Category Archives: VHF/UHF

Yellowstone and Grand Teton: SOTA and POTA

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Visiting Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks is a favorite trip for us. It is a 9-hour drive to get there from Colorado, so we can make it in a day.  In September, we visited these two parks with a blend of activities in mind: RV camping, hiking, viewing wildlife and ham radio. The ham radio part means Summits On The Air (SOTA) and Parks On The Air (POTA).

The Teton mountains tower above the Snake River.

Our trip started from Monument, CO, followed by a stop at our cabin near Trout Creek Pass. Heading north, we spent one night at Steamboat Lake State Park (Colorado), which broke up the road trip into smaller sections.

A few of the many buffalo (bison) in Yellowstone National Park.

Grand Teton NP

Grand Teton NP listed 27 activations for POTA (POTA K-0031) which is really not that many activations for such a well-known national park. The park and the surrounding national forests have many SOTA summits available, some quite difficult to climb (such as 13,770 foot Grand Teton).   We camped two nights at Colter Bay RV Park, inside the park. This is a decent RV-style campground with full hookups and campsites packed in a bit tight.

Joyce/K0JJW campsite operating POTA from the Grand Teton campsite.

Our usual POTA station is the Yaesu FT-991 driving a single-band end-fed halfwave (usually 40m, 20m or 17m) supported by a fishing pole and powered by a 20 Ah Bioenno battery. Joyce/K0JJW likes to use a paper log but I usually log my contacts with HAMRS, either on my notebook PC or an iPad. HAMRS is a relatively new logging program that runs on most operating systems (Windows, Mac, Linux, iOS, Android, etc.) It is tuned for portable operating, with templates for SOTA and POTA. Check it out, if you haven’t tried it.

One unfortunate surprise while operating from the campsite was a ton of RFI coming from the electronic devices in use by the herd of RVs. The noise floor on 20m was S5— not so good.  It seems that today’s RV enthusiast brings along complete wireless network support with internet access points, WiFi routers, and their associated Part 15 emissions. Oh, well.

After setting up on 20m SSB, K0JJW and I both completed 10 QSOs with some difficulty. We were clearly being heard but we had trouble digging signals out of the noise.

Next up was a VHF SOTA activation on Signal Mountain (W7Y/TT-161). This is an easy-to-access drive-up summit with a great view, highly recommended with or without a SOTA activation. We debated on whether to use HF for SOTA on this trip. Normally, we’ve stuck to VHF/UHF on SOTA summits, as part of the Height-Above-Average-Terrain experience. However, knowing that Northwest Wyoming is a bit sparse for VHF activity, we could easily get skunked on a SOTA activation (less than 4 QSOs). Despite that, we opted to stick with VHF for SOTA and focus on a successful activation (1 QSO or more), with or without the SOTA points. On Signal Mountain, we worked two stations on 2m FM, including Steven/KB7ITU in Rexburg, ID, about 60 miles away. (Hey, we worked another state on VHF!)

Speaking of VHF, we used our dualband mobile (IC-2730A) to listen to the national park repeaters while we travelled through the park. Our dual-receive radio always has 146.52 MHz on one side and “something else” on the other side. When inside large national parks, we’ll set the second receiver to a national park frequency. These are generally conventional FM in the 162 to 173 MHz range. I won’t list the Teton and Yellowstone frequencies here but you can find them with a little searching on the interwebz. For example, see wiki.radioreference.com for Yellowstone NP frequencies.

Yellowstone National Park

Yellowstone ( POTA K-0070 ) had only 22 POTA activations, not that many considering it is the nation’s first national park. It also has quite a number of SOTA summits of varying difficulty.

We camped two nights at Grant Village campground, a basic national park campground. The campground had no hookups but the campsites are well spaced with many trees and flush toilets. (The only problem we had was when the park service booked another group of campers onto our campsite one night.)

Joyce and our RV (Rocky Victoria) at the Grant Village campsite.

During a previous visit to Yellowstone, we activated Lake Butte (W7Y/PA-219). On this trip, we had our eye on Mount Washburn (W7Y/PA-163), a well-known 10k summit and popular hike, but the road that provides access to it was closed for the summer due to construction. (OK, maybe next time.)

Bob/K0NR operates 2m FM from the unnamed summit W7Y/TT-139.

Instead, we decided to try an unnamed summit 8770 (W7Y/TT-139) that was relatively easy to access but had not been activated for SOTA. We found some trip reports that said there is a nice trail to the summit and the only complaint was that the summit does not have a view due to the many trees.  We parked at the Divide Trailhead, about 12 miles west of Grant Village. The trail is 1.8 miles in length (one way) with 700 feet of elevation gain. So not too difficult but a real hike.  The summit is broad and sure enough with lots of trees, so no view. Practice normal bear precautions on this trail.

Practice standard bear precautions in this area.

Again, we opted for VHF SOTA, knowing that we might not get enough radio contacts for points…but we only needed one contact to qualify as the first activation. We worked two mobile stations passing through the park on 146.52 MHz. Yes, it is good to always be monitoring the calling frequency. You never know who is going to show up.

For POTA, we noted that the Continental Divide Trail National Scenic Trail (K-4558) passes through Yellowstone NP, which would allow for a double activation.  The CDT has always been special to me as it passes through Colorado and provides some of the most scenic hiking in the state. It only had 15 activations listed at that time, two of those were ours from when we activated it a month earlier, in Colorado. We choose the Old Faithful area as a good place to activate Yellowstone NP ( K-0070) and the CDT. We set up near the edge of the parking lot, away from the crowds. Again it was the FT-991 driving the endfed halfwave on 20m SSB. It was midday, so we expected good 20m propagation (and a nice pileup for Yellowstone) but the band was not cooperating. We both made at least 10 QSOs for a successful activation, so we count that as a win, but the pileup never happened.

Besides the radio operating, we had a good time touring through the park and looking for wildlife. We saw tons of buffalo, not quite so many elk and deer, but no bears or wolves. We have had better wildlife viewing on previous trips but it was still fun.

Heading South

Then it was time to start home, heading south out of Yellowstone back through Grand Teton. Of course, we were monitoring 146.52 MHz, when we heard Lorene/KG6MWQ  on unnamed summit 7586 (W7Y/TT-164). She was on the summit with AE6NH, operating both HF and VHF. It was great to catch a VHF activator in Yellowstone. This was the first activation for TT-164, so congratulations to both of them.

Two POTA activators smiling for the camera (Joyce/K0JJW, Bob/K0NR).

We decided to make a stop at the Colter Village area on the way through Grand Teton NP. Our first priority was to use the shower facilities there. Our second priority was doing another POTA activation.

Yaesu FT-991 set up on small camp table, with microphone and two sets of headphones.

This time we set up in a large parking lot, away from anything that might produce RFI. Again, it was 20m SSB using the halfwave antenna supported by a fishing pole. We sat near the RV on our camp chairs and table. Our typical configuration is to have two sets of headphones so both of us can copy well. We just use the standard handheld microphone which is easily passed between us when we change operators.

Typical antenna setup with fishing pole inserted into a plastic pipe attached to the RV ladder. A wire antenna is hung from the end of the pole.

Later in the day, we exited the park and headed south through Jackson, WY. We stayed overnight at a farm near Afton, WY which is surrounded by Bridger-Teton National Forest (K-4535). Of course, we needed to do one more POTA activation. We searched around for a usable spot to park and then fired up on 20m SSB. Propagation was OK but not great but we got it done.

The next day, we were up and going early, driving the rest of the way home to Monument. It was a wonderful road trip that blended sightseeing, hiking, camping, and ham radio. Let’s go do it again!

73 Bob K0NR

One Radio To Rule Them All (Ham, GMRS, FRS, MURS)?

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The common Baofeng UV-5R can transmit and receive on a wide range of frequencies…but not necessarily within FCC rules.

From time to time, the question is raised about using radio equipment in multiple radio services. One common example is a licensed radio amateur that wants one radio to cover the Family Radio Service (FRS), General Mobile Radio Service (GMRS), and the 2m/70cm ham bands. Some people also want the Multi-Use Radio Service (MURS)…or maybe even marine VHF or aircraft VHF. The thinking goes that if one radio can transmit and receive on all these frequencies and that person is authorized to use those frequencies, then one radio can do it all.

