Land Ops ARC Playbook (less controversial release) - HF Expansion

Land Ops ARC (an ARRL affiliate adventure radio club) has been getting some mixed reviews for our "out-of-the-norm" video releases on QRZ. Previously our "Silence of the Hams" video operation that was conducted at night in the mountains came under fire for, guess what, not using our radios. We also promise to use CW next time when doing flash codes. This was meant to be adventure challenges and I guess we are just a little out-of-the-box in more ways than one.

Another release, "Driving Into Reward Mine" video was criticized for the danger of carbon monoxide gases we exposed ourselves to. After driving our trucks a quarter mine inside of a mountain we performed a simple VHF test. Even though we took precautions this simple trip report got some flack for that.

So we thought we'd post a more traditional video about our HF inspirations, but we're already wondering if our HF inspirations are not really that traditional either.

Okay...We're just trying to have fun here. So for those who dare to watch...We hope you will simply enjoy our style of radio adventuring and our explanation of what we are trying to do. We're looking for HF stations to coordinate with as far out as are interested.

Watch at your own risk. Share your opinion regardless of how critical it might be. I guess we are getting use to it. Personally, I use to think we were fairly normal folks. Now we freely admit we are a little different from traditional ham material and news. If we are a little peculiar in our ham radio endeavors, perhaps we'll run into a few that share our strangeness and will reply and express their support for our ham radio fantasies.

Now that's all I'm going to say except, please watch and enjoy the video.

 

Out next HF project is scheduled to occur during our level 2 op Oct 7th between Shaver Lake, California and Opal Mountain, California.
This is a shorter distance test with approximately 180 miles between the two points.

 

Chris, another great video. Of course, it's just a short chapter in the Book of LandOps.

 

Your assertion is bogus. You came "under fire" for using a bogus tease of a headline--"Silence of the Hams--communication without radios" as AMATEUR RADIO NEWS.

Now you are again stretching things..

"Watch it at your own risk"... What a bunch of bull excrement. Exactly what "risk" am I 'managing' by watching this video?

The video is interesting on its own merits. Just tell people what its about.

Why don't you just let the ACTIVITY tell the story and don't try to bias the viewer ahead of time.

 

Bias? Bull? I think they are having fun and want to share it. Their words are just sharing their sense of humor. Of course, if you have no sense of humor, that might pass by without notice. Seems like a guy ought to be able to share his HAM adventure here without incurring the wrath of anyone not otherwise involved. I guess it invites the sharing of opinions though, of which there is never a shortage. Of course, you know the old saying "opinions are like hemorrhoids, in that every a****** has at least one!" Just my humble hemorrhoid, er, I mean opinion! Keep up the good work and share your adventures with us!

 

I think I've just found my People!

 

Thank you for proving my point. Ahhhh, the risk that your blood pressure would go up because of my cautionary intro? Yes, we've been under fire for how we announce or title our posts. But apparently it's just a warm breeze.

 

Thanks W7ARE, I'm happy to hear someone not taking us too seriously. I'm kinda humored by some of the responses we get. We don't take it seriously at all. I think at first it was a little shocking, like bullies trying to pick a fight, but now, I just pretend they are a good friend poking fun and we kinda poke back. We do try to hear the underlying complaint they are making.

 

K7KSG, if we are your PEOPLE, then you are our PEOPLE too!

 

You know...people forget that baseball is just a game played for fun. Land Ops similarly is a game...with Ham radios as balls and 4wd vehicles as bats played out in the field. FUN...and the videos are just one way of sharing the fun.

 

OK, watched the video, still don't know what you're doing... I heard (near the end) something about caches? And synchronized timing between teams? Is this like Geocaching and rally racing? What the heck is "geotactical"? There was some element of SAR, but I didn't get the relevance....

Hey, if you're having fun, that's all that counts, but I still don't understand what you're doing after watching the video.

If you're spending that much time, I hope you're participating with your local SAR groups! We always need volunteers (at least here in Colorado)! I did enough map reading and off roading in Type-6 brush trucks in my wildland days... But we had the added fun of having terrain on FIRE around us.

 

Hi Jim...K6JKB, It's my fault...W1YW actually has a good point, I actually got his "real" message through all the "bull this" and "bull that". He seems like a really smart guy, I looked him up, but I think he's a kind of "bull-y". The value of his comment was immediately dimished to a lower intellect with his knee jerk response. He's such a straight shooter I guess I just pissed him off. But I will heed his advice.

 

KV6O, Yeah I know it's not a complete explanation. It's the 5th video of a series that we let out of the box. Like walking into a room in the middle of a conversation. Yup, we're having fun. We do have an MOU with a local private SAR foundation so we're open to assist. We stopped using the word geotactical a while ago, we haven't yet completely purged it. I still like the shirts we made. Too controversial for so many people though as they immediately thought military. We're not. The games we play are all centered around teams searching for instruction caches off road that progress them through an navigation course unknown to them and call for certain radio exercises to be performed. Stay out of the fire zone!

 

Sounds like 4x4 + Navigation + radio and a good mix of 'road rally'. Cool - have fun and thanks for posting.

 

You got it!