Dave, your ability to take complex topics and make them simple to understand is second to none. I think that's what makes you excel as an instructor, and I appreciate that. A huge reason I'm a loyal follower of your content. I just passed my Technician test today, inspired by a large part because of you. Thank you for all that you do.
The way you articulate and explain things is second to none on youtube man. I hope to attend your classes one day and get the chance to learn from you and your instructors.
Any time you have ice on the radials it will make them more like a bigger coil, that is where you need to retune. Glad you are enjoying this hobby. My wire came down and I am working on replacing it. I hope to hear you on the band sometime come spring. Perhaps 7.298.00 on 40 meters. 73 for now - Tony
I've been a licensed ham, and operating on HF for 11 years. You not only have a very good grasp on what you are talking about, you also articulate your knowledge in a very understandable manner. You must have some excellent elmers Dave, and seeing your excitement brings a smile to my face! I'm still hoping to work you, and it would be very cool to add a DX QRP QSO from you to my log book. 73 de VE6JP
Great work Dave! I have the RigExpert Stick 230 (not the Pro) and I do not even own a tuner. Weather absolutely affects swr. Just getting your antenna wet will make it “go long”. Snow and ice only exacerbate the problem and require retuning. Height above ground is another factor for wire antennas. But you are doing a really great job getting a understanding of the problems and learning to compensate. In another year you’ll be building your own EFHW with a multi-tap un-un. And that’s where the real fun begins, taking discarded scrap materials and putting together a functional antenna for emergency situations.
Hello Dave, Great to see you enjoying the hobby brother! I’ve followed you for many years as I honed my bushcrafting skills. Now as I continue to grow in the Amatuer Radio hobby it’s cool to be learning along side you here as well! I’ve had my eyes on that RigExpert Stick for awhile. It’s definitely on my wish list! I have a Icom 7300 with a home brew 80meter OCF dipole that I love! I routinely talk to Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, South America, Europe and all over North America so I can’t recommend the OCF dipole enough. I also have a Yaesu FT-891 that I’m going to use for portable work. It’s a small but powerful (100 watt) radio [LIFE’S TOO SHORT FOR QRP! 🤣😂🤣 - just messing with you! That 705 is an awesome rig!! Congrats on getting it!]. I’ll look for you on the bands brother! Can’t wait to get you in the log! 73 Dave, KY4TG, Todd in South Central Kentucky
A good set of counterposes is a must do for any good antenna. The counterpose will do more to balance the SWR to a 1:1 ratio than most other devices that make that claim.
Good explanation Dave. Information explaining radio operations and antenna tuning is best explained a little at a time, to help people understand how it works and how it needs to be adjusted. Awesome learning video for beginners. Still loving that 705...what a qrp radio to have in your arsenal
Great video! You are not only a TV Celebrity, a Survivalist, Bushcraft instructor, but a Ham Radio Elmer! My wife got her Tech Ticket and I upgraded to my General Tick last week at the Hamfest in Shade Ohio. We watch, learn and enjoy your radio videos. Thank you 73's KE8OFV & KE8TSA
Also, resonance and matching are 2 different things. Resonance doesn't always occur at 50 ohms. Resonance is a condition where capacitive reactance and inductive reactance are both equal and cancel each other out making the antenna purely resistive. but the impedance may very well be something other than 50 ohms. A good example of this is the off center fed dipole which has a feedpoint impedance around 200 ohms - a 4:1 swr ! But then you can add a 4:1 balun to transform those 200 ohms down to 50 ohms and it repeats this on several harmonically related bands. I use an off center fed dipole at home that covers 80, 40, 20, 17, 12, 10, and 6 meters and most bands it does not need a tuner and it is fed via a 4:1 balun to transform the 200 ohms to 50 ohms.
Dave I am a fellow Ham and I follow your channel and have followed you for a few years now. I'm a retired grunt. This antenna video is great. You break it down well. I would like to talk with you about antennas and other survival things.
Dave as I watched more I can tell you atmospheric changes and weather and even sunspots can effect your antenna and transmission and receiving. Antenna theory is just a theory so you discovering these changes and seeing what works throughout it all is great data collection in and of itself
Great video man! I like watching your videos while you learn about HF, QRP, and POTA. I just started the journey recently myself. A lot of the questions, trials, and errors you are working through are similar to what I'm experiencing. I appreciate you taking the time to share what you've learned. Just the other day I was wondering about using a non-resonant antenna (EFHW) with an ATU to "fake it"... My SWR looked pretty nice but I wasn't getting good results. This explains why.... Definitely one of those lightbulb moments. Looking forward to making a POTA contact with you. Keep up the great work, and thanks again. KO4BTY
As someone who’s currently studying for the technician license, I understand what your saying 100 percent. For someone who isn’t into the hobby maybe not.
