Category: K6ARK Portable Radio

The respite of a peaceful night on a desert summit was a much needed break from a hectic work week. To sweeten the deal, I knew "Radio Runner", Chris (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCOHCTGeSGqt1r76DvVJH_ww) would be on a summit, and propagation conditions were looking good for a potential Summit-to-Summit contact. So we packed up the gear, met up with a friend, and set out for the desert. Hope you enjoy coming along for the journey.

If you have any questions about the gear I use, post in the comments below. You can also find a bunch of my favorites in my amazon store: https://www.amazon.com/shop/k6arkportableradio. Amazon gives me a few pennies on the dollar for purchases through that link, but it doesn’t cost you any more.

Beautiful weather in the mountains of Anza Borrego were too tempting to pass up, so Johnnie and I headed out to a beautiful part of the park with a fun SOTA summit. A little hiking, SOTA, and rock climbing made for a fun day. Hope you enjoy coming along for the adventure.

I have to say, I’m a pretty lucky guy to have a better half who loves the outdoors as much as I do, and is willing to spend a little extra time on a summit a summit while I play radio.

QRPVer Radio – https://qrpver.com/transceivers/qrpver-1-v-2-jt65-psk-bpsk-fsq-qrp-transceiver.html
QCX Mini Kit – https://www.qrp-labs.com/qcxmini.html

If you’re interested in my gear and projects, I am constantly adding items to my Amazon store which makes it easy to find the goodies that I like to use. I do make a few pennies on each purchase through these links for sending traffic to Amazon, but there’s no extra cost to you. https://www.amazon.com/shop/k6arkportableradio

When old man winter brings you the gift of snow, you take advantage of it. In SoCal, it doesn’t last long, so you might as well.

Although the radio operating wasn’t anything to write home about, the adventure and beauty of the SoCal mountains certainly was. Hope you enjoy joining me for the adventure.

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I’ve amassed some of my favorite gear in an Amazon store for those who may be interested. Amazon gives me a small kick-back on any purchases through the store. https://www.amazon.com/shop/k6arkportableradio

For the January VHF contest, I decided to have some fun from a SOTA summit. I set up as a 3-band station and operated for about 5.5 hours. Lots of activity on the bands, and many contacts. Enjoy the show!

#MNHR Playlist: -coming soon-

I will certainly be making build videos for the 6m yagi and the Extended Double Zepp. The 2m/70cm yagi already has a build video: https://youtu.be/a4XIgYD-d1k

I created an Amazon store with a bunch of the goodies I use to build antennas and play radio. Check it out: https://www.amazon.com/shop/k6arkportableradio

Amazon gives me a small kick-back from any purchases through that link.

Here’s a run-through of how I optimize my low-power Windows tablet for portable FT8 use. These little low-power computers struggle with difficult tasks, but with the right settings you can make them work well enough for portable FT8 use.

This tablet is a HP Pro 608 G1 purchased in December 2020 for about $80 on eBay. Here’s how I set it up for portable use on FT8.

Here’s the summary:
00:00 Intro
00:45 Uninstall all unnecessary applications.
– Search: "Add or remove Programs." Uninstall what’s not needed.
01:15 Disable unnecessary Startup Applications
– Search: "Startup Apps." Uncheck anything that’s not absolutely needed.
01:45 Turn off Tablet Mode
– Settings – System – Tablet mode
– "When I sign in" – "Use desktop mode"
02:42 Touch Keyboard
– Settings – Devices – Typing
– Touch Keyboard
– "Play key sounds as I type" OFF
– "Show the touch keyboard when not in tablet mode and there’s no keyboard attached" ON
03:03 Turn off Notifications
– System – Notifications and Actions
– "Get notifications from apps and other senders" OFF
03:23 Optimize for Performance
– Search: "Adjust the appearance and performance of Windows"
– Select "Adjust for best performance"
03:59 Power Performance Settings
– Click "Battery" icon in system tray
– Use higher settings for better performance at a battery cost
04:34 On Screen Keyboard Shortcut
– Search "On-Screen Keyboard"
– Right click, pin to Task Bar.

WSJT-X Website: https://physics.princeton.edu/pulsar/k1jt/wsjtx.html
Dimension 4 Time Sync: http://www.thinkman.com/dimension4/

What other settings would you tweak to optimize performance? Let me know in the comments below.

I finally found a portable FT8 solution that I’m satisfied with, and it doesn’t involve a Raspberry Pi. Pi computers are great, but they require a separate power supply and the use of your phone as a VNC viewer to control the computer. Phone screens are tiny, and controls are difficult.

