All posts by Thomas Witherspoon

Field Reports, Morse Code, News, POTA, QRP

Field Activation Antenna Challenge #1: Military Fixture Homemade Multi-band Doublet!

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I mentioned in a previous post that my personal “Activation Challenge” for 2022 was “to build a new antenna each month and deploy it at least once that month during a field activation.”

On Thursday, January 27, 2022 I took my first antenna–the military fixture doublet–to Lake Norman State Park for a Parks On The Air activation!

For more information about this doublet and how it was constructed, check out this post.

Lake Norman State Park (K-2740)

I picked Lake Norman knowing that it had numerous spots to set up a doublet.

Unlike an end-fed wire antenna, doublets need a little more clear space to deploy both legs; the idea is to avoid as many low tree branches and other obstacles as possible.

Many (if not most) of the operators I know who regularly deploy field doublets actually use a telescoping mast for the center support to make the whole process easier.  I didn’t take either of my fiberglass masts on this outing because, frankly, the winding fixture on this doublet acts as the center insulator, and is “heavy” compared to most of my field antennas. Continue reading Field Activation Antenna Challenge #1: Military Fixture Homemade Multi-band Doublet! →

Kits, News

(tr)uSDX kit: Just pulled the trigger

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In January, I missed out on the initial pre-orders of the (tr)uSDX kit being managed by Rowaves in Romania.

I had my calendar marked for February 15 to check the site again for the 3rd batch as I thought that was the day they planned to issue another pre-order.

My buddy Eric (WD8RIF), who is the President of the Athens County Amateur Radio Club (ACARA), contacted me yesterday asking if I knew of any QRP kits designed with phone/SSB operation in mind. One of ACARA’s members was searching for one.

He was already aware of the

The only other kit I could think of was the new (tr)uSDX. When Eric asked for a link to the product, I went to the Rowaves site and discovered that they were taking pre-orders for the third wave of kits. Like, right then and there!

Without hesitation, I added one to my shopping cart and checked out.

I thought perhaps Rowaves caught up and no longer had a waiting list. This morning, when I checked the site again however, it appears they’ve sold out of the third batch.

Without Eric’s prompting, I would have never thought to check the Rowaves site yesterday.

Side note: There are various (tr)uSDX group buys out there. I don’t completely understand how they work, but perhaps someone with more experience can comment. DL2MAN has information and links on his webpage.

Intimidated

(tr)uSDX board “sandwich”

If I’m being brutally honest, the (tr)uSDX kit is a bit intimidating for me. I recently referred to myself as a “gross motor skills” kit builder. I think that’s a pretty accurate description.  I’m fine with through holes, simple toroids, and very clear, illustrated instructions. Truth is, I absolutely love building kits. But I’m not an electronics engineer, so when instructions are vague, I can get lost quite easily.

The (tr)uSDX toroids don’t look terribly complicated and all of the surface mount components are pre-installed. Still: it’s a wee kit and I’ve yet to check out the build instructions.

It might be a challenge for me, but I’m really looking forward to it. Besides: knowing that John (AE5X) will build his kit before I do, I’ll simply bug him if I have questions! [Sinister laugh slowly fades…]

More SSB Kits?

While on the topic of kits, can anyone point Eric to other SSB kits that are currently available on the market?  If so, please comment with a link and thank you in advance!

Morse Code, News, Portable, QRP, QRP Radios, Reviews, SOTA

Recap of my first SOTA activation with the Venus SW-3B

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I made a short post yesterday morning noting that I planned to take my Venus SW-3B and new field kit out on a maiden SOTA/POTA activation.

While I will be publishing a full activation report and video, it could be a good two weeks down the road.

I’ve gotten so many inquiries about the SW-3B, I thought I’d write up a short recap with some of my initial notes using the SW-3B in the field.

This isn’t a comprehensive review; just some beginning field notes I made for a full review I’ll write for The Spectrum Monitor magazine.

Dogback Mountain (W4C/EM-066)

I decided to activate Dogback Mountain knowing that it would easily fit in my travel plans. The views (see above) were extraordinary. Thank you for the tip, Dave (W4JL)!

