2021 Great North Woods - Fall Date TBD

gmrs if you want to get licensed, or get FRS if you dont want to have a license... baofeng radios for $35 + a better antenna are a good deal if you get your HAM license (working on mine right now), I have a

$23 Baofeng UV-5R+ Plus Two Way Radio, Long Range for Adults Rechargeable with Earpiece, Walkie Talkie for Outdoors, 144-148 420-450MHz, Qualette Series, Black

Baofeng UV-5R+ with an authentic Nagoya

$21 NA-771 15.6" Whip VHF/UHF (144/430Mhz) Antenna SMA-Female for BTECH and BaoFeng Radios

NA-771 antenna (great antenna for extending range/reception quality) although keep in mind its a handheld with a 5w output.. when i get my HAM license I plan to get an

$530 ICOM ID-5100A DELUXE 144/440 Amateur Radio Mobile Transciver with Touch Screen, D-Star and Internal GPS

ICOM ID-5100A for in-truck.... undecided on an antenna... so many choices, and combinations...

the baofengs are good because theyre cheap... Midland makes a nice handheld for FRS, and they're relatively cheap.. Pairs go for around $65 or so.. they also make an in-car base mdel that is relatively small..

 

YUP, that place where we were setting up in the rain... and we got there around 2130.. I was tent up and cooking dinner by 2200hrs.. i remember as i was hungry, nothing but coffee, and granola bars. It was soo delicious... food always tastes better when you're hungry.... something about camping too.. food tastes better...

 

Yup thats the one! I was surprised the water had dropped several feet or more since we were all there

 

The UV5 series from Beofeng is my go-to for cheap and realizable hand-helds. I got Ragnar and his little friends 3 of them two years ago.

They all still work after being run over by 4 and 5 year old boys.

 

Let me know, depending on dates and depending on my truck being on the road I might be in.

 

Damn I'll be leaving the NMW 11/25 I'M Going to miss it again SOB!

 

Winter Run?? @SR-71A I was planning a trip, if you can afford a few more rigs.

 

I was going to tag you, but I figured that dates wouldnt work out. On the off chance we go before Thanksgiving Ill let ya know though!

 

Absolutely
I'm planning on heading up to NMW 11/15th -25th my 19th annual hunt trip

 

No I'm sorry skater chick just means more venison. I won't be eligible to draw a tag in Maine until next year for a moose and even then my chances are approximately 1-in-1,332 in drawing a tag

 

The restrictions for moose in Maine or a good thing.
However I do have a whole lot of venison if you would like some.

 

Cool I'll go put your name on a bunch of it

 

No interest yet to get a HAM license.. Maybe eventually, but not now. If I go FRS, no antenna needed, right? I have CB, but just looking to communicate with the other trucks in our convoy.. Not looking for real long range.

On a side note, I put in for the time off for this trip. I'm excited, and starting to think about what I need for this trip. I know tire plugs, full size spare (already have), but what else do you recommend besides raincoat, spare clothes, food/ water/ drink? What about fuel? Gas stations where we plan to go? I run Orange Virus 93 OCT tune, but can flash to 87 if needed, unless premium fuel is available.. I can also plan on bringing fuel if needed.. How remote are we going to be? I'm rambling.. The whiskey is going down smooth tonight. And I am a planner

 

There is a gas station in Greenville and one right as we hit the NMW, but an extra 5 gal can could be very important

 

I came within 10 minutes from using my spare 2.5 gal, good to have it !

 

remote as in no cell signal, and very few radio stations.. if you do get any theyre in french.. I would sometimes get NPR out of FORT KENT 106.1 for a weather report. depending on the area, and height of land you're on.. other than that we're talking about the possibility of seeing another vehicle being remote.. I was up there 2 months ago, and saw all of 5 vehicles on one road in 2 days I was on Baker Lake campsite.. not a great place to venture alone, but good if you want to get out there away from everything for a while... would'nt expect a trucker to stop for ya, but others might to help out, definitly need a tire repair kit, and compressor, as well as all the tools for a tire change and a full sized spare (or two).. and bring tools for basic repairs.. 4x4 is not required, and likely not necessary on most roads, other than less traveled offshoots, only time I engaged 4lo was to put my truck on leveling blocks for the RTT...

 

I think a CB would fine to communicate with the group. The truckers up there us CB too to announce their locations so it's important to listen to channel 19. Those trucks ride in the center of the road's crown and don't slow down, so it's good to know when they're coming.

Extra fuel is definitely a good idea. I carry 7 extra gallons and I didn't need it last time I was up there, but only stayed for two nights. Any longer and I would have felt good knowing that I had it.

 

I think we were talking about this a few pages back.. Would be really nice to have everyone in the group on one FRS channel. Some benefits: Better clarity when talking, a bit more range than CB (good for a big group), a decent handheld rechargeable unit available locally or online doesn't cost very much, and lastly (this is a big one) we wont be flooding the CB with group chatter. A few guys in the group will have a CB no doubt and they can monitor it and relay if needed.

This trip will be to one of the most remote parts of the state. If you dont bring it with you, you better not need it I always bring an extra 10 gallons of gas just to be safe. Also 93 octane is pretty rare in Maine. Most places that stock more than regular do 87, 89, 91. Off the top of my head I cant think of anywhere that sells 93 north of Dysarts

 

Good points. I've been casually studying for my HAM license lately. I've been thinking to just skip over FRS and go right to HAM. Would be cool if we could do some kind of TW study group and make the push for more of us to go HAM. Seems to be way bigger on the west coast than here where CB is still the common avenue for comms.

 

If you guys need any help or have any questions, just let me know. It's very do-able and seems more intimidating than it really is.

Just remember, everyone that's there giving you the test wants you to pass and enjoy it.


Max, General Class
K1TiG