HFPACK
PRIMARY CALLING FREQS
|
14342.5
kHz USB
14346.0 kHz USB
18157.5 kHz USB
18117.5 kHz USB
|
NVIS / Evening
5363.0kHz USB
5371.5kHz USB
5403.5kHz USB
|
VHF FM Simplex
144.300 MHz
PL tone=151.4
51.000 MHz
PL tone=151.4
|
Official
HFpack Member Store

As an HFpack Member,
you can support HFpack by wearing
an HFpack T-shirt or hat at hamfests or when operating
portable. Show
your HF spirit! For members, there are HFpack bumper
stickers, HFpack
radio
gear bags, and all the HFpack stuff you've seen HFpackers
with in the field, at
hamfests, and club meetings. These are now available
online to HFpack members. Just a
click of your mouse at the Official
HFpack Member Store. Over 100 cool items, including
clocks, mugs,
field notebooks, camo/green stuff, accessory bags,
buttons, stickers,
mousepads, frequency list stickers, license plate frames,
and many other things for your shack or
portable operation. Great for gifts... Immediate
delivery... fast shipping.

Article: Kachina
MP-25 Scientific Radio Systems SR-MP-25 HF SSB Manpack
Radio
Article: Icom
IC-F8101
Article:
Icom IC-F7000
|
|
New!
The HFpack
Forum is now on Groups.io
HFpack Eyeball QSO Rally and Portable Pedestrian Mobile
Net at Hamvention
At 1:15 pm local time on Saturday at the
Hamvention in Xenia, HFpackers will be on the air for
the HFpack Portable Pedestrian Mobile Net. Operators
from all around converge on the HFpack Eyeball QSO
Rally. For over a decade, HFpack enthusiasts continue to
make this the largest gathering of active HF backpack
operators in the world. 
HFpack Annual Eyeball
QSO Rally at Dayton
At the annual event
in May, the members of the HFpack Portable
Pedestrian Mobile Net
fire up their HF pack radios again at Dayton
Hamvention, for an event that has become
internationally known among ham radio operators as the
largest gathering of HF backpack operators in the
world.
The HFpack Email-Web Forum Has Moved to Groups.io Server
HFpack started 20 years ago and currently has about
11000 members. Our email/web forum has more than 50,000
message postings with hundreds of files and photos in its
archives. The forum began using the eGroups server in 2000,
then moved to Yahoo Groups, and now we are using Groups.io
JOIN HFPACK
During the migration process, you will receive
an email from groups.io
to set you up on the new
server.
I hope that you continue to enjoy the HFpack forums.
-Bonnie Crystal KQ6XA
HFpack Founder and Co-Moderator
|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
HFpack
10,000 Members...
Will
they gawk at your backpack?
Did
you know there are several great nets every
portable operator can check
into
on Saturday afternoon at the Dayton Hamvention?
Ever worked a bunch of
ancient 80meter AM phone HTs? How about classic
mil FM 6meter packsets?
Enjoy the fun, with the
rest of the HFpack group while walking around
the flea market on
Saturday... Mark KI0PF gives you the inside
scoop, in this next
article.
|
Operating
the Hamvention Saturday Afternoon
FM, AM, SSB
Pedestrian & Portable Nets
|
an article by
Mark
Francis KI0PF
HFpack Net
Control
and author of the book:
"MIL SPEC RADIO GEAR" |
 |
12:00
Noon is the AM Net on 3885kc AM.
.. Any radio is
okay, as long as the mode is good olde Amplitude
