Good job. I like that you put the translation of the QSO across the screen for those of us who are not perfect masters of code, thank you. I'm working on it.
I slide the sections for best swr. Also use loading homemade loading coils in bottom of aerial for different bands. I use a tripod as well. All in my playlist. Cheers from the UK 🇬🇧
Tom, here's a clue: anything below 1.5:1 is good enough. Don't obsess - operate! Ground or trees or other factors will affect VSWR. Also, next time you operate from there, get a spot close to the water. The pond/lake and the moist bank will offer a more reflective ground and a way better signal!
@@hamradiocq..Tom, just a shout out to all you "new hams" from an ancient one. I am impressed by the drive and enthusiasm you all exhibit for amateur radio! Back in the 80s, people asked me about ham radio and would spend time whining about how hard the Morse code requirement was. You guys now do QRP, portable operation, and are even enthused about CW despite it not being real. My call is k6whp and I am good on QRZ. If I can get EVER be of help, don't hesitate! 72 es dit dit
First time found you on TH-cam, very glad I did. Not sure why you fret over SWR 1.3 (Ha!), but I definitely endorse your trials in seeing if you can set up outside those trees as MAYBE they would affect radiation pattern or signal magnitude. Very cool to see your whole setup, gear, and results. Thanks for very fun video for me and I wish you all the best! 72 (I am a QRPer also), Dave WA4NID
Entertaining and inspiring, thank you. I have tried to streamline my portable deployment and tangles were the bane of my life. For the past year I have used 20 gauge silicone rubber, tinned copper hook up wire (expensive but less valuable than your time), wound onto SotaBeams wire winders in a figure of 8 pattern. Works a charm. Its these little things that magnify the pleasure!
I love those Sotabeams wire winders. Wish they were cheaper. That yellow radials I'm using is from Sotabeams as a matter of fact. It's slick so it detangles easily. Thanks for the great comment. 73
I really appreciated your comments on the radio. I have been contemplating this radio for a couple years, but I have been unable to commit. I will be patiently waiting for a 2nd Gen Icom 705.
Hey Mark. I wanted to be clear on that radio. You either want it or you don't. Just my opinion, but I think it's a bit of a pain. Don't get me wrong, I love it, but I wouldn't push this radio as a must buy at all.
If you get a license and get a radio, I would steer away from a QRP (low power) radio. Get your feet wet with a 100 watt radio. Trust me, you will be glad you did. Then if you want to go QRP, go for it.
For radials u can get some Dollar Store tape measures, solder a spring clip on the ends and when done just retract the tapes into case for storage. I've been using just hamsticks for home qth for years now. They work great. They are already tuned permanently so no time waste tuning. I'm using the YOUKITS HB1B with the MX P50M AMP. No problem getting contacts.
I am not a CW person (yet), but you go portable a lot. I love going portable, myself, even if it is to the back yard. You always have interesting projects. I give you a thumbs up and then watch your videos. I have NEVER had to change to a thumbs down. Love your videos! 👍👍👍
Really great video today! I am learning cw and hopefully I'm going to be able to make some slow contacts in the cq ww cw contest in about a month. It's really good to have resonant antennas because then you don't have so much losses and that's especially important when you go qrp. Keep doing these small field days because you seem to learn a lot from them. 73 de Oscar
Nice. Just a thought or two about those picnic tables and the wind: These picnic pads look ideal for radio work. The tables are a solid-as-a-rock place to brace an antenna so it doesn't blow over. Also, I see a potentially improved ground if you can clamp onto one of the table or BBQ pit legs that go straight into the ground (but keep the radials too). On your next trip to the hardware store you might want to have a look at the clamps available with an eye to building an adjustable table brace. I don't think the rebar inside the table will affect the SWR very much since it would be so close to the base of the antenna. And, you could always try a temporary table brace just using duct tape before actually building anything. That's what Red Green would do. 8^)
Hey, John, great comment. I have clamped the super antenna to a BBQ pit like that before and it works great. I think I will look at the clamps as I need some more. At any rate, If the women don't find you handsome, they should at least find you handy...
TNX Tommy! Nice video. Yeah, that 40 degree temperature drop last Thursday (Oct 22) was brutal. Glad I put the Harley in the shed over lunch while it was still in the 80s. LOL 73
@@hamradiocq I'm about 40 miles NW of Wichita but know your area quite well. I lived over by Lake Hefner for 14 years and drove a school bus for Edmond for almost 12 years.
Low swr at the rig end of the approx 40 foot coax doesn't guarantee it's that low at the antenna feedpoint. The coax transforms the impedance. Only if the feedline is 1/2-wave long (1/2-wave times the velocity factor factor of the coax) can you be assured that the swr at the rig is the same as at the antenna.
Your soil/ground conditions are probably just different that what you have in the park, and that will make your SWR a bit different. Since your video is 3 years old now, you may know now that you can use faraday cloth,(or metal mesh) in stead of ground radials and have a much easier deployment. Have fun!
Good tip about winding. Wind cables into 8 pattern. Wire bend left-right-left-right-etc... It gets wavy but do not tangle. When you just roll the cables around winder the wire have tendency to looping and tangle.
