TOF & BoB's Big Bug Out May 2014!

[Lightspeed]

Hi BoB,

Regrettably I did not have time to participate in the Backpackers radio competition this month, but hope to do so on June 15th.

How much activity was there on FM? Are there sufficient stations for novice owners UV5R type radios to have a good chance of hearing something?

Broadly what frequencies were the FM transmissions worked?

Scythe, if you are reading this, most competitors on this radio event use SSB ( Single Side Band) transmissions, although the rules allow use of FM ( Frequency Moduation) mode too. UV5r /UV3r radios are only capable of FM mode.

[Bug_out_Bag]

Not much activity on FM and not enough I would imagine for listeners to be entertained. Most activity on Single Side Band and frenzied activity on SSB VERY CLOSE to the bug out site from a local Club Station. Any SUKers wanting to listen randomly to RSGB contests on FM will be disappointed. Perhaps you could run a separate thread discussing UV5R / Uv3R operation LS for people like Scythe who need tuition on UVs or private message him? More interesting was the great propagation on HF (high frequency) with 5w QRP (low power) contact into Australia and New Zealand which was fun.

The bug out was great fun!

[Lightspeed]

Thanks for the candid reply re Backpackers. Its how I expected. It'd be interesting if there was a handheld FM section on this competition as results would surprise quite a lot of folk.

No need for separate thread as the idea od FM listening to this event is a non-starter.

Congrats working 5w power to Australia and NZ. Brilliant wet-up you have there. I assume that was SSB (voice) mode?

[Bug_out_Bag]

LS wrote: " Brilliant wet-up you have there. I assume that was SSB (voice) mode?"

Ha! Ha! ' wet up' is good description with saltwater under 3 out of 4 GPs! 20m dawn greyline, long path (!!!) Phone, SSB.

Translation for S13:

'wet up' = LS typo for "set up'

The Fort BoB best beach antenna is a piece of wire on a vertical 10m fishing pole with 4 other pieces of wire acting partly as guy lines at 5m up the pole attached to bungy cord which is pegged into the ground.

Salt water helps conductivity and so close proximity is really quite good, 3 of 4 Ground Planes were above sea water at a height of approximately 5m therefore super resonant at 14 MHz the 20m band.

Operating at dawn when it is grey is known as Greylining and can be done in the evening too. The grey line is the transition of day to night, night to day across the globe and at these times excellent long distant contacts can be made on very low power.

Long Path? Talking to Oz and NZ following the longest path around the globe as opposed to the shortest path: SP!

Phone? = voice transmission
SSB: Single Side Band, actually USB: Upper Side Band!

[Lightspeed]

Wet-up :-) oops, sorry. Clumsy typing....w &s are very close on the keyboard...

Comment on coms: Very good setup you have there for long distance coms, and of course you had ability to tune in to world wide broadcast stations across the short wave bands. If you do another Bug Out like this, could you try out a low doublet antenna to see how well it's work for inter-UK using NVIS during day and night? Something like a G5RV Jr. would give a god account of itself.

( for non radio people G5RV details here http://www.amateur-radio-wiki.net/index....tle=Dipole )

Comment on Rabbits. With such a large number of bunnies about, the best way to have caught some would have been by snaring. Snares could have been set up and left overnight. This is often the most efficient way to hunt them...... HYPOTHETICALLY of course :-)

[Bug_out_Bag]

I have experimented with home brew Half Wave End Feds through UnUn, G5RV Jnr, horizontal induction loop but the best NViS on 40m is from a verly big perimeter barbed wire fence! well grounded and through the unun again ... magic!

I had a rendezvous with Scandie preppers on 20m, Very interesting as they are out testing various Comms kit on a variety of renewable energy systems and set ups. Digi modes featuring quite a bit like PSK 31 interfaced with iPAds & Pods and of course CW. I'm looking forward to hearing their conclusion at the end of the expedition.

Re bunnies, TOF is very up to speed with snaring which I have no idea about, mind you TOF's a whizz with the catapult too !

72 OM!

[Lightspeed]

Hey! Less of the OM stuff YL!!!!

Decoding for Scythe:

OM and YL are old morse code abbreviations. OM = Old Man and YL = Young Lady