Fantastic results. You've proved beyond doubt that simple equipment can do a more impressive job that a shack filled with expensive high powered HF radios. Just wonderful demonstration.
I'm new to Ham radio and new to your channel but I'd just like to comment on how much I'm enjoying your content. Very relaxed and friendly delivery. Great production quality. While I'm not really into the "prepping" aspect, I find that the minimalist view presented lends itself to portability ( I tour [RV] alot) and a lower cost of entry. I hope to have my Foundation (Australia) soon but will satisfy myself with some SDR and a cheep BF-5R for a while. Keep it up - very much appreciated. Thank you!
I'm still learning CW. I like it when you show the other craft screen so I can see it decode in real time. Makes it easier to feel part of what's going on then the overlay.
Might have to give my qrpguys vertical another try. Gave up on it during tuning when I realized that it would be overly sensitive in swr depending on how the radials were laid out. I don't carry an antenna tuner or swr meter in the field..
Your Very lucky With the WX it was Snowing in Liverpool at 06:30 am BST this morning Happy Easter Spring Bank Holidays...My youngest daughter is wanting to go to the Canary Islands this year as she will be 18 on 21st April....Roll on Spring and Summer I hate Cold wx😵....How come you don't use you French Callsign with /Ea8 Portable..Great Video mate 👍👍👍👍
I just bought a KX2... Love that your videos show what works and what doesn’t... there’s nothing like field experience to prove your kit. What are your latest thoughts on your gear... what’s in your KX2 Kit?
Ham sinking in the Atlantic: "Mayday Mayday Mayday, does anyone copy me?"......"You're 59 OM! QSL?" HA!! (I share the same feelings about contests......) Very nice video!
Thanks Gil! That is the only one I could afford..hihi! I really don't want to mess with the toroids....BTW-I'm slowly getting better with copying morse code. One of these days, we'll make a QSO.
Great contacts on a vertical. I have the components to make my own version, but after 3 days of shack engineer I'm having a day off. Hope you had a great holiday Gil. 73s from M6UAW
I don't understand why one would need more than a wire quarter-wave ground plane for 14 MHz and higher. I've used them with my KX3, each constructed around an SO-239 chassis connector, with the radials draped on the ground. A 20 meter antenna is only 16 feet long. And the ATU in my KX3 matched it easily on 15 as well when an opening occurred on Field Day and I didn't want to stop to hang one for that band. If you have a good throwing arm, and a convenient tree, you can toss a fishing line with a 6 ounce lead sinker over a tree and hang a 35' ground plane for 40 meters! DE W3PYF
Thanks again Gil. I love my QRPGuys vertical too. On a lark I wanted to see if it would work on 60. I added about 14' of vertical (total 26') and on the 40m setting I got an SWR of 1.7 at about 4.600 mHz. My SWR meter then went on strike so I'll have to wait for it to get in a better mood to trim it up to 5.332. But has this been done? Scott kw4jm
Great like allways Gil. I see in their website they have a kit for antena tuner. I think i go all cheap and all gear from them .since money is an issue, for now. While suporting ham's. I like your style, expensive radio with home made key. thanks for all the knowlege. And since i discovered ham radio while living abroad (portuguese in Belguim), i need to master french or nederlands before geting my license. Best wishes
Canary Islands--the birthplace of my late maternal grandmother whose family was from Barcelona. I own the QRPkits-dot-com SWR indicator/bridge. Easy kit to assemble. The new mini SWR version is inexpensive ($5 USD) even with France's/EEU VAT. Works well with my Chameleon F-loop (the original one). Small kits like these and the loading circuitry for a simple wire vertical are fun projects that maintain one's kit building and soldering skills and great for simple QRP ops. Perhaps I will tryout one of the QRPGuys kits soon. Very interesting and "fun" video. 73 de AE5ZX
Hello Gil, in the assembly instruction You find a separate part how to tune the PCB loading torrids for better SWR on 30m and 40m. I copy it here to You or outer how fix it: "See Doug’s fine tuning procedure: 1. Attach four 10 ft. Radials. The radials must be attached to setup antenna. 2. Set both switches to 20m position. 3. The resonator wire for 20 meters. I did mine for 14.100 MHz. You must get swr below 1.5:1. Start with 17’ wire. Trim 3” at a time until you get close, then 1” at a time. Once you have this wire “set”. DO NOT TOUCH AGAIN. If you do, you mess everything up. 4. Place top switch in 20/30 meter position. Place bottom switch in 30/40m position. 5. Check swr at 10.125 MHz. Spread or compress turns on bottom toroid to adjust resonant frequency. If you can’t get it where you want, you may have to add or take off turns. If it resonates too low, then you will need to take off turns to raise frequency and add turns to lower frequency. (Taking off turns lowers inductance, adding turns raises inductance.) Do this one turn at a time. Once you have swr below 1.7:1, don’t touch the toroid. I paint mine with clear nail polish to hold the turns while I add the cable ties to secure the toroid. 6. Place both switches in 40m position. Repeat step 5 for the 40 meter top toroid. You should be able to get less than 1.5:1. 7. Secure toroid with cable ties."
