DX Explorer is a 2015 Jeep Wrangler JK Unlimited Rubicon, heavily modified to support trails, camping and portable radio. The name works two ways: the Jeep reaches distant places, and in amateur radio DX means a distant station or another continent.

The vehicle became part of a larger reset in 2017—a way to reach beautiful places that were not easily accessible and build new experiences around exploration.

The build

• 2.5-inch lift
• 35-inch Falken Wildpeak tires
• Fox shocks
• Smittybilt bumpers
• Winch and light kit
• Rhino Pioneer rack
• Adams drive shafts
• Regeared to 5.56
• Big brake kit
• Onboard refrigerator
• Radio hotspot
• Additional trail and camp equipment

Parks on the Air (POTA) is a worldwide amateur-radio activity that combines portable operating with visits to qualifying parks and public lands. An activator takes a station into a listed park and makes contacts; hunters contact that operator from home, another park or anywhere their station can reach.

The modern program began in early 2017 after the ARRL’s popular 2016 National Parks on the Air event ended. Volunteers kept the idea alive and turned it into a year-round international program. By late 2024, POTA’s official documentation reported more than 60,000 participating parks worldwide—an enormous expansion from its original group of operators.

POTA fits naturally with off-roading and camping because a trailhead, wildlife area, scenic overlook or campsite can become both a destination and a radio operating position. It gives each trip a clear objective while providing a practical way to test antennas, batteries, radios and operating methods away from the electrical noise of town.

Why we are building a separate off-grid mesh

Meshtastic was not designed to be just another urban network that depends on existing infrastructure. Its core strength is the ability to operate completely off-grid. The field network I am testing is intentionally separate from the mainstream public mesh. Participating radios are configured to work together as a self-contained group for overlanders, hikers, explorers and portable radio operators.

We are taking advantage of the mesh itself: each properly configured node can relay packets for other nodes. That lets position reports move around terrain or across a spread-out group even when a station cannot reach the base node directly. GPS-equipped nodes send frequent, accurate locations that are plotted on a map, giving the group a practical view of where participating vehicles, hikers and equipment are located as the trip unfolds.

The system does not require the Internet, cellular service or Starlink to function. A Starlink or cellular connection at base camp can provide an optional bridge to the outside world, but the local radios continue exchanging messages and positions independently when that connection is unavailable.

Position history also creates a breadcrumb trail. If a vehicle, hiker or portable node stops reporting, the map preserves its last received route and position. That history can help the group determine where to begin looking for the missing node instead of relying only on its final point.

What I am testing now

I am testing node placement, antennas, power, range, message reliability, reporting intervals, map tracking and how well packets relay between moving and stationary nodes around Northern Colorado. The goal is to learn what works before using the system for off-road trips, camping and portable-radio outings.