“44” is often used in the sign off for World Wide Flora and Fauna (WWFF) park activations, i.e. sent as 73 44 or just 44, meaning “regards” or “all the best”. It is generally not used in other types of portable activations such as POTA or SOTA, 73

The QMX and BaMaKey is a great combination. The JBL GO 2 speaker has an audio jack so it can be connected with an audio cable. A lot of other speakers these days only have Bluetooth, so they are no good. Thanks for the feedback, 73

@@vk2ter Thanks, unfortunately the JBL GO2 is no longer available. So I'll keep looking for a speaker.

@user-re8di8li8v Yes it appears the GO 2 speaker is no longer available on the JBL website. But you should still be able to get one off Amazon or EBay. Unfortunately the newer versions of the speaker (GO 3 and 4) do not have an audio jack, 73

Thanks for the QSO Andy, good to get you in the log again. Great sigs, band conditions were variable with a lot of QSB, 73

The QMX has 5 bands. I have the low-band version which has 80m, 60m (no use in VK), 40m, 30m and 20m. There are also mid-band and high-band versions that go up to 10m, 73

@@vk2ter TU James sound really Fantastic.

Thank you Michael and Becky, it was an enjoyable activation. It was a bit of a challenge sending CW, paper logging and electronic logging one-handed. Hope to get you in the log one day, 73

It is a beautiful view, the picnic table was new which is a great addition, 73

Agreed CW is great fun especially when operating portable. Thank you Terrance for your feedback, 73

Thank you Forrest for the feedback. It is a great location, I have activated this park several times, as I enjoy the view. Agree the QMX and BaMaKey is great combination. I am a new subscriber to your channel, keep up the great work, 73

Thanks Dennis, yes I will be sun-smart while operating portable this summer always wearing a hat, long sleeve shirt and sunscreen. I think it will be a hot summer this year! Thanks again for your feedback, 73

Thank you Grant, it was a quick activation with just 12 CW contacts. I didn’t have time for SSB. I have already activated this park, so I was just enjoying operating outdoors and in the sunshine, 73

Thank you for watching, 73

Welcome to CW Nick. I find paper logging quicker and easier than using an electronic log during an activation. When starting out, take your time logging between each QSO, run at a pace you feel comfortable. It is your activation, take the time needed to keep your log up to date. With practice you will be able to log during the QSO. Good luck learning CW, 73

Thank you David for the feedback. It can differ from park to park here depending on the ranger or manager. A telescopic mast tied to a built structure (i.e. picnic table or sign post) is another option. I also have a vertical whip and tripod when nothing else is suitable. The QMX is a great QRP radio, always fun to operate portable with it, 73

The ZM-2 is a great ATU, it can tune my random wire antennas on all HF bands when my other tuners sometimes struggle to get a reasonable match. I agree it would be good if manufacturers provided more information to compare tuners, 73

Thank you for watching and for your feedback, 73

The antenna is a G5RV (mini). It is a shortened dipole with a 5m length of ladder line that acts as part of the antenna. The antenna works on 40m through to 10m with a tuner, 73

Hi Dennis, I have activated a few parks over winter. I have just been operating from my car so haven’t recorded the activations. Hope to start uploading to KZbin again in spring, 73

Danke Chris for the CW contact today, it is great to get you in the log. Hope to hear you on the bands again soon. Also thank you for the feedback on the videos, it is much appreciated, 73

I just use the default CW Decode settings (firmware version 17) except changing Enable Rx and Enable Tx to Yes. The QMX decodes ok with strong signals but is less effective with weak signals, 73

@@vk2ter Thank you!!!

I use Iambic A. Thanks for watching, 73

@@vk2ter thanks for taking time to make the video and to answer my question. I appreciate that.

@jstoltenburg thank you for your feedback, 73

The audio from the internal speaker of my radio distorts with strong CW signals. I have not seen this issue with other IC-705s so it seems to be an issue with my radio. The problem is reduced or eliminated by reducing the volume or using headphones, 73

@@vk2ter guess it probably makes the cw easier to read when its square wave. Had receiver audio distortion on my ft817 forced me to get rid..dont think i ll go for a 705 now lol.

@@tonystephen6312 I think the audio distortion is an issue with my particular radio rather than with IC-705s in general. Even with this issue it is still one of my favourite radios, 73

I post spots during my activations that include the park reference so most hunters know the park reference. I normally only send my park reference if the hunter asks for it or if I am chasing a park-to-park contact. I sent my park reference at 18:40 for the P2P contact. Thanks for watching, 73

Thanks for the feedback Mike. I have read similar articles, so I may be pushing the QMX a little too hard. A better option may be to use 3x 3.7V LiFePO batteries (rather than 4x 3.2V) which is closer to the recommended 12V maximum, 73

I purchased the battery case from my local electronics store. You should be able to source it from EBay or Amazon, search for “4 AA battery holder” or similar. Thanks for the feedback Steven, 73

@@vk2ter thank you for taking the time to reply to my question. I appreciate it.

