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@xraykadiddlehopper8067 4 күн бұрын
These chargers do not give advertised charge amps. You get what you pay for.
@aa3konthego 3 күн бұрын
@@xraykadiddlehopper8067 I'll have to measure mine and let everyone know the results.
@normnpat 20 күн бұрын
I have the tru sdx and love it. I like qrp and that is the mode I spend most of my time with. Thanks for this great video.
@aa3konthego 20 күн бұрын
@@normnpat You're welcome! Thank you for watching.
@nandrews8412 20 күн бұрын
I still have never heard good or usable voice audio out of a (tr)usdx.
@aa3konthego 20 күн бұрын
@@nandrews8412 I've done that one test I mentioned, transmitting with a dummy load on the (tr)uSDX and receiving on my home station with a voice recorder. I've tried working some POTA voice stations but 5 Watts is 5 Watts.
@geoffreylohff3876 23 күн бұрын
I purchased several to put into emergency communications/POTA bags Recent firmware has added the unofficial ability to provide audio in/out via the USB, and I and looking forward to testing that out with digital modes (particularly JS8CALL), but haven't tested that yet.
@stithjim 24 күн бұрын
I have two (tr)USDx radios. One works great! The second....needs some work going through and figuring out what the heck went wrong. But, my operational one is part of my sub-1 pound POTA/SOTA kit and has been with me for making a lot of contacts. It is super slick to use with FT8CN, an android app designed for FT8!
@aa3konthego 25 күн бұрын
In response to a couple of comments I've received I will be doing a follow on video on how to program the software/firmware into a (tr)uSDX. Stay tuned!
@Niteskate1 25 күн бұрын
How difficult would this radio be to set up for some one that is not familiar with working with Arduino.
@aa3konthego 25 күн бұрын
@@Niteskate1 (EDIT) I had to review the programming process and the Arduino is only needed if the Bootloader is not pre-loaded on the radio. The Bootloader is the software first executed when the radio is powered up. It then lets you do further program updates or gets the main program running. Not super difficult. If they have a technical bent or someone to help them then besides purchasing an Arduino, you load the development environment (free) on to a computer and from that load the sketch that turns the Arduino into a programmer, connect 3 or 4 wires to the ISO port and let things rip. No Arduino kowledge is needed to use the (tr)uSDX. I'm going to pin a comment about programming a (tr)uSDX shortly. Thank you for the question.
@Obeeewaan 25 күн бұрын
sadly I must admit to having two of them...both work well ... price considered.. 😎
@aa3konthego 24 күн бұрын
Too many radios is not enough! 😀
@EasyOne 25 күн бұрын
nice
@aa3konthego 25 күн бұрын
Thank you for watching!
@TheCrunchbird 26 күн бұрын
I appreciate your most informative video. I learned a lot and will be buying an uSDX to take to the beach. My plan is to use it on 20 meters using an 18 foot telescopic vertical antenna pulled out to about 16 feet. It will give me something to do when I am fishing on days when the fish are not biting. CW on the beach anyone? All the best from sunny Florida, N2SN.
@aa3konthego 25 күн бұрын
@@TheCrunchbird Thank you for watching and commenting. I have no excuse for traveling and not having a HF radio with me now. Just wish I could have operated in Italy when I was there. There was a large Rome city park near the hotel we stayed while there but it was a city park and not a Italian State or national park. ☹️
@CatDaddySteve 26 күн бұрын
Dr Todd Grande is also a ham / prepper 😊
@aa3konthego 26 күн бұрын
I have watched some of his analysis videos. They're interesting especially for cases I have some familiarity with.
@CatDaddySteve 25 күн бұрын
@aa3konthego for sure, even though I an a non religious Christian I do like some psychological evaluation once in awhile 😉
@avrumo Ай бұрын
Great idea for useful Video ! , Will add -----, 1 . Plastic Table Cover then small Moving Blanket ,(or fold larger one ), 2. Foot & Hand warmers sold at the Sports/Hunting Dept . ,bring extras to share and use ,(my XYL shared some with a friend on Chemo ) . 3. we- use an adjustable Table - TV tray size , and a small Costco. 20buck table . 4. make sure to bring extra cheap plastic table cloth to cover Equipt. in case of Rain , & the use of an Umbrella for Sun & Rain - be prepared make a list before your Outdoors Ham Fun, 73, AJ W5heh
@aa3konthego Ай бұрын
I failed to include a sun umbrella that you can clamp on a chair (buried in the back of my truck 😀). But something to cover the equipment in case of rain is a good idea too. Did a dual activation with my buddy and a light rain started. Good thing I had the presence of mind to bring a beach towel that I threw over the gear. Fortunately, the rain didn't last long.