This seems like a reasonable objective but the problem is that the FCC has a few rules and regulations that come into play.  This leads to an important note: I am writing about the FCC rules and regs here…you may choose to ignore them but that’s on you.

Part 97: Amateur Radio Service

First, the good news. The Amateur Radio Service, governed by FCC Part 97, has very few restrictions on the type of equipment you can use. Heck,  you can build a transceiver from parts and put it on the air. So the ham rules are not going to be a major limitation.

Part 95: FRS, GMRS and MURS

FRS, GMRS, and MURS radios are governed by FCC Part 95.  Section 95.591 says this about FRS radios:

§ 95.591 Sales of FRS combination radios prohibited.

Effective September 30, 2019, no person shall sell or offer for sale hand-held portable radio equipment capable of operating under this subpart (FRS) and under any other licensed or licensed-by-rule radio services in this chapter (devices may be authorized under this subpart with part 15 unlicensed equipment authorizations).

Section 95.1761 says this about GMRS transmitters:

(c) No GMRS transmitter will be certified for use in the GMRS if it is equipped with a frequency capability not listed in § 95.1763, unless such transmitter is also certified for use in another radio service for which the frequency is authorized and for which certification is also required. No GMRS transmitter will be certified for use in the GMRS if it is equipped with the capabilities to operate in services that do not require equipment certification, such as the Amateur Radio Service. All frequency determining circuitry (including crystals) and programming controls in each GMRS transmitter must be internal to the transmitter and must not be accessible from the exterior of the transmitter operating panel or from the exterior of the transmitter enclosure.

(d) Effective December 27, 2017, the Commission will no longer issue a grant of equipment authorization for hand-held portable unit transmitter types under both this subpart (GMRS) and subpart B of this part (FRS).

The Midland MXT400 is a typical GMRS mobile transceiver.

Similarly, MURS radios have this restriction (Part 95.2761):

(c) A grant of equipment certification will not be issued for MURS transmitters capable of operating under both this subpart (MURS) and under any other subparts of this chapter (except part 15).

The FCC is saying (requiring) that FRS, GMRS and MURS radios must work on their designated frequencies and nothing else. At one time, it was legal to sell a combination FRS/GMRS radio but the FCC has specifically removed that option. Part 95.1761 seems to leave an opening for a GMRS radio that is also certified for use in another radio service, but that is a very thin opening and it specifically excludes the Amateur Radio Service.

Now, why would the FCC put these restrictions in the regulations? The answer is pretty simple: these radio services are intended to be used by everyday, non-technical folks. The radios need to be simple to use and not include the capability to wander off onto any old frequency. Hence, the rules lock down the frequencies that the radios can use.

(As a side note, this regulatory approach is good for amateur radio. Imagine if FRS radios had Channel 30 set up to transmit on 146.52 MHz, with a note in the manual that says “only use this channel if you have an amateur radio license.” We would have a crapton of unlicensed operating on 2 meters.)

Part 90: Private Land Mobile Radio Services

Part 90 regulates a broad range of land mobile radio, including public service, police/fire, search and rescue, forestry, utilities, and businesses. Licensing is very specific under Part 90. A radio license will specify a particular set of frequencies allowed, specific power levels and emission types, and even the allowed operating location of the radios.

Radios designed for Part 90 are usually programmed by a radio tech to operate only those specific frequencies that a licensee is authorized to use. This results in a relatively simple operating set up with the user just selecting from the preset channels on the radio. Part 90 radios normally cover a wide range of frequencies so that the manufacturer and the radio shop can sell one radio model to any licensed user.

In many cases, these Part 90 radios cover the adjacent amateur bands, such as 2m and 70cm. (For example, the Anytone AT-D878UV is Part 90 certified and covers 140-174 MHz and 400-480 MHz.)   So this does open up the possibility of using a Part 90 radio under a Part 90 license and using it on the ham bands. A typical scenario is when a Search and Rescue member has a Part 90 radio set up to use the S&R frequency as well as the 2m/70cm amateur bands. The key to this is starting with a radio that is Part 90 certified and then programming it for the amateur band.  Of course, you need to be authorized to use the Part 90 frequency and have an amateur radio license.

Getting Creative on Radio Configuration

A few years ago, Anytone Tech tried to market the TERMN-8R VHF/UHF radio as legal for the ham bands, GMRS, MURS and Part 90 use.  An early review of this radio is here on the PD0AC blog. Basically, the radio had three distinct operating modes: GMRS, MURS, and Commercial/Normal. Initially, the FCC approved the radio but later took a closer look and canceled the authorization. The TERMN-8R is still available but without the three modes. It is marketed as a Part 90 radio that also does the amateur bands.

The Anytone TERMN-8R handheld transceiver.

I recently became aware of the Anytone AT-779UV which is sold in the USA as a Part 95 GMRS radio. However, using the programming software, the radio can be configured to cover the 2m and 70cm amateur bands or a much broader range of frequencies (136-174 & 400-470 MHz). If you change the radio configuration to operate on the ham bands (or wider), the radio is no longer Part 95 certified. The configuration via software takes some knowledge and effort so it is not a mode that you can easily switch back and forth. It is really no different than other software-programmable radios.

 

 

 

Wrap It Up

So there you go, your dream of One Radio To Rule Them All (FRS, GMRS, MURS, and the 2m/70cm ham bands) is not going to happen. At least not legally. You can configure a radio to do this…but it will not meet FCC regulations.  However, you can configure a Part 90 radio to operate legally on Part 90 frequencies and on the amateur bands.

How About A Mic-Centric Mobile Transceiver?

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Most automobiles don’t provide a lot of room for mounting ham radio transceivers. (Obviously, their design priorities are wrong!) Because of this, many ham transceivers have removable control panels that can be mounted on the dashboard and the main radio is installed somewhere else, such as under a seat.

Midland radio is doing some interesting things with micro-sized radios for the General Mobile Radio Service (GMRS). The MXT275 MicroMobile® Two-Way Radio puts all of the radio controls and the display in the handheld microphone.

The Midland MXT275 MicroMobile® Two-Way Radio has all of the controls and display in the microphone.

Yaesu FT-8500

This radio reminded me of an old Yaesu radio, the FT-8500, which had almost all of the controls crammed onto the microphone. (Someone named the microphone “Mr. Potatohead” which seems appropriate, but I did not name it.) This radio had the display on the radio body, which seems like a limitation. At any rate, this rig was not very popular. I do not know anyone that owned one.

The Yaesu FT-8500 had almost all of the radio controls crammed onto the microphone.

So the FT-8500 was not a big hit but maybe it is time for another go at a microphone-centric transceiver. I am thinking a basic 2m/70 cm FM radio could use this approach to ease the mobile installation challenge.

Simplicity in Design

You may be thinking that a GMRS radio is fundamentally simpler than a typical VHF/UHF ham transceiver.  This is true…a typical GMRS radio has 22 channels that might have options such as CTCSS tones and repeater offset. A typical ham transceiver has more frequencies, more features, and lots of settings required.

However, if you consider the typical FM transceiver setup and usage, most people set up the memories for the repeater and simplex channels they use, usually via programming software. After that, operating the radio is 99% just selecting the desired memory channel. This kind of usage lends itself to having a simpler set of controls that can be incorporated into the microphone. This approach will require a good understanding of user needs and some careful design work to create a radio that works well.

This type of radio design will probably not work for everyone. There will be hams that want every feature available all of the time.  That’s just fine. However, the microphone-centric approach may be a good fit for installation in the “other car” that doesn’t get used quite so much. Or in the case where a family member objects to having a Real Radio cluttering up the dashboard.

Using this type of radio will be a lot like using a handheld transceiver, with the addition of a microphone cable,  but no batteries or antenna cable drooping down. The Midland radio has the speaker in the radio unit but it may be better to put it in the microphone (with the option of plugging in an external speaker.)

I think this idea would well for some number of mobile radio installations. What do you think?

73 Bob K0NR

13 Sept 2021 Update:

Ask and ye shall receive. This radio just popped onto the scene.

25 watts, about $110 plus shipping
https://www.446shop.com/Product/Pro1764.Html

 

SOTA W0C 10-10-10 Challenge Report

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Joyce/K0JJW climbing London Mountain, with Mosquito Peak in the background (right).

