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:
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 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.
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.
Many thanks to Mike (KE8PTX) who shares the following field report:
by Mike (KE8PTX)
Monday 8/15/2023
Doing some late afternoon POTA chasing from the back deck home QTH, contacts on 5 watts seemed to be coming fairly easy so I started to think I should have a go at it and activate a park.
One in one hundred times I activate QRO, so I decided to take the FT-891 and blow the dust off the finals.
When filling my pack, I had a last minute change of heart and decided to stick with QRP. Bagged up the never fail KX2 field kit and hit the road.
The park was Port Huron State Game Land (K-6762) a nearby game land with many activation spots. As I never do look at the solar reports, this time was no different. I feel the solar reports more times than not would keep me home. With a QRP mind set we all feel we have something to prove by just doing it.
So off to the park we go!
After a short 20 minute dive through the countryside of the Michigan thumb, I arrived at my location only to be welcomed by a flock of Michigan state birds: the mighty Mosquitoes. I came prepared with my trusty Thermacell. Fired it up 5 minutes before exiting the car to give it a head start.
My deployment of gear is simple and quick. My go-to antenna is a 40m EFHW inverted V configuration running North to South.
My mid support is a modified Carbon 6 mast.
Setup time was less than two minutes and I was on the air. Continue reading Guest Post: A wildly successful POTA activation…on a whim!
Many thanks to Mike (KE8PTX) who shares the following:
Welcome to the end of my exhausting search for what maybe the best speaker for portable ham radio.
My list of requirements was short: it had to be small, amplified, and have an internal battery.
But most importantly, it had to have a AUX input.
The last requirement shortened the list very quickly. Most speakers today that have any quality of build are lacking in the old fashion AUX connection.
I tried a minimum of six speaker and even tried making one of my own. Rich sound quality was not most important factor to me. Let’s face it: we are not listening to the Beatles.
Now we are going to focus in the two that made the cut. On the bigger side was the JBL Charge 4. Rugged? Yes. Battery life? Great. Size and weight? OK. Take it from the car to the picnic table ok? Yes. Throwing in the pack for a SOTA or a long hike? Not the best choice.
Now to my #1 choice…
All in all, it is super rugged unit with great battery life and small for my QRP go kit. The only thing that comes in the box is the speaker and usb charging cord.
I hope my findings help others in search of a portable speaker.
73
KE8PTX
Check out the Anker Soundcore on Amazon ($24.99) affiliate link
Thank you for sharing this, Mike. I’m often asked about the portable speaker I use in the field. It’s a Sony SRS-XB12, but the only good source of them is eBay because they’ve been discontinued for so long.
This Anker speaker seems to be the same size and sport the same features of the Sony, at a slightly lower cost. I’ve also had very good luck with Anker products in the past (I’ve had some of their ear buds and several of their battery banks). In fact, I’ve just ordered this speaker because the battery life is also much better than that of my Sony speakers. I’ll plan to take this to the field and include it in my activation videos–I’ve give the Sony speakers to my daughters.
Thanks for sharing, Mike!
Because I receive so many tips from readers here on QRPer, I wanted way to share them in a concise newsletter format. To that end, welcome to QRPer Notes, a collection of links/videos to interesting stories and tips making waves in the world of radio!
Just before Thanksgiving, I received an email from Cara Chen at Retevis. She wrote,
I am responsible for the radio review cooperation. We have a SDR radio HS2 for review cooperation. Are you willing to test and write a blog about it?
When I asked her what that meant, she said that she would send me an Ailunce HS2 SDR Radio, if I would review it here on my blog. When I told her that I would be brutally honest in my review, she seemed OK with that and sent me the radio.
What follows is an honest review. It’s not a QST-style review. I don’t have the test equipment that they do, nor did I have the time to put the radio through all its paces. Even so, I did operate the radio on HF and VHF, phone and CW, enough to make the review worth reading, I think.
If you don’t want to read the rest of this review, I can sum it up as follows: The Ailunce HS2 is a fun, little radio, with lots of potential. It’s not perfect, though. The buttons are too small, the display is too small, and the manual needs work. More about all those below.
As you can see below, the radio came with a handheld microphone, a DC power cord, and a USB cable.
First impressions:
Many thanks to Mike (KE8PTX) who shares the following tip:
[Recently, I walked into a] big box store and this caught my eye:
When separated, they have very little memory.
So now we have four 25 foot radials. Bonus was all were different colors. Easy to untangle.
Performance, so far, is good. Total price with clip: 12 bucks.
That’s a brilliant tip, Mike! Thank you for sharing. Like you, I’m always on the look out for products that could serve double duty in the world of amateur radio. While one can find less expensive sources of wire, for 100% copper wire pre-cut to a standard radial lengths, this is a pretty good deal!
I did some searching and pricing varies between various suppliers.
Sample Retailers:
Thanks for the tip!
A few months ago, Mike (KE8PTX), contacted me with info regarding his latest 3D-printed creation: a compact housing for an end-fed half-wave balun.
He called it the “Oreo Balun.”
Once printed, and after he wound the coil and installed the BNC, he sent this photo:
It’s cute, isn’t it?
He then surprised me by putting it in a padded envelope and sending it to me as a gift. Wow–thanks, Mike!
End-Fed Half-Wave antennas are popular portable antennas for a reason: they’re effective!
They’re compact, easy to deploy, and resonant.
I only needed to attach some wire to the Oreo Balun, trim it, and hit the field!
Earlier this year, my buddy Vlado and I built two doublets with some scrap wire I had in my antenna parts box. I measured the amount of wire I had left from that same spool. I knew it wasn’t enough length for a 40 meter EFHW, but I did think there was enough for 30 meters.
After giving it a bit of thought, I liked the idea of having a dedicated 30 meter EFHW. For one thing, 30 meters is a great band for field deployments and in the past this band has saved my bacon when either 40 meters or 20 meters was wiped out. Thirty meters is also a refuge WARC band during contest weekends. In addition, a 30 meter EFHW is short enough that it could be deployed on most SOTA summits (which often have shorter trees).
Fortunately, I had just enough wire for 30 meters. IN fact, after trimming the antenna, I only had about two feet of wire to spare. It’s as if I had planned it! I would have never guessed that spool of scrap wire would have made two doublets and one 30 meter EFHW.
The next logical thing to do was take the Oreo to the field and play radio! Continue reading POTA Fun: Pairing Mike’s “Oreo” Balun/EFHW with the Venus SW-3B
