Just a quick heads up: Tim @G5OLD and myself @GW4BML will be taking on the following SOTA summits this coming Saturday 9th March 2024:
Elidir FawrGW/NW-005 @ approx 08:00 UTC
Y GarnGW/NW-004 @ approx 10:15 UTC
Glyder FawrGW/NW-003 @ approx 12:30 UTC
TryfanGW/NW-006 @ approx 14:45 UTC
On the last two summits, I plan to use my 27MHz telescopic whip I purchased from Amazon (see link below) to try and make some DX contacts tuned on 10m using the Elecraft KX2. It worked very well the last time I used it, and conditions werenât on my side at the time.
If you would like to make a QSO, please look-out for the spots and put your ear to the speaker it would be great to make a QSO using this set up:
Iâm quite intrigued bythe sound of this CB antenna.
Iâve been thinking of making one for 10m, but this sounds an ideal solution as it would attach very neatly to the BNC socket on the front of my 818 which would stand upright on the couple of feet that I made for it.
Hereâs a pic using a RH770 for illustration. 73 all.
Did it out do your antenna? Well Ben has a KX2 and yourâs is on the way. So was his radio/ant better than your radio/ant? Benâs been licensed longer, he may be a better operator as he has more operating hours.
Iâve used plenty of radios over the years and when I got my KX2 it didnât jump out of the box with âlook how good I amâ. In fact I didnât like it so much at first. But as I used it more it became obvious how much better it was than 817s. Itâs to do with how much brain strain listening to the audio and noise has. The 817 is noisier and itâs ultimately not as good at RF. But itâs not obvious. And still, 20+ years after release and 25 years after design, 817s are remarkably good all mode/hf-UHF radios. If I didnât have a KX2 or IC705 then #1 on my âI want a SOTA radioâ would be an 817 even though it would be second hand and Iâd need to hunt for a CW filter. But it would be very much cheaper than either a 705 or KX2.
I know you are recently licenced but I donât know if you have an electronics/RF background. Itâs easy if not to make an antenna, test it , see a good match and assume it works. Your 1/4wave may be 1.1 : 1 match but that doesnât mean it radiates or radiates where you think it will. My dummy load is 1.05 : 1 from DC to nearly 1GHz but it makes a cruddy antenna It could be you have a fine piece of Chinesium coax and connectors that is bad. A sample of 1 outing is not statistically valid!
So thereâs 3 reasons why the whip maybe better, operator, radio, antenna. As you are going out as a team again you can compare all 3 and mix and match to see how you get on. Itâs part of the fun, experimenting and making improvements.
Ker-snap ! Or how long will it be before you are in the joyous job or replacing the connector after the momentous torque from 1.4m of antenna has ripped the BNC apart. Needs some serious strain relief IMHO.
I would be cautious about using such a long whip on the front socket of an 817/818. It amounts to a very long lever and I remember reading about someone who broke the socket on his 817 that way. I have a similar whip with a plug-in tapped loading coil which I donât use for that reason. It might be worthwhile resurrecting it for 10m use but with a right-angle adapter for the more robust rear socket.
PS I see Andy brought up the same point while I was typing. It may be more serious than the socket but I canât remember, I think the front of the 817 is plastic, not metal.
Are you a mind reader Andy?.. thatâs precisely what entered my mind when I read the post. I rarely plug anything into my 817 BNC socket. Indeed all my SOTA rigs have flying leads and separate sockets mounted on the enclosure I have them housed in to keep off the Scottish weather.
Hang fire all - before this post turns into a rant on how to use your equipment, it wasnât intended for that! There is no 817 or 818 involved in the mix, only what John mentioned, I use the KX2 and Tim uses the X6100. We are both fully aware of the consequences, and both done enough activating to know what is possible to brake, or not to brake. This is just a nice experiment showing when conditions are good, youâll work the world with as little as possible. Please donât turn it into a âlesson to learnâ post from experience, or I will discard it.
I have a 5/8 wave 2M telescoping vertical I use on my 817 and 818âŚI simply connect it to the usual SO-239 connector on the back of the radio with a right angle adapter so it stands vertical. It is 60 inches long, and works very well, and there is no strain on the front panel obviously.
A ten meter version should not be any differentâŚthe only question is how well will it actually work for DX.
For close in, urban summits this should work wellâŚfor DX???
I have one of those whips too. A cheap fun purchase. They really need a radio with a tuner, unless you can get repeatable results by slightly collapsing the whip and marking the resonance point with a marker. Only then would I use it with an ft-817 etc.
The main thing here is more and more folk are getting on the 10m SOTA train (you are late to the party Ben @GW4BML). It is a great time to get out there and have amazing fun!
Yes exactly - I am sure the 1/4w vertical is just as good and better. This was not a experiment with any serious look at variables such as conditions, spotting/callers, radios, etc, etc. Just some fun on a summit to end a great day !
I completely agree with you - I used to use the 2m telescopic on my 817nd when I first started SOTA - it worked a treat that is what inspired me to try a vertical telescopic 10/11m version on the KX2. As for DX, I managed to work both @WB8BHN and @NT2A with the best RR being 5/3, bingo! I was also receiving 5/5 and 5/9 RR from the EU, so it was certainly getting out alright.
I didnât think I would get hooked into this 10m challenge, but as things are going, Iâm getting more and more interested while conditions are good, why not. I totally agree with you âIt is a great time to get out there and have amazing fun!â.
Unfortunately I couldnât hear you from your summit today, I was listening on my SDR which has a dedicated 10m vertical, but I hope you enjoyed and made many QSOâs.
It isnât a Compđ. Ive been trying to 10m SOTA for a couple of years. Contacts have been few. The great thing with the challenge is it has brought the chasers to 10m.
it would be great to make a QSO using this set up:
edited now