Backpacking in Dolly Sods Wilderness - Monongahela National Forest, WV

Some experiences can't have stories do them justice. This is one but I will try and shed some light on the experience as much as I can. For this being my first backpacking trip perhaps my view on the experience is a little different. Given that I have nothing to compare it to directly it makes a powerful impression on myself. I think the background information will show my perspective better if explained, so bear with me.

I have been wanting to get in to backpacking for the past three years or so. I have never had the opportunity to do it, though. One thing I have really wanted to do is bring a ham radio along with me on a trek. I really enjoy ham radio and combining that with the outdoors seems like the two go hand in hand just perfectly.

This past summer I got a Yaesu FT-857D specifically because it is a compact, go-anywhere radio. I also bought a nice backpack - an Osprey Aether 70. I just happened to get a deal on the pack that I couldn't pass up, so I splurged a little and got it. I had been looking at that pack for over a year anyway - I just didn't have a trip planned to use it so I didn't "need" to buy it.

My step dad used to hike the Appalachian Trail when he was in scouts. We have talked a few times about possibly getting out on that trail sometime. We recently were talking about it again this Fall. Getting a trip planned and the logistics worked out is going to be a challenge, however.

In the mean time, since I am a student at OSU I figured I would see what the university has to offer for special interest groups on backpacking. I really didn't find anything that was specific to backpacking, but I did come across the OSU Mountaineering club. They get in to anything outdoors, not just mountaineering - mountain biking, kayaking, hiking, rock climbing, slack lining, bouldering, snowboarding, skiing, etc. If it is a physical activity outdoors there is a group there that does it! This sounded pretty cool to me, although I am mostly interested in backpacking.

I went to their meeting a week ago last Monday and joined. During the meeting a few people were talking about trips and activities they had planned. One guy said he had a backpacking trip to Dolly Sods that weekend. That really got my curiosity up. I was already familiar with Dolly Sods as Andy over at Outdoor Source had told me about it last year. He said the two places that are close and good to go to are Zaleski here in Ohio and Dolly Sods in West Virginia. The catch is Zaleski is easier and Dolly Sods is more advanced.

The guy in the mountaineering club that had the trip planned said "this isn't a beginner backpacking trip". So, I was a little concerned with it. I expressed interest and we went over a few items such as gear and the terrain. It sounded doable to me, but I wanted to really cross my T's and dot my I's. I went home and researched things a bit more. I checked the weather and talked with the guy (Dave) some more online. I just wanted to make sure that I was as ready as I could be, terrain and walking aside.

After evaluating the scenario I decided to go. What I was up against is this: I had a potentially awesome trip right at my fingertips, it would fit in my schedule, and from here on out this year the weather is just going to go down the tube. I didn't know (and I still don't) if my step dad and I would be able to work a trip out. Since this trip was planned and there was a group going already it was just too easy.

Before I get in to the trip itself I will say that it was an incredible experience and I would most definitely do it all over again. That said, if I really knew what I was in for I doubt I would have gone. It was the most brutal three days I have ever had. Since pictures can paint a better picture of the trek I will be a little more brief on my story and let the pictures speak.

I was meet up with the group at Dave's apartment Thursday night, go to Walmart to stock up on food, sleep over at Dave's Thursday, and leave at 7am sharp Friday. Everything went to plan there. We took a bit more time than our directions said to get to Dolly Sods - about 7 hours total. The last hour and a half to two hours was all state routes - mostly winding through the mountains.



After the long drive we parked the cars, gathered our packs and were off in to the wilderness. This is the Rohrbaugh trail head next to the Dolly Sods Picnic Area (south eastern part of the park).


That's me in the green jacket on the right, Brian (OSU mountaineering) next to me, Dave (OSU mountaineering) on the other end with the HUGE pack, and Alex and Julian (friends from Miami university) in between.

The first thing we did as we hit the trail was fill out a log entry.



Then it was on to Red Creek for camp one.





This is where the difficulty starts to set in. I haven't mentioned anything about our packs yet. Briefly - we were all over 40lbs. Dave and I at least were over 50. Before I left the house my pack weighed 41 pounds with no food, water, or a few other little things. I never got a chance to weigh it again so I am just guessing.

This is a good example of the type of environment we were in. This part of West Virginia is really rocky. I would say 95% of our trip had something to do with stumbling, slipping, and tripping over rocks. The fresh blanket of foliage doesn't help with visibility and grip, either.



This outlook is about a mile and a half to two miles in on the Rohrbaugh trail. We all took our packs off and enjoyed the view (and cooled off!). This is a really cool outlook. I hung my camera in a tree and set the timer with a 4-shot sequence. It worked out pretty good!



Coming down the mountain (about a mile to the right of the previous picture) towards Red Creek on the Fisher Spring Run trail.



