Another Hamfest is over… 160 mile round trip for me (ok, plus a diversion where I followed the signs to a service station which were ok until the last junction and I ended up on another motorway!!) but not a bad trip. Except for the roadworks on the A1… Anyway, a 6/4/2/70cm collinear came home with me and it is now installed in the loft replacing the existing 2/70cm one. Same cable etc. I also finished off the boarding over one bedroom – surprisingly the one where the antenna is and no, that’s not the reason for completing the boarding. Honest!

It has, as one may expect very little gain at 6m and 4m but replaces the 4m ground plane that I had and was rather in the way. Plus I never had any form of vertical for 6m.

I also managed to today the antennas up a bit. The 70cm big wheel is now no longer under the 2m big wheel and has its own place farther away. The 2m big wheel has moved so I can actually walk across the loft without needing to crawl under it.

I also recently acquired 2m and a 70cm QFH antennas from ft8.co.uk. These are really well made, being constructed from copper pipe and waterproofed. I will be experimenting with QFH antennas but wanted proper ones due to (a) being too lazy to build right now and (b) even when I do build one I need something to compare it to. Currently only the 70cm one in set up, in the loft again, and replacing a discone which was also in the way. This feeds a Cross Country Wireless HF-UHF antenna splitter and provides the antenna for three LoRa modules, one for TinyGS, one for radiosondes and one is a LoRa APRS iGate (RX only). The satellite reception report via the TinyGS console shows the antenna is working really well. My plan though is to replace this with a parasitic Lindenblad (seeing I am building one) and then actually use the two QFH antennas for satellite work. The only downside there is the need for more coax feeds into the shack from the hole in the ceiling, said hole already being full. But at some stage I need to enlarge it to run the LDF4-50A up for the QO100 dish once I move that from the garage wall. That will be a major tidying-up exercise!

by Teri KO4WFP Friday, September 13th, I headed to Pinckney Island National Wildlife Refuge (US-0265) for a POTA activation and was without Daisy as dogs are not allowed at this refuge. Pinckney Island is a 4,000+ acre wildlife refuge off Highway US 278 on the way to Hilton Head Island, South Carolina. The refuge consists … Continue reading The POTA Babe Spreads Her Wings at Pinckney Island →

I’ve had a production unit of the Xiegu X6200 since June of this year and have made several field reports using it for both SSB and CW. You may have noticed, though, that I haven’t used it much in the field since June. The reason? I’m primarily a CW operator, and the original firmware had … Continue reading Xiegu X6200: Does version 1.0.1 firmware fix CW keyer timing? →

The Big Kansas Coil is a lightweight, portable, and durable base loaded vertical antenna system that when paired with a telescoping whip operates on the 6 through 80 meter ham radio bands. This coil offers some innovative features, including: 3D printed construction out of engineering grade materials, integrated coil scale, easy to use adjustment collar, and a wider diameter coil than anything else on the market.

The Big Kansas Coil: https://bigkansascoil.com/
HF Manpack Collapsible 7 Element Whip Antenna: https://amzn.to/4epr3zh
MFJ-1979 telescoping whip antenna: https://amzn.to/3Vv6Dfv

So what makes the big Kansas Coil different than other base loaded coils? First off is the construction. This coil is entirely 3D printed out of engineering grade Glass and Carbon Fiber filled Nylon material. This coil is lightweight and durable. The material is weather and heat resistant so this antenna is rated for up to 100 watts digital modes with a 50% duty cycle.

The second is its size, or diameter of the coil. This coil is wider than anything else on the market. In building loading or inductance coils, the diameter of the coil will affect the Q or quality factor. Narrow coils will have a very high Q and extremely sharp bandwidth on the lower bands. If you make the coil wider, the Q is reduced and you end up with more bandwidth. I’ll demonstrate what that means a bit later in this video.

As a bonus, patrons can view the unedited phone contacts for this POTA activation. Visit my page on Patreon for details: https://www.patreon.com/kb9vbrantennas

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The post Is bigger better? The Big Kansas Coil Vertical Antenna System appeared first on KB9VBR Antennas.

by Teri (KO4WFP) After an interesting and successful activation at Fort McAllister, I turned my sights southward and further back in time to Fort Morris Historic Site (US-3717). Fort Morris Historic Site contains earthen fortifications that date back to the Revolutionary War. The site is simpler than that of Fort McAllister. Fort Morris was built … Continue reading The POTA Babe Learns Some Lessons →

The Hackaday comments section is generally a lively place. At its best, it’s an endless...