I bet if you cut 6 feet off the top wire, put it under the coils, and attached the BNC connector at the bottom of those 6 feet, with the radials, and. started reducing the number of windings on each toroid, that 30 and 40m SWR would be a lot lower, and the antenna transmit portion a LOT more effective. For good propagation, you want some mast under those loading coils, that's where most of the current is, in the antenna design, before you start making heat in those loading coils.
Zoom H1. The "dead cat" of course if the fluffy thing on top of it, which indeed eliminates wind noise. It works surprisingly well, even in high winds. Wind noise, and bad sound in general kills videos faster than anything.
Nice job. I tuned it today (trimmed length). Can't get 40m swr below 10.. Its tuned on 6mhz. Did you have to remove turns on the 40m toroid? Other bands are fair, around 1.5:1
Radio Prepper found the issue on 20m... I had the radiala staked out so they did not touch the ground. After I laid them on the ground, swr dropped to 1.2-1.3. 40m tough still, removed 3 winds on toroid and getting closer to desired frequency. Have to remove the 4th to get resonant on 7.150
ahh c le décollage de Tenerife je reconnais donc tu es rentré ;) moi decollage pour le qrlpro cette apres midi direction milan... PS mon relais est réactivé
@@RadioPrepper I hope you get your wish! If you do I hope you don't get in trouble again. But if that happens don't call for help on the Maritime Mobile Service Net using QRP during a contest. I agree with you about contest organizers needing to avoid certain frequencies - especially recognized emergency frequencies. 73
I was enjoying my morning coffee and my wife who knows nothing of technology or microphone technology wondered why you were talking into a severed chicken head. 🤣🤣🤣 How can anyone not know that is a windy microphone cover lol. Smh. Lol
@@RadioPrepper I'm binge watching your videos. I have been in the house now close to 30 days. Everybody is going stir crazy. I'm in ham radio heaven. FT8 is boring after a while so I am putting together my QRP station again. I have enough wire and a push up portable mast to do a full wave loop. Back in 1994 I built the Norcal 40. It's a relic now. I worked my first DX with that radio. F3NB was my first DX. I have had More Fun with that little radio than all my full power gear combined. A friend gave me a defibrillator battery as he was a hospital tech. That's what I used for a battery. I remember taking that norcal 40 and hanging a 40 meter dipole all snaked around the top of my parents 3 story condo in Chicago. I remember throwing the last 5 meters out the window onto the roof with a sock full of pocket coins so it would stay on the roof. That night on battery power I worked the World with my J38. That was probably 1995. So many fond memories. We are expecting a snowstorm tonight. Maybe I will hook the Norcal 40 to my home Station vertical. The Butternut HF9V vertical. QRP portable is a blast. Now to dust off my CW skills again. :) KB2QQM
Interesting, I built a K1 and used it on my first contact with F5IN. I lived in Florida at the time.. I am building a Norcal 40 right now! Anyway, this confinement is getting really long.. No fun to be stuck at home!
@@RadioPrepper Cool good luck on the build. i am going to dig mine out tonight. should be interesting. 2.5 watts.. Mine is the original Norcal 40. They did improve the Norcal 40 alot.
Fantastic results. You've proved beyond doubt that simple equipment can do a more impressive job that a shack filled with expensive high powered HF radios. Just wonderful demonstration.
Thanks. I strongly believe simpler is better.
