Test & Development

Hurricane Ivan of 2004 opened the door for Mission Radio.org.  Ned Linch, N4LS (ex: KA4AXS) was left without power, cell phone, telephone or anyway to communicate.  Although, he was a licensed ham radio operator with equipment (since 1978).  His equipment was not setup to operate during extreme conditions as he was experiencing.  He swore he'd never be left without the ability to communicate!  Since 2004, Ned Linch-N4LS has built several radio stations for emergency communications...base, portable and mobile.  Many tests have been completed to validate equipment and antenna systems.  Some of the major tests are listed below with details.  After visiting Haiti, he realized his experiences with testing emergency communication should be used to help missionaries around the world.  

Dog Island, FL – 2005 

-First ham radio station ever operated from this remote inaccessible island 
-Operated in emergency “Field Day” event 
-Safely landed an RV-4 experimental aircraft on remote sand airstrip carrying radio equipment and generator 
-Generator power and portable HF radio and Buddipole antenna
-Solo operation with no assistance

Ned, KA4AXS, operates a Yaesu 897D from the tail of his airplane using a Honda 2000 watt generator for power and a Buddipole antenna system.  This test validated the concept of flying a bush plane to a remote location to setup critical emergency communication.

 
Hurricane Katrina – 2005 

-Successful communication from the Hurricane Katrina disaster zone 
-Landed experimental aircraft on remote 1000’ grass runway on a hill 
-Generator power from portable Honda generator

Ned, KA4AXS, operates from the back of his airplane in the Hurricane Katrina disaster zone area.  He had better connectivity than most officials in the disaster.  The next photo is the BuddiStick antenna system mounted on a piece of hurricane debris while on a mission trip to help clean up a church in Slidell, LA. 
 
Dog Island, FL – 2006 

-Final test of equipment prior to mission trip to Haiti
-Safely landed his experimental aircraft on airstrip damaged by the 2005 hurricane season
-Hiked a mile from the airstrip to the beach with communication gear
-Conducted battery powered operation from beach
-Successfully test BuddiStick antenna
-Became sick while on the beach (sudden and rapid), packed gear, hiked to aircraft and flew home sick (1 hour flight)...at the hospital, he was diagnosed with pneumonia.
-Solo operation with no assistance 

Ned, N4LS, conducts portable battery operation on remote beach on Dog Island in April 2006.  He flew to Dog Island and landed on the remote airstrip and then hiked to the beach with his portable ham radio station...the same equipment he took to Haiti. 

Haiti – 2006

-Goal was to operate during spare time on a mission trip to promote Christian radio station 4VEH
-Successfully operated station from Christian Radio station 4VEH
-65 countries contacted in 5 continents during 8 hours of operating
-QSL cards sent promoting 4VEH and asking for prayer and support to bring hope to Haiti
-Made personal contacts at 4VEH for future DXepeditions
-Had HH5DL's radio returned to USA for repair

A huge smile after successfully getting on the air from Haiti as HH4/N4LS.  Ned Linch operated the station outside the radio station to get the full experience of Haiti...sights, sounds, smells and visibility.

Ned--HH4/N4LS and T-Louis--HH5DL were featured "on the cover of the magazine" in the November 2006 issue of World Radio.  This article provided positive visibility for Radio 4VEH and opened the door for future Christain TV in Haiti.

 Mobile tests – 2005-2007

 
Since 2005, N4LS has experimented with various mobile and portable antenna systems for use in the field.  In this photo, a Toyota FJ Cruiser (4x4 SUV) is used to test HF communication from a remote areas in the mountains near Tucson, AZ.