Way to go Tom another nice video. and glad to see the antenna worked out after all. when you first showed where you put it up the first time, my first thought was "na its too close to that tree, thats gonna play with the swr. " I would suspect that before the rebar the other guy mentioned. But the bottom line is you got it down where you want it. Foot note to all your readers/followers. / Newbies, antenna "Tweaking" can take hours to get it right. 3-4 hours of tweaking is not out of the question. Nice shot with the guy in Lebanon Me. I have worked few hams there in VHF contests. his 5w, to ur 3w. just goes to show what fun QRP can be. Thank you so much for all your time and effort. and for sharing. Can hardly wait for your next outing. 72 be safe Tom de Ellis/WA1RKS
Thanks Ellis for the great comment. I have spent countless hours messing around with the legs of an inverted Vee and the old buddipole trying to get a good SWR. I need it to be FAST! at least that's what I'm hoping for. 73
Good RST 👍 moderate strong ...,maybe it's the trees that cause the signal strength moderate or the coax.atleast he gave you something to improve on .nice video.thanks for this review..
Yes I do! Sorry I been away from videos for a while. I abs remember you... We went out trying CW in that thunderstorm. I remember your house too, you had a long wire out the back. You helped me fix my KX1
Verticals should have about 1.5 SWR, because 35 Om resistance over ideal ground plane. SWR improves on dirt because it is less efficient and ground consumes part of energy.
Awesome video thank you 😎🙏just got the Chameleon 17’ whip and looking for ideas. Just learning CW and appreciate you putting the text up on the screen - nice to follow along and to have an example QSO. Hitting the subscribe button 👍
Cool operation and antenna setup! I put together a 17m test vertical.. same thing.. on a tall tripod, and used a fishing pole and piece of PVC to extend the fishing pole. I wanted to see the effect of different heights of the counterpoise wires above ground, and the effect of tuning them instead of the vertical radiator. The thing works like mad for DX especially. Total cost zero. lol. If you want to see, search on '17m 'Junk Parts' Elevated Test Vertical'. The part on tuning might be of interest to you. GOD i love your outdoor operations! If it's not the bugs, both human and insect- it's the cold and wind. 72 OM :)
Hey N8NK great comment I'll check out your experiments as well. Isn't it amazing how it's rarely perfect outside? It really is either too hot too cold or too buggy. : )
@@hamradiocq I feel SO sorry for you in the middle of summer when you do your outdoor activations because of the bugs! Jeez, they could drive you NUTS. You were using a cool small shelter of sorts for a while weren't you? I can't remember if it's more for rain or bugs. Heck, I've seen you brave the little vampires with shorts on and no bug spray. lol. I love watching your vids. Thanks for all the fun OM 73 :)
Great video. The ground characteristics are different so the SWR will vary. Also if the radials are elevated they need to be cut to the frequency you are using.
That 1.35 on this antenna is better receive than the same swr via the transformer on the Chameleon. Lots of.loss in the transformer. Tuners make it possible & easier but with a compromise. You had a good setup here.
Nice experiment! I personnaly am too very satisfied with the MFJ 17' whip. I am using my vertical base-loaded with a MFJ coil in order to have 40-10 m coverage. I only need a coil on 40 and 30m bands, and it's shorted out for 20-10 m. I have it mounted on the roof top of my Radio Van at abt 2,5m ( 8') above the ground. After in-depth experimentation I've come to the conclusion that 1 elevated tuned radial works best in my configuration making this antenna not a classical 1/4 wl Ground Plane anymore but rather kinda' L-shaped antenna. During my first park activation using it almost 2 years ago running the KX2 at abt 8W of power I've made about 50 QSO's :). It was pure fun! From then on though I'm running 80-90W normally from my FT-891 and making 100-150 QSO's an average/per activation on the same whip! For more info, I have a video on my YT channel with my field test of this whip. BTW I have 2 of these whips which makes a perfect full-size multiband dipole! 73! Hope to catch you on CW-QRP next time! Linas LY2H.
Great comment LY2H. I think I might have that same antenna I bought from MFJ last week. I have their coil and whip. I'll be taking it out next time I believe. As for using 1 elevated radial. What I can do is group these I have together and test out elevating the whole thing. Thanks for the tip! 73
@@kareneighth6045 No, I only use 1 elevated radial cut for 40m band , abt 10m long. Usually it works ok and gives an acceptable SWR on the upper bands too without re-adjusting the length of the radial. But if I have some time during the park activation and feel like purist :) I adjust the length of the radial to resonance on a given band by folding back or just winding up the wire on to the wire holder.
Thank you for taking time to include the text. I appreciate that. It is a good learning method for me to master cw. 73 PD1MM Marcel qth The Hague Nederlands 😂
Thanks for the video,I have the same antenna n can't get it below 5.0:1 on 20m so will try in totally different area.looking forward to the coil n 40m.73
You need to tune the antenna at the feedpoint, not thru long coax-unless you calibrate the rig expert thru the coax first. Adjust for minimum reactance, not SWR. Then match the feedpoint impedance to 50 Ohms thru a coil across the vertical feedpoint, if necessary. The correct impedance is 35 Ohms for a 1/4 WL vertical, or a 1.3:1 SWR.
THATS TOO ADVANCED FOR HIM. LIKE MOST HAMS NOWADAYS THEY DONT KNOW ANYTHING. THEY JUST MEMORIZE THE ANSWERS TO THE TESTS, THEN BUG EVERYONE FOR HELP LATER ON. RIDICULOUS
The SWR changing like that, it changes with the 17ft whip and radials over concrete vs over dirt for me too. At first, you have the tripod part anyway and probably part of the radial over the concrete pad. The table was in its field too. I've set almost your exact configuration up many time in the past couple of year. Seems to do better over dirt. Thanks for the video.
