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@@MichaelSvenson WOW!

Interesting observation. Was it POTA-Flex 6 or 7? They make several versions of 50 Ohm coax and not all have the same jacket material.

@@m7trsradio I roll mine out and up by hand so there is no twist which could do damage to the internals. Less stiff than the POTA-Flex. Now if you want tangled coax, try RG-174! Really soft and floppy. Thank you for watching!

WHOAAAAAAA!

You are correct in that adding some loss to the feedline, you can make a poor match look good. I'm sure some shady commercial antennas have done this.

@@aa3konthego Indeed they have. They do have an impressive marketing machine however :)

You're welcome! Thank you for watching.

@@jameskrzewinski9383 yes, I remember. Was heading to Washington Crossing Historic Park for a POTA activation and demonstration. Conditions were terrible that day. About 4 hours to get 10 contacts that day. Thank you for watching.

Thank you for the kind comment and watching!

Thank you for watching. I get asked repeatedly, "How do you use your radios in the field or for POTA." I do these videos to answer that question. I wish Yaesu had a replacement for the 817. SDR based and in the same form factor. Maybe not as feature rich as the Ic-705 and priced accordingly. They'd have another winner.

The case is entirely plastic, both the chalk line and transformer portions. I suspect the creating of a complex impedance where the wire is wound will add its own influence to the SWR. For this reason, I intend to brush up on my electro-magnetics theory before testing the WARC bands and 6 meters.

I do not. However the SOTAbeams PowerPole adapter is a 3D print.

Thank you! Have you looked into RG-174 or 316 for the coax? Could save you a pound + in weight. But you definitely got my QRP bag beat.

@@aa3konthego I am looking at that now, thanks for the tip. What is your favorite connection type? UHF, SMS, BNC? Thanks for your help with my bag

@@toybuns775 I use UHF (PL-259).

Yeah, not much you can discuss during a FT4/8 exchange.

I was looking at the RigExpert's manual for doing that but to say it lacks detail on how to do that is an understatement. I played with the connector (PL259) and found the shield crimp loose. Don't know if I crimped that one. I used the next smaller crimp hole and got the shield sleeve solidly seated. I'll keep my eye on it as I use it.

I recently bought a MFJ 17 foot before their availability dried up. I know they just rebranded them from some source other than their own factory. Haven't gotten it on the air yet but am expecting great 20 meter and higher performance.

Thank you! Got one just under a month ago! Review in a future video. I like it especially that I can crank it in for the WARC bands.

The scary thing is, I know people with *more*!

It was probably the DX-CC fan dipole. Really didn't ha e anything else for portable use. I didn't get the center loaded vertical until a year or two after the 706. Got to get out there with you!

Hello Mark Thanks for the video. I see you are still using the EFHW you got from me years ago! Its good to hear it's still working out well for you. 73, Walt (TennTennas)

@@walterbeaton5056 Yes Walter, as good as the day I tuned it up! I have a 2nd xfrmer from you for a WARC band EFHW that I've been side tracked on finishing.

Thank you! And I bet you know where the comms patch came from!

Found it as an open box item at Ham Radio Outlet.

I've found references to a FT-818ND and a note of an interview with a Yaesu rep where it was said Yaesu wanted to keep the simple FT-818 model name but there were enough changes to require a new designation.

I bought a short length at the Hamvention the other week. SMA (radio connecter) to BNC female. This should help with strain relief. I have added few other things to the kit and should probably do a video to highlight them. Winder for the antenna wires and a padding board to feed audio to and from my phone for FT8. Plus the adapter I just mentioned. I haven't weighed the kit in its current version. But an ounce here and there and I'll be at 3 pounds!

@@aa3konthego It's about optimum and reliable kit... Not just a challenge for the lightest.

@@4X4-RADIO At least in terms of reliability, the only backup this kit has is pen AND pencil. My biggest concern is the antenna wire breaking.

You are welcome!

Thank you! And I just heard about the new mast from Gigaparts. Appears to have a tip similar to my Jackite, really thick.

In previous attempts I had the desk facing and close to the window with the antenna on the 817. Nothing but a couple of birdies. I eventually realized I should be at least hear FT8 on the appropriate band for the time (40 m in the late evening) . Heard nothing. When I finally got some wire out the window, suddenly I had plenty of signals. The window frame is metal and probably tied to ground more by accident than design. Being that the 40 meters wavelength is way bigger than the window, nothing gets through.

@@aa3konthego Just another possibility, they put metal in windows to help deflect the Sun which may effect RF. BTW - I've thought about hotel operations and was very interested in your findings.