From an ex Navy CTM1's (electronic technician that's cleared for ridiculous) point of view. To transmit electro-magnetic energy (any electro-magnetic energy , from dc to light) from one medium (i.e. air, water, copper ...) to another efficiently, you have to match one medium's impedance (couple) to the other. As a rule of thumb, if you don't match, you lose 8% to reflection. Antennas, like you're talking about, couple electro-magnetic energy in copper etc. to air. The impedance of dry air is 600 ohms. Impedance is resistance that changes with frequency. Build an impedance matching device that works with the frequency you want, and you have a tuned antenna for that frequency. Size, geometry and orientation determine the direction of transmission. (lobe position and direction). Environmental things like rocks, trees, rain snow, that have similar harmonics to your antenna, become part of your antenna system (usually part of the ground plane) , and change the impedance through parasitic oscillation. (start to resonate when you transmit, adding their impedance (+ or -) to the total). Standing waves are the part of the electro-magnetic energy that is reflected (remember the 8% reflection) from the distant end (opposite the feed end) of the antenna, that is not transmitted. Standing wave ratio (swr) is the ratio of standing wave energy to transmitted wave energy. Lowering the swr involves adjusting the impedance of the antenna system (to match air) With what you've said in this video, what's in the comments, and what I've typed here you should have enough info to dig out this rabbit hole and move in.
Resonance is just the absence of reactance. Basically, you have two types of reactance on antennas. One is capacitive reactance and the other is inductive reactance. When both capacitive reactance and inductive reactance are both equal, the cancel each other out making the antenna purely resistive. But being resonant doesn't always mean a low swr because resonance can happen at any impedance and often it is nowhere near 50 ohms. For example, the end fed half wave antenna at resonance presents about 2450 ohms which is a 49:1 swr! But we can make it work by using a 49:1 transformer to convert that 2450 ohms down to 50 ohms and get that near perfect swr of 1:1.
Hi Dave I have been a Hamm for quite a few years now but in the last 5 years I became sick and haven`t been Active so I need to get my Rigs out and start Talking hopefully we can pass time on the keys. 73`s to you and I enjoyed it
Oh by the way Dave, I would love to see you live-streaming yourself on the radio while you are calling CQ! If not live-streaming it would at least be cool if you put it out there that you are going to be on -such and such frequency or band - on a certain day and time - and give people an opportunity to work you on the air - like working a POTA a station and then you could post that video. OR -- A Pathfinders Gathering on the Air… 🤔 -- that sounds awesome!! A special event with an opportunity to make a contact with you and get a special QSL card… That would be incredible!! Just food for thought. God bless you brother! 73, KY4TG, Todd
Any form of water on an antenna can change it's resonance. Case in point my Loop on Ground antenna becomes useless every time my sprinklers come on. Water being an excellent conductor changes the impedance of an antenna. The joys of environmental conditions and radio. It's fun watching you learn.
Best off tuning at the actual antenna if you can (obviously not in the snow! 😀 ). The coil makes it much more touchy (High Q, technically) using an antenna like DX Commander or other quarter wave vertical will be much less sensitive and SWR is flat across the whole band. It does change a bit but the whole band will be less than 2:1 in most cases without a tuner.
A 1:1 swr is a good thing but really doesn't mean that all the power coming out of the transmitters is going into the atmosphere. The transmitter will put out full power at a 1:1 swr, but actual radiated power going into the atmosphere is transmitter power minus any losses such as coax loss, and ground loss.. For example, if you have 10% loss in the antenna system, and your transmitter is doing 10 watts out, then only 9 watts is being radiated by the antenna. And yes, it is possible to have 10% loss in the antenna system. First, the antenna efficiency itself is a big factor and some of the coil loaded, portable antennas may only be around 15% efficient at best. Yes, you'll still make contacts with it, but you would make more contacts by using a more efficient antenna.
What other radios did you think about before settling on the 705? What won out for the 705? I’ve had my general over a year and can’t make up my mind what radio I want.