Modulation. Vintage military gear (any
country of
origin) is especially appreciated. Joe
WA4VAG will be Net Control, operating
from his space (usually 3415). After the QSO,
gather at his space for pix and
ratchet-jawing. Those of you who are /PM
(pedestrian mobile) during any of
these nets, please
try not to converge on the net control
gathering spot until after the
net check-ins are done [spread out...
try walking around the flea
market during the net] Mass de-sensing is not
the object here :)
At 1:15PM of course, the
HFpack Net is on 18157.5kc USB with Net Out-Of-Control
yours truly for this one!
If we happen to get hammered by QRM (you never
know -- the bands are getting better),
we'll use the alternate of 18117.5 USB.
At 2:30PM the Cold War Net is on 51.0Mc/s
FM. Wideband or narrowband, we'll
figure it out. Net
control will be John K9WT.
This net is primarily for military FM sets (any
country of origin) from the
Cold War period. Any radio that can hit
51.000MHz on 6 meters with an understandable
sig is welcome [such as FT-817, IC-703, or HTs],
and the older FM mil stuff is always
appreciated. Meet
back at Joe's spot (around 3415)
afterwards for yet more pix and swapping of lies
if yer batteries (camera,
radio, and tall-tale) haven't gone kaput by this
time.
73 - Mark KI0PF
HFpack
Welcomes All New HF Operators
We
are now witnessing one of the largest increases
in HF portable operators in ham radio history in
the past 50 years. The number of
hams trying out portable HF is growing rapidly.
This is the
start of a huge boost to a new generation
of HF amateur radio
operators... breathing new life
into amateur radio for 2012!
Many operators and new hams have expressed
their joy in finally
being able to join the ranks of HFpack on HF,
and are planning to take
the tests for higher licenses. In
the
longstanding Amateur Radio and HFpack tradition,
experienced HF ops
will help and encourage our new wave of HF
operators. Let's all show a
wholehearted
HFpack welcome... on the HF bands, on QRS CW,
and with
Elmer help on the group forums. Let's make 2009
a great year of growth
for HFpack and ham radio!
HFpack Antenna Shootouts
HF
Portable Antennas are a big part of the
HFpack scene. The HFpack HF Portable Antenna
Shootouts compare a variety of HF
antennas for maximum gain and
performance in the typical HF Portable Antenna
environment, applicable
to QRP and QRO power levels. The HFpack
Antenna Shootouts have become a
standard benchmark for HF portable and QRP
operators. HFpack is
dedicated to
furthering the state of the art for portable
HF antennas and
communications. For the QRP antenna ham
operator, it is important to
get the maximum signal radiated. Also, for
QRO emergency portable
operations, the antenna efficiency for a
small antenna that can be set
up on site is crucial to dependable HF and
NVIS (Near Vertical
Incidence Skywave) regional communications.
A pedestrian antenna is an
antenna that may be carried easily and set
up quickly by the operator.
The HFpack
Pedestrian
Shootouts measured pedestrian HF antenna
systems to a fraction of a
decibel,
and the reports are presented as a service
to radio operators around
the
world. Read
more...
|
|
 
