +For two watts into an incorrectly sized and badly tuned antenna laying on the ground, I was very happy with these results. + +## Camping time + +Fast forward a few days, and I find myself surrounded by trees with a hundred feet of wire in my hand. + +I had learned from my earlier trial run that its a good idea to keep some rope with me so I can actually attach my antenna to trees instead of just using hope and friction to keep my little paracord loops attached to twiggy branches. + +![](/images/posts/camping-radio/PXL_20240719_200332311.jpg) + +![](/images/posts/camping-radio/PXL_20240719_201852022.jpg) + +I ended up effectively wrapping the campsite in wire. One end was tied to a tree using some rope, and the other end was tent-pegged into the ground so I could adjust the tension as my brand new wire inevitably stretched over the weekend. + +In terms of operation, this setup was *awesome*. The worst noise I had to deal with was barely pushing an [S2](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/S_meter), and I was able to make far more (and better) contacts than I had expected. + +I had originally intended to spend this trip operating [FT8](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/FT8) and [CW](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Continuous_wave), but for some reason I found myself really enjoying [FT4](https://wsjt.sourceforge.io/FT4_Protocol.pdf) (a mode I had never used before), so I spent most of my day camped out on 14080[Kc](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cycle_per_second), and then shifted to [10136](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/WARC_bands) and [7074](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/40-meter_band) in the evening. + +![](/images/posts/camping-radio/PXL_20240720_200504715.jpg) + +## The results + +So? How'd I do? + +Since I happened to be where the cell service wasn't, I didn't have access to PSKReporter to keep an eye on my signal reports. So those had to wait. + +In terms of contacts, I made a bunch. All over the bands (although mainly 20m), and I even set my new distance record! (North-Western Europe from Ontario Canada) + +Once I finally caught enough of a glimpse of a network connection, I was blown away by the signal reports. By far the best I've ever received! + +![](/images/posts/camping-radio/original_3fd7fa07-f8fe-4dba-aeb1-aa1d689f300c_Screenshot_20240720-193018.png) + +Pictured above, days 1 & 2, and below 3 & 4. + +![](/images/posts/camping-radio/IMG_0218.jpg) + +All on...*checks notes*.. 7 watts :slightly_smiling_face: diff --git a/static/images/posts/camping-radio/IMG_0218.jpg b/static/images/posts/camping-radio/IMG_0218.jpg new file mode 100644 index 0000000..f735a70 Binary files /dev/null and b/static/images/posts/camping-radio/IMG_0218.jpg differ diff --git a/static/images/posts/camping-radio/PXL_20240713_194740810.jpg b/static/images/posts/camping-radio/PXL_20240713_194740810.jpg new file mode 100644 index 0000000..7407a42 Binary files /dev/null and b/static/images/posts/camping-radio/PXL_20240713_194740810.jpg differ diff --git a/static/images/posts/camping-radio/PXL_20240713_202756448.jpg b/static/images/posts/camping-radio/PXL_20240713_202756448.jpg new file mode 100644 index 0000000..fb9093d Binary files /dev/null and b/static/images/posts/camping-radio/PXL_20240713_202756448.jpg differ diff --git a/static/images/posts/camping-radio/PXL_20240714_151953924.jpg b/static/images/posts/camping-radio/PXL_20240714_151953924.jpg new file mode 100644 index 0000000..570e9da Binary files /dev/null and b/static/images/posts/camping-radio/PXL_20240714_151953924.jpg differ diff --git a/static/images/posts/camping-radio/PXL_20240714_153600599.jpg b/static/images/posts/camping-radio/PXL_20240714_153600599.jpg new file mode 100644 index 0000000..a7678e5 Binary files /dev/null and b/static/images/posts/camping-radio/PXL_20240714_153600599.jpg differ diff --git a/static/images/posts/camping-radio/PXL_20240714_153706887.jpg b/static/images/posts/camping-radio/PXL_20240714_153706887.jpg new file mode 100644 index 0000000..ce18be0 Binary files /dev/null and b/static/images/posts/camping-radio/PXL_20240714_153706887.jpg differ diff --git a/static/images/posts/camping-radio/PXL_20240714_162523877.jpg b/static/images/posts/camping-radio/PXL_20240714_162523877.jpg new file mode 100644 index 0000000..6296ba0 Binary files /dev/null and b/static/images/posts/camping-radio/PXL_20240714_162523877.jpg differ diff --git a/static/images/posts/camping-radio/PXL_20240719_200332311.jpg b/static/images/posts/camping-radio/PXL_20240719_200332311.jpg new file mode 100644 index 0000000..04f5e15 Binary files /dev/null and b/static/images/posts/camping-radio/PXL_20240719_200332311.jpg differ diff --git a/static/images/posts/camping-radio/PXL_20240719_201852022.jpg b/static/images/posts/camping-radio/PXL_20240719_201852022.jpg new file mode 100644 index 0000000..0caad63 Binary files /dev/null and b/static/images/posts/camping-radio/PXL_20240719_201852022.jpg differ diff --git a/static/images/posts/camping-radio/PXL_20240720_200504715.jpg b/static/images/posts/camping-radio/PXL_20240720_200504715.jpg new file mode 100644 index 0000000..6bfc8dc Binary files /dev/null and b/static/images/posts/camping-radio/PXL_20240720_200504715.jpg differ diff --git a/static/images/posts/camping-radio/Screenshot_20240714-124916.png b/static/images/posts/camping-radio/Screenshot_20240714-124916.png new file mode 100644 index 0000000..95832af Binary files /dev/null and b/static/images/posts/camping-radio/Screenshot_20240714-124916.png differ diff --git a/static/images/posts/camping-radio/original_3fd7fa07-f8fe-4dba-aeb1-aa1d689f300c_Screenshot_20240720-193018.png b/static/images/posts/camping-radio/original_3fd7fa07-f8fe-4dba-aeb1-aa1d689f300c_Screenshot_20240720-193018.png new file mode 100644 index 0000000..f9c68c9 Binary files /dev/null and b/static/images/posts/camping-radio/original_3fd7fa07-f8fe-4dba-aeb1-aa1d689f300c_Screenshot_20240720-193018.png differ diff --git a/static/images/posts/camping-radio/spkr-wire-efhw-lengths.png b/static/images/posts/camping-radio/spkr-wire-efhw-lengths.png new file mode 100644 index 0000000..3eb9341 Binary files /dev/null and b/static/images/posts/camping-radio/spkr-wire-efhw-lengths.png differ