I love.it - we got that form here in Akron i've been vegitating need milk - & Dave goes out there & plays around in it - it's cold too yep got quite a bit what 4to 6" 'i chez - i'm with you Dave 🤔 not today i'll live
I was wondering if you could help me with a uniden bearcat handheld scanner I pick up some but not local things like I need. A friend of my grandsons programmed couple or so in it picks up some local operators. I need help with this if possible. I have a cb radio I still need get hookups for I haven't yet. Grateful grandma deb n.c.
Dave, yer next lernin with yer HAM radio is to become fluent in Morse Code. SHTF ya might have to move to Alaska & yer only reliable point of international contact will be with the Ruskies, Canucks dont count as international. Morse Code is how you can communicate Yank propaganda to them & in turn receive whatever useless shit they are babbling back to you in return. Think about it Dave. Morse Code. Its the future, coz it was the past & it beats smoke signals, just about.
Dave, your ability to take complex topics and make them simple to understand is second to none. I think that's what makes you excel as an instructor, and I appreciate that. A huge reason I'm a loyal follower of your content. I just passed my Technician test today, inspired by a large part because of you. Thank you for all that you do.
The way you articulate and explain things is second to none on youtube man. I hope to attend your classes one day and get the chance to learn from you and your instructors.
Any time you have ice on the radials it will make them more like a bigger coil, that is where you need to retune. Glad you are enjoying this hobby. My wire came down and I am working on replacing it. I hope to hear you on the band sometime come spring. Perhaps 7.298.00 on 40 meters. 73 for now - Tony
I've been a licensed ham, and operating on HF for 11 years. You not only have a very good grasp on what you are talking about, you also articulate your knowledge in a very understandable manner. You must have some excellent elmers Dave, and seeing your excitement brings a smile to my face! I'm still hoping to work you, and it would be very cool to add a DX QRP QSO from you to my log book. 73 de VE6JP
I liked the real time adjustment. That is how it works. Make an adjustment, check the match and back again.
Great work Dave! I have the RigExpert Stick 230 (not the Pro) and I do not even own a tuner. Weather absolutely affects swr. Just getting your antenna wet will make it “go long”. Snow and ice only exacerbate the problem and require retuning. Height above ground is another factor for wire antennas. But you are doing a really great job getting a understanding of the problems and learning to compensate. In another year you’ll be building your own EFHW with a multi-tap un-un. And that’s where the real fun begins, taking discarded scrap materials and putting together a functional antenna for emergency situations.
Hello Dave, Great to see you enjoying the hobby brother! I’ve followed you for many years as I honed my bushcrafting skills. Now as I continue to grow in the Amatuer Radio hobby it’s cool to be learning along side you here as well! I’ve had my eyes on that RigExpert Stick for awhile. It’s definitely on my wish list! I have a Icom 7300 with a home brew 80meter OCF dipole that I love! I routinely talk to Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, South America, Europe and all over North America so I can’t recommend the OCF dipole enough. I also have a Yaesu FT-891 that I’m going to use for portable work. It’s a small but powerful (100 watt) radio [LIFE’S TOO SHORT FOR QRP! 🤣😂🤣 - just messing with you! That 705 is an awesome rig!! Congrats on getting it!]. I’ll look for you on the bands brother! Can’t wait to get you in the log! 73 Dave, KY4TG, Todd in South Central Kentucky
I have a local club coming to the school for Winter Field day so we will be call that day for sure I will be running FT8 most of the day
A good set of counterposes is a must do for any good antenna. The counterpose will do more to balance the SWR to a 1:1 ratio than most other devices that make that claim.
Good explanation Dave. Information explaining radio operations and antenna tuning is best explained a little at a time, to help people understand how it works and how it needs to be adjusted. Awesome learning video for beginners. Still loving that 705...what a qrp radio to have in your arsenal
Great video! You are not only a TV Celebrity, a Survivalist, Bushcraft instructor, but a Ham Radio Elmer! My wife got her Tech Ticket and I upgraded to my General Tick last week at the Hamfest in Shade Ohio. We watch, learn and enjoy your radio videos. Thank you 73's KE8OFV & KE8TSA
Thank you, Dave. interesting info. I'm already looking forward to the next one.
