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Hey Ladn
The use of 2 MHz gets quite a few quizzical looks from people when I explain that is our only reliable link to the "outside." In this day and age everyone expects we 'must be using 'cel, or maybe satellite phones-' (yeah, like Sat 'phones; ++$$'s)
"you mean you don't even have an internet connection up there?' - and so it goes.
When we first address'd this issues, there were plenty of suggestions. Foremost was one of mine--- why even bother ?
It was to be a place to enjoy the absolute solitudes of the high mountains- and being in an all-enclosing, cut-off-from-everything amphitheatre only enhanced it. A step back to the early 20th century.
Oh, of course I tried various radios- from beamed VHF (zip) to HF (pitiful at best)-- NVIS, etc... but these were only half attempts; after all, I wanted to get away from work sometimes.
Then early one fall we had an early snowfall- a blizzard actually. And I had invited a Girl Scout troop to use the cabin that weekend.
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When that group of Girl scouts did not return as expected, who but Lauri was one of the first to hear about it from concerned, worried parents. I mentioned snow machines in an earlier post? So out of a barn and into the teeth of a storm rode two of them * to the rescue.
Now I like snow mobiling, but not at night , nor into blizzards. The sun had set long ago and we had to pick our way up thru the swirling void by the powerful head lamps. After what seemed an eternity, there ahead, thru the blowing snow was the warm light of the cabin windows.
We roar'd up, stumbled across snow drifts and enter'd the cabin. There around a glowing stove sat the girls, their leaders drinking coffee from a huge pot bubbling on its top. The cabin was warm and dry and the girls were having the adventure of their lives (translated; they didn't want to go home.) Everyone was fine-- much better than fine- compared to the "rescuer's"; we were half frozen.
We would have waited to leave until morning, when hopefully the storm would have blown itself out- but there were those anxious parents.................
I and another 'drew the short straws'- tho actually nothing like that occur'd- we (me)-- were the responsible adults--- and back on a machine we went to tell the world all was well (remember, there was no outside comm's.)
When we got about two miles from of my place, the squelch on my ranch LMR broke. We passed the good news. The next day a rancher neighbor took his snow cat up and ferried the girls down.
"Its the Cowboy way, Ma'm"
he explain to the grateful mothers.
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All that prompted a more serious look at this communication thing. Since not everyone using the cabin would be hams, we took the Part 90 Isolated Site route. A new, serious look at the lowest frequency we could license- 2 MHz for its ground wave- high (150 Watts) power with a proper vertical and a half-a-chance ground plane did the trick.
Today I have semi entertain'd a mobile 150 metre snow machine mobile- entertained it - something like the Austalian mobiles in this Topic- but its not gone any further. I am intrigued by their mobile setups, especially the antennas.
Lauri
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*In places and times like that we would never travel singly