CW using FX-4CR and Slidewinder DX antenna
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- Опубліковано 4 сер 2024
- CW at 19 WPM using FX-4CR transceiver operating at 10W, American Morse Equipment Porta Paddle, 12.8V 3.8Ah LiFePO4 battery and Slidewinder DX antenna. The antenna was tuned using a RigExpert 230 stick achieving an SWR of less than 1.5.
World Wide Flora and Fauna (WWFF) activation of Bouddi National Park (VKFF-0049) located on the Central Coast of New South Wales, Australia. Activation on Saturday 9 September 2023 operating on 20m (14.065 MHz), 17m (18.086 MHz) and 40m (7.032 MHz). Total of 16 CW contacts including Australia, Finland, New Zealand, Czech Republic, Ukraine, USA and Japan.
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Chapters:
0:00 - Ride to activation QTH
0:47 - Portable station
1:16 - CW on 20m
5:38 - CW on 17m
7:04 - CW on 40m
Thanks for the video. Great DX.
Thanks for the feedback. It was an enjoyable activation, band conditions were up and down so I was glad to get the range of DX contacts, 73
Excellent, James. I need to try one of those FX-4C rigs. 72 Ron
Thanks Ron, it is a great little radio that works well with portable operations, 73
Epic! Love the look of that FX-4CR
Yes it is a nice radio, it is great having a waterfall on a portable radio. Thanks Janre for watching and your feedback, 73
Awesome!
Thanks for watching, 73
Great vid James, I’ve been using a ground mounted vertical with a ground mat instead of radials and a home brew coil - a very similar setup to yours. I’m not a fan of lines in trees or damaging vegetation so this is ticking all the boxes for me!
Thanks Andrew for the comments and the QSO. It is a great antenna for portable operations, easy to carry, very quick to set up and don’t have to worry about lines in trees or telescopic masts. Not sure how it performs compared to a dipole or end-fed but I was very happy with the range of contacts, 73
Good video James. It's interesting to see how the base loaded vertical works - evidently quite well on 20 and 17m. I see the US POTA activators using similar antennas which are faster to erect than wire dipoles and endfeds more often used here in VK. Cheers David VK3KR
I normally use end-fed or dipole antennas when operating portable but I wanted another option when there are no trees to hang an antenna and is quick to set up. I was happy with the CW contacts on 20m and 17m. I initially struggled with SSB and CW contacts on 40m but I think the band conditions were poor. Thanks for the comments David, 73
Hi there James, another great video, the FX-4CR looks very impressive. Where did you purchase yours from. Regards, Garry VK2GAZ
Thanks Garry, the FX-4CR is a great portable radio but it has a few quirks. I purchased the radio directly from the developer: bg2fx.com/transceivers-1
HEy, just wondering about your opinion on the FX4CR compared to the QMX for instance. I was planning on getting a QMX but my main radio is giving up and the FX4CR suddenly became an attractive option. Just wondering, it doesn't have an automatic keyer right? And no decoder either? How would you rate these 2 comparatively? I've read a lot of "FX4CR is a beta product, you have to deal with all the quirks" was that your experience too? Thanks for all the vids, and sorry to bother you with this ;)
Hi Jonathan, the FX-4CR is a nice portable radio. It does have a few quirks but many of these have been fixed or improved with firmware updates. The CW transmission was originally very buggy (missing dits and irregular semi break-in) but it is now much improved and smoother after the update. The pros are that it is all mode, all HF bands, 20W SSB / 10W CW and has waterfall display. The cons are no automatic keyer, no CW decoder and the menu system can be a little glitchy with occasional hang ups. I like both the FX-4CR and QMX, it is difficult comparing the two. If you are only interested in CW then I would recommend the QMX. But if you want all modes, slightly higher power and waterfall display then the FX-4CR is a very capable radio. I hope this helps, 73
@@vk2ter it's weirdly helping and at the same time I'm still undecided haha, I put my name on the list for the FX4CR, I'll let the finance decide, I imagine having both is probably the best scenario. When is it raining money down under, I need to be there when it happens! haha Thanks for answering!
@JonathanAdami It is a tough decision, they are both great portable radios. It would be difficult for me to choose between the two. Good luck with the decision, 73
Which Garmin device do you use? Is there a file that is preprogrammed with specific POTA locations?
I use a Garmin GPSMap 67. You can download the park locations (points rather than boundaries) from the pota.app website. Select the “Park List” menu then select your country and then the download link. The GPX file can then be transferred to the GPS using Garmin Explore (phone app) or Garmin Basecamp (desktop app). The GPX file will provide the park references and names. The standard topographic map on the GPS will show the approximate park boundaries. Hope this helps, 73
@@vk2ter thank you very much for your time. I appreciate that you took the time to reply to my question
Which antenna do you use?
I am using the Slidewinder DX antenna from M1ECC antennas. The version I purchased came with the base loading coil (40m to 10m), military vertical whip, four ground radials and ground spike, 73
Sorry, it's in the title!
I really like your videos!🎉
@@h.m.2138 All good, I should have included more footage of the antenna in the video. Thanks for the feedback, 73
G'day James, Like your slow speed Bike for getting to your location. A lot contacts at that location around the world on 10 watts good job mate. Thanks' for the video best luck with your new radio and vertical antenna.73. de vk4oc.
I had the bike in the lowest gear as it was a very steep incline to the activation QTH. It was a great place to operate from with low noise floor and nice views over the ocean. Thanks for your comments Dennis, 73