High-Altitude Ham Radio • Off-Grid Camping • ATV Motovlogs
AKA: “RUSTY”
(My friends know me by Rusty)
I operate outside.
QSL: “DIRECT”
(No green stamps or SASE necessary)
I keep a paper log by candlelight.
Meet The Operator
A short bio and some photos.
ARTIST | CRITIC | IDEALIST
ARTIST: a person who produces paintings or drawings as a profession or hobby. I pay the bills by putting pictures on milk cartons.
CRITIC: a person who judges the merits of literary, artistic, or musical works, especially one who does so professionally.
IDEALIST: a person who cherishes or pursues high or noble principles, purposes, goals, etc.
HIGH-ALTITUDE FANATIC
Outdoor adventuring. Primitive camping. ATV excursions and exploring God’s creation.
Portable HF ham radio in the deep woods, way up high in the Colorado Rocky Mountains. This is my passion and that’s where you’ll find me chasing DX until the late hours of the cold quiet night.
Some like to camp in established campgrounds with power and water, but I prefer to be off–grid in seclusion. Nature has its own civilization.
Sharp As A Marble
When I was an adolescent know-it-all, my dad often said, “Son, you’re as sharp as a marble.” I thought it was a complement until it finally dawned on me one day that marbles aren’t sharp!!
All the garage doors in my neighborhood open and close when I key any of my microphones.
I can’t shoot my slingshot antenna launcher in the house without getting an ear-full from Mrs. NØKTZ.
I always giggle when I crash on my quad — except the last time when I was unconscious.
¿ʎɐʞo pɐnb ʎɯ sı
Special Events
Let's get up into the high-country
and surf some RF.
QSL DIRECT
No green stamps or SASE necessary.
I operate off-the-grid and keep a paper log.
Recent Contacts
Logging
I like to send and receive paper but
I also upload to QRZed.
After I missed verifying a couple of rare DX contacts that I needed for a World Continents Award, I started uploading all of my .adi exports to QRZ at the end of each month.
If you’re not on my log yet, I hope to hear you real soon!
HAMRS is a relatively new and simple logging app. The developer continuously improves it.
Mobile and desktop versions are available for different operating systems. I’ve been using HAMRS as my primary logging program in the shack and recently started using it for portable operations.
It’s designed well and I like it.
Antennas
LMR400 ultra-flex for the base station.
RG8X for mobile and field ops.
Home
- Diamond X510HD
- Diamond X50A
- Diamond CP6AR Trapped Vertical
- End-Fed Sloper (9:1 Transformer)
- Arrow Open Stub J-Pole
Mobile
- Diamond M285S
- Diamond NR770H
- Hamsticks (75, 40, 20, 15, 10, 6)
Field
- Buckmaster DX-OCF40
- Buckmaster DX-OCF160
- Wolf River Coils TIA 1000
- Super Antenna MP1
- Various (Homebrew) Dipoles
- Various Tri-Pod Vertical Whips
- EFHW (49:1 Transformer)
- Diamond X50A
- MFJ-1904H Mast
SHELTON 3.0 MAGNUM
Click On The Icon For Parts List
This slingshot antenna launcher is by far, the best and most effective way I’ve ever used to deploy a wire antenna up into the tall piney Colorado trees. Fast, fun and accurate.
Social Media
My creativity expressed online.
Subscribe to my YouTube Channel.
Slack for Instant messaging.
Follow me on Instagram.
Hamming it up with my friends up in the high-country never gets old.
My RIDE
Honda Rubicon 520 Deluxe
Jumping Jack Explorer
Extras
- 2500 lb Warn Winch
- Heated Grips
- 27″ Kenda Bearclaw Tires
- Kolpin Front and Rear Bags
- Rotopax FuelPax
- Yeasu FT3DR Ham Radio
- Diamond Dual-Band NR770
- Sena 20S EVO Communicator
- Sena SR10 Bluetooth w/PTT Switch
- Duel SkyPro GPS Receiver
- Bioenno 20Ah LiFePO4
- DemerBox DB2
Click the link to see my helmet setup.
ARRL Field Day
I haven't missed a year yet. Can't wait for the next one!
Countdown
Field Day is typically the largest emergency preparedness exercise in the country, with 30,000+ operators participating each year. It always takes place on the fourth full weekend of June, beginning at 18:00 Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) Saturday and running through 20:59 UTC Sunday.
I don’t usually partake in the contesting circus, but I do like any excuse to get out and up into the high-country. I enjoy chasing DX all night on the 20 meter band Friday night before Field Day.
Winter Field Day
Not your normal summertime field day!
Countdown
Winter Field Day Association (WFDA) is a dedicated group of Amateur Radio Operators who believe that emergency communications in a winter environment is just as important as the preparations and practice that is done each summer.
Winter Field Day runs for 24 hours during the last full weekend in January each year from 19:00 Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) Saturday to 18:59 UTC Sunday.
Go Outside
Practice living in the outdoors and it'll better prepare you for what life throws at you.
Nature has it's own civilization.
Community Service
A heart for others.
MORE KINDNESS – LESS JUDGEMENT
Founder & Executive Director.
Surviving Colorado is a humanitarian coalition.
EXAMINER
After all the encouragement and support I’ve received over the years, I pay it forward whenever I can.
Activator & Hunter
Click on the logo to visit my stats page.
PARKS ON THE AIR LOG
This activation log is a copyright-free PDF file.
If you are a POTA paper-logger, feel free to download, use and share.
“FORMATTED FOR CLIPBOARD USE”
Thanks For Visiting
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