In Search of the Perfect Mobile Frequency- a Cowgirl's Log

[prcguy]

And the Land of Sopapillas! How come those tasty treats only exist somewhere between eastern NM and maybe Flagstaff?

Congrats on your fun filled trip!

.

Tomorrow I should wrap this little story up. But tonight it was tacos, wine and green chili salsa- we're back in the Land of Enchantment...


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[TailGator911]

Thanks for allowing us to live vicariously thru you via your blog! It was a joy to read, many thanks!

JD
kf4anc

 

[majoco]

Yes, thanks for all that, Lauri and Barb, it was very interesting and obviously you had a great deal of fun too. Now - what about the return trip......

 

[k9wkj]

Lauri-Coyote and Barb thank you for the fun ride!

but today I heard a new for me thing on 52
there was a fella making contacts on 52 while hanging under a parachute
little bit of lip flapping and alot of wind
but he was making contacts left and right "parachute mobile"
so around here the perfect frequency seems to be 146.52Mhz
even though I wish it was 52.525Mhz

 

[RFI-EMI-GUY]

Lauri-Coyote and Barb thank you for the fun ride!

but today I heard a new for me thing on 52
there was a fella making contacts on 52 while hanging under a parachute
little bit of lip flapping and alot of wind
but he was making contacts left and right "parachute mobile"
so around here the perfect frequency seems to be 146.52Mhz
even though I wish it was 52.525Mhz

I think I saw him on YouTube. Fascinating. However, jumping out of airplanes is not for me.

 

[krokus]

Lauri-Coyote and Barb thank you for the fun ride!

but today I heard a new for me thing on 52
there was a fella making contacts on 52 while hanging under a parachute
little bit of lip flapping and alot of wind
but he was making contacts left and right "parachute mobile"
so around here the perfect frequency seems to be 146.52Mhz
even though I wish it was 52.525Mhz

A guy on YouTube has posted some videos of his contacts, while above the DZ he uses, in Texas.

That flapping is probably the slider, which is only about a foot above the jumper's head.

There was someone who posted pics of his setup, back in the 90s. I wanted to try using 52, while jumping in Hawaii, to see if I could make contact with one of the other islands. I was a novice jumper, and was working on those skills more, before adding complexity, and never got to that point.

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[k7ng]

Coming in a bit late on this thread...
(Thanks Lauri and Barb, I was vicariously riding along.)

Just finished a road trip between the home location and the Idaho panhandle, plus intermediate detours. I am sorry to report that I called on 146.52 every half hour or so, regardless of where I happened to be (good or less-good RF terrain), and I got ZERO replies. Even in some fairly populous locations. I did, as usual, get replies to calls on D-STAR repeaters, few and far between as they are.

Not a scientific test, but disappointing just the same. Analog repeater decline in use - meh. But I sure wish more hams would scan past .52 when not doing other things with their radios.

 

[Lauri-CoyoteFrostbite]

Epilogue

An Epilogue
.
I always like a conclusion to a story- Just what happen'd to those characters whose lives I got absorbed in, etc. ? So here is one for the "Search."
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I have been back in DC for some time now. It always amazes me that what took days to drive can be reversed in only a few hour's flight. And of course it was fun to speculate at ~35,000 feet just what "52" could do- but on most such flights I like to sit back at my window seat and simply watch the world go spinning by beneath me.
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This flight, however I was in a scientific mood, and had taken along in my purse a small radiation monitor ("Geiger Counter") - an item that can draw the interests of the TSA at the security gates- but it is a permissible carry-on.
This flight was of those rare ones with few people aboard. The flight attendants had the leisure to actually interact with the passengers- and my 'radiation meter' drew their instant attention. At 35,000 feet that meter was very lively !
One of the cockpit crew, learning there was a "lady from the government" with a 'most interesting instrument'- had to come back and see for himself.
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"Wow !! " was his comment
"Its showing THAT?" - pausing a moment to ponder this, he smiled, and went forward.
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Anyone want to guess the cosmic radiation at that altitude ?
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_______________________________________________________
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The Santa Fe trip went so well my friend and I have begun planning a repeat this summer- this time up the Alaskan Highway ("AlCan") from points north: from Dawson Creek to ?? Alaska. It was speculated by others that our last adventure together would have end'd as the Kilkenny Cats**- but it never did (except maybe over who got the shower first )
We are both Sour Doughs of the Alaskan Bush, but neither of us has ever driven more than short sections of this road. If we don't get eaten by bears, driven crazy by black flies, or reduced to Moose Mush -- it should be a hoot to post parts of it as a radio log.
..........For we plan to operate HF on 40 and 60 metre's (almost exclusively - and 5167.5 khz especially once in Alaska.) Of course '52" and the CB-- will be along, though I think that 52 maybe very very quiet.... but who knows ?
.
The Spring Breakup is not so far away for these plans not to be in the offing.
.
To all you guys with your kind comments, here and in Private Messages- the suggestions and especially the encouragements- a really sincere Thank You !
.
Look for us this Summer !