I meet up with Chris, N9CVR, of The Ham Radio Experience. He shows off his fishing pole vertical antenna and we use it to catch some contacts along the Wolf River at the Mukwa State Wildlife Area, (POTA US-4314).

Check out The Ham Radio Experience: https://www.youtube.com/@hamradioexperience

Ham Things, LLC Fuse Block kit: https://www.etsy.com/shop/hamthingsllc/

More about the Wolf River: https://youtu.be/b913wcueqL0

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The post Ham Radio Fishing Pole Antenna: Catching Contacts on the Wolf River! appeared first on KB9VBR Antennas.

This livestream recording is from September 1, 2024 – the NW7US Radio Communications Channel Livestream.  We do this livestream every Sunday at 21:15 UTC.  Here is the link to the livestream from this past Sunday: The livestream list is here: https://www.youtube.com/@nw7us/streams I hope to see you in our livestream live chat, during the next session […]

This livestream recording is from September 1, 2024 – the NW7US Radio Communications Channel Livestream.  We do this livestream every Sunday at 21:15 UTC.  Here is the link to the livestream from this past Sunday: The livestream list is here: https://www.youtube.com/@nw7us/streams I hope to see you in our livestream live chat, during the next session […]

There’s a joke in the world of radio that all you need for a HF...

The 6 meter band is hot in the summer time and there is no better way to exploit it than with a directional antenna like the 6 meter Moxon. The Moxon is a 2 element Yagi that is inexpensive and easy to build, but also offers great results with 5.5dbi of gain and a 25db front to back ratio

The Moxon is named after its creator Les Moxon, G6XN. It is best described as a rectangular two element Yagi antenna. I said rectangular as the ends of the driven element and the reflector are folded inwards, which reduces the amount of space it occupies, about 70% of the space of an equivalent dipole antenna. If you add lightweight spanners to the rectangle, you can rotate the antenna.

Typically, a 6 meter Moxon will have about 5.5dbi of forward gain, and exhibit a high front to back ratio, up to 25 dbi when elevated to the optimal height of about 18 feet. They also have a 50 ohm impedance at the feed point, so no matching network is required, which simplifies their construction.

To make this project more approachable, three of the parts are 3D printed, the hub, hub adapter, and feed point mount. I used PLA+ to print these parts. This is ok for temporary use, but if you are thinking of permanently mounting this antenna, I’d use something more weather resistant like Petg or ASA. All of my 3D printed parts are available on Thingaverse if you want to tackle this project yourself.

The KB9VBR 6 Meter Moxon Antenna Parts list:
4 – 48 inch x 3×8 inch fiberglass fence posts
1 – 3D printed Moxon hub
1 – 3D printed hub adapter
1 – 3D printed Feedpoint center
SO-239 chassis connector
20 feet 20 or 22 ga wire
6 x ½ inch machine screws, nuts, and washers
8 small Ring terminals
String trimmer line
Painters pole: 15 – 23 feet

3D Printed Hub and feedpoint STL files: https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:6649022
Painters Pole 3D printed adapter: https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:6542716

Plans and dimensions: https://www.jpole-antenna.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/KB9VBR-6-Meter-Moxon-Antenna-Plans.pdf

Source for the 48 inch fiberglass fence posts:
Fleet Farm: https://www.fleetfarm.com/detail/smv-industries-inc-3-8-in-x-4-ft-smooth-fiberglass-fence-post/0000101764782
Tractor Supply: https://www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/product/sunguard-3-8-in-fiberglass-rod-post

AC6LA Moxon Calculator: https://www.ac6la.com/moxgen1.html

Build the Black Widow 15 meter Moxon: https://youtu.be/4ddtVW8HweM
The Black Widow Moxon, now 70% lighter: https://youtu.be/f56AX5esxgQ