This was also a shake-out for my Tom Bihn HTL2 field kit which will likely be shared with the SW-3B and Elecraft KX1. It includes everything I need to deploy the SW-3B in the field–including an arborist throw line!

I confirmed that everything in the kit worked and there were no missing components.

I paired the SW-3B with my PackTenna Mini 20 meter EFHW. This limited me to the 20 meter band, but I suspected it would yield enough contacts to validate my summit (4) and park activation (10).

I fed the Venus SW-3B with a 3 Ah 12V Bioenno LiFePo4 battery pack–my output power would’ve been about 5 watts.

Results

In short? It really couldn’t have gone better.

I worked a total of 43 stations in 44 minutes on the air. Here’s what my contacts look like on a QSO Map (click image to enlarge):

Venus SW-3B Field Notes

Overall, the experience of using the SW-3B was brilliant.

Since this little rig doesn’t have an internal speaker, I recorded the audio with an in-line Sony digital recorder. Later, when I produce the activation video, hopefully I can blend the separate audio channel with the video successfully. (Any YouTuber worth their salt can do this, but keep in mind I’m not really a YouTuber!)

SW-3B Pros:

  • Excellent receiver for field activations. I noticed no overloading and it handled the pileups very well.
  • Very pleased with CW filtering.
  • I was able to successfully program the “CQ” button with the following message: “BK TU 72 DE K4SWL” This is huge. At one point, the SW-3B could only handle a simple CW + callsign message. I’m very pleased its only message memory slot can hold the end of my exchange. Also, it is very easy to program.
  • The SW-3B is incredibly compact; only slightly bulkier than the MTR-3B if you include the encoder and AF/RF gain pot protrusions.
  • I am loving the dedicated AF and RF gain pots.
  • Display is very easy to read in the field.

SW-3B Cons:

  • Changing the CW keying sped on the fly is really not an option. It’s an awkward process.
  • The sidetone isn’t adjustable without modifying an internal component. If I could, I’d lower it just a notch or two. As-is, it’s perfectly fine, but adjustable sidetone would be a nice feature.

SW-3B Quirks:

  • When switching bands, the SW-3B defaults to saved memory allocations (not the last used frequency). If you forget and switch bands, then turn the encoder, it cycles through saves memory allocations instead of up/down tuning.

Summary

Keep in mind: this is my first activation with the SW-3B. I don’t typically form strong opinions until I’ve taken a radio on at least three or four activations and used it at the QTH extensively. With that said, first impressions are great. This radio offers much more than I would ever expect for $188.

I see why it has has become so incredibly popular among CW field activators. Now that the Mountain Topper MTR-3B is no longer available, this is a viable alternative.

I’m sure some of you may be trying to decide between the MTR-4B and the SW-3B. I will be reviewing an MTR-4B soon, but based on my experience with the MTR-3B, I don’t think you could go wrong with either radio, frankly.

The MTR-4B does allow for a total of 3 CW message memories that are very easy to access and include beacon mode. You can also adjust the sidetone volume on the MTR-4B (requires opening the enclosure to make the adjustment). Obviously, the MTR-4B is a four band radio including 80 meters in addition to 40, 30, and 20.

The SW-3B, however, has an AF and RF gain control–the MTR series has no volume control at all. The SW-3B also has a rotary encoder which makes chasing contacts across the band much easier.

The MTR-4B receiver current is roughly 27 milliamps. The Venus SW-3B closer to 40 milliamps. (Yeah, splitting hairs here!)

Stay tuned!

In the coming weeks, I will be posting a number of activation reports and videos using the SW-3B. As I mentioned, I’ll also post a comprehensive review for The Spectrum Monitor magazine in the coming months.

I can say this: if you’re a CW op who is searching for a compact field radio?  The SW-3B is a no-brainer. Just grab one.

If you still can’t decide between the MTR-4B and the SW-3B, consider getting both. Why? You could easily kit out two independent fully self-contained field packs on the (relative) cheap!