Also, resonance and matching are 2 different things. Resonance doesn't always occur at 50 ohms. Resonance is a condition where capacitive reactance and inductive reactance are both equal and cancel each other out making the antenna purely resistive. but the impedance may very well be something other than 50 ohms. A good example of this is the off center fed dipole which has a feedpoint impedance around 200 ohms - a 4:1 swr ! But then you can add a 4:1 balun to transform those 200 ohms down to 50 ohms and it repeats this on several harmonically related bands. I use an off center fed dipole at home that covers 80, 40, 20, 17, 12, 10, and 6 meters and most bands it does not need a tuner and it is fed via a 4:1 balun to transform the 200 ohms to 50 ohms.
Nice work, Dave...the vernacular and the ability to explain this stuff gets easier with exposure. I think you're doing just fine.
73,
KN4UNO
Thank you
Dave I am a fellow Ham and I follow your channel and have followed you for a few years now. I'm a retired grunt. This antenna video is great. You break it down well. I would like to talk with you about antennas and other survival things.
My mail is Pathfindersurvival@gmail.com
im very impressed by your range of interests, ur a very smart man! Kudos!
Dave as I watched more I can tell you atmospheric changes and weather and even sunspots can effect your antenna and transmission and receiving. Antenna theory is just a theory so you discovering these changes and seeing what works throughout it all is great data collection in and of itself
Glad to see you getting so much enjoyment and learning from the amazing world of ham radio! :D 73, KC7CCL
Great video man! I like watching your videos while you learn about HF, QRP, and POTA. I just started the journey recently myself. A lot of the questions, trials, and errors you are working through are similar to what I'm experiencing. I appreciate you taking the time to share what you've learned. Just the other day I was wondering about using a non-resonant antenna (EFHW) with an ATU to "fake it"... My SWR looked pretty nice but I wasn't getting good results. This explains why.... Definitely one of those lightbulb moments. Looking forward to making a POTA contact with you. Keep up the great work, and thanks again. KO4BTY
Wow, very complicated to understand. And you explain it extremely clearly, just complicated for me!
Awesome Bear tent Dave- Im workin on my licence here. Thank you for your tech tip knowledge sir! 73 and good huntin!
As someone who’s currently studying for the technician license, I understand what your saying 100 percent. For someone who isn’t into the hobby maybe not.
From an ex Navy CTM1's (electronic technician that's cleared for ridiculous) point of view.
To transmit electro-magnetic energy (any electro-magnetic energy , from dc to light) from one medium (i.e. air, water, copper ...) to another efficiently, you have to match one medium's impedance (couple) to the other. As a rule of thumb, if you don't match, you lose 8% to reflection.
Antennas, like you're talking about, couple electro-magnetic energy in copper etc. to air. The impedance of dry air is 600 ohms. Impedance is resistance that changes with frequency. Build an impedance matching device that works with the frequency you want, and you have a tuned antenna for that frequency. Size, geometry and orientation determine the direction of transmission. (lobe position and direction). Environmental things like rocks, trees, rain snow, that have similar harmonics to your antenna, become part of your antenna system (usually part of the ground plane) , and change the impedance through parasitic oscillation. (start to resonate when you transmit, adding their impedance (+ or -) to the total).
Standing waves are the part of the electro-magnetic energy that is reflected (remember the 8% reflection) from the distant end (opposite the feed end) of the antenna, that is not transmitted. Standing wave ratio (swr) is the ratio of standing wave energy to transmitted wave energy. Lowering the swr involves adjusting the impedance of the antenna system (to match air)
With what you've said in this video, what's in the comments, and what I've typed here you should have enough info to dig out this rabbit hole and move in.
Resonance is just the absence of reactance. Basically, you have two types of reactance on antennas. One is capacitive reactance and the other is inductive reactance. When both capacitive reactance and inductive reactance are both equal, the cancel each other out making the antenna purely resistive. But being resonant doesn't always mean a low swr because resonance can happen at any impedance and often it is nowhere near 50 ohms. For example, the end fed half wave antenna at resonance presents about 2450 ohms which is a 49:1 swr! But we can make it work by using a 49:1 transformer to convert that 2450 ohms down to 50 ohms and get that near perfect swr of 1:1.
