Tag Archives: Explorer POTA20

Antennas, How To, News, Portable, POTA, QRP

Videos: Mike’s Insights on the POTA20 Ground Spike and a Clever Tripod Antenna Hack!

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Over the past few weeks, my buddy Mike (KE8PTX) has quietly made several YouTube videos I thought I’d share here on QRPer.com.

By the way, Mike is the fellow behind the new Explorer POTA20 Carbon Fiber Mast Ground Spike. You may have seen me use this in a recent field report and activation video.

Ground Spikes

In Mike’s first video, he describes the evolution of the POTA20 (and Carbon 6) ground spike system and its variations. As you’ll see, quite a lot of thought and engineering went into this simple design:

FYI: You can get the POTA20 mast at Gigaparts and one (or more) of the ground spike models at the Ham Radio Adventure Guy’s online store.

Tripod Hack

In this video, Mike demonstrates how you can easily hack a portable camera tripod to support a carbon fiber mast.

As Mike notes, “It’s a bit more to fiddle with than just a spike. But in the frozen north you have to deal with ground conditions. Get yourself a cheap tripod and give it a try. Will also work well when the park will not let you stick anything in the ground or use a tree.”

Click here to check out and subscribe to Mike’s YouTube channel.

Accessories, Antennas, News

Video: Mike shows just how quickly he can deploy the Explorer mast

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Many thanks to Mike (KE8PTX) who shares the following video as a follow-up to his previous post about the new Explorer POTA 20 telescoping mast (which I have on order via GigaParts).

In this video, Mike shows just how quickly he’s able to deploy the Explorer using his 3D-printed tent stake holder:

Click here to view on YouTube.

Accessories, Antennas, Comparisons, New Products, News, Portable, POTA, QRP, SOTA

Mike compares the new Explorer POTA20 with the venerable SOTAbeams Carbon 6 Mast

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Last week, I ran into my good friend Mike (KE8PTX) at Hamvention, and he was bursting with excitement over a new product he’d just purchased: the Explorer POTA20 Carbon Fiber Mast at GigaParts.

Mike is a massive fan of the SOTAbeams Carbon 6 telescoping pole and has been through two of them over the years he’s been doing field radio work. He told me that the new Explorer POTA20 is even better than the Carbon 6.

I don’t think Mike knows it yet, but after his recommendation, I ordered an Explorer mast—it’s backordered, so it’ll be a month or two before it ships.

Mike took this photo of his mast from a POTA activation this morning. You can see the mast left of the dead tree.

Mike is also a brilliant designer and has made a 3D-printed tent stake holder that fits on the end of both of these poles. He told me that these 20′ carbon fiber masts are so lightweight that there’s no need for guying the pole, even in fairly windy conditions. His simple tent spike is all that’s needed to hold a carbon fiber mast in place.

Videos

In the following video, Mike compares the Carbon 6 with the new Explorer mast and speaks to the utility of using a tent spike to secure the mast:

Thank you, Mike, for sharing this video and the tip about the new Explorer mast!

Again, it’s currently backordered at the time of posting, but you can place an order at GigaParts. The price is $79.95 plus shipping.