Preamble: Based on some social media comments, let me say at the outset that: a) I know that the ATU does not tune the antenna, but provides a good match to it; b) resonant antennas are more efficient; c) that you can tune a dummy load; d) just because you can tune something doesn’t make it an effective radiator. I do know these things. This post is intended as a bit of fun and to see just how much of a mis-match this ATU can handle to press objects into service as an antenna, even a very inefficient one. Please don’t take it too seriously!
Ask any Xiegu owner of the X5105, G90 or the XPA125B linear amp, and they will all tell you that they have great auto-tuners. Well, I own a X5105 and recently was lent a G90 for review for Practical Wireless. I decided to put the ATUs to the test using my X5105.
But what challenge to give it? Well, how about trying very, very long and very, very short antennas? What about metal gates, a cow shed roof, the framework of a polytunnel and a stock trailer?
I love G4USI’s philosophy with this fun experiment: see if it’ll match, then see if you can get spotted!
Xiegu ATUs certainly have a wide matching range–so do the Elecraft KX series ATUs. Indeed, having a super capable trans match means that you don’t necessarily need an extra inline transformer to make matching a non-resonant wire easier.
And I see why G4USI mentions that there’s a difference between a good SWR and efficiency. It’s an important note because, yes, dummy loads will yield perfect SWRs!
Many, many moons ago, I used to participate in a fun contest where the idea was to make as many contacts as possible from not-so-standard antennas. The rules of the contest really pushed the operator to metal objects that, in no way, resembled an antenna. They didn’t allow electric fences or even gutters, if I recall correctly.
One year, I remember loading two identical small trampolines and my in-law’s house. I think I ran them QRP with my Elecraft K2 and used a ZM-2 manual tuner to match them. I’m sure they weren’t efficient, but it worked! I made several contacts with other contest stations and it was amazing fun!
Have you ever had success with a non-traditional antenna? Please comment!
A few weeks ago–out of the blue–I received a QRPver Minion SDR operator’s manual in the mail. From the return address, I couldn’t determine why I would have received it–in fact, I assumed it was sent to me in error.
Still, I read through the manual because I came very close to purchasing one last year. I had seen the Minion SDR transceiver on Gil Grusome’s channel Radio Prepper.
A few days later, I received a USPS Priority Mail box in the post. Again, scratching my head, I opened it to find a QRPer Minion SDR transceiver inside! Woah!
The fellow who sent it included a kind note saying that he wanted this to be considered a contribution to my work here on QRPer and YouTube. He noted some of the Minion’s shortcomings (which Gil had also pointed out) including how sensitive it is to any RF coming back from an antenna. I’ll need to build an RF choke for sure.
I could tell from his note that he’d rather remain anonymous, so I respect that.
Thank you so much for passing the Minion along! I look forward to putting it on the air! It is an incredibly tiny radio–much smaller than I had even imagined.
I’ll need to take it to my buddy Vlado for a minor repair up front. Somehow, when I plugged a speaker into the audio jack, I broke it off the circuit board. It can easily be fixed by Vlado with a little outpatient surgery. 🙂
Thank you again to the kind subscriber/reader for passing along his Minion. I’ll put it to work!
I’ve been receiving a lot of comments lately from readers and viewers asking to see more Hazel in my reports and videos.
Hazel, if you’re not familiar, is my brown, white, and freckled canine shadow.
Hazel requires absolutely no prep time to go on a hike and summit/park activation. She’ll go from a deep, dreamy sleep where she’s chasing squirrels and her paws are twitching, to wide awake, tail wagging and nose pointed at the door in 2 seconds flat.
All it takes is the sound of me putting on my hiking boots (which must be louder that I imagined).
On Monday (May, 24, 2021) the weather was beautiful and I decided to finally add Bearwallow Mountain to my list of SOTA activations. Hazel was ready for a short hike!
Bearwallow Mountain (W4C/CM-068)
Bearwallow is one of the most popular summits to activate in the Asheville/Hendersonville area of western North Carolina. Any semi-seasoned local SOTA activator probably has Bearwallow in the logs. Why?
