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I just use the default CW Decode settings (firmware version 17) except changing Enable Rx and Enable Tx to Yes. The QMX decodes ok with strong signals but is less effective with weak signals, 73

@@vk2ter Thank you!!!

I use Iambic A. Thanks for watching, 73

@@vk2ter thanks for taking time to make the video and to answer my question. I appreciate that.

@jstoltenburg thank you for your feedback, 73

The audio from the internal speaker of my radio distorts with strong CW signals. I have not seen this issue with other IC-705s so it seems to be an issue with my radio. The problem is reduced or eliminated by reducing the volume or using headphones, 73

@@vk2ter guess it probably makes the cw easier to read when its square wave. Had receiver audio distortion on my ft817 forced me to get rid..dont think i ll go for a 705 now lol.

@@tonystephen6312 I think the audio distortion is an issue with my particular radio rather than with IC-705s in general. Even with this issue it is still one of my favourite radios, 73

I post spots during my activations that include the park reference so most hunters know the park reference. I normally only send my park reference if the hunter asks for it or if I am chasing a park-to-park contact. I sent my park reference at 18:40 for the P2P contact. Thanks for watching, 73

Thanks for the feedback Mike. I have read similar articles, so I may be pushing the QMX a little too hard. A better option may be to use 3x 3.7V LiFePO batteries (rather than 4x 3.2V) which is closer to the recommended 12V maximum, 73

I purchased the battery case from my local electronics store. You should be able to source it from EBay or Amazon, search for “4 AA battery holder” or similar. Thanks for the feedback Steven, 73

@@vk2ter thank you for taking the time to reply to my question. I appreciate it.

Thank you Matthew, HF is great fun especially when out operating portable. Good luck with going for your extra, 73

I use a Garmin GPSMap 67. You can download the park locations (points rather than boundaries) from the pota.app website. Select the “Park List” menu then select your country and then the download link. The GPX file can then be transferred to the GPS using Garmin Explore (phone app) or Garmin Basecamp (desktop app). The GPX file will provide the park references and names. The standard topographic map on the GPS will show the approximate park boundaries. Hope this helps, 73

@@vk2ter thank you very much for your time. I appreciate that you took the time to reply to my question

Thank you, 72 / 73

Totally agree, it is a great QRP radio, 73

Thanks for the feedback Rod. In this video I am sending CW at about 15 WPM. 73

Thank you, 73

The case is an “Antler Clifton Mini in Black”. I bought it at a bricks and mortar store but you should be able to buy it directly from the Antler website, 73

The SW-3B and ZM-2 ATU is a great combination. I will try and make another video showing the tuning procedure. I briefly show it in one of my other videos called “CW using Icom IC-705 and Emtech ZM-2 ATU - Sugarloaf State Conservation Area (VKFF-1772)”. I believe you can get a solid tone out of the SW-3B with an iambic key by using a stereo to mono adapter. The SW-3B auto detects a straight key if a mono plug is used, so the iambic key will then act as a straight key. Hope this helps, 73

Very interesting. The QMX is certainly a compact and portable radio and a great performer for its size, 73

Thanks for the feedback John. Agreed that the signal strengths may have been slightly higher. The suffix “/p” means operating portable (away from home station) and “/m” means operating mobile (in a vehicle), 73

Thank you Marios, glad you liked the video, 73

Glad you enjoyed the video, many thanks for the feedback, 73

Hi Jonathan, the FX-4CR is a nice portable radio. It does have a few quirks but many of these have been fixed or improved with firmware updates. The CW transmission was originally very buggy (missing dits and irregular semi break-in) but it is now much improved and smoother after the update. The pros are that it is all mode, all HF bands, 20W SSB / 10W CW and has waterfall display. The cons are no automatic keyer, no CW decoder and the menu system can be a little glitchy with occasional hang ups. I like both the FX-4CR and QMX, it is difficult comparing the two. If you are only interested in CW then I would recommend the QMX. But if you want all modes, slightly higher power and waterfall display then the FX-4CR is a very capable radio. I hope this helps, 73

@@vk2ter it's weirdly helping and at the same time I'm still undecided haha, I put my name on the list for the FX4CR, I'll let the finance decide, I imagine having both is probably the best scenario. When is it raining money down under, I need to be there when it happens! haha Thanks for answering!