We had a great time going after the W0C 10-10-10 SOTA Challenge. (See 2021 Colorado SOTA and 14er Event ) For activators, the objective was to activate 10 summits higher than 10k feet in 10 days. It turned out that some previous commitments would not allow us to do 10 days of activating, so we smushed 10 summits into 6 days. With careful choice of summits and doing multiple summits in a day, we put together a plan.

Bob/K0NR and Joyce/K0JJW on Puma Peak.

Saturday and Sunday started off with the Colorado 14er Event, so we opted to do Pikes Peak on Saturday and Mount Evans on Sunday. These are both drive-up summits, so not a lot of hiking. As previously reported, we had some good luck with 1.2 GHz from those summits. Then, on Monday we hiked Puma Peak and Little Puma, two 11k summits in South Park. On Tuesday, we did three summits on one day: Dicks Peak, 10090 and 10715. These three hikes were not particularly difficult but doing all three made for a full day.

Map of the ten summits that were activated.

On Wednesday, we took the Jeep up to Mosquito Pass and hiked two 13ers: Mosquito Peak and London Mountain. We had previously activated those two summits in 2018. Finally, on Thursday, we did our tenth summit with Walt/W0CP and Jerry/K0ES, one of our favorites: South Monarch Ridge. Walt and Jerry worked the HF bands while we did VHF/UHF. That was a slacker day, because we rode the tram up from Monarch Pass.

Bob/K0NR standing next to the Jeep with Mosquito Peak in the background.

The weather was consistently fantastic, with no thunderstorms in sight. The smoke from western wildfires was thick at times and can be seen in some of the photos.

The Bands

As usual, we operated above 50 MHz, focusing on 2m, 70cm and 23cm FM operation. Most of the contacts were on 2m FM but we had significant activity on the other bands. The 1.2 GHz work was really fun: Using 1.2 GHz in the Colorado 14er Event. I made 162 contacts and Joyce made 94, for a total of 256 for the week. Not bad!

Thanks to all of our chasers and fellow activators:  AC0FT, AC0FY, AC0V, AD1CT, K0AVU, K0BEJ, K0EHR, K0ES, K0FYR, K0GPA, K0GPA, K0MGL, K0MOS, K0REW, K0SJP, K0TRD, K1DDN, K5RHD, K6TUY, K7ASB, KA4EPS, KB0KQI, KB6VHF, KC0PBR, KC3BHI, KC5CW, KD0MRC, KD0VHD, KD0YOB, KD8EQA, KE0BTX, KF0DGK, KF0FOG, KG5APL, KJ4DER, KL7GLK,
KL7IZW, KM4PEH, KM5TY, KN0MAP, KX0R, KX3DX, N0DET, N0EMU, N0IPA, N0IVN, N0KM, N1SMB, N1XCO, N8XBD, W0ADV,
W0BV, W0CP, W0JSL, W0OOD, W0RW, W1KGH, W3REM, W5IG, W6AUN, W7UM, WA0KXO, WB0JNS, WB0TNH, WZ0N

Challenge Results

The results for the W0C 10-10-10 Challenge have been posted, for both activators and chasers. Here are the Activator results:

W0C 10-10-10 Activator List

Six activators met the challenge of doing at least 10 summits during the event. That was our goal…not pursuing the top of the list but we did want to get 10 summits done. I am fifth on the list and K0JJW came in at sixth. We had the same number of SOTA points because we did the same summits. I had more QSOs though.

It was a fun event and we were happy to be able to activate 10 summits. Fortunately, the weather was good, otherwise we might have gotten rained out on the longer days.

73 Bob K0NR

Using 1.2 GHz in the Colorado 14er Event

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Last weekend we held the Colorado 14er Event (Aug 7 and 8), the annual mountaintop event in Colorado. A group of us used this weekend as an opportunity to make 1.2 GHz (23 cm) Summits On The Air (SOTA) contacts: K0NR, K0JJW, KM4PEH, K5RHD, W0ADV, KL7IZW, W0RW, KC5RW, and K0BEJ.

The Alinco DJ-G7T

Many of the 1.2 GHz operators used the Alinco  DJ-G7T triband handheld transceiver. This radio covers the 2m, 70cm and 23cm bands. The RF output on 23 cm is only 1 watt but it is the lowest-cost way of getting a signal on that band.

 

 

Pikes to Uncompahgre

On Saturday, Joyce/K0JJW and I were on Pikes Peak (W0C/FR-004) and worked Randy/K5RHD on Mount Evans (W0C/FR-003) at a distance of 97 km (60 miles). Signals were strong and we had no problem making those contacts.

We also worked David/W0ADV on Uncompahgre Peak (W0C/RG-001) at a distance of 227 km (141 miles). David used the Alinco HT driving a 16-element Comet Yagi. We had a bit more power (10 watts) from our Kenwood TM-541A transceiver, also driving a Comet Yagi antenna.  Signals were strong in both directions and these QSOs were a new personal best for both Joyce and me on 1.2 GHz.

Evans to Sunshine

On Sunday, we moved to Mount Evans and Randy/K5RHD activated Pikes Peak. We worked Randy on that peak, the reverse of the QSO on the previous day. Meanwhile, David/W0ADV was climbing two 14ers in the San Juan Mountains: Redcloud Peak (W0C/RG-002) and Sunshine Peak (W0C/RG-004). These two summits are close to each other, separated by a saddle, so it is common to climb them as a pair.

David/W0ADV aims his 16-element Yagi on Sunshine Peak.

David’s route had him climbing Redcloud first and then continuing on to Sunshine, then returning to Redcloud on the way back down. We worked him on Sunshine and on the return trip over Redcloud, as he headed back to the trailhead.

Map of the radio contact between Sunshine Peak and Mount Evans.

We had trouble hearing David on Sunshine Peak but his signal was just strong enough that we could complete the contact. His signal was stronger from Redcloud, a surprise because the two summits are close in elevation. I expected them to be about the same in terms of signal path and strength. David reported that there was a ridge to the northeast of Sunshine that might be blocking the signal, but it was not in the way for Redcloud.

So these contacts with Sunshine Peak set a new personal best for both Joyce and me on 1.2 GHz (244 km, 152.6 miles). David clearly did the hard work, summiting two 14ers in a day. (We were on a drive-up mountain with a short hike.) Thanks, David/W0ADV!

I was very pleased with the results from the 14er weekend. Now I am wondering what’s next for us concerning 1.2 GHz. We can probably make radio contacts further out but it is going to depend on the topography of the path. We will have to do some investigation on additional summits to try.

73 Bob K0NR

GMRS: Basic Radio Communications

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A mobile GMRS transceiver made by Midland USA.

Lately, I’ve been talking with people in search of basic radio communications for their friends or family. They end up talking to me because someone steered them to ham radio as a solution and I teach ham radio license classes. Of course, I am happy to pull them into the wonderful ham radio world but sometimes the General Mobile Radio Service (GMRS) might be a better way of meeting their needs.

I have a GMRS license and have written about it. See GMRS: The Other UHF Band.  GMRS is a good fit for local communications, perhaps just using simplex or with repeaters, if available in your area.  FCC regulations (Part 95) require you to have a license (and pay a fee) to use GMRS. Unlike ham radio, the license does not require you to pass an exam and the license is valid for you and your family members.

Common Uses

GMRS works well for family communication “around town” or some local area. Depending on the type of equipment used, simplex range of 10 or 15 miles is achievable, maybe more. The use of repeaters can extend this a lot further. You might even decide to put a GMRS repeater on the air, which is not too difficult of a project.

Another common use of GMRS is when a group is traveling down the highway in multiple vehicles. Yes, you might be able to just use your mobile phone to stay in touch but a two-way radio may be a better solution (especially when mobile phone coverage is poor or non-existent). Many off-road vehicle clubs have discovered GMRS and use it for communicating during trail rides.

GMRS is also a great tool for outdoor activities such as camping, hunting, hiking and skiing. It is a handy way of staying in touch with your tribe, while not depending on the mobile phone network.

GMRS Is Not FRS

A GMRS handheld transceiver made by Wouxun.

