Alaska Hams ... I need a pointer 'or' two...

[Proud American]

I will be coming up in July for my first visit. I will be bringing my new ICOM 7200, and possibly a 20-meter double bazooka and/or a buddi-pole…

I was told that you guys have a bush net up there to keep in touch on, is this true, and if so what time and place/freq.?

What bands seem best at the moment to reach back to the East Coast lower 48 from Anchorage or the surrounding areas? Does the Denali Campground have power?

Last. Is there a ham club in Anchorage or the area?

WA3CVC

[bilder]

There are a number of VHF repeaters in the Anchorage area and a couple of them are tied into some bush repeaters. Also a couple that are tied into the western reflector on IRLP.

http://www.kl7aa.net/

The above link has some info on local repeaters and the club and such.

[blybrook]

Here is a link to the Fairbanks group: http://www.kl7kc.com

It lists all the answers to your repeater / bush net questions as well as information about the repeaters Denali North. There is power in the park at most of the public campgrounds where RV's are permitted. If you are back country, bring your own batteries.

The buddi-pole is a good choice, it has worked well.

73
Bill

[bushrat]

WA3CVC de AL7HT

Bush Net is on 40 meters, 7.093mhz at 1900 local time.
Snipers Net is on 80 meters, 3.920mhz at 1800 local.

Those are two good hf choices for Alaska nets. 20 meters is gonna be your best bet to contact east coast from up here. No telling what the band will be doing in July.

We have a huge repeater network up here, should also be able to get any info on local activities or good places to visit etc from those who monitor the repeaters.
73,
Mark

[Proud American]

Bush net & more...

Thanks for all the info guys. I am bring my ICOM 7200 (see if on my QRZ.com page) and hopefully a buddi-pole. I like double bazookas best when trees are around. I want to have a battery powered rig to take fishing as well. All in good fun, and I Love writing articles about ham radio adventure, so this should be great material for such.

[Rickf]

About 25 years ago, I had an advanced class, was WBOZBZ, and was president of the University of Arkansas Ham Radio Club. Got my novice when I was 12 years old. Life got busy and I never renewed.

Thank you for starting this topic. I'm going to look at getting back into it.

Maybe I'm out of touch nowadays, but I do wish they still required morse code proficiency. I miss kicking back and listening to CW. Think I could still copy 13 wpm after all these years. Back then, the classes were: novice, technician, general, advanced, and extra.

Seems it has changed.

73's from formerly,

WB0ZBZ

[Proud American]

CW is still alive and well!!! It is not a requirement, but it is still popular with most hams. It was a nice test of ones real character to see if you were worthy to be licensed ... this gave value to the license, thus better behavior...

[Rickf]

Well, I've been mulling over this topic since April, and finally got in touch with the local ham club this past weekend.

I found a sample Tech test online and passed it. Hopefully, I'll be able to take the real thing this month and get back on the air.

I've got a couple of questions for the hams here if I may.

I'm curious as to whether the repeater system in Alaska gives the 2 meter and/or 70 cm bands better coverage than the cell phone networks. Either way, I could see benefits to both ham radio and cell phones (good to have 2 methods of communication).

Also, I understand that there is now something called Echolink. Are any of the repeaters there tied into it?

Maybe one more question...Bushrat mentioned Bushnet and Snipers Net on 40m and 80m. Are those voice or CW? Used to be, I could tell from the frequencies, but I've forgotten a lot after all these years.

Thanks and 73's.

Rick

[blybrook]

Well, I've been mulling over this topic since April, and finally got in touch with the local ham club this past weekend.

I found a sample Tech test online and passed it. Hopefully, I'll be able to take the real thing this month and get back on the air.

I've got a couple of questions for the hams here if I may.

I'm curious as to whether the repeater system in Alaska gives the 2 meter and/or 70 cm bands better coverage than the cell phone networks. Either way, I could see benefits to both ham radio and cell phones (good to have 2 methods of communication).

Also, I understand that there is now something called Echolink. Are any of the repeaters there tied into it?

Maybe one more question...Bushrat mentioned Bushnet and Snipers Net on 40m and 80m. Are those voice or CW? Used to be, I could tell from the frequencies, but I've forgotten a lot after all these years.

Thanks and 73's.

Rick

Most areas have better coverage with the 2m / 70cm links in the Fairbanks area and surrounding bush communities. I know that driving out to the hot springs, I can get back to town on the 2m where there is no coverage with the cell. Same when driving to Delta or Denali Park or even North towards Manley and Livengood.

As for echolink, the repeaters in Fairbanks are not yet tied into it, but it is active on 147.55 simplex, 103.5hz tone if I remember correctly. The website I listed above should have the information. I believe there is at least one repeater in Anchorage that is tied into the system, I am not sure of that though.

I remember that both the bushnet and snipers are voice; but it's been a while since I checked in on them. You will need your General to get on them unless it is a dire emergency though.

Good luck on your studies.

[Rickf]

Many thanks, Blybrook.

I checked out your links and found what I was looking for. The local ham club has a meeting Tuesday night and I'm going to schedule a test.

73s,

Rick

[Rickf]

Thanks all here for rekindling by interest in ham radio, and sorry if I hijacked the thread.

Finally was able to make it to a test session this morning and passed both the Technician and General Class tests. Am awaiting my call sign.

Whew! I was worried. It's been a lot of years since this old guy was a ham.

Down here we have a pretty good network of 2m and 70cm repeaters. Hopefully, I can pick up a dual/tri-band HT to get reaquainted with it. I'd also like to experiment with Echolink and IRLP for communications. I may try to link into an Anchorage area repeater then as a test. Anyone up to talking with me when that happens is appreciated.

Looking forward to the move to Alaska next spring and to getting in touch with other amateurs there. Also looking forward to joining in on the Bushnet and Snipernet!


73's

[Alaska Grandma]

Rickf
Congratulations on passing your exam. Looking forward to hearing you on HF or the VHF repeater system when you make it to AK.

Lori
WL7SU

[Rickf]

Thank you, Lori. Hope to hear you, too. From reading your posts, you have a lot of wisdom to share as does bushrat. Hope to hear from both of you once there.

[Rickf]

Forgot to post my call.

KJ4PSV

Hope to upgrade from General to Extra once there and get the treasured Alaskan KL6 intro. Talk about a personal triumph. Maybe KL6RF (it's my initials).

Got to get finances settled and hope to get there in the spring. Got a brand new 2m/220/440 HT still in the box. Decided I wouldn't touch it til I make the move. An HF rig is also in the works so I can keep in touch on the bushnet and the sniper net.

High hopes!

73's.

Rick

[blybrook]

I can tell you from experience that the current calls are KL2 suffix (according the last test session I ran). I highly doubt you'll get a KL6 anytime soon unless you go with a vanity call.

Depending on where you end up, feel free to contact me for the testing schedules. In Fairbanks, we typically test the first Saturday of every month, I can get you in touch with the Anchorage VEC for their schedule down there.

Look forward to hearing you on the air once you get up here.

73 & Merry Christmas

Bill