— My 3D Printer —
Creality Ender 3 v2 Neo 3D Printer: https://amzn.to/3Crj8Q1
eSun PLA Pro (PLA+) black filament https://amzn.to/3NpcZua

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The post DIY 6 Meter Moxon Antenna: Boost Your Summer VHF Fun! appeared first on KB9VBR Antennas.

by Teri (KO4WFP) After a fun POTA for K2D the previous week, it was time to resume the pursuit of my 2024 goal – 60 new valid POTA activations. Friday, August 30th, I headed to Fort McAllister State Park (US-2175). Though I have lived in Savannah most of my life, I’ve never visited this park … Continue reading The POTA Babe Goes Back in Time →

Join us, every Sunday at 21:15 UTC (5:15 PM, Eastern Daylight Time, 4:15 PM Standard), for an informal livestream chat session about: – current space weather — the Sun/Earth connection — including sunspot activity, solar x-ray flares, and geomagnetic activity, as well as, – current radio signal propagation conditions on the shortwave (high-frequency, or HF) […]

The United States and a few other countries have an astounding array of homeowners’ associations...

One of the great things about ham radio is the amazing variety of items that can be purchased to add more enjoyment to the world’s best hobby. Case in point: Today’s featured video on some of the latest products available at DXEngineering.com.

DX Engineering’s Michael Murphy, KI8R, highlights a few excellent station add-ons in his series, “What’s New at DXE,” including products from Chameleon Antennas, Eclipse Tools, RigExpert, Nifty Reference Guides, InnovAntennas, Comet Antennas, RT Systems Radio Programming Software, and DX Engineering.

Watch the video and find many more details on these featured products by clicking on the links below:

Chameleon Antenna URT1 Universal Remote Antenna Tuner

InnovAntennas LFA-WOS 6M 7-Element Yagi

Shackmaster Power 600 Compact Desktop Power Supply

Eclipse Tools Butane Gas Soldering Iron Kit

Eclipse Tools PK-616A Professional Electronics Tool Kit

Eclipse Tools SS-969E SMD Hot Air Rework Station

Eclipse Tools 3-5/16 True-RMS Compact Digital Multimeter

Eclipse Tools SS-628A Mini Hot Air Gun

2024 Contest University Textbook

Nifty Mini-Manual for the Kenwood TH-D75A Tri-Band Handheld

RTS Programming Software and Cable Combos for the Kenwood TH-D75A and Icom ID-50 Handheld Transceivers

Comet Mobile Antenna Mount Adapters

• AD-10N: NMO to Type-N Female (below)
• AD-15M: NMO to SO-239 Female
• AD-25M: SO-239 Female to NMO
• AD-35M: 3/8-24 Threaded Receptacle to PL-259

The post New Products Spotlight Video: Chameleon Remote Antenna Tuner, RigExpert Power Supply, and More appeared first on OnAllBands.

For more than two decades, the hams at DX Engineering have invested a great deal of time and brainpower toward enhancing the performance of Hustler BTV Series 4-, 5-, and 6-Band Vertical Antennas. This commitment has resulted in a slew of complementary DX Engineering-produced Hustler antenna products coupled with smart advice about installing ground radials for optimal results. 

This combination of add-ons and operational wisdom continues to result in spectacular results for hams around the world. Here’s just one of many favorable opinions:

Five Stars (4BTV 4-Band HF Vertical Antenna): This antenna performs above and beyond what I expected! I hadn’t made any DX contacts in a very long time on the voice portion of the HF bands. After installing this per instructions and laying down 24 ground radials of various lengths due to confined space I easily made a contact into Germany through a pileup first try! Got a good 5-7 report with great audio! I also added the 17M add-on kit which performs flawlessly! Best antenna I have purchased!! Highly recommend this antenna if you are limited on space!

Ronald, DX Engineering Customer

Hustler BTV upgrades available at DXEngineering.com include the DX Engineering Direct Coax Feed Add-On Kit; BTV Series Antenna Packages, which come with OMNI-TILT Base, DX Engineering patented Radial Plate, clamps, and hardware; DX Engineering Vertical Antenna Matching Network; and the 64-page instruction manual, which one customer called “the most important part of my antenna package.”

