Love it. I like the additional effects explaining control adjustments. I’m still practicing. I made my first QSO on CW a couple of months ago. I was really nervous and had to cheat with a decoder, but I wanted to get one under my belt. Your videos help me get motivated to stay at it. CW can be extremely frustrating, and yet, extremely rewarding, too. The Morse abbreviations seem very useful. Most of yours I followed, except “FE”. What does that stand for? Thanks again for the vid. It was a treat, as always.
Glad to hear you like it! I plan on doing a video about my approach to learning and how I would modify my path, if I were to start today. But it’s a longer talk, need to prepare. The FE is a sending error ;-)
Thanks. I've been licensed since February 2020, this video was shot a yaer ago, so it would be around 3 years at that point. I recommend morsecode.ninja website for learning.
I bought the FT-891. I would like to use Winlink Express. I set up the USB ports and the sound card. It does not connect to the knot. Please specify if you are using Winlink Express what needs to be changed on the radio for everything to work.
ua-cam.com/video/q0jSDxyoNLo/v-deo.html&feature=emb_title I don't use digital modes, but I recored voiceover for this video my club mate made. Maybe you'll find it useful.
Beautiful CW Adam. I wish I was anywhere near close to this. I'm still struggling to head copy. 20wpm is no problem as I can write but above this you can't write that fast. The 891 sounds great and definitely a future purchase when funds allow. 73, Colin.
Try morsecode.ninja videos on YT, start with "Top 100 words (3x repeated)", then go with Top 100 words sentences, then more word videos. Progress comes by itself if you keep at it most days of the week. No need to rush it.
Adam, why did you choose the FT-891 (a mobile rig) instead of a full-sized radio like an IC-7300? You use your SW-3B for portable work, so I am guessing the FT-891 stays home as a base station. Also, you use an FT-2980 for VHF. Why not use a dual band transceiver? I currently have an IC-718 but am considering an FT-891 for its filtering abilities. But I am interested in the decision making fellow Hams made in selecting their own rigs.
It's my first rig, so I had to buy the power supply, assemble the antenna, coax, lightning arrestors etc. All the cost added up and as I was starting out, I didn't want to shell out on 7300 which was much more expensive early 2020 than FT-891. My logic was also, that I would want to take it out in the field, so wanted a rig for both worlds, although I went the QRP route for portable work in the end, which is much more fun, light-weight and what-not. At the point where I am now, I could probably use a FTDX10 and sell the FT-891, but as far as what I do is considered, which is CW, I asked myself, do I really need a station with more functions? Someone will point out that the ease of use would be much better with all controls available and not buried in the menus in FT-891, but at the end of the day, you set it up once, if you only use CW and pull the few options you need onto the ABC buttons and you are good. Of course a waterfall would be nice, but that's more for contests etc. If I want to do SWL and snoop aroun for interesting transmissions, my RSP1A and miniwhip are much more convenient on the computer. My reasoning was also that I just call CQ in the evening, make a nice CW QSO or two and get along with it. Catch a DX here and there. Since I don't have QRM here I probably could use an even simpler rig as long as the receiver wasn't crap, so I could take advantage of the noise floor at my QTH. As for the FT2980. I make only a few contacts a month on it anyway, as I don't particularly like voice comms. I make more of these from the car, where I have a FTM-300 which is great. Not much going on in my area and almost nothing on 70cm and 70cm repeaters are either so close I can use a handheld or too far away for a base station to be useful. So I thought that 80W 2m rig (It doesn't have a fan, which is an added bonus) that's affordable and reliable to reach most of my friends in a 60-80 km radius on 2m would be a nice pick (I use the X510N antenna). I''m kind of a minimalist and a fan of "good enough for me" type with most of my gear. Also I don't like to collect stuff I don't use. If I don't use something for 2 years, it might as well not exist ;-)
@@AdamSQ5VCO Wow! Thank you for taking the time to give such a thorough reply. If I may, have you taken your FT891 out at all for POTA, or is it strictly your SW3B? Also, what do you love about the QRP rig so much? I ask all this because I have the SW3B, the FT2980, AND I am considering selling my IC-718 to get either an FT891 or IC7300 as a base station. I do enjoy DXing and contesting, so the 7300 makes sense. However, I’ve recently bought some Bioenno batteries for POTA and want to use them for phone. Would a 7300 be too clunky for that? This hobby is so fun, and I enjoy vids like yours. They inspire me.
Good video! The distance is not impressive, but it's a good video! I found out that Morse is way easier than people think, and I also realized why people give up on Morse code. Many students are taught they must be able to understand everything before transmitting. This is a lie and make people give up because it takes forever to get any reward with cw. Teachers should mention DX and contests where the exchange is simple and you already know what the other side will send before making your call. It's ironic, but the people who love cw the most are the ones killing it hehe
I learned to receive before transmitting. I went on the air at 10 WPM and quickly went to 13 WPM, but you have a point there. I will do a video about my CW journey.
Thanks for posting Adam
Love it. I like the additional effects explaining control adjustments.
I’m still practicing. I made my first QSO on CW a couple of months ago. I was really nervous and had to cheat with a decoder, but I wanted to get one under my belt.
Your videos help me get motivated to stay at it. CW can be extremely frustrating, and yet, extremely rewarding, too.
The Morse abbreviations seem very useful. Most of yours I followed, except “FE”. What does that stand for?
Thanks again for the vid. It was a treat, as always.
Glad to hear you like it! I plan on doing a video about my approach to learning and how I would modify my path, if I were to start today. But it’s a longer talk, need to prepare. The FE is a sending error ;-)
LOL
@@AdamSQ5VCOwho makes that cw paddle?