@@RadioPrepper i belive qrp is way to go why people put qrp guys down is beyond me here in the states
I'm new to Ham radio and new to your channel but I'd just like to comment on how much I'm enjoying your content. Very relaxed and friendly delivery. Great production quality. While I'm not really into the "prepping" aspect, I find that the minimalist view presented lends itself to portability ( I tour [RV] alot) and a lower cost of entry. I hope to have my Foundation (Australia) soon but will satisfy myself with some SDR and a cheep BF-5R for a while. Keep it up - very much appreciated. Thank you!
Thank you Paul.
Paul Pruss saw a comment of yours on the radio preppier channel. I am about to get my foundation licence in nsw. Did you get yours!
I'm still learning CW. I like it when you show the other craft screen so I can see it decode in real time. Makes it easier to feel part of what's going on then the overlay.
Sometimes I find things I missed that way..
Might have to give my qrpguys vertical another try. Gave up on it during tuning when I realized that it would be overly sensitive in swr depending on how the radials were laid out. I don't carry an antenna tuner or swr meter in the field..
It does work well... One useful gizmo is their SWR indicator...
Great video! Thank you.
Gil, nice video and thank you for sharing. The antenna looks like a loaded vertical with radials for each band.
Exactly. Thanks.
QRP Guys have made different versions of this great little antenna and a good excuse to melt some solder
Your Very lucky With the WX it was Snowing in Liverpool at 06:30 am BST this morning Happy Easter Spring Bank Holidays...My youngest daughter is wanting to go to the Canary Islands this year as she will be 18 on 21st April....Roll on Spring and Summer I hate Cold wx😵....How come you don't use you French Callsign with /Ea8 Portable..Great Video mate 👍👍👍👍
Thanks. My French call sign was assigned based upon my American license, so I find it more legit to use my FCC call sign outside of France...
I just bought a KX2... Love that your videos show what works and what doesn’t... there’s nothing like field experience to prove your kit. What are your latest thoughts on your gear... what’s in your KX2 Kit?
I mostly use the KX2 inside... Great radio. You do need to keep it dry. I Don't really have a KX2 kit but I might set one up in a Pelican case...
Ham sinking in the Atlantic: "Mayday Mayday Mayday, does anyone copy me?"......"You're 59 OM! QSL?" HA!! (I share the same feelings about contests......) Very nice video!
I could see that happening!
Seems pretty impressive for a simple antenna! The kits are an awesome way to save money and have fun!
I just saw your video Ron, great job. Same issue with 40m... That RigExpert, boy, would I like the AA-600, LOL.
Thanks Gil! That is the only one I could afford..hihi! I really don't want to mess with the toroids....BTW-I'm slowly getting better with copying morse code. One of these days, we'll make a QSO.
Looking forward to it :-)
Great contacts on a vertical. I have the components to make my own version, but after 3 days of shack engineer I'm having a day off. Hope you had a great holiday Gil. 73s from M6UAW
Thanks!
Thanks!
I heard you the first time Gil!! Just having a listen around on 20m SSB, only 1 station I can hear on 14.341, the rest of the band is dead for voice.
I don't understand why one would need more than a wire quarter-wave ground plane for 14 MHz and higher. I've used them with my KX3, each constructed around an SO-239 chassis connector, with the radials draped on the ground. A 20 meter antenna is only 16 feet long. And the ATU in my KX3 matched it easily on 15 as well when an opening occurred on Field Day and I didn't want to stop to hang one for that band. If you have a good throwing arm, and a convenient tree, you can toss a fishing line with a 6 ounce lead sinker over a tree and hang a 35' ground plane for 40 meters! DE W3PYF
Hi. I just wanted to say I thoroughly enjoy your channel. Keep up the good work. JJK, N6NRO, Lompoc, California
Thanks!
Thanks again Gil. I love my QRPGuys vertical too. On a lark I wanted to see if it would work on 60. I added about 14' of vertical (total 26') and on the 40m setting I got an SWR of 1.7 at about 4.600 mHz. My SWR meter then went on strike so I'll have to wait for it to get in a better mood to trim it up to 5.332. But has this been done? Scott kw4jm
I don't know but very interesting. Keep me posted! I ought to get a second one...
Great like allways Gil.
I see in their website they have a kit for antena tuner.
