HF Radio: Arizona to the Arctic Circle - No Random Contacts

[@backpackingbooky]

Excellent job. Looking forward to the AAR. I made a contact (random) with someone in the arctic circle when I was in Louisville Kentucky. He was doing a DX'pedition in Svalbard Norway. Very awesome. Thanks for the vid!

[@TheTechPrepper]

Congratulations on your contact. These rare DX grids are fun to collect. You're welcome!

[@mavrick561]

Great video! As a new ham, this is inspiring to see what can be done. I want to learn all I can. Thanks!

[@TheTechPrepper]

Welcome to amateur radio! I've documented my entire radio journey here on KZbin starting with my first contact back in May of 2020. More coming.

[@ryanjones9305]

Beaver nuggets are like crack. Buckee’s for the win!

[@Scout75PortableRadio]

Great stuff as always, Gaston! Thanks for showing how it's done. Looking forward to part2. Been using my POTA 20 on my last few outings. Very impressed so far. Liking it much more than my old SOTAbeam 6. Keep them coming, bud!

[@TheTechPrepper]

Morning, Shane. Glad you enjoyed the video. My brother-in-law came with me and provided camera and lighting support with an Olight. He's a new ham and enjoyed the field op. Like you, my Carbon 6 has been demoted to backup use. More on the way.

[@Bill-HRT]

Gaston! I watch all your stuff, but don't usually comment; you don't need my yackin'. Had to today. I love how methodical you are. This contact is most definitely awesome proof of concept. See you out there. 73 de Bill from Quartzfest.

[@TheTechPrepper]

Cheers to another Arizonian, Bill. Thanks for commenting. I try to respond to everyone after a video is first released. It was a great exercise. I was telling my cameraman, who is a new ham, that you can get by with just a wire, a 100 watt radio and can still make things work with compromised deployments.

[@Cognosapien]

Great video! It's super helpful to see the details of your field HF setup, including the antenna mast, mounts etc. Interesting to think about using random contacts as a relay. Of course, not something that can be relied upon. But in an emergency that would definitely get the job done.

[@TheTechPrepper]

I'll provide more details on all the station steps including the relays in the AAR. There will be several nuggets in the debrief. Stay tuned for the video drop next Friday.

[@kf5hcr176]

​@@TheTechPrepperBeaver nuggets? Did you say 80 watts? Which coax did you use? Good testing, thanks and 73

[@TheTechPrepper]

@@kf5hcr176 80 watts. 25' of RG-316

[@vironpayne3405]

Good call on the relay. Moving from the shack to avoid QRM was another great call. In Florida leaving the shack at night typically means QR-Mosquitoes, which is not a good call. I was a bit surprised that you didn't try 40m, but you only had 20m up and it was night already. Gastone, keep up the great work, and stay away from Armageddon.

[@TheTechPrepper]

After two days struggling with the shack, it was time to move to a quieter ground. I'll show that video next. Going from an S5 to S3 noise floor allowed us to barely make this happen. Relays are great. I actually have to debrief the community on two relays that were used: one known and the other random (VE7SCC). We also had an issue with the mosquitoes. I game my friend and cameraman my net. Will do. I want the world to be safe. I'm not a fan of end-of-times.

[@vironpayne3405]

​@@TheTechPrepperWow! I always associate mosquitoes with water. Florida has plenty. Arizona seems semi arid in your area. Do they breed in desert flowers? In an emergency, just about any ham will be good help. You can't say that about every hobby community. Your unplanned relay is to that point. Stay safe, have fun, and keep up the excellent work.

[@TheGeekiestGuy]

Good stuff, as always. Thank you for the content, brother. It's nice to see you doing night coms, and hitting a target so far is awesome. If I ever get a day off, it would be nice to try this out from one of the peaks out here. 🤙🏾

[@TheTechPrepper]

I appreciate that. Running comms at night was a mostly new experience. I have done some in the past, bu typically I am camping and leave a lot earlier in the day to set up before operating over night. The deployment was rushed and recovering the gear (antenna system) at night would have been a challenge. I'll debrief you and the community in the AAR (next video).

[@TheGeekiestGuy]

@TheTechPrepper I got some small glow in the dark stickers that may aid in the night retrieval of equipment. Maybe reflective tape or paint would help if needed. I have a can of reflective spray paint that I've been using for a while. Sometimes, it's better not to be seen, but I'd be remiss if I didn't mention it. I'm glad you found your glasses. That's the main thing. 🤙🏾

[@technocreator2054]

Love the videos, but I am such a beginner with this, but love learning all that you do. Very informative and keep up the good work.

[@TheTechPrepper]

We all have to start somewhere. I am only slightly ahead of you. My first contact was 4-years ago on a Baofeng. I've documented the entire ride here on KZbin. Good luck and don't be afraid to experiment! Listen to the OMs (old men) on the air with a grain of salt. You can do a lot with very little.

[@bruehlt]

That was so cool!!

[@TheTechPrepper]

Glad you think so. It was a lot of fun.

[@Swamp-Fox]

Love the horse & donkey idea!

