Hello to all! I am new to this forum and I could really use some advice regarding HF communication. I work for a remote flyout fishing lodge in Alaska where our primary means of comm. is over the HF radio. We have used these radios for over 20 years to communicate with our remote camps. The success of our operation really depends these systems, as we use them for determining weather conditions related to flying in and out of our camps. Each morning, guides at the camps recieve a call from our lodge requesting weather conditions. Up until last year, this system worked very well for us. Last season, however, we experienced terrible interference all summer long...making communication almost nonexistent and increasing risk associated with flying in the bush.
I don't know much about the technical details of our setup. Each camp has an older but functional HF radio, cable connecting to a small box on the antenna, and antenna consisting of a length of wire. The wire is elevated using three 12' 2x4s and twine, one board on each end and one in the middle..so they are horizontally mounted roughly 10-12 feet off the ground. These antennas...like the radios, are pretty old and beat up.
Our nearest camp is over a wide set of peaks around 30 miles away...our farthest camp is about 100 miles away. These camps are located out in the middle of the tundra with nothing else around for hundreds of miles. Often, our farthest camp can be heard loud and clear, whereas the nearer camps come in much weaker if at all. Communication is usually ok in the evening around 9PM, but the more important daily weather call at 7AM rarely could be heard last summer. Like I said before...these systems worked great for years. The channel we use is 3201...if that makes any difference. It is my job to find a new system to get our comm. up to par. I'd really appreciate any advice anyone can throw at me. Thanks!
I don't know much about the technical details of our setup. Each camp has an older but functional HF radio, cable connecting to a small box on the antenna, and antenna consisting of a length of wire. The wire is elevated using three 12' 2x4s and twine, one board on each end and one in the middle..so they are horizontally mounted roughly 10-12 feet off the ground. These antennas...like the radios, are pretty old and beat up.
Our nearest camp is over a wide set of peaks around 30 miles away...our farthest camp is about 100 miles away. These camps are located out in the middle of the tundra with nothing else around for hundreds of miles. Often, our farthest camp can be heard loud and clear, whereas the nearer camps come in much weaker if at all. Communication is usually ok in the evening around 9PM, but the more important daily weather call at 7AM rarely could be heard last summer. Like I said before...these systems worked great for years. The channel we use is 3201...if that makes any difference. It is my job to find a new system to get our comm. up to par. I'd really appreciate any advice anyone can throw at me. Thanks!
:tongue:
