Want to Setup my radio far from the house!

[kd5ywa]

So, earlier I posted how I was in a bowl. I have since set up my dipole and still no real success. Much better reception, but still no one can hear me. So since I have 240 acres of land to work with, I want to set up a solar powered dipole somewhere on my land. Maybe not more that 200-300 feet from my radio.

I have a Yaesu FT-897 and I used Ham Radio Deluxe software to operate my radio. So, does anyone have any ideas on how to do this?

I was thinking maybe a repeater, or some other form of remote transmitter?

I will keep looking.

 

[Voyager]

At HF, you could run some good quality feedline such as Heliax and not lose much at HF frequencies.

Many broadcast transmitters run feedlines of several hundred feet.

 

[kd5ywa]

I thought about burying a feed line, even laying the conduit, but our ground out here is so difficult to dig through. We rented a trencher one day and it took us a day to go about 50 feet. Crazy hard ground, loaded with rock.

If I get this to work, I can even set up a beacon station out here too.

 

[k6cpo]

There are ways to set up a remote station using the internet between your location and the transmitter. I helped a friend build a station ten miles from where he lives. He can even operate it from a parking lot using his cell phone for the internet connection.

Here's his setup in a Pelican case with a tablet computer and phone.

http://johnwright.smugmug.com/Amate...ril-26/i-JgsmBJw/0/L/IMG_165-1812-G12()-L.jpg

 

[rescue161]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Uq8hS9AZzQ

This guy is using a TIP100 remote to control an HF station over IP.

 

[WA0CBW]

I would think moving your antenna 200-300 feet wouldn't make much difference. Have you made any contacts? If you mean absolutely no one hears you then I would look at the some other issue such as something wrong with the radio.
BB

 

[Project25_MASTR]

Remote station over ip is how I'd approach it.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[kd5ywa]

I don't know if anyone hears me because no one has ever responded. I was told by another post that there are websites that allow you to see if you can see your transmission. I have tried that and I can not see my transmission, yet the distance from me to that radio is at least 1500 miles... So, I sure that a lot of the traffic that I do see is not my own.

I don't know anyone local to Trinidad CO to help me.

 

[WA0CBW]

Do you hear other stations? Moving your antenna a few hundred feet wouldn't normally make a great deal of difference unless the antenna is completely shielded from the sky, like under a tin roof. If you haven't already done so check the power out from the radio along with checking the SWR. Make sure the coax has continuity of both the center and outer conductor and isn't shorted from center conductor to the shield. You might check on the ARRL web site and see who is the technical coordinator for Colorado. He should be able to get you in touch with one of his technical specialists. Even QRPers running 5 watts or less make contacts so even with a simple wire dipole you should be able to make SOME contacts.
WA0CBW
ARRL Technical Coordinator - Kansas Section

 

[kd5ywa]

Well I tried to look at the ARRL Colorado sight but they had some broken links, plus I could not find a email address anywhere. But your post WA0CBW gave me the idea of looking for a club. I found one kinda close, and sent them an email so maybe I can schedule a listener soon.

And yes, I hear all sorts of stuff. Stuff from everywhere all over the country, and Canada, and Russia too.

I have tried a 33 foot vertical wire, a screw driver antenna and an Alpha Delta DXCC dipole. Currently my Alpha Delta is about 10-12 feet off the ground under my wooden porch, which is the floor of the second story porch. I have a BIG house. I figured that if people put antennas in attics, a porch should be ok right...

Hope everyone gives me some slack, I am very new to this. I plan this weekend to take the a 20m dipole out onto the property and as a trial run. I

 

[kb2fed]

Go on the internet lookup pikes peak amateur radio club there in colorado around denver area do something or a ring on to the site is down sure other members would be willing to give you a hand so you can test your radio

 

[N5TWB]

And yes, I hear all sorts of stuff. Stuff from everywhere all over the country, and Canada, and Russia too.

I have tried a 33 foot vertical wire, a screw driver antenna and an Alpha Delta DXCC dipole. Currently my Alpha Delta is about 10-12 feet off the ground under my wooden porch, which is the floor of the second story porch. I have a BIG house. I figured that if people put antennas in attics, a porch should be ok right...

Hope everyone gives me some slack, I am very new to this. I plan this weekend to take the a 20m dipole out onto the property and as a trial run. I

First off, if you're hearing activity on a band, you should be able to work something, in theory. The recommendation about technical assistance to ensure your transmitter is operating applies here. I hope the local club comes through for you.

That said, your choices in antennas and their deployment appear to be less than optimal. I'm going to guess your vertical didn't have any kind of ground radials. A screwdriver is already a huge compromise due to being designed for mobile use and is generally acknowledged to only be about 5% efficient in the best installations. The DX-CC at 12' is more like an NVIS installation, designed for close contacts, about 300-500 miles, depending on band. My DX-EE in the attic is at about 28' and works pretty well for what it is. If there is any way to get more height, the DX-CC may yet be a good performer for you.

Believe me, I am cutting you slack, noob or not. If I were anywhere close, I'd be glad to come check out your set-up and gear. Everybody who has put in the time and effort to get licensed, purchased the gear, and installed it deserves to achieve some results. Even in less-than-great locations...