The separation of coil and whip is part of this multi-band design.
With Christmas and the WinterBonus season on their way this looks promising. Has anyone tried this one for SOTA?
73,
Rod
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EDIT: I thought you were saying this was the OP’s antenna, but in hindsight I think you were asking about it. If so, ignore everything I just posted. 
That’s a different antenna. The one in the OP is from the MFJ-18xx line. Each antenna is a complete set with coil and whip and are glued together from the factory. Heating the glue softens it enough so you can unscrew the whip and clean off the remaining adhesive. Then, you can break it down into two shorter pieces for travel. Or, you can do that with multiple antennas and carry one whip and multiple coils as in your linked set.
Chris
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On a couple of activations used a Diamond RHM8B mounted on a camera tripod with four radials.
Was amazed at the converage, not as good as a full sized aerial by any means but still worth while.
This Diamond whip covers from 40M up to 6M which makes it pretty handy.
73’s Wal VK2WP
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I haven’t used the 30m version, but I’ve used the 20, 15, and 10m version. All worked great.
I found this out when I damaged the whip on my 20m version and was looking at ways to replace the whip. I found the “trick” online and when I found out how easy it was to unscrew the whip, I did this with my broken 20m one. Unfortunately, the whip has a pressed in stud with threaded extension that seems to be unique to MFJ so no aftermarket whips will work (they all have threaded sockets). Upon learning this, I then removed the whip from my 15m one and shared the whip between the two. It worked great and I noticed no operational issues. I activated a summit twice in two days with these two antennas and the same whip (20m the first day, 15m the 2nd day). It doesn’t take a lot of heat, you’re just warming up the junction enough to soften the glue. Something to keep in mind if you ever damage one…
Chris
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Hi Chris, maybe it works fine repeatedly to separate and join the two parts of the whip antenna. But I would be concerned about the long-term reliability and that one day it fails to work on summit and - without a backup antenna - might lead to a failed activation.
Fortunately, I have no need to reduce the antenna’s length when stowed. And by having the whip, elbow BNC adapter and bi-pod permanently connected as a single unit I spend less time fiddling with cold fingers on the radio setup.
Andy
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I have MFJ 1840T and another telescopic CB for 28mhz and both (with radial) give me a amazing results.
I remember a winter sota in january that I made severals USA chasers on 28mhz with the telescopic whip for CB. Increíble!!!
Anyway, IMO this kind of “antennas” is only for a speedy summit or any type of ultranarrow summit or something else.
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This is the cheapest one around.
As SOTA Activators we are very spoiled. We put a spot on and Chasers make sure they find us, no matter how weak our signal.
Would we have similar results by tuning up on a band and calling CQ without a Spot. Don’t think so. The solar cycle has an impact for sure, so make hay while the sun shines!
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Is that Doric, or have you had a dram or three?!
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I really need to wear my glasses more and shave my thumbs down to a point.
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I’m glad it wasn’t just me that was wondering the same! 
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This has been a seriously great discussion! I’m looking to get into SOTA activations and have been trying to decide between getting a KX2, the KX3 or the IC705. The KX2 would need to be purchased new, there’s a KX3 locally on the used market, and the 705 I could get in two days from HRO/DXE.
I like the simplicity and ease of the whip antenna, especially if it may be problematic to find a spot to hang a wire or end up with a wire a couple of feet off the ground on a hiking pole or fishing pole. I think something like the MFJ whips @IX1IHR mentioned may be the ticket for me.
I’m in Southern California in an area of 1-2 point summits. Also looking at this for park activations and traveling (will replace the trusdx). Looking to do mainly voice activations and digital (more parks than summits). Not into CW yet (blasphemy, I know).
Any thoughts on what would be the better minimalist setup between the three?
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Neat! For those still using the AX1 you can build a really compact solution like this. It grips the aluminum part of the base and folds up flat.
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Hi Ryan,
A couple thoughts:
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Consider joining the groups.io forum for SoCal SOTA, where you can find a bunch of us along with information about techniques, road closures, trail conditions, etc., specific to Southern California. We also have a monthly Zoom meeting, and the connection details are posted there SoCalSota@groups.io | Home. The Zoom meetings are a great way to see what others have been up to and how they are doing it.
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For park activations on SSB, or very easy drive up summits, a 100 W rig like the Yaesu FT-891 will work well. If you want to go more minimalist, or plan to do bigger hikes, the QRP radios you mentioned are all good options, but some are bigger/heavier than others. My personal choice is the KX2, which I think is great for longer hikes or more difficult summits where weight is at a premium. I’ve taken it on week-long backpacking trips, but also sometimes prefer an even lighter cw-only rig for that kind of trip. The KX3 and IC705 look to be very nice radios, but a little on the bigger and heavier side. I don’t think I would ever want to take a 705 on backpacking trip, but there are probably those who have. One advantage of the 705 is the VHF capability. I have a couple of HTs for 2m FM, but it would be nice to try 2m SSB or CW. I understand that there is very little activity on those modes on 2m in SoCal, so that capability would probably only be useful during a VHF contest weekend.
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There are lots of summits in SoCal that are more than 1 or 2 points! They may be a bit more of a drive for you, though.
73,
Mike K6STR
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Cw opens so many more doors! Look into CW ops academy when you decide you want to learn.
73 de VE6JTW, Jesse
Cw ops member #3166
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Thank you very much for your response. I was not aware of that group and have joined it now. Thank you.
For parks I do utilize my 891 and battery box, which has been very good to me but the box is not practical for any form of hiking (it’s big and heavy with a 36ah battery). I’ve tried my 891 and a 6ah battery, but didn’t get to the summit due to time and other constraints. The 6ah I just don’t see lasting long, even on SSB. My tests have it failing after 35-40 minutes of continual use (FT8 100w, 50/50 transmit/receive time). Cut down to 50w, maybe. But if it’s a combo park/summit with a 10 QSO requirement, that gets a bit dicey. That’s part of the reason I was looking at those QRP radios because of the built-in battery to reduce weight. The 891 comes in at 4.9 pounds and closer to 5 with a tuner. I’m mostly concerned about the overall weight for hiking and for air travel in my carry-on… though I should probably not do my normal “analysis paralysis” and actually activate some of these with my 891.
Yes, the local ones are 1-2 but a group is going tomorrow to one a couple of hours away that’s a near drive-up 6 pointer (W6/CT-015).
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Thank you. I sure hope it’s easier than French or Spanish. I failed both of those the first time through and barely made it through second semester by the skin of my teeth with a tutor! My lowest grades in high school and college.
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stick with it and it gets easier and easier.
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I have a KX2 and a 705. They are both great rigs IMO. But, if you are getting a rig primarily for HF SOTA use I would choose the KX2.
Edited to add:
PS - Back on topic, I’ve been a fully signed up member of the minimalist HF radio club for a while now Great when space, time or indeed enthusiasm are in short supply and sun is doing it’s bit to help!
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Thank you M5OTA!
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Interesting definitions of minimalist.
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