Pedestrian Mobiles Forge Ahead:

Pedestrian Mobile or /PM as it is known by HF radio pack enthusiasts, has seen a dramatic increase in activity over the last several years. Small transceiver size, new battery technology, and efficient collapsible antennas have made it easier than ever to walk and talk on HF SSB.

In 2003, an estimated 4000+ operators are active in some type of lightweight HF portable operation. Last year, 40 avid HF packers gathered outside the Dayton Hamvention with their carry-around radios and antennas.

What happened next, became the largest all-pedestrian HF QSO ever recorded, and this year there are even more of them on the air. This unusual record-setting event, now called The Big Pedestrian QSO is sponsored by HFpack, the HF portable group, at 1700 UTC on Saturday the 17th of May on 18157.5kHz USB during the Dayton Hamvention. The gathering starts at Noon Saturday Hamvention time.

A giant QSL card, group photo, door prizes, and "Best Backpack Contest", are part of the fun atmosphere with eyeball QSOs and equipment demonstrations open to all interested operators.

And there is more! A discussion and technical forum on Sunday May 18th at 10:45AM called Successful HF Pedestrian Techniques in the Forum Room 2 at Hamvention showcases the state-of-the-art for lightweight HF operation.

Most operators know that /M stands for Mobile and /MM stands for Maritime Mobile. Have you ever worked an /AM Air Mobile? Well, several new callsign suffixes have been popularized lately like /PM for Pedestrian Mobile, /BP for Backpack Portable, and BM/ for Bicycle Mobile.

The HFpack calling frequencies 18157.5kHz, 14342.5kHz, and 7242.5kHz have become /PM /BP /BM gathering spots, making it possible for the thousands of backpack and bicycle mobile enthusiasts to find each other on the air. Many base station operators enjoy thrill of talking to operators who are outside with their radios on HF. You never know when that rare DX /RB Roller Blade Mobile operator might show up!

Visit HFpack http://www.hfpack.com for more information about all the different types of HF portable and events. It is also the home of the annual HFpack Pedestrian Antenna Shootout, reporting on the efficiency of lightweight collapsible HF antennas.

73---Bonnie KQ6XA