[@TheTechPrepper]

The wife and I have been consider donkeys for the last few years. We want to do it right and ensure we do all of our research as it will be an investment to get them set up on our property. It will be nice to load up a donkey with enough water for longer multi-day trips. It's rough carrying 8-10 liters of water per day out here in the summer.

[@OregonDX]

This is my idea fun as well! Good work. N7ORG

[@TheTechPrepper]

Right? This is my preferred way to "play radio". Every day is field day. Happy Friday.

[@larrybushman1]

Outstanding once again. Importance of zero noise leval again demonstrated. Many thanks. Larry

[@TheTechPrepper]

Exactly. After two days with no success at the shack with an S5 noise floor, the only option was to improve my location. The S2 noise floor in the desert allowed us to barely make this a bi-directional contact.

[@larrybushman1]

@@TheTechPrepper Was talking to a bloke on 40M in a motorhome up in Scotland, He said he had a s9 noise leval. I could not operate under those conditions and would drink beer insted.

[@TheTechPrepper]

@@larrybushman1 Same here.

[@Wugawamp]

Gaston- nice work and really interesting. Not into AR (yet) just interested and looking around. Your passion for the hobby is impressive. Thanks for sharing it. Subbed.

[@TheTechPrepper]

Thanks. Welcome to the channel. I'm no expert, just a guy interested in offgrid comms and want to share the journey. Every major milestone, including my first contact, has been shared on the channel. Enjoy.

[@ke8mattj]

Thank god for others being able to relay.

[@TheTechPrepper]

Indeed. The bigger boys and their bigger toys helped. Wait until you see Part II. My buddy Paul was pushing 1kw for me as a relay.

[@VE7SCC]

@@TheTechPrepper Always happy to help. We had a 5 element 20M monobander at 80' focused at 17degrees for Arron and a 4 element 20m Quad on another tower at 80' pointed to the Southwest for the relay.

[@TheTechPrepper]

@@VE7SCC Impressive setup. Thank you for the relay!

[@AjayGujrawat]

​@TheTech😊😊😊Prepper

[@AjayGujrawat]

​@TheTech😊😊😊Prepper

[@RadioTronz]

Well done! I got out and activated for POTA this week and it is amazing how many stations I can hear with no noise level (QTH usually S5+). I talked to a few stations who were 5 watts SSB 20m band over 500 miles away 🙌

[@TheTechPrepper]

That's the great thing about hitting the field. I have an S5 noise floor at the home QTH as well, hence the move to the national forest. Good luck with your POTA activations.

[@scoutinginthewoods233]

I love watching your videos of real world testing of equipment and learning as you go.

[@TheTechPrepper]

Thank you. That's the whole point of the channel. More on the way.

[@myockey]

Well that was a cool postscript.

[@TheTechPrepper]

Thanks for watching to the end. I wish I could have shared more video. I talked to Mark and Tom Horn (the horse) for about 30 minutes about horses, donkeys and or AO. Good stuff.

[@MikeBeauchamp]

Great job. We'll call it a win!

[@TheTechPrepper]

Thank you. Yes, we will. Have a good one.

[@shanemccray4050]

Good stuff as always. Looking forward to pt2

[@TheTechPrepper]

Glad you enjoyed it. I'll record this weekend. Spoiler. I was wearing pants with built-in knee pads. Man, was it comfortable getting on the ground.

[@AZREDFERN]

Funny how the random contacts were picking up in pace. Mildly annoying, but that last one came in clutch. Always good when someone at a distance can give your signals a bill of health for diagnostics, and relay. Maybe 20 meters just wasn’t it that time of night. I like using HamClock to see the MUF map, busy bands, and where all those contacts are going.

[@TheTechPrepper]

I'll share the VOACAP prediction in the ARR (next video). 20m was actually our best chance during this window with a confidence of 60%. In general, I would not even attempt a contact under 80%. 30m was only slightly better, but VA7ZZA did not have 30m capabilities. FYI: I have about another 30 minutes of random people jumping in that I worked. 73

[@K6UDA]

I'd love to have you be a guest on the Southern Idaho Preparedness Net. This is great information.

[@TheTechPrepper]

Absolutely. I am free starting next weekend. Let's line it up. I'm a fan of your channel!

[@prepperdan]

i used to live in ARCO i miss it out there

[@johnmagee2394]

Awesome job Gaston

[@TheTechPrepper]

Thank you! Cheers from AZ!

[@whiskey7edc2]

Thanks for sharing! Being a celebrity sure seems to impede your 'no random contacts', lol.

[@TheTechPrepper]

That seems to be par for the course now. I had about another dozen contacts that I cut from this video, but it is all good stuff. Thanks for the support. If stuff goes sideways, I'll have a tactical call with a voice synthesiser. ;-)

[@fernandocharlesii8678]

Great Video!

[@TheTechPrepper]

Glad you enjoyed it

[@ratchetman]

Fun stuff!

[@TheTechPrepper]

It was blast!