The Bearwallow antenna farm is extensive!
For one thing, Bearwallow is a ham-friendly site. A number of local repeaters are on this mountain and some of our local clubs have access to the summit. Once–I can’t remember the year–I even spent time with a club (I believe it was the Roadshow ARC) on Bearwallow for the ARRL Field Day. It was a blast!
Bearwallow is also a very accessible summit.
The trailhead to the summit (Google Map) is tucked away in the Upper Hickory Nut Gorge area–and there’s ample paved parking unless you happen to pick a very busy day (basically, any weekend with good weather will be busy!). Hazel and I were hiking on a Monday morning, thus there was very little activity and loads of parking spaces.
Some years ago, Conserving Carolina acquired the summit and much of the land on Bearwallow Mountain. Their conservation easement protects this area from future development and opens it for the public to enjoy.
Conserving Carolina maintains the trail system to the summit and all of the hiker information and blazing.They do a brilliant job!
There are two options for hiking to the summit: a proper foot trail, or you can take the Fire Tower Road which is the best choice for hikers who need a more gentle incline and flat gravel hiking surface.
Hazel and I found a nice spot to set up the station well within the activation zone. On summits like Bearwallow where there are clusters of communications towers, I prefer not to set up next to them. This is where that 25 meter SOTA activation zone (AZ) comes in handy.
I had actually planned to use my Elecraft KX3 on this activation, but after setting it up, I realized quickly that my power cord had developed a fault.
Fortunately, I packed a spare radio.
Knowing in advance that this would be a short hike–before leaving the QTH–I also packed the KX2 kit in my backpack as a backup. I don’t always have the luxury of packing a second radio, but wow! Am I glad I did that Monday!
Setting up the Chameleon CHA MPAS Lite vertical, of course, was super easy.
On the Air
I started the activation on 20 meters and spotted myself to the SOTA network via the SOTA Goat app. Of course, before leaving home, I had also set up an alert on SOTAwatch so that the spots page would auto-spot me via the Reverse Beacon Network (RBN) if I didn’t have mobile phone coverage.
In short? The contacts started rolling in. I was very surprised to have this sort of response on a Monday morning.
In 22 minutes, I worked a total of 19 stations including one summit to summit (S2S)–thanks for that, Eric (VA2EO)!
I was very pleased with the number of contacts logged in such short order because I only had a max of 25-30 minutes to be on the air before I needed to pack up and head back to the QTH.
Here’s the full log:
Activations like this one remind me of what one can do with QRP power and a modest antenna.
Sure, at one point–after I had worked at least my first four to achieve a valid QRP SOTA activation–I increased the power from 5 watts to a cloud-scorching 10 watts! 🙂
I must apologize for the audio in this one–it’s a little weak due to how the camera was set up.
Hazel at it again
So I brought along a retractable leash/lead for Hazel for this particular outing.
This leash allows her to roam more freely during our actual hike. On the summit, I locked the leash and attached it to my pack so it would keep her within 4 feet or so of where I was sitting which was cow patty-free.
At one point, near the end of the activation, when I was trying to manage a few calls, off-camera Hazel discovered that the leash unlocked, allowing her more flexibility to roam.
I looked up to discover that she found a semi-moist cow patty I somehow missed and was preparing to “enjoy” it. While sending CW and trying to keep from knocking down the camera, I used my left foot to put the brakes on her leash. She knew I was struggling, though, and tugged more.
I managed to stop her before even one paw plopped in the patty. Somehow. It was a very close call, though.
If you’ve watched my activation videos before, you’ve no doubt gathered that I’m not a multitasker. This little event really tested my ability to hold it all together on and off camera! 🙂
After packing up the station, Hazel and I took the Fire Tower Road back to the car. It was a very pleasant stroll and cow patty free.
Thank you for coming along with me on this SOTA activation and making it to the end of the report. You deserve an award! Please treat yourself to a local summit or park soon!
