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Captain Radio Adventures
Добавлен 24 ноя 2007
The channel focus will shift to amateur radio's role in "preparedness" in terms of readiness to respond to emergencies and disasters (both man made and natural). I will still post content related to Summits on the Air, antenna design and general amateur radio topics from time to time. Amateur radio is supposed to be the last line of communications infrastructure that can survive a catastrophe because it is decentralized and be operated apart from the electrical grid - it is a stand-alone mode of communications.
A Barn Build in a Year
This video documents the construction of a barn by one man, a helper, and a tractor. The first footings started in August of 2023 and the at the end of the video - is August 2024. Although not completely done, the downstairs will be enclosed this fall (2024). The builder is a part time school teacher which eats into the time dedicated to construction.
Просмотров: 2 633
Видео
2024 Greer Amateur Radio Club - Field Day
Просмотров 281Месяц назад
Great effort by the club. The club score as submitted is just short of 8000 points at 7969 from a combined effort on CW, SSB, VHF Bonus, and the Get On The Air Station (GOTA). Many thanks to Dave KE4EA for leading this year's effort. Enjoy the video. Ariel NY4G
Barn Project Part 1 SD 480p
Просмотров 15211 месяцев назад
A retired engineer builds a 40x32 barn mostly by himself. This video is part of a series of videos documenting the process.
Noe Woodworking - Barn Build Part 1 SD 480p
Просмотров 17711 месяцев назад
This is the first in a series of how a older woodworker builds a 40x32 barn mostly by himself.
Hike to W4V/WV-009 Chestnut Ridge for Summits On The Air (SOTA)
Просмотров 100Год назад
This is one of my hikes during the W4C Spring Campout that was organized by W4C SOTA Association Manager Pat Harris WW4D. Chestnut Ridge is one of the SOTA summits on the Appalachian Trail. I have documented 179 of them from Springer Mtn (the southmost point on the AT in GA) to Mt. Katahdin (the northernmost point in ME) but have only hiked up to 49 of them. My goal is to eventually summit 50 b...
Hike to the Summit of McAfee Knob
Просмотров 71Год назад
McAfee Knob is one of the iconic places on the Appalachian Trail and arguably the most photographed. This hike has been on my bucket list for a long time. It has been on my to do list for a “complete” - which means a summit where I have made a contact with an amateur radio operator which was made two years ago with California radio amateur N6JFD on May 5, 2021 who “activated” this summit for Su...
May 3, 2023
Просмотров 34Год назад
Took a break from hiking the Appalachian Trail summits in the Shenandoah National Park and visited Luray Caverns
Review and Maiden Voyage of the Penntek TR45L - by Ariel NY4G
Просмотров 1,2 тыс.Год назад
I just acquired the new Penntek TR45L by WA4RNC. This is not a sponsored video and I acquired it out of my own funds. This is part of a factory assembled and tested pilot run. It is not a kit although kits will be available at a later date. The little brother of this radio is the 4 Band TR35 which is much smaller and lighter, more suitable for SOTA. This one has the full complement of options a...
Using a NanoVNA to measure the efficiency of an End Fed Half Wave Transformer
Просмотров 2,5 тыс.Год назад
Hello - the is Ariel NY4G this time going into a deeper dive on how a NanoVNA can be used to measure the efficiency of an end fed half wave transformer. End Fed Half Wave (EFHW) antennas have certainly become popular. One thing that is not well understood nor documented is whether one of these autotransformers used in these popular antennas is wasting power that we can begin to care about. An e...
Winter Field Day 2023 - Greer Amateur Radio Club - Jan 28-29
Просмотров 124Год назад
Short video of our Winter Field Day Effort. Operating as a 1-O (single transmitter outdoor), this was our first Winter Field Day and we were not sure how the weather would turn out. It was a warm winter day in South Carolina - as is typical - high 40's during the day and near freezing at night during this time of the year in late January. Operators - Jim KO4LAO, Dave KE4EA and Ariel NY4G. Softw...
Review of the TR35 CW QRP Transceiver
Просмотров 2,4 тыс.Год назад
This is a detailed review of a TR35 Transceiver I built from a kit from WA3RNC.COM. The transceiver is a very well thought out kit build with excellent instructions. It does require the ability to adjust the supply voltage and measure the TX and RX current meter to properly set-up the transceiver. There are a couple of resistance checks. Make sure you have a fine tip soldering station Equipment...