GMRS often gets confused with the Family Radio Service (FRS). They both include the use of inexpensive, low-power handheld radios and they share many of the same frequencies. When the FCC authorized FRS, GMRS was already an established radio service and it squeezed FRS into the same band. FRS radios were limited to lower output power, so many manufacturers decided to offer combination FRS/GMRS radios, which operated at higher power levels. The user was supposed to obtain a GMRS license to use this type of radio but most people didn’t bother with it. (Most people probably didn’t even know of the requirement.)  The FCC also specified 2.5 kHz (half deviation) FM for the FRS radios on the same channels as the existing 5 kHz deviation GMRS radios. Intermingling an unlicensed radio service with a licensed service was probably not a wise move. In general, the FCC regulations caused a lot of confusion between the two services.

In 2017, the FCC adopted a major revision to the GMRS rules to clean up some of the problems with the service. In particular, the regulations now prohibit the sale of combination FRS/GMRS radios. A great idea but a bit too late in the game.

The GMRS rules are pretty easy to understand, so take a look here: FCC Part 95 – Personal Radio Services

Equipment

There are basic handheld transceivers for GMRS. They look and act a lot like the FRS radios that are widely available, but GMRS can provide more capability. An advanced handheld radio will have support for using repeaters (transmit offset) and higher power (up to 5 watts).

This GMRS radio has the display and controls integrated into the microphone, for easy installation.

To dramatically improve the radio range, you can use GMRS mobile and base stations that can run even more power, up to 50 watts. More importantly, you can use external antennas on your vehicle or your house. These can make a huge difference in performance. (FRS is limited to handheld transceivers and the permanently-attached rubber duck antenna.)

For radio amateurs, this should all sound pretty familiar. GMRS looks and acts a lot like an FM transceiver on the 440 MHz (70 cm) band. It is a great alternative for local radio communications for people not interested in a technical hobby such as amateur radio.

2021 Colorado SOTA and 14er Event

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The Summits On The Air (SOTA) program originated in the United Kingdom but has propagated to most countries around the world. The program came to Colorado on May 1st, 2010 with Steve/WGØAT sending a CQ from Mount Herman, just west of Monument. Today, the SOTA program in Colorado (called WØC-SOTA) is very active with roughly 180 activators that operate from Colorado summits.

To celebrate our 10th Anniversary, WØC-SOTA is organizing a 10-10-10 Event with a challenge for Activators and Chasers alike. (Activators operate from summits, Chasers try to contact them.)

Activator challenge: Activate 10 (or more) 10K feet (or higher) summits (in Colorado/WØC) within 10 days.

Chaser challenge: Chase Activators on 10 different (or more) qualifying WØC summits (10K or higher) within the 10 days.

Event Date: We will kick-off the event in conjunction with the Colorado 14er event on August 7th, 2021 and conclude on August 16th.

Everybody is invited to participate, either as an Activator or a Chaser. Block off these days in your calendar now and start planning for how you can participate. Feel free to operate as much or as little as you would like. It is all about having fun messing around with radios. Any HF, VHF or UHF band can be used for making SOTA contacts, with the most popular ones being 40m (CW & SSB), 20m (CW & SSB) and 2m (FM).

Steve/WG0AT operating from the summit of Mount Herman (W0C/FR-063)

Note that the recommended 2m FM frequencies for the 14er event have changed to:

146.580 FM   North America Adventure Frequency
146.550 FM    Simplex Alternate
146.490 FM    Simplex Alternate
146.520 FM    National 2m FM Calling Frequency
(as needed, please don’t hog the calling frequency)

There will be a leaderboard on the W0C-SOTA website showing all participants who meet one of the challenges. More details will be announced on the WØC-SOTA Website as soon as they are hashed out.

For more information on the SOTA program in general, see the worldwide SOTA website.

Full Disclosure: May 1 is actually the 11th Anniversary, but the COVID-19 Pandemic interfered in 2020, so we are catching up.

VHF SOTA Antenna Tests

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A perpetual ham radio question is always which antenna is best? I have several different antennas and antenna configurations for working VHF SOTA and decided to do some comparisons.

Eagle Rock – W0C/SP-113

To test out some of our 2m SOTA antennas, Joyce/K0JJW and I went to Eagle Rock (W0C/SP-113) with an elevation of 9710 feet. I did the radio operating while Joyce collected the data. Eagle Rock pokes up out of South Park, which is a broad, high plain in central Colorado. This summit is kind of “mid-range” for Colorado…not as high as the 14ers but with significant elevation and prominence (~500 feet). It also was close enough to a number of SOTA chasers so I could get some good S-meter readings to compare antennas. On the summit, there is a clear 360-degree horizon, dropping off quickly in all directions.

Antennas Tested

Antenna A is our GO-TO antenna for VHF SOTA is the 3-element Yagi from Arrow Antenna, handheld so the boom is about 5 feet off the ground. Arrow does not specify the gain on this antenna but it has been measured at the Central States VHF Society conference to be ~6dBd.

Antenna A: Arrow 3-element Yagi for 2 meters.

Antenna B is a dual-band J-pole manufactured by N9TAX, supported by a telescoping fishing pole commonly used by SOTA activators. A J-pole has a halfwave radiator, so the gain is about 0 dBd, the same as a dipole.

Antenna B: Rollup J-pole (N9TAX) on a fishing pole.

Antenna C is an RH770 telescopic antenna mounted on a monopod, using a bracket that I made. See VHF/UHF Omni Antenna for SOTA Use. This antenna is a halfwave on 2 meters, so again we’d expect the gain to be ~0 dBd. The antenna is supported by a monopod which I usually just stick into the ground or strap to a bush.

Antenna C: RH770 Telescopic BNC dualband antenna on a monopod.

The three antennas being tested were driven with short coaxial cables fitting with BNC connectors for easy changes. The transceiver was a Yaesu FT-90 powered by a small Bioenno battery.

Chaser Stations

I put the word out that I’d be doing some antenna comparisons and five chasers showed up to assist. (There were are few other chasers that were too close to Eagle Rock such that the S meter readings would have all been “full scale” and not useful.)

Most of these stations were not line-of-sight because there is mountainous terrain blocking the direct path. This makes for a good test because this is often the situation when doing SOTA activations in Colorado. We often have mountains in the way, even on the high summits. Said another way, line of sight contacts are easy-peasy and the antenna performance is not critical. Getting the signal to punch through or around mountains is when the antenna really matters.

WZ0N was line-of-sight from Eagle Rock. KN0MAP was not line-of-sight and he had his Yagi antenna pointed at Pikes Peak (away from Eagle Rock). This is a common technique on VHF…point at a high summit and hope you get enough of a reflection to make the contact. The chasers are listed below.

Callsign Equipment Distance/Terrain
W0BV Icom IC-2730, X200A antenna, 35 watts 42 miles, blocked by a ridge
AD0WB Kenwood TH72A, X300A antenna, 5 watts 39 miles, blocked by mountains
KN0MAP Yaesu FT-857, 10-element Yagi pointed at Pikes Peak 35 miles, reflecting off Pikes Peak
WZ0N Baofeng HT, 5 watts 29 miles, Direct line of sight
K0MGL Yaesu FT-8900, 1/4-wave ground plane antenna, 10 watts 32 miles, blocked by mountains

Signal Reports

Your typical FM VHF/UHF radio doesn’t have a real S meter, just a bar graph display, so we worked in terms of “number of bars”. This does not give us a calibrated measurement but it does provide for a valid comparison. A signal that is 5 bars is stronger than one with 3 bars, but we don’t really know how much better (in terms of dB or S units). We recorded meter readings at both ends of the radio contact. My Yaesu FT-90 meter has 7 bars as full scale. On transmit, I was running the FT-90 at 20 watts.

Antenna A
Yagi		 Antenna B
J-pole		 Antenna C
RH770
Callsign Report Sent by K0NR Report Received by K0NR Report Sent by K0NR Report Received by K0NR Report Sent by K0NR Report Received by K0NR
W0BV 4 6 3 2 2 2
AD0WB 5 Full scale 3 Full scale, a little noisy 4 Full scale
KN0MAP 4 6 nil nil
WZ0N 7 5 5 4 5 4
K0MGL 7 6 1 1, very noisy 1 0, very noisy

A quick look at the Antenna A column shows that the Yagi had consistently better signal levels than the other two antennas.  For each contact, I did point the Yagi in the direction of the strongest signal, taking care to maximize the signal. This is an advantage and disadvantage…you have to point the antenna but you do get a stronger signal.