OnAllBands plans to cover all of the above in later posts, but first we’re checking out customer reviews of Hustler BTV Series add-on kits. In part one of this series, we explored the 17M add-on kit.

Today, we’ll be heading to the low bands for a look at the 80M add-on for the Hustler 4-BTV antenna (40/20/15/10M).

The 80M add-on is tunable for operating across a small segment of the 75/80m band with an SWR of 1.5:1 or less. Larger frequency excursions are easily made by lowering the antenna and adjusting the length of the top rod. A DX Engineering DXE-TB-3P Tilt Base Antenna Mounting System (sold separately) makes this a simple job. A good SWR meter or antenna analyzer will allow you to check the overall performance of the antenna while making final adjustments.

The DX Engineering 80M add-on kit requires no disassembly of your existing antenna. Simply add one of these kits to the top of the existing installation, make some minimal tuning adjustments, and enjoy getting on the air with an additional band. These kits come complete with Hustler RM75/80 resonator with large corona ball whip; Allen wrench for the two Allen set screws on the 80M resonator; and three-bladed spider assembly (above).

What Does the Customer Say About the 80M Add-On Kit?

Five Stars: Excellent! Simple to install and tune. Best reports ever with locals. Then worked Puerto Rico first night.

James, DX Engineering Customer

***

Five Stars: Easy to install and tune. And nice to get all the needed parts in one kit with good instructions.

Aaron, DX Engineering Customer

***

Five Stars: Easy to install, especially if you have the Omni-Tilt base on your 4BTV. Tuning was simple, took about three tries to get it centered on the frequency I wanted using the MFJ-223 analyzer. Performance with 32 radials is not bad. Expect about 45-50KHZ of usable 2:1 SWR bandwidth.

Samuel, DX Engineering Customer

***

Arrived quickly, well packed. 80M resonator and whip in one box, three-leg spider in second box shipped separately. Easy to install on my 5+ year old 4BTV. Required a bit of retuning the vertical, mostly 40M (top section was shortened a bit). SWR about 1.5:1 80-40-20M and 1.2:1 15-10M with my 36 radials. Have had a few 80M QRP QSOs so far. Signal reports about one S unit weaker than my full length 80M dipole—not bad for a shortened radiator. QRO probably better.

Paul, DX Engineering Customer

The post What Does the Customer Say? Hustler BTV Series Vertical Antenna Add-On Kits: Part 2, 80M Add-On Kit appeared first on OnAllBands.

The (far) better half and I made a trip out to central Pennsylvania to attend some activities our grand-kids are taking part in. I had some time on Saturday morning for a quick activation, so I drove a few miles down the road to nearby PA State Game Lands (US-8941, KFF-5862). 

We made the trip in the (far) better half’s little Chevy Traiblazer, so like a previous trip, I went with a simple setup. Along with my Penntek TR-35 (5W, CW), I used my Elecraft AX1 on a clip-on window mount. The diminutive AX1 has always gotten the job done in the past, so I hoped for similar results today.

Today, I had a couple of things working against me: doing an early morning activation (0900 local time) on 20M coupled with some unsettled geomagnetic conditions. Not to mention running 5 watts into a 45-inch loaded whip. Still, I enjoy a challenge. Or maybe I’m just a glutton for punishment.  

With the AX1, it only took a few minutes to get set up and get on the air. After spotting myself, it took nine minutes of CQing to make my first contact. Then, 19 minutes after that, I made contact number two. Yikes! It was looking like I was headed for my first busted activation with the AX1. I also began wishing I had brought my Gabil GRA-7350TC and mag mount, so I could have made some contacts down on 40M. Undeterred, I pressed on.

Not too long after that, things picked up a bit, and I started getting some more callers. Either the band conditions were improving or the hunters were waking up and getting out of bed. One of those callers was OH1MM. I had a weak copy on him, so I can only imagine what my QRP signal sounded like in Finland.  

An hour after arriving onsite, I had 14 contacts, including one park-to-park and one DX contact. I was happy with that, so I packed up and headed back to my daughter’s house for a late breakfast. 

So, despite getting off to a slow start, my little AX1’s undefeated streak remains intact. 

