{"id":14391,"date":"2015-08-17T12:07:43","date_gmt":"2015-08-17T16:07:43","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/?p=14391"},"modified":"2015-08-17T12:34:00","modified_gmt":"2015-08-17T16:34:00","slug":"winner-of-the-virtual-radio-challenge-iii","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2015\/08\/winner-of-the-virtual-radio-challenge-iii\/","title":{"rendered":"Winner of the Virtual Radio Challenge III"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"AT_-_Franconia_Ridge\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Dennis Blanchard (K1YPP)<\/a>, author of Three Hundred Zeroes: Lessons of the Heart on the Appalachian Trail<\/a><\/em>, recently contacted me from\u00a0the road, en route to another lengthy trail in Vermont.<\/p>\n

Before this latest hiking expedition, Dennis spent many hours pouring over the Virtual Radio Challenge III<\/a> entries, looking up weights and specifications of radio gear and accessories…And the upshot? \u00a0He’s chosen a winner of our\u00a0Reader Challenge.<\/p>\n

Again, in summary, a participant’s\u00a0goal was to\u00a0find the best and most portable radio gear to receive shortwave, AM (medium wave), FM, and\u00a0NOAA weather to support a long through-hike\u00a0on the Appalachian Trail, to plan each\u00a0day’s hike, and to\u00a0make accommodations for frequent spring and summer thunderstorms (as well as occasional spring snow or sleet)…all for a\u00a0budget of\u00a0$300 US. [Read full details of the Challenge by clicking here<\/a>.]<\/p>\n

This year, Universal Radio rewarded–and has already dispatched!–a brand new CountyComm GP5\/SSB portable receiver<\/a>\u00a0to the winning entrant.<\/p>\n

Below\u00a0are\u00a0Dennis’ comments, along with those of the Challenge winner.<\/p>\n

\n

Dennis Blanchard (K1YPP) writes:<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"\u201cThis<\/a>

Dennis Blanchard operating a portable radio on the Appalachian Trail.\u00a0(Photo: K1YPP)<\/p><\/div>\n

I’ve just spent about five\u00a0hours going over the entries. There are several that are very<\/strong>\u00a0good…indeed, Challenge participants obviously put lots of thought into their entries.<\/em><\/p>\n

It was really tough to decide, but I had to go with most practical.<\/em><\/p>\n

Weight is a big consideration for me, and that leaves out solar panels, hand crank generators, and the like.<\/em><\/p>\n

What most don’t realize is that the AT has a nickname: “The Long Green Tunnel.” This eliminates solar panels because there is little sun to be had, as you’re in the shade most of the time. By the time you get to camp it is usually too late in the day for any charging, and wearing a panel just doesn’t do any good because of the shade (and weight).<\/em><\/p>\n

Not only is weight an issue, so is space in the pack…hikers need all the room they can get for food, and in the cooler weather, heavy clothes.<\/em><\/p>\n

Anyway, out of five finalists, I would have to go with Eric McFadden (WD8RIF).<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

Eric’s winning entry<\/h2>\n

So, what did Eric choose? \u00a0The following is Eric’s winning entry, beginning with his radio choice and following with a\u00a0clear, practical\u00a0explanation for it:<\/h3>\n

\"CC-Skywave-1\"<\/a><\/p>\n

C.Crane CC Skywave<\/strong>, AM\/FM\/SW\/Air\/WX, $89.95 at Universal Radio<\/a><\/p>\n

\"Sangean-ant-20-roll-up-antenna\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Sangean ANT-60 Roll-Up 23′ Antenna<\/strong>, $12.95 at Universal Radio<\/a><\/p>\n

\"Energizer-Ultimate-Lithium-Cells\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Energizer L91 Ultimate Lithium Cells<\/strong>, AA, 12-pack, $17.45 at Amazon<\/a><\/p>\n

“The C.Crane Skywave is small (4.75″ x 3″ x 1.1″); light (5.5oz); power-stingy (30mA with headphones); and receives AM, FM, SW, NOAA Weather, and VHF Aviation.The Skywave runs on two AA cells, and comes with a case and CC Earbuds.<\/p>\n

The Energizer L91 Ultimate Lithium AA cells provide 1.5v at approximately 3000m Ah, weigh 1\/3 that of an alkaline AA cell, and last several times longer than an alkaline cell.<\/p>\n

The Sangean ANT-60 would be tossed over a handy tree-limb and clipped to the Skywave’s whip antenna when the Skywave’s built-in 16″ whip isn’t quite adequate for listening to a shortwave broadcast station.<\/p>\n

The purchase price of the Skywave, six pairs of Ultimate Lithium AA cells, and ANT-60 would be about $121 plus shipping, well under the $300 limit. The entire station should be small enough and light enough for easy carry in a backpack. If the twelve Ultimate Lithium AA cells don’t last the entire hike, enough of the budgeted $300 remains to purchase more cells (either Ultimate Lithium or alkaline, as available) along the route.”<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

To this sensible explanation, Eric adds:<\/p>\n

\"Yaesu-FT-60R\"<\/a>“Being a ham radio operator, I’d want to have a ham rig along, too. While I’d love to be able to operate HF CW along the AT, my Elecraft KX3<\/a> is too large and heavy to carry that far. However, my current Yaesu FT-60R<\/a> 2m\/70cm HT and Diamond SRH77CA<\/a> whip should travel nicely clipped to a backpack strap and would serve as a back-up receiver for NOAA Weather and be available for pedestrian-mobile QSOs (chats) and calls for help, if needed.<\/p>\n

