HF digital
Often operated late at night after the boys are asleep, using WSJT-X and other digital modes when the bands and household cooperate.
80 meters through 70 centimeters
Direct RF first. Fancy routing earns its place.
Operating spans direct local voice, HF, packet, APRS, digital bridges, software clients and travel. The method is to use the simplest reliable path first and add infrastructure only when it solves a real problem.
If a linked route adds complexity without solving a problem, I do not use it.
Field operating
Field operating means using the radio outside the shack.
SSB and AM
Nets, casual conversation, regional work, and the pleasure of hearing the person rather than only decoding the packet.
FM and C4FM
Local repeaters, simplex, APRS, linked systems, travel, field work, and openSPOT access.
CW
A skill I intend to return to regularly. CW remains a skill I intend to practice regularly.
SSTV and image
Image modes and receive experiments, including space and event activity when available.
Road and field
APRS, simplex, repeaters, GMRS, linked networks, Winlink, and planned rendezvous rather than one magical channel.
Direct radio and linked access are different things.
Internet-assisted networks can add reach and convenience, but they do not convert an internet path into RF resilience. The site labels direct simplex, repeaters, hotspots, cross-mode, and software access separately.
At least one radio usually comes along.
Local trips, road travel, snow trips, kayaking, volunteer activity, and field work often include a radio selected for the route and job. Carrying every radio would be absurd; carrying the right one is the point.
There is also a channel that mostly just stays on.
At the Home QTH, the FT-2400 is the dedicated full-power GEARS monitor/respond radio on 147.975 MHz (-600 kHz), PL 110.9 Hz. The secondary FT-897D keeps the same local repeater available, and the mobile habit is to monitor GEARS when we are in its service area. Some radio strategy is sophisticated; some of it is simply leaving a reliable radio on.
Operating goals
- Return to regular CW practice
- Keep QSO One fully integrated on office and shack systems
- Expand useful travel-region favorites without bloating formal radio memories
- Keep APRS identity and family privacy deliberate
- Maintain field power, antennas, documentation, and message capability
Digital field guides
Stop configuring by folklore.
DMR, C4FM/WIRES-X, D-STAR, NXDN, P25, M17, AllStar and EchoLink now share one K6RCS troubleshooting model: identify the layer, prove it, then move outward.
Home-area RF and linked paths
The home monitor, club net, and linked paths are related but not interchangeable. GEARS moved its Tuesday net to 147.945 MHz; 147.975 on Platte Mountain remains the primary local monitor/reference path.
| Path | Access | Operating note |
|---|---|---|
| GEARS | 147.975 − / PL 110.9 · ASL 57364 · EL 7818 | Primary GEARS local/reference path. |
| GEARS UHF | 440.650 + / PL 110.9 · ASL 56934 | WIN is no longer permanent. Link hub 2560 with *3 2560; status *70; disconnect *1 2560. |
| GEARS Bloomer Tuesday net | 147.945 − / PL 110.9 · Tuesday 7:30 PM | Bloomer Mountain path used for the Tuesday GEARS net. |
| Family fallback | GMRS Ch 6 · 462.6875 · DCS 073 | Doctrine-wide channel identity only; no cross-platform memory number is assigned. |