@@kurtstefans5738 Yes a sun reflecting coating is a strong possibility. Unfortunately my company changed our primary hotel provider and I can only stay at my usual place by special dispensation and I'm not going to get that. I'll have to check the new place out.

I actually have 50 feet of RG-174 in my larger QRP bag. While it is light in weight, when wound up to for this ultra compact kit I doubt the coax would fit. I'll have to try though. I finally took the cord out of its package and put it in the accessory pouch. Overall the pack is getting tight.

@@aa3konthego I have a similar trusdx kit (and a qmx kit). I like a length of coax - I like 10' of RG-174, it's enough to do something without going overboard, 50' is too much imo. 10' with an efhw requires a counterpoise where 50' serves as its own cp, but you're using one anyway since you're not using coax. Adds almost no weight and winds up in a shape that fits into the large pocket. Jason KO4NDP

@@JasonTurnage 10 feet (roughly 3 meters for those new fangled folk 😀) sounds like a good compromise. I do worry about the antenna pulling the radio down. First time I used the kit I blocked the radio with a heavy water bottle.

Thank you for the kind words. A quick web search turned up this at Amazon, looks like new old stock. amazon.com/dp/B00F8G0N3U Another cheaper option twowayradioworld.com/products/yaesu-vertex-fnb-78-battery-for-ft-897-ft-897d Here is a mod to use gel cells www.eham.net/article/4114 Hopes this helps.

Showed several members of Warminster ARC, the public and some Boy Scouts who were camping at the park for the weekend how we do POTA and amateur radio in general. Park staff were checking our slow progress. Bands were in bad shape. Congratulations on your upgrade!

Thank you! The FX-4CR looks like a really capable radio though it does lack a built-in CW memory keyer. I've used my share of dipoles in the field and found maneuvering two legs around branches a challenge. The EFHW isn't as bad Just and FYI.

I'll have to look into that. I put the PowerPole adapter on not long after I got the radio and other than an occasional loosening for a ground or counterpoise wire, haven't touched it.

Off of Etsy but I cannot find the emails of the exact vendor. I'll continue to dig.

Found it. I got the Velcro backed version. www.etsy.com/listing/889934594/custom-military-name-tape-with-hook?ga_order=most_relevant&ga_search_type=all&ga_view_type=gallery&ga_search_query=velcro+name+tag&ref=sr_gallery-1-1&pop=1&content_source=b0007cdb4b9d3d0d4daf31963cb29a3a50585838%253A889934594&search_preloaded_img=1&organic_search_click=1&variation0=3367731721&variation1=3353185088

@@aa3konthego Thank you and 73!

That's correct. Both FT-891 and 991A use these final transistors (not board) as drivers for the PA. That said, the finals in the 817ND and 818. Not the non ND 817. The finals are MOSFETs of the type RD07MVS1 in QFN- package (horrible to hand solder).

Thank you for watching and commenting.! I got the hat from an customized apparel vendor at the Dayton Hamvention. You can search the web and Etsy for similar vendors.

I'd get it out of the radio especially if swollen and properly dispose of it. I'm assuming you have a lithium polymer battery. The Ni-Cd and Ni-metal-hydrides are much safer.

I've had one of these in my FT-817 for probably getting on for 10 years. No problems whatsoever.

@@rjy8960 I had a security system control with a built-in Li-Po backup battery. After a couple of years started getting error messages about the battery. Called the company and their first question was to check if the back of the unit was bulged. It was, and they sent a new controller. Yet, all the cell phone batteries for more years than i care to count have been fine.

@@aa3konthego My concern here would be that in the security system, the battery is constantly (possibly!) being charged. With the 817 battery I’ll charge it once in a blue moon when I need it.

@@rjy8960 you are probably correct about the security system. How smart was it's charger? I saw some notes on the 817's Groups.io page that people ha e had the Windcamp puff up on them. They said they just ordered a new battery from eBay.

I've stared at the schematic for this antenna and wondered how it relates to the traditional schematics I've seen.

Correct. Because I crimped a stop (double ferrule) at the far end to create a loop for the insulator. At the transformer end I just stripped the insulation off and attached it to the transformer terminal. I shortened the wire there until I had a good match then crimped on a terminal for a better connection. Also crimped the double ferrule at that end.

I did run the wire through a quick link and a double ferrule at the transformer end and just let friction hold everything in place until I was done tuning. I hang the transformer from the quick link so the link takes all of the stress.

And just to confirm fuse you more 🤯 I've tuned a couple of QRP EFHW's where I trimmed the tree end of the wire. There I could untie the wire (26 AWG) from the insulator, cut and tie it back on. The end result is the same. If you need x feet of wire for resonance it doesn't matter which end you trim to get x feet.

Do you mean internal or external?