@@hamradiocq Hey there! The set up seems to do better in the clear. Any concrete or metal objects in its radial footprint, or say a pavilion overhang near its edge will push up/change the SWR. You will have fun getting used to the MFJ coil that let's you do 40. It's easy to use, but getting the whip to be straight up and down using it is a but more of a challenge. But, you get all of 40 with it while only having to change the clip position one spot. For me, on 40 the clip goes about 1/3 of the way up from the bottom. I mark the position with black marker fir a quick reference. Usually, you can just fine tune it by then adjusting the whip a little bit. Have fun! de nx1q. Acts 2:38
Your channel is the best, I really appreciate you making these videos and sharing knowledge. Which wire winder are you using to store your radial wires? I'm trying to find a decent one.
QRP is the way to go :-) Great video again. As I mentioned in another post, look at the Venus QRP TRX :-) I am using the RIG 230 too, and I really like it. 73, Stephan, DF6PA
Great video. I want to give you advice. Don't write immediately what you listening in cw. You have to have some lag between listening an writing. It needs for mind to recognize it better. Ideally 3-4 delay signs. And your receiving speed will arise in cw. Try it. It is a simple way to increase your sciles in cw. Sorry for my poor English. In any case I want to be friend with you. rw1m.
the concrete is likely to have metal mesh underneath, so that is causing issues with the SWR. It seems that SWR is like like OCD for some operators, I can operate more than happy anything below or equal 2.0. I dont use tuners so 2.0 most radios can handle that no issues.
Great video. Good info on the telescopic whip. I did know which one not to get but I did not know I could get one elsewhere.....and now I know. Hi Hi I love my Palm Pico Paddles. I'm so sorry to see them no longer being sold. I'm glad that I have three sets of them, One set for my KX2, a set for my KX3 and a third set to go with my YouKits. Isn't it just so amazing what you can do with a radio so small that you could almost put it in you shirt pocket ! Thanks for posting this great informative video. Barry, KU3X/QRP
I was operating QRP in the 70's with primative (by comparison) radios. It too had no built in speaker, keyer or SWR indicator. It had a phono jack for antenna connector and was NOT back pack size. I didn't have Internet or reverse beacon to give me a warm & fuzzy. I worked all over the world on 5W or less. What is my point? 1. Quit sweating the "perfect SWR" unless the radio has SWR based power reduction your first SWR is not going to degrade your signal that much. The long run of coax will hurt more. 2. The bottom line is are you making contacts & having fun or are you giving yourself an ulcer trying to make the readings "ideal". 3. Any antenna such as you are using (& this is true for mobile antennas) are a compromise at best anyway. 4. Now the nitpick (I guess this is minor but comes from a previous job) is connector identification. Like people referring to an SO-239 as SO-259 (not you in this video), your radials looked to use a female "Quick Disconnect" terminal as a "Spade" connector has an open "U" shaped end to be placed under a screw.
Albert[?], it's a 20m vertical some 16'6" long - so that's full size. With a set of radials like he has he should do fine. I worked all over the East this last FD with a "similar" vertical from SoCal. Three years ago, I kicked ass and took names with a 15' hunk from a CB beam and a loading coil on 40m and 20m. The soil was absolutely moist (at the beach) and 5 watts got 599 reports consistently.
Hi. I also have two of the MFJ 17 foot whips that I have used as a V antenna (MFJ's Big Ears) and work fantastic on 20 meters. I found as you did that MFJ's 17 footer is a little loose after some use. I did not know about the Chameleon 17 footer but Wolf River Coils also have a 17 footer which is much tighter, maybe same manufacture as the Chameleon? Anyway, 73, and you have convinced me to try the radials on the ground instead of elevated. Alan KZ6B
Hey Alan, I got a lot of feedback on this video. Some say radials up some say down, some say just 1 radial. I say just keep testing until you find that sweet spot. My gut says the more the better.
Do you know what this style of QRP radio reminds me of? Those mini windows Atom processor computers. I can see how having a hand held windows computer could be useful, but it only had a couple USB 2.0, and at the time you had to haul around a USB hub, an external CD rom plus all the connectors for cameras, terminal strip....etc. And they were slow as shmit. They had (most) 5200 rpm low cap HDD. I pissed off one of my instructors by bringing that up, and 5 min later when he had everything plugged in the damn computer looked like it was on life support.
Another great video! Thank you for posting this. Please, Do you think that the MFJ is equal to the antenna you used? I love all of your videos and always learn something. Really good. 73 KG5OBD
Yeah our soil here seems to be this reddish clay everywhere. People in the comments are saying it was likely that cement bench with steel rebar in it. I think they're right.
I got an MFJ coil. I tried to contact wolf river to get a discount and they wouldn't work with me. The mount for the tripod came from MP1 Super antenna.
I half a tia 1000 wolf. It is hard to tune to below 2.0. At least for me. I put it away after one day. I think i had about 8 radials. But your 1.02 swr in previous video has me interested in making my own single band using the mfj whip. Going to strive for middle of the band. My tripod she be here tomorrow. Its a shame you don’t get a discount. Because I sure try and match your exact purchases. Can’t afford that bengali traveler. Maybe some day. Enjoy your videos more than any other.
I wonder whether RFI was messing with your SWR measurement in the field? Anyway, I'm interested that you managed to get such good results using so few radials. 4 x 5m radials for the 20m band? I've seen some videos where guys were using 12 x 4.5m radials - 3 times as many as you. I'm getting ready to put together a tripod-mounted 20m monoband hamstick setup, which is why I was curious to see what radial setup you used.
@@hamradiocq I did experiment, as you suggested. I found that using about 12 radials made the quarter wave vertical and Hamstick setups work much better. The main thing I discovered was that using silicone insulated wires made it much easier to untangle all those radials and consequently the set-up was quite fast. I use a tripod made for a Super Antenna, which is compact and lightweight enough for SOTA. For the 17 ft whip, I use a length of paracord with a loop at one end that I use to attach it to the tripod as a measuring device. The paracord has knots in it at the lengths I need to adjust the whip to for the 10, 12, 15, 17 and 20m bands.
