Carl, I really like your radio setup at Keele University, and your in depth explanation of your setup, I found it to be very interesting and entertaining. You said that you are using low loss cable, and with that I would say that your putting out a great signal with the reports of 5x9 that you were receiving, so I probably would not worry too much about excessive line loss since you are using quality low loss cable. Carl thank you for sharing and can't wait for your further adventures.
Great modular set up Carl, very easy to put away out of sight & the amp seems to be working good for you with the ic 705 & the compromise antenna. Take care, speak soon, Jim 2E0HKM
I have a couple of RM Italy baby linears. Fabulous performance. Absolutely zero complaints. They do fry if you're careless though. But, the same is true of most electronics.
Assuming your amp is putting out 90 watts at 14 MHz. You main coax run is 20 meters and you have 6 connection points at 0.01 db. loss per connector. Power at the antenna should be around 83 Watts (82.84) is what I calculated. Gain of the antenna is probably unity. I could not find out for sure, as all of the magazines such as QST and suppliers like Ham Radio Outlet do not allow antenna gain claims to be posted...... As most of the manufacturers ( embellish) the truth. Nice setup Carl, seems to be working a treat. Myself personally, I would look into getting something up into the trees or on the building. A little height is always a good thing. And it’s out of the way of “ prying eyes” and “sticky fingers”
Hi Carl, nice video and explanation about the setup. I think if you have made decent connections between the rig and the ant, and you are enjoying the contacts you are making, line loss is not even worth talking about. I know from being on qrp in the uk, then it's worth some thought, but I think , if iam enjoying being on the air, regardless of what your ant is or your rig or power is, just chill and enjoy meeting new op,s. Recently I had a great cw ragchew on 30m, the swr was through the roof, as I was using my 40m ant, but what an enjoyable qso. Not everything in life has to be perfect before we can enjoy ourselves. I often hear folk rattle on about not getting the right coax, the best connectors or a perfect swr, and are not happy until they do, and in the meantime miss out on all the radio fun there could have. Your station is working great, yes you could experiment with a wire up that tree, it might be better or not, but my dad always said if it's working well and your happy don't worry just keep enjoying. With band conditions getting better each month, a coat hanger ant will get you dx hi. Cheer.
Hi Carl, If I saw correctly your join outside used two Pl259 connectors and a barrel connector (pl258). That is two connections not one. In any case if you are only running 80w on HF, then I wouldn't worry about the loss on the connectors that you are using. VHF would be a different story. If you can get a wire up, end-fed or dipole, you will "probably" get better signals out and in. Not only stronger but probably slightly lower noise as well. 73 Ed DD5LP
Hi Carl, Looks like you bumped into the YOTA contest? RF sensing okay with the amp your set-up. PTT line really only needed if you have other stuff that needs sequencing. Don’t worry about those losses too much. It’s working and will be fine. Perhaps stick a power meter on and check your output. You might be surprised…. 1:1 choke always good at shack-end and then at least you can use the coax lead as an extra counterpoise/radial. Can be useful. Have fun. Catch you in HH sometime
I was thinking about a small (as in size) amp to pair with my ic-705, think I will just buy an ft891 instead, 100w and you get a radio included! (I think you already have one). Love the content, keep up the great work.
I have both the IC-7300 and IC-705, love them both. Picked the FT-891 about a month ago and took it out into the field today with the Chameleon TDL. It was nice to have 100w SSB when band conditions were up and down. It is a great addition to the stable.
Hi Carl, having watched your first video, i’m wondering if maybe you might be better hiding the tripod in a low bush out front and then shortening your feeder greatly. if the Slidewinder coil is above the top of the bush , you haven’t got so far to walk then either . The take off angle in the court yard is hitting walls on 4 sides, so just a thought fella, would be a good little experiment out front and you could whip the coil and mil whip off when your not there leaving the tripod in the shrubbery 😉 What do you think ? , kind regards Bert.
Carl, another great video, thanks! I wouldn't be too worried about the line loss, it might be 2 or 3 db, but you are getting good reports, so not to worry. I would be more concerned that the joins are not waterproofed. I have had water get into coax, not fun. So, yeah, I know that free advice is worth what you paid for it, but get some coax sealant tape, the self-adhesive stuff that forms a watertight bond on itself, and seal up the connections. I dunno about the wisdom of having the rig in the office. It would take some discipline to keep me working instead of tuning the rig. But your mileage may vary. Hahahahaha. Keep up the great videos!
