Ever hear of "RaDAR" ham?

[Coyote33]

Some event coming on Nov. 4 I think.

RaDAR groups.io Group

What makes RaDAR totally different to other amateur radio activities is the requirement to move quickly from one point to another and to communicate from each deployment position. RaDAR is about moveable amateur radio stations be it fixed, mobile or on foot. RaDAR is Rapid Deployment Amateur Radio

groups.io

 

[ToddDubya]

Some of the POTA/SOTA guys do that kind of thing. But this is kind of neat in that it's a group all doing it. I haven't read all of the rules, but setting up five times in four hours is a challenge unto itself. I've seen people do it on a bike trail.

 

[ToddDubya]

If you don't have 10m capability yet, that could be a cool reason to put together one of the 2m tape measure yagis (or similar) and a mast system to get it as high as possible and call on 146.520 or 146.580 (the "adventure" frequency). You could aim south, call for a few minutes, aim east, call, aim north, call, aim west, call, then move.

An alternative to a mast could be one rope to hoist the antenna up, then another attached to the front or back of the yagi down to the ground so you can aim it.

Pro tip: Lots of people monitor 146.520 but never call or when someone does call they don't answer. If nobody is answering, add "any station anywhere for a quick exchange" or say what you're doing so people are more likely to respond.

@Coyote33 , are you still active with that club? That could be a fun club activity, or at least let them know you're doing it so they can listen for you.

 

[ToddDubya]

Or just pull a roll up j-pole as high up into a tree as your coax will allow.

 

[ToddDubya]

I've been rolling this idea around in my mind grapes lately. I think it would be a hoot in the winter. Strap on some xc skis or snowshoes and go somewhere high up with decent trees to hoist an antenna. An HT or even a mobile rig with a battery in a backpack.

 

[Coyote33]

@Coyote33 , are you still active with that club? That could be a fun club activity, or at least let them know you're doing it so they can listen for you.

I just saw and posted this on Wednesday. Sometimes I bring my radio when walking the dog in various places (not necessarily parks, or ones that are part of "POTA").

 

[ToddDubya]

It doesn't look like there's anything about having to be in a park or even a POTA recognized park, just that you setup and operate in multiple locations a minimum distance apart within the given timeframe. It sounds perfect if your dog likes 4 hour walks.

Fun development: I picked up an old 2m/70cm amplifier today. It takes in up to 5w and outputs up to 30w on 2m and 20w on 70cm. I have to look it over and put PowerPoles on it so I can run it from a battery. It looks like the intended use case is for running an HT into it. This could be sweet for a man portable setup. Granted I could easily just use a mobile rig that has that kind of power already, but what's the fun in that?

 

[ToddDubya]

View: https://x.com/HamRadioOutlet/status/1716862217679724658?s=20