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With 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.
> Barbara McCrary
> Ride Mgr., Swanton Pacific 75/100
> "The Most Beautiful Trail in the World"
>
>     ----- Original Message -----
>     *From:* Jeanie Bartson <mailto:jeaniesta@xxxxxxxxx>
>     *To:* ridecamp@xxxxxxxxxxxxx <mailto:ridecamp@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
>     *Sent:* Friday, June 29, 2007 12:57 PM
>     *Subject:* [RC] Ham Radios - OT?
>
>     Hi,
>     I am wondering if any of you use ham radios either for managing
>     rides or personally for emergencies or in remote areas. I am just
>     wondering if learning & using ham radio would be a useful
>     investment for communication at rides. I'm pretty sure most people
>     use cell phones or walkie talkies, but just thought I'd check.
>     Thanks,
>     Jeanie


--

“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


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