20m of formula 0 super low loss at 30 Mhz is 0.47dB. connector loss is negligible. so no more than 0.5dB loss for the run. 89% of Rf power is getting to the antenna matching network on highest band ,more on lower bands. The largest losses will be in the coil,and ground loss. especially at the lower bands.
Keele (Thank God for Ale). Lovely to see the old place (i was a student in 85-88), but struggled to recognise the location -clock tower area? cheers Rob M0JWU, 73
yeah it was me with the efhw, use a fiber-glass flagpole, fully extended with the end of the wire taped to the top, then drape it over the trees, dragging trough the top of the branches i use this system with my efhw when portable, you look silly, but it works a treat without putting widows out lol , i keep meaning to do a video for a demo, but never get around to it
Hi mate, nice set-up. I'm still learning so apologies for the newbie question: I've been using my IC-705 + AH705 tuner with a Chameleon MPAS antenna in my little garden, mainly for FT8 and WSPR. With the recent changes in licence rules (I'm currently Intermediate) I'm tempted to get an amplifier. The reviews I've read so far point ne towards a Xiegu xpa125b, but some users seem unhappy with "magic smoke" appearing at random... Would you say your set-up is safer than the Xiegu? And would my Icom ATU get fried by the amplifier? In advance, many thanks for your time. Best regards, Manny 2E0HJN
SD1446 RF Transistor used in theses amps are discontinued. so these amps will in time will be hard to get and repair. Rm make an mla100 which has smaller dimensions and properly uses mosfets transistors. the rm mla100 is very expensive for 100 watts.
What do your work colleagues make of the radio gear in the office? I did spot in the first video a tall building in the back ground. Ideal for a webdsr?
My work colleagues are complete geeks and are fascinated by ham radio especially the science and the usual gear porn. We have worked on projects requiring RF data packets and got the hang of packet modes easily. Yes there’s a great opportunity for a remote SDR station
Hello congratulations for your video I found it very cool and I would like to know the maximum power you can reach with this linear RM Italy Hla 150 ??because I am in doubt if I buy one in Italy hla 150 or if I buy the one in Italy hla 300 plus for use with my Ivón ic 705 on my mobile station!Leave your opinion for me and 73 of Pu3Ykw/M …
I would just stick with my ICOM 7000 if I had only one radio so I could use it at 100 watts on HF/6 meters and QRP when I wanted it.Of course I would still have higher output power on VHF/UHF without buying amplifiers for those bands as well and I could still use QRP on both bands as well if I wished.I only run my ICOM 703 PLUS at 10 watts and I have Zero desire for an amplifier for it since I see it as a waste of money.
Coax Loss.. Assuming you are only going up to 28 MHz Even using UltraFlex 7, which is good, is 3dB dB @ 100M I would guesstimate, Assuming you sort out that last patch lead and your run is say 25M Loss is @ 1dB, do not worry, power loss negligible, and on RX, band noise will be greater than any noticeable RX loss
Not impressed with this Co. Got rand new 503hd, right out the box will not work on ssb! An rm itialy doesn't answer my emails for warranty. Might want to do some research first. Whis I had
Carl, I really like your radio setup at Keele University, and your in depth explanation of your setup, I found it to be very interesting and entertaining. You said that you are using low loss cable, and with that I would say that your putting out a great signal with the reports of 5x9 that you were receiving, so I probably would not worry too much about excessive line loss since you are using quality low loss cable. Carl thank you for sharing and can't wait for your further adventures.
Great modular set up Carl, very easy to put away out of sight & the amp seems to be working good for you with the ic 705 & the compromise antenna. Take care, speak soon, Jim 2E0HKM
I have a couple of RM Italy baby linears. Fabulous performance. Absolutely zero complaints.
They do fry if you're careless though. But, the same is true of most electronics.
I have seen many complaints about the output specs being over exaggerated but I have no idea since I don’t own one?