It seems folks are now finding out about the new Xiegu X6100 HF & 6 meter portable transceiver.
There have been a few rumors about it, so I thought I’d share some of the few details that have been confirmed.
What is the X6100?
If the Xiegu X5105 and Xiegu GSOC had a baby, it would look like the X6100.
The X6100 is a completely self-contained SDR QRP transceiver much like the X5105. The X6100 sports a 4″ high-resolution color capacitive touch screen and is built on on a quad-core processor, 4G ROM, and 512MB RAM. I assume this will run on a similar Linux version/distro as the GSOC.
The X6100 will include an internal automatic antenna tuner (ATU) and a 3500 mAh internal rechargeable Lithium Ion battery pack.
Power output will be 5 watts when using the internal battery pack and 10 watts when connected to an external power source.
Key features:
Modes: USB/LSB (J3E), CW (A1A), FM (F3E), RTTY (F1B), AM (A3E)
Pricing and availability have not been determined at time of posting. I will post an update when that information can be confirmed.
I can only assume bringing this new radio to fruition will take time. Most radio manufacturers are struggling to keep up inventory levels as we work our way out of the C-19 pandemic supply chain issues. Parts availability has become a real issue.
Many thanks to a number of QRPer readers who note that WA3RNC has recently introduced the TR-25 CW Transceiver Kit and announced the upcoming TR-45L QRP Transceiver Kit.
Here is a compact but powerful 2-band CW transceiver kit that uses no tiny pushbuttons, and without those seemingly endless and hard-to-remember back menus. There is a knob or a switch for every function!
Size 5 ½ X 3 ¼ X 1 ½ less protrusions, weight 10.6 Oz
Full band coverage of 40 and 20 meters
About 10 watts output with a 14 volt power supply
5 Watts minimum output with a 10 volt supply
4 Watts output with an 9 volt supply
Optimized for operation from 3 series-connected 18650 Lithium cells
RIT tunes + and – 5KHz
Blue OLED display reads frequency to 10 Hz and RIT offset
Built in Iambic keyer is adjustable 5 to 35 WPM with front panel control
Separate jacks for straight key and paddles; Always ready for SKCC contacts
Operates on 9 to 14 volts, < 90ma receive, about 1 Amp Xmitt at 10 volts
Selectable tuning resolution steps of 10, 100, and 1000Hz
Low battery indicator with internal adjustment 9 to 12 volts
Front panel adjustable RF gain control
Front panel TX power control; Adjustable from 0 to 10 watts (@14V)
Rugged TO-220 FET RF amp can deliver 5 Watts key down for 5 minutes
Signal quality blue LED, RIT warning orange LED, Low battery red LED
More than enough audio to fill any room with an external speaker
Excellent receiver sensitivity with MDS of -132dBm (0.06 microvolt)
Very effective receive AGC prevents ear damage with strong signals
Transmitter harmonics and spurs -58dB, meets FCC specs
CW sidetone is the actual transmitter signal as heard by receiver
Match the received signal tone to the sidetone for perfect zero beating
Sharp IF filter; Better than 300 Hz at the -6dB point, plus 700 Hz audio filter
Over 200 machine placed SMT parts, and about 55 user installed parts
All critical circuits are factory pre-aligned and calibrated
No endless “back menus”; There is a control or switch for every function
Options include pre-wound toroid coils, precision optical tuning encoder, and complete factory assembly
Price is $250 or you can add pre-wound toroids for $18, a precision optical encoder for $30, or for $310 you can purchase this kit fully assembled and tested. Click here to check it out.
TR-45L is a 4-band 5-watt CW transceiver covering the 80-75, 40, 30, and 20 meter bands.
Full band coverage is provided, with the transmitter optimized for the CW band portions.
The receiver is provided with both narrow and wide band IF filters, and CW and SSB detectors.
An illuminated front panel meter shows “S” units on receive, and power output (forward or reverse) while transmitting. The meter also will display the battery state of charge.
