My Rover Station
or how I can make my truck look as odd/obnoxiously possible.
(of course that is like beauty... it is all in the eye of the beholder how you see it!! hehe)
Ok, well here is where I'll explain the equipment that I have and use for my Rover station. See it is hard to get all this stuff crammed into a vehicle. Or well I would think it was way back in the day... but now with technology the way it is. Hmm, easy as pie!! Hehe well for the main transmitter/receiver MAYBE... but the antennas well that's another story! Ok, first a little background on "Roving" and us crazy Rovers.
This is a article/story on Roving/Rovers and mainly on building a Rover station. If you wan tto get started in Roving and/or are just interested in these wild looking mobile/portable antennas on some of these vehicles then here you will find answers. Or things that sound good enough to be passed off as an answer! hehe
What is a Rover?
Not to repeat what I already have but a Rover is one who goes (usually drives) from Grid square to grid square making as many contacts as possible with other Amateur Radio operators all over the US and sometimes other countries! It is a desire to be able to operate efficiently from a vehicle many times while moving, and at bare minimum from point to point where at each given point you assemble that "station" and then dis-assemble and go again to another location (grid square).
Equipment
The first question that always comes up is "what equipment do I need?" and then right there with it is "how much will it cost?" And that as anything else in life really depends on how much time, money, and energy you want to put into it. What I started out with was the "basics" so to speak, and what I would consider a minimum. Start here and then build and add as you like.
The minimum capability for rover operation is 2M SSB capability with a horizontally polarized antenna. Obviously, this station needs to be portable so that you can move from grid to grid. While you may want FM capability along with you, most ALL "contesting" and weak signal work will be on SSB. Don't rely on a vertical antenna to operate SSB, since all serious contest stations will be horizontally polarized. Using the wrong polarization will cost you 20 dB or more in signal loss. There are a number of omnidirectional, horizontally polarized antennas for mobile use such as the Halo, SQLOOP, HO, Big Wheel, etc. You can mount these antennas on your vehicle and operate while in motion. Another alternative is to use a small Yagi antenna (again, horizontally polarized). This will require a more advanced mounting scheme and may require you to "stop and point" to operate. Of course, a Yagi has a significant gain advantage over omnidirectional antennas. Even though the coax runs are short, use low loss line such as 9913 or (at least) RG-8. In recent years, various dealers are offering "Flex 9913", which has the low loss of 9913 but with a stranded center conductor for good mechanical flexibility, which is great for rover operation. Get a basic 2m SSB station and horizontal antenna going and then you can expand/add from there.
There are two basic approaches to rover operation, Run-and-Gun and Stop-and-Shoot. "Run-and-Gun" means that you make contacts while in motion. This requires some careful thought as to how to point antennas (if they are directional), perform logging and not get into a traffic accident. "Stop-and-Shoot" means that you stop at an appropriate location, set up antennas and operate there. Many stop-and-shoot operators also have the ability to at least listen on 2M while in motion, so they can stay in tune with contest activity. Stop-and-shoot stations need to be quick to set up and take down, so that minimum time is lost between locations. Most beginner rovers will choose stop-and-shoot, as it is inherently less difficult.
I do what I consider a combination of both of these into one. I have a route and take it and operate while mobile, and then take time at key locations to stop stretch and work all the stations I can. Most always this will be and SHOULD be a HIGH spot for your location. I like 1800ft OR MORE in elevation.
Now for MY Station/truck!
I have at the present time the capabilities to cover all bands from 6m~70cm (50MHz~432MHz) SSB and 222MHz & 1294MHz FM only. My equipment list is as follows:
Main rig for 6m~70cm is Icom IC706MKIIG
Alinco DJ296 with amp for 222MHz
Icom ICT81A for 1294MHz (not very good unless line of sight)
homebrewed 6m LOOP for 50MHz SSB horizontal polarization
M2 2m HOLOOP for 144MHz SSB horizontal polarization
M2 70cm HOLOOP for 432MHz SSB horizontal polarization
homebrewed 6 element yagi for 222MHz
homebrewed 11 element yagi for 1294MHz
Pics (click thumbnails to make full size)
Truck before the trip!
Picture of truck at one of MANY pull offs on the Foothills Pkwy. (Wait! Who's that guy in the picture!! hehe That's Mike (KF4URH) a friend of mine who got another Rover experience!
Closeup picture of the horizontal loops on the roof.
One of MANY nice views from the Foothills Parkway. Yes there were a LOT of places to snap photos like this but hey... this ain't no photography outing!!
Now the actual radios, and of course GPS! Along with Maps that are not in the picture.
June VHF QSO Party trip
Here is the short version of this past weekend. As the contest started I was mobile in EM86 headed to Maryville and then off to The Foothills parkway (which is for the most part in EM85 and then ends in EM75). So that is where the pics are with the great view up there. I could have had a ton of great pics, but this wasn't a trip for scenery! Hehe there on The Foothills Parkway we spent well over 2 hours. The conditions were GREAT there for hours... 6m was unreal!! If you noticed in the picture I don't have the 6m loop on the truck yet, only had a 6m hamstick... and STILL worked over 20 stations... all of which were in 17 different grids! I got Southern Florida many MANY times.. the bad was wide open to Florida from East TN. Also got FN21 which was a station in Pennsilvania!! Anyway after heading out the rest of the parkway and a stop by a Park Ranger to inquire "What in the world those antennas are?" we headed on out. Only to find out that the last 1/4th of the parkway is closed!!! and we were routed through Happy Valley!!!! What a find... to EXPECT to be 2400+ feet and then end up near 880feet elevation!!! Hehehe so much for more band opennings the last part!From there headed over into EM75 and worked all I could. But not much conditions and not a good plan for the trip. Better planning next time.
Then up early (well early for me!!) Sunday and back to it. This time the plan went as planned. Well, I headed North on I-75 to get to EM76 and worked what I could from the mountain up there near Carryville/Royal Blue. then headed out following Cumberland Mountain out 63 (which took me into EM86) and then finally down through Tazwell and then eventually through Maynardville (where the Sheirrif pulled me over for "speeding" hmm, long story.. and hey I WAS going over the posted limit in town but had not saw any sign in about 5 miles. Sooo he asked me if I had received any citations lately I told him last one was over 9 years ago. He asked me if I would slow down and pay more attention I replied Yes sir, and he told me to have a good day!!! Wow... whew.. I was lucky... maybe it was the Emergency tag... who knows...) then back here to the house. Great time!! I am ready for the next VHF contest and this next time there will be more planning the trip and then following it.
That's it for now... if you have any questions or thoughts fire off an e-mail in my dirrection and I'll get back to you.