Looking down whats left of the mountain to Red Creek - you can see the rocks in the river through the trees.



Luckily there wasn't much water flowing. This made it easy to cross Red Creek. People say the water level will rise quite fast with any rain. All the water flowing out of the mountains gets dumped in here.



Setting up Friday night at Camp 1.



Here are some better daylight shots of Camp 1 from Saturday morning.


Bear bag - food and all smelly's in the black bag, trash in the white bag.


The tent with the blue/green tarp as the fly is mine. More on this later, but it is NOT the tent for this kind of trip!!!!


View from across Red Creek. You can see we had quite a community for being in "the wilderness".


Heating up bacon over the fire. Yummm.

As I said earlier, one thing I wanted to do was bring a radio along. Here's my setup at Camp 1. I took the top cover off the tuner to save some weight. I figured taking the cover off the radio wasn't exactly worth it. I would have shaved about 1.5lbs, but I would rather add 1.5lbs than loose my investment in the radio.



Here is my NorCal doublet set up outside. I tried to get this up after nightfall so I didn't do too good of a job, but it worked.



This is what you do if you feel "hot spots" - where blisters feel like they are forming. You put duct tape on the area so the tape takes the rubbing and not your skin. It seemed to work OK. However, later the same day my left heel started getting hot and I didn't treat it - mistake. Now I have a blister the size of my thumb that has to heal. The two spots I taped up on the trip didn't get bad at all.



Here we are starting the grind on day two. We are heading up the Breathed Mountain trail here. What you don't really get here is the perspective of the incline or the distance. You can see the type of ground we were hiking on - more rocks covered in leaves!



Taking a much needed break hiking up the mountain looking back down the trail.



Taking a picture break to enjoy the view after our climb. It is pretty cool to go from looking up at mountains on all sides to looking over and around the mountains in just a couple hours. It's quite a hike, but it is a pretty cool sense of accomplishment. Granted, these mountains aren't very high. That isn't to say it is easy, though!



Looking out over the sods along the Breathed Mountain trail, heading North West.



This is where we turn around and head back. This is the furthest point we will be from the cars. It is the intersection of the Big Stone Coal, Breathed Mountain, and Blackbird Knob trails in the North West corner of Dolly Sods Wilderness (the south section of Monongahela).



The first two pictures on this post were also taken here. If you noticed, the one with the map has a marker saying "you are here".

We headed down Big Stone Coal trail back towards Breathed Mountain. Here is our lunch stop. We ended up spending a couple hours here, probably more time than we should have but the sun felt WONDERFUL!


That's my monstrosity of a pack in the front.

Here we are using Dave's filter pump to stock up on some water.



We did a quick hike up to the summit of Breathed Mountain. We stashed the packs here and just grabbed a bit of water for the climb.



The view from the top wasn't all that great compared to some of the other views, in my opinion. The slope down wasn't very steep so the trees are blocking more.



Another good group shot - taking a break at the camp site on top of Breathed Mountain. This would be a cool place to camp, but you would have to haul all your water up.



I didn't get a whole lot of good shots between here and Camp 2. Instead of taking Big Stone Coal to Red Creek to Fisher Spring Run back to Rohrbaugh we took a short cut to save some time so we could get to camp before nightfall. Fisher Spring Run would take us a mile east of our camp only to hit switch backs going back up Rohrbaugh a mile back. There is a significant elevation climb to get to camp two no matter what. Dave looked at the GPS and figured we were pretty much right in line with the camp site, give or take a couple hundred feet each direction... and 500' elevation. So, our short cut was to climb 500' or so straight up the mountain side to Rohrbaugh which would take us right to camp. I know it sounds hard, but as the saying goes "it's easier said than done". Try it some time - strap on a 50lb backpack and walk 500' up a mountain full of rocks, roots, downed trees, brush, and all that coated in leaves. The only blessing was that the rocks and roots gave you a place to step so your feet werent 60 degrees off of where your body was all the time. The trees also gave something to grab ahold of to help pull yourself up, or grab if you started falling.

Here we are back up to Rohrbaugh trail. A litte further and we're at camp.



Camp 2 set up.



Here we are enjoying a nice warm camp fire before our brutal night.



I did say that I checked the weather. It was supposed to be in the upper 30's Friday night and upper 20's Saturday night - which meant it would be below freezing. This is a big part of why we packed so heavy. I packed what I thought I needed to get through those cold nights with. My sleeping bag is by no means a cold weather bag, nor is my tent a cold weather tent. In fact, I don't think my tent would even rate as a 3 season. It does not zip shut - the door is tied and the window in the back has two Velcro tabs - one in each corner - that keeps the flap shut. It doesn't keep cold drafts out.

This was most definitely the worst night in a long long time. I was sore from my previous two days of hiking, I was laying on a hill and bumps, and I had to layer up with just about everything in my bag to stay warm.

