Two Meter Ham Radios

[Artum_Snowbird]

Does anybody use 2 meters and repeaters to help find good local campgrounds?

I am hoping announcing my Call Sign and being from out of the country might prompt some replies while camping around Oregon.

Thanks, VA7MDD Mike

[TX_AG]

jolooote wrote:
hmmm ... Whats a meter?

A meter is a unit of length that is approximately 39.37 inches.
In this instance it refers to the approx. wavelength of an amateur, or ham, radio that operates in the 144 to 148 megahertz frequency range.
These radios are commonly called 2 meter radios.

[paulj]

There's no oil boom in Oregon. I'm sure there's some turn over of private campgrounds along the coast, but probably few new ones.

The hidden gems that only the locals know about are dispersed sites in the National Forests and BLM land. Directions will be like: FS40 to FS4001, 14.5 miles, turn off on to a narrow dirt track and go 100 yards to a clearing littered with a fire circles and burnt out tin cans.

Everything else will be documented, if not in the RV guides, then on the relevant FS and BLM web pages. And of course on the Oregon state park site.

One loop trip around the state in a mini-RV (SUV setup for camping) I stayed at (starting in the far NE corner)

FS Hells Canyon overlook near Hat Pt
FS near Halfway (found on Delourme Atlas)
Lake Owyhee State Park (very popular lakeside)
Leslie Gulch (BLM) (gravel access, but suitable for big RVs)
Jordan Valley (lightly used RV park in small town)
Page springs BLM (popular with birdwatchers) (ok for rvs)
Harts Mtn Wildlife refuge (remote)
Summer Lake Hot Springs (commercial, on map) (ok for rvs)

(west of US97)
FS near LaPine (ok for rvs)
FS near Diamond Lake (very large popular)
dispersed site FS Applegate Lake (near CA border)
FS on Gold River (having crossed on Bear Camp rd)
Cape Blanco State Park
small FS on OR 138 (again near Diamond Lake)
FS on Metolius River (Camp Sherman area)
dispersed site near Barlow Wagon rd (Mt Hood area).

I made heavy use of the DeLourme Atlas book (Benchmark is equally good). I also had a couple of backroads guide books. And some sites I found just by looking around once I got the area. I also did a lot of online reading before going.

[greg121]

What you might get from the locals are RV parks that haven't made the directories yet. There seem to be quite a few in oil and gas country. Of course, the locals, even if they do RV, probably won't have used them so evaluation might be a problem.

[paulj]

If I were listening around Campbell River, what kinds of campground information could I get? Info on the popular provincial parks? private ones? the remote recsites? unknown pull offs?

[ramgunner]

I also have to agree, that either a mobile app or a campground guide will be of more use for finding a campsite. Not all ham's are RV'ers.

[ramgunner]

RLMiller wrote:
I only wish more hams / RVers would monitor 146.52 Mhz while on the road, or even in campsites.

We keep 146.52 on, but also use APRS with Voice Alert. If I can hear another beacon, then I can try for a voice contact, and move to another frequency when established. APRS can also let you see who else may be around.

[Artum_Snowbird]

Thanks Richard, that sounds like a good plan. I will see how that works while on the road. Mike

[Veebyes]

While on the move 2M is always on however hardly a peep is ever heard out of the thing. I suspect many are like me. They turn it on but rarely announce their presence on the freq. A whole bunch of people lietening to silence.

Using a local repeater is rare & only for entertainment or for local imformation. A couple of times we have been helped in storm avoidance by a local before we carried a smartphone.

[RLMiller]

I’m a ham and RVer and I’ve travelled with a 2 meter radio for decades. I’ve seldom found local repeaters to be useful for finding a campsite, as compared to other resources. That being said, I have met many hams on the road by simply monitoring 146.52 Mhz . Using this national calling frequency, I’ve have tips on campsites that proved very useful. I’ve met hams in my travels in the U.S. and Canada, but this is not something you can count on.
Trying to find an active repeater along any route always seems to be too much of a bother. I only wish more hams /RVers would monitor 146.52 Mhz while on the road, or even in campsites.

[jolooote]

hmmm ... Whats a meter?

[Ed_Gee]

Artum Snowbird wrote:
Yes, I do know about that site. Is there ways to limit the responses to only select popular or not private repeaters?

Mike, I know of no repeater listing that lists by "popularity" ... there is no real way to acquire that data. Many repeater listings do list "private" repeaters, but on 2M I believe those are becoming fewer and fewer. While in Oregon I would not worry about that issue.

[RoyB]

Mike - Not really... Some of us are not RV TRAVELERS... I mostly go to the same places all of the time looking for good old fashion camping sites... My love is setup in the high country way back off a Forest Service Road somewhere and stay there for a week or so living off my batteries.

Don't have the desire anymore to just travel from one point to another point just to say I have been there before...

I have my favorite off-road camping locations which are here in Virginia up and down the Blue Ridge Parkway and in the high country of VA-NC-TN-SC-GA-AL... Also like to visit the gulf states and along the beaches up and down the East Coast. This season I am hoping to do some looking aorund the NC high country camp sites and get to know that area alot better camping OFF-ROAD better.

Much of Ham radio ops is 75/40 meters... I like to use my LILTARHEEL screwdriver mobile antenna and when setup I have easy up 15-20 foot high PVC pole that I can hang a 80M-10M off-center antenna. Of course my main two bands for ops is 75M and 40M when camping off-road... I like to use the 2M/440 for the repeaters around the Virginia high country. Mostly in monitor mode on 2M/440 and scanning local areas public service and rescue squad freqs for WX related things...

Welcome aboard

Roy K9PHT
King George VA...

[W5CI]

I would use the Rv park reviews or allstays app.

[Artum_Snowbird]

Yes, I do know about that site. Is there ways to limit the responses to only select popular or not private repeaters?