Ham Radio

Posting this in case anyone else finds it helpful. I asked Camp-Inn to do a custom install of an Icom 2300H 2-meter ham radio. I was originally thinking it would go in one of the upper cabinets next to the air conditioner, but Camp-Inn did a superb job finding an even better spot below the sound system, behind the TV (see picture).

Little did I realize how valuable the ham radio would be on our maiden voyage, where we used it to tune into the National Weather Service when a storm kicked up for information on a tornado warning (leading to us evacuate our Missouri campsite and shelter next to a nearby brick high school building!).

For those not familiar with ham radio, it is relatively easy (free apps) and affordable (~$15) to get your ham license, and one can get set up with complete 2-meter (that's the wavelength) radio for around $300 (see links below). Since quite a few friends and family have installed ham radios in their vehicles, it's great for us to be able to communicate with them from inside our trailer on camping trips. It's also nice to have comms when cell phone service is not available.

Also, I prefer to unscrew the antenna while travelling (I put it in the tow vehicle), and connect it once I get to camp. That way, there is zero concern on my part about having it come unscrewed on the highway. And I have to unscrew it to fit the trailer in my garage...the antenna is too tall (it's a 4-footer). And if you're looking at getting the ARB awning, the 2000mm x 2500mm (roughly 6.5ft. x 8ft., part no. 814201) model works perfectly with the antenna mount location.


I had the four items listed below sent to Camp-Inn, and they took care of the rest:

Icom 2300H 2-meter ham radio
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B008I6LK4I

FireStik Antenna for ham radio
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000SA4DK0

Antenna ball-mount and spring
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0054HME58

Coax cable
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000X39TCY


Other ham radio links:

Ham radio study website
HamStudy.org: Cutting edge amateur radio study tools

Ham radio test preparation app
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.iversoft.ham.test.prep&hl=en

Find ham radio test in your area
Find an Amateur Radio License Exam in Your Area

 

I installed a marine rachet antenna mount. At first I used it for a TV antenna but now use it for a cell booster. When traveling it lays pointing at the bumper but flips up for use. (Be careful to avoid wires under the skin when mounting)

 

@rmb What cell booster are you using?

@m&l 2-meter ham is an interesting idea for those remote areas... do relay services still exist to patch your radio signal to phone networks?

 

So, I'm not aware of an easy or legal way to tap into a phone network other than the MARS network, which used to be a big thing with military families (I received a MARS telegram when I was in the Navy, out at sea, letting me know that my wife was pregnant with our oldest daughter!). I don't think that's happening much anymore.

There is, however, an app called "EchoLink" that lets you communicate with certain internet-connected repeaters using a cell phone, but both people have to have a ham radio license. When I take my Jeep on the Rubicon Trail, there is no cell service...but my wife (also a ham radio license holder) can use the EchoLink app on her cell phone, wherever she is, to connect to a repeater that I can access with my radio from the Trail. There's no way for me to "call" her in that scenario, but if I leave my radio on monitoring that repeater, she can call me at any time using the app. I could likewise "call" her if she is monitoring the app. All of this only works if the EchoLink user knows which repeater you will be near.

There's always satellite phones, but they're expensive and aren't always reliable, apparently.

 

I have a Wilson Amplifiers WeBoost 4Gx. My purpose was to bring the signal inside of the aluminum box. It gives at least a one bar increase in signal. Sometime I will try to get a db reading on and off.

 

Up in Alaska, venturing around often requires some sort of solution. The cell network here is very focused on population centers, which are few and far between. Truckers use CB radios, but only on the routes heavily trafficked by trucks hauling supplies. I'm unsure of the HAM opportunities around here, that is a segment I've never dabbled in.

We use a Garmin InReach Mini device, which connects to two satellite networks: 1.) the standard GPS network for pulling location information and 2.) the Iridium satellite network, which is a proper 2 way communication network.

