Simplex Advice Needed For Family To Communicate

[Lauri-CoyoteFrostbite]

".....but I would think that 2 high gain directional antennas on 2m or 70cm pointed at each other...."

Yes, for experienced hams that know what they are doing, its a thought.

But this will involve V/UHF radios, modest power levels, beams, towers-- its not at all what Val is looking for.
Wasn't HOA restrictions also a bugger here too ?

But if we are to spin off into esoteric ideas, I propose we do it with 5GHz tropo-scatter.... 10 foot dishes at each end, 10KW ERP on wideband digital ought to make the best, most reliable network yet.

Or maybe high power low band (50MHz perhaps ?) meteor scatter , similar to those trucking companies years ago before 'cel phones------

I am being a smart a---, sorry

Lauri


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[ValCurry]

This was echoed in an earlier post, but I would think that 2 high gain directional antennas on 2m or 70cm pointed at eachother with the same polarization would easily make a 38 mile trip, even if mounted at a modest height. Since the goal is simple point to point communication, VHF/UHF directional antennas seem more practical than having to buy 2 HF radios, at least for this endeavor.

I think that’s a good idea. I’m getting an arrow antenna to experiment with reaching our common repeaters as a start. Thanks for the post.

 

[ladn]

But if we are to spin off into esoteric ideas, I propose we do it with 5GHz tropo-scatter.... 10 foot dishes at each end, 10KW ERP on wideband digital ought to make the best, most reliable network yet.

Time for a quick run to the surplus store!

 

[TXFitz]

Great info and I really enjoy learning from the braintrust here. Something I've not seen mentioned (and may be taboo) is a 10 meter mobile rig like the AnyTone AT6666 that can be altered via menus to operate on 11 meters (CB freqs). They are SSB capable, put out about 70 watts, should be able to handle 38 miles, inexpensive around $220 and no license is required for 11M CB freqs. Yes, I realize this violates the 4 watts limitation for CB but, for emergency comms no one will care. Consider that nearly every trucker I know of runs a linear amp with their CBs and there are a multitude of base stations running significant amplifiers in the US causing no harm or interference to anyone.

This does not address the HOA antenna issue but might be a solution until all parties get their general license.

 

[ValCurry]

I find every setup interesting since I’m collecting possibilities. Thanks for your contribution here.

 

[K6GBW]

Just ran across this thread. My best friend lives exactly 54 miles from me, and over two mountain ranges, the Hollywood Hills and the Santa Monica Mountains. We routinely talk on 40 meters and 80 meters using EFHW antennas mounted low. Mine is mounted below the top of the roof and extends to a small tree in the backyard. None of the antennas can be seen from the street. No, I don't do a lot of DX but I can talk to anyone in the state and usually the surrounding states pretty much anytime I want. You can see the two antennas I use mounted one right over the other. The EFHW uses a 16AWG wire that practically disappears.

 

[RFI-EMI-GUY]

Just ran across this thread. My best friend lives exactly 54 miles from me, and over two mountain ranges, the Hollywood Hills and the Santa Monica Mountains. We routinely talk on 40 meters and 80 meters using EFHW antennas mounted low. Mine is mounted below the top of the roof and extends to a small tree in the backyard. None of the antennas can be seen from the street. No, I don't do a lot of DX but I can talk to anyone in the state and usually the surrounding states pretty much anytime I want. You can see the two antennas I use mounted one right over the other. The EFHW uses a 16AWG wire that practically disappears.

How do you orient those antennas between each station?

 

[K6GBW]

How do you orient those antennas between each station?

We don't. Using low antennas for NVIS creates a blob of a signal that just goes out omni directional, so there's not really a concern about antenna orientation.

 

[MindenJoe]

Great info and I really enjoy learning from the braintrust here. Something I've not seen mentioned (and may be taboo) is a 10 meter mobile rig like the AnyTone AT6666 that can be altered via menus to operate on 11 meters (CB freqs). They are SSB capable, put out about 70 watts, should be able to handle 38 miles, inexpensive around $220 and no license is required for 11M CB freqs. Yes, I realize this violates the 4 watts limitation for CB but, for emergency comms no one will care. Consider that nearly every trucker I know of runs a linear amp with their CBs and there are a multitude of base stations running significant amplifiers in the US causing no harm or interference to anyone.

This does not address the HOA antenna issue but might be a solution until all parties get their general license.

You might want to take into consideration that a 11-meter antenna is 20 feet long while a 2-meter antenna is 7.2 feet long. Like I said before, my 1/2 wave vertical 2-meter antenna (total length = 3.2 feet) which has a low profile can hit repeaters over 40 miles away with only 5 watts. I have a Anytone AT-778UV Dual band radio ($129.00) that I use as my 2-meter base radio, and it can be set to transmit at 25 watts. At 25 watts I can reach the repeater on the Internation Space Station which at its closest approach to me is around 258 miles away! For local communication, I keep the power output at 5 watts. Have you looked at repeaterbook.com to check for nearby repeaters? All that is needed is a tech license for the 2 meters band.