Exploring Onyx Ranch & Sequoia National Forest with Ham Radio | POTA Adventure

[@The-Sound-Explorer]

So excited to watch this that I held off all day at work and my wife and I are currently sitting down to watch it on the tv, a big screen if fitting for these beautiful shots!I’ll comment after

[@dustyroaddestinations]

Outstanding I hope you enjoy it!

[@k6usy]

Great chatting with you on 40m today. Thanks for coming back to my CQ call from Fresno.

[@dustyroaddestinations]

That was perfect timing. I basically just tuned to 40m and was spinning the dial when you made the call. To be honest I wasn’t sure if it would work but it did!!!

[@jorge2861]

Cool hobby. Awesome video!

[@dustyroaddestinations]

It really is a neat hobby and thanks so much for watching!

[@TheWizechatmgr]

Looking good sir. There is two types of trucks - those that have had something happen at some point, and those that will. We've all had those moments. Glad to see you're still alive and kicking -- and doing something you love.

[@dustyroaddestinations]

Yeah honestly it was just a matter of time. I was more worried about rolling the truck it was kinda tricky getting out of there. Thanks for watching Wize!

[@avoverlandsupply]

Those Darche Awnings are looking good, Duane! It was good seeing you last week.

[@dustyroaddestinations]

Yeah it's a great Awning and privacy tent! Didn't get to deploy them on this trip but sure comes in nice when the time is right! Thanks for watching Chris and it was great seeing you last week. AAAANNNNNDDDD thanks for the help/recommendation for the body shop!

[@dntfakethefunk]

Awesome video! You should definitely head a group ride in the future!

[@dustyroaddestinations]

Ooh that’s an interesting idea! I just did a Jonny Taco Outdoors meetup and it was pretty fun - lots of really good people!

[@OH4LAND]

Enjoyed the video Duane! Well done Sir! I enjoy listening to the contacts you made across the states.. very cool and exciting! Your rigs looking good my friend. Sorry to hear about the rig vs tree. You'll be up in no time. Keep up the vids and safe travels!

[@dustyroaddestinations]

Thanks so much for watching and the feedback. I really appreciate the thoughts on the radio stuff - I’ve been worried it would be annoying for people. I don’t think I’ve seen anyone else do an overland twist on the radio stuff. The truck is back from the body shop and I have a new DV8 steal bumper installed so even if I do something that stupid again the truck should fair better. The factory one folder like origami…

[@The-Sound-Explorer]

Dude!! I am in awe of you Ham skills, I have been fighting my way to taking the test.. watching you make contacts was very inspiring to push through and get the license.. great video as always Duane! Beautiful and relaxing, wife and I watched she is very sorry you backed into the tree. Cheers buddy! Thanks for the good content.

[@dustyroaddestinations]

Ah found the 2nd comment, I used www.hamradioprep.com and hamstudy.org - I hate to say it but I basically just memorized the test questions and answers. Well, I was a ground radio electronics tech when I was in the Air Force so maybe that helped a little bit but. Just go through those and you'll make it! I'm only into the radio stuff just a little over a year and I just upgraded a few months ago to General so I could do more HF. Honestly I jumped into the deep end and my first thing was doing a Parks on the Air activation at Red Rock Canyon State Park. On the bumper, my youngest came over and we just finished installing a new DV8 steel bumper. Not exactly what I wanted to spend money on right now but it's looks good and should save me from backing into trees again (although the plan is to NOT do that again). Thanks again for watching and I hope your wife didn't mind watching it with you! Hope we can meet up one of these days Steve

[@The-Sound-Explorer]

@@dustyroaddestinations it’s going to happen, I want to see you Ham in real life. And we could get out into the woods for a bit. Looking forward to it

[@dustyroaddestinations]

@The-OutdoorDad sounds great!!! All the state parks, national parks, and National Forrest are all POTA locations. If you look up my call sign on the POTA.app website you’ll see I just started this maybe a month or two ago.

[@The-Sound-Explorer]

@@dustyroaddestinations sooo, there is a ham test next Saturday close to my home.. if I could do one thing straight for a week to prep.. what would you recommend,?

[@dustyroaddestinations]

@@The-Sound-Explorer oh I thought I replied to this last night - I'd do the hamstudy.org thing - just keep going through the questions and answers. I think the website is free and if you pay for the app it will sync your phone/computer and you can just keep doing it throughout the day. Good luck it is definitely an interesting hobby. If you can also knock out the general on the same test I'd try to do it. But for me it was too much to cram in my noggin. If everything is completely foreign to you then the hamradioprep with their video instructions is helpful. Good luck on your test!!!

[@tommieboi707]

Hey buddy! I like your rig. Looks like you have a new set up from the last time I saw your vid. Have fun out there and stay safe.