The two omnidirectional antennas (B and C) did not require pointing and they performed about the same. My impression is that Antenna B had slightly better overall performance based on listening to the FM noise. But note that the AD0WB readings were slightly better with Antenna C.

As is very common in the mountains, we experienced multipath distortion. This occurs when the signal takes multiple paths to the other station (reflecting off mountains) and then recombines at the receiver creating distortion and variation in signal level. Small changes in antenna position can cause a change in the signal level and amount of distortion. Multipath distortion was much more noticeable on the omnidirectional antennas. The Yagi antenna exhibited multipath but at a much-reduced level. This is a well-known phenomenon: directional antennas reduce multipath effects.

Another factor that I believe is important is that Eagle Rock pokes up quite dramatically compared to the surrounding terrain. Compare this to a large, flat summit that could shadow your signal at some angle of radiation. Antenna height relative to the immediate summit terrain might be more important. Another factor is that Eagle Rock is pretty much granite and not very conductive. So there is not much difference between having an antenna 5 feet off the ground (rock) vs putting it up on a mast.

Previously, I wrote about Charlie/NJ7V’s video that compared a roll-up J-pole with a 3-element Arrow Yagi antenna on two meters. Charlie’s results were a bit different, indicating that the J-pole was about the same or in some cases better than the Yagi.

Conclusions

The Yagi antenna clearly outperformed the two other antennas. So the Arrow 2m Yagi will continue to be our antenna of choice.

The paths to K0MGL and KN0MAP were the most difficult and this is where the Yagi performance really came through. For KN0MAP, we were both pointed at Pikes Peak and working off the reflection. This method worked well with the Yagi but had significant signal loss such that the omni antennas could not make it. Working K0MGL on the omni antennas was not much better but we did squeak out two contacts.

I was a bit surprised that Antenna B did not do significantly better than Antenna C, due to antenna height. This all seems to indicate that once you are on top of a rocky SOTA summit, additional antenna height does not matter. (It would be interesting to do some experiments with the same antenna set at different heights.) I do like having an omni antenna available so that we can monitor in all directions while eating lunch, etc. If we only have the Yagi at lunch time, it is usually laying on the ground or stuck into a tree, certainly not effective in all directions. Antenna C is so easy to deploy, it will probably be my preferred omnidirectional antenna.

This is just one test and one set of results. It will be interesting to do some further comparisons from other locations. Thanks to the chasers for assisting with these tests.

73 Bob K0NR

Test data in Excel spreadsheet:  Antenna comparisons – 2m FM Eagle Rock

Monitor Marine VHF Near the Ocean

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When on a road trip, I usually monitor the 2m FM calling frequency, 146.52 MHz. For the most part, that frequency is pretty quiet but sometimes a fellow traveler, camper, SOTA activator or random ham shows up on frequency. I don’t usually bother with tuning into local repeaters as that requires frequent adjustment of the radio while cruising down the highway.

Our RV has an Icom IC-2730A transceiver that covers the 2m and 70 cm bands. This radio has two receivers, so one receiver is set to 146.52 and other one is set to “something else.”  Sometimes, I’ll go ahead and put one of the local repeaters in the other receiver, especially if we are going to hang out in one location for a while.

When driving near coastal areas, I often put the second receiver on the VHF Marine Channel 16 (156.80 MHz). This is the International Hailing and Distress Frequency for marine radio. You will hear boats calling each other on this channel, then switching to another working channel. It is also common to hear the U.S. Coast Guard come on the air with an announcement. (The USCG may say switch to Channel 22 to hear the announcement.)

Some other useful marine frequencies:

Channel 22   157.100 MHz   Coast Guard Liason Channel
Channel 68   156.425 MHz   Non-Commercial Working Channel

The complete list of VHF Marine frequencies are available here:

U.S. VHF Marine Radio Channels and Frequencies

Just another frequency to listen to when on the road.

73 Bob K0NR

 

Parks, Summits and Roadtripping

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Getting out on the road and exploring is always fun, especially if you have ham radio on board. Joyce/K0JJW and I have been doing quite a bit of travel lately and we just completed our longest road trip so far with our RV.

Overview of the trip: Colorado to Key West, Florida and back again.

Our main destinations for the trip were four national parks: Congaree NP, Biscayne NP, Everglades NP, and Dry Tortugas NP. This determined the main route but we also found plenty of other things to do along the way. We started in Colorado, cut the corner across New Mexico into Texas, then east through Oklahoma, Arkansas, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia and South Carolina. Then we headed south to Florida and ended up in Key West. Our return trip followed the gulf coast back to Texas, then back home.

Travel Philosopy

Planning a trip is full of trade-offs, so it is useful to have a general approach that the participants agree on. Our approach to this trip was to not drive too far every day but drive enough to hit the various places we wanted to visit. We are still working to find the right balance. This trip lasted 39 days, covering 6000 miles, which is about 150 miles per day. Some days we drove very little and other days were longer, maybe 400 miles.

Although the trip was created around the national parks, we filled in with interesting stops along the way. In particular,  we like to camp at state parks: the campgrounds are great and there’s usually something interesting about the park to enjoy. And did I mention they are natural Parks On The Air (POTA) opportunities? We also tried to work in some Summits On The Air (SOTA) activations that are relatively easy to access.

Rocky Victoria

Our recreational vehicle (RV) is a 2018 Winnebago Paseo, built on a Ford Transit chassis. We named her Rocky Victoria, using non-standard phonetics, but usually just refer to her as “Rocky”.

Rocky Victoria is our Winnebago Paseo RV.

Compared to your typical car or SUV, this Class B RV is huge. Compared to other RVs, this vehicle is small, about 22 feet long, usually fits in a standard parking space. With all of the normal RV stuff installed (stove, microwave, sink, refrigerator, toilet/shower combo, bed, etc.) there is not a lot of room left for personal gear.

Rocky fits us really well because it is easy to drive, getting in and out of places without much hassle. Also, setup and tear-down time at a campsite is minimal. One limitation is poor ground clearance, which is fine for forest service roads in good condition but not appropriate for offroad use. This affects what SOTA and POTA activations we do.

Radio Gear

We have an ICOM IC-2730A in Rocky, for normal 2m/70cm FM comms while running down the road. The antenna (not visible in the photo) is just a short whip on the driver’s side of the hood.

Rocky is not a big RV so by the time we load up all of our stuff, it is full. So the radio gear (and everything else we take along) must follow the backpacker principle of “take only what you need, use what you take.” No room for extra stuff you don’t use.

For this trip, we took along two ham stations:  A basic VHF SOTA station and a capable, picnic-table POTA station.

VHF SOTA Station

The VHF SOTA station is very compact and easy to carry. It covers the 2m and 70cm bands on FM, which is usually sufficient for us. The RF output power is only 5W, so it does not have the punch of one of our higher power radios. Not a bad tradeoff though.

Two Yaesu FT-1DR 2m/70cm handheld transceivers
Arrow 3-element Yagi 2m antenna
Two RH 770 dualband SMA antennas
HT chargers and other accessories

Picnic Table POTA Station

The POTA station is built around the FT-991, which is a 100 watt transceiver (HF/VHF/UHF) that is reasonably compact. We use a 20 Ah LFP battery to power the radio so it is portable and independent of the RV power sources.

Yaesu FT-991 Transceiver (HF, 6m, 2m, 70cm)
End-fed halfwave antennas for 40m, 20m, 17m, 15m, 10m
Roll-up j-pole antenna for 2m/70cm
20-foot fishing pole to support antennas
Two 25-foot lengths of RG-8X coaxial cable
12V, 20 Ah LFP Battery (Bioenno Power)

Joyce/K0JJW operates the picnic-table POTA station.

The POTA station does a great job at a campsite, usually on a picnic table. The POTA station fits inside my Kelty backpack so it can be taken for a hike. It is a bit heavy for a typical SOTA summit but works OK for drive-up and short-hike summits. It can also be set up inside the RV if required.

Single-band end-fed halfwave antenna (PAR EndFedz) for 20 meters.

Typically, we are going to try operating on 20m or 17m so that the halfwave antenna easily hangs from the fishing pole support. Depending on conditions, we often have to use 40m which takes a little more work to hang. Not a huge problem, though.

Collapsible fishing pole for supporting wire antennas.