72, Craig WB3GCK

Join us, every Sunday at 21:15 UTC (5:15 PM, Eastern Daylight Time, 4:15 PM Standard), for an informal livestream chat session about: – current space weather — the Sun/Earth connection — including sunspot activity, solar x-ray flares, and geomagnetic activity, as well as, – current radio signal propagation conditions on the shortwave (high-frequency, or HF) […]

OnAllBands has been taking a close look at products that can help you get more out of your Hustler 4BTV, 5BTV, and 6BTV vertical antennas. We’ve got quite a bit of ground to cover, so we’re starting with the DX Engineering add-on kits that let you easily and effectively expand coverage. Check out this article on the Hustler BTV Series 17M Add-On Kit. Later this month we’ll be exploring what operators say about the 80M add-on kit.

Today, we turn our attention to the latest addition to DX Engineering’s lineup of devices that have turned the Hustler BTV verticals into an affordable and proven DXing juggernaut for hams around the globe, especially those dealing with limited space and HOA restrictions.

The updated DX Engineering 12 Meter Add-On Kit for Hustler 4BTV, 5BTV, or 6BTV HF Vertical Antennas (DXE-AOKC-12M) adds 12 meter coverage (24.890 through 24.990 MHz) without giving up existing band coverage. Simply install the kit, check the tuning, make minimal tuning adjustments, and you’re on the air with an additional band.

Users on eHam.net have called the DXE-AOKC-12M a “great product for the money,” “first-rate made,” “a superior product that performs, “very easy to assemble,” and “a straightforward way to add 12M to the Hustler without it looking like a Rube Goldberg contraption.” Check out all the reviews at eHam.net.

The RF power handling of the DXE-AOKC-12M 12 Meter Add-On Kit is conservatively rated for 1,500 watts PEP SSB, 1,000 watts CW, and 375 watts RTTY and Digital modes (including FT8) at an antenna SWR of 2:1 and below. This rating is for 12 meters only; it does not apply to BTV antenna trap or resonator frequencies where the use of less power is advised.

A Note About Installing Both the 17M & 12M Add-On Kits

The 17M and 12M kits work together because they do not interact with each other. Further, installing them on your BTV antenna will not drastically affect other bands. The 17M and 12M kits match each other, except for the coil on the 17M, and they add negligible wind loading to the antenna. The kits can mount on opposite sides of the Hustler BTV vertical and may be installed at the same time or at different times.

The above photo shows the following:

• DXE-AOK-DCF Direct Coax Feed Add-On Kit for BTV Antennas and a DX Engineering coaxial cable jumper connected between the DXE-AOK-DCF and a DXE-UHF-FDFB-KIT SecureMount Bulkhead Connector
• 12M Add-On Kit
• 17M Add-On Kit
• DXE-OMNI-TILT-1P Tilt Base
• DXE-RADP-3 Radial Plate

TIP: The use of the OMNI-TILT base is recommended for BTV ground mounting when both 17M and 12M kits are installed.

The 12M add-on kit includes:

• Pre-assembled 12M element wire with soldered ring terminals
• Four stainless steel band clamps with threaded studs
• Upper insulated bracket
• Two 14-inch tuning rods
• Bottom aluminum stand-off bracket
• Spring-loaded end insulator for the 12M element wire, which lets the antenna move naturally
• Scotch-Brite® pad for cleaning the 12M element connections to the BTV antenna
• Stainless steel hardware

Tuning the 12M Add-On

Installation of the DXE-AOKC-12M can have the effect of narrowing the SWR bandwidth of 20, 15, and 10M—a reasonable tradeoff for adding the extra band. After the 12M kit is installed and tuned, any required shift to the usable SWR frequency ranges on those bands can be accomplished by trap sleeve repositioning on the respective band trap. SWR may be optimized for CW and Digital or SSB segments by careful trap sleeve tuning adjustments.

For more about tuning, assembly instructions, and further details, read the DXE-AOKC-12M manual. Visit DXEngineering.com to order this impressive Hustler upgrade.

The post Product Spotlight: DX Engineering 12 Meter Add-On Kit for Hustler 4BTV, 5BTV & 6BTV Vertical Antennas appeared first on OnAllBands.