@gcollatz 2 ай бұрын
I would like to put the match box 5' up from the base my tower and the far end 40' up in a tree and wondering if that would be worse than putting the match box on a wooden pole?
@aa3konthego 2 ай бұрын
My first installations of EFHWs were with green step in fence posts and it worked fine. You should have no problems.
@robduncan599 2 ай бұрын
You could make it a bit shorter and a bit easier on the ATU ? By making it similar size as a 1/2 size G5RV (51 feet end to end and abound 17 feet feeder )? Or extend the feeder and shorten the dipole legs making the total length feeder+one side 42-43 feet , will give a low to medium match? Or like me get the feeder length bang on a 50 ohm match on one particular band ? I find the dipole lengh is not so important, as you say , however the total length including feeder might add up to a bad match ? Just a thought . i been playing around with doublet ant last 25 years ,still learning . Currently using 70 metre top with about 16 metre ladder line and a short 2 meter coax gives me good match on 160m ,flat on 40, and 30m, 6m and medium match on all bands apart from 80m which i am working on .
@aa3konthego 2 ай бұрын
Interesting observations. Right now I only use this doublet for portable QRP activities so using a tuner to get to any band is acceptable. Though the last time I set it up in the field I had the common problem I have with any dipole, getting both legs around tree branches.
@mhw-u8m 3 ай бұрын
The one I have is giving me an electric shock if touched accidently, additionally, if I use the tester on + and - terminals, the tester light glows. is this okay to use to charge LifePo4 battery with a BMS.? for 12V car battery that is okay coz there is no other circuits used.
@aa3konthego 3 ай бұрын
I'll check if mine has any voltage on the +/- terminals when not connected to a battery and let you know. However, if you are receiving shocks from the unit and they are not caused by static possibly generated when moving across carpet in dry low humidity conditions, then I would cease using the charger.
@aa3konthego 3 ай бұрын
I am seeing 14.5 volts DC on the output terminals when the charger is plugged in and not connected to a battery. I suspect this is for the charger to sense when there is a current draw from an attached battery and then go into charge mode.
@MidlifeRenaissanceMan 3 ай бұрын
I’m cheap. I have LMR400 but I use RG58CU for the most part…with BNC connectors. Usually running 20W occasionally a dollar, but never much over that I have made my own with solder BNCs that have a flexible moisture seal. 5m 7.5m 10m and 15m depending on the antenna arrangements. They deliver. I also purchased some pre made 10m cables. They say they’re RG58CU and have a BNC with a strain relief, however, I have been getting some strange results. When I put a Nano VNA on them and read the SWR and log mag between the S21 and S22 ports, I see the SWR bounce between. 1.15:1 and 2:1 along with a dB or 2 of loss. It’s weird. I noticed something was up when I was tuning up a mag loop. Warrants further investigations. 73 de VK2NAP dit dit
@aa3konthego 3 ай бұрын
Have you tried flexing the cable at the connectors and along its length? You may need someone to help you.
@mikemcdonald5147 3 ай бұрын
LMR400 the world!!!! LOL. I use that for most stuff because I want the best amount that I can afford.
@aa3konthego 3 ай бұрын
It is good stuff and I use it at home to my tri-bander beam.
@s.mendez7160 4 ай бұрын
Do we know what size the XT connector is on the jumper cable assembly? Thanks.
@aa3konthego 4 ай бұрын
Until I searched the web as a result of your question I didn't realize there were different XT connectors. I will examine what it has and let you know.
@aa3konthego 4 ай бұрын
It is XT60.
@s.mendez7160 4 ай бұрын
@@aa3konthego Thank you Sir!
@daredelois8402 3 күн бұрын
Nice video. Is it UL listed ? Or other Type of compliance (e.g., ETL, or INTERTEK) .
@joewoodchuck3824 4 ай бұрын
Skip the first ~7 minutes for the meat of the video.