Thank you Matthew, HF is great fun especially when out operating portable. Good luck with going for your extra, 73

I use a Garmin GPSMap 67. You can download the park locations (points rather than boundaries) from the pota.app website. Select the “Park List” menu then select your country and then the download link. The GPX file can then be transferred to the GPS using Garmin Explore (phone app) or Garmin Basecamp (desktop app). The GPX file will provide the park references and names. The standard topographic map on the GPS will show the approximate park boundaries. Hope this helps, 73

@@vk2ter thank you very much for your time. I appreciate that you took the time to reply to my question

Thank you, 72 / 73

Totally agree, it is a great QRP radio, 73

Thanks for the feedback Rod. In this video I am sending CW at about 15 WPM. 73

Thank you, 73

The case is an “Antler Clifton Mini in Black”. I bought it at a bricks and mortar store but you should be able to buy it directly from the Antler website, 73

The SW-3B and ZM-2 ATU is a great combination. I will try and make another video showing the tuning procedure. I briefly show it in one of my other videos called “CW using Icom IC-705 and Emtech ZM-2 ATU - Sugarloaf State Conservation Area (VKFF-1772)”. I believe you can get a solid tone out of the SW-3B with an iambic key by using a stereo to mono adapter. The SW-3B auto detects a straight key if a mono plug is used, so the iambic key will then act as a straight key. Hope this helps, 73

Very interesting. The QMX is certainly a compact and portable radio and a great performer for its size, 73

Thanks for the feedback John. Agreed that the signal strengths may have been slightly higher. The suffix “/p” means operating portable (away from home station) and “/m” means operating mobile (in a vehicle), 73

Thank you Marios, glad you liked the video, 73

Glad you enjoyed the video, many thanks for the feedback, 73

Hi Jonathan, the FX-4CR is a nice portable radio. It does have a few quirks but many of these have been fixed or improved with firmware updates. The CW transmission was originally very buggy (missing dits and irregular semi break-in) but it is now much improved and smoother after the update. The pros are that it is all mode, all HF bands, 20W SSB / 10W CW and has waterfall display. The cons are no automatic keyer, no CW decoder and the menu system can be a little glitchy with occasional hang ups. I like both the FX-4CR and QMX, it is difficult comparing the two. If you are only interested in CW then I would recommend the QMX. But if you want all modes, slightly higher power and waterfall display then the FX-4CR is a very capable radio. I hope this helps, 73

@@vk2ter it's weirdly helping and at the same time I'm still undecided haha, I put my name on the list for the FX4CR, I'll let the finance decide, I imagine having both is probably the best scenario. When is it raining money down under, I need to be there when it happens! haha Thanks for answering!

@JonathanAdami It is a tough decision, they are both great portable radios. It would be difficult for me to choose between the two. Good luck with the decision, 73

you are the GOAT! thanks mate, it really helps us, the one that dont know any CW get interested in it! 73 to you and your family!

@chipsgarage2518 thanks chips, glad this is helpful. 73 and all the best

My understanding is that filming for “commercial” purposes in NSW National Parks requires permission or a permit. My KZbin channel is not monetised or used for commercial purposes. I will look into this further. Thanks for the feedback, 73

@@vk2ter QLD will jail you unless you pay them huge amounts of cash. They do not care about your monetisation, just the possibility that you could earn money is enough to get you arrested. So carry cash and bribe them corrupt idiots, happened to me so stay vigilent!

Guten tag, thank you for watching the video, 73

I was operating CW between 3pm and 4pm local time which is 0500 to 0600 UTC. I also made some additional DX contacts using voice in the following hour, 73

Danke h.m., the location has beautiful views and is a perfect place to activate from, 73

Vielen Dank

Hi Zack. I cannot tell the direction with my portable setup. However, it is often found that long-path is favourable between the east coast of Australia and Europe in late afternoons local time (~0400 to 0900 UTC). The reasons include long-path is mostly over salt water and it passes through nighttime with potential chordal skip along the combined F layer. Some hunters will reply “LP” or spot “beaming long-path” when they have directional antennas. Given my position with take-off over saltwater to the east, I am assuming long-path. Hope this helps, 73

@@vk2ter Interesting. Thanks for sharing the details. Have fun working portable, thanks for sharing the video.

Thanks Roberto. I cannot tell the direction with my portable setup. However, it is often found that long-path is favourable between the east coast of Australia and Europe in late afternoons local time (~0