How long have you been a CW operator? I know that you did not start yesterday. Such a fast speed. Best 73’s.
Thanks. I've been licensed since February 2020, this video was shot a yaer ago, so it would be around 3 years at that point. I recommend morsecode.ninja website for learning.
I bought the FT-891. I would like to use Winlink Express. I set up the USB ports and the sound card. It does not connect to the knot. Please specify if you are using Winlink Express what needs to be changed on the radio for everything to work.
ua-cam.com/video/q0jSDxyoNLo/v-deo.html&feature=emb_title I don't use digital modes, but I recored voiceover for this video my club mate made. Maybe you'll find it useful.
Beautiful CW Adam. I wish I was anywhere near close to this. I'm still struggling to head copy. 20wpm is no problem as I can write but above this you can't write that fast. The 891 sounds great and definitely a future purchase when funds allow. 73, Colin.
Try morsecode.ninja videos on YT, start with "Top 100 words (3x repeated)", then go with Top 100 words sentences, then more word videos. Progress comes by itself if you keep at it most days of the week. No need to rush it.
Adam, świetnie grasz.
Chyba mi się zaczyna nawrót choroby powoli - trzeba będzie odkurzyć mojego Prectora i uskutecznić jakieś druciarstwo ;D
Dawaj dawaj :-)
Sorry if I miss that ... what paddle do you use there ?. Congratulation for your clean CW.
Thanks! Prector by SP2SWT, I don't think they are available publicly.
Trzeba przyznać że dźwięk oprócz wartości nadawczej po prostu ładnie brzmi :-)
A dziękuję. Coraz lepiej mi idzie w grze na tym "instrumencie" 🙂
Adam, why did you choose the FT-891 (a mobile rig) instead of a full-sized radio like an IC-7300? You use your SW-3B for portable work, so I am guessing the FT-891 stays home as a base station. Also, you use an FT-2980 for VHF. Why not use a dual band transceiver?
I currently have an IC-718 but am considering an FT-891 for its filtering abilities. But I am interested in the decision making fellow Hams made in selecting their own rigs.
It's my first rig, so I had to buy the power supply, assemble the antenna, coax, lightning arrestors etc. All the cost added up and as I was starting out, I didn't want to shell out on 7300 which was much more expensive early 2020 than FT-891. My logic was also, that I would want to take it out in the field, so wanted a rig for both worlds, although I went the QRP route for portable work in the end, which is much more fun, light-weight and what-not. At the point where I am now, I could probably use a FTDX10 and sell the FT-891, but as far as what I do is considered, which is CW, I asked myself, do I really need a station with more functions? Someone will point out that the ease of use would be much better with all controls available and not buried in the menus in FT-891, but at the end of the day, you set it up once, if you only use CW and pull the few options you need onto the ABC buttons and you are good. Of course a waterfall would be nice, but that's more for contests etc. If I want to do SWL and snoop aroun for interesting transmissions, my RSP1A and miniwhip are much more convenient on the computer.
My reasoning was also that I just call CQ in the evening, make a nice CW QSO or two and get along with it. Catch a DX here and there. Since I don't have QRM here I probably could use an even simpler rig as long as the receiver wasn't crap, so I could take advantage of the noise floor at my QTH.
As for the FT2980. I make only a few contacts a month on it anyway, as I don't particularly like voice comms. I make more of these from the car, where I have a FTM-300 which is great. Not much going on in my area and almost nothing on 70cm and 70cm repeaters are either so close I can use a handheld or too far away for a base station to be useful. So I thought that 80W 2m rig (It doesn't have a fan, which is an added bonus) that's affordable and reliable to reach most of my friends in a 60-80 km radius on 2m would be a nice pick (I use the X510N antenna). I''m kind of a minimalist and a fan of "good enough for me" type with most of my gear. Also I don't like to collect stuff I don't use. If I don't use something for 2 years, it might as well not exist ;-)
@@AdamSQ5VCO Wow! Thank you for taking the time to give such a thorough reply.
If I may, have you taken your FT891 out at all for POTA, or is it strictly your SW3B?
Also, what do you love about the QRP rig so much?
I ask all this because I have the SW3B, the FT2980, AND I am considering selling my IC-718 to get either an FT891 or IC7300 as a base station. I do enjoy DXing and contesting, so the 7300 makes sense. However, I’ve recently bought some Bioenno batteries for POTA and want to use them for phone. Would a 7300 be too clunky for that?
This hobby is so fun, and I enjoy vids like yours. They inspire me.
Good video! The distance is not impressive, but it's a good video!
I found out that Morse is way easier than people think, and I also realized why people give up on Morse code. Many students are taught they must be able to understand everything before transmitting. This is a lie and make people give up because it takes forever to get any reward with cw.
Teachers should mention DX and contests where the exchange is simple and you already know what the other side will send before making your call. It's ironic, but the people who love cw the most are the ones killing it hehe
I learned to receive before transmitting. I went on the air at 10 WPM and quickly went to 13 WPM, but you have a point there. I will do a video about my CW journey.
What is your paddle on is that a magnet?
Prector by SP2SWT, no it’s a metal base, a use a silicone pad to keep it in place
Adam, what paddles are you using?
de W5QZT. 73
Prector by SP2SWT - magnetic return
APF is great. Maybe the AGC constant is too fast, but 891 has a vy gd rx. Best wishes! 73! Adi/Yo2liw
Do you know the width is adjustable in the menu?