[@dustyroaddestinations]

Thanks @tommieboi707! This month I've had the Super Pacific for a year and it's been great! Basically 2 clicks and I'm just about ready to head to bed! Thanks for watching - question for you - was the radio part interesting or boring?

[@tommieboi707]

@@dustyroaddestinations it was cool! Interesting to see you contact people from all over the country.

[@dustyroaddestinations]

Oh nice thanks for the feedback. Yeah it is kinda cool about that!

[@NHRebelsthoughts]

Great video

[@dustyroaddestinations]

Thanks for watching! 👍🏻

[@NHRebelsthoughts]

@@dustyroaddestinations you have really taken to the radio thing

[@dustyroaddestinations]

Yeah it’s kinda fun. Sometimes I think it’s silly but like doing it. Hopefully it’s not boring in the video

[@NHRebelsthoughts]

@@dustyroaddestinations I love that you find things you like to do. Fun hobbies are great

[@dustyroaddestinations]

Absolutely! Especially after some of the stuff we've been through it's nice to get to do some things that are fun and living life again!

[@mftwomey]

Fun video, backing into a Pine tree - been there, done that. Just starting to explore the southern Sequoia forest. Was up at Troy Meadows a few weeks ago. Any suggestions for off-road camping (4x4, high clearance) and fishing would be greatly appreciated. Noted you are based out of Edwards, worked for Lockheed FCU for many years. On a quarterly basis would go out to the branch office on the NASA / Dryden site at Edwards. Safe travels.

[@dustyroaddestinations]

I could have said Monache Meadows because their is the kern river and I've seen people fishing. The only problem is I heard it was closed off because of a fire in that area - so not sure if it's open. On NASA they changed the name to Neil A. Armstrong Flight Research Center - personally I thought it was kind of annoying but oh well. I haven't had a chance to explore it but I have some friends on the other side (Fresno side) and there seems to be A LOT of great areas in Sequoia just outside of the National Park! If you find anyplace super cool please share it!

[@pingpongballz5998]

Looks like Jawbone canyon in the beginning

[@dustyroaddestinations]

Yeah, apparently California has turned that entire area into a new State Vehicular Recreation Area and named it "Eastern Kern County Onyx Ranch State Vehicular Recreation Area". Honestly I only found out because I've been doing the Parks on the Air (POTA) and that is the name they classify it as. I ranch into a State Park Police person and she said it was created a couple of years ago and they haven't posted the park plan yet. I probably should've used Jawbone Canyon because people know that. I guess it's the 2nd largest of the 9 SVRAs in California. Honestly I'm kind of worried it is going to take some of the appeal of the area if it gets hammered like the other ones... Time will tell... Thanks for watching the video!

[@pingpongballz5998]

@@dustyroaddestinations dope. I'm from Bakersfield and recognized it right away

[@dustyroaddestinations]

That drive from jawbone to sequoia is pretty nice! Kind of a long haul for you though what is it an hour and a half to get to the jawbone turn off? Oh I was doing some more research on that new area. Looks like they will start to charge to camp out there…. That’s kinda annoying

[@pingpongballz5998]

@@dustyroaddestinations it's a great area for winter camping

[@dustyroaddestinations]

I'll have to do that next year - I don't really want to do snow solo just in case I get in a pickle.

[@tmcmsail1]

Waiting for the new stuff. Hope to see the fancy body work you recently changed….

[@dustyroaddestinations]

Only a little glimpse of that. Will be a couple of order videos I need to finish and publish.

[@tmcmsail1]

Top ramen. What a meal. Fun stuff. Nice to have a great day out in nature…

[@dustyroaddestinations]

It was GREAT!!! lol honestly Jonny Taco got me hooked on that. I do it at home as well. I just didn’t expect the chili oil to be as hot as it was.

[@jmathre44]

Oof, sorry about your tailgate. Hope it's not too costly. That ramen looked amazing, and now im craving it!

[@dustyroaddestinations]

Thanks for that I really appreciate it - I decided to avoid insurance and found a body shop to fix it - it was $850 to fix the driver bed side panel, repair that, adjusted the front fender (from my Funnel Lake trip), and remove the rear bumper and throw in it the back of the truck. Dropped it off Wednesday and it was Finished Friday. I removed the wiring harness from the damaged bumper and put that back together, and today I ordered a new steal off road bumper for like $750... I mention all the numbers because it WAS going to be $3400 for the other body shop but then a $500 deductible (not bad) BUUUUT a $700 a year increase in my insurance for the next 6 years... Honestly that "fancy" ramen is pretty good - Mr. Jonny Toco introduced that to me on our previous camping trips - I really liked it and tend to do it often now.

[@liv2fly88]

It's a truck. At least that's what I tell myself when I do things that result in those "that'll buff out" moments.

