Hey there, congrats on your radio! You'll love it. Before I purchased the RigExpert AA-55, I used the NanoVNA 4. It's pretty easy to test with. Just calibrate it, hook up the antenna and make your adjustments to the antenna as needed. Have fun!
Thanks for posting the video. I am a new Tech, retired and have been looking for an inexpensive HF radio and narrowed it down to either a Yaesu FT-891 or Icom 718. I live W/O La Pine OR at 4240' elevation on 5 acres. You have me excited about the possibilities when I get my general. What kind of wire do you use for the antenna itself? Bob KJ7VUL.
Hey Robert - congrats on your Tech! HF is lots of fun and the Gen. test isn't all that hard once you've done the Tech. I really enjoy the 891 and can't imagine using anything else. Normally I use 18 awg, but recently I've moved to 13 awg Polystealth for a dedicated 20m dipole and really like it. Hope to hear you on the air.
Hey Dylan! thanks for watching - In this video I used a LiPhO4 from Miady. It was their 8Ah version. If you can find it, it weighs just under 2 lbs and great for backpacking. I've got another video about it and how not to panic if you can't charge your battery. The antenna I used was a simple 1/2 wave 20M dipole. Cheers!
Sorry, so the 891 Manual says it must have 13.8 volts, otherwise it will damage the radio. Running my engine, it gets that, But any thoughts on other options? Don't wanna always do that price of gas and all... What "portable" options are out there for walking it up a mountain kinda like this video you made, that's light but powerfully enough for 13.8 volts? Any thoughts?
That is the maximum. You should also see where it allows for a -/+15% voltage deviation. My portable battery starts at about 13.1 and ends up around 12.1. Just make sure to have a 20A inline fuse on the POS terminal and you will be fine.
Great video, looks like you were really enjoying yourself, I always wonder while watch such videos, all you US hams heading to the wilderness / hills, do you have to consider encounters with bears etc? Do you have them in the wilds of Oregon, and if so can they be problematic?
Thanks for checking out the video! LOL - in my neck of the woods we don't get many bear encounters. We only have the small black bear in this area and they are running away 99% of the time, unless it's cub season and then you just need to watch for fresh scat signs. In which case your best to walk slowly, look and listen - allowing momma bear time to get the cubs out of the way. Your much more likely to come across a bobcat or coyote. We do have a strong population of Mountain Lions here but you rarely ever get to see one. Cheers!
Hi, new tech here. Km6qme. Bought an 891 but still studying for my general. Being intimidated by antenna theory I also got that atas 120a automatic antenna for that radio... So you just used a length of wire as an antenna without an external antenna tuner? To tx and rx ?
Hey there Chuck - congrats on your new Tech ticket, don't be afraid to keep going! You'll enjoy it. Also, great pick on the radio. I take mine out often when I can get away from home. Your best bet is to use a 20M dipole. So easy to make and cheap to build. No fancy balun/unun required. Just measure two - 5m wires and connect them to a splitter and your coax. Since your a Tech, if you want to TX then you could go with something even shorter. Have fun!
@@W0KNI thank you, I also picked up a Nano Vna but looks to be quite a learning curve for that. 20M best for farther tx rx ? I'll check your other vids but do you have any instruction vids on Vna or using the 891 ? Thanks - Charley also where (frequency) do you hang out ?
Hey Gene, thanks for watching! The antenna on my handheld is a SRH77CA from Diamond. I really like it. I think anything is better than the rubber duck antenna! Take care!
That is weird. And though I see this comment with the YT admin tools I don’t see in showing publicly. Maybe check your YT account privacy settings? Let me know what you figure out!
@@W0KNI your channel was the 5th in a row about Ham radio where the comments sections was showing blank. Now I can see comments here, no idea what it was
Got an antenna for you to try - cut a 16ga 132' 80m half-wave dipole, find two trees at least 50' apart. Fold it into a 40'L x 22'H rectangle and keep the ends apart about 8" - 10" with parachute cord or equiv. and feed the top center with coax and a *_1:4_* balun (~12Ω) or balanced line to a small balanced tuner like a "Dentron Jr Monitor". NO MFJ!!! 😏 Pull the top corners up using a line over a couple branches and pull the bottom corners down to a couple tent stakes. Try to get the bottom at least 7' above ground so you can walk under it, but it will still amaze you only 2' above ground. Now, the wonder of this antenna is it's low ~20° angle and *~6dB gain!* on 20m *_BROADSIDE_* Might take a bit of effort and I prefer to use 75Ω Tv twin lead to my Dentron Jr. Monitor so it will tune 80m - 10m, but if you want Europe or Australia on 20m with only 100w, this is the roll-up wire antenna you want! You can also make it a ~33' square if you can get a line up high enough for the top corners. 73 & Have Fun
Thanks for watching. I was using a DIY linked dipole that day, using a combination of 18 awg speaker wire and PolyStealth from a ham radio supplier. I was using 50ft of RG8X. The feed point was probably about 20 ft up, so not the best for 40m but could work. My altitude at this QTH was about 3,800 ft. Fun day!
