Mountains to Desert Hiking with Ham Radio for W6CT 060 SOTA (Summits On The Air)
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- Опубликовано: 21 сен 2024
- Kevin and I hiked two peaks in the Big Bear mountain range on 01-22-18. This was a short stroll on a gravel road with a dusting of snow in some areas. Once at the top we found an active rock quarry mine with the big dump trucks hauling loads down to the desert floor. We sat on a perch looking north toward the desert and the Lucern Valley. Enjoyed a few local QSO's on VHF before hitting HF for some US contacts. Kevin and I had dueling ham radios on 20m and you'll have to see why we joke about Elecraft being made by MFJ!
For all you way to serious people, it's all about the antenna of course!
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Great job guys !!! Looks 👀 like a lot of fun. Great 👍 fun watching your videos .
I always learn from your videos keep them coming! I picked up my first QRP Rig at Hamcation 2018,
the 817 and made my first contact with my granddaughters help today with a Station from Italy 🇮🇹
at 5 watts. Her little 5 year old voice got thru the pileup, she was amazing.
N1UFO/Gabe
73
Sweet!
Haha! Love it Jerry! This makes me happy to know I picked a winner half the price of the newer alternative. I do love my Elecraft T-1 though. Pairs well with the 817. 73 brother!
In all fairness it was an antenna thing but it gave me a chance to poke fun at a buddy since that KX2 is a chunk of change. Besides, I ended up buying one anyway after the outing with Kevin.
Never waste an opportunity. Nothing's too mean if it's funny enough. :)
Very true ;)
Now that looks like a lot of fun,great job. Your Dog looked so bored. Thanks
Haha, she gets to hang out and what’s not seen very often in my videos are the Scooby snacks she gets 😎
Jerry awesome video the snow and shrubs look awesome and what a view. I like your Ed Fong antenna slim Jim. Ed is a really nice guy and great family. I was at his home last year when his sewer line failed at 9 pm at night. Ed took it all in stride. Try his base 2 meter dual band antenna great value. 73’s KM6ODD and yes the ODD stands for odd...
That slim Jim is such a game changer on VHF for sure. He made a quality product and I was lucky to have been gifted that antenna by a buddy. Please pass on to him that I'm enjoying the product and he's welcome to use my videos showing actual field use of it. Have him contact me for any other requests on videos he'd like to see it in action as I like the challenge. Thanks!
Thanks Rafael, sorry I didn't reply to this sooner. Absolutely NO complaints with my Ed Fong antenna for sure.
Great video! Lots of fun! Can you provide a link to that telescoping pole? you mentioned you got it relatively cheaply on Amazon and I can't find anything similar these days.
Burrrr ! Too cold for me. Looks like you guys had a fun day. I'll work you QRP once the temp goes above 60 degrees.
Barry, KU3X/QRP
Haha, ya I like the cool days on a mountain but not the COLD ones too
Great video again. The antenna Seems to be working really well for you with the 5 W
Thank you and I’m so pumped with that antenna. I just did an activation yesterday and was able to work all across the US and it tunes with my new KX2 😎 from 40-10! Video on just that antenna is in edit mode now.
I use the heck out of my speaker wire antenna and it PERFORMS for sure. For what it is, it has never let me down. Hard to beat what's working. I am going to try a different setup to configure it into a vertical so I can get some directivity out of it this weekend in Mt. Rainier National Park for my little SOTA Expedition so I'll have to include some test footage of the comparison.
Sir, I just became a member of your following. I was not able to copy the specific radios and power out, nor the antennas used. Also, what camera were you using? You know how to make a great video. Sorry to be so full of questions. Tommy N4KBM
Hey Tommy thanks for the sub and joining in here. I use. GoPro H3 as my primary video recording decide and sometimes my cell phone. I’ve used a Yaesu FT-817ND but recently sold it in favor of my all time favorite HF rig the Elecraft KX2. My HT of choice is the Yaesu VX-8DR due to its outdoor ruggedness and APRS. I have another video on my channel about the speaker wire antenna and I use that almost exclusively. Check it out.
This video is giving me second thoughts about the KX2. Maybe I need to bite the bullet and pack a heavier rig. But those filters on the KX2 sound sweet.
Great video.
This was totally an antenna things. Either radio are epic, but I'm only using my KX2 these days. Kevin didn't have his antenna dialed in so I was kicking his butt with my 817 lol. If you have the money buy the KX2 IMO.
Great video Jerry. Can you do a load out video? A buddy of mine and I are going to start doing it our area and we’re getting bogged down with specifics about what to bring for an activation. Including camera equipment. 73.
Hi Tim, I was just in the garage setting up the scale and "studio" lol to do just that. I'm doing a "What's in my pack for 2018" with weights to show where I shaved weight and how I keep my pack sub 25 lbs total. Thanks for asking, even more motivation to do the video.
KG6HQD Jerry Thats awesome news. I’m looking forward to the video.
Made that video, hoped you got to take a look at it.
Hey Jerry, there is a SOTA and QRP event scheduled for the 20th - 22nd:
www.zianet.com/qrp/qrpttf/2018/ttf.htm
I've already mapped out the mountains I'll be putting on and all are in the Charlottesville / Afton Mountain VA area. Going to drive up maybe a day early and stay in Waynesboro then set up on the first mountain. Maybe will work you. Chuck - K8HU -
That would be cool & Thxs for the heads up on the event. If no kid sports on those days I’ll try to get out on the 21st if I can.
Nice videography! ;)
Thank you Al!
Wish I had the time to do SOTA. I live in north central Oklahoma where it is flat for 200 miles. Sure enjoy your videos.
Ah man, that’s a bummer. Wife and I talking about retiring in Florida one day but they are in same boat so I dunno 🤔
Hey David, have you tried chasing the SOTA activators? That's just as fun, well maybe lol, but if no peaks then maybe take a look at POTA (Parks On The Air) since the scheme is similar. I did look at the Oklahoma SOTA peaks to choose from and noticed they are to the south and east of the state. Are they that far to drive? Setup a "SOTA Expedition" and make it a weekend of camping and SOTA work. Sounds fun to me anyway lol.
I live in Midwest City OK. I think there are 170+ SOTA's here in Oklahoma.
Sounds like you need to do them all 👍🏻
Great video Jerry. Glad to see the FT-817 beat the pants off the KX2.😀
Hi Joel. I now have both the 817 & KX2 and will use them accordingly 😜 but it was fun for sure
Haha, as we all know antennas are king ;)
I would thinks the rigs would perform equally....antennas make all the difference.
Bingo! But it was fun to tease him, of course I bought a KX2 just a couple weeks after this video lol.
Jerry I will surely let Ed Fong know your comments on his antennas and future requests. I have to go by his home in a week to pick something up and will let him know and tell him your channel and details.
Great! Let me know what he says :)
Good Job Buddy ..de Mike N2PPI
Thanks Mike and glad we made the connection while I was in Florida. I appreciate the invite to your Facebook page too as it's a pretty active group which is very cool.
What antennas were you guys using for HF?
Hi Al, Not sure if you saw this video but this is the antenna I have been using exclusively for the last few months and it works very well. Super light, durable, portable, and the best thing ever is it's CHEAP to build. Enjoy - ruclips.net/video/cqh0Ntus5G0/видео.html
Good video. If your going to use the American flag in your videos use the proper Red, White, and Blue flag. That's the flag our service members died for.
I’m a veteran and in law enforcement, and I know what both flags represent and not here to debate it, but thanks for the comment and hanging out with us Benny.