Have you heard of HEMA or WOTA? What are the land access issues in England? Chris M0RSF will answer our questions about what it’s like to operate portable ham radio in England. He likes to operate outside the box a little and has some very interesting portable radio experiences. Join us as we find out the challenges and unique opportunities of portable radio in Chris’s neck of the woods.
Chris has a very interesting YouTube channel where you can find out more:
https://www.youtube.com/user/M0RSF
Join us we talk about how YOU can challenge yourself with portable radio in this episode of the All Portable Discussion Zone “AP/DZ”. Every aspect of Portable Ops is explored in this biweekly live stream as we discuss news, gear, achievements, the workbench, contests, awards and more – find all Portable Ops related topics here.
Twitter: Charlie NJ7V @NJ7V_
Dan KC7MSU @KC7MSU
Brian W7JET @BBW7JET
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Has your Morse code paddle every failed you in the field? It has happened to me on a Summits on the Air activation, and I barely escaped total failure on that expedition. Now I have found the perfect backup paddle so I’m always prepared. Ara N6ARA has created a paddle called the TinyPaddle that you can use in a pinch. It is surprisingly lightweight and compact and has a good feel to it. You won’t even notice it in your pack, but will have the assurance of a second option just in case. I tested it in the field and demonstrated how easy it is to make contacts in this video.
ALSO, Brian W7JET joins me on this SOTA activation (Cochrine Hill W7A/CS-069) and shows us his office – the King Air 200.
You can Purchase N6ARA’s TinyPaddle here as a kit ($15) or assembled ($20): http://n6ara.com
N6ARA’s Troubleshooting section if you have issues: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1g2HZdlzOzQvBfiCE5Kx2YWyRHl98gEyodCoGzTS_TIM/view#heading=h.vrontfrw3k9t
Are you satisfied with your Morse code skills or are you still pushing yourself to learn more? In this video Brian and I talk about some recent changes we have made in the way we send and receive Morse code in the field for Summits on the Air. We find ourselves constantly pushing ourselves to become better at Morse code. While on this SOTA activation of Needle Mountain we talk about some of our recent adjustments.
This video is a little longer than usual because I didn’t cut out any of the QSOs. This is a full activation in all its glory with every miscue of the paddle and all the mishaps that occur along the way.
Summit W7A/GI-108
Dave KG3X’s Plans for the "American Morse Ultra Porta Paddle Morse Code Paddle Handholding Shroud": https://www.prusaprinters.org/prints/85928-american-morse-ultra-porta-paddle-morse-code-paddl
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Many hikes don’t go as planned. In these cases, you must adapt you plan, make smart decisions, and adjust your expectations to have a safe and fun trip. Any time you are in the field things can go wrong, as they did for me and my friends on this Summits on the Air trip. Cool heads, realistic expectations, flexibility, and making smart decisions are all factors that contributed to successful trip. In this video The Tech Prepper KT1RUN, David KG7GTF, and I try to tackle Elephant Mountain, but things don’t go as planned. Watch to see what happened and how we adapted to the situations at hand.
Summit W7A/MN-041
The Tech Prepper https://www.youtube.com/c/TheTechPrepper
Do you want to build a portable ham radio station to operate in the field? Do you wonder how you might improve your current portable station? George KJ6VU joins us tonight to talk about the pros and cons of each category of equipment for your portable ham radio station. We’ll discuss antennas, masts, radios, and more. George has a very interesting backstory, as a host to the Ham Radio Workbench podcast, creator of the Packtenna antenna line of products and accomplished homebrewer and builder.
Packtenna Antennas: https://www.packtenna.com
Ham Radio Workbench Podcast: https://www.hamradioworkbench.com/
Join us we talk about how YOU can build an effective portable ham radio station in this episode of the All Portable Discussion Zone “AP/DZ”. Every aspect of Portable Ops is explored in this biweekly live stream as we discuss news, gear, achievements, the workbench, contests, awards and more – find all Portable Ops related topics here.
Twitter: Charlie NJ7V @NJ7V_
Dan KC7MSU @KC7MSU
Brian W7JET @BBW7JET
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Do you wish you were proficient in operating your ham radio using Morse Code? Do you wish you could find a CW learning resource that fits your specific needs? Howard Bernstein WB2UZE joins us tonight to talk about the wide variety of Morse Code learning resources made available by the Long Island CW Club. We will be talking to him about their various classes, special interest groups, presentations and more … all catered to helping YOU improve your Morse code skills.