This will give you two choices for grab-and-go field activations.

Thank you

As always, I’d like to send a special thanks to those of you who have been supporting the site and channel through Patreon and the Coffee Fund. While certainly not a requirement as my content will always be free, I truly appreciate the support.

Your support not only pays the bills at QRPer.com, but makes it possible for me to purchase radios like the SW-3B.

Thank you!

I hope you get an opportunity to play radio this week.  Stay healthy and safe out there!

Cheers & 72/73!

Thomas (K4SWL)

News, QRP, QRP Radios

The Venus SW-3B’s maiden SOTA activation this morning!

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I’ve got my new Venus SW-3B all dressed up and ready for a SOTA activation this morning (February 10, 2022); that is, if all goes well. Haven’t quite decided what summit yet, but it’ll have to be one I can hit fairly easily during my travels today.

I’ll plan to do 20 meters primarily, because I’m taking my PackTenna 20M EFHW. I also have a 30M EFHW–a separate antenna that I might also give a go.  We’ll see how busy things are.

I’m either going to find a summit with a good hike, or do a drive up summit, then hike later at park. Either way: my goal is some radio and hiking today.

I’ll plan to make a video of this activation if all goes well. To record the SW-3B audio, I’ll be using a small Sony digital audio recorder I found at a thrift store for $20 a few months ago. I don’t have time to give it a proper shake-out before I go; in fact, I don’t have AAA batteries to load in it for a test so plan to pick some up en route.

New radio, new pack, new thrift store audio recorder that’s never been powered up…

What could possibly go wrong, right?

Right!

The SW-3B fits very comfortably in this Tom Bihn HLT2 I bought for the SW-3B and my KX1 to share. (You might recall I have an HLT2 for my MTR-3B as well.)

It’s really packed out at the moment, though, because I’m using a bulky battery and haven’t optimized any of the components & accessories yet. I’ve a much smaller battery solution in the works.

If you’ve nothing else better to do today, check out the POTA and SOTA spots likely sometime between 1600-1900 UTC. With any luck, I’ll be on the air and you’ll then know what an SW-3B sounds like.

Field Reports, How To, Morse Code, News, Portable, POTA, QRP, SSB, Videos

Video: A complete POTA field activation from planning/scheduling to QRT

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A few weeks ago, one of my YouTube channel subscribers asked if I could make a video showing the entire process of activating a park: everything from planning, scheduling, packing, driving, setting up, to activating.

Why not, right?

So on January 20, 2022 I scheduled an activation of K-6856 and recorded a very, very long activation video!

It’s 1 hour 42 minutes long, in fact, but I broke the video into chapters to make it easier to navigate and digest.

Activation Video:

Click here to watch on YouTube.

Since the entire process has been captured on video, my field report below will simply focus on the various sections of the video along with my results. That and I didn’t even think to take a single photo I was so busy with the camera (images here are all screen shots).

In the shack

My OSMO Action camera does a brilliant job outdoors, but in the shack it did struggle with my monitor brightness/contrast while I scheduled the activation. When I checked the quality from the camera’s built-in monitor screen, it looked pretty acceptable, but after being uploaded to YouTube, it was less so. Sorry about that!

Knowing this could be a problem, I did my best to describe everything I was doing on the screen. Frankly, I couldn’t go back and re-shoot this if I wanted to because it was all happening in real-time.

Before I scheduled the activation, I did sneak in a wee bit of park hunting! After all, this is how I do things in the shack.

Oh yeah, my shack wasn’t exactly tidy that day as I had a project on the table. You’ve been warned. Continue reading Video: A complete POTA field activation from planning/scheduling to QRT →

Field Radio Kits, Grab And Go, News, Portable, QRP

David’s field radio kit makes use of Tom Bihn packs and pouches

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Being the hopeless pack geek I am, when David (AG7SM) shared photos of his many Tom Bihn bags and how he packed for a recent radio outing, I asked if he’d mind if I shared them here on QRPer.com. He very kindly agreed!

The comments below are my own, but I’ve put David’s descriptions in each image caption:

Brain Bag

The Tom Bihn Brain Bag.

