Making DX VHF?UHF ham radio contacts by relaying and handing off a message - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / rf-microwave

author: Beamin
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 29, 2019, 07:41:09 am
content: Has any one tried this I think it would be fun: Get a whole bunch of people on VHF or UHF with handhelds all across part of the country, relay a message like the game "telephone". So start with a handheld in maine and have two other people between them and NH. Repeat out a message and have the next person repeat and hand off the message several miles away.. Would be fun to see how long a link you could create. It would be a HAM version of the ATT long lines backlink. This would also be good during a wide area emergency as long as the people are active a message would get out long distances no matter what.I have a beofung 2m and 70cm seems to have a range of only a few miles with the crappy rubber ducky antenna. Its the antenna that is severely limiting the range? I know its a crappy radio but I haven't got around to making a yagi for it. Going to try and make the elements out of a tape measure. Can this be done if you don't have a way to measure SWR or will you just burn out the radio if you aren't lucky?

author: ogden
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 29, 2019, 07:53:51 am
content: So you think that you can gather bunch of serious people and let them play stupid game aimed at preschool children?Good luck with that.

author: vk3yedotcom
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: August 29, 2019, 07:58:32 am
content: Here in Australia there's an annual event like that for CBers called the Mountain Radio Challenge.https://mountainradiochallenge.weebly.com/In terms of emergency preparedness its usefulness is dubious. You want fast and accurate communications that requires as few intermediate relays as possible. That means sufficient power and suitable frequencies (including single hop HF if necessary). Hams typically have access to all that.Still working long distances from hilltops on VHF is fun and there are field day events for that eg

author: Beamin
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 29, 2019, 08:05:41 am
content: Quote from: ogden on August 29, 2019, 07:53:51 am

author: Beamin
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 29, 2019, 08:07:09 am
content: Quote from: ogden on August 29, 2019, 07:53:51 amNo I was just using that as an example to describe it. Apparently not everyone thinks its a stupid children's game:QuoteIt would be a fun challenge to see how long a distance you could cover.

author: vk3yedotcom
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: August 29, 2019, 08:10:25 am
content: Even a Baofeng with a short whip can be useful for satellite contacts. But you will need another transceiver with a good antenna to hear your own signal so you know you're getting in to the satellite. That's good for contacts up to about 3000km. Video demos herehttp://home.alphalink.com.au/~parkerp/gateway/satellite.htm

author: vk6zgo
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 29, 2019, 10:09:53 am
content: Quote from: Beamin on August 29, 2019, 07:41:09 amIn the very early days of Amateur Radio, achievable distances for contacts between stations were quite limited.A popular activity at that times was the transmission of "third party" messages in the form of "Radiograms", so US Hams set up a network of stations across their country.A Ham in, say, El Paso Texas would send a message, which would be picked up by a Ham in the next State, who would relay the message to the next State along, & so on, till the "Radiogram" finally reached its recipient in, perhaps, Oregon.The Amateurs formed an association which reflected what the main activity was:-"the American Radio Relay League".Ultimately, the ARRL became the representative body for Amateur Radio in the USA, but retained its original title.What you are suggesting is basically the same idea.The US Hams were really only echoing Commercial practice of the time, where a message might be sent via many relay stations.This practice was used even earlier, on landline telegraphs--- there were staffed telgraph offices all along the route of the telegraph line, where a telegraphist would receive a message, write it down, then send it on to the next "relay" station.In Australia, before Federation, the telegraph office at Eucla on the Western Australia/ South Australia border had half of it in South Australia & the other half in Western Australia.The SA telegraphist would receive a message, pass it across the border to his WA counterpart, who would send it on (& vice versa).The Electromechanical devices we now know as "relays" were devised so they would be operated by the incoming signal & their contacts would switch a new source of 48v DC to send the message down the next section of line.Automation stealing people's jobs in the late 1800s!

author: ogden
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 29, 2019, 11:22:48 am
content: What about packet networks? Those can relay messages 24/7, faster and with less errors compared to whisper game.http://tarpn.net/t/packet_radio_networking.html

author: Circlotron
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 29, 2019, 12:18:48 pm
content: There is always the risk of the following...https://youtu.be/o_o7UfqkNuU

author: Canis Dirus Leidy
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: August 29, 2019, 03:08:28 pm
content: Quote from: Beamin on August 29, 2019, 07:41:09 amYou accidentally repeater:https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amateur_radio_repeaterhttp://www.cqham.ru/cons_trx.htm#5

author: denverpilot
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: August 29, 2019, 06:01:07 pm
content: I already know how far a handheld on FM will reach. Even with a 19” rubber duck or external monster Yagi.Big Yawn. Sorry.And this coming from a regional winner of VHF contesting ten years ago... I like pushing the limits of the higher bands, but handhelds aren’t the way to do it.And if someone ever gets her chance to operate long haul aurora propagation on VHF and above, it’s solidly in the “magical” category for radio experiences.There’s amazing stuff to be done at VHF and above. Not this.

author: Beamin
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 13, 2019, 12:24:22 pm
content: Quote from: denverpilot on August 29, 2019, 06:01:07 pmBut to do aurora propagation you have to wait for sun spots and mainly luck and timing not so much skill?I would like to do this all on beofeng handhelds. Crosscountrybaofuengchallenge