I think i go all cheap and all gear from them .since money is an issue, for now.
While suporting ham's.
I like your style, expensive radio with home made key.
thanks for all the knowlege.
And since i discovered ham radio while living abroad (portuguese in Belguim), i need to master french or nederlands before geting my license.
Best wishes
Keep at it, it is worth it :-)
Hi Radio Prepper. I have a similar experience with the QRPGuys Tri-band. Except my 40m is 5:1. Did you take off some windings to bring it down?
I have not tried that. Have you?
Canary Islands--the birthplace of my late maternal grandmother whose family was from Barcelona. I own the QRPkits-dot-com SWR indicator/bridge. Easy kit to assemble. The new mini SWR version is inexpensive ($5 USD) even with France's/EEU VAT. Works well with my Chameleon F-loop (the original one). Small kits like these and the loading circuitry for a simple wire vertical are fun projects that maintain one's kit building and soldering skills and great for simple QRP ops. Perhaps I will tryout one of the QRPGuys kits soon. Very interesting and "fun" video. 73 de AE5ZX
Thanks James.
Hello Gil, in the assembly instruction You find a separate part how to tune the PCB loading torrids for better SWR on 30m and 40m. I copy it here to You or outer how fix it:
"See Doug’s fine tuning procedure:
1. Attach four 10 ft. Radials. The radials must be attached to setup antenna.
2. Set both switches to 20m position.
3. The resonator wire for 20 meters. I did mine for 14.100 MHz. You must get swr below
1.5:1. Start with 17’ wire. Trim 3” at a time until you get close, then 1” at a time. Once you
have this wire “set”. DO NOT TOUCH AGAIN. If you do, you mess everything up.
4. Place top switch in 20/30 meter position. Place bottom switch in 30/40m position.
5. Check swr at 10.125 MHz. Spread or compress turns on bottom toroid to adjust resonant
frequency. If you can’t get it where you want, you may have to add or take off turns. If it
resonates too low, then you will need to take off turns to raise frequency and add turns to
lower frequency. (Taking off turns lowers inductance, adding turns raises inductance.) Do
this one turn at a time. Once you have swr below 1.7:1, don’t touch the toroid. I paint mine
with clear nail polish to hold the turns while I add the cable ties to secure the toroid.
6. Place both switches in 40m position. Repeat step 5 for the 40 meter top toroid. You
should be able to get less than 1.5:1.
7. Secure toroid with cable ties."
Thanks!
What an awesome QTH to test radios and make contacts from.
It was too short, only a few days..
Great Video. I'm hoping to see QRPGuys starts to upgrade to 20 Watt antennas kits. I made the switch to the Xiegu G90 and I like the radio a lot.
Yep. The new G1M looks interesting too..
Just noticed your hat. Interesting vehicle and even more interesting story.
You are the second one to notice, in years ;-)
I bet if you cut 6 feet off the top wire, put it under the coils, and attached the BNC connector at the bottom of those 6 feet, with the radials, and. started reducing the number of windings on each toroid, that 30 and 40m SWR would be a lot lower, and the antenna transmit portion a LOT more effective. For good propagation, you want some mast under those loading coils, that's where most of the current is, in the antenna design, before you start making heat in those loading coils.
Definitely. Maybe for a future project!
RP: What was the author and title of the book on HF antennas you mentioned in this video? TIA.
impressive setup
Thanks, simple really.
gone from 4 to 12 ground planes good results on bad band day 20-40m
73
I might try as many some time...
73 from Tenerife.Fantastic video! I wish you good contacts & incredibles experiments!
Chao!
EA8DGA - Isidro
Thank you! I shall return :-)
I cant find the Feather Mic in the Elecraft catalog. Please explain
This mic has nothing to do with the radio. It's a Zoom H1 digital recorder with a "dead cat" on it for outside sound recording.
What is the dead cat microphone? I wish more people would use one when outside in windy conditions.
Zoom H1. The "dead cat" of course if the fluffy thing on top of it, which indeed eliminates wind noise. It works surprisingly well, even in high winds. Wind noise, and bad sound in general kills videos faster than anything.
Great vid Gil...enjoy your holiday....Paul :-)
Thanks!
hi are you using any counter poise from transmitter ?73
Hi, the antenna has four 10ft radials.