This is what Sunday morning looked like. I got up at least an hour before everyone else. I just couldn't wait to get out of my tent, get the fire going, and warm myself up!!! I was so uncomfortable that even if I was warm I wouldn't have been able to sleep anyway. The cold on top of it was just hell.



I was smart and kept my pack in my tent. As you can see, not everyone did that - or even bother to cover them up.



The first few minutes of sun flowing over the mountain tops. By the time everyone else started getting up the shade line on the mountainside in the foreground was twice as far down.



The crew slowly getting up. Brian sitting by the fire and Dave by the tents.



Part of our water supply frozen solid over night.



This is the last group shot we have before we get back to the cars. The sun was bright so the picture looks blown out a bit. I had the camera sitting on a low rock also, I couldn't find a place good to hang it in a tree so the rock had to do.



Finally we make it back to the trail head! We signed out in the log book and then it was back to the cars. We did 17 miles in 3 days - 7 on Friday, 7 on Saturday, and 3 on Sunday.





So thats it for my adventure. I really did have a lot of fun. It was an eye opening experience. I did suffer through it, but because of that I learned.

Here are a few of the things I learned about backpacking.

For one, and it is a big one, the right gear goes a long way! I was somewhat prepared in that I had enough gear to get by, but I need to make some improvements. I need a better tent, sleeping bag, and I need a few specific articles of clothing - base layer, better pants, jacket/coat, etc. Cold temperatures aren't anything to screw around with at night, and nor are your underpants when you are hauling 50lbs over rocky mountainous terrain.

It is possible to cover a lot of ground fast. Racking up a 4mph average speed over the terrain we did took some work, but it was possible. A few rules: keep your head down and pay close attention to where your feet go. Be prepared to have your feet slide, stumble, and get caught in something. Don't ever take a trail for granted - it can throw all sorts of curve balls. Having a walking stick or two (or trekking poles if you want to get high tech) can be a blessing. When you stumble on a rock it acts as a third leg giving you something to transfer your weight to and keep you from falling or rolling an ankle.

Think through your trips! This includes gear, food, and procedures. Know what you are going to cook and how you are going to do it before hand. Know what you are going to wear and when. What you wear at camp may need to be much more insulating than what you wear on the trail. Even if it is cold don't wear much on the trail! It is going to come off anyway, so save your sweat and time and take it off before you start.

Even if you wake up as stiff as a board, get up and move around. Don't think about the pain and it will go away. Advil, Ibuprofin, or if you have anything even more powerful, can really go a long way to keeping you comfortable. I took advil before our treks each day and it helped.

Don't let pain stop you. Unless you sprain an ankle or break a leg you should be able to move. The only thing that slowed or stopped me was a lack of energy. Even when my legs and hips hurt, as long as I had the energy to go I did. Going up steep inclines is my weakness. By breaking it up and resting every so often I could do it. That's the important part. It doesn't matter how you get to the top, just get to the top!

Blisters aren't any fun, but taken care of they can be delt with and allow you to get through a trip. I used duct tape and got out alright. I should have used more (on my left ankle). Other blister-prevention methods (moleskin or similar) can be used. I am not sure what the best route is yet, but as long as something is done that will be much better than nothing at all.

Don't fear nature! It is there so take advantage of it. Be careful and have fun!

Repairng Telescoping Crappie Fishing Poles

My 16' crappie fishing pole broke in the big wind we had here in Ohio a week ago. I have had it for over a year and have never had a problem with it before. I was holding up my sectional dipole and had a lot of stress on it - I had a lot of tension on the feed line, not just the antenna. I guess you could say I should have known better. Hey, I wasn't expecting 70+mph winds!

Anyway, the pole broke at the second section down about 8-10" from the top of that section. My repair uses fiberglass cloth and epoxy to re-join the sections. It isn't pretty, but it works!

Notice how the pole broke - it is an off-set break, this actually helps in lining up the two sections later.

The first step to joining the two pieces is to rough up the joint a bit. I used the wood saw on my swiss army knife. The goal here is to give the epoxy something to bite in to, not the slick black paint on the pole. The roughing will weaken the original material, but it is going to be coated with fiberglass so it doesn't matter.



I used a strip of fiberglass about 2" wide by 4" long. I wanted enough to wrap around the pole about 3 times.

I actually messed up here. The next step is to mix up some epoxy. I used 5 minute epoxy, but you really need to use 30 minute. The 5 minute sets WAY too fast. I had enough time to get the first layer and a half of fiberglass wrapped and squeegeed and then it started getting tacky. I had to rush the last bit of it and I never did get the fiberglass to lay correctly... Oh well, next time I know what to do!