|
Mark
Francis KI0PF Receives Award for 10 Years of Service
The voice of Mark
KI0PF/PM is well known to all operators on the HFpack
calling frequencies. Mark has been running the HFpack
Portable Pedestrian Mobile Net at Dayton for 10 years,
and he was awarded a certificate of appreciation for his
service. Bonnie Crystal KQ6XA, founder of HFpack, was on
hand to present the award, amidst a cheering group of
HFpack members and /Pedestrian Mobile operators.
|
HFpack
at Hamvention: 18157.5 kHz USB
Pacificon HFpack Zombie Flash Mob

Annual
Event: The HFpack Zombies at Pacificon in Silicon
Valley California
Saturday Night Late... in the dead of the night!
40 meters SSB
"Who knows
what lurks in the backpacks of Pedestrian Mobiles
?"
- Ken
Chong WB6MLC HFpack Events Coordinator
Report: HFpack Pacificon
Details of what
happened at HFpack PACIFICON
at the Marriott Santa Clara • Santa Clara,
California... As usual, the
freqs: HFpack intercom, 144.300 FM Simplex PL151.4 and
the HFpack
pedestrian mobile HF calling on 18157.5kHz USB were very
active. On
Friday 14 October the HFpack Annual "No Host Dinner" was
held at
Bennigans on Great America Parkway with NorCal QRP. The
event was
arranged by James
Bennett KA5DVS.
At 1PM on Saturday 15 October, a presentation at the
HFpack Forum,
"Portable Magnetic Loop HF Antennas" with a Demo was
given by Eric
Noris WD6DBM. At 2PM Saturday 15 October, the
presentation, "Elecraft KX3 and HFpack Lite" was given
by by Wayne
Burdick N6KR of Elecraft.
At 8PM to Midnight Saturday 15 October, the NorCal QRP
&
HFpack Zombie Apocalypse Night and Hanging Eye
Ball QSOs happened,
with Vendors, Auction, Show & Tell, and a
presentation "Zombie 101
hints " and "How to be a Zombie /PM" was given by Ken
Chong WB6MLC.
Saturday Night Zombie Apocalypse walking in the dark
net was on 40
meters SSB this year, with many pedestrian mobiles
roaming the grounds
of the event venue with large and dangerous-looking
antennas!
Ancient
Psychic Propagation Predictions came true in
2010-2014!
Back
in 2009, what was predicted for our future? Read
on...
by Bonnie Crystal KQ6XA
My
prediction
visionary credentials are humble; as an oracle, I carry
the
burden of The Transmission Of The Esoteric High
Frequency Dharma,
having been passed down to me in secret ceremonies
through the unbroken
lineage of Great HF Oracles, witnessed by The Ancient
Order Of The High
Frequency Nuns, in the innermost faraday anechoic
chambers of the
exalted stone observatory overlooking the ionosphere.
For
Year 2010 I henceforth predict...
Good
News for Solar Cycle 24
In our great and
long HF journey of lifetimes...
having passed our darkest hour in March 2009; having
dwelt in the
deepest chasm of the second valley of the bottom of Olde
Sol 23; from
this point into future years of four; we shall venture
upward on the
Slope of Flux!
Joy
and Relief in March-May 2010
We shall climb the
steep steps of the Mountain Of
New Sol 24 together, with ever greater momentum and
strength. By the
moon of April 2010 we shall reach the average Solar Flux
heights of 80
or more! The Fast Tiger of the east shall rise and
pounce gracefully
upon the waves of 18MHz, yielding a time of spring
health among the
Strong Portables and Quick Mobiles; The Pedestrians
shall play in the
meadow again. With each sunset and sunrise, The Pack
shall rejoice in
the DX of Higher Frequencies, taking leaps and bounds on
the trail of
double hop. The Guardians of The Towers shall open The
High Gates of
Ten Metres; The Pedestrians shall tread softly on the
sand of the beach
in the realm of The Giants of Twenty.
Uncertainty
in June-August 2010
By July 2010, the
Feeble Bear of the summer west
shall obscure the gains of the previous moons; The
Portables shall
quest for more DX; yet few sweet drops of the Elixir of
Great
Propagation shall satiate their thirst. Driven from the
Highest Bands,
The Portables shall again wander the land, seeking
nourishment from
14MHz short hops, and taking flight with The Fleeting
Bird of
trans-equatorial 21MHz multi-hops. In the midst of
despair, The Great
Clouds Of The Sporadic-E shall unexpectedly appear over
the fields,
irrigating the planet with ions; strong and powerful
voices shall grow,
with even the Weakest Of Watts being rewarded on 21MHz
