Outdoor Adventure USA Amateur Radio Net

Every Thursday evening at 7:30 we do an Amateur Radio Net which covers a wide ranging series of outdoor topics, all centered around motorized recreation (4WD). For those who are not familiar with Ham Radio Nets, they are just an on-the-air round table discussion of a different topic each week. In no particular order, this is a list of some of the topics that we will be discussing in the next couple of months:

outdoor medicine
wilderness communication options
hiking
outdoor photography
first aid kit preparation
winching
firearms laws updates
ammunition reloading

Each week we have a different expert who leads the discussion, including medical doctors, lawyers, engineers, 4WD drive mechanics, and off road driving instructors. Two of our regular contributors include the owner of Dirty Parts Four Wheel Drive and the owner of Badlands Off Road Adventures.

You don't even need to be a ham to listen, and in some cases, you will not even need to be a ham to participate (but you will need to be in the presence of a licensed Ham, however, while transmitting.) With the benefits of the internet, you can listen and participate any where in the world.

If you are interested, we can suggest several ways to listen or participate.

For the moment we have direct 2 Meter and 440 repeaters in the following areas:

1. Keller Peak Repeater at 146.385, +, 146.2. Coverage:Greater Los Angeles, Riverside, San Bernardino, Orange and San Diego Counties.

2. Palomar Repeater on Palomar Mountain in San Diego at 449.300, -, 100.0 Coverage: Most of San Diego County

3. Portland Repeater, Portland Oregon, at 440.4000, Standard offset, 123.0. Coverage: Greater Portland Area.

For a list of upcoming net topics click here.

sounds like fun! Studying for my license now... might just listen in!

Good luck on the exam.

If you are in or near the San Diego area, we will be offering a testing opportunity on the beach at Fiesta Island on August 17, 2013.

Thanks.. i'm up in northern LA, won't be able to make it down this weekend.

Here is a list of upcoming net topics for 2014:

01/09/14 Driving in the Snow
01/16/14 APRS
01/23/14 Comfort Camping
01/30/14 Camp Kitchens and Utensils
02/06/14 Camp Cooking Methods
02/13/14 Outdoor Myths Busted
02/20/14 Vehicle Essentials
02/27/14 Expedient Vehicle Repairs
03/06/14 Tires and Lights
03/13/14 Field Antennas and Construction
03/20/14 Ham Radio Installation Options (including radios, speakers and microphones)
03/27/14 Destination Kings Canyon, CA

OAUSA Amateur Radio Net for January 16, 2014 - APRS

APRS is one of those Ham Radio things that is considered by most of us, at one time or another. Personally, in the beginning, I discovered that it had an extremely high aggravation factor and a pretty steep learning curve. Once I got past all that, and had a well functioning set-up, it has turned out to be a very useful tool. Unless you have an electrical engineering degree and a huge reservoir of patience, it is best, if you want to get started in APRS, to get the help of someone who has gone through the process and knows how to do it.

This week, our guest speaker, on APRS, will be Phil Pacier. Phil has been active with APRS for many years and some of his projects can be found at: http://www.aprs2.net. Phil will lend a new perspective and be available to discuss all things APRS! We also will have a number of long time users on hand to lend their perspective as well. The net should be informative for current users as well as those who want to get started. Join us on Echolink, IRLP or via a direct repeater connection!!