VHF Contest Rover - A Beginner's Journey

[@tommonday2884]

Elevation is king, trees are your enemy and antennas are more important then power. Nice to see my picture (KC2SFU with the N2SLN team).

[@StealthGTI]

Thanks for the tips! It's tough to avoid trees in my area unless I can get to a coastline. And most coastline here is either thick sand (no good for my car) or packed with expensive houses. Otherwise, it's open parking lots with power line noise. HAHA! I have a few coastal sites picked out that I may be able to work in January. And I have open parking lots that I hope to work during the day so that I don't have to contend with any noise that their lights may produce. Take Care!

[@tylers2457]

I found your channel (and website) because I was looking for HAM mounting solutions I'm my VW Sportwagen. I appreciate inspiration and the content, which ever way it goes. Thanks a bunch

[@StealthGTI]

I appreciate that! I recently mounted some antennas to my roof rack. Your factory rack may provide an even better ground plane since it's likely threaded to your unibody structure. See my KE4WMF/R webpage for the latest photos. I'll share them here at some point. Thanks for visiting!

[@dxhamshack7905]

Nice and explanatory for newcomers. Good job 73

[@StealthGTI]

Thanks! I appreciate that!

[@coblecam]

What a great introduction to VHF contesting, and awesome setup! Our club participated this Sept in the contest as well, and I think we have some more interest. We had horrible weather with rain that seemed to be coming from everywhere, but we still wore smiles. I'm not much on contests for the sake of contesting, but advocate on the part that it helps to develop skills for communication. This event certainly tested our EMCOMM capabilities for setup, weather, and operations. 73, and hope to see more great content like this! PS - I'm an oldschool aircooled guy, but that GTI rocks!

[@StealthGTI]

Thanks for the comments, Cam! See my QRZ page (KE4WMF) for new photos of my ridiculous antenna setup (new verticals mounted). Take Care!

[@tracykeeter6454]

Love this video!! Great job. Lots of good references, clear explanations, etc. I may flag it and refer to it over and over! K4RVR Tracy

[@StealthGTI]

Glad it was helpful! I hope to make a playlist with more contesting related videos. Thanks for visiting.

[@VASGENR6DJF]

Very good hobby.

[@StealthGTI]

It keeps me busy. Thanks for visiting!

[@eprohoda]

Bravo~yo ushared professional ! broth.;)

[@StealthGTI]

Thanks for visiting!

[@JosephVE3GKT]

Thanks for the video, Scott! I've seen one or two of your videos previously. I am in the same boat as you - small car (Impreza) and I have roved for two contests - January and June 2022. I'm hoping to mount some beams in time for January, and possibly add something for 222 MHz. Hope to work you someday! EDIT: how did you mount the mast on your vehicle? 73 de VE3GKT FN03

[@StealthGTI]

Thanks for sharing! I'm in the middle of overhauling my setup. See my latest video for a kick-off. I'll publish an update after "Phase 2" is complete. I jumped the gun and ordered amplifiers before antennas due to my current project. They're still on backorder, but may come before the January contest. I don't think I'll have 222 MHz before January, but perhaps before June. The mast is not yet mounted, but it will ride on a deck that's bolted to my roof rack. I need to get moving on that, too. We're having a cold snap right now; so, I cannot paint the decking. But we usually have a warm day or two between now and the end of the year. I need to get my planks cut to length and the mounting holes drilled. Then all I need is a warm day for a quick paint job. Thanks for visiting!

[@AvocaSingleTrack]

where's the video ? no extension icon

[@StealthGTI]

What do you mean? I published this quite some time ago. So, I'm not sure what you're referencing. Thanks for visiting!

[@william_k4arx]

Hi, neighbor!

[@StealthGTI]

Hey there! Thanks for visiting!

[@pyronitro]

its funny, i have a general license but i only have a baofeng uv5r. i know the basics but i dont know anything after that like how do i find people to talk to. Been interested 40 yrs now but just dont know how to talk/use it. help? i'm really wanting to learn for emergencies since i go off grid once in a while to camp and hike.

[@StealthGTI]

I'm in a very active club in Williamsburg, VA. Our repeater is KB4ZIN, which has EchoLink and Allstar access. Our 9am daily Coffee and Radio net is very popular, even outside of our local community, and a great way to talk to people regularly. Take a listen sometime and join us if you're interested. It's very easy for licensed amateur to monitor on a smartphone or computer. For off-grid, you need at least a dual-band mobile radio for 50 watts since an HT isn't going to get you very far. I think Icom's IC-7100 is a great mobile rig if you have the room for it since it adds HF and SSB. I considered it, but didn't like the ergonomics in my setting. HF is what's really going to get you out and at distance. Take Care!

[@pyronitro]

@@StealthGTI appreciate the response. i checked out your group website. nice! very inviting! i just took a look around my area and so far i cant find any similar helpful websites. My Citys Police supposedly is linked with the local amateur radio org but i cant find any website for them either. The few frequencies that does show up in searches are mostly for Police Fire Emergencies EMT and Disaster related Agencies within a 50 mi radius. i tried broadcastify and the few that was listed are silent. I will try again tomorrow. Thanks!

[@StealthGTI]

@@pyronitro - Download a free app called RepeaterBook. Open it and let it access your location. Filter the results to show 2m repeaters. You'll find something, if not many 2m repeaters. Start monitoring them for activity. You can also look up the repeater callsigns on QRZ and perhaps find a club that's affiliated with each repeater. Good Luck!