Assuming your amp is putting out 90 watts at 14 MHz. You main coax run is 20 meters and you have 6 connection points at 0.01 db. loss per connector. Power at the antenna should be around 83 Watts (82.84) is what I calculated. Gain of the antenna is probably unity. I could not find out for sure, as all of the magazines such as QST and suppliers like Ham Radio Outlet do not allow antenna gain claims to be posted...... As most of the manufacturers ( embellish) the truth.
Nice setup Carl, seems to be working a treat. Myself personally, I would look into getting something up into the trees or on the building. A little height is always a good thing. And it’s out of the way of “ prying eyes” and “sticky fingers”
Hi Carl, nice video and explanation about the setup.
I think if you have made decent connections between the rig and the ant, and you are enjoying the contacts you are making, line loss is not even worth talking about. I know from being on qrp in the uk, then it's worth some thought, but I think , if iam enjoying being on the air, regardless of what your ant is or your rig or power is, just chill and enjoy meeting new op,s.
Recently I had a great cw ragchew on 30m, the swr was through the roof, as I was using my 40m ant, but what an enjoyable qso. Not everything in life has to be perfect before we can enjoy ourselves. I often hear folk rattle on about not getting the right coax, the best connectors or a perfect swr, and are not happy until they do, and in the meantime miss out on all the radio fun there could have.
Your station is working great, yes you could experiment with a wire up that tree, it might be better or not, but my dad always said if it's working well and your happy don't worry just keep enjoying. With band conditions getting better each month, a coat hanger ant will get you dx hi.
Cheer.
Very important always check your SWR and your antenna you don’t want to screw up your expensive 705
Hi Carl,
If I saw correctly your join outside used two Pl259 connectors and a barrel connector (pl258). That is two connections not one. In any case if you are only running 80w on HF, then I wouldn't worry about the loss on the connectors that you are using. VHF would be a different story.
If you can get a wire up, end-fed or dipole, you will "probably" get better signals out and in. Not only stronger but probably slightly lower noise as well.
73 Ed DD5LP
Hi Carl,
Looks like you bumped into the YOTA contest?
RF sensing okay with the amp your set-up. PTT line really only needed if you have other stuff that needs sequencing. Don’t worry about those losses too much. It’s working and will be fine. Perhaps stick a power meter on and check your output. You might be surprised….
1:1 choke always good at shack-end and then at least you can use the coax lead as an extra counterpoise/radial. Can be useful.
Have fun. Catch you in HH sometime
I was thinking about a small (as in size) amp to pair with my ic-705, think I will just buy an ft891 instead, 100w and you get a radio included! (I think you already have one). Love the content, keep up the great work.
I have both the IC-7300 and IC-705, love them both. Picked the FT-891 about a month ago and took it out into the field today with the Chameleon TDL. It was nice to have 100w SSB when band conditions were up and down. It is a great addition to the stable.
Hi Carl, having watched your first video, i’m wondering if maybe you might be better hiding the tripod in a low bush out front and then shortening your feeder greatly. if the Slidewinder coil is above the top of the bush , you haven’t got so far to walk then either . The take off angle in the court yard is hitting walls on 4 sides, so just a thought fella, would be a good little experiment out front and you could whip the coil and mil whip off when your not there leaving the tripod in the shrubbery 😉
What do you think ? , kind regards Bert.
Carl thanks for the video. The VU land amp PA150 made by VU2NKK now VU2ELD costing 120$ is also popular here.
Carl, another great video, thanks! I wouldn't be too worried about the line loss, it might be 2 or 3 db, but you are getting good reports, so not to worry. I would be more concerned that the joins are not waterproofed. I have had water get into coax, not fun. So, yeah, I know that free advice is worth what you paid for it, but get some coax sealant tape, the self-adhesive stuff that forms a watertight bond on itself, and seal up the connections. I dunno about the wisdom of having the rig in the office. It would take some discipline to keep me working instead of tuning the rig. But your mileage may vary. Hahahahaha. Keep up the great videos!
The only issue with these is the lack of bandpass filters which can result in significant output on 21mhz while operating on 7mhz etc
20m of formula 0 super low loss at 30 Mhz is 0.47dB. connector loss is negligible. so no more than 0.5dB loss for the run. 89% of Rf power is getting to the antenna matching network on highest band ,more on lower bands. The largest losses will be in the coil,and ground loss. especially at the lower bands.
