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Great video,, I'm going to do 1 for my Kx2, just one question: why was necessary to remove the 2 plug male connector? Would be enough to cut one of the 2? So you can connect with out cut and resolder, saludos

Great stuff ZL3PAE love watching ur stuff.. what are you recording videos with the quality is mint

As the content implies, there's nothing new here, but it is just so deserving of a thumbs up for clarity of delivery, both visually and audibly. You have a natural talent for teaching. Cheers.

5 9 10 over 73's.... way to make ham radio interesting

“Tough as an old nun” - stealing this! 73, Also, love the 817 - the ham radio Swiss Army knife. Mike K3CXG

Dang, you're running up that hill? I can barley walk up the hill when doing SOTA. LOL! Great video. 73 de W6OBB

CHRISSSSS !!!!!! TIME TO ACTIVATE AND RECORD BRO.

Great video. Next time it would be better with close-ups of the individual items. I use the Kx2 in the Elecraft case and I put a Leatherman Squirt in it years ago. Great and useful tiny multi-tool. Only had to use it once, but it saved the day.

great video !!!

"ah! CB" USUAL START TO CONVERSATION.

Hey, greetings from the UK! KX2, yes, yes and yes. The only thing it is made with unobtanium which must be a very rare metal so that after selling any body part you end up dying of old age before getting it in the mail. Thanks for sharing

Hey! Greetings from the UK! Great video with lots of very useful tricks and tips. I normally operate from the New Forest South England and because we are not allowed to sticks things in the soil or throw arborists lines up trees, I just use a 6m Carbon mast like yours and lean it agains a tree very gently. That seems to wrk very well. Vk3YE sticks a pole to chopping board and sticks it in a backpack, Man-pack style. That looks it could work on a summit as well but I never tried that. My favorite after watching your video is the Doggy style provided he sits still the hole activation. Thanks for sharing.

What if you want to engage in more lengthy conversations about specific topics on the air? Can you just transmit your callsign and an invitation to converse about a subject when the frequency is not in use? Is this generally frowned upon? I'm not so much interested in technical details of setups as I am in finding quirky/like minded people to chew the fat with over a more obscure medium. I am studying the practice tests and it seems like getting a certificate is quickly becoming achievable, just want to make sure I am not getting into it for the wrong reasons.

i thought that was a pretty good description. my idea of a long and meaningful conversation is exchanging callsigns and signal reports ;-)

Absolutely right! Those four rigs are tops.

Hi, i came here in New Zealand on Nov.2022. I love cw, i built the pixie, usdx kit, also have bought the usdx from china the small one without internal battery, and the frogsound. Didnt bring them all with me coming here. I have no license, i didnt renew it ages ago. I just put one up just for listening pleasure..

Inspiring....brilliant. Cheers ZL2VTH

This video is so far off.. Most contacts are not that short,, like your contesting clip.. Yes there are digikids that only want to operate and never talk to anyone. May as well just use the internet. Super rare countries breaking a pileup with short contacts.. The bulk though is meeting new folks on several bands.. I can remember getting up at 4 AM to make contacts "down under". Ragchew is usually 75 or 40 meters.. Even 20 and 17 are bands people have conversations to get to know each other. 160,, well that is where the grumpy old guys hang out.. They only want to talk with friends (made over radio). I really think you are misleading new people. Yes, you are describing that there are tons of modes and activities, but the most is CW or SSB not just a quick contact to put in the log.

Hi Chris, any advice on where to source an 817/818 or G90 in New Zealand?

Okay I'm going to say a few words here now what I like about amateur radio. I like to do message handling like handling messages for folks doing emergencies or just regular messages when there's no emergencies I like rag chewing. Meeting new people on the air I mean I like to get to know folks and be able to talk to him when they're on the air and stuff. So that way if you meet him at a convention or whatever you have something in common contesting is good and parks on the air is good but you really don't get to know the person by just saying 59 Ohio or or whatever you know why can't we just sit down and have a nice chat with somebody there's nothing wrong with it so in my opinion it's all right to get signal reports and stuff but let's bring amateur radio back how it used to be how people made new friends and and got the got to know folks all right I'm getting off my soapbox

280 Yards is 256 Meters btw.

Dang, I was actually hoping to get some pharmaceutical advice. vk5haa.

Great video! I also use a guy ring that I designed and 3D printed, but instead of Nite Ize, I use paracord pre-tied to the ring using a midshipman's hitch knot. Super quick and easy to adjust and no extra parts to deal with. The far ends are tied with a bowline where I attach my stakes. Ideal is to find a zero or one-point guy position, which usually involves sticking the pole into some rocks here on SoCal's usually-rocky summits and then using a stake like a climbing nut to secure the mast. Thanks for the video. Cheers!

an amazing video... great for our next open door day in our highschool...

