In this video, I'm simply using a Winkeyer (USB interface to the rig). It allows many logging programs to send CW from the PC to the rig. The logger is the Field Day logging app from the N3FJP group. Our club uses that for all the field day stations.

Thanks - the paddle in this video is from CWMorse. I like it.

Hey Michael - thanks for watching the video and the comments. Yes - the whip gets the job done... I'm actually thinking through what I might do this winter to be able to sit in the car for an activation. Perhaps the whip on a magmount on the car. 73 & Go State!

Thanks Brian. Yeah, I'm not sure that I'll use my coil other than on 30m and 40m. Maybe I should sell it. With a 17ft whip, you can easily get a great match on 20m and up. 73

Thanks for watching. In this video, I'm using an Amazon Fire Tablet with the HAMRS app. Since then, I've switched to primarily using the Evolve Maestro III that I picked up for ~ $60. It's cheap and the display is dim - so I don't know that I've found my perfect logging laptop yet.

So glad you found it useful Evan! SWR was frustrating in my first few activations with the WRC until I figured this out. Now, I'm very happy with the results. It's a performer! See you on the air! Pat NØHR

Broadcasting on 20m is a felony.

Was thinking the same. Looking for affordable mesh that is light enough though hasn't been easy.

@@nonokodog622 I use an $11 roll from Home Depot.

The links for the products are in the video description. This adapter is from Snakeclamp.

Thanks Dave. Let me know how it turns out. 73, Pat

Thanks for watching Ron. I wondered the same thing and tried to do that. The bag that I have is just a hair too short to make that work. Even though it would have only saved a few seconds, I hoped that I would gain that savings. Great thought though.

Thanks for watching! The links for the parts are in the video description.

Not my answer but this may help... Radial wires are an essential part of a quarter-wave vertical antenna's design because they provide a ground plane for the antenna to operate against. The ground plane acts as a reflector, redirecting the radio waves radiated by the antenna back towards the sky. Without the ground plane, much of the energy radiated by the antenna would be absorbed by the earth, resulting in a less efficient antenna. The radial wires serve as a counterpoise, which is a conductive surface that acts as a mirror image of the antenna's radiating element. By creating a mirror image, the counterpoise minimizes the amount of energy that is lost as the radio waves propagate away from the antenna. Additionally, the radial wires help to establish a uniform current distribution throughout the antenna, which is necessary for optimal performance. Overall, the use of radial wires is critical to the proper operation of a quarter-wave vertical antenna. Without them, the antenna would not be able to radiate efficiently, and its performance would be severely compromised.

@@hamradio_Tips_and_Trips_n0hr BEST EXPLENATION I HAVE GOT ON RADIALS. THANK YOU VERY MUCH, NOW I UNDERSTAND WHAT THEY ARE AND PURPOSE FOR THEM. ALL CAPITOL LETTERS BECAUSE IM SO GREATFULL FOR SUCH AN ANSWER. THANK YOU FROM A BOTTOM OF MY HEART. GREETINGS FROM LATVIA, 73

Wow - that's for sure. Thanks Ken!

Hi Brian, I have thought about doing that. I've also wondered how well it would work to just use thinner rods for the tripod. (thin enough that they don't need to thread in, but not so thin that they aren't strong) Haven't tested that.

Glad you liked it! Thanks Curt.

Thanks Deirdre. That's my goal. A quick deployment antenna that's a step-up from a mobile antenna. This setup has worked well. Thanks for watching!

Hi Ronny, Thanks for watching. I have not had any issues with the my adaptor. It fully seats when threaded in. As you know, this is a very low-cost, but effective setup. 73, Pat NØHR

What was your swr? WRC Antenna setup works great for me?

Yeah.. sorry to hear that. If you're using the same setup as this video, I'd start by checking swr, and swapping things until I narrowed down the culprit. Swap the coax (you've done that), antenna, even the radio. For example, if that same radio and coax work great to a dipole, you know to check out the vertical antenna. Does that make sense?

UPDATE: As I was taking the setup down I noticed that the coax had some off the PL-239 plug! Also, I disassembled the mirror mount, and reassembled it, checking each step with my multimeter. Continuity where it should be, and none where it should not be. A member of the local ham club installed a new connector on the coax, so I went out to the park (K-3503) today for an activation. SWR is 1:1!! First QSO on the new antenna setup was South Texas to Vermont at 14.059, using 3 watts!!

