Biography

Thanks for stopping by. This is Julian OH8STN from the YouTube channel SurvivalTech Nord.

I got my start in radio communications in the mid 70's listening to global broadcasters like BBC World Service, Radio Finland, and Canadian Broadcasting. In fact, it was in part because of Shortwave radio that I found my way to a few different corners of the globe.

In 1998 I turned my love of radio communications into a career, having deployed to a variety of interesting places over the years.

My main interest is Amateur radio for emergency and survival communications. All of my amateur radio activities are done in hopes of building a skillset which can be utilized in any number of grid down disaster or emergency scenarios!

Operating

https://youtu.be/tbjUF7kx-Ds
On HF I primarily work QRP Portable with a Yaesu FT-817ND, Chameleon Hybrid Micro (MPAS), or when its convenient to do so, the Chameleon F-Loop.

My belief is all too often we rely on the comfort of fixed locations, the stability of a home or other grid tied shelter as operating locations for our radio communications. In contrast, learning to operate off-grid, out of a backpack, temporarily setup next to your car, from a hotel room, getting there with skis, bicycle, or hiking up the side of the mountain to setup your tent or shelter, that's a challenge, and also that's what it's all about for me. Operating QRP portable from unusual places provides an opportunity to learn about yourself, and your gear.

Current Projects

- QRP UltraPack External Battery Pack
The QRP UltraPack External Battery Pack project is an open source project designed to provide radio operators with a low-cost, scalable, and customisable external battery pack solution for modern QRP rigs like the Yaesu FT-817 and Elecraft KX2. It is very much like a QRP Ranger, but smaller, and more configurable. The QRP UltraPack can be built at home as a 4S1P 3.4A (50watt hour), 4S2P 6.8A (100 Watt hour), or 4S3P 10.2A (150 Watt hour) power pack, by anyone with basic ham radio and ohms law skills.
http://www.survivaltechnology.net/qrp-ultrapack-external-battery-pack-project/

- Solar Powered Ham Shack
Recently I was given 2x, 40 watt solar panels for testing and review. I thought the best way to put these panels to use would be deploying them in a way which promotes off grid power for amateur radio communications. I call this project The Solar Powered Ham Shack. So I've tower mounted these 2x 40 watt solar panels, and connected them to a 100 amp battery pack and charge controller. I've also made a bespoke distribution unit for DC power to my radios and laptop computer. Thanks to our midnight sun, the setup is powering my shack with an abundance of power.
http://www.survivaltechnology.net/budget-solar-power-generator-for-emergency-communications/

Digital Field Comms
https://youtu.be/092wd0IFNF8
I prefer digital communications as a field station. PSK31, PSK63, JT65, HFAPRS, ... I also use WSPR for antenna testing and understanding propagation in real-time. Still I do enjoy the excitement of a voice QSO. You'll usually find me on the WARC bands avoiding high power contesters!

My primary operating system for radio commuications is Android. When Android cant do the job, I move over to Linux and run APRS Messenger, FLDigi or WSJT-X. My preferred Linux distro is AntiX-15.

YouTube
https://www.youtube.com/user/SurvivalTechEU/

My YouTube channel is my way to give back to the community. Up until a few years ago, I had been heavily involved with community volunteering. Unfortunately, one must take the good with the bad of public clubs and organisations. My YouTube channel gives me the opportunity to share with people who also want to share and learn. So every new subscriber is a blessing.

Equipment

Here is a list of my man-portable gear

Yaesu FT-817ND
Chameleon F-Loop
Chameleon P-Loop
Chameleon MPAS
Wolphi-Link Rig interface
Mobilinkd APRS BT TNC
AKG 240DF headphones
HTC Nexus 9 on Android 6
Custom battery packs and folding/rollup solar panels
There is far too much to list, so just the active stuff is here.


Recently I had the opportunity to do a video series comparing two different portable antenna systems. The Alpha EZ Military, and the Chameleon MPAS. You can read or watch the series here https://youtu.be/houIJTHtDW0?list=PLKMrdrsNkFA75xg_f37tc96pqYA_VRH8h