A “High SWR” warning indicator will illuminate if the antenna SWR exceeds about 2:1.
The transmitter power output is adjustable from less than ½ watt to 5 watts with a front panel control.
RIT is provided to adjust the receive frequency up to + or – 5 KHz from the transmit frequency.
Two VFOs for each band are provided with recallable memories.
A built-in keyer is adjustable from about 5 wpm to 35 wpm with a front panel speed control.
Separate straight key and keyer paddle inputs are provided on the front panel.
A front panel adjustable sharp notch filter is provided to null out interference.
A front panel receiver RF gain control is provided.
Operates from a 12 volt nominal power source requiring up to 1.3 amperes on transmit, and about 130 ma on receive. A front panel power on – off switch is provided.
Tuning speed is easily settable from 1 Hz to 1 KHz per step.
A selectable dial lock is available to prevent inadvertent frequency changes.
There is a knob or switch for every function – no confusing back menus!
Size 8-1/2” wide, 5” high, 3” deep Weight about 2.8 lb with Internal Batteries
Beta testing is continuing…73 de WA3RNC
No pricing or availability has been noted yet.
I life the look of both of these kits. I love the fact that you can buy pre-wound toroids as this is often one of the more complicated parts when building radios. Also, I’m pleased to see that all SMD components are pre-installed and that all critical circuits are factory pre-aligned and calibrated. That will make this kit accessible to a much larger kit building audience.
If you live here in the States and like to play radio in the field, I highly recommend one of the DeLorme Atlas & Gazetteer issues.
Although I use electronic devices like smart phones and dedicated GPS, it’s always nice to have a paper map. I always have one of these Gazetteers in my car. You should never be without a paper map, I say.
I love the Gazetteer because it shows lines of elevation and every/any possible road and trail. It’s incredibly useful for finding summit road and trail access points and also for finding game land entry areas.
Funny, but I opened my new Gazetteer while still in the parking lot of the camping store and almost instantly spotted a brilliant new access point for the Overland Victory trail in Morganton. It’s an even better activation spot than I’ve used in the past.
Last year, I wanted to purchase the latest edition for North Carolina but I’m sure due to the pandemic, they were as rare as hens teeth!
The other week, I found one in a local camping store and grabbed it! The store owner told me he’d only gotten a handful in recently and had been out for months. Check for one at your local camping store, book store or outdoor center. If you can’t find one there, check Amazom.com (affiliate link).
I’m a huge map geek. Although I don’t recall them including topographic information, when I lived in the UK, I was a massive fan of A to Z road maps for their design. I’d love to know if there’s a topo map equivalent.
If you live outside the US, I’d love to know what maps you use for your field activities! Please comment!
Last time I visited Table Rock Fish Hatchery–this activation–it was a struggle to get the ten contacts I needed for a valid activation. Propagation was horrible that day, making it a proper struggle.
On Thursday, May 20, 2021, I thought I’d go back to the fish hatchery for another try! I really like the site: it’s open, has lots of trees, and the staff (and neighborhood dogs) are all very friendly.
My not-so-QRP diesel truck!
Thing is, as I drove to Table Rock, my buddy Mike informed me that propagation took a nose dive. Earlier in the day, it had been reasonably stable, but he noted that POTA activators were struggling in the afternoon and the propagation numbers were in the dumps.
There’s a beautiful little creek next to the picnic area.
My secret weapon: The Chameleon CHA LEFS
Shortly after I posted my “unboxing” video of the lab599 Discovery TX-500, Carl at Chameleon Antenna made a comment on my YouTube channel that he was going to send me their CHA LEFS (Lightweight End Fed Sloper) wire antenna since it’s resonant on 40, 20, 17, 15, 12 and 10 meters. In many ways, it’s ideally suited to pair with the TX-500 since this transceiver lacks an internal ATU. Side note: there is a cool project in the works called the DIY599 that adds a 60 watt amp and ATU to the TX-500 .