and higher!
Greatness
in September-December 2010
The eager Fast
Tiger shall devour the tired Weak
Bear. By November 2010, the Warriors and Sages who
fought so
triumphantly in the Battle of the Plateau shall find
victorious comfort
in the multi-hop DX gardens of 14 to 24MHz. Having
climbed past the
Solar Flux of 90, The Pack shall bask in the light of
propagation
contentment, feasting daily on the green flora of 18MHz.
Mobiles and
Portables shall roam the hills, exploring even the peaks
of 28MHz.
Guardians Of The Towers shall breathe easier, having
found solace
running barefoot through the wide open 5MHz and 7MHz
bands; they shall
turn their beams on 21MHz; they shall chase the beast of
Spectrum
Maximus and slaughter whole bands with Split Rare DX
Pileups. The
Morsepounders and the Digirati shall seek freedom and
fortitude in
10MHz throughout the night, and dream yea verily into
the dawn of early
morning! The Emcomms shall drink ALE from The Chalice Of
The High
Frequency.
Fullness
Then Bleakness in Years 2011-2020
Year 2011 shall
bring more health to The HF
Dwellers. The Pack shall climb to reach the Sol 24
Mountain Peak and
summit it in 2014; then light shall shine on all who
venture forth into
HF Wilderness. The mountain peak shall not overlook
the summits of past
quests. By 2019 the Sojourners of HF shall descend
down the path, and
shall wallow in the depths of a deep canyon once
again. Only the strong
and brave shall remain.
Incantation
Quatrain of the HF Oracle
Solaris
Minimus, Mega Hertzus;
Solaris
Maximus, Radiati Potentius!
Longitudis
Latitudus, Saltus Aqua Ampliphius;
Altus
Frequencius, Ionospheri Reflectus!
...and
so it was written, by her hand, on 17 December 2009.
Bonnie
Crystal KQ6XA, Psychic Propagation
Prognosticator
|
|
Meet
the
Moderators of HFpack Group
|
HFpack
has become one of the largest fully-moderated groups of
this kind in the world. It remains a high quality group
because a team
of skilled moderators makes it run smoothly and
efficiently. Every day,
the volunteer moderators read every message posted by
members. They
approve it, reject it, or clean it up before it goes out
to the 8000+
members via email or the web. Moderators process new
membership
applications, and help members who are having problems
with their
messages or membership. Such a spammer-free and
flame-free group would
not be possible on the internet without the watchful
eyes of these
talented people. All of the moderators on the HFpack
team possess a
unique combination of technical expertise, HF portable
radio knowledge,
talent for writing/editing, and even-handed patience for
interacting
with people. Every
moderator
is also an active HF portable operator and radio
enthusiast. We
hope
the new Meet
the
Moderators
section of the HFpack website gives you a little insight
behind the
scenes, into the human beings that make HFpack Group an
enjoyable
experience.
|
Bonnie KQ6XA
Founder/Webmaster/Moderator
"I founded HFpack wondering if 25
operators in
the world might be interested in lightweight HF
Portable. 65 joined the
first day and..."
read more |
 |
|
|
|
Ken
N0VZ
Moderator
"I
first
became
interested in amateur radio as a means of emergency
communications while hiking and four
wheeling in the back country of..." read
more |
|
|
Bob
AB7ST
Moderator
"I became a DXer
as KA7RF while stationed in Fukuoka, Japan. Now in
Utah, USA, my portable activity even includes HF
Snowshoe Mobile and..." read
more
|
 |
Sasi
VK5SN
Moderator
“Starting out as VU3SNM in India, my work
as a
marine biologist has since taken me all
over the world for remote HF
portable on islands and..."read
more |
|
|
John
K6ERO
Moderator
“My
first DX was Venezuela on 6 meters Pedestrian Mobile
with an old
FT-690RII at 2 Watts!
From that point, I was hooked. I got into HF military
packsets as...” read
more
|

|
Budd
W3FF
Backup
Moderator
"My main interest is modular portable
antennas. I've been operating HF
walking
portable for many years, and joined HFpack
when..." read
more |

|
|
Oliver KB6BA
Hall
of Fame
Curator
“As
an
avid trail hiker, I began taking radio gear to hilltops,
my Portable
HF activity increased when I had HFpack friends to talk
with while...” read
more |
|

Ken
WB6MLC (SK)
HFpack Events
Director 2001-2016
|

|
|
|