5 Watts vs 1500 Watts - CQ WW SSB DX 2022
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- Опубліковано 16 вер 2024
- I have the audacity to try and make contacts with my Yaesu FT-817ND on a weekend where giant contest stations rule the ham radio airwaves.
Join me and see how I fare when the bands go crazy with powerful stations.
nice to see you on air outside, again. 👍🏻
Thank you!
Thank you for showing us you can still get outside with health problems and enjoy yourself. 73 from Seattle
Thank you and 73 from VE3TWM!
That’s really nice… sounds like a plan for the next CQWW SSB 2023!!
One of the things I really like about your channel is how you take us through the whole process - not just radio work but setting up your portable station; all so very important and that is all a big deal to me and watch everything with deep interest. It's so interesting to see your thought process as it relates to the issues I have to deal with. Although I almost always hike into my portable location it all still translates in some way and is fun to watch you ask and deal with some of the same questions/contingencies. Of course, the radio work is fun to watch as well but others seem to have covered some of that in the comments, thanks so much!
NOTE: Ha, ha, your rig looks just like mine with the speech compressor, Anderson power connector/adapter and external fuse to the battery. Also, your closing narrative is the credo I live by... THANK YOU! 73, K7GYB
Always nice to hear from you, David! Thank you for the comment. Take care, my friend. 73 from VE3TWM.
Another great video, Tracy.
Thanks for including the whole site inspection and your thoughts on setting up. Very informative.
Sorry to hear about the migraine stopping play. They're horrible things indeed and always seem to jump in at the most inconvenient times. Still, you managed to build camp and assemble a successful station so that's a win as far as I'm concerned.
Looking forward to your next instalment, whenever that may be.
73 from Scotland.
Ronan
MM0IVR
Thank you very much, Ronan! 73 from VE3TWM.
Tracy, thanks so much for your knowledge, bravery and encouragement despite a roaring headache!
Looking forward to further videos! 73 Daniel K7PKB
Thank you, Daniel! 73 from VE3TWM.
Great advice, I agree. Just finished working the ARRL Sweeps operating QRP this weekend. Made contacts all across US and CAN with 5 watts and a big antenna. 73, KI4ASK
Congrats on the great performance! 73 from VE3TWM.
The bands are always open on a contest weekend is my experience.
I sometimes think all the hams will the bands into opening 😀
Thanks Tracey.
I've worked ARRL Field Day from Presqu'ile, as a 1B Battery, a number of times.
Great radio spot.
It would be a great place for Field Day! 73 from VE3TWM.
Excellent video! Sorry about the headache. I did operate a contest portable with a KX3. I took my slingshot, and fishing pole to a site in a remote wood in Maryland. I managed to put up a 400-foot-long wire. Up 75 feet (Big old Oak Tree) and sloping down to 8 feet. I added some radials. I did best on 15 meters where I had some gain. I probably ran 10 watts. I worked a lot of DX. Keep up the excellent videos. 73, WA3RSL
Thank you! I've always dreamed of being able to put up a very long wire like that. Thanks for sharing your experience.
73 from VE3TWM.
Hi, Tracy. Sorry to hear about your migraine, they're the worst! Very nice contacts! I have the FT-817ND, Z817 tuner, the Windcamp 3000 mAh internal battery, a Portable Zero cage, and the Sotabeams Powerpole adapter. A very capable field rig! I usually operate mobile (stationary) with an MFJ-1699T multi band antenna on a magnetic mount. I really like the old school feel of the 817, and the tuner works perfectly.
Thanks for another interesting video from the field. Keep up the good work!
Best,
Marc (N1QGM)
Hi Marc, thank you for your comment! That's a great setup you have there. 73 from VE3TWM.
Wohooo Tracy you built your own HAM Radio Camp outdoor.. What an amazing Job. Happy Monday & 73 de YFUG 💯👍🙋♂
Thank you, UG! Take care my friend. 73 from VE3TWM.
Nice work Tracy.. Sorry the fun got cut short, but you made some great contacts on 5w.. Enjoyed the entertainment.. thx for sharing.. Kevin ~ k0klb
Thank you very much, Kevin! Looking forward to having you on the livestream in a few months.