Thanks for watching! I have to admit this is my first HF radio after much research and reading comments of owners and critics. That said, I really like it. It has sooo many features and seems to do everything I would ever want for a field radio. I run it at home now and then with a compromised wire in the backyard and enjoy an occasional QSO. At under 5 lbs, I pack in a Miady LiFePO4 8Ah battery at under 2 lbs, that lets me get on the air longer than I usually have time for. Critics usually comment about the deep menu system as a negative, which has nearly 100 settings or more if expanded out vs having alternative buttons to push, I personally don't find this to be a problem. The only menu option I get into regularly is the HF SSB PWR option and it's really not a big deal.
Hey Matt. I’m running a 8ah life LiFpho battery from Miady. I can run 100w with a recording several times a minute for about 90 min. For me that will get me activated on most parks.
Hello Artak, thanks for checking out the video. I was unaware of this App you mention - thanks again I'll check it out. That said, I don't have a BT module on this radio so I unfortunately I can't answer your question. I would be curious what you find in your research! Cheers!
gracias Stephen good video 73 from kb2uew
Glad you enjoyed it! 73
Very Good video Stephen, 73 from TG5ALY German
Thank you and thanks for watching. Marys Peak is a fun place to TX from. 73
Fantastic job My friend 73 from kb2uew
Thank you sir! It's always a treat to get in the woods and away from all the "noise." Cheers!
Hey guy! Watch out for bears! "HOLY COW!" "YIKES!!!" 😲
LOL we only have black bears and they are very skittish around noise people!
Enjoyed watching the video. Just purchased an FT-891. How do you use the nanovna to tune your antenna?
Hey there, congrats on your radio! You'll love it. Before I purchased the RigExpert AA-55, I used the NanoVNA 4. It's pretty easy to test with. Just calibrate it, hook up the antenna and make your adjustments to the antenna as needed. Have fun!
Thanks for posting the video. I am a new Tech, retired and have been looking for an inexpensive HF radio and narrowed it down to either a Yaesu FT-891 or Icom 718. I live W/O La Pine OR at 4240' elevation on 5 acres. You have me excited about the possibilities when I get my general. What kind of wire do you use for the antenna itself? Bob KJ7VUL.
Hey Robert - congrats on your Tech! HF is lots of fun and the Gen. test isn't all that hard once you've done the Tech. I really enjoy the 891 and can't imagine using anything else. Normally I use 18 awg, but recently I've moved to 13 awg Polystealth for a dedicated 20m dipole and really like it. Hope to hear you on the air.
You get 100 watts out from the 8Ah battery?
What type of battery do u use please and great vid didn’t quite get what length antenna u used great vid keep it up Dylan 🏴
Hey Dylan! thanks for watching - In this video I used a LiPhO4 from Miady. It was their 8Ah version. If you can find it, it weighs just under 2 lbs and great for backpacking. I've got another video about it and how not to panic if you can't charge your battery. The antenna I used was a simple 1/2 wave 20M dipole. Cheers!
Sorry, so the 891 Manual says it must have 13.8 volts, otherwise it will damage the radio.
Running my engine, it gets that,
But any thoughts on other options? Don't wanna always do that price of gas and all...
What "portable" options are out there for walking it up a mountain kinda like this video you made, that's light but powerfully enough for 13.8 volts?
Any thoughts?
Lol, I'm in Astoria Oregon...
That is the maximum. You should also see where it allows for a -/+15% voltage deviation. My portable battery starts at about 13.1 and ends up around 12.1. Just make sure to have a 20A inline fuse on the POS terminal and you will be fine.
Great video, looks like you were really enjoying yourself, I always wonder while watch such videos, all you US hams heading to the wilderness / hills, do you have to consider encounters with bears etc? Do you have them in the wilds of Oregon, and if so can they be problematic?
Thanks for checking out the video! LOL - in my neck of the woods we don't get many bear encounters. We only have the small black bear in this area and they are running away 99% of the time, unless it's cub season and then you just need to watch for fresh scat signs. In which case your best to walk slowly, look and listen - allowing momma bear time to get the cubs out of the way. Your much more likely to come across a bobcat or coyote. We do have a strong population of Mountain Lions here but you rarely ever get to see one. Cheers!
Hi, new tech here. Km6qme.
Bought an 891 but still studying for my general.