Nobody will ever hear the difference in your signal with that Tiny amount of SWR.Come on there’s people out here that know better and if you don’t know better than that you need to do some reading even at QRP that little bit of the standing wave is not costing you enough to reflect anything on your signal in either direction. You wasted all of that time stressing over nothing.😱😳
I like the vid but please more antenna and less cw or change the title that was a clickbait... Have speak of antenna 3 min of 23 and rest only cw&related setup!!!
I don't know what you are talking about. I provided chapters to the video so you can skip around. Try to use your youtube tools and your mouse instead of changing my videos.
@@hamradiocq ouch! That'll leave a mark! As far as I am concerned, do all the CW you want! You have a great fist and it's a welcome change from all the ssb videos!
Nice Video but I think your obsession with getting a few decimal points of lower SWR is doing more damage than helping the hobby. One of your commenters even said that 3 or 4 hours of tweaking is not out of the question. Well it is. At one point in your nice video you say that 1.06 SWR gives you a "very resonant antenna" indicating that you have a very basic misunderstanding of antenna resonance and SWR and how they relate. I applaud you in making videos about amateur radio, but please don't pass along bad and misleading information.
Im thinking the trees caused your higher swr, than any rebar in the tables. Ive operated pota many many times...and set the tripod up right next to my car. As long as the antenna base is above the roof, no problem. However...being within a 1/4 wave of trees....the swr is sometimes impossible to tune out. I'll suggest again, a single raised counterpoise, that is tunable. Mark your counterpoise to where in the band you want to tune to. After tuning your whip...if its not close to perfect, try winding a turn back onto the winder, or, letting out another turn. Of course...this means having your counterpoise a few feet longer than needed on your resonant frequency. In addition to all the extra ease, and speed of only one wire, you'll also have less tangle problems. Take your normal 3-4 wire radial kit with you. Operate. Then compare it with the single, elevated, tuned counterpoise. I'll all but guarantee you'll just be running a single after that. Thanks for the demo. Enjoy your videos. Still hope to work you one day. 73, N4ZN
Very interested in this theory. Please put it on you tube with the results. Tom your videos have saved me hours of experimentation and taught me lots. You are my favorite ham amateur youtubber by FAR!
🌴🌳📻QRP ❤👏👏🌴🌳
Woo hoo!
Good job. I like that you put the translation of the QSO across the screen for those of us who are not perfect masters of code, thank you. I'm working on it.
Thank you very much!
I slide the sections for best swr. Also use loading homemade loading coils in bottom of aerial for different bands. I use a tripod as well. All in my playlist. Cheers from the UK 🇬🇧
Tom, here's a clue: anything below 1.5:1 is good enough. Don't obsess - operate! Ground or trees or other factors will affect VSWR.
Also, next time you operate from there, get a spot close to the water. The pond/lake and the moist bank will offer a more reflective ground and a way better signal!
Yeah, I hear ya, I think the wind was a problem that day by the water.
@@hamradiocq..Tom, just a shout out to all you "new hams" from an ancient one. I am impressed by the drive and enthusiasm you all exhibit for amateur radio! Back in the 80s, people asked me about ham radio and would spend time whining about how hard the Morse code requirement was.
You guys now do QRP, portable operation, and are even enthused about CW despite it not being real.
My call is k6whp and I am good on QRZ. If I can get EVER be of help, don't hesitate!
72 es dit dit
First time found you on TH-cam, very glad I did. Not sure why you fret over SWR 1.3 (Ha!), but I definitely endorse your trials in seeing if you can set up outside those trees as MAYBE they would affect radiation pattern or signal magnitude. Very cool to see your whole setup, gear, and results. Thanks for very fun video for me and I wish you all the best! 72 (I am a QRPer also), Dave WA4NID
Just found your channel from this 17’ whip antenna. Thanks for the video. I might need one of these antenna.
Entertaining and inspiring, thank you. I have tried to streamline my portable deployment and tangles were the bane of my life. For the past year I have used 20 gauge silicone rubber, tinned copper hook up wire (expensive but less valuable than your time), wound onto SotaBeams wire winders in a figure of 8 pattern. Works a charm. Its these little things that magnify the pleasure!
I love those Sotabeams wire winders. Wish they were cheaper. That yellow radials I'm using is from Sotabeams as a matter of fact. It's slick so it detangles easily. Thanks for the great comment. 73
I really appreciated your comments on the radio. I have been contemplating this radio for a couple years, but I have been unable to commit. I will be patiently waiting for a 2nd Gen Icom 705.
Hey Mark. I wanted to be clear on that radio. You either want it or you don't. Just my opinion, but I think it's a bit of a pain. Don't get me wrong, I love it, but I wouldn't push this radio as a must buy at all.
If you get a license and get a radio, I would steer away from a QRP (low power) radio. Get your feet wet with a 100 watt radio. Trust me, you will be glad you did. Then if you want to go QRP, go for it.
@@davidsradioroom9678 I have my Extra, but that is solid advice. The 705 would compliment my 7300 nicely.
For radials u can get some Dollar Store tape measures, solder a spring clip on the ends and when done just retract the tapes into case for storage. I've been using just hamsticks for home qth for years now. They work great. They are already tuned permanently so no time waste tuning. I'm using the YOUKITS HB1B with the MX P50M AMP. No problem getting contacts.