2022 ARRL FieldDay - Greer Amateur Radio Club station call - K4SV.
Просмотров 8292 года назад
Now that the pandemic is largely behind us we embarked on having a GOTA Station once more. All in all 2242 Contacts On 80m - 160 contacts On 40m - 508 Contacts On 20m - 1293 Contacts On 15m - 230 Contacts On 10m - 3 Contacts On 6m - 44 Contacts On Satellite - 4 Contacts With the bonus points and power multipliers - 8206 points Overall a very enjoyable Field Day despite being down on points comp...
Emergency Power for Amateur Radio
Просмотров 1642 года назад
Another emergency preparedness video - this time about emergency power. The highlight of this video is the building of a Lithium Iron Phosphate Battery Box inside a plastic dry box "ammo can" which can be bought from Cabela's or Amazon. The Battery Box features 4 20 amp Anderson Power Pole connectors, a single 75 amp Anderson Power Pole Connector, a voltmeter, a couple of USB chargers, and 10 a...
EMP and CME Effects on Amateur Radio and Infrastructure
Просмотров 2962 года назад
This video is intended to raise awareness on the vulnerabilities of the electrical and communications infrastructure to the damaging effects of a high altitude electromagnetic pulses or HEMP from a nuclear bomb blast detonated high above the ground 100 km or more from the induced electrical currents in the electrical and communications transmission lines from coupling with the magnetic field ch...
End Fed Half Wave Trap Antennas - what is the price for convenience?
Просмотров 2822 года назад
End Fed Half Wave Trap Antennas - what is the price for convenience?
Cool Things That Can Be Done With a NanoVNA
Просмотров 27 тыс.2 года назад
Cool Things That Can Be Done With a NanoVNA
A Review of the QCX Mini Single Band Transceiver for 60m
Просмотров 2,1 тыс.3 года назад
A Review of the QCX Mini Single Band Transceiver for 60m
ARRL Field Day 2021 with the Greer Amateur Radio Club
Просмотров 1,7 тыс.3 года назад
ARRL Field Day 2021 with the Greer Amateur Radio Club
W1AW FIELD DAY BULLETIN decoded by SIDEKAR EXTREME
Просмотров 6493 года назад
W1AW FIELD DAY BULLETIN decoded by SIDEKAR EXTREME
The Making of an NY4GEFHW end fed half wave antenna
Просмотров 3463 года назад
The Making of an NY4GEFHW end fed half wave antenna
Mount Pisgah Summits on the Air (SOTA) Activation - April 26, 2021 - My Five Reasons to Love SOTA
Просмотров 2873 года назад
Mount Pisgah Summits on the Air (SOTA) Activation - April 26, 2021 - My Five Reasons to Love SOTA
SOTA Expeditions to Springer Mountain and Gooch Mountain in North Georgia
Просмотров 1163 года назад
SOTA Expeditions to Springer Mountain and Gooch Mountain in North Georgia
Hikes and Activations of Springer and Gooch Mountain for Summits On The Air (SOTA)
Просмотров 823 года назад
Hikes and Activations of Springer and Gooch Mountain for Summits On The Air (SOTA)
Single antenna solution for the LNR MTR4Bv2
Просмотров 4573 года назад
Single antenna solution for the LNR MTR4Bv2
Field Set-Up of an end fed half wave antenna
Просмотров 1,1 тыс.3 года назад
Field Set-Up of an end fed half wave antenna
Well done, Kuya Ariel!! Now, I know where to go when SHTF 😆. Will I ever see this in the show ‘Building Off the Grid?’ Hope to see it one day. - Mervin
Thanks Mervin- come visit anytime before SHTF
Hey Ariel - Looks like you had a vy fine Field Day event in Greer. Great to see the kids get on the air. I worked you on 40CW from our Raleigh FD station W4DW. 73 de K4RLC Bob
@@RadioK4RLC hey Bob - great to hear from you.