Long Island CW Club Website: https://longislandcwclub.org
Join us we talk about how YOU can learn Morse code in this episode of the All Portable Discussion Zone “AP/DZ”. Every aspect of Portable Ops is explored in this biweekly live stream as we discuss news, gear, achievements, the workbench, contests, awards and more – find all Portable Ops related topics here.
Twitter: Charlie NJ7V @NJ7V_
Dan KC7MSU @KC7MSU
Brian W7JET @BBW7JET
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Sandy was licensed a few months ago and is really coming into her own with portable radio setups. We hike up Mt. Ord, a Summits on the Air and Parks on the Air activation, in this video. Before the trip we discussed what tips we might offer to the Elmer who is helping a new ham learn portable radio such as SOTA and POTA. In this video we offer 5 tips for helping a new ham.
Summit W7A/AW-022
Park K-4432
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Sandy W7NRS joined me for this activation. This was our wedding anniversary weekend. What better way to celebrate! What’s more, this was HER idea! This was a 5.5 mile roundtrip hike to the top of Munds Mountain. This mountain overlooks the Arizona town of Sedona. The hike was beautiful with views of the "Red Rocks" of Sedona all along the route. Once we were on top Sandy showed how to set up the radio station and then started working other stations on voice. I stepped in at the end to operate Morse code for a few minutes. Of course we now always operate Parks on the Air too, if we can. This was an activation for both.
Summit W7A/CS-089
Park K-4428
CW audio files can be found here: https://tinyurl.com/csctpsdd
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Ham radio QRP has evolved over the years. It has expanded and diverged into new and interesting niches. Yet the classic QRPer is still alive and well. Our guest for this episode is Dick G0BPS who has been a part of the classic QRP culture for many years. He is a past president of the QRP Armature Radio Club International (ARCI) and was elected in into the ARCI QRP Hall of Fame. He also serves as the secretary of the G-QRP club. We will explore what it meant to be a QRPer years ago, what has changed and what has remained the same. So join as we talk about the BIG REWARDS of operating QRP.
Join us as we talk about how YOU can enjoy the pleasure of working QRP in this episode of the All Portable Discussion Zone “AP/DZ”. Every aspect of Portable Ops is explored in this biweekly live stream as we discuss news, gear, achievements, the workbench, contests, awards and more – find all Portable Ops related topics here.
Twitter:
Charlie NJ7V @NJ7V_
Dan KC7MSU @KC7MSU
Brian W7JET @BBW7JET
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The Ultra Porta Paddle is a high-quality portable morse code paddle made in the USA. These paddles are a top contender for an operator to use as their primary key. While they are a more expensive paddle, they are also a higher quality paddle made with excellent craftsmanship. Doug W6AME who is the owner and operator of American Morse Equipment sent me a short description about how these paddles were developed. Scroll down to see his comments.
This "paddle feature" is the fifth in a series of videos about PORTABLE CW KEYS called "Portable Morse Code Paddles". I hope you enjoy this feature and come back for more!
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#SOTA #PortableRadio #HamRadio #CW #MorseCode
Doug Hauff W6AME writes:
“The Ultra design was based on my experience of making keys for many
years, and what I saw available in portable paddles. Over twenty years
ago I found that there was not much available in mini paddles and keys,
just some terrible cheap plastic things & a few hyper expensive models,
so I started making mini keys and paddles.
As for the Ultra, I had tried a rather popular mini paddle at Dayton a
few years ago, and while I was impressed with the rather clever, very
inexpensive to manufacture design, I was unimpressed with the feel,
especially considering the cost. You just can’t get around the feel of
an all-plastic paddle. I decided to design a paddle that fit inside the
same small envelope, but an all-metal design with superior feel.
Most of my keys and paddle have plain bearings, which do a good job and
are simple to implement. I first used ball race bearings in a design
mostly for sales appeal, but I discovered two advantages with ball
bearings that can justify the added complexity: they provide a superior
ground path compared to plain bearings, and they do impart a subtle
improvement in feel, a kind of hard to define smoothness and precision
one can feel. And there is the sales appeal.
Likewise, I have found that the neodymium magnets I use in some of my
other keys provide a crispness and fine adjustability, adding to the
feel.
So, starting with ball bearings, neodymium magnet, and 1 x 1 x 3+ inch
envelope, I developed the Ultra, borrowing from my other designs such as
the Mini-B; fully enclosed, anodized aluminum construction, Stainless
contacts, etc.
Greatest difficulty was designing the bearing mounts, and tooling and
procedure for assembling the four ball bearings and two dowel pins into
the base. I lost a lot of bearings and bases first time around…
Reject rate now just a few percent.”