I am not a CW person (yet), but you go portable a lot. I love going portable, myself, even if it is to the back yard. You always have interesting projects. I give you a thumbs up and then watch your videos. I have NEVER had to change to a thumbs down. Love your videos! 👍👍👍
Right on thanks so much!
Really great video today! I am learning cw and hopefully I'm going to be able to make some slow contacts in the cq ww cw contest in about a month. It's really good to have resonant antennas because then you don't have so much losses and that's especially important when you go qrp. Keep doing these small field days because you seem to learn a lot from them. 73 de Oscar
Hey Oscar great comment thanks so much. Those contests are a great way to make fast easy contacts.
Nice. Just a thought or two about those picnic tables and the wind: These picnic pads look ideal for radio work. The tables are a solid-as-a-rock place to brace an antenna so it doesn't blow over. Also, I see a potentially improved ground if you can clamp onto one of the table or BBQ pit legs that go straight into the ground (but keep the radials too).
On your next trip to the hardware store you might want to have a look at the clamps available with an eye to building an adjustable table brace. I don't think the rebar inside the table will affect the SWR very much since it would be so close to the base of the antenna.
And, you could always try a temporary table brace just using duct tape before actually building anything. That's what Red Green would do. 8^)
Hey, John, great comment. I have clamped the super antenna to a BBQ pit like that before and it works great. I think I will look at the clamps as I need some more.
At any rate, If the women don't find you handsome, they should at least find you handy...
My MFJ-1979 is my go-to portable antenna. I use the jaws clamps and mount it just about anywhere and work all bands with it.
TNX Tommy! Nice video. Yeah, that 40 degree temperature drop last Thursday (Oct 22) was brutal. Glad I put the Harley in the shed over lunch while it was still in the 80s. LOL 73
Yeah, where are you Philip? We have a lot of tree damage.
@@hamradiocq I'm about 40 miles NW of Wichita but know your area quite well. I lived over by Lake Hefner for 14 years and drove a school bus for Edmond for almost 12 years.
Low swr at the rig end of the approx 40 foot coax doesn't guarantee it's that low at the antenna feedpoint. The coax transforms the impedance. Only if the feedline is 1/2-wave long (1/2-wave times the velocity factor factor of the coax) can you be assured that the swr at the rig is the same as at the antenna.
Your soil/ground conditions are probably just different that what you have in the park, and that will make your SWR a bit different. Since your video is 3 years old now, you may know now that you can use faraday cloth,(or metal mesh) in stead of ground radials and have a much easier deployment. Have fun!
Another fine vid. Appreciate the subtitles.
Hey Bentley thanks for the comment. I think the subtitles adds value and interest to many people so now I have to do it. : )
Good tip about winding. Wind cables into 8 pattern. Wire bend left-right-left-right-etc... It gets wavy but do not tangle. When you just roll the cables around winder the wire have tendency to looping and tangle.
Great tips thanks Teodor
Way to go Tom another nice video. and glad to see the antenna worked out after all. when you first showed where you put it up the first time, my first thought was "na its too close to that tree, thats gonna play with the swr. " I would suspect that before the rebar the other guy mentioned. But the bottom line is you got it down where you want it. Foot note to all your readers/followers. / Newbies, antenna "Tweaking" can take hours to get it right. 3-4 hours of tweaking is not out of the question. Nice shot with the guy in Lebanon Me. I have worked few hams there in VHF contests. his 5w, to ur 3w. just goes to show what fun QRP can be. Thank you so much for all your time and effort. and for sharing. Can hardly wait for your next outing. 72 be safe Tom de Ellis/WA1RKS
Thanks Ellis for the great comment. I have spent countless hours messing around with the legs of an inverted Vee and the old buddipole trying to get a good SWR. I need it to be FAST! at least that's what I'm hoping for. 73
Good RST 👍 moderate strong ...,maybe it's the trees that cause the signal strength moderate or the coax.atleast he gave you something to improve on .nice video.thanks for this review..
Thanks for the comment I really appreciate it.
N9YO, stumbled onto your channel, remember me KQ9L from W9DUP days? Nice video!
Yes I do! Sorry I been away from videos for a while. I abs remember you... We went out trying CW in that thunderstorm. I remember your house too, you had a long wire out the back. You helped me fix my KX1
I think Spencer got it right about the rebar increasing swr. Love your channel bud!!
I think so too. I was thinking about the trees and not the objects...but that may be it.
Thanks for the great video and enlightening comments on the mtr. I had my heart set on one but may reconsider. 73.
Verticals should have about 1.5 SWR, because 35 Om resistance over ideal ground plane. SWR improves on dirt because it is less efficient and ground consumes part of energy.
I was ok with my 1.35 SWR. Just wanted to figure out the difference because at home I was 1.02.
Awesome video thank you 😎🙏just got the Chameleon 17’ whip and looking for ideas. Just learning CW and appreciate you putting the text up on the screen - nice to follow along and to have an example QSO. Hitting the subscribe button 👍
Cool operation and antenna setup! I put together a 17m test vertical.. same thing.. on a tall tripod, and used a fishing pole and piece of PVC to extend the fishing pole. I wanted to see the effect of different heights of the counterpoise wires above ground, and the effect of tuning them instead of the vertical radiator. The thing works like mad for DX especially. Total cost zero. lol. If you want to see, search on '17m 'Junk Parts' Elevated Test Vertical'. The part on tuning might be of interest to you. GOD i love your outdoor operations! If it's not the bugs, both human and insect- it's the cold and wind. 72 OM :)
Hey N8NK great comment I'll check out your experiments as well. Isn't it amazing how it's rarely perfect outside? It really is either too hot too cold or too buggy. : )
@@hamradiocq I feel SO sorry for you in the middle of summer when you do your outdoor activations because of the bugs! Jeez, they could drive you NUTS. You were using a cool small shelter of sorts for a while weren't you? I can't remember if it's more for rain or bugs. Heck, I've seen you brave the little vampires with shorts on and no bug spray. lol. I love watching your vids. Thanks for all the fun OM 73 :)
You have an amazing setup....Just what I am Looking for to send and recieve cw.