So rather than using a Pi and a phone or tablet, I thought, why not just use a small windows tablet? So I did.

I found a slew of Windows 10 capable laptops on eBay for various prices. I settled on the HP Pro Tablet 608 G1 Tablet which can now be had for about $80-90 in good, refurbished condition. I picked up one of those and paired it up with a cover and stylus.

From when I used a FT-817, I have a WolphiLink adapter that acts as an audio and VOX keying circuit. Unfortunately, these were recently discontinued. The manual with schematic are on the website and a creative ham could likely build a similar device.
http://www.wolphi.com/interface/

For audio output from the tablet, I have found that a USB-C audio output adaptor works best: https://amzn.to/2LX3MMg

How do YOU operate digital modes including FT8 in the field? Tell us in the comments below.

What happens if you tack-weld together 45 empty beer cans and set it up as a 20m quarter wave ground-mounted vertical antenna? Today we find out.

In the spirit of #WillItAntenna night for #MNHR, I committed to the hard work of emptying 45 cans of craft beer over a couple of weeks to provide the necessary material required for this antenna. It was a tough job, but somebody had to do it. I may be a few pounds heavier and slower going up mountains, but it was all worth it for the DX Brewmander.

But will it actually work? Watch and find out.

If you liked this and want to see more similar videos, here’s the "Will It Antenna?" Monday Night Ham Radio playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL01YuCls6edaEcJdaiSTtEXtGT806dAy2

I get many questions about my gear, so I’ve put together an Amazon store with some of my favorites. https://www.amazon.com/shop/k6arkportableradio
Amazon gives me a few pennies on the dollar for each sale made through that link which helps support my building and experimenting.

#MNHR #HamHarder

2m activations can be a blast. There are so many ways to make contacts with 2m, and on this summit I used a bunch of them. The result? Plenty of contacts in the log and a heck of a lot of fun. Give some other 2m modes some love on your next activation.

0:00 Let’s get to the summit
1:26 Station Tour
2:20 FM Simplex
6:26 CW and Sideband
8:11 Working Satellites
16:11 Time to head back down

K5ATA Goodgame Ham Radio and Outdoors channel
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCeo_lBRLoYmIxjOGtOr0nKw

Since I get so many questions, I share my favorite gear from Amazon in my new Amazon store. Antenna building supplies, masts, batteries, you name it. Check it all out here:
https://www.amazon.com/shop/k6arkportableradio

Ham Radio YouTuber Swag from Jason, KC5HWB:
https://grapevineamateurradio.com/

You’ve seen the Mini Pixie in the Altoids Smalls tin (https://youtu.be/35TRM-uGWsY), but this prototype Micro Pixie (aka "Choking Hazard") that I built brings tiny to a whole new level. What better way to put it to the test than to attempt a SOTA activation with it?

So today, we take this ridiculous little thing out to a never-before activated SOTA summit to see what it can really do. Is 2.7 g of radio and 850mW of output power enough to get the job done? Watch and see.

Youtuber Tees:
https://grapevineamateurradio.com/

Since I get so many questions, I share my favorite gear from Amazon in my new Amazon store. Antenna building supplies, masts, batteries, you name it. Check it all out here: https://www.amazon.com/shop/k6arkportableradio

Double what? A double bobtail curtain. Yah, that’s right, two bobtail curtains – one driven, and one as a reflector – to #HamHarder on 15 m from a SOTA summit. I was hoping for VK or ZL S2S QSOs, but didn’t have any luck. Still, I managed some consolation prizes. Don’t miss the good stuff at the end.

Palm View Peak is a nice summit with a moderate hike. Summit elevation is 7,160′ on this SOTA summit, W6/CT-068. I had a blast running 15 m on this summit, and I hope you enjoy joining me for the adventure.

My Gear:
Yaesu FT-857D (discontinued)
Homebrew 15 m double bobtail antenna, fed at the bottom of the center element with a high-impedance transformer.
Bioenno 12 Ah LiFePO4 brick – https://amzn.to/37Bucf5
Helinox Ground Chair is discontinued, but the Chair Zero is awesome as well – https://amzn.to/2Ko5BBt
Antenna Poles – https://amzn.to/37C0ExD
NOTE: These are the same style ones I use with my 10m beam. Fiberglass poles are key for any antenna with wire running along the antenna. Carbon fiber messes up the pattern and resonance.

You can find that gear in my Amazon store https://www.amazon.com/shop/k6arkportableradio
I am constantly adding gear to the lists. Purchases through those links give me a small kick-back that helps support my adventures.

#HamRadio