I’ve often considered grabbing a Tom Bihn Brain Bag in the past for one-bag travel, but frankly it’s a little roomier than I needed so overlooked it. I never thought about using it for field radio, but it makes so much sense

“The writing implements and log I’ve stuffed into the Brain Bag.”

I have used a Tom Bihn Synapse 25 for both one-bag travel and as a field radio bag.  It also has side pockets for field notes/logbooks and pens/pencils, but I think the Brain Bag accommodates them even better. Continue reading David’s field radio kit makes use of Tom Bihn packs and pouches →

Announcements, New Products, News, Satellites

BayCon 2022: Mark introduces SOAR (Satellite Optimized Amateur Radio)

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If you’ve been listening to the Ham Radio Workbench Podcast, you’ve no doubt heard Mark Smith (N6MTS) talk about his “secret squirrel” project. At BayCon 2022 this past weekend, Mark revealed that the “secret squirrel” is a new product he’s designed called SOAR (Satellite Optimized Amateur Radio).

Mark announced that SOAR is basically a radio that’s “optimized for operating FM satellites.”

That’s a very modest description for a radio that can not only handle full duplex FM satellite communications, but also leverage the power of a GPS and CPU to help predict passes, aim an antenna, and adjust for doppler shift on the fly. And, oh yeah, it even records.

SOAR actually does much more than this.

If full duplex satellite work is the sort of thing that interests you, I highly recommend watching Mark’s BayCon presentation:

Click here to view on YouTube.

You can learn more about SOAR at:

The Halibut Electronics website has only recently been launched, so there’s not a lot of info there at time of posting. For the latest news, I suggest you follow Mark on Twitter at: https://twitter.com/SmittyHalibut

Of course, I’ll post updates here on QRPer.com.

Note this presentation was originally given at BayCon 2022: https://www.bay-net.org/baycon.html

Morse Code, New Products, News, Portable, POTA, SOTA

N6ARA introduces the new TinyPaddle Jack!

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A few week ago, my buddy Ara (N6ARA) sent me a prototype of his new ultra-portable CW key, the TinyPaddle Jack (TPJ).

You might recall, Ara introduced the original TinyPaddle late last year. His motivation for the original TinyPaddle was to have a super minimalist paddle that could be stored away as a spare in your kit for those times when you either forget or have an issue with your primary paddle in the field.

The TinyPaddle is a very capable little key!  Click here to read my field report using the original TinyPaddle.

Turns out, there was a lot of pent-up demand for a product like the TinyPaddle. At $15 for the kit or $20 fully assembled, the TinyPaddle is a serious bargain. Ara and his father have been quite busy producing these.

Enter the TinyPaddle Jack (TPJ)

Whereas the TinyPaddle is designed around being the most simple/minimalist backup paddle solution–basically a wee paddle with a male 3.5mm connector that plugs directly into a rig’s paddle jack–the TPJ takes it one step further.

The TPJ is essentially the TinyPaddle  with a female 3.5mm plug encased in a 3D-printed holder and protective cover.

The design is clever. The case that protects it while stored away in one’s field pack, pulls apart and is re-joined to make a very usable paddle holder.

There are actually quite a few purchase options, so Ara created this short video that describes the different components/options and how to use them:

Click here to view on YouTube.

I’ve been using the TPJ with my MTR-3B and new SW-3B. As I mentioned in my field report with the TinyPaddle, the action of this paddle is actually very precise–it almost feels like a capacitive touch paddle.

I find that the holder definitely adds to the ergonomics of the paddle (although it can actually be used without a holder, too).

Ara also created a small adjustment tool that will allow you to tweak the paddle spacing if needed. Keep in mind, this is a very simple paddle design (there are no springs or magnets) and isn’t really meant to be a primarily paddle. I do feel, however, that it will hold up quite well over time. The spacing of the contacts is so fine, I believe the stress on the paddle levers is minimal .

I plan to keep a pair with my new MTR-3B field kit (above) and use it as the primary paddle for that radio. I will plan to buy a second one for the SW-3B a well.