Hi Edward, The link for the wire (with silicone insulation) is in the video description. I recommend it for radials. I would not recommend it for permanent installation of a wire antenna as it may stretch or not be as durable. Thanks for watching. Pat

Thanks Andy! 73, Pat N0HR

Thanks Mary

I hope to work you soon Rene. Glad that you've discovered CW! 73 Pat N0HR

Hi Bob, Thanks for watching. For 20m, 12 radials that are 16.5 ft really works well for me. I'm making another bunch of 6 to bring me to 18 radials total (one on each tripod leg). I think that will help with 30m and 40m. I'll be comparing them to see if it makes a difference. 73 Pat N0HR

Some guys use a choke which might be a good idea. I use one at my home QTH. So far, I haven't had any issues that would require a choke or balun. Not sure what you ground rod comment is referring to here. I don't use a ground rod in the field. Thanks for watching. Pat, NØHR

Thanks for stopping by Douglas. I haven't tried to use the over/under method with a bunch of 6 radials. My thought was that I'd have to first collect the 6 into a single group to treat it like a single wire to use the over/under. It might work - and might be worth a try. With regard to 6 vs 12 radials... you might know a few general principals with radials. 1) More and longer is better 2) You can hit the point of diminishing returns at which adding more delivers little improvement 3) Depending on the quality of the ground/soil, radials will impact your SWR/tuning 4) Radial deployment for a vertical can impact the pattern. If I only use 1 radial, the pattern will favor the direction of the radial. 5) There's a rule-of-thumb to use at least 2x as much radial wire as the length of your lowest band. That is, if you're planning to use 40m as the longest band for your vertical, you should use 80m in total radial wire. So, with all of that said, if you were planning to use the vertical on 10m through 15m, 6 of my 16.5 ft radials would be fine. However, for 17m & 20m, I wouldn't quite be hitting that rule of thumb for radial length (it would work still work of course, just not as well). I want to have a setup that has acceptable performance on 30m and 40m, so I'm considering a 3rd set of 6 to make sure I have a good system for those bands. I hope this helps.

I thought about that... but I figured as long as I have to thread on each leg, simply putting the ring terminal on before I thread it in doesn't really add any time. I think the biggest time savings that could be potentially gained is to get rid of the threaded legs altogether. Thanks for the comment Gary. 73, Pat N0HR

Thanks Mark, My thought was that if the WRC hub simply had unthreaded holes and the legs were not threaded, I could just stick them into the holes. You're correct that the wind is an issue and I've had my system blow over... but I don't think the threaded legs would make too much difference in keeping it from blowing over... assuming that in an unthreaded version, the holes in the hub were deep enough. On breezy days, I lay the tripod bag (which has some unused things in it) on one of the tripod legs to weigh it down. I'm going to try some cheap camping pegs on each leg of the tripod to further stake them down on windy days. Thanks for watching! 73 Pat N0HR

I have seen a recommendation to use a tent state (the ones with a hook on the end) on each leg to secure it to the ground. I will trying that with my WRC. 😎

I have the shorter legs. I cut a 10 foot pvc small diameter pipe into thirds and can slip them over the legs for a larger foot print

@@markanderson8066 that’s an excellent idea. Thanks

Thanks Gary. Appreciate it! 73, Pat N0HR

Keep working on it Spencer. Most CW operators will slow down and help you make the contact. It is really a lot of fun when you master it. Looking forward to working you! 73, N0HR

I think the over-under method has been used for years but I thought it was worth sharing as I've seen many hams wrestling with coax. Thanks for the comments!

@@hamradio_Tips_and_Trips_n0hr You welcome. You did an exellent Job. Yes, any Method that makes you work more comfy and safer is always welcome at any time and any Place

Glad it was helpful!

Raised radials are certainly another option and can give you some directionality. Here in the center of the country, I prefer a more uniform pattern. The "tuned radial" aspect is another consideration with raised radials. If I change bands with my system, I only worry about the radiator length, not the radials. I don't think I have a good tripod to support a raised system at this time, but may try that someday. Probably want to make sure it's not on a windy day. 73, Pat

@@hamradio_Tips_and_Trips_n0hr Tuned radials and band changes aren't that bad. It takes a bit of work upfront to work out the best length for the radiator, but the radials are just banana (or in my case spade terminal) clipped together at the appropriate length. For true "omni" just spread the radials to 180 degrees instead of 90, although that does seem to mess with the tuning a bit. Tripods are pretty cheap. 50 odd bucks or so on Amazon. The ones with adjustable leg angles are particularly sweet. Set your whip, clip your 2 radials to the shield side of the coax, stake the free end of the radials (I use fiberglass driveway markers) and boom you're on the air! KC3UVF

@@KC3UVF Maybe a project for this year will be to model this. My guess is that a raised system is more effective on higher bands (raising a 80m system a fraction of a wavelength is less effective). Also, I'll need to ensure that the system is stable in the wind when raising (or guy it?).

@@hamradio_Tips_and_Trips_n0hr my old tripod didn't have fully adjustable legs, so I did stake that one down. The new one has a truly massive footprint if I need it. I've deployed for 20m (ie the full 17ft whip) in sustained 20 mph winds without a hint of instability. I haven't worked out a coil arrangements for 40m and below yet, but I suspect performance would be more nvis oriented because 6-7 feet is a tiny fraction of a wavelength above ground at those frequencies. Even 10-12 feet, the limit of what I would consider practical, isn't likely to matter much. That said, I work central and eastern Europe pretty much reliably on 17 and above. 20m starts to have some shorter stuff mixed in... though admittedly that may change some after dark. KC3UVF

Thanks!