Entertaining and informative as always. Thank you sir!
Thank you, Jason!
great as usual, Tracey, . iam a FT817 lover also. sorry about your head. when i go portable, i use a vertical antenna with a small tripod, seems easier than throwing a wire up and getting alltangled up.....73
Wow $42.00 for a camp site glad it doesn't cost but less than 1/2 that here in Colorado. I love QRP and run a ft817, Ic703, and a uBITX V6. I've been using half wave end fed antennas and they really impress the heck out of me I've made alot of good DX contacts with them. Once you set them up they are resonant on 10,15,20,40, and 80. Also all you need is one support.
We do get hosed on a lot of things here in VE land.Thank you for sharing your experience!
Danke für das tolle Video.73,von Wien.Österreich.😊😊😊
Great job Tracy.
Thank you, Tim!
Nice job Tracy! I love all the good press you give the FT-817nd. I’ve had fabulous results with mine too. Really enjoyed seeing those thousand miles plus plus contacts you made with just 5 watts. Sorry about the migraine setting in. Keep up the good work. 73
Thank you very much! 73 from VE3TWM.
Thank you for sharing this video sir. Since I am new to HF starting on 10 meters and will take quite sometime to work my way up like you guys have, I am gathering informations on the DO's and DON'T's and the technical aspects on the proper way of operating and the info I got from you sir is one for my books. 73's and have a Merry Christmas. DW1QEW, Philippines.
Thank you and Merry Christmas! 73 from VE3TWM.
My greatest radio accomplishment (watts / mile) was with my 817 and a resonant 20m dipole (N9SAB as well) from a campground in south-central Oklahoma to Australia. On 5 watts. Gotta love ham radio.
Don / W5DON
Fantastic contact, Don! Thank you for sharing.
This video was very helpful with you sharing the details of your experience. I know what it is like getting sick during contests. Keep on posting videos
Thank you very much!
Thanks! Just found your site, very useful already.
Thank you very much! 73 from VE3TWM.
I'm a bit lost on what part of this is comparing 5 watts to 1500. Was expecting this to be similar to your video done a couple years ago about five watts versus 20 watts, which was extremely informative for me. And while I'm sure it's cool to share your camping setup, I'm more interested in the radio part. Particularly with the title like that. Keep up the good videos.
Thank you for your comment. The title points to using 5 watts while many of the other stations are using full power, kind of like David vs Goliath.
very cool video Tracy - I have to say I really like my FT-817/818 , I have had one of these great little rigs since they were released , I'd sell one (thinking I wouldn't miss it) well I bought another. my wife got me my latest FT-818 because she missed sitting at our picnic table in our yard listening to me either working nets or DX or just SWLing with it. so she bought me a new one from one of my ham catalogs sitting around. anyway, these little rigs are excellent, it has a fairly hot front end, turning the IPO on and running the RF gain is paramount especially on the lower bands. thanks for the great video, sorry abt the headache - I get those neuralgia headaches and man, when they kick in NOTHING helps... BTW I use a Icom IC-7000 and a FT-450D for field rigs as well, but they are really power hungry but that little FT-818 is superb running with my 10 Ahr. LifPo4 battery , even does well with the little screwdriver type Super Antenna's as well - have fun hope to see more videos ....73
Thanks Tracy.
You're welcome, thank you for your comment!
I just purchase the TalentCell 6 ah off of Amazon. US = $40 w/usb or you can get it w/o USB for $34. I load tested my 6 ah with a one 1 load. It came out to 5.707 ah. Close enough for me. I always used those LiPo RV battery packs, but I liked the packaging of the TalentCell. They also make an 11 ah so you could use it for a weekend portable.
Lucky man, carry along extra antennas. Hi Hi What you ran into is the reason I changed every portable antenna and coaxial cables to use only BNC's.
Nice setup. Looks like you had a fun weekend.
Yet another great video. Thanks for posting.