[@dimitdamnit]

EXCELLENT!!! Congrats Gaston! Jealous I wasn't there with you this time around! 73's KG7GTF David

[@TheTechPrepper]

Cha say! You ready for a night op with NVGs?

[@dimitdamnit]

@@TheTechPrepper Of course…. You never know what you’ll see in the desert @ night with NVGs. 🤔

[@0Logan05]

So Rad..🤙🏻.. Wittmann/Surprise to Anthem is My concern.. Then To Prescott.. That Mountain is An issue..

[@TheTechPrepper]

We have this solved. Just take advantage of NVIS propagation. Our group deploys our 40m dipoles at 1/10 of a wavelength (4m high on the 40m band) above ground as a flat topper. . It works great for county, state and regional comms. I've done many videos on this.

[@wheeler7973]

Good Job man!!

[@TheTechPrepper]

Thanks! It was a blast. It took three attempts on three nights. You guys just saw the last day in this video. For the AAR follow-up I'll show some of the shack attempts.

[@RatchetFWD]

Nice relay ! leaving your glasses in the field .😅 would definitely happen to me .

[@TheTechPrepper]

My brother from another mother. It happens all the time.

[@neubert500]

Wow, were you more thrilled seeing your Tech Prepper patch on his carry gear or actually making contact with him? OK thrilled with both I am sure, also noticed the horseman had some big iron strapped on his hip, looked like a S&W N frame, but I sure don't know. Glad there were no snake encounters and looking forward to the AAR. Excellent job!

[@TheTechPrepper]

I was thrilled with the contact. Aaron replicated my FT-857D manpack setup over a year ago, so I already new that he had a twin setup. There are only 26 total setups like this in the wild. Everyone carries out here, my self included (G45 with 2x extra 17-round magazines). For longer trips, I bring the Ruger Ranch in 5.56. I'll have to rewatch the video and see what Mark was carrying. I actually realized later, after talking to my wife, that his horse (Tom Horn) was likely named after the 1980 Steve McQueen film. I'll try to find Mark and Tom on my next trail run and confirm. The AAR is in-flight. Then, I am kicking off a civilian SIGINT series. Happy Friday.

[@aragonep]

Wow that was cool.. 73

[@TheTechPrepper]

Thanks. Glad you liked it. I had a blast filming it.

[@wesley20991]

Wear your boots in the shower, then go for little walk let them dry. Marine corps trick. Awesome video.

[@TheTechPrepper]

Really? No s*it. Where were you the last 6 months?

[@wesley20991]

lol been watching your channel, Any tips on getting digirig to work with wsjtx. Icom 706 got vara fm, aprs vara hf working just no luck with wsjtx cat control it decodes ft-8 that’s it thou.

[@k5wxp22]

Well, that was cool! Looking forward to the next one!

[@jamesdavis9628]

Beaver Balls!! MMMMMmmmm!

[@TheTechPrepper]

Haha. Nice!

[@rj44319]

love it, what was the output power?

[@rj44319]

80W :)

[@TheTechPrepper]

Thanks. 80 watts on my end.

[@d.duerksen2487]

Does the antenna need to be oriented a verdin way to maximize reach in a specific direction?

[@TheTechPrepper]

Yes, the dipole radiates broadside. The station was north of my position, so it was oriented with the "wings" East-West.

[@dougdaniels]

What was the orientation of your antenna? Was the bend/center of the inverted vee pointing directly at your target in Nunavut?

[@TheTechPrepper]

West-East. I was shooting for 4° North.

[@jameslee522]

beaver nuggets taste like corn pops to me

[@TheTechPrepper]

That's exactly what they taste like. Thank you. I knew I experienced that taste before.

[@horstjaeger2569]

Are you not afraid of snakes out there in the night my friend? I would piss me in. Best 73s OE3SZE Nik

[@TheTechPrepper]

Not really. I run into them about every two weeks, but typically it's during the day. I am more on alert and practice situation awareness. The leather snake boots are precaution.

[@thebnbaldwin]

Fantastic Gaston! That was me telling the HI station that the frequency is in use. 😂 WN7D 73!

[@TheTechPrepper]

Really? King Henry apparently couldn't hear all of us on frequency.

[@thebnbaldwin]

@@TheTechPrepper Sonny was about 2 KHz about us and splattering on my receiver.

[@reedreamer9518]

Are you actually Les Stroud hiding behind a beard? ; )

[@TheTechPrepper]

Haha. Nope. I just really enjoy the backcountry. It was my first passion. I am late to the game on the radio side and started incorporating a radio 4 years ago. Cheers!

[@reedreamer9518]

@@TheTechPrepper Actually, its your voice and your eyes maybe, but you talk like him, a little. ; )

[@TheTechPrepper]

@@reedreamer9518 I'll have to back watch Survivorman.

[@jayceew2j202]

so why we deleting helpful comments??

[@samforbes5270]

Nobody questions the great Gaston. Surely he knows what he's doing trying to work DX with his dipole at 12 ft.

[@TheTechPrepper]

Have to work with what you have. DXing is not my thing. I don't own a 30 foot mast and we don't have usable trees.