Highly recommend

The price of the fully assembled TinyPaddle Jack ($24) and Cable ($5) is $29 US.

This is firmly in the “no-brainer” category.

Just take my money!

I personally think Ara could charge $40+ for these and they’d still be a bargain. I know him well enough to know that his motivation is in the fun of designing these products and making them accessible to other field radio operators. Case in point: I’ve been pricing quality 3.5mm patch cables recently and I find his $5 cable to be an excellent price; even more competitive than cables I’ve seen on Amazon and eBay.

In addition, Ara even freely distributes the 3D printer files so you have the option to print your own paddle holder!

It’s obvious to me that these products are his contribution to the community that pays for itself enough so that he can continue to innovate. His designs are so clever, I can’t wait to see what he comes up with next!

Very well done, Ara!

Click here to check out all of Ara’s products at N6ARA.com.

Hacks and Hints, How To, News, QRP Radios

Tony tames X6100 audio with a simple ground loop noise isolator

2 Comments

Many thanks to Tony (K2MO) who writes:

Tom:

My X6100 arrived this week and I did notice some noise on the receive audio when wearing headphones. It shows up as a 1000 Hz tone with a few harmonics and it’s loud enough to make the audio a bit fatiguing to listen to. The good news is that the noise disappeared when I added a mini line isolator between the rig and headphones. It also removes the hiss!

Click here to view on Amazon (affiliate link).

I thought you’d be interested since you have the same rig so I recorded a short video that illustrates how well the isolator works.

You can see the 1000 Hz carrier and it’s harmonics appear in the audio spectrum when the line isolator is removed. You’ll also notice an increase in the audio noise floor.

X6100 Internal vs. External Speaker

I also uploaded a short video that shows how the X6100 audio sounds with the internal vs. external speaker.

Note that the ICOM speaker requires a mono-to-stereo adapter to work with the 6100. Plugging the speakers mono jack directly into the rig wont work.

The camera mic doesn’t do justice to how much better the rig sounds with the external speaker, but it should give you some indication.

https://youtu.be/mmuu_a4Po_o

Click to view on YouTube.

Thank you for sharing this, Tony!

I like how the isolator is such a simple solution and imagine it could help other radios with similar issues. Often these noises and harmonics come from display noise. Also, your video certainly shows the improvement using an external speaker on the X6100! Thank you for sharing!

Field Reports, Morse Code, News, Portable, QRP, SOTA

Summits On The Air: Pairing the Elecraft KX2 and Chameleon CHA MPAS Lite on Bearwallow Mountain!

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So far this winter has been a challenge in terms of activating summits. For me, at least.

Between my busy schedule, family life, and the weather, it’s been difficult to make the stars align. Activating a summit, in general, requires much more time than activating a park. At least, where I live.

Summits tend to be much less accessible and time-consuming than, say, a state or national park. Besides getting to the summit trailhead and hiking it, there can be quite a bit more research in advance including reading previous activator notes and mapping out the true summit location.

SOTA (Summits On The Air) activators (depending on their location) often have extra incentive to do activations during the winter because many of us can accumulate “bonus points” for summits above a certain height during the winter months.

As I’ve mentioned before, I’m not a numbers guy and honestly couldn’t tell you, for example, how many parks I’ve activated this year. But it would be awfully fun to eventually achieve “Mountain Goat” status in the SOTA program. It requires 1000 (!!!) points. Many of the summits where I live range from 1 to 10 points each. Each summit can only count once per year, so if I activate Mount Mitchell (our highest summit) the 10 points only count once in 2022 toward Mountain Goat status. The program is designed to encourage activators to activate a wide variety of unique summits each year. It’s a brilliant motivator.

I will be happy if I achieve Mountain Goat status in 5 years. I simply don’t have the free time to hit summits as often as I’d like. It is a really cool goal though.

Now where was I–? Continue reading Summits On The Air: Pairing the Elecraft KX2 and Chameleon CHA MPAS Lite on Bearwallow Mountain! →