Been a while since I've seen you on the air... hope all is going well. POTA on.
Great video. The ground characteristics are different so the SWR will vary. Also if the radials are elevated they need to be cut to the frequency you are using.
Thanks for the comment I really appreciate it.
The Chameleon 17' whip is really the best option for a portable vertical whip imo
I need to use it more, I have one.
That 1.35 on this antenna is better receive than the same swr via the transformer on the Chameleon. Lots of.loss in the transformer. Tuners make it possible & easier but with a compromise. You had a good setup here.
Great video and motivates me to learn CW. I subscribed.
Nice tripod mount! I wanna make one. 1.3 is not bad. Great setup.
Yeah that tripod works well, I"m putting together another video with it now.
Nice experiment! I personnaly am too very satisfied with the MFJ 17' whip. I am using my vertical base-loaded with a MFJ coil in order to have 40-10 m coverage. I only need a coil on 40 and 30m bands, and it's shorted out for 20-10 m. I have it mounted on the roof top of my Radio Van at abt 2,5m ( 8') above the ground. After in-depth experimentation I've come to the conclusion that 1 elevated tuned radial works best in my configuration making this antenna not a classical 1/4 wl Ground Plane anymore but rather kinda' L-shaped antenna. During my first park activation using it almost 2 years ago running the KX2 at abt 8W of power I've made about 50 QSO's :). It was pure fun! From then on though I'm running 80-90W normally from my FT-891 and making 100-150 QSO's an average/per activation on the same whip! For more info, I have a video on my YT channel with my field test of this whip. BTW I have 2 of these whips which makes a perfect full-size multiband dipole! 73! Hope to catch you on CW-QRP next time! Linas LY2H.
Great comment LY2H. I think I might have that same antenna I bought from MFJ last week. I have their coil and whip. I'll be taking it out next time I believe. As for using 1 elevated radial. What I can do is group these I have together and test out elevating the whole thing. Thanks for the tip! 73
Do you use a different radial with each band? I is it as L also but only on one band.
@@kareneighth6045 No, I only use 1 elevated radial cut for 40m band , abt 10m long. Usually it works ok and gives an acceptable SWR on the upper bands too without re-adjusting the length of the radial. But if I have some time during the park activation and feel like purist :) I adjust the length of the radial to resonance on a given band by folding back or just winding up the wire on to the wire holder.
thank you for a really great video. you answered a lot of my questions ;) great demo
Thanks for the comment I really appreciate it.
Thank you for taking time to include the text. I appreciate that. It is a good learning method for me to master cw. 73 PD1MM Marcel qth The Hague Nederlands 😂
Thanks for the video,I have the same antenna n can't get it below 5.0:1 on 20m so will try in totally different area.looking forward to the coil n 40m.73
You need to tune the antenna at the feedpoint, not thru long coax-unless you calibrate the rig expert thru the coax first. Adjust for minimum reactance, not SWR. Then match the feedpoint impedance to 50 Ohms thru a coil across the vertical feedpoint, if necessary. The correct impedance is 35 Ohms for a 1/4 WL vertical, or a 1.3:1 SWR.
THATS TOO ADVANCED FOR HIM. LIKE MOST HAMS NOWADAYS THEY DONT KNOW ANYTHING. THEY JUST MEMORIZE THE ANSWERS TO THE TESTS, THEN BUG EVERYONE FOR HELP LATER ON. RIDICULOUS
Appreciate you sharing this information. I have MFJ1979, RigExpertAA55 and G90. All are new and an unused Aa of today.
73 Steve AA4SH
The SWR changing like that, it changes with the 17ft whip and radials over concrete vs over dirt for me too. At first, you have the tripod part anyway and probably part of the radial over the concrete pad. The table was in its field too. I've set almost your exact configuration up many time in the past couple of year. Seems to do better over dirt. Thanks for the video.
Hey old preach. Yeah, I tried several things off camera. Was able to finally get it, not sure how...
@@hamradiocq Hey there! The set up seems to do better in the clear. Any concrete or metal objects in its radial footprint, or say a pavilion overhang near its edge will push up/change the SWR.
You will have fun getting used to the MFJ coil that let's you do 40. It's easy to use, but getting the whip to be straight up and down using it is a but more of a challenge. But, you get all of 40 with it while only having to change the clip position one spot. For me, on 40 the clip goes about 1/3 of the way up from the bottom. I mark the position with black marker fir a quick reference. Usually, you can just fine tune it by then adjusting the whip a little bit. Have fun! de nx1q. Acts 2:38
Great video, I will be there some day. Thanks for the video.
Thank YOu
Thank you Tom for sharing this awesome moments! I wish we’ll make a CW contact some day. DE R3TKT.
Any time! Hey I would like to make a contact also. I have never made a contact with Russia before. спаси́бо
Enjoyed that Sir! Keep it up!
Thanks Phil
rebar (steel rods) in concrete raft for picnic table will absorb rf like a sponge ;)
Yep
Your channel is the best, I really appreciate you making these videos and sharing knowledge. Which wire winder are you using to store your radial wires? I'm trying to find a decent one.
i bought some platicy ones off Amazon my friend always check the video Desc.