Another great video, thanks ! Mark, 2E0MSR
Keele (Thank God for Ale). Lovely to see the old place (i was a student in 85-88), but struggled to recognise the location -clock tower area? cheers Rob M0JWU, 73
yeah it was me with the efhw, use a fiber-glass flagpole, fully extended with the end of the wire taped to the top, then drape it over the trees, dragging trough the top of the branches i use this system with my efhw when portable, you look silly, but it works a treat without putting widows out lol , i keep meaning to do a video for a demo, but never get around to it
Hi Carl, I enjoyed your 2metre SSB video, just wondering if there are more to come (I hope so)
Hi mate, nice set-up. I'm still learning so apologies for the newbie question:
I've been using my IC-705 + AH705 tuner with a Chameleon MPAS antenna in my little garden, mainly for FT8 and WSPR.
With the recent changes in licence rules (I'm currently Intermediate) I'm tempted to get an amplifier.
The reviews I've read so far point ne towards a Xiegu xpa125b, but some users seem unhappy with "magic smoke" appearing at random...
Would you say your set-up is safer than the Xiegu?
And would my Icom ATU get fried by the amplifier?
In advance, many thanks for your time.
Best regards,
Manny
2E0HJN
The Xiegu is a good choice, it has an ATU built in. You will need a CAT cable to link to the radio for PTT which you can get easily.
@@M0SZT Cheers! 👍🏻
Hi! What is the difference between the HLA-150 non-plus and the plus-version? Thanks in advance. 73's.
If you have more than 1.5db loss on any HF frequency, I'd be surprised. Nice setup.
I wonder if this would work with my G-90?
Tat is akin to what is in the COBRA DX200 GTL but the driver transistor is know to give the ghost sometimes
SD1446 RF Transistor used in theses amps are discontinued. so these amps will in time will be hard to get and repair. Rm make an mla100 which has smaller dimensions and properly uses mosfets transistors. the rm mla100 is very expensive for 100 watts.
How work the amplifier in automatic filters mode?
Why not just remote to your home station? Get the Icom software and away you go..
Seems allot of work...
Where’s the fun in that?
What do your work colleagues make of the radio gear in the office? I did spot in the first video a tall building in the back ground. Ideal for a webdsr?
My work colleagues are complete geeks and are fascinated by ham radio especially the science and the usual gear porn. We have worked on projects requiring RF data packets and got the hang of packet modes easily. Yes there’s a great opportunity for a remote SDR station
Hello congratulations for your video I found it very cool and I would like to know the maximum power you can reach with this linear RM Italy Hla 150 ??because I am in doubt if I buy one in Italy hla 150 or if I buy the one in Italy hla 300 plus for use with my Ivón ic 705 on my mobile station!Leave your opinion for me and 73 of Pu3Ykw/M …
I would say about 75% of the advertised output
Nice!
Office life huh ?
I would just stick with my ICOM 7000 if I had only one radio so I could use it at 100 watts on HF/6 meters and QRP when I wanted it.Of course I would still have higher output power on VHF/UHF without buying amplifiers for those bands as well and I could still use QRP on both bands as well if I wished.I only run my ICOM 703 PLUS at 10 watts and I have Zero desire for an amplifier for it since I see it as a waste of money.
Coax Loss.. Assuming you are only going up to 28 MHz
Even using UltraFlex 7, which is good, is 3dB dB @ 100M
I would guesstimate,
Assuming you sort out that last patch lead and your run is say 25M
Loss is @ 1dB, do not worry, power loss negligible,
and on RX, band noise will be greater than any noticeable RX loss
Not impressed with this Co. Got rand new 503hd, right out the box will not work on ssb! An rm itialy doesn't answer my emails for warranty. Might want to do some research first. Whis I had
estimate 1.5dB loss for your length of cabling at HF.
Thank you!
Did you consider the (2) PL-259 connectors and the Barrel Connector? They alone are at least that not including the feed line loss?
lmr 400 at 100watts with 75' I loose 15 watts
I have one for 2metre the result no good,,,200wats but i see130watts only.
73 de Pu3Ykw/M