[@dustyroaddestinations]

Yeah, at first I wasn't too worried I firuged I'd just remove the bumper and replace it with a better one - that was until I tried to open the bed of the truck - then it was ahhhhh crap... If the paint wasn't chipping off from the damage on the bed fender I probably would've ignored it... Thanks for watching @liv2fly88!

[@jmathre44]

@@dustyroaddestinations Sounds like you found a good shop for a heck of a price. Other than pin stripes, I'm still waiting for the day I do something careless on my end and wind up with some damage too. ha. I've seen JT's videos where he has ramen, and it always looks so good. I shouldn't eat a lot of noodles, but I do once in awhile. A little Andouille sausage for heat and some mushrooms/shallots really make it "gourmet". ;)

[@dustyroaddestinations]

Yeah, actually the owner of Antelope Valley Overland Supplies told me to go to this guy and I'm glad he did! I shouldn't eat ramen either BUT typically my blood sugar doesn't spike with that.I normally like to do mushrooms as well but I didn't have any on that trip! On the pin stripe - that kind of what I told the body guy - I was like do I REALLY need to paint the entire panel because I already have pin strips - he said he could but it would fade wrong so basically he's like look I'll path fix for $750 and then he said look $100 more and I repaint the entire driver side bed - so I just went ahead and did that - looks pretty darn nice

[@JacquiMAustralia]

Hey Duane! Can you please explain radio contacts? My partner and I 4WD and camp a lot here in West Aus but not seen that here...just wondering. Hope you and Deb are well. PS: What about the bears? 😬

[@dustyroaddestinations]

@JacquiMAustralia - what I'm doing is a think called "Parks on the Air" POTA which is a radio "game" where someone (activator) goes to a park (they are designated on the POTA.app website) and then HUNTERS try to make contact with you. So what you heard on my side was me activating Sequoia National Forest and the Pacific Crest Trail. The hunters will call out their call sign, I acknowledge it, we share sometimes signal reports (59, 33, 31) which the first number is the audio clarity and the second number is the S (signal) meter on the radio. A 59 would be like a perfect signal. 3 is kind of hard to read 2 is really bad (technically some of those calls were a 2) and 1 would be unreadable at all. Funny note I have made contacts with stations in Australia although that mainly was through data/FT8.

[@JacquiMAustralia]

Oh okay. Not real hunters then? Good to see you out having a good time 4WDing. We just bought a camper trailer and enjoying the outdoors more.

[@dustyroaddestinations]

Good for you guys! I'd love to see a picture of your setup! LOL well technically they ARE real hunters just with radio signals and antennas instead of weapons!!! LOL. Should have my new replacement bumper tomorrow and hopefully either put it on tomorrow or Thursday then hopefully back out for another trip!

[@JacquiMAustralia]

I'll send you a picture. Is email the best way?

[@dustyroaddestinations]

@@JacquiMAustralia email or dsdduane on instagram - I've turned that instagram account into my camping one so that works. Well if you're on instagram.

[@Fonzilla09]

Was this the Landers Campground? Also, is their signal up there or are you running a Starlink setup?

[@dustyroaddestinations]

It was near Landers there were a bunch of hikers there so I went up the road a bit and took a right - that's where I smashed my bumper. No cell coverage all I had was ZOLEO Satellite and the HF radio. Starlink would be a neat to have though!

[@strayhorserecords]

I was camped at landers this weekend. I think I may have seen you drive in. We were the big group with the orange gazelle tents.

[@dustyroaddestinations]

@strayhorserecords oh nice! I think you were the only other rig I saw out there. Other than the PCT hikers there wasn’t a lot of people of there. Honestly think this is one of my favorite spots. Do you head up there a lot?

[@strayhorserecords]

@@dustyroaddestinations funny thing is that was my first time checking out Landers and the Piutes after watching your other Landers Campground video. It looked like a lot of fun and my friends and I needed a last minute campground and remembered your video. When we got there Friday it got busy with PCT hikers maybe a couple dozen were around. I fed the nice girl who was camped next to me she was in 6 weeks from salt lake Utah. Saturday wasn’t so busy. Before we left Sunday I fed 4 more hikers breakfast and listened to their experiences. It was a really cool place and my friends and their kids had a great time. Thank you for sharing your journeys otherwise I wouldn’t have know that mountain range is hidden little gem. Can’t wait to get back an explore more as we found some cool places to shoot some astral photography and it’s currently Milky Way season. Let me know when you plan on going back I would love to join you. You seem like a chill dude to camp with!! I’m a couple hours away in OC.

[@dustyroaddestinations]

Oh wow that's cool, for me it is pretty close so its easy to get through - and the desert to mountain drive is pretty nice a peaceful. This trip was the first time I really talked to any of the hikers - I've always been fascinated with people who do any of those really long hikes. Have you been up to the Kennedy Meadows area? That 9 mile canyon drive (paved) is pretty nice too. If you have instagram DM me there, dsdduane and we can figure a way to meet up!