@JonathanAdami It is a tough decision, they are both great portable radios. It would be difficult for me to choose between the two. Good luck with the decision, 73

you are the GOAT! thanks mate, it really helps us, the one that dont know any CW get interested in it! 73 to you and your family!

@chipsgarage2518 thanks chips, glad this is helpful. 73 and all the best

My understanding is that filming for “commercial” purposes in NSW National Parks requires permission or a permit. My TH-cam channel is not monetised or used for commercial purposes. I will look into this further. Thanks for the feedback, 73

@@vk2ter QLD will jail you unless you pay them huge amounts of cash. They do not care about your monetisation, just the possibility that you could earn money is enough to get you arrested. So carry cash and bribe them corrupt idiots, happened to me so stay vigilent!

Guten tag, thank you for watching the video, 73

I was operating CW between 3pm and 4pm local time which is 0500 to 0600 UTC. I also made some additional DX contacts using voice in the following hour, 73

Danke h.m., the location has beautiful views and is a perfect place to activate from, 73

Vielen Dank

Hi Zack. I cannot tell the direction with my portable setup. However, it is often found that long-path is favourable between the east coast of Australia and Europe in late afternoons local time (~0400 to 0900 UTC). The reasons include long-path is mostly over salt water and it passes through nighttime with potential chordal skip along the combined F layer. Some hunters will reply “LP” or spot “beaming long-path” when they have directional antennas. Given my position with take-off over saltwater to the east, I am assuming long-path. Hope this helps, 73

@@vk2ter Interesting. Thanks for sharing the details. Have fun working portable, thanks for sharing the video.

Thanks Roberto. I cannot tell the direction with my portable setup. However, it is often found that long-path is favourable between the east coast of Australia and Europe in late afternoons local time (~0400 to 0900 UTC). The reasons include long-path is mostly over salt water and it passes through nighttime with potential chordal skip along the combined F layer. Some hunters will reply “LP” or spot “beaming long-path” when they have directional antennas. Given my position with take-off over saltwater to the east, I am assuming long-path. Hope this helps, 73

@@vk2ter super! I hope one day to qso in cw with you and change our qsl. My best 73 dr James

@robertochiuderoli898 It would be great to have a CW QSO some day. I put up spots on the WWFF DX cluster when I am out operating portable. Good DX, 73

Yes I do have a small collection of radios! Glad you enjoyed the video, thanks for watching, 73

I don’t find the TP-II too heavy for portable activations. The magnetic base can be detached to reduce weight. But the TP-II works best sitting on a flat surface such as a picnic table. The key was a little wobbly sitting on the plastic case but worked ok, 73

@@vk2ter Ok thanks James , it's good to get your feedback. I will go for the TP-III, the idea that the TP-II is better when used on a flat surface is giving the smaller key my vote.

My current favourite setup is the TP-III with the leg strap (also from BaMaTech, called knee strap on the website). I show this combination is a few of my recent videos. I am sure you will enjoy the key, 73

Thank you Alex. I am glad the CW captions are helpful. Good luck with your CW practice, 73

@@vk2ter just for reference, there are some of us that doesnt know what everything means. So a bit of explanation on each thing would be good, even when there is direct translation. Anyways, way to go mate, i love your videos! 73

@chipsgarage2518 Thank you for the feedback, I will include more detail in future videos. I can show the meaning of the abbreviations below the captions or include them in the video description, 73

Thanks Dennis. I enjoyed the activation, nice weather, great view and good band conditions, 73