On top of the cost of the device, we spend about 35 bucks a month during the summer season for the service fee. Without the service fee, the device will still pull a GPS location signal, but it won't have any access to the 2 way communication. During the winter, we cancel the monthly subscription since we tend to stay closer to population centers.

Our 35 dollar subscription level allows us to do a few things, nothing particularly ground breaking. We have a certain number of text messages every month we can send to any cell phone in the US, and after we use our monthly allotment we pay a per-message fee (.25 maybe?). We can also use the message allotment to pull a weather report for our current location.

But perhaps the best feature: we can "broadcast" our location, which populates a GPS fix to a map every ten minutes or so. Anyone with the URL for "our" map can see our location in near real-time. When we are headed out for a backcountry adventure, we provide that URL to a couple folks, usually one local and also my parents. If we send them a distress message via the text function, they immediately can pull up our location and see our progress. Also, my mother can do her best impression of a Vietnam war general in a Huey above the battlefield, as she tends to glue herself to her iPad refreshing our location every 90 seconds and updating my father of our progress incessantly. My dad doesn't think this is a fun game, but my mom sure enjoys it!

 

I can't wait to take our 560 up to Alaska! I've been up there twice, once by Navy ship and once by cruise ship...but a road trip up there has always been in the plans. Alaska certainly presents some unique challenges for communication.

I know there's a ham radio community up there, I've talked to folks from my (longer-range HF) radio numerous times. Might be worth looking in to...

 

At one time I was interested in listening to shortwave broadcasts from around the world, didn’t get my license.

The American Radio Relay League, ARRL (link), is still around, but apparently radio relay to phones is no longer a headline in their mission. They DO offer many resources for anyone interested in Ham radio.

Garmin Inreach is a pretty cool tech, in part because it links to smartphone text services!

 

This is a really neat thread! Thanks for sharing. We use the SPOT service similar to the service Dirty6 uses. We've used it all over North America, Central America, and Europe. We broadcast our location to family and friends, and can also send and receive text messages. I'll admit, I never even thought about a HAM radio, but it sounds like a cool gadget, and I LOVE gadgets!!

 

I haven't invested in a good GPS unit yet (which is kinda funny considering I manage the test facility that has done the radiation effects testing for all generations of GPS satellites), but that Garmin InReach looks REALLY interesting. Now I just have to convince the wife to up my allowance...

 

I’m also an amateur radio operator and very much look forward to operating from my 560 Ultra. I’m glad they know how to accommodate ham radio requests at Camp Inn. If anyone who isn’t licensed yet has questions about ham radio, I’d be glad to answer them and help you get started.

Ham Radio and Camping make an excellent pair!

 

autopatches are pretty much nonexistent at this point. Which is kind of too bad….they were cool tech back when I first got my ticket….

 

I have a Garmin 750i (GPS, camera, Inreach - 2 way texting/and tracking) and have been pleased with it. It’s a “brick” though.

 

I am really sad to say it, but ham is dead …or at least a zombie. I miss the rag chews of a just a few years ago. The airwaves are sadly quiet….at least around me. My local repeater is silent…even at drive time, and this is pre COVID. I can’t imagine it now.

maybe HF is different…. I don’t know where a HF fits into teardrop life….

 

Ham radio is alive and well here in Northern California! Lots of 2M activity. Lots of HF, too... despite the abysmal solar minimum. My whole family has their ticket, mostly for 4-wheeling and road trips, but some have migrated into HF. It's all super handy and fun for camping trips!

 

I’m envious . Here in Indiana….it’s radio silence.

 

Sweeney, give it time...it always goes in cycles!

 

Like “Video killed the radio star” social media is killing ham radio. Still decently active in Arkansas but markedly less than it was ten years ago.

As for where HF radio fits into teardrop camping life....well, we’re fixing to find out. I’m not going to get too elaborate but I’m having a port installed to allow for an outdoor antenna. Thinking of making a portable spider-beam set up and using an “arm-strong” rotator system.