For portable operating, I’ve tended to use a variety of end-fed wire antennas supported by a non-conductive pole of various sizes. For this trip, we used a 7 meter (21 feet) telescoping fishing pole that collapses to about 30 inches.  This pole will fit into my SOTA backpack.

20m halfwave antenna supported by the fishing pole mounted on the RV. (The 20m halfwave needs to be hung at an angle to be supported off the ground.)

To support the fishing pole directly from the RV, I attached a short length of plastic pipe to the ladder. It is a simple matter to slide the pole into pipe, resulting in the top of the pole being about 26 feet off the ground.

A short piece of plastic pipe is attached to the RV ladder so the fishing pole can be easily inserted.

The combination of the two stations gives us a lot of options for ham radio operating.

Summits On The Air

We activated three summits along the way: Mount Scott (W5O/WI-002) in Oklahoma, Choctaw County HP (W5M/MS-001) in Mississippi, and Monte Sano Mountain (W4A/HR-002) near Huntsville, AL.

Monte Sano Mountain is just east of Huntsville, AL inside Monte Sano State Park.

Monte Sano Mountain turned out to be a unique location because it is located in the Monte Sano State Park. The park surrounds the summit, which is broad and flat. We determined that the park campground is within the activation zone, so we camped there and did both SOTA and POTA activations.

Parks On The Air

We did a number of POTA activations along the way. This was done opportunistically, typically in the afternoon after we had set up our campsite. Our radio operating used SSB on 20m or 40m, along with a few 2m FM contacts.

K-0688  Lake Meredith National Recreation Area   US-TX
K-1090  Lake Chicot State Park   US-AR
K-1048  Monte Sano State Park  US-AL
K-0017  Congaree National Park US-SC
K-1832  Anastasia State Park  US-FL
K-0024  Everglades National Park  US-FL
K-0635  St. George State Park  US-FL
K-2992  Brazos Bend State Park  US-TX

Every one of these activations was a lot of fun. There’s nothing like sitting outdoors in the sunshine working a pileup of enthusiastic POTA hunter stations.

Summary

In this post, I emphasized the ham radio activity during this trip. Radio operating was not our main goal but it was a big part of the overall experience. Joyce and I had a fantastic time touring this section of the country, and we are looking forward to our next trip.

73 Bob K0NR

Celebrating 10 Years of Summits On The Air in Colorado

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The Summits On The Air (SOTA) program originated in the United Kingdom but has propagated to most countries around the world. The program came to Colorado on May 1st, 2010 with Steve/WGØAT sending a CQ from Mount Herman, just west of Monument. Today, the SOTA program in Colorado (called WØC-SOTA) is very active with roughly 180 activators that operate from Colorado summits.

To celebrate our 10th Anniversary, WØC-SOTA is organizing a 10-10-10 Event with a challenge for Activators and Chasers alike. (Activators operate from summits, Chasers try to contact them.)

Steve/WG0AT on a SOTA activation with pack goat Rooster.

Activator challenge: Activate 10 (or more) 10K feet (or higher) summits (in Colorado/WØC) within 10 days.

Chaser challenge: Chase Activators on 10 different (or more) qualifying WØC summits (10K or higher) within the 10 days.

Event Date: We will kick-off the event in conjunction with the Colorado 14er event on August 7th, 2021 and conclude on August 16th.

Everybody is invited to participate, either as an Activator or a Chaser. Block off these days in your calendar now and start planning for how you can participate. Feel free to operate as much or as little as you would like. It is all about having fun messing around with radios. Any HF, VHF or UHF band can be used for making SOTA contacts, with the most popular ones being 40m (CW & SSB), 20m (CW & SSB) and 2m (FM).

There will be a leaderboard on the W0C-SOTA website showing all participants who meet one of the challenges. More details will be announced on the WØC-SOTA Website as soon as they are hashed out.

For more information on the SOTA program in general, see the worldwide SOTA website.

Full Disclosure: May 1 is actually the 11th Anniversary, but the COVID-19 Pandemic interfered in 2020, so we are catching up.

 

Here’s the SOTA Transceiver I’d Really Like

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Joyce/K0JJW and I did another activation of Mt Herman (W0C/FR-063) today. This is a repeat summit for us this year but we were looking for an easy hike not too far from home.

The Yaesu FT-90 transceiver is small and lightweight, perfect for portable operating when you need a little more RF power.

As usual, we were just using the VHF/UHF bands for the activation. My favorite rig for this type of SOTA activation is a Yaesu FT-90, a very compact mobile transceiver (4 x 1.2 x 5.4 inches) that is no longer manufactured. It has a unique heatsink with an integral fan that can handle the heat from the 50-watt transmitter.  We use a Bioenno 4.5 Ah LFP battery to supply the power for the radio.

I was trying to work Bob/W0BV about 65 miles away and we were not able to complete the contact. The distance is not too difficult but there are several mountain ranges in the way. Sometimes we can get the electromagnetic waves to sneak through, but not today. Hiking down the mountain, I was thinking about how we could have probably made the QSO on SSB or CW, instead of FM.  I chose not to bring the all-mode transceiver (FT-817) along today, so that was not an option.

That is when the idea hit me. The FT-90 is the right form-factor and power level for VHF/UHF SOTA but it is limited to FM. Yaesu, if you are listening, here’s what I’d really like to see in a small mobile transceiver:

  • FT-90 size radio, perhaps a little larger but not much
  • 2m and 70 cm bands (include 1.25m if you’d like)
  • At least 25 watts of output power, more would be better (say 50 watts)
  • All mode capability (CW/SSB/FM/Digital), sure go ahead and toss C4FM in too.
  • No internal battery…I’m going to have to use an external battery anyway to get enough battery capacity

At various times, I have had people ask “why don’t they put SSB in handheld radios?” They recognize that SSB has weak-signal advantages over FM, so they wish their handheld transceiver (HT) could do it. I say rather than shove more features into an HT, put it in an FT-90 size radio. It would be a much more usable solution.

Although I arrived at this radio concept thinking about SOTA, it would also be a great mobile rig for general use. The FT-90 was popular because it was very compact AND it had a removable faceplate that could be mounted almost anywhere. There really is no way to get VHF/UHF SSB into a vehicle other than those all-band radios like the FT-857 and the IC-7100. Oh, did I say FT-857? Sorry, that model has been discontinued. The satellite operators will love it, too, especially if it could work 2m/70cm crossband full-duplex.

So there you go, Yaesu (or Icom)…a fantastic product concept at no charge. I would be happy to beta test it for you.

That’s my idea for today. What do you think?

73 Bob K0NR

Looking at VHF/UHF SOTA Data

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On Twitter, someone recently commented that it would be nice to have more 2m SSB activity for Summits On The Air (SOTA). It is well known that FM is a more commonly used mode but that its performance suffers for weak signals. This got me wondering about which bands and modes are being used for SOTA above 50 MHz.

Above and Below 50 MHz

First off, I wondered what portion of SOTA radio contacts are on VHF/UHF. Looking at the SOTA database Facts and Figures page, I simply grouped the number of QSOs as “Above 50 MHz” and “Below 50 MHz.”

Frequency QSOs % of Total
Above 50 MHz 1,346,206 21%
Below 50 MHz 5,144,547 79%
Total 6,490,753 100%

So we can see that about 1/5th of the SOTA QSOs are done using VHF and higher frequencies. Certainly, we’d expect that the HF bands would dominate the total but this VHF+ percentage is higher than I expected.

Breaking Down > 50MHz

That leads to the question of what bands are used above 50 MHz? The table below shows the >50 MHz data broken out by band. The % of Total column indicates the percent of all QSOs (Above and Below 50 MHz), while the % of >50 MHz column shows the percentage relative to only >50 MHz radio contacts. Simply put, the % of Total column will sum to 21%, matching the number in the first table. The % of >50 MHz column sums to 100%.

Frequency QSOs % of Total % of >50 MHz
50MHZ 48,035 0.74% 3.57%
70MHZ 10,921 0.17% 0.81%
144MHZ 1,202,311 18.5% 89.3%
220MHz 1064 0.02% 0.08%
433MHZ 126,202 1.94% 9.37%
900MHz 204 0.00% 0.02%
1240MHZ 12,526 0.19% 0.93%
2.3GHZ 1554 0.02% 0.12%
3.4GHz 142 0.00% 0.01%
5.6GHZ 468 0.01% 0.03%
10GHZ 1186 0.02% 0.09%
24GHZ 167 0.00% 0.01%
Microwave 382 0.01% 0.03%

Well, it doesn’t take a degree in statistics to see that the 144 MHz band (2 meters) is the most popular VHF/UHF band for SOTA. Almost 90% of the QSOs are on this band. The next most used band is 433 MHz (70 cm) at a little over 9%. The 6m band (50 MHz) comes in at third with about 3.5%. The other bands are so small, they don’t really add much to the total.