“wid” is an abbreviation of “with”. While it is only one letter less, it is quicker to send “d” (dah and two dits) than “th” (dah, space and four dits). Similarly, “fer” is an abbreviation of “for”. Thanks Jonathan for watching the video, 73

Thank you Lance for the feedback, glad you enjoyed the videos, 73

Obrigado José, it is one of my favourite places to operate portable, 73

I purchased the leg strap from BaMaTech. It’s called a “knee-strap / TP-III” under key accessories on the website. It is designed for the BaMaKey TP-III key but should work with other similar sized keys with a magnetic base, 73

Thank you, glad you enjoyed the video, 73

Grazie Roberto, I appreciate the feedback. I enjoy QRP CW and operating portable, very best DX, 72 / 73

Thanks Matt, it is a great location, one of my favourite places to activate portable 73

Danke h.m.2138, this location is one of my favourite places to activate from. The table is new and it provides a great vantage point to enjoy the view, 73

Danke für Zeit und Mühe! 73

Gracias Ramon, este es mi primer equipo Elecraft, es una radio muy bonita, 73

The KH1 is a great radio. I get 4.5W to 5W on 40m and other bands according to the inbuilt power meter. The power is lower if the ATU doesn’t provide a good match, 73

Thanks Peter. The band conditions were terrible but I was enjoying the scenery and the warm weather while it lasts, 73

For this video I mainly used a GoPro 10 and used an iPhone 14 for setup and scenery shots. In other videos I also use a Sony A6600 and DJI Action 2. The action cameras are very versatile but are no good for close ups of the radio. The Sony is useful for zoom and close ups but heavy to carry around, 73

Thank you for the feedback. Glad you enjoyed the video. Hope it helps with CW practice, 73

The break “K” is used when any station can reply, so it is usually sent at the end of a CQ call / call to any station. The break “BK” is used when you are in a QSO and only the other station in the QSO should reply. The break “SK” means “end of transmission” and it is used in the last over when signing off. Some operators may use the breaks differently or not at all. Hope this helps, 73

@@vk2ter this does help a great deal, I'll keep that in mind! Cheers

Thank you David. I haven’t been able to get out and operate portable regularly due to other commitments. Also the weather here has been either too hot or raining on the weekends. Hoping for milder weather during winter. I recently set up my QMX for FT8 but have only made a couple of contacts, I think I may need more than 5W. Good luck with setting up FT8 on the FT-891, 73

Grazie Stefano, glad you enjoyed the video, 73

Thank you Jonathan. I opted for the low-band version as I am most active on 40m. But I am tempted by the high-band option as band conditions improve on 15m and 10m. The QMX is working well with the latest firmware update. I am looking forward to future updates which may include SSB. 73

@@vk2ter yeah it might be a smarter decision actually, 40/20 seem to be the way to go for activations anyway! SSB QRP is a work of patience, I'm not sure if I have it in me... I'd go for a FX4CR instead haha

QRP is great fun when the band conditions are good but can be frustrating when the conditions are poor. The FX4CR is another great radio and it has 20W on SSB and 10W on CW, 73

60-10 QMX kits are now available! I'm building mine right now...

@@sparky62 yup when I posted this, the option wasn't available, I have one assembled on order now 😁

The park is in a nice location near the beach, I have activated from here several times. The Kookaburras are always on the lookout for food. Thanks for the feedback, 73

Danke!

Thanks Matt, the Penntek is a great rig and fun to use. I like the analog feel to the radio with the old style s-meter and all the switches and dials, 73

Трансивер Penntek выпускается до сих пор, приобрел его в конце прошлого года на сайте: wa3rnc.com, 73

@@vk2ter хороший русский язык надо было по телеграфному почерку догадаться откуда вы. 🙂 ну а трансивер происходит впечатление очень древнего.

@@ua6atg Я использовал Google-переводчик, надеюсь, мои ответы имеют смысл. Мне нравится внешний вид радио Penntek в старинном стиле, им приятно пользоваться. 73