Hi Dave I have been a Hamm for quite a few years now but in the last 5 years I became sick and haven`t been Active so I need to get my Rigs out and start Talking hopefully we can pass time on the keys. 73`s to you and I enjoyed it
Oh by the way Dave, I would love to see you live-streaming yourself on the radio while you are calling CQ! If not live-streaming it would at least be cool if you put it out there that you are going to be on -such and such frequency or band - on a certain day and time - and give people an opportunity to work you on the air - like working a POTA a station and then you could post that video. OR -- A Pathfinders Gathering on the Air… 🤔 -- that sounds awesome!! A special event with an opportunity to make a contact with you and get a special QSL card… That would be incredible!! Just food for thought. God bless you brother! 73, KY4TG, Todd
I really like my Rig Expert Stick. I use it with a Wolf River Coil as well. It has really helped me.
Any form of water on an antenna can change it's resonance. Case in point my Loop on Ground antenna becomes useless every time my sprinklers come on. Water being an excellent conductor changes the impedance of an antenna. The joys of environmental conditions and radio. It's fun watching you learn.
Welcome to the hobby! Nobody knows everything about radio, I know I don't. Never stop learning and never be to busy to teach someone.
Good stuff David! Thanks!
We need to step up your coffee game tho sir .. that jacket is awesome where you get it !
I will take that coat, sir.
Good video, thanks for sharing
Stay safe ATB Del 👍🏼
Interesting, im also into radios and overlanding at the time. Im glad you snapped out of historical reenactment stuff, that was difficult to process.
I like the wolf river coil antenna system. Did you get yours as a kit with one of their whips? Thanks Dave. KD2SFL
I did get the kit
Best off tuning at the actual antenna if you can (obviously not in the snow! 😀 ). The coil makes it much more touchy (High Q, technically) using an antenna like DX Commander or other quarter wave vertical will be much less sensitive and SWR is flat across the whole band. It does change a bit but the whole band will be less than 2:1 in most cases without a tuner.
A 1:1 swr is a good thing but really doesn't mean that all the power coming out of the transmitters is going into the atmosphere. The transmitter will put out full power at a 1:1 swr, but actual radiated power going into the atmosphere is transmitter power minus any losses such as coax loss, and ground loss.. For example, if you have 10% loss in the antenna system, and your transmitter is doing 10 watts out, then only 9 watts is being radiated by the antenna. And yes, it is possible to have 10% loss in the antenna system. First, the antenna efficiency itself is a big factor and some of the coil loaded, portable antennas may only be around 15% efficient at best. Yes, you'll still make contacts with it, but you would make more contacts by using a more efficient antenna.
Any clue on when self reliance outfitters will be shipping orders?
Our warehouse crew was out with COVID last week some of them are back now I would say end of week they will be caught up again
As a old 2531 good info ant length is important
What other radios did you think about before settling on the 705? What won out for the 705? I’ve had my general over a year and can’t make up my mind what radio I want.
The fact that is is an ALL BAND transceiver and has built in FT8 presets and D Star as well as the piggy back battery capability for portable ops
Outstanding
Please explain to me what it does,your channel was recommended to me
Great video thanks and 73
Attenuation is the ball game.
I love.it - we got that form here in Akron i've been vegitating need milk - & Dave goes out there & plays around in it - it's cold too yep got quite a bit what 4to 6" 'i chez - i'm with you Dave 🤔 not today i'll live
Welcome to the hobby Dave. KEØEBS 73
Is their still a such thing as upper sideband and lower
Yes
Is that wool jacket from Russia ?
I was wondering if you could help me with a uniden bearcat handheld scanner I pick up some but not local things like I need. A friend of my grandsons programmed couple or so in it picks up some local operators. I need help with this if possible. I have a cb radio I still need get hookups for I haven't yet. Grateful grandma deb n.c.
Nice nice 👍👍👍
Awesome info
Good video bro
I can't help it, Where'd you get the Jacket, Where'd you get the hat!? Lol just joking don't mind me.
Yes an SWR Meter is best, use a separate not a built in the radio Meter.
Super helpful and looking forward to more videos. 73 K0WET
Tuning in or tuning out ,my opinion is kaput
❤❤❤❤❤👍👍👍👍👍👍👍
Dave, yer next lernin with yer HAM radio is to become fluent in Morse Code.
SHTF ya might have to move to Alaska & yer only reliable point of international contact will be with the Ruskies, Canucks dont count as international.
Morse Code is how you can communicate Yank propaganda to them & in turn receive whatever useless shit they are babbling back to you in return.
Think about it Dave.
Morse Code.
Its the future, coz it was the past & it beats smoke signals, just about.
Hello David kc9zef
Thanks David! I hope to meet you on the air! N9YVU 73
Well done! KD2QXQ 73. RWB