Barry, KU3X
Always nice to hear from you, Barry! Are you going to Dayton in May?
Loved the video and information, migraines are the worst. Take care again great video.
Thank you very much!
Great video! Sometimes I think the "big guns" take a certain pleasure in stopping the "little pistols" from making QSOs. They're a legend in their own minds. The fact is that, when conditions are right, one will be shocked how far one can get with the "wrong antenna", "QRP", or the ubiquitous "only 100 watts." Keep dong what you're doing. 73 de Scott W1AL
Thank you, Scott! Great comment. 73 from VE3TWM.
Great results in one hour, Tracy! Hope the migraines aren't frequent. Wishing you well and good health. I run IARU HF from a friend's farm, east of Ottawa, every July. Run a battery for 100W SSB and a 4 band Spiderbeam OCF. I got one of those little (5x5' ?) screen shelters, it pops open in on piece, and a silver tarp that I use to shade from the Sun (I move the tarp as the Sun moves). It gets pretty chilly on those July nights I found. I managed 200 QSOs, which doesn't sound like much but that was a pretty steady effort (one surprise QSO from out of nowhere to Japan!). Every time I do this little expedition it helps me to improve my setup.
Another great video,Tracy👍🏻
You explaint every thing from A to Z very well.
As my Xiegu G90 died two months ago with "holy smoke symptom", I also use my 818 or the IC-703.
Sorry, that migrene ends the fun part.
Take care.
73 de Stefan DG4RBS
Nice to hear from you again, Stefan! 73 my friend from VE3TWM.
What went wrong with the g90?
@@xxdarkehammerxx6121 No more receive, getting very hot on transceive, no more tuner...
Smells bad after while, when I put it on battery power...
The bad thing is, nobody know how to repair it...
Ripper video Tracy...real life,down to earth situations including your wrong moves(each one a lesson to me).Your outfit in this one is identical to mine right down to Tim's antenna..uncanny!
Looking forward to your next gem. Gavin VK2YAK
Thank you very much, Gavin! Great minds think alike 👍
Had only a couple of hours during CQWW. I used the FT-817ND at 5 Watt with a homebrew wire vertical. Best DX was Alaska and West-Coast US from ON (Belgium). Had lots of fun during this contest. Heard several Asian and VK stations but couldn't work them. 73 de ON4MGY Nic
Great results, Nic! Well done. 73 from VE3TWM.
great video as always tracy, very informative and always good to see what others do in the hobby. Sorry to say my old ears dont cope well with qrm, especially contests , so iam always qrt on those days. 73 brian zl3xdj.
Thanlk you, Brian! I understand what you are saying. Take care and 73 from VE3TWM.
Great video.
Thank you, Tom!
Hi Tracy! Here’s another great video about the FT-817 family - I recently had to move to an 818ND and find myself resenting the extra watt so I turn it back down to 5. I also enjoy the HyEndFed Field Day antenna and have learned to keep my BNC-SO239 adapter on the transformer box. It never comes off there which means I am free to forget a different piece of gear… 73 VA7SGY
Hi Bruce, nice to hear from you again! I love that you "resented the extra watt"! When I get the adapter I'll use half a roll of electrical tape to adhere it to the BNC 😂 73 from VE3TWM.
Excellent! All about the antenna! 73 de K2CJB
Thank you, Chris! 73 from VE3TWM.
Excellent video sir regards M7CVK
Thank you very much!
Hi Tracy,
nice to see you living your motto "two is one, one is none!" (18:00)😅
By the way, another nice accessory for rigs without a voice keyer is a kit sold by "box73", called "Voice Keyer incl. Mic Enclosure". This really helps to save your voice when qrp-calling CQ POTA/SOTA, and while you are waiting for someone to dig your signal out of the noise floor 😃!
It should also work in combination with your FT897D, which I hope is working again.
Stay safe, and all the best from
Arne, DJ9AS
Hi Arne, it's always nice to hear from you! Thank you for the tip. I could certainly make good use of a voice keyer. 73 from VE3TWM.