The data on the SOTA page does not break out mode used by band but it does provide some aggregate mode numbers. The number of FM contacts (using any band) is 1,186,542. It is reasonable to assume that almost all of these FM QSOs were made above 50 MHz. (FM is used a bit on the 10m band but that combination is rare in SOTA.) That means, for frequencies >50 MHz, 88% of the QSOs (186542/1346206) were completed using FM.  We don’t know how the remaining 12% splits out but I would expect them to be a mix of SSB and CW, but dominated by SSB.

Given the high number of 144 MHz contacts in the mix, it is safe to say that 2m FM is the dominant mode for VHF/UHF SOTA. After all, it is The Utility Mode. The reasons are obvious…almost every radio ham has a handheld transceiver that can do 2m FM. It makes for an easy way to get on the air and activate a summit. More importantly, it is an easy way to chase a summit. When I plan a SOTA activation, I think about the kinds of operators that will be within range and what kind of gear they are likely to have. It does me no good to drag along equipment for 2m SSB/CW if there is no one around to work that band/mode.

This analysis does confirm that the number of non-FM QSOs on VHF/UHF is relatively small. The 12% of non-FM QSOs above 50 MHz corresponds to only 2.5% of all SOTA QSOs. So why is this? Clearly, the affordability and popularity of the FM handheld transceiver is a big factor.  There are portable radios that can do “all modes” on VHF/UHF such as the Elecraft KX3 (2m option), Yaesu FT-818, and the Icom IC-705, but these are much more expensive.

What About 70cm and 6m?

Now, it is interesting that the 70cm numbers are small compared to 2m. Many of those handheld transceivers that get used for 2m also have 70cm included, so you might expect there to be more 70cm QSOs in the mix. For a given boom length, a 70 cm Yagi antenna will have more gain than a 2m Yagi. So gain is easier to come by on the higher band. However, 2m propagation tends to be a little better than 70cm, on average.

Note that the SOTA rules do not encourage working the same station on more than one band. You only get credit for working a station once on an activation. (Compare this to VHF contest scoring which usually adds in additional credit for working stations on multiple bands.) So if a chaser works someone on 2m, they typically don’t bother working them on other bands.  I am not saying this is bad, I am just trying to explain why we don’t see more QSOs on 70cm.

The other band you might expect to see more activity is 50 MHz (6 meters). This band is available to Technicians in the US and, when the band opens up, you can easily work a thousand miles or more via Sporadic-e propagation. (Sometimes F-layer propagation, too, but we’ll need a whole bunch more solar activity for that to happen.) Many HF rigs include 6m as a “bonus band”, including some of the QRP radios popular with the SOTA crowd (KX3, IC-705, etc.) So why are the 6m numbers so low? This band offers a metric ton of fun, but it dishes it out randomly. There is a reason they call it the Magic Band…sometimes the Magic is there and sometimes it is dead quiet. When it’s dead quiet, it is a poor imitation of the 2m band. It also requires larger antennas, so if an activator decides to use antenna gain to help their signal, a portable Yagi for 2 meters is going to be a lot handier than one for 6 meters.

CW and SSB

This data does show that CW and SSB are lightly used for SOTA on the VHF/UHF bands. This is an opportunity. If more of us used these modes, it would improve our ability to squeeze out contacts when the signals are weak.

Bob K0NR

Reactions to the North America Adventure Frequency

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While I did not originate the idea, I have been promoting the use of 146.58 MHz as the North America Adventure Frequency.  (Rex/KE6MT and George/Kj6VU came up with the idea.) My previous blog post explained the thinking behind it, along with my own personal biases, I’m sure.

When presented with the idea of The Other Simplex Frequency, I generally get three types of reactions:

1. Great idea! These people generally live or operate in locations where the 2m FM calling frequency (146.52 MHz) can get kind of busy, so they see that having an alternate frequency that everyone knows about has value. They may or may not still call on .52 but having another designated frequency is a plus.

2. It will never get used in my area This reaction comes from locations where people tend to congregate on 146.52 MHz and will probably not monitor any other frequency. The SOTA activators say stuff like “I’ll never contact anyone on 146.58 MHz so I’ll have to just use keep using 146.52.” This is not a problem, do whatever makes sense.  The North America Adventure Frequency will probably not get used everywhere and that is just fine.

3. What, people actually talk on 2m FM simplex? These folks are just plain missing out. I don’t know how to help them.

73 Bob K0NR

The 2 Meter Band: Much More Than FM

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Way back in the Wayback machine, when I was working on getting my Technician license (in the 20th century), I recall looking at the frequency bands available to Techs. Technicians had operating privileges for everything above 50 MHz, which looked like a lot of useful spectrum to me. The idea at the time was that Technicians were exploring the new frontier of amazingly high frequencies. Since then, the Technician license has morphed to be the entry level license.

ICOM has a good graphic that shows all of the ham bands and shows the common subbands for various modes. I snipped out the portion that covers the most popular VHF/UHF bands (below). Wow, look at all the stuff you can do! Note that the 2m band offers 4 MHz of spectrum, big enough to fit eleven 20 meter bands inside it. (Yeah, yeah, the propagation is a lot different.)Speaking of bandwidth, take a look at the 70 cm band, with 30 MHz of spectrum. (Not shown is the 23 cm band, which spans 60 MHz.) The higher you go in frequency, the more spectrum there is.

Most people think of the 2-meter band as just FM and repeaters, but it is much more than that. I copied the 2-meter band graphic and added my own notatation on the various uses of the band.

Much of the band is allocated to FM, which is consistent with the popularity of the mode. I didn’t mark all of the FM segments, so refer to the color coding to see them. But there is much more than FM simplex and repeaters. Down on the low end is the CW-only segment and EME activity (Earth-Moon-Earth or moonbounce). The “weak-signal” enthusiasts tend to use the SSB portion, with the SSB calling frequency of 144.200 MHz (Upper Sideband). You may also hear CW in the SSB subband because radio hams flip back and forth between the modes depending on propagation.  Meteor scatter is mostly done via the WSJT-X mode of MSK144 around 144.140 MHz. I forgot to include FT8 on the first posting but I have since added it in, around 144.174 MHz. FT8 is not that common on 2 meters but I have made a few contacts with it.

Automatic Packet Reported System (APRS) activity is on 144.390 MHz, using FM-based 1200-baud packet radios. Other packet radio usage is not shown but is usually around 145.01 MHz. The 2m band is very attractive for satellite use, with VHF propagation properties and manageable doppler shift for Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellites. The downlink from the International Space Station (ISS) is usually 145.80 MHz.

Over time, I’ve used all of these 2m modes mentioned above, with the exception of EME. I am still working on that one and I hope to have a new 2m Yagi installed sometime this year that will enable it.

73 Bob K0NR

What Cows Think About 146.52 MHz

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I see a lot of cows standing around in Colorado ranch land, and I often wonder what they are thinking. As a result, I’ve been experimenting with a series of graphics that show cows standing out in the field thinking great thoughts. Surprisingly, they are often thinking about ham radio topics. Who knew? I’ve posted these on Twitter (@K0NR) which usually generates some responses.

Recently, the cows were thinking about the 2m FM calling frequency.

Some of my international followers pointed out the 2m FM calling frequency is not 146.52 MHz in their country. Sometimes it is difficult to localize VHF content, so sorry about that.

EA3IEK commented that the calling frequency should also be the listening frequency. (This is the crux of the problem with calling frequencies on 2m FM…what is the best ratio of calling and listening?) So I quickly modified the photo.

Then I could not resist posting this one, inspired by Joey on the Friends television show. Moo. It’s just a cow’s opinion.

73 Bob K0NR

Radio Fun on Threemile Mountain (W0C/SP-107)

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Lately, for the ARRL January VHF contest, I try to find a SOTA summit to activate. Operating time is usually just a few hours, so it does not make for a big score. The main advantage is for VHF SOTA (Summits On The Air) because there is a lot more activity on 2m CW and SSB. This year, I wanted to go for the mountaintop trifecta of SOTA, POTA (Parks On The Air) and VHF contest in one activation.

