RadioBanter - View Single Post - best setup for vehicle to base communication seperated by 100 to 500miles?

Tim Wescott · July 28th 09, 08:38 PM posted to rec.radio.amateur.homebrew

On Tue, 28 Jul 2009 08:38:57 -0700, wrote:

im an EE, but have never gotten into ham radio. Now, I have a reason! Im
going off roading in the california desert, and I'd like to be able to
communicate back home in San Diego. What band and equipment would be the
best (for both base and mobile) in order to communicate reliably during
the day? Or is this unreasonable?

Someone will disagree, and we'll both learn something...

For getting through with just your equipment probably HF; on a truck it's
probably best to count on 20m, although at that distance 80m is
inherently 'better' for ground-wave daytime local-ish communication.

For getting through all the time, and assuming there's coverage, a
repeater. It won't get you all the way home unless there's a phone patch
available or an intertie. Since repeater clubs have widely varying
policies regarding furreners using their equipment, and the most common
arrangement is that anyone can use the repeater but only club members get
the magic finger ring combination to open the patch or the intertie you
may want to do some research.

For getting through all the time, with cost and effort rivaled by buying
a second rig to tow behind your main rig just so you can drive home, you
could set up for satellite operation. I'm not recommending this unless
you just plain want to have fun with it, but there you are.

Note that _all_ of these options except for the phone patch require that
you have someone with an amateur license and a matching radio on the
other end.

--
www.wescottdesign.com