Ariel, excellent presentation Sir. Thank you. My hang up in my quest to understand how to measure the performance of my entire EFHW single band vertical antenna is that there is this "assumed range" of impedance at the feedpoint. . So, picking an arbitrary resistor value is making my head hurt a bit. While I believe the resistor method for effectively measuring the efficiency of the transformer is sound, what if the transformer matching ratio is inaccurate? How do I know I'm not off by a thousand ohms or more between the transformer secondary and the radiator -the real actual feedpoint impedance? I am hoping this makes sense. For some reason, I'm not seeing how I can use my tools and instruments to know I've got the most power possible as radiation resistance, and not heat loss in my efficient but incorrect matching transformer. I'm hoping you can help me figure this out. Best 73, Kenny NZ5i
The 64:1 impedance ratio is an estimate based on the secondary to primary turns ratio. 50x64 is 3200 ohms. The actual end fed impedance is band dependent and will have a return loss or VSWR that is also band dependent. The real antenna impedance at the feedpoint will vary and in my experience - as one adjusts the wire length for lowest SWR - this is typically very close to 3200 ohms on 20m. On a wire cut for 40m fundamental - the best SWR is typically on the first harmonic and not the fundamental but that is the way I tend to balance the bands. You will get 3200 ohms on the real antenna by adjusting wire length. You will not be off by a thousand ohms unless you choose to do so. More than likely, you will be off by a few ohms. I am an engineer - and as engineers typically think close is good enough
I like mine so much I’m watching RUclips videos about it 🤣 of the mtr4b and qcx mini (and even tr45l), this is my favorite. I’ll have to get a kh1 sometime, but for now the tr35 gets the most use
Can you please share the spreadsheet with formuas?
Thanks for the video!
Awesome presentation.
Looks like a nice summit to hike and activate, Ariel. I chased both you and Walt on the summit that day! Vy 73 de Jonathan "JB"
Love your video format, covered alot of uses with good amount of detail without making it feel overwhelming
Thanks for the video. Very interesting. I like the explanations, but when I use the calculations prescribed with readings obtained from a NanoVNA, I sometimes get results that are physically impossible - with transformer efficiencies in excess of 100%. Something isn't quite right. The traces on the NanoVNA look good, but the efficiency calculations don't hold up. I have checked and re-checked the calculations, including using the proper sign of the variables, but still get physically impossible results. In the case of the back-to-back method, are you sure that the transformer_loss = (insertion_loss/2) - mismatch_loss? Or should it be transformer_loss = (insertion_loss - mismatch_loss)/2? My reasoning behind this is that if you look at both transformers back-to-back as a single transformer, then transformer_loss = insertion_loss - mismatch_loss. Splitting the transformer loss between the two transformers means simply dividing the transformer loss by 2. Hence it seems that it should be transformer_loss = (insertion_loss - mismatch_loss)/2,
Great video! How do you calculate or find the through power used in your analysis?
It’s definitely the power supply/txer of your phone right next to the antenna input and the speaker. It will only happen when the phone is working/transmitting.
change the stimulus , you have to recalibrate.
Hello Ariel, with a great deal of excitement I watch your video as EFHW antennas are my favorite. My location is overwhelmed by RFI and operating portable is my preferred way of playing radio. Seeing S0 between stations on 40m is a real joy. All of my EFHW transformers are made by myself. The latest is 56:1 based on experiments of Colin MM0OPX. It works very well, I made two of them just to test the efficiency of it. Your method of testing them on the single unit is fantastic. I attempted to replicate your spreadsheet, but I got stuck. Would you be willing to share your spreadsheet file with me?Thank you for all the good things you do for us on RUclips. Jurek SP6CAL 73, 44
Jurek - I can email you a copy of the base valve on Excel
I’m 68 now, but when I turned 12, my Dad let me be in-charge & take my two brothers, 10 & 8, and hike this loop trail by ourselves while he waiting in his VW Transporter bus in the parking lot. He knew how to fuel the fire of hiking the Great Smokies.
i would love to build something very similar, what is the gadget on the left size and which battery are you using, it all fits so perfect in their
Hello! It's my question that how we can test an antenna for a bipolar monopulse uwb signal for example if that signal has a 5ns width and 100khz repetition..What is the frequency that I have to use as start and stop on nanovna to measure my antenna parameters?????
Very interesting. Is the spreadsheet complicated?
Not at all
@@CaptainRadioAdventures Would you share a copy of the spreadsheet? I am getting lost at the calculation of the Through Power. I do not see where the 0.0023 value is coming from.
I loved this explanation and the equations. Thank you for all the time and effort
Thank you!!! This is a great video, very informative and has many detailed explanations what and why. 73 Marek SP9TKW
Thank you for putting this video and information together! It has been very helpful!
the KX2 is an awful radio for /p... the menu system is indecipherable - so much so that elecraft has to sell a separate book just to decipher the spaghetti-like, obtuse factory manual - simply awful - i dumped my KX2 after a year and have not regretted it one bit... my other QRP rigs, such as the TX-500 are far more capable, easier to use and just as good as the over-priced, over-hyped KX2... when operating /p you want simplicity, ease of use, robust finals, etc...
Great trip. Inspiring us to go. Where do you access the fire road? Looks like you had a wonderful experience.
