Re: [RC] Ham Radios - OT? - Truman PrevattWith conventional HAM radios you need a repeater. There are some new technologies out there. However, I do not know if they have been approved for HAM use - in fact I doubt it but I think it is coming. It's called HF ALE(Automatic Link Establishment). Along with ALE a new antenna technology has been developed called NVIS (near vertical incident skywave) or NVIS ALE to use vertical skywave reflections to communicate in rough terrain.The radios are manufactured by all the standard radio makers and as of now they are primarily for the military but they are commercially available. These radios would solve most of the communications problems in the HF and minimize the need for repeaters by directing the wave straight up toward the sky where it would be reflected back down off the ionosphere to be received by other radios eliminating the issues of terrain. The ALE feature means the radios have a protocol that they find the best frequency for transmission and build the network automatically. It doesn't take any special skills to work one. Like I say I don't know if they are approved for HAMs yet but I don't think it will be long. They would be a God send for endurance rides or emergency operations in rough terrain. http://www.arrl.org/tis/info/pdf/9502068.pdf http://hflink.com/ Truman Barbara McCrary wrote: We tried ham radios and walkie-talkies, but neither worked on our ride. The canyons are too deep and the forests too thick. We can get communication from my husband's position on top of the mountain down into the canyon where the first major VC is held. He has his cell phone and we have to have a temporary land line hooked up for just those 4-5 hours once a year. It's a bit costly, but we have no alternative if we want contact from his point of the first trot-by and water stop to my point, the first P&R vet check and 1-hour hold. -- “It doesn't matter how beautiful your theory is, it doesn't matter how smart you are. If it doesn't agree with experiment, it's wrong” Richard Feynman, Nobel Laureate in Physics =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Ridecamp is a service of Endurance Net, http://www.endurance.net. Information, Policy, Disclaimer: http://www.endurance.net/Ridecamp Subscribe/Unsubscribe http://www.endurance.net/ridecamp/logon.asp Ride Long and Ride Safe!! =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
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