Thugged-out Tracy is my favorite
Mine too 😂
that was fantastic Tracy, loved the campsite. please tell me where can I get a vertical like that thank you...Don KI5CDQ
Hi Don, thank you! I was actually using an N9SAB Off-Centre Fed dipole with the feedpoint mounted at about 40 feet on a telescopic fiberglass pole.
Great video.
Sorry to hear about the head. I got told to sell my Ft817 twice the other day as they could not hear me 😖😫
Motters M7TRS 73 👍🏻
Don't listen to them! Curious as to which antenna/band you were using and how high the antenna was. 73 from VE3TWM.
@@OutdoorsOnTheAir hi thanks for the reply. I would of been on 20/40m. I was testing a homemade ecoms vertical antenna for both 20/40. This is on the ground with radials.. With unfortunately my max power output of 5w. I was happy with the outcome but as always their are other which didn't like it. Its too easy for people to go out and buy all the watts under the sun and get around the globe 19 times. I was in a park on a hill and I was getting around 900 miles at the time of day. Hey ho.
Great work you are doing.
Thanks
Welcome
Great video Tracy! 74
Thank you, Thor! 73 from VE3TWM.
Nice...
Thank you!
Hi Tracy! Good video! A little different than your normal style, but good fun to watch.
If you ever want to sell that amp, let me know. I have been looking for a used one.
73 de VE3GKT
Thank you, Joseph! I don't know how long you want to wait, but I need a few months before selling it as I need to put together a video profiling it. Keep in touch 😀 73 from VE3TWM.
@@OutdoorsOnTheAir Happy to wait! Will certainly keep in touch.
Cliff is N4CCB and hasn't posted to
youtube in a couple of years. I used to follow him regularly. My health has limited me to back porch portable. Weather here on SC should be good enough to make some rf. 72 de Maurice KA4NIV
Hi, thank you for your comment. I reached out to Cliff. He told me he got burned out from UA-cam (I know what he means, I've danced with that myself). He's doing well and enjoying ham radio.
72 from VE3TWM.
I wonder what a difference that Sotabeams speech processor made?
Hi thanks for the great video. I was wondering where you purchased the fuse cables? What antenna tuner do you use when you connect your 45 watt amp to the FT-817ND?
Thank you for your comment!
Fuse cable came from Amazon, DIGITEN Auto Standard Blade Type ATC Fuse Assorted + Inline 16 AWG Gauge Holder kit for Car Boat Truck.
I have an LDG AT-100 Pro II for use at power levels above 20 watts.
i'll give /p a try on cq ww cw next weekend ... 73
Go get 'em! 73 from VE3TWM.
You oughta be Victor Echo Three Bad ASS
😂 Thank you!
Rewatching this and came across your pointers about better adjustment of the AF gain, with no IPO on. Or was it IPO OFF? what about the ATT? On or off? Can you go over how you set yours up for easier listening, better quality audio and more contacts? I have the FT-818, no filter (should I add one?) and an ATU-10 auto tuner, as well as a manual MFJ 1610 tuner. Thx! 73.
Hi Rod, hope you are keeping well! Turning the IPO on disables the preamp, so you want it on to reduce sensitivity. With the 817, you can have both the IPO and the ATT on, so do that. I don't do anything for easier listening aside from turning down the RF gain. Some guys use the clarifier to offset the frequency slightly which they claim helps with the noise. I have a 2kHz filter in mine. Doesn't help much with receive, but it reduces the transmit bandwidth to focus the outgoing RF and hopefully put out a stronger signal as a result. Never tested that though, YMMV. I should do another video on these things.
73 from VE3TWM!
@@OutdoorsOnTheAir thanks for these tips. I have usually turned on IPO/ATT and been able to get less noise. I also try to adjust the AF. But that makes the Signal Strength meter very inaccurate, it seems. Any hints on adjusting AF to get better SS results?
I enjoy your vids. That head scarf doesn’t suit you. 👍☘️
Thank you! I prefer a ball cap but I have a big melon so many caps are tight and uncomfortable. The Buff bandanas I wear are really comfortable and keep my balding head warm and protected from sunburn 😀