QRP is the way to go :-) Great video again. As I mentioned in another post, look at the Venus QRP TRX :-) I am using the RIG 230 too, and I really like it. 73, Stephan, DF6PA
I like that TRX. Good price too. Thanks fer comment Stephan 73
Great video. I want to give you advice. Don't write immediately what you listening in cw. You have to have some lag between listening an writing. It needs for mind to recognize it better. Ideally 3-4 delay signs. And your receiving speed will arise in cw. Try it. It is a simple way to increase your sciles in cw. Sorry for my poor English. In any case I want to be friend with you. rw1m.
Thanks for the tip. I know what you are saying, I need to think about it to become automatic. I do that when I practice, but not during a QSO.
the concrete is likely to have metal mesh underneath, so that is causing issues with the SWR. It seems that SWR is like like OCD for some operators, I can operate more than happy anything below or equal 2.0. I dont use tuners so 2.0 most radios can handle that no issues.
Sure, others have responded the same. I know 1.3 is fine I wanted to see if I could do better.
Great video Tom. Your setups and experiments are always just as interesting as the QSO. Love that QRP. 73 Shaun VK6BEK.
Glad you like them! Thansk fer comment Shaun 73
Great video. Good info on the telescopic whip. I did know which one not to get but I did not know I could get one elsewhere.....and now I know. Hi Hi
I love my Palm Pico Paddles. I'm so sorry to see them no longer being sold. I'm glad that I have three sets of them, One set for my KX2, a set for my KX3 and a third set to go with my YouKits.
Isn't it just so amazing what you can do with a radio so small that you could almost put it in you shirt pocket !
Thanks for posting this great informative video.
Barry, KU3X/QRP
Hey Barry! Yeah, love small radios. Tnx fer comment.
I made one out of aluminium tent poles 17’3”. Fixed to the CHA hybrid micro. Its hard to find 3/8x 24 stainless hardware.
Nice video. Peaking my interesting in QRP and buying a mountaintop radio now. Is that Arcadia lake ? 73, AE4X
Yes, it is!
Very like to watch your videos. Now I am learning morse too and looking forward to get on air.
Many thanks,
de EW1AEI, 73
You can do it!
I was operating QRP in the 70's with primative (by comparison) radios. It too had no built in speaker, keyer or SWR indicator. It had a phono jack for antenna connector and was NOT back pack size.
I didn't have Internet or reverse beacon to give me a warm & fuzzy. I worked all over the world on 5W or less. What is my point?
1. Quit sweating the "perfect SWR" unless the radio has SWR based power reduction your first SWR is not going to degrade your signal that much. The long run of coax will hurt more.
2. The bottom line is are you making contacts & having fun or are you giving yourself an ulcer trying to make the readings "ideal".
3. Any antenna such as you are using (& this is true for mobile antennas) are a compromise at best anyway.
4. Now the nitpick (I guess this is minor but comes from a previous job) is connector identification. Like people referring to an SO-239 as SO-259 (not you in this video), your radials looked to use a female "Quick Disconnect" terminal as a "Spade" connector has an open "U" shaped end to be placed under a screw.
Great comment Albert. To be fair these connectors get ridiculous.
Albert[?], it's a 20m vertical some 16'6" long - so that's full size. With a set of radials like he has he should do fine. I worked all over the East this last FD with a "similar" vertical from SoCal. Three years ago, I kicked ass and took names with a 15' hunk from a CB beam and a loading coil on 40m and 20m. The soil was absolutely moist (at the beach) and 5 watts got 599 reports consistently.
Great video. Need to learn Mose😉
You should!
The surrounding area is different than your home. The content of the dirt and moisture content of the ground.
yep
i use the same whip but i use the mp1C coil too and get 80 to 10 meters
Thank you so much for the comment friend!
Love your MTR vids - have a couple myself - hope to qso one-day.. 73 de va3ip
I hope so too!
Get ya a figure eight winder, no more tangles.
agreed
3 watts to Maine first contact. Sweet!
Oh yeah!
Hi. I also have two of the MFJ 17 foot whips that I have used as a V antenna (MFJ's Big Ears) and work fantastic on 20 meters. I found as you did that MFJ's 17 footer is a little loose after some use. I did not know about the Chameleon 17 footer but Wolf River Coils also have a 17 footer which is much tighter, maybe same manufacture as the Chameleon? Anyway, 73, and you have convinced me to try the radials on the ground instead of elevated. Alan KZ6B
Hey Alan, I got a lot of feedback on this video. Some say radials up some say down, some say just 1 radial. I say just keep testing until you find that sweet spot. My gut says the more the better.
Do you know what this style of QRP radio reminds me of? Those mini windows Atom processor computers. I can see how having a hand held windows computer could be useful, but it only had a couple USB 2.0, and at the time you had to haul around a USB hub, an external CD rom plus all the connectors for cameras, terminal strip....etc. And they were slow as shmit. They had (most) 5200 rpm low cap HDD. I pissed off one of my instructors by bringing that up, and 5 min later when he had everything plugged in the damn computer looked like it was on life support.
I'm not familiar with those Atoms but I hear ya. I think you got my point.
Hi , wonder where you are ? You haven't posted in a while. Hope all is well
Too many comments to reply!
If you have a chance to get one compare the MTR with the SW-3B QRP rig.
I have the YouKits radio it seems similar.
Another great video! Thank you for posting this. Please, Do you think that the MFJ is equal to the antenna you used? I love all of your videos and always learn something. Really good. 73 KG5OBD
My gut says the MFJ is slightly substandard. Others have commented that after a while the MFJ has to have tape to hold up the sections.
Thank you. 73. KG5OBD
Hi…man where have u gone, hope all well at ur end….