You want to start by coating the joint with epoxy. Not too much, you don't want it being squeezed inside the pole. You want just enough to get the glass cloth to begin to adhere to. Get the cloth wrapped about half way around the pole and then start squeegeeing more epoxy in to it. You want the weave to nearly disappear in the epoxy. Keep working the epoxy in to the cloth all the way around being careful to keep good tension on the cloth but also not moving the cloth around too much. It takes a bit of skill to get it right. Again, use 30 minute epoxy!!! You will have to move real fast if you use 5 minute. 12 minute might be OK, but if this is your first time trying fiberglass I would highly recommend going with 30 minute just to have the extra set time.

Also be careful to keep the joint tight and straight. It will be impossible to do this while you work the glass cloth but once you get all laid down you want to press the pole pieces together and sight it (like you do lining up the rings on a fishing rod or checking the straightness of a 2x4) to make sure it is strait. Put a little bit of pressure wherever the pole needs it. The best time to do this is when the epoxy is viscus goo. Keep straightening the pole through the tacky phase and until the epoxy gets stiff but sticky. Lay it down in a position that will not put pressure in any direction on the pole to make sure it doesn't move.

After my repair the pole is still fully collapsable, however it does not collapse as easy as it did before. The tip section has to sqeeze past a glob of epoxy that got pressed in to the joint. Other than that it works great! I would say that if the pole breaks again it will not be in the same place.

NorCal Doublet - Want One?

The NorCal Doublet is a really neat antenna. It is an ultra-light doublet configuration antenna that uses computer ribbon cable for it's construction.

I have been experimenting with some antennas to add to my go-kit as well as something I can take with me on a hiking trip. For light weight you can't beat the NorCal Doublet. I weighed mine at a whopping 3oz! That is the entire thing - including the feed line (no support, just what is in the picture). The antenna is 44' long with a 28' feed line, all made from one 50' length of 4-conductor computer ribbon cable.

I have extras made up if you are interested in one. They are $15.75 through paypal or $15 with check/money order - packaged, shipped, and ready to run. All you need is to hook it to your tuner and support and you are on the air!



E-mail me at kc8qvo@yahoo.com for ordering and availability. I prefer payment by paypal (faster), however I will accept a check or money order but will wait for reciept of payment before shipping. As of November 8th I have 3 left.

I make no claims of performance or characteristic impedance by band. They are built the same as described in the original article. I had extra wire so I figured I would make up a few and make them available to other portable operators who might be interested. First come, first served! Once my current batch is out I can make more, but my supply right now is limited.

OSU's Farm Science Review

The Farm Science Review is a really neat event OSU does every year. I have never been to it before, though. Since I am wanting to get in to the Agricultural industry (specifically John Deere AMS) I figured I would go and hopefully learn a bit and see the sights as well.

I have been interested in farm equipment since I was really little. I was obsessed with toy tractors. I had everything from plastic toys to die cast tractors (with working steering wheels!) to remote controlled tractors. So the agricultural industry and I go together pretty well. I am starting courses this Fall for a minor in Agricultural Systems Management, with a specialization in equipment.

My main goals going to the FSR were to learn more about AMS and how to get in to the field, and above all, satisfy my childhood desire to sit up in a big (John Deere) tractor!

John Deere had almost every tractor series on display from their small yard lawn tractors all the way up to their king size 9030 4 wheel drives. They did not have any track tractors, though.







This is just about the biggest John Deere tractor out - it is a 9330. This is one that I jumped (I mean "climbed") up in.





It is equipped with duals all the way around and has an articulating frame - the front wheels don't steer, the whole front half of the tractor pivots. There is also a 9030t series with track drive (like tank treads) that does not articulate. Again, none of these were on display. The 8030 series also comes in a track configuration.

Here is the inside view from the cab:



Notice the people's heads on the bottom right of the picture. That should give you an idea of just how high up you sit in this one. Talk about blind spots! I thought driving an F-350 with a two car goose neck trailer was bad. I guess farmers don't have to thread their equipment through as many holes as being on the road, though.

I am sure this is a mock-up of what the GreenStar screen looks like (and for all I know this box is empty with just the picture on the screen). However, it does show what GreenStar does quite well. It is a digital map of your field with a model of the tractor and equipment on the screen (dimensional only, not a "picture"). That way you can see (dimensionally) where you are going (or, where the computer is going hehehe). It is really amazing stuff.



More controls:



They even had a 9770 STS combine on display. This thing is a giant!



View (not much with that building there):



View of the GreenStar display for the combine:



I accomplished both of my goals. I talked to a real nice guy just a bit older than I am at the main John Deere booth for a good 10-15 minutes about AMS and our different backgrounds and education. It was a real interesting conversation.