@VE6LK 4 ай бұрын
Mark, you've concisely explained a difficult concept around how much power actually makes it to the antenna. Bravo!
@aa3konthego 4 ай бұрын
@@VE6LK Thank you for the complement and watching. And I'm really enjoying finding out all of Rig Expert's capabilities.
@timg5tm941 4 ай бұрын
Good quality rg58 is fine into a resonant antenna throughout HF. RG174 into a dipole or resonant vertical is ok from 40m band and below with a 50ft run.
@EvanK2EJT 4 ай бұрын
Overall, a well thought out video and I agree with your assessment. If I'm going to be operating near my vehicle, I generally run 50' of ABR 281XATC. Hiking in though? Definitely RG316 with BNC connectors. The longest section I have is 30'. I normally use 25' or 15' though. If I'm hiking up to a mountain top do a SOTA activation, every ounce is probably going to make a difference. In real world use, I get insane pileups on 5w or less, even with compromised antennas and lossy coax. That being said, if band conditions are lousy (like they have been lately) squeezing every bit if power out of the rig and into the antenna helps, and using good coax will most definitely make a difference.
@aa3konthego 4 ай бұрын
@@EvanK2EJT Thank you for watching Evan! My QRP backpack is way too heavy and I need to look at trimming it down as I'm thinking of a POTA-Pseudo SOTA activation. It's probably close to a mile hike on a well defined trail but a mile up hill is a mile up hill!
@EvanK2EJT 4 ай бұрын
@@aa3konthego You should be able to get it pretty light. My entire pack, including food, water, enough stuff to spend the night if I get stuck during warm weather, and my entire radio kit comes in around 10-12lbs
@toddlafon4700 4 ай бұрын
YES !
@billryland6199 4 ай бұрын
I use RG-8X for portable ops. You don't want to lose most of your signal in lossy coax. Using BNC connectors saves some weight.
@cwfarm3793 Ай бұрын
Same here
@vladtepes481 4 ай бұрын
In my opinion, there is no reason for a 50ft length of RG-174 to exist particularly when running QRP into an inefficient antenna. I use about 25 ft of LMR 240. For SOTA on the low bands maybe 10ft or less of RG174 would be OK. Generally I use LMR 400 or equivalent on HF through VHF. I got a little over 200 QSOs on Field Day running 5 watts. Worked HI too from WPA.
@aa3konthego 4 ай бұрын
@@vladtepes481 I've often used the whole 50 ft when the best antenna location is not cooperative with the shady spot to operate from. And it's my counterpoise where for 40m you need about 33 feet. You can get away with less especially with good ground conductivity.
@Philip-KA4KOE 4 ай бұрын
No more crimp ons
@aa3konthego 4 ай бұрын
@@Philip-KA4KOE I've had soldered PL-259s fail similarly. It's not the crimped connector fault but the flexing. I'm sure that is why Messi & Paoloni used such thick heat shrink for strain relief at the POTA-Flex terminals. Get the flexing away from the connector.
@waakca 4 ай бұрын
My QRP field ops are generally from a picnic table somewhere. I just have a 5ft and a 10ft length of RG-316 to an EFRW or EFHW. Using an adaptor I can use both for 15 ft of coax, if needed. I also built a mount that I can use with a telescoping whip that is clamped to the table. I then run a few radials.
@Moselblues 4 ай бұрын
One S-Step is still 6dB so don't take it so serious😂
@bob-N4REE 4 ай бұрын
Sez the guy who runs ??? watts. One S-level often means the difference of actually being heard or not.
@Philip-KA4KOE 4 ай бұрын
RG-316 is just hard to handle.
@kk6onl 4 ай бұрын
wat? how so?
@Philip-KA4KOE 4 ай бұрын
@kk6onl wants to kink very easily even though I roll up using over/under method.
@aa3konthego 4 ай бұрын
The over/under method may be better suited to the RG-174. It has the stiffness of wet spaghetti and as I mentioned, I do find it getting tangled. The RG-316 is just stiff enough that I roll it up and unroll it out with little if any issues. Thank you all for watching!
@kk6onl 4 ай бұрын
@@Philip-KA4KOE ohh ok, want thinking that way...
@garycowger9579 4 ай бұрын
I run RG-6 75ohm on My QRP and worked very well for Me and have WAS, Master of Europe and other Awards As long as you have a resident antenna the coax doesn't affect it that much, I have found that out.
