MJ’s Mountain Topper MTR-4B brag photo!

Many thanks to Mike “MJ” ( WO9B) who writes:

Hi Thomas,

I’m not normally enthusiastic about an equipment review, but as for the MTR gear…welcome to the 4B-V2 club. For no good reason I have to pass along a brag photo of my setup.

After growing tired of chasing a key around the picnic table, a removable epoxy bracket was added to mount the venerable Begali Adventure paddle. The battery is a small LifePO4 1.1 Ah battery which provides about 5 hours of Field Day operating.

Naturally, I use a Spark Plug for my antenna. The last two Field Days have been with this setup. It is an outstanding piece of gear. It took me one email exchange with Steve, WG0AT, to overcome the lack of a volume control. Not a moment of buyer’s remorse.

See you on the air….

MJ, WO9B

Thank you for sharing this, MJ! I love brag photos.

What a nice combo, too: the Begali Adventure and the MTR-4B!

Readers: MJ is owner of www.sparkpluggear.com. I’ve heard many good things about his Spark Plug EFHW. I need to grab one and give it a go soon!

And yes, MJ, I’ll see you on the air!

6 thoughts on “MJ’s Mountain Topper MTR-4B brag photo!”

MJ….great “brag photo” ? ! Thank you for sharing!

Would you mind sharing the earphone details that Steve, WG0AT and you settled on?

73, Jim / AC3B

Michael Johnson says:

May 23, 2022 at 1:32 pm

Hi Jim,
WG0AT literally indicated that he does not use ear buds or what not as he wants to be aware of his environment. That’s pretty true. I found that adding a volume control

Here is what I use: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B008DJTB32?psc=1&ref=ppx_pop_dt_b_product_details

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Nice post! Can you share more info on the epoxy key mount? Is it held on by magnets to the MTR?

Michael Johnson says:

May 23, 2022 at 1:43 pm

I made a cylinder of epoxy from a used prescription bottle. The epoxy does not stick to the plastic so it makes a very workable tube. I then fashioned a angle like you see in the picture with a file and cutoff saw.

The MTR has a screw on the side which I used for holding the epoxy angle to the radio. Ditto for the Begali Paddle.

The fastener I used is a Knurled Plastic Head (red) threaded screw (https://www.mcmaster.com/catalog/128/3386) in a 4-40 thread which is what the radio has. It is also the same thread that the Begali uses for attachment. A crazy coincidence.

I found the single point of attachment to the radio was not enough so I added a second hole in the side of the radio. There is a ton of room inside the radio for this, but threading the fastener was an issue, so I used a low profile rivet nut (https://www.mcmaster.com/catalog/128/3646). It works great, but I did add a hole to the side of the radio. Probably not a move comfortable for everyone.

That’s kind of the story. I can send you more pictures if you need them.

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