From what I found out from the John Deere guy there were on-going demonstrations of the AMS technology. There are some fields associated with FSR across the highway (the north side of I70) from the main event. To get there you ride a shuttle - which is a tractor pulling two four wheel farm trailers (like a hay wagon).

Here is a view from the shuttle looking out to the fields down the road:



Here is one side of the field, the picture is blown out a bit (I bumped the camera in to manual mode by accident):



This is the row that they had the AMS systems running in (on the tractors anyway). Here is the StarFire RTK base station that they were using (I think, it was set up and it looks like it was operational!):



Most of what I observed was strip tilling. This is a practice where instead of tilling or cultivating an entire field a farmer will till just the rows that will be planted. The reasoning behind this is that the less implement engaged in the ground the less soil needs to be broken up. Try dragging a shovel through (not over, not scraping, but through) packed dirt and see how hard it is to move it. Now expand that to something that is 15' wide or wider and you can imagine how much power it must take to move it. The smaller amount of soil engaged by the implement the less power (and fuel!) that is needed. In the end it saves money, wear and tear on equipment, and probably time as well.



I had a lot of fun at the Farm Science Review, and I learned a lot as well! I look forward to my courses this coming year and what the rest of the industry has waiting for me when I am done. Next year I will be sure to make it out to the Farm Science Review again!

An Unexpected Weekend

Last weekend (Friday through Monday)was real screwy. The first few days were OK. Saturday (the whole day) was spent building my sectional dipole antenna. It took me a lot longer than I had expected it to take. Sunday is when the real adventure began.

I got up around 11:00am. My dad was going to run out to get some stuff so I came along. I noticed it was a bit breezy, more so than we had experienced the past few days. The first place we went to was Harbor Freight Tools. I would equate this store to Northern Tool (for those of you up north). They have all kinds of gizmos, gadgets, and a bunch of nonsense stuff no one really needs. They also have GREAT deals on (cheap) tools and equipment. I picked up a battery charger to use in conjunction with a battery as a portable power supply for my go-kit. For $10 I couldn't pass it up. I also picked up a yard of felt to make a liner for the Pelican case at Joanne Fabrics - for a whopping $3. This is going to be a good day, right?

Not exactly. The first sign of things to come was the fact that there was debris flying everywhere - insulation from construction sites, bags, leaves, twigs, you name it. If it was able to blow around it did.

If you read my post on EN39 you know I don't like wind too much. Well, this is another excursion of sorts.

I came back to the house to find my Crappie pole (supporting my sectional dipole and feed line) in two pieces laying on the ground. The trees were swaying more than I have ever seen trees move before. The Weather Channel was showing a "high wind warning" bulletin for our area.

Oh, there goes the neighbors fence across the street! Hmm, the fence in the back yard just squashed all the plants!

Then the electricity went out. The electricity has gone out many times before so no big deal, right? Well the wind is still blowing.

I think I will go outside and pick up my antenna, just in case a tree falls and I can't get to it later.

I tell you what - going outside and feeling the wind, hearing the howling sound of the air moving through the trees, wood creaking, fence planks rattling, and standing there rolling up a bunch of wire looking up at all the trees moving overhead was a very uneasy feeling. I was watching all the trees very closely and anticipating the gusts of wind. Just in case I had to drop everything and run I was ready.

Luckily no trees fell... on me. I didn't know this at the time but half of a maple tree on the side of the house was taken out. There was so much noise from all the wind it was impossible to hear the tree come down.

My dad's SUV was parked there all morning. It just so happened he took off in it a few minutes before. We should have all bought lottery tickets!



There was also a limb that fell down in front.



All day Monday was spent cutting up the trees. My dad and I did all of the work up to this point. I chopped up most of the stuff and my dad bundled it up. From what we found out we could set all the debris by the road and the city would pick it up - brush in 4' long bundles and piles of loose leaves. The rest of it was cut up in to logs for future use in the stove.

Before getting to work on the big limb I pulled the limb out with the truck. I hooked a chain around it at the top (a big job in itself - 30-40lbs of chain is a bear to yank up and around a tree on a rope!), added a tow strap for some extra reach, and hooked the whole string to my hitch on the truck. The trick to this was to yank the big limb out on to the driveway, pivoting on the branches that were already down on the pavement, without tearing out the fence. The limb fell in such a way that this was exactly what happened. Once the limb let go at the top it cleared the fence fine on the way down.



From what we know power will not be back on there any time soon. Power coverage is spotty at best. The tie up is all the lines and trees that are down. The trees have to be cleared first and then the work can start on the power lines. With such a widespread area that is affected it could be a week before everyone is back online.

At some point we heard on the news that the whole area had 70mph or higher wind gusts during the event. If I remember correctly - 74mph is the start of category 1 hurricane winds. Although we did not get the rain, storm surge, and flooding along with it I think I can relate to what it would be like going through a weak hurricane.