@aa3konthego 4 ай бұрын
@@garycowger9579 interesting. Have you ever compared SWR and/performance between 50 & 75 ohm coax?
@garycowger9579 4 ай бұрын
@@aa3konthego Yes and there was not much Difference between the 75 ohm and the 50 ohm with SWR I use a QRP tuner from MFJ and it works out very well a matter of fact with the 75 ohm I can use universal adapters to connect to the QRP rigs Wherewith the 50 ohm cable you can only use a limited amount of adapters and 75 ohm on cable is everywhere all the hardware stores carry it and all your TV manufacturing stores carry it that's the reason why I use 75 ohm cable
@aa3konthego 4 ай бұрын
@@garycowger9579 and with cable going to higher frequencies, much of the 75 Ohm stuff is quad shielded. Also useful for runs from satellite dishes.
@samallan6616 4 ай бұрын
Nothing wrong with RG-6 and RG-11 for HF work as long as you avoid the CATV stuff if you plan to solder it. I have cables using real honest RG-6 and RG-11 with all copper braids which is easy to put a PL-259 on. They are used on my flat-top dipoles since 75-ohm coax matches to the antennas better than 50-ohm coax does. 75-ohm coax was used by hams long before 50-ohm coax became the norm. If you look hard enough, you can still find old SWR meters designed for 75-ohms. I have one you can switch between 50 and 75 ohms. 73!
@williamkizer3445 4 ай бұрын
Ultra flex 7
@aa3konthego 4 ай бұрын
@@williamkizer3445 I looked at the specs for that and see that it is similar to POTA-Flex 7 but not as heavily built. The POTA-Flex 7 build is sturdy but also springy when rolling it up. Unless you maintain some tension, the first coils want to jump off the reel.
@BikingHikingRadio 4 ай бұрын
Nice review. I use RG 174 as you saw last month, but I only use 20 ft. Since in my mind POTA and SOTA is portable operating, so I don't carry RG 8X, it takes up too much space in the pack and heavier. 72 Scott
@aa3konthego 4 ай бұрын
@@BikingHikingRadio I have a 20 foot pre-made length of 316 which will cut the losses in half but I do rely on the coax to be the counterpoise. I'll need to pop it on a EFHW and see how the tuning goes. The RigExpert makes that so easy!
@MichaelSvenson 4 ай бұрын
The capacitors in mine swelled and shot out flames after only 2 years of use. Thank goodness it was outside!
@aa3konthego 4 ай бұрын
@@MichaelSvenson WOW!
@whydontyouaskme 3 ай бұрын
Whaaaaaaat??!??!? I have 4 of them attached to 4 lifepo4 batteries. Did you have htrc p20????
@aa3konthego 3 ай бұрын
Though I charge indoors, I only do so when around for the charge cycle.
@xraykadiddlehopper8067 3 күн бұрын
@@MichaelSvenson you get what you pay for 👍
@Slade677 4 ай бұрын
Good video. I tried M&P for the first time recently. It's fine, but not better than the RG8X I've been using for years from DX Engineering. In fact, M&P was only coax I've ever had that a twist tie tore the jacket. I'll stick with the RG8X.
@aa3konthego 4 ай бұрын
Interesting observation. Was it POTA-Flex 6 or 7? They make several versions of 50 Ohm coax and not all have the same jacket material.
@m7trsradio 5 ай бұрын
Great video. I use RG8X. About 6m with my efhw when portable. Great coax but a pain if it gets tangled lol. 73
@aa3konthego 5 ай бұрын
@@m7trsradio I roll mine out and up by hand so there is no twist which could do damage to the internals. Less stiff than the POTA-Flex. Now if you want tangled coax, try RG-174! Really soft and floppy. Thank you for watching!
@trentvlak 5 ай бұрын
There's a review on Amazon that said it failed after a year and a half and sent 120V to his battery.
@aa3konthego 5 ай бұрын
WHOAAAAAAA!
@survivalcomms 5 ай бұрын
Anything between the output and the elements including the transformer matters. SWR in and of itself isn't the performance indicator that folks make it out to be. Put a 1 or 2 db attenuator inline and you can see the SWR decreases in most cases but the loss is increased beyond the loss incurred by the original match inefficiency. 3:1 SWR is 25% loss 2db of system loss is just a tad under 40% loss. Using good cable is good operating practice. Thanks for sharing !