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Lauri
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________________________________________________________________
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**There once were two cats of Kilkenny
Each thought that was one cat too many
So they fought and they fit
And they scratched and they bit
Till (excepting their nails
And the tips of their tails)
Instead of two cats there weren't any!
.
.

 

[RFI-EMI-GUY]

Here is what the US gubbiment claims is "average". YMMV especially if Homer Simpson is on board.

Air travelers are exposed to cosmic radiation levels that are higher than the cosmic plus terrestrial radiation levels normally encountered on the ground. In the contiguous United States at ground level the average dose equivalent rate from cosmic plus terrestrial radiation is 0.06 microsievert (0.006 millirem) per hour (NCRP 1987b). At an altitude of 35,000 feet, for example, the dose equivalent rate from cosmic rays is about 6 microsieverts (0.6 millirem) per hour (O’Brien 1978, as revised).

Radiation Exposure of Air Carrier Crewmembers - FAA AC 120-52

But if you British, the numbers are different. Who would have thought.

Ionising radiation is measured in terms of absorbed dose, the energy deposited per unit mass. Equal absorbed doses of different types of radiation cause biological effects of different magnitudes, and the sensitivity of different tissues of the body differ. To account for this, tissue absorbed doses are multiplied by radiation weighting factors to give equivalent doses, and by tissue weighting factors to give the effective dose in sieverts (Sv) to the whole body.

In the UK the average background radiation dose is 2.2 millisieverts (mSv) per annum. Such background radiation is not required to be taken into account when calculating occupational radiation exposure.

Cosmic radiation is made up of many different types of radiation of a wide range of energies and consequently is difficult to measure to a high degree of accuracy.

Cosmic radiation effective dose rates increase with altitude up to a maximum at about 20 km (66,000ft), and with increasing latitude reaching a constant level at about 50°. The effective dose rate at an altitude of 8 km (26,000ft) in temperate latitudes is typically up to about 3 microSv per hour (1000 microSv = 1 mSv) but near the equator only about 1 to 1.5 microSv per hour. At 12 km (39,000ft), the values are greater by about a factor of two.


https://www.caa.co.uk/Our-work/About-us/Aircrew-exposure-to-cosmic-radiation/



This is interesting to me because my doctor wants me to have yet another CAT scan. Having had over 6 of them over the years I thought I would ask his radiologist for her opinion. She did not think it was a big thing. I need to do my own research because the effects add up.

 

[kayn1n32008]

...this time up the Alaskan Highway ("AlCan") from points north: from Dawson Creek to ?? Alaska. ...For we plan to operate HF on 40 and 60 metre's (almost exclusively - and 5167.5 khz especially once in Alaska.) Of course '52" and the CB-- will be along, though I think that 52 maybe very very quiet.... but who knows ?
.

Look for us this Summer !

.
.
.
Lauri

You will likely find 146.52 rather quiet on the Alaska Highway. There are however a few remote base drops on 146.52 operated by the Yukon Amateur Radio Association(YARA) that are a part of their wide area linked repeater network. They require a PL of 100.0Hz on transmit to get into the network.

I can not remember exact frequencies off the top of my head, but there is also a few 4000KHz channels used in the bush in Yukon as well.

There is also the LADD channels. They are pretty much the CH19 in north western Canada(BC/Alberta/Yukon) If you get in a predicament and can’t get help via ham radio, call out for help on 154.1000, 158.9400, 154.3250 and 173.3700Mhz all +/-5KHz deviation. CB is going to be almost pointless, especially if you come through BC. Most likely you will only talk to American truckers that do not have VHF radios.