Sectional Dipole for the "Go-Kit"

The main antenna consists of the two loops on top, the two below are the 60m sections that can be added.

I know I am not the first person to come up with this idea. I have seen and heard of many variations of this antenna throught my years being a Ham radio operator. One of them even included relays for remote band control HI. Mine isn't that sophisticated, in fact it is as bare-bones as you get.

I wanted an antenna that I could toss in my go-kit so I would never be without an antenna. My requirements for it were to be coax fed, compact, cover all bands 6-60m, and be resonance agile so I wouldn't be stuck cutting or needing to add to it when out in the field.

The first step to the antenna was getting my lengths. I used the formula 234/f (in mHz), or 1/4wl. This gave me the length I needed for each piece. I started with 6 meters and added, sequentially, the other bands to that one after the other all the way to 60 meters. The only hangup I had was on 12 meters. The length I needed turned out to be 4" longer than what I calculated for some reason. After that the rest of the lengths were close. As I got lower in frequency I had to trim more and more. It is better to be long than short on this one.

I seem to remember that insulated wire (not shielded, just regular coated wire) has a higher velocity factor than bare wire. This means that the length needed will be shorter than in theory. Case in point, I chopped off a good foot to 16" off my 40m dipole when I made it out of 12g stranded hookup wire (the suff you get off the spool in a variety of colors at Lowes or Home Depot). I am not sure what the exact conversion is for the 24g wire I used, however.

Another thing I did with this antenna is I made jumpers that varied in length so I could tune the antenna by making it longer or shorter. Depending on where the antenna is set up the SWR could vary a little so I wanted to be on the safe side and design this in to the antenna. All the bands are tuned with a 4" jumper in place. Since I started with 6 meters this is really the only band that is "short". This way, if the antenna's resonance goes down in frequency I can pull out the 4" jumper and add a 1", 2", or both a 1" and 2", or none at all, to get the antenna tuned back where it should be. I have extra jumpers to go all the way up to 16" extra if need be on the high side.

I did not make a jumper for 75/80m. The antenna is very long as it is at 60m and the wire is so small that I didn't want the extra stress. For a portable antenna it might not be too bad, though.

I used LMR-200 for the feedline. I was going to use LMR-100 but I figured the 200 had less loss, which is a big consideration if QRP is necessary. At 5 watts you need all the efficiency you can get. I figured 35' of feed line would be enough to go up my crappie pole and over to the rig with plenty of room.

The wire I used for the dipole was a spool of 75' of 24 guage speaker wire from Radio Shack. I didn't realize it until I started working on the antenna that the wire is solid. This isn't the best stuff to use for an antenna as it breaks easier than stranded wire (stranded can flex more without the same metal fatigue).

I used 12-14g spade lugs from Home Depot. My first thought was to crimp and solder them. However, only the female ones took solder. The male ones must have some kind of coating on them that won't allow the solder to wet to it. Instead of soldering them I folded the speaker wire over (about 3/8") and stuck the loop in to the connector and then crimped it. This way the wire has a better hold in the connector. One thing to keep in mind is to get the connector crimp "fold" to go in between the loop. In otherwords, the wire isn't all on one side. This will make it impossible for the wire to come out without breaking.

The antenna works very well. However, I have noticed the bandwidth on the lower bands to be quite narrow. I would attribute this to the wire being so small. I am sure this is a common problem. I have the antenna tuned on 40m so the SWR dip is about 7.100. This way, the SWR goes to about 1.5:1 at the bottom of the band (where I will operate mostly anyway - CW) and I can still get up in to the SSB portion with a 2:1. Since I am an Extra I can play on the bottom of the SSB band, which the SWR is only 1.3-1.5:1 there. The bandwidth on 60m doesnt matter since the channels only span about 70-80kHz.

Due to my "unexpected weekend" I was unable to get any pictures of it deployed this time around. My crappie pole broke Sunday morning so it is out of commission for a while. I will wrap some fiberglass around the break and fix it up when I get some time.

Pelican case go-kit for the FT-857D, also computer case

I have been planning out my strategy for this for a while. Ever since I made the decision to get an FT-857D (way before I got it) I have wanted to make a go-kit. I wanted something that could withstand abuse and be totally reliable and ready to go anywhere and everywhere I go.

I have heard of Pelican cases in the past. It seems any time you hear of equipment cases they are Pelicans - cameras, guns, surveying equipment, even Bird Watt meters! So, I thought it would be a good idea to get a Pelican case for my go-kit. If they are used by the military and the government they must be good.

The main goal I had in mind was to keep things compact. I have a problem with packing too much stuff. That has always been the case. I am a Ham radio operator, what can I say? Everywhere I go a radio goes. However, that encompasses everything else to make it work, right? Wires, antennas, power sources, etc. I have driven several people crazy when it comes to trips hehehe.