@aa3konthego 5 ай бұрын
You are correct in that adding some loss to the feedline, you can make a poor match look good. I'm sure some shady commercial antennas have done this.
@survivalcomms 5 ай бұрын
@@aa3konthego Indeed they have. They do have an impressive marketing machine however :)
@russellhayes911 5 ай бұрын
Great information. Thanks for posting. 73 KE4GTQ
@aa3konthego 5 ай бұрын
You're welcome! Thank you for watching.
@jameskrzewinski9383 5 ай бұрын
Nice video!! We talked on the W2ZQ vhf repeater back in may on the way to take my extra exam! Nice KZbin channel! Catch you on the air again sometime. 73. De KC2ISZ
@aa3konthego 5 ай бұрын
@@jameskrzewinski9383 yes, I remember. Was heading to Washington Crossing Historic Park for a POTA activation and demonstration. Conditions were terrible that day. About 4 hours to get 10 contacts that day. Thank you for watching.
@michaelrogers3078 5 ай бұрын
Great video. I like the way you present the information.
@aa3konthego 5 ай бұрын
Thank you for the kind comment and watching!
@michaelrogers3078 5 ай бұрын
Nicely done. Only just found your channel. I'm going to watch more. Thanks! 73 N4MJR
@aa3konthego 5 ай бұрын
Thank you for watching. I get asked repeatedly, "How do you use your radios in the field or for POTA." I do these videos to answer that question. I wish Yaesu had a replacement for the 817. SDR based and in the same form factor. Maybe not as feature rich as the Ic-705 and priced accordingly. They'd have another winner.
@truckinguy92 5 ай бұрын
That’s interesting that when reeled in that the SWR isn’t as low is when it’s reeled out. It went from a 1:1 to a 1.2:1 at its most resonant point. Shouldn’t reeling it in move that 1:1 further up the band? I have a feeling the metal case affects resonance?
@aa3konthego 5 ай бұрын
The case is entirely plastic, both the chalk line and transformer portions. I suspect the creating of a complex impedance where the wire is wound will add its own influence to the SWR. For this reason, I intend to brush up on my electro-magnetics theory before testing the WARC bands and 6 meters.
@shadowsrwolf 5 ай бұрын
sorry to break it to the seller but a warning stickers that say repairing a product will void a warranty are illegal and violate the Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act
@kg2mmhamradio 5 ай бұрын
I too have the Reel POTA-ble antenna and have used it in the field on several occasions. I have the red wire version and its real easy to setup. These guys did a great job with this antenna!
@CallJimRice 5 ай бұрын
do you use a 3d printer to accessorize your ft817?
@aa3konthego 5 ай бұрын
I do not. However the SOTAbeams PowerPole adapter is a 3D print.
@toybuns775 6 ай бұрын
I weighed mine this morning at 9 lbs, Trusdx radio, QRP guys EFHW for 20 meters, 6 Ah LifePo4 battery, Home brew 20 meter dipole, headphones, power cable, 50 feet RG-8x, 3 tent stakes, 12 oz throw weight and 3 -50 foot 550 paracord rope bundles. It adds up quick! Thanks for posting this
@aa3konthego 6 ай бұрын
Thank you! Have you looked into RG-174 or 316 for the coax? Could save you a pound + in weight. But you definitely got my QRP bag beat.
@toybuns775 6 ай бұрын
@@aa3konthego I am looking at that now, thanks for the tip. What is your favorite connection type? UHF, SMS, BNC? Thanks for your help with my bag
@aa3konthego 6 ай бұрын
@@toybuns775 I use UHF (PL-259).
@mayomayo7318 6 ай бұрын
FT8/4 is not a QSO , it's a contact....
@aa3konthego 6 ай бұрын
Yeah, not much you can discuss during a FT4/8 exchange.
@broughbag6292 6 ай бұрын
Just meter the cable then re terminate the 'N type' connector.
@aa3konthego 6 ай бұрын
I was looking at the RigExpert's manual for doing that but to say it lacks detail on how to do that is an understatement. I played with the connector (PL259) and found the shield crimp loose. Don't know if I crimped that one. I used the next smaller crimp hole and got the shield sleeve solidly seated. I'll keep my eye on it as I use it.