In order to save weight and not have to hassle with charging batteries, I’d leave the NiMH pack at home and carry the FBA-25<\/a> six-cell AA holder and stuff it with additional Energizer Ultimate Lithium cells<\/a> in order to save weight.<\/p>\n

Since the C.Crane Skywave already meets all the requirements of the Virtual Challenge, and since I already own the HT, battery holder, and antenna, I won’t consider the cost of the HT, antenna, and batteries as part of the challenge.”<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

About Eric’s entry, Dennis notes:<\/strong><\/p>\n

Eric’s\u00a0solution is small, lightweight, and does everything needed. He speculates that he would also bring along his Yaesu FT-60R, but didn’t feel he could include it because of cost. Curious,\u00a0I looked it up on Amazon<\/a>;\u00a0should he take it along, this addition\u00a0would still keep his total\u00a0well under the $300.00 limit.<\/em><\/p>\n

This would provide\u00a0Eric\u00a0with two receivers, [the ability to enjoy] ham radio communications, and not much weight to haul. He includes the AA Lithiums, and I have to say that, without a doubt, these are\u00a0the finest hiking batteries out there: they’re light, last forever, and are readily obtainable. I only had to change mine out once on the entire, six-month AT hike, and I was on the air a lot.<\/em><\/p>\n

Several of the other entries were winners also great; I basically had to use a dartboard to pick a winner. \u00a0Good thinkers out there, especially considering none of them have actually ever done a hike of this magnitude.<\/em><\/p>\n

\n

Congrats, Eric! Thanks, Dennis! \u00a0And more to come…<\/h2>\n

Congratulations to Eric McFadden for such a well thought-through entry!<\/strong><\/p>\n

I must say, I don’t envy Dennis in\u00a0making this selection: it was obviously a challenging \u00a0process on his end, too, and I’m glad\u00a0I didn’t have to make it!<\/p>\n

Dennis informed me that he plans to post and comment on some of his favorite entries in a few weeks, once he completes this latest multi-week\u00a0hike. We will, of course, post\u00a0his comments along with the\u00a0finalist entries.<\/p>\n

Note that\u00a0when I originally received the reader inquiry which prompted the idea behind this Reader Challenge, the CC Skywave<\/a> had not yet entered the market. Yet several of you chose\u00a0it as your sidekick for the Appalachian Trail; clearly, clever\u00a0minds think alike. Obviously, a radio that would function well on the Appalachian Trail would also be a great radio for your BOB (“bug out bag”), go kit or emergency supplies.<\/p>\n

Thanks again to Dennis Blanchard, our intrepid judge, thanks to Universal Radio for the great\u00a0prize, and many, many thanks to all our Reader\u00a0Challenge participants,<\/em> who made this process even more exciting and challenging!<\/strong> Meanwhile,\u00a0don’t worry if you didn’t win the CountyComm GP5\/SSB this time; we’ll soon have another opportunity to win one of these handy rigs in a completely different–and fun!–way.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Dennis Blanchard (K1YPP), author of Three Hundred Zeroes: Lessons of the Heart on the Appalachian Trail, recently contacted me from\u00a0the road, en route to another lengthy trail in Vermont. Before this latest hiking expedition, Dennis spent many hours pouring over the Virtual Radio Challenge III entries, looking up weights and specifications of radio gear and […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":15,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[373,3781,3,2787,43],"tags":[3994,3995,3996,3997,4074,4075,3990,3993,3991,3374,4125,2791,3992,2793,1153],"class_list":["post-14391","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-am","category-fm","category-news","category-reader-challenges","category-shortwave-radio","tag-appalachian-trail","tag-at","tag-best-radio-for-appalachian-trail","tag-best-trail-radios","tag-bob-radio","tag-bug-out-bag-radio","tag-dennis-blanchard","tag-hiking-radio","tag-k1ypp","tag-prepper-radios","tag-reader-challenges","tag-shortwave-challenge","tag-shortwave-hiking","tag-shortwave-radio-travel","tag-shortwave-travel"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pn3uc-3K7","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":14252,"url":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2015\/08\/deadline-approaching-your-chance-to-win-a-shortwave-radio-in-our-virtual-radio-challenge-iii\/","url_meta":{"origin":14391,"position":0},"title":"Deadline approaching: Your chance to win a shortwave radio in our Virtual Radio Challenge III","author":"Thomas","date":"August 1, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"We\u2019ve already received some excellent, creative\u00a0entries in the\u00a0Virtual Radio Challenge III:\u00a0your opportunity to piece together the best radio for thru-hiking the Appalachian Trail. Rememer:\u00a0this year, if your entry is picked by our judge (Dennis Blanchard, K1YPP), you will win a new CountyComm GP5\/SSB portable radio courtesy of Universal Radio! 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Rememer:\u00a0this year, if your entry is picked by our judge (Dennis Blanchard, K1YPP), you will win a new\u00a0CountyComm GP5\/SSB portable radio courtesy of Universal Radio! 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