Being intimidated by antenna theory I also got that atas 120a automatic antenna for that radio...
So you just used a length of wire as an antenna without an external antenna tuner?
To tx and rx ?
Hey there Chuck - congrats on your new Tech ticket, don't be afraid to keep going! You'll enjoy it. Also, great pick on the radio. I take mine out often when I can get away from home. Your best bet is to use a 20M dipole. So easy to make and cheap to build. No fancy balun/unun required. Just measure two - 5m wires and connect them to a splitter and your coax. Since your a Tech, if you want to TX then you could go with something even shorter. Have fun!
@@W0KNI thank you, I also picked up a Nano Vna but looks to be quite a learning curve for that.
20M best for farther tx rx ?
I'll check your other vids but do you have any instruction vids on Vna or using the 891 ?
Thanks - Charley
also where (frequency) do you hang out ?
Hello Stephen, Thank you for your video. What is the antenna on your Yaesu FT3 at about 22 seconds in the video?
Hey Gene, thanks for watching! The antenna on my handheld is a SRH77CA from Diamond. I really like it. I think anything is better than the rubber duck antenna! Take care!
It's weird
All ham radio channels I watched today when I open the comments it stays empty even though it says there are comments there
That is weird. And though I see this comment with the YT admin tools I don’t see in showing publicly. Maybe check your YT account privacy settings? Let me know what you figure out!
@@W0KNI your channel was the 5th in a row about Ham radio where the comments sections was showing blank.
Now I can see comments here, no idea what it was
Glad it showed up! YT has some issues sometimes. Maybe you got caught up in the vortex ...
Got an antenna for you to try - cut a 16ga 132' 80m half-wave dipole, find two trees at least 50' apart. Fold it into a 40'L x 22'H rectangle and keep the ends apart about 8" - 10" with parachute cord or equiv. and feed the top center with coax and a *_1:4_* balun (~12Ω) or balanced line to a small balanced tuner like a "Dentron Jr Monitor". NO MFJ!!! 😏
Pull the top corners up using a line over a couple branches and pull the bottom corners down to a couple tent stakes. Try to get the bottom at least 7' above ground so you can walk under it, but it will still amaze you only 2' above ground.
Now, the wonder of this antenna is it's low ~20° angle and *~6dB gain!* on 20m *_BROADSIDE_*
Might take a bit of effort and I prefer to use 75Ω Tv twin lead to my Dentron Jr. Monitor so it will tune 80m - 10m, but if you want Europe or Australia on 20m with only 100w, this is the roll-up wire antenna you want!
You can also make it a ~33' square if you can get a line up high enough for the top corners.
73 & Have Fun
Sounds interesting. Do you have a name for this? It sounds like a horizontal loop on its side. 73
Tell us in more detail, what kind of antenna?
Thanks for watching. I was using a DIY linked dipole that day, using a combination of 18 awg speaker wire and PolyStealth from a ham radio supplier. I was using 50ft of RG8X. The feed point was probably about 20 ft up, so not the best for 40m but could work. My altitude at this QTH was about 3,800 ft. Fun day!
Great video. I'm considering the FT-891 for POTA, SOTA and camping. I'm also here in Oregon. How are you liking the radio?? Thanks for posting! KJ7RKS
Thanks for watching! I have to admit this is my first HF radio after much research and reading comments of owners and critics. That said, I really like it. It has sooo many features and seems to do everything I would ever want for a field radio. I run it at home now and then with a compromised wire in the backyard and enjoy an occasional QSO. At under 5 lbs, I pack in a Miady LiFePO4 8Ah battery at under 2 lbs, that lets me get on the air longer than I usually have time for. Critics usually comment about the deep menu system as a negative, which has nearly 100 settings or more if expanded out vs having alternative buttons to push, I personally don't find this to be a problem. The only menu option I get into regularly is the HF SSB PWR option and it's really not a big deal.
Maybe i missed it but what battery are you running? how much talk time are you getting?
Hey Matt. I’m running a 8ah life LiFpho battery from Miady. I can run 100w with a recording several times a minute for about 90 min. For me that will get me activated on most parks.
@@W0KNI cool thanks
Nice video. I'd have that antenna on the top of the trees in 20 minutes. : 73 de WA3RSL
For sure! I love the simplicity of a dipole setup, and if I get the height right, I can RX TX all day long! Thanks for watching.
Is it possible to control the Pocket RXTX app via bluetooth?
Hello Artak, thanks for checking out the video. I was unaware of this App you mention - thanks again I'll check it out. That said, I don't have a BT module on this radio so I unfortunately I can't answer your question. I would be curious what you find in your research! Cheers!
@@W0KNI Thank you, I wanted to find out and buy the module.
73
Thanks for stopping by!