A lot of great info here, Chris!

Grat tip about leaning the mast into the wind. Awesome video man. Thanks for the upload.

Excellent stuff Dr Chris!! - Next up show us a few of ya antennas would ya as I'd love to try make one! (thats of course if you haven't done a vid on that already!! If so insert link!!) Thanks Chris, Gaz ZL2GAZ

Nice work! I pop a blue pile and attach a long wire to a kite or balloon depending on the conditions. So far I haven't needed the blue pill. Knock on wood!

Good video. Strapping the antenna to the dog...Quality!!! Im pretty sure that I would be homeless if I tried that. 73 Chris M0RSF

spot on

Haha, I came for the medical advice but could not find a link to the blue pills!🤔😄 Great practical advice for a noob like me. I bought a 9m squidpole but have nothing for the top or for anchoring or guying so you info is helpful.👍🍻🤓💪

It's funny because my antenna deployments are the flip opposite of yours. Even on summits here in eastern NA, there are usually trees--they might not be tall, but they're there. I need to practice deploying telescoping poles, though, because it's a skill I haven't developed (at all) yet and I need to as I travel about with the radio. These tips will come in handy. I've had a tactical mini now for over a year and haven't once needed to deploy it in the field. I'd rather not have erectile disfunction when the time comes. 😆

I usually use knots, less to lose or to bring. Although, a good idea for future kits. On my last couple vhf/uhf activations, I just used rock formations to keep the mast in place.

Classic, Chris. I rely totally on the “smash” approach-occasionally use Nite Ize gear wraps to help hold onto a bit of scrub…guying is way too complicated for me!

Thanks Radio Runner, another informative and entertaining video I use little blue tent pegs, for my mast, as I’ve been told that “the Little Blue ones” (aka Viagra) keeps it up, Hi Hi Keep up (yes pun intended, the great work Phil VK2JDL

One day I have to be as good at erections as you. Your tip will help me get there.

Awesome clickbait!

Great video. I cut my guy ring out of a old piece of kydex. I prefer nots to gizmo's. Mainly because I never said gizmo when I need one. Knowing some basic knots has helped me out with all kinds of situations.

I have no idea how you kept a straight face in that intro !!

Hehe very good. I'm pretty lucky, most sota sites here have trigs. I have a few i want to do that don't though, those are great ideas. Once we had a cheap fleabay bow and arrow set to get an end fed into a tree. Once we had an end fed with a ground wire, managed to stuff up and the radial was on the ground and the ground was in the tree. It was crap but it worked. Laughed a lot later when i worked it out. Antennas, the black magic of amateur radio my neighbour tells me. It was his antenna ;-)

Great video. Thanks. I have added a length of PVC pipe to the bottom section of both my fibreglass poles. I then use straps to tie off to whatever is handy. Many summits here have trees on top so finding something suitable is quite easy. The PVC means I can put a decent force to the base without damage to the fibreglass. Occasionally when set up and tear down needs to be quick I just extend the pole and lay it in the tree. If the trees are open I sometimes go for 16 oz throw bag and use the throw rope to support the centre of my link dipole. Dragging a wire through after a rope is just asking for tangles and knots.

Great video thanks Doc! These tips will definitely help in the future. Cheers!

Not sure if strapping to my dog would work. Think he's too small. A Jack Russell. Plus if he saw a rabbit or fox, he'd be off!

I like the green but it clashes with the blue on your screens, so some work needed there. As for the video, I think you covered it all beautifully. I use a short section of pvc pipe with my carbon 6 pole. I jam the pipe in some rocks, or a summit cairn and then pop the mast *inside* the pipe. That way there is no need to take off the end cap. No lube needed. All the Best, Fraser MM0EFI

Another great video. Many thanks. Very helpful in my adventures. Looking forward to a video about SOTA antennas also.

I mounted my big black pole using the strap on method. I ran white cream colored Dacron through the pole and out of the tip of my pole to keep it into the wind. So it does tilt a bit to the west.

Great video, some ideas I hadn't tried! On my last HF SOTA activation I actually made several contacts where my mast was just getting wrecked by wind and the antenna had come off and was basically laying on top of some high grasses. The only contacts I made that way (QRP SSB) were big stations but it was enough to complete the activation and get down, so as you said it may be a good last resort in the future!

Strap to a totem pole? The tennis ball on a rope thing. take off the top section. they cost $12 from kmart. Also high pressure pvc pipe over the totem pole and fibreglass pole into the end?

Intro is Awesome! Great info getting it up and keeping it up and how to do it with different scenarios. Keep up the great videos.

Spoken like a true Kiwi....cheers