Cell phone coverage is very limited in northern BC/Yukon. A satellite beacon is also a good thing to have ‘just in case’.

If you come up through Alberta, do make yourself known when you come through the Edmonton area.


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[RFI-EMI-GUY]

APRS might get some activity

 

[kayn1n32008]

APRS might get some activity

Maybe.

Not sure what YARA has for APRS coverage. Keep in mind there are less than 36,000 people and AFAIK there are less than 180 hams in a territory that is larger than California.


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[RFI-EMI-GUY]

Maybe.

Not sure what YARA has for APRS coverage. Keep in mind there are less than 36,000 people and AFAIK there are less than 180 hams in a territory that is larger than California.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

It is really surprising that the numbers of hams is so low.

 

[kayn1n32008]

It is really surprising that the numbers of hams is so low.

To an outsider, yes. How ever the number of people that have VHF-LMR radios with the 4 LADD channels(and other simplex, mobile to mobile channels) would surprise you though.


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[AK_SAR]

The Santa Fe trip went so well my friend and I have begun planning a repeat this summer- this time up the Alaskan Highway ("AlCan") from points north: from Dawson Creek to ?? Alaska. It was speculated by others that our last adventure together would have end'd as the Kilkenny Cats**- but it never did (except maybe over who got the shower first )
We are both Sour Doughs of the Alaskan Bush, but neither of us has ever driven more than short sections of this road. If we don't get eaten by bears, driven crazy by black flies, or reduced to Moose Mush -- it should be a hoot to post parts of it as a radio log.
..........For we plan to operate HF on 40 and 60 metre's (almost exclusively - and 5167.5 khz especially once in Alaska.) Of course '52" and the CB-- will be along, though I think that 52 maybe very very quiet.... but who knows ?
.
The Spring Breakup is not so far away for these plans not to be in the offing.
.
To all you guys with your kind comments, here and in Private Messages- the suggestions and especially the encouragements- a really sincere Thank You !
.
Look for us this Summer !

Lauri
.

You might consider driving the Cassiar Hwy option. It is a great drive, and a bit wilder than the classic Alcan. If you do come up the Cassiar, it is well worth it to take the side trip to Stewart BC & Hyder AK.

If you need any logistical assistance when In AK, feel free to PM me.

 

[krokus]

it was fun to speculate at ~35,000 feet just what "52" could do

I heard someone call CQ on 52, who said they were at 31,000 feet, and south of Chicago. I was in the Metro Detroit area, but could not break through the pile up.

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[RFI-EMI-GUY]

Back in the late 90's when I was in Tallahassee, I had a pretty powerful and sensitive 2M station and I was hearing a KL7 blasting in on .52 FM . I could not get back to him. Around the same time there was a 2M SSB station on Clingmans Dome in Smokey Mountains that I worked and could hear clear as day for hours.

 

[Lauri-CoyoteFrostbite]

.
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Radiation risks are the subject of considerable interest to this audience, and RFI-EMI's certainly opens a discussion
.
I fear most people, however, get the various forms of the non and ionizing forms mixed up- and who's to blame them ? The unreasonable fear of 'Cel towers and microwave ovens are but examples. Bring in the ionizing forms and even physicists can be dazzled.
Personally, I have never been able to truly grok a Sievert (Sv) or a Gray (Gy.)
Oh, I know what they 'are,' its just I have no 'feelings' for what they are- talk in terms of Rads and Rems and I'm okay. That radiation counter I mentioned on my flight reads out in "Micro Curies per CC in Air"- convert that in to something meaningful that one can get a handle on !
.
Probably the radiation form that gives me the (most) creeps are neutrons. Those little buggers can penetrate everything. If they strike something in your body that is fissionable you now got yourself a radioactive isotope. Gamma rays, compared to a neutron's physiological damage is like the difference between a spring shower and a tornado's driving hail storm.
Interestingly enuff, neutrons can be effectively stopped by some simple techniques- the physics are too much to go into here, though the secret is a high hydrogen content in the barrier.
.
I guess what I started out to say is that hams have a role in making the differences between harmless and the not so harmless radiations known to the public. No one should stand in a microwave beam path, but NO ONE should go near a neutron source
Want to read some gristly examples ?
.
.
https://www.mun.ca/biology/scarr/Los_Alamos_Accident_1958.html
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.
Or one of my favorites, especially since it centre'd near my lab- is the book---
.
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The Accident ---- by Dexter Masters
(ISBN-13: 9780571148660)
.
.
.... which is an historic fictionalized account of a scientist named Louis Slotin;
My friend Barbi practically made it mandatory reading for her graduate students. Read these two at your own peril... lots of neutrons....
.
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Did I get off topic here or no ?
.
Sorry everyone- what I started out to say was a Thank You to Kayn1N and AK SAR for those frequency and route advices.... I get distracted so easily.... those are great ideas guys and now somethings for me to research ....
.
.
.
Lauri
.
.