Threemile Mountain is an easy SOTA summit: easy to access via forest service roads and an easy hike.
Joyce/K0JJW operating the portable station on 2m FM.

Threemile Mountain (W0C/SP-107) emerged as the activation summit because it is not too far from our cabin and accessible in the winter. (This time of year, the roads to many of our favorite summits are blocked.) For POTA, it is located in the Pike National Forest (K-4404). Because it is a short hike, I concluded that I could carry the Yaesu FT-911 and the 20 Ah Bionno battery. This would cover all the bands, give us more RF punch and still have plenty of battery capacity.

The portable station with 100 watts on HF, 50 watts on 2m/70 cm.

I carried quite a collection of antennas which gave us plenty of operating choices. We started out on 2m and 70 cm FM, working mostly local stations. This quickly got us enough contacts for SOTA and POTA points. We used a rollup J-pole for 2 meters and 70 cm, until it became intermittent and the SWR went wild. Then we switched to the Arrow 3-element Yagi for 2 meters.

Bob/K0NR operating from Threemile Mountain.

About that time, I decided to see what was happening on 2m SSB. There were a number of contest stations on the air, mostly from the front range cities (Denver, Boulder, Colorado Springs, …). I worked a bunch of them using 50 watts from the FT-991 to the 2m Yagi antenna (horizontally polarized).

The QSO between K0NR on Threemile Mountain (DM78) and Larry/N0LL near Smith Center, Kansas (EM09).

Suddenly, I was surprised to hear N0LL from Kansas calling me. I’ve worked Larry before from Colorado but it usually was from a really good location such as Mt Herman or Pikes Peak. Even then, we often had to switch to CW to complete the contact. Today he was louder than many of the Denver stations. We easily worked on SSB, which turned out to be a new personal best DX for me from a SOTA summit (372 miles).

We deployed both the SOTA and POTA flags today.

After things slowed down on 2m SSB, I decided to make some HF contacts. The North American QSO Party (SSB) was active, so I decided to set up for 20m and see who I could work. Running 100 watts to an endfed halfwave kept me competitive with the contest stations. Then I moved up to 17m SSB and worked non-contest POTA and SOTA chasers.

Bob/K0NR and Joyce/K0JJW hanging out on the summit of Threemile Mountain.

We both accomplished the three-in-one mountaintop activation for SOTA, POTA, and the VHF contest. I also worked the NA QSO Party, so that makes it four-in-one, but who is counting?  The January weather cooperated with us with almost no wind on the summit, about 28 degrees F. We sat there in the sunshine and just enjoyed the view before hiking back down.

73 Bob K0NR

Best VHF SOTA Antenna?

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Charlie/NJ7V and Gaston/KT1RUN did a comparison of VHF antennas during a SOTA activation. Specifically, they compared a rubber duck antenna, a J-pole antenna on a tall mast, and a 3-element Yagi antenna. Spoiler Alert: the rubber duck sucks (they all do) but the Yagi and J-pole performed about the same.

Joyce/K0JJW and I use the Arrow 3-element Yagi antenna for most of our SOTA activations, so I am very familiar with that one. We also have a rollup J-pole that we use once in a while.

Charlie used the Yagi the same way we do: handheld at ground level. The J-pole was on a mast, maybe 12 feet (?) in the air. Although they were on a summit, there is some performance improvement getting the antenna higher than the surrounding terrain. The gain of the Arrow 3-element Yagi has been measured at about 6 dBd. The gain of a J-pole, being a halfwave radiator, is 0 dBd. The additional height of the J-pole has to make up this 6 dB of gain difference to be roughly equivalent.

A big difference, though, is that the Yagi antenna has to be held and pointed. The J-pole is always pointing in the right direction so you can just focus on operating and logging. We may have to consider using a omni antenna instead of the Yagi.

Good stuff!

73 Bob K0NR

North America Adventure Frequency: 146.58 MHz

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Recently, on the nasota group,  there was a discussion about designating an alternative 2m FM frequency for Summits On The Air (SOTA) use (instead of 146.52 MHz). The main driver for this is that 146.52 MHz can get busy with other radio traffic and/or a busy SOTA activation can tie up the calling frequency for a long time.

Rex KE6MT (SOTA W6 Association Manager) kicked it off with:

A friend of mine, George KJ6VU, has been talking with me and several others about the idea of an FM “Adventure Frequency.”  It would be for more than just SOTA – other *OTA’s could also use it. There are other ideas to layer on top of it, such as tone signaling so that you don’t have to hear traffic you don’t want to hear, and repeater infrastructure for announcing someone’s on the frequency with a given tone, etc.  But the core thing would be to decide on a frequency and really get it in use.  The National Calling Frequency (146.52) can be great for a few contacts sometimes, but other times it’s problematic either because it’s being hogged or because nobody’s listening.  Of course, this Adventure Frequency could have the same issues present themselves differently, but would alleviate some and pave the path for future additions mentioned above.

I have previously written about the challenges of using 146.52: The Use of 146.52 MHz

One important idea is to include the other “OTAs” in adopting this frequency, most notably Parks On The Air (POTA). Hence the name “Adventure Frequency,” and not “SOTA Frequency.” It is really about hams operating portable in an outdoor setting. Of course, like all amateur spectrum, this frequency must be shared with other users.

It may seem like a simple thing to choose a nationwide simplex frequency but VHF band plans are managed regionally. In particular, there is a mix of 15-kHz and 20-kHz channel spacings. (For more background on this see Simplex Channel Confusion on 2 Meters.)

After some discussion, the group settled on 146.58 MHz. There was some dialog around using CTCSS for signaling but nothing specific surfaced.

Some key points:

  • The NAAF is 146.58 MHz.
  • This frequency is in addition to, not a replacement for, the National Simplex Calling Frequency 146.52 MHz.
  • Local usage will likely vary depending on needs.
  • Program 146.58 MHz as The Other Simplex Frequency in your radio.

What does this mean to you?

Program 146.58 MHz into your radio and have it available. If you are doing SOTA (or POTA) activations, consider using this frequency, especially if you are in an area where 146.52 is used a lot. (I’ve already started using this frequency for SOTA activations near urban areas.)

73 Bob K0NR

Recommended Colorado Hotspot Frequencies

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A big trend in ham radio activity is the use of internet-connected transceivers commonly referred to as hotspots. These devices often use one (or more) of the popular VHF/UHF digital formats (DMR, D-STAR, Fusion) but analog FM is also used. They allow a radio amateur to have a local RF connection into one of the extensive radio networks (e.g., Brandmeister).

Unfortunately, there have been situations where radio amateurs arbitrarily chose hotspot frequencies that caused interference with existing radio activity. For example, a hotspot showed up on the 70 cm SSB calling frequency, 432.100 MHz. One of the worst examples of interference was a hotspot sitting on the input frequency of a satellite transponder. Not good.

The Colorado Council of Amateur Radio Clubs (CCARC) is the VHF/UHF frequency coordination body for the state of Colorado. Included in its spectrum management role, the CCARC maintains a detailed set of band plans (called Frequency Use Plans) for the 144 MHz, 222 MHz, 420 MHz, 902 MHz and 1200 MHz bands.

The CCARC recently decided to provide some guidance on what frequencies should be used for hotspot operation. Previously, the operator of a hotspot had to scan through the Frequency Use Plan and figure out where hotspots fit in. It wasn’t very obvious, so the CCARC now recommends 10 specific frequencies on the 70 cm band for hotspot use.

These frequencies are available for simplex hotspot use. However, for each of these simplex frequencies, there is also a corresponding frequency 5 MHz lower that can be used for hotspots that operate duplex.

Unlike repeaters, hotspots are not coordinated by the CCARC. With 10 frequencies available, it should be easy to find one that doesn’t have any co-channel interference from other users. See the complete CCARC hotspot guidance here.

These guidelines won’t solve every problem but it will help people find a hotspot frequency that plays well with others. These frequencies are valid for Colorado only. Check your local VHF/UHF band plans for more information.

73 Bob K0NR

Disclosure: I contributed to these CCARC guidelines but I don’t speak for the CCARC.