Nice Antenna Set :)
Best Greets to you, Gill - Enjoy your Easter time at Canarian Islands :)
Thanks!
Nice job. I tuned it today (trimmed length). Can't get 40m swr below 10.. Its tuned on 6mhz. Did you have to remove turns on the 40m toroid? Other bands are fair, around 1.5:1
Hi, no, I built it per the manual...
Radio Prepper me too. Still weird tune on 40m..
Did you try it in different locations?
Radio Prepper not yet.. Ill give it a try. Can't get the other bands below 1.5 too... Will try another location.
Radio Prepper found the issue on 20m... I had the radiala staked out so they did not touch the ground. After I laid them on the ground, swr dropped to 1.2-1.3. 40m tough still, removed 3 winds on toroid and getting closer to desired frequency. Have to remove the 4th to get resonant on 7.150
Have a nice holiday and great qso!
Thanks!
salut Gil profite bien du soleil de Tenerife, c magnifique , je connais bien ;) à bientôt et bon QSO ;) sympa ton antenne ;) 73 de F4HOT
Merci Arnaud!
Very nice video, Gil. Enjoy your vacation. 73
Thanks!
Where can I find information about the radios you are using?
That is an Elecraft KX2; very expensive. For a decent first radio, look at the Xiegu G1M if budget is an issue.
How large are the radials of the antenna? Thanks
Ten feet I think, from memory..
@@RadioPrepper Ok Thanks
Wow what nice landscape on the island. Calls for SOTA :)
The Teid volcano would be a great candidate.
great vacation spot 80 deg in california
Man do I miss Florida!
Love your videos could you tell me what H E E BT means?
H E E means "LOL" BT is end of paragraph.
@@RadioPrepper ok thank you so much
ahh c le décollage de Tenerife je reconnais donc tu es rentré ;) moi decollage pour le qrlpro cette apres midi direction milan... PS mon relais est réactivé
Bien, bon voyage! Et le relais DMR de Lille?
Pas avant juin d après Farnouche...
I love the Canary Islands. Tenerife is so beautiful! Interesting you are using your US call sign Can't you use your French call in Spain? de N9QIL
My original license is US... I hope to sail there some time..
@@RadioPrepper I hope you get your wish! If you do I hope you don't get in trouble again. But if that happens don't call for help on the Maritime Mobile Service Net using QRP during a contest. I agree with you about contest organizers needing to avoid certain frequencies - especially recognized emergency frequencies. 73
I was enjoying my morning coffee and my wife who knows nothing of technology or microphone technology wondered why you were talking into a severed chicken head. 🤣🤣🤣
How can anyone not know that is a windy microphone cover lol.
Smh. Lol
LOL!
@@RadioPrepper I'm binge watching your videos. I have been in the house now close to 30 days. Everybody is going stir crazy. I'm in ham radio heaven. FT8 is boring after a while so I am putting together my QRP station again. I have enough wire and a push up portable mast to do a full wave loop. Back in 1994 I built the Norcal 40. It's a relic now. I worked my first DX with that radio. F3NB was my first DX. I have had More Fun with that little radio than all my full power gear combined. A friend gave me a defibrillator battery as he was a hospital tech. That's what I used for a battery. I remember taking that norcal 40 and hanging a 40 meter dipole all snaked around the top of my parents 3 story condo in Chicago. I remember throwing the last 5 meters out the window onto the roof with a sock full of pocket coins so it would stay on the roof. That night on battery power I worked the World with my J38. That was probably 1995. So many fond memories. We are expecting a snowstorm tonight. Maybe I will hook the Norcal 40 to my home Station vertical. The Butternut HF9V vertical. QRP portable is a blast. Now to dust off my CW skills again. :) KB2QQM
Interesting, I built a K1 and used it on my first contact with F5IN. I lived in Florida at the time.. I am building a Norcal 40 right now! Anyway, this confinement is getting really long.. No fun to be stuck at home!
@@RadioPrepper Cool good luck on the build. i am going to dig mine out tonight. should be interesting. 2.5 watts.. Mine is the original Norcal 40. They did improve the Norcal 40 alot.
@@RadioPrepper Who is selling boards for the Norcal 40 ? I would build another one... in a heartbeat. great little radio.