Long Range, Offgrid Comms Training - 1500 Miles 

Isaac and T-Rex is what got me onto this path, ultimately finding your channel. Now coms between you and Isaac makes this full circle . 👍

Pretty cool to hear your call sign on a great channel such as yours. Happy to make the contact. Keep them coming.

Wind noise, not even remotely problematic. Content, spot on! Thank you!

Honestly if you didn’t mention the wind noise I don’t think I would’ve noticed it. Your audio was crisp and clear. It’s amazing how well a phone does for video.

I've been waiting for this link up between Tech Prepper and T-Rex Arms. Looking forward to more of these and hopefully the other half of the "convo."

Love the real world testing you. do. Thanks for sharing your progress. Learning a lot.

thanks for sharing the exercise and report! really enjoy picking up on obstacles you overcome along the way with the no random contacts. keep up the awesome work!

I travel nationwide for work and been employing these methods for targeted contacts with people looking for POTA contacts in specific states. Doing the prep work including times, modes, bands, etc based on target location is an incredible skill building exercise and gratifying on completion. Great video.

Such good work!

Excellent video. I'd really like if you would fully include us on the G90 setup. A nice Yaesu is not in the budget, but I do have an affordable G90 and a FZ-M1. Thanks for your hard work!

Fascinating stuff. Looking forward to your collab with Isaac!

As always, Gastone, you CRUSHED it!

Well done. Very helpful to anyone wanting to get into comms in general. I use a Buddistick on terrain like yours, but I have to say, the ROI using your 10 dollar antenna is amazing. Thumbs up.

Great video!

The noise was pretty low. Even the wind i noticed wasn't causing any issues.

Very nice video. The wind noise wasn't worth apologizing for.

As i have been working with js8 call, i realize in the real world how much farther it goes on such low power. I will still use voice, but adding js8 training.

Happy Easter Gaston...💯🙋‍♂

Enjoy your videos greatly. I usually listen on 10m to see what I can hear with my hamstick antenna. From central FL I pickup a lot out west in CO and AZ and quite a bit in the north east.

This is awesome dude. Thats a good little ruck too with 20 pounds!!

Another informative video as usual! 👍🏽

Great video.

Excellent exercise Gaston

This is the core of it all, right here. Some homework + modest simple gear = success. You make it look easy but it is not. The homework towards that targeted contact is the biggest factor in success or failure. Anyone who thinks they can just jump on the air and make the contact without doing the homework will be in for a fast lesson. Great work as always my friend. 73 KC8OWL

And yes i may have been one of those "excited" ones as it was my first direct with you 😂

I really enjoy the new quicker format. It seems to give you more time to focus on why we are all here -- you sharing your ham radio and com knowledge. Thanks! (n3rp)

It's not the plan; it's the planning! Thank you for another great portable video. Going out to run some VARA! 73

I learned tautline hitch in Boy Scouts several decades ago. Now re-purposed of course for antennas.

I would love to see the building of a G90 into a manpack, since that is what I have. It is a bit heavy and large for what it does, but it is available unlike the FT-818 series, and it more affordable than an ICOM.

Id love to team up with you for a video like this. Im also a general level operator. Im in missouri. Im also focused on portable comms. And id love to hit the field, set up and see if we could make comms. Im running a ft891, signal link, and cf20 tough book. Also make my own antennas. Been following you for awhile. Definitely love the ideas i get from your videos.

Yes!!!

Ham Radio is Hard! Yes SIR indeed it is hard to accomplish a INTENDED DIRECT CONTACT! I love the raw intel dump format of these off the cuff videos, here's what I intended, here's what happened. great info! Thanks

The Chameleon Tactical Delta Loop would be handy in making a targeted contact since the RF exits broadside and it's resonate on 30-6m. No tuner required to work those bands in the loop configuration. It is pricey, but works great. I bought mine during a sale and saved some money. I believe the ECOMM III Portable EFHW is resonate on 17-10m as well. Haven't used that antenna in a while. Need to get it out soon and give it a whorl.

Love your work! have you looked into directional antennas? as referenced in the army field manuals, essentially they are long (1-5 wavelengths) endfeds or long v dipoles that get you directional patterns. A dipole cut for 80m (130ft) is quite directional on 20-10. Ideal for targeted contacts

Great video. 17M does the job, without the congestion of the normal ham bands. WARC bands FTW! 73 De HI8ESF

I'm in OR and would love to do some training with you if the opportunity ever presented itself. Great Video as always

How do you like the Toughpad? I've been thinking about getting one specifically for the usb port which tablets don't have.

