Comms: Where are we now?

[Tarrel]

(27 June 2013, 08:03)BeardyMan Wrote: Just need NVIS set up now, but that stuff called money keeps getting in the way...

Doesn't have to be expensive. For a base station, fabricate a home-made half-wave dipole and mount it around 2-3 metres above the ground. Connect to radio with balanced feeder, or via a Balun and coax. Or, use a simple long wire, again mounted close to ground, and connect to radio via an antenna tuner. It is the closeness to the ground that makes it NVIS.

For mobile, take a long whip, attach it to vehicle near the front using a gutter mount or similar. Bend it back towards the rear of the vehicle and tie it down with an insulated rope, so you have an arc-shaped antenna. Vehicle body takes the place of the ground.

HTH