TangoOscarMike73

A little vlog type video. Replaced my truck radio with a IC-2730, which I call the 2370 multiple times. I moved my FT-8900 into my station so I have 2 meter digital capabilities for my clubs NBEMS net. I had a FT-857 that I used solely for 2 meter digital, but I sold it to get another HF radio. Thanks for watching

I use FLE (Fast Log Entry) to enter paper logs and then us a macro in Notepad++ to auto edit the exported file quickly. It would be awesome if they would at POTA support to FLE so we wouldn't have to edit the file afterwards, but it is still the fasted way to enter paper logs that I've found. https://df3cb.com/fle/ https://notepad-plus-plus.org/ I hope you find this useful. Check me out over on buy me a coffee (bourbon). I do some blogging and kind of behind the scene stuff. https://www.buymeacoffee.com/n3ws

Sorry about the plane noise, but the airport is close by. I hiked up and down the valleys of the forest trail at Raccoon Creek state park here in western Pennsylvania. It's a good leg workout. It was a cool day, but the humidity was pretty high. I used my KX2 with the internal battery, some RG-58 and my endfed halfwave. I used the HAMRS app for logging, but cellphone reception was spotty. 20 wasn't working to well, but changed to 40 and made lots of contacts, including a member from my club and another you-tuber. Thanks everyone for the contacts! The log has been uploaded. https://www.buymeacoffee.com/n3ws Music: https://www.bensound.com/royalty-free-music/

Almost 21 hours without power this time. The old Honda does an amazing job, but it's time to upgrade. I'd love to go solar, but it is still so expensive. The tax credit for solar ends this year.

I took my KX2 out for a late day POTA hike. I had my Bioenno battery with me, but used the internal battery in the KX2. I used a 49:1 EFHW cut for 10-40. 3 contacts in Spain and one in England. 4000 miles! The antenna was a tall inverted V with the peak about 35 feet. Probably not good for NVIS in this configuration. Humidy was high and the bugs were bad. Enjoy. 00:00 Intro 6:28 Setting up 12:31 Getting on the air 13:30 First contact 21:27 Gear

It's always something! Do your own repairs. You might have to buy a specialized tool here and there, but then you'll always have it. If you don't know how to do it find someone who can help you the first time. Watch youtube, but always be safe. Sometimes you got to put in the work before you can have some fun.

I compare DX Engineering 26 gauge stealth wire to SOTABEAMS Lightweight wire. I think both are great, but one has some issues for portable operators. You can find me over at https://www.buymeacoffee.com/n3ws

It finally came in. The small HD screen I hope will become part of my standard kit. It's slightly larger than my phone and actually lighter, not including the cables. So far testing is going well, but until it's been stuffed in a pack and used in the field a few times I won't call it perfect just yet.

Good activation. I think this might be my first activation on 20 only. I had to rush all these activation for the sake of the family, but I got them done. this one was the easiest. Not much to this park but a gravel parking lot, but it seems popular for thinking and bike riding.

I activated Presque Isle today. since we were hiking a bit I just grabbed what I thought I needed in a rush and didn't take the whole kit. I forgot a couple of things, but I managed.

I activated Pymatuning State Park, but it wasn't pretty. just got my 10. I didn't have a lot of time, so no video of the activation. my GoPro was buried in the luggage. should be activating K-1402 tomorrow.

Just the final rendition of my go case, well at least until my new screen comes in. I'm surprised I got everything in there. This would be great for air travel as well. It is about 11.3 lbs. Find me on: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/n3ws

I packed my gear in a hard case, and did a little testing in the driveway before starting some yard work. I'm prepping for a road trip. I'll be able to stop and activate some parks for "parks on the air", but I'll have to be quick about it. My super duper laptop had a hardware issue and I had to ship it off for repairs. Turn around time is supposed to be 10 days. It took me about an hour to output this short video on an old laptop I have. It was painful. Gotta get that wood ready for winter. Music: https://www.bensound.com/royalty-free-music/ https://www.buymeacoffee.com/n3ws

A strong storm blew through the area. I was on a skywarn net at the time. Lots of trees down. My end fed antenna wire snapped. Power is out, estimate for it back on is tomorrow. We had another storm last week and the power was out 17 hours.

Field day with Washington Amateur Communications WA3COM First use of the crank up tower in years. A good time was had by all as far as I know. It was hot and muggy for sure. http://www.buymeacoffee.com/n3ws Music: https://www.bensound.com/royalty-free-music/

This came out way cooler than I thought it would. The antenna worked fantastic for those long distance contacts. It is worth the effort to get it back in shape. Music: https://www.bensound.com/royalty-free-music/

A little behind the scenes field day preparations. I'm organizing my clubs field day and I have a ton of stuff to do. What do you do with really dirty cables? https://www.buymeacoffee.com/n3ws Music: https://www.bensound.com/royalty-free-music/

Options for screens and resolution sizes. How big do you need, how small, is to small. Portable vs ultra portable Rii I4 mini keyboard: https://amzn.to/3xG73Cl Logitech K400: https://amzn.to/3zJG2Q3 Hyperpixel screen (non-touch): https://www.adafruit.com/product/3932 Thingiverse case: https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:3153767 USB GPS: https://amzn.to/2SGLUcp https://www.buymeacoffee.com/n3ws Music: https://www.bensound.com/royalty-free-music/

Just a little of my operation for the cookie crumble QRP ham radio contest. I decide just to operate in the back yard. My two flaws where 1: I'm not on Facebook and it seems that's where all the spots were happening. 2: Most of the CC stations were CW and I spent most of my time working SSB. https://w3atb.com/cookie-crumble/ Music: https://www.bensound.com/royalty-free-music/

Going over options for getting your antenna in the air when you go portable. Weights Throw line bag: 23oz / 655 grams Storage cube: 32oz / 912 grams Mast w/guy: 51oz / 1446 grams Some of the stuff is listed in my portable gear list on amazon. https://www.amazon.com/ideas/amzn1.account.AFZ3LBUE2QB5VTYOZZRWR2D4XPKA/3LQ3IQPJXCQS4 https://www.sotabeams.co.uk/compact-light-weight-10-m-32-ft-travel-mast/ Music: https://www.bensound.com/royalty-free-music/

https://w3atb.com/cookie-crumble/ I love small QRP contests like this. They are always a lot of fun. I hope to catch you on the air.

Here is how I do some CW/Morse code practice while on the road or using the Morseino. https://morsecode.ninja/ https://www.morserino.info/ Music: https://www.bensound.com/royalty-free-music/

What a difference between my winter hikes. With winter the only thing you really have to deal with is the cold. Now it's bugs, overgrown trails with thorns, ticks, the heat and humidity. I lost count of all the spider webs I walked though. It is nice to get out early in the morning. 00:00 Intro 00:15 Turtle 3:37 CW talk 4:34 Setup 6:55 The contacts start 7:17 had to move for a net 12:05 P2P hunting 14:24 Activation result 17:10 More CW talk 19:58 Final Music: https://www.bensound.com/royalty-free-music/

I know this is a long video, but I put in some chapters if you want to skip around. I made a day of working on the trailer, playing with antennas and doing some backyard POTA hunting. I've been working on my morse code and I'm getting brave enough to make contacts. I make my first on camera CW contacts. 00:00 intro 00:14 Antenna setup 01:52 CW Morse key 05:05 trailer work 10:34 Antenna talk 12:18 Backyard POTA Hunting 21:54 CW Contacts 24:01 Lap dog 24:50 More CW Music: https://www.bensound.com/royalty-free-music/

Some more trailer work, mostly hyper lapse. Music:https://www.bensound.com/royalty-free-music/