 

[RFI-EMI-GUY]

.
.
Radiation risks are the subject of considerable interest to this audience, and RFI-EMI's certainly opens a discussion
.
I fear most people, however, get the various forms of the non and ionizing forms mixed up- and who's to blame them ? The unreasonable fear of 'Cel towers and microwave ovens are but examples. Bring in the ionizing forms and even physicists can be dazzled.
Personally, I have never been able to truly grok a Sievert (Sv) or a Gray (Gy.)
Oh, I know what they 'are,' its just I have no 'feelings' for what they are- talk in terms of Rads and Rems and I'm okay. That radiation counter I mentioned on my flight reads out in "Micro Curies per CC in Air"- convert that in to something meaningful that one can get a handle on !
.
Probably the radiation form that gives me the (most) creeps are neutrons. Those little buggers can penetrate everything. If they strike something in your body that is fissionable you now got yourself a radioactive isotope. Gamma rays, compared to a neutron's physiological damage is like the difference between a spring shower and a tornado's driving hail storm.
Interestingly enuff, neutrons can be effectively stopped by some simple techniques- the physics are too much to go into here, though the secret is a high hydrogen content in the barrier.
.
I guess what I started out to say is that hams have a role in making the differences between harmless and the not so harmless radiations known to the public. No one should stand in a microwave beam path, but NO ONE should go near a neutron source
Want to read some gristly examples ?
.
.
https://www.mun.ca/biology/scarr/Los_Alamos_Accident_1958.html
.
.
Or one of my favorites, especially since it centre'd near my lab- is the book---
.
.
The Accident ---- by Dexter Masters
(ISBN-13: 9780571148660)
.
.
.... which is an historic fictionalized account of a scientist named Louis Slotin;
My friend Barbi practically made it mandatory reading for her graduate students. Read these two at your own peril... lots of neutrons....
.
.
Did I get off topic here or no ?
.
Sorry everyone- what I started out to say was a Thank You to Kayn1N and AK SAR for those frequency and route advices.... I get distracted so easily.... those are great ideas guys and now somethings for me to research ....
.
.
.
Lauri
.
.

Yikes, injuries sound like he was hit by a train.

" This was an extremely complicated accident resulting from the fortuitous conjunction of several quite unrelated factors".

I don't think I have ever seen a worse context for the word "fortuitous". The author has a morbid sense....


Here are some equally gruesome stories.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Therac-25

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[TailGator911]

The Santa Fe trip went so well my friend and I have begun planning a repeat this summer- this time up the Alaskan Highway ("AlCan") from points north: from Dawson Creek to ?? Alaska. It was speculated by others that our last adventure together would have end'd as the Kilkenny Cats**- but it never did (except maybe over who got the shower first )
We are both Sour Doughs of the Alaskan Bush, but neither of us has ever driven more than short sections of this road. If we don't get eaten by bears, driven crazy by black flies, or reduced to Moose Mush -- it should be a hoot to post parts of it as a radio log.
..........For we plan to operate HF on 40 and 60 metre's (almost exclusively - and 5167.5 khz especially once in Alaska.) Of course '52" and the CB-- will be along, though I think that 52 maybe very very quiet.... but who knows ?

I will be in Alaska summer 2019 all over the place in our Winnebago Via. We even decided to take the ferry over to Sitka island to check out the beautiful spruce trees where Gibson guitars gets their flat tops! I will be calling out simplex and most 2m repeaters up there - hope to hear ya!

JD
kf4anc