The fire road runs parallel to the AT. The trailheads are about 100 feet apart on Catawba Rd in the left side as you depart the parking area. The AT trailhead is to the right. The fire road is much gentler on your knees esp after many miles.
@@CaptainRadioAdventures Thank you. It's on the bucket list. Knees definitely need all the help they can get :-) "A Walk in the Woods" is the movie abt old guys hiking the AT - Robert Redford & Nick Nolte I mentioned. Pretty funny
@@RadioK4RLC just watched the movie you mentioned - it was a good one
Why do you R-Tubers always show it indoors? Now you are also showing effect of coax on the reDINGS. We want to check the antenna, not the whole system. this would allow us to see how hard itis to see the screen when oudoors.
Excellent demonstration
TR45L i.e. no button to set CW monitoring tone frequency. Also the switches to the right (2) and left (1) of the 'aluminium look' plate are a design failure. Same as the too large knobs on the back for the ATU.
Wonderful Scripture. Wonderful classical guitar. No wonder you're a fine CW Op. God Bless
Thanks for listening
Really nice. Bet he's a gud CW Op also :-)
It turns out that my measuring the reflected and forward power with precision on the OHR precision watt meter at a high resolution - the threshold for triggering the high SWR light is close to 2:1. The SWR meter in the KPA500 is indicating a higher SWR. The OHR watt meter is much closer to the output of the TR45 finals 😊
You said to cut the length but it is not true,when you go left to tune there is rise and not dip ,so you have to increase the the lengh
What I mean is you start out long - dip is the low side and start pruning (cutting) until the dip in the SWR is in the region desired.
How did anyone manage without one of these before? SWR meter and a GDO. Although I never had a GDO so it was guesswork and luck. Latest was to test my h/b 2 m 4 element collinear. I've used mine quite a few times Very useful and excellent for the price. G4GHB
Ecellent!
Nice video Ariel. Thanks for the WFD activation. W4OSS
I love my TR-35, great radio and did a short POTA activation while hiking the other day. de KN4OK
Very nice, and I love the music. Be Thou My Vision is one of my favorites.
So I've been trying to talk myself out of purchasing this rig. This might become my x-max gift to myself. I love my MTR4B, but there is something about this radio that I love. You doing a review and showing all the bells and whistles is not doing me any favors. lol
It hits a nice sweet spot. It has about the same form factor as the MTR. The ease of recording and playback into and from memories for calling CQ is a plus. Power consumption is frugal and better yet - dial back power to conserve it. It will work down to 9.5 V which can milk a Lithium battery down to zero. During the current upward swing of the sunspot cycle - 17m is nice.
I bought it (haven't assembled it yet), after an exhaustive survey of available alternatives. Among the many pluses, and the general acclaim of everybody who has one, is that 17m capability. 20m, except without contests. What's not to love? And also the knobs. Thank you, WA3RNC, for bringing back sane interface design.
Which QRP radio do you prefer?
Hi Ariel, I just received my built QCX mini for 20M. Thanks for the info! N2OG Scott
Nice Rig Ariel. N0TR
Nice Rig Ariel. Excellent U-Tube. Thanks for posting.
No button to set CW pitch. ON6KE
CW side tone level is set by a potentiometer during the build. The side tone pitch is fixed and if matched to the pitch of the incoming signal it it will be zero beat.
@@CaptainRadioAdventures And by shifting pitch too much you'll end up outside the receiver filter passband, i.e. you won't hear anyone or at greatly diminished signal strength come back to you..
Yes the sidetone pitch (frequency) is fixed.
All my QRP rigs pick up the pops from my phone but I haven't tested the K1
great video. thanks KI5WKM
Question: Should I measure AT (+/- 10' away) from the antenna or where the transceiver connects? I get GREAT readings AT the antenna, and MUCH worse at end of coax where the transceiver connects. What am I doing wrong?
There's a video of a guy using a NanoVNA to inject a signal into an AM only CB to be able to listen to Single Sideband.
That would be Peter Parker. He even does it with a UV5R to decode SSB on 2M VK3YE is his callsign
Nice one! 73!
73 de LZ1KAK!
What about static charge on the antenna and feedline? I hope you took care of that before connecting your Nano VNA. It could be fried.
^^^^^ This. For those who are wondering what Thom is talking about, I highly suggest you watch this video here: ruclips.net/video/totwu4IbavE/видео.html
Thanks! Great setup. And I had not thought of the Elecraft KX2 battery for the MTR4b - perfect 🙏😎