Because the FT-857D is so small I thought the Pelican 1450 would do. It is deeper than the radio is so things can be stacked a bit and there would be some space to the sides for extras - mic, key, wires. One thing to keep in mind with a case like a Pelican (and the environment you use it) is that there needs to be space around the items for foam. Unless you go with an empty shell case and just pile everything in to it, however this really defeats the purpose of having the protection of a Pelican case. So I really didn't know if the 1450 was going to be the right case. Measuring things and looking at dimensions online is one thing, but actually having the items in hand and being able to physically lay them in/on something and move them around to see how it all works really goes a long way.

I have not heard of any "dealer" for Pelican cases, only online stores (and the company website, but you can't buy direct). So, I did some investigating on this. Come to find out, there is a dealer right here in Columbus, Ohio. It is only about 10 minutes from Universal Radio off of Broad St. East of I-270 on the East side of town.

The place is called Midwest Case Company. It appeared to be more of a distribution warehouse, so I didn't know if I could go there as if it were a store. I called the number and the guy there said it was a distribution office but I was more than welcome to go look around. So I did!

I decided since I was going to go out there I might as well look for a laptop case, too. I got a laptop for my birthday and no case, just a neoprene sleeve. I need something that will protect the computer a bit more than that.

I have to say I was impressed. I didn't think shopping for a case could be so much fun. If you need a case for something (or a bunch of stuff!) I highly recommend you try to go to a dealer! I ended up spending several hours (2-3) in this warehouse going through boxes of cases and seeing how everything would fit. I went through about 6-8 different model cases by the time I was done. Again, being able to have the objects in hand side by side with the cases really was the way to go.

My main goal in all this was to keep the go-kit as compact as possible without degrading its function. The first case I went to was the 1450 since that is what I thought I wanted. It fit the radio, key, mic, and chord but I would have squished it all in. Having the extra space on top really didn't amount to much because the foam block that comes in it is one piece (plus a 1/2" bottom and 1" or so lid piece). I could have cut the main block in half, though. Still, everything would have been really packed in there.

So I looked at the brief case style cases - the 1470 and the 1490. They are flatter but have more surface area so I could space the items out a little bit more than with the 1450. The 1470 was a bit too close but the 1490 seemed a bit better.

I then went up to the next size above the 1450 and the 1490 - the 1500. This was a deeper case like the 1450 was but slightly larger in footprint than the 1490. It most definitely would have been enough space. Again, the block was only one piece so I would have had to cut it down.

While looking at the 1450, 1470, 1490, and 1500 all side by side with my gear I figured the 1500 was just too big. I want a compact setup and there was just too much bulk with that case. For an expedition it might work alright, but for the situations I know I will find myself in that size would be too cumbersome.

Since I had my laptop with me I looked at the laptop cases. Surprisingly, the laptop cases are just different configurations of the regular cases they sell with foam - just with padded sides, a strap for the computer, and some had pockets for papers and a PDA in the lid. The 1490 happened to be one of these cases. So, since I was considering this case with the foam for the go-kit I figured it was a no-brain'er. The case could serve two purposes!

I walked out of this place with a 1490 that had the pick n' pluck foam package. I had some foam at home that I could use for the case as well, so I didn't need to buy anything other than the case to get my dual-personality Pelican case.

The first thing I got to work on was the rig configuration. The layout I came up with is this:





I made sure the pieces fit in there nice and snug. With the pick n' pluck foam you better go one block less than what you think you need than not, otherwise your items won't fit right. I will admit, though, that getting the radio in there is a squeeze. There is a lot of pressure on the foam (as you can see at the spacer between the rig and mic - it bows towards the mic) but I would rather have a radio that is hard to get in and out than to have it bang around in to other objects or flop out of position.

The kit is not completed yet. I am sure I will add things here and there to it. One item I really want to get is a Gamma Research HPS-1A power supply. It is a little bigger than a pack of cards but will run a 100w radio at 100w CW/SSB. It would be perfect for this setup! I also want to get some better batteries. I don't know that the batteries will be put in the case or not, though. All the essentials are there!

Now.. where can I go with it? I am sure I will put this to good use!

This morning I got working on the computer insert. This was a sheet of "egg crate" foam. I marked out where I wanted the computer and chord to go and then started trimming with a razor blade. It is a hack job, but the computer is protected quite nicely and there is not much pressure on the lid (as there was if I just put the computer in there without trimming out the block).

FT-857D in 2003 Silverado

I have been wanting one of these little wonder rigs for a while. Now I have one! My uses for the rig will be an on-the-go rig - whether it is tossed in a backpack for a hike, light-packing (relatively - if you have read my post on EN39 you know I don't pack "light"), mobile, or any other grab-and-go type scenario. I figured I would install my remote kit in the truck and use the rig/controls as one for the rest of the stuff.