I had only recently received the CHA LEFS and had not yet taken it to the field. Table Rock was the perfect opportunity.
When I know in advance that propagation is poor, I try to make my portable set up as efficient as possible, so that’s when I 1.) make sure I pull out a resonant wire antenna and 2.) use a wire antenna with longer radiators. The CHA LEFS fits both of these bills.
The CHA LEFS has a 63 foot radiator made of 20 gauge PTFE antenna KEVLAR wire. The winder has a large efficient transformer to match impedance, and there is an inline coil to make the most of the 63′ radiator. They also include 50′ of Micro 90 paracord.
Like all Chameleon antennas I’ve used, it’s built to military specs.
Table Rock Fish Hatchery (K-8012)
Table Rock is ideally-suited for a long-ish sloping wire antenna, too. The site has tall trees and open spaces that make stretching out the sloping radiator quite easy. Just watch those power lines!
The CHA LEFS takes longer to deploy that end-fed antennas with a feedpoint near the ground. I find it quicker to deploy, however, than dipoles.
I deployed the LEFS by first stretching out its radiator wire in the direction I planned to deploy it.
Next, I connected the coax feedline to the SO-239 on the LEFS winder and stretched it in the opposite direction of the radiator. Why do this? It helps keep the radiator and coax from twisting together as I raise the winder/feedpoint into the tree.
This is not a difficult antenna to deploy as one person. Of course, if you have a helper, it’ll go even faster (I’ve yet to convince Hazel to help me with antenna deployment).
I had launched the arborist line quite high into a tree at the picnic table where I planned to operate. I was able to elevate the LEFS feedpoint/winder about 47′ into the tree.
I used the supplied paracord to attach the radiator to a nearby branch. The end of the sloper was perhaps 6 feet off the ground (if memory serves).
Knowing how poor conditions were from real-life K8RAT observations, I didn’t expect to actually validate my activation by logging the required 10 contacts. As I stated in my activation video, I was fully prepared to walk away with three or four contacts–I didn’t have a few hours to burn on an activation. I was simply happy to play with a new antenna, the TX-500, hang with the local canine welcome committee and enjoy the fine weather.
First, I hopped on 40 meters and discovered the LEFS provided a perfect 1:1 match on 7063 kHz. Very promising!
Next, I started calling CQ and the Reverse Beacon Network functionality of the POTA spots page must have quickly auto-spotted me.
Within 13 minutes, I logged six contacts! I was impressed. Mike (K8RAT) was in that first six contacts and he later told me it was one of the strongest signals he’d ever heard from me at a POTA activation. He asked what I was using as an antenna that day and said, “it was working!”
Next, I moved to the 30 meter band and worked K8RAT again (a rarity on 30 meters!) along with four other stations.
I ran out of time, so called it quits with 11 stations logged.
I did not expect to not only walk away with a valid activation, but to have completed it in such short order.
QSO Map
Here’s the QSO Map of my contacts all made with 5 watts of power:
As Carl suggested, I’m going to keep the CHA LEFS tucked away along with my PackTenna EFHW in the Discovery TX-500 pack.
When conditions are poor, I’ll spend the modest amount of extra time deploying this fine antenna.
The only CHA LEFS criticism I noted–and it’s a minor one–is that the in-line trap/coil isn’t very low-profile and takes a little attention to make it fall in the right spot when reeling the antenna up post-activation. Seriously. A minor criticism and I’m guessing Chameleon has a reason for it being on the large size–likely for power handling reasons.
Field Day is coming up, and I think I’m going to make the CHA LEFS one of Team Baklava‘s main antennas (Team Baklava = my buddy N3CZ and me!).
I just got back from an activation at Lake Jame State Park where I used the Xiegu X5105. Radioddity sent this radio on loan at my request for an upcoming review in The Spectrum Monitor magazine.
I must say that I underestimated this little radio…
Impressive play on the internal battery
I’ve now completed 3 activations with the X5105 on one battery charge made three weeks ago!