I'm back!
what do you mean, no tuner? What reciever transmitter are you using?
Could the type of soil be causing the difference? Looks like hard packed clay in this video. Not sure what's at your house.
Yeah our soil here seems to be this reddish clay everywhere. People in the comments are saying it was likely that cement bench with steel rebar in it. I think they're right.
Steel re-bar or steel-net under the concrete pad?
You are fun to watch. 73
Thanks so much Yakov
1.3 is great.
Agreed
I see that you are not using the hybrid micro - the transformer for CHA. Is there particular reason why you are not using? thx.
No particular reason, i just grab equipment and go.
one day ill learn CW
Practice every day and it will come
What kind of printer did you use to make the label? I am going to need one for a project I have coming up.
Oh I have a little Brother label maker. I have a video on it somewher.
Rebar in the concrete pad caused problems with tuning???
Other people said that too, I over looked it.
What type of tripod stand is that ?
I thought you were Tom Jones for a moment, it's not unusual!
That radio, SHe's a lady.
what radio whould youm reccomend for cw?
Nice video. Have you used a wolf river coil with your setup to get 40m and 30m? Also where did you get the mount on the tripod?
I got an MFJ coil. I tried to contact wolf river to get a discount and they wouldn't work with me. The mount for the tripod came from MP1 Super antenna.
I half a tia 1000 wolf. It is hard to tune to below 2.0. At least for me. I put it away after one day. I think i had about 8 radials. But your 1.02 swr in previous video has me interested in making my own single band using the mfj whip. Going to strive for middle of the band. My tripod she be here tomorrow. Its a shame you don’t get a discount. Because I sure try and match your exact purchases. Can’t afford that bengali traveler. Maybe some day. Enjoy your videos more than any other.
Good luck
Thanks!
Those mtn toppers aren’t even available. Sweet little rigs.
Really, I hate to hear that. I bought mine from the creator last year at Dayton.
I wonder whether RFI was messing with your SWR measurement in the field? Anyway, I'm interested that you managed to get such good results using so few radials. 4 x 5m radials for the 20m band? I've seen some videos where guys were using 12 x 4.5m radials - 3 times as many as you. I'm getting ready to put together a tripod-mounted 20m monoband hamstick setup, which is why I was curious to see what radial setup you used.
It's worth experimenting... I'd say the more the better, but that will take more time, so I'm trying to make contacts and move rapidly. 73
@@hamradiocq I did experiment, as you suggested. I found that using about 12 radials made the quarter wave vertical and Hamstick setups work much better. The main thing I discovered was that using silicone insulated wires made it much easier to untangle all those radials and consequently the set-up was quite fast. I use a tripod made for a Super Antenna, which is compact and lightweight enough for SOTA. For the 17 ft whip, I use a length of paracord with a loop at one end that I use to attach it to the tripod as a measuring device. The paracord has knots in it at the lengths I need to adjust the whip to for the 10, 12, 15, 17 and 20m bands.
Is this whip antenna good for voice sub?
Yes it is
be aware that just about any concrete structure such that table is full of rebar metal. Future food for thought. swr dont like metal
Yeah, I was projecting my thoughts to the trees and forgot about the table.
3 watts to Maine, not too bad! Good day, looking forward to the next vid. Mat - K4OCY
Thanks 👍 It will have to be after this ice storm passes thru.
@@hamradiocq Stay warm.
Nobody will ever hear the difference in your signal with that Tiny amount of SWR.Come on there’s people out here that know better and if you don’t know better than that you need to do some reading even at QRP that little bit of the standing wave is not costing you enough to reflect anything on your signal in either direction. You wasted all of that time stressing over nothing.😱😳
I like the vid but please more antenna and less cw or change the title that was a clickbait... Have speak of antenna 3 min of 23 and rest only cw&related setup!!!
I don't know what you are talking about. I provided chapters to the video so you can skip around. Try to use your youtube tools and your mouse instead of changing my videos.
@@hamradiocq ouch! That'll leave a mark! As far as I am concerned, do all the CW you want! You have a great fist and it's a welcome change from all the ssb videos!
Nice Video but I think your obsession with getting a few decimal points of lower SWR is doing more damage than helping the hobby. One of your commenters even said that 3 or 4 hours of tweaking is not out of the question. Well it is. At one point in your nice video you say that 1.06 SWR gives you a "very resonant antenna" indicating that you have a very basic misunderstanding of antenna resonance and SWR and how they relate. I applaud you in making videos about amateur radio, but please don't pass along bad and misleading information.
Well in QRP it's a goal to be close to 1:1
Im thinking the trees caused your higher swr, than any rebar in the tables. Ive operated pota many many times...and set the tripod up right next to my car. As long as the antenna base is above the roof, no problem. However...being within a 1/4 wave of trees....the swr is sometimes impossible to tune out.
I'll suggest again, a single raised counterpoise, that is tunable. Mark your counterpoise to where in the band you want to tune to. After tuning your whip...if its not close to perfect, try winding a turn back onto the winder, or, letting out another turn. Of course...this means having your counterpoise a few feet longer than needed on your resonant frequency. In addition to all the extra ease, and speed of only one wire, you'll also have less tangle problems. Take your normal 3-4 wire radial kit with you. Operate. Then compare it with the single, elevated, tuned counterpoise. I'll all but guarantee you'll just be running a single after that.
Thanks for the demo. Enjoy your videos. Still hope to work you one day. 73, N4ZN
I'll try it Mike.
Very interested in this theory. Please put it on you tube with the results. Tom your videos have saved me hours of experimentation and taught me lots. You are my favorite ham amateur youtubber by FAR!