My first task was to figure out where to put the control panel. That would dictate the type of bracketry I needed. This is where it gets interesting! I considered about five different locations, but I didn't like any of them for one reason or another. My mobile set-ups in the past have always had me reaching for the controls. Visibility was fine as my HF rig sat right on the dash - easy to see, hard to reach.

My main goal was to find a place that was EASY to reach. That meant being low and within reach. The places I considered were to the left and right of the steering wheel down low. The access was great - it was at a comfortable height. The issue here is the visibility. Also, I am right handed so the left side was out of the question. I also considered on the side of the center console. That was easier to see than next to the steering wheel, but it posed mounting and access issues. I didn't want to mount the control panel on the front of the center console (near the cubby holes and power ports). This would have limited access and use to those.

I now had three issues: ease of reach, ease of visibility, and not blocking anything. This is when I started looking at the lid to the center console storage compartment. This looked like a good place at first. My preference would be to keep the control panel in one place, but there was no way to mount it at this location without some fancy metal work to get bends that would contour to the plastic console. If I mount it to the lid itself then the control panel is mobile - it moves with the lid, and it weighs it down so it will no longer raise on its own.

I looked at this scenario for a good while and studied how it would work. The access was great - the controls were literally at my fingertips. The visibility wasn't great because of the angle I had on the display. The only thing I was blocking was the very rear part of the open compartments.

Looking at the other alternatives it was very clear - some compromises had to be made and the only location that made sense was the console lid. So thats just what I did.



In fact, it got even better than this. Instead of mounting the controls straight in line with the lid I bent the bracket at an angle to tilt the control panel backwards and to the left so I could see it better. This little tweak made all the difference in the world!



I may even bend the bracket a bit more to get even more of an angle on it. The location of the tuning knob is very comfortable as it is now, though. I can rest my arm on the console and just move my fingers to scroll the bands.

I got the remote microphone with the rig too. I figured it is the closest type of hand mic/controller to what my IC-207H has and I use that mic in the truck all the time. The remote control features of the Yaesu mic are great! You need to get to know it, but it really is a great addition. I still prefer to tune with the big knob, but surfing the menu is easily done with the mic.

My mobile ham station went from this:



to this:



Boy have I really missed out on mobile HF! I have always managed in the past, but this set-up really changes my whole experience to something really wonderful. I am sure this goes without saying, but I am quite proud of my installation. It doesn't solve every problem but it is very enjoyable to use. I hope to catch you on the bands!

Antennas! Seen from I70 mile 142-143 in Ohio, Whos are they? Also, another update

I have been trying for the past couple of weeks to get a picture of these antennas. The first week I just HAPPENED to catch them out of the corner of my eye on my way back from Zanesville. Since then I couldn't find them until the other day. They are located on the South side of I-70 in Ohio between mile markers 142 and 143 behind a "nodding donkey" (oil pump, looks like it isn't working right now) and behind a hill. All I can see is the tops of the towers and it is still hard to pick them out - you have to be looking for them to see them, or just get lucky like I did and just happen to focus your eyes in the right spot as you scan the sky!

It looks like a well-equipped station. If you have that many towers and big antennas, and even if you had them hooked to an FT-817, it is still a "well equipped" station HI.

Does anyone have an idea whos station this is? I remember an article way back a few years on the ARRL webpage in the "Surfin" column that described a big contest station seen on the east side of the state driving on 70. The author passes it on his drive to Dayton each year. I don't think these are the same places - the one 'Surfin" mentioned was easier to see if I remember right.

Anywho, I would like to find out whos that is. I try to catch those towers every day now and dream of what it would be like to have nice antennas HI. I can't stand being in the city.....

OK, for my update. Last week I put in over 54 hours on the clock with this new site. This week is headded in the same direction it seems. I have been in overtime every day so far and it looks like the same story for today (as I am typing this it just hit 4:30am eastern time - which reminds me I need to pack my lunch, I am supposed to be on the road to the office right now). Getting up at 3:30am isn't exactly easy for me to do - I am not a morning person. Once I get some coffee in me I can survive but boy is my clock off!

I took some time yesterday to do a little fly fishing. I wen't to my favorite spot on the Scioto (hey, its close). The first fish I caught was a nice 10-12" smallmouth bass. I have never caught a fish that big down there before so that was a lot of fun. It was a well-grown one too. It wasn't real thick like a largemouth can get, but it was a real nice size. I almost had to let the line go and let the reel do it's job (rarely happens - I hand-control the line most of the time, if you fly-fish you know what I mean). Anyway, that was a lot of fun. Not much else to speak of - just another baby smallmouth and watching the wildlife (cranes, ducks, frogs jumping off rocks as I wade past).

Antennas!