This weekend, I used the X5105 in the shack for perhaps 30-40 minutes chasing a few parks and summits on that same charge. During that weekend time it was mostly in receive mode, unlike when I’m activating (and working stations or constantly calling CW).
I decided to see how long it would continue to play off of the internal battery, so I didn’t re-charge it. Instead, today (June 7), I took it to Lake Norman State Park and had an external battery at the ready if it failed mid-activation.
It didn’t fail, though, even after 1.5 hours on the air. The voltage, when I finally gave up, was about 10.2 volts. I ran out of time, not the battery.
I’m impressed.
Internal Microphone
Once I’ve uploaded the video and written the field report (in a week or two), you’ll see that at one point today, I switched to SSB operation. Thing is: I didn’t bring the X5105 hand mic with me–it was 2 hours away at the QTH!
I remembered that the X5105 has a built-in mic–meaning, built into the body–so I decided to give it a go. I mean why not–?
Turns out, it was very easy to operate: simply press the PTT button as you would a mic button and speak. I worked a few SSB contacts this way.
The only other radio I own with an internal mic is the Elecraft KX2.
This X5105 might become permanent
Herein lies the trouble with doing radio reviews: sometimes you get attached. I need to talk with Radioddity.
I’ve been hesitant to take this unit on a SOTA activation because the chances of it getting scratched, etc. increases.
I believe I’m going to add the X5105 to my HF radio arsenal. It’s a fun little radio and it would make the short list for SOTA runs along with the Elecraft KX2 and Discovery TX-500.
Ed operated as FP0AR–one of his favorite family DXpeditions– more than four decades ago.
This past week has been a crazy one.
I set the week aside to catch up on a number of projects and to fit in at least one activation. I did manage that activation on Tuesday–Hazel and I hit the trails and I activated Mount Pisgah.
Wednesday, however, was a different story…
At midday, I received a call from the daughter of a dear ham radio friend telling me that her father–and my friend–was unresponsive and now under hospice care. She didn’t expect him to live much longer, and wanted to know if Vlado (N3CZ) and I could come over to spend a little time at his bedside. A quick call to Vlado, and we instantly dropped everything we were doing; I picked up Vlado at his QTH and we drove the two hours to be with Ed (W2HTI), his wife Eileen (KO4DI), and their children and grandchildren.
It was sad, of course, but Ed indicated that he recognized us and even attempted to communicate as best he could. Needless to say, we were deeply touched and so glad we’d made the trip, even on the long drive home.
Ed (W2HTI) SK
Early Friday morning, only 32 hours later, Ed went silent key.
The good news: Ed was pushing 91 and had led a very rich, full life. I’m not sure I’ve ever known anyone with the energy level, love of life, and amazing talent to make everyone laugh. This Brooklyn “boy” and his wife, Eileen, were/are also some of the most generous people I’ve known, and have gone out of their way to treat me and Vlado and our families–and indeed, many DXers over the years– like their own family.
Ed lived at least five full lifetimes, all of them full of adventure with an amazing family.
And did I mention, he was an avid DXer…?
A small request
Ed (W2HTI) on the left and Vlado (N3CZ) on the right during one of our visits in 2019.
You might have guessed that ham radio played a central role in Ed’s life–and still does, for his wife Eileen. It’s no exaggeration to say, Ed was one of the top radio DXers in the world. Ed also collected QSLs, and his family counts these among his precious possessions, and are making sure they are carefully archived.
Our special request: For this QSL collecter, there’s no better memorial than QSL cards. If you have a moment, please consider sending his wife, Eileen a QSL card in memory of this incredible member of the radio community. Even if you didn’t know Ed, it would mean a lot, coming from the ham radio world that was such an inspiration to him and his family, to be acknowledged. Vlado and I are asking this of all the hams we know. Thank you, friends.
Eileen’s contact information can be found on her QRZ.com page. If you don’t have access to QRZ.com and need her address, simply email me and I’d be happy to provide it.
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