Good job! Wind noise was not a problem at all, minimal.

Garage door opener sensor wire might be ideal as long as it's not stressed.

I try to use digital modes and VARA-HF when I activate POTA.

Do you have a link for the antenna analyzer?

Looking at a used 857d. Would you recommend it or go with a low power one like 818nd? Wanting to build a pack like yours and want the “ultimate” rig. Thanks!

As always, awesome stuff. What pack do you have the FT-818 and Armoloq in? Do you have the battery attachment for the Armoloq? I bought the Armoloq for my FT-8800 with battery pack and may get one for my G90 but am looking for the pack to put it all in. Thanks for great content.

I've been watching your videos for a while now. You're one of the few that approaches this from a scientific perspective. You come up with a well defined plan, stick to it, and note the results, comparing those results to any previously collected. No bull, no relying on marketing. Something I read in an old book years ago, and have thought about ever since: If one half of your dipole is connected to the shield of your coax, then it isn't really a dipole - It is a monopole in the vacinity of a grounded conductor. Thinking about it further - The "other half" should be going negative voltage when the "first half" is going positive voltage. This can't happen because one half is tied to 0v through the coax and then to the chassis of the radio. What's needed is a balun to allow BOTH halves of the antenna to vary in voltage. No impedence matching required as everything is as close to 50ohm as it needs to be - just a 1:1 balun. I only just got back into HF, and this is something I've been experimenting with recently. My problem is that I can't reliably find others to meet on air at specific times. My main interest is NVIS so that I can work stations in the UK (where I am). I don't currently have the capacity to run JS8 (running an old Clansman PRC320 with about 9W on SSB). Do you publish the times when you'll be on air? I'd be interested in listening and attempting a call-in. Kind regards, David - M3ODQ

My two cents as a lover of knots and someone that probably uses string and rope in place of more appropriate tools: The prussic knot is like the taught line but it works in both directions. It's much more versatile than the taught line and you get the taught line as a side effect by just tying half of the prussic knot. I probably wouldn't pick it as the only knot to teach someone but it's a little better than the taught line as the only one to know. End pedantry :P

Awesome video love the fact you're going out and testing your gear in the wild. Very interested in your custom software btw. I also stumbled upon a project recently called reticulum and wondered if you had checked it out or would do a video on it? I think it fits into what you're doing with off grid comms.

Who cares about wind noise? You're set up it the field the field. Does that actually bother viewers? My PRC really works well on 17meters. It's very quiet, and the 9ft fold up antenna rocks there. 73s I don't have someone to target a contact with. Our 911 center checks in with the maritime mobile net for that regularly.

What would your plan be for a shtf that doesn’t allow for checking which bands are best ?

I will have to find people over on the mainland to try to do long-range targeted comms with from Hawaii.

That is one downside of JS8CALL. The auto responding and Tx happy folks cause issues sometimes. A group specific SOI is needed to set some ground rules.

Great video! Keep em' coming.... FYI, your buy me coffee link is broke...

I am looking at a rugged tablet for this function, digital comms. Question, what was your deciding factors on choosing the Panasonic over Dell’s rugged extreme tablet?

good morning just found you . kc0oki moved from missouri now in alamogordo new mexico . Wondering how close we are ?

can you tell me why you continue to choose JS8 vs VarAC, Vara chat, or winlink?

Like you said your local group has their procedures, I use to to a lot of keyboard to keyboard and we used an extra carriage return at the end of our thought so the other guy would know when to respond, I think I have seen on js8 the use of RR for ready to receive maybe. Much of my efforts are in support of my community, so I am liking at pulling information into my area and pushing it out locally, I have been practicing AREDN ham WiFi my group is out to over 5 miles with good bandwidth.

I just drank some coffee in my “No Random Contacts” coffee mug. 🤝

Bought a radio now trying to learn how to use it

Where can I find that keyboard at a decent price?

Can you plz maybe make a short video on how to sync time off other users on js8Call when there is no internet. Thankyou

Are you running Ubuntu on that Toughpad? 🤔

Stop apologizing dude. It’s the meat we want, the wind was fine. Keep on keeping on.

I didn't think the wind noise was bad at all.

What kind of keyboard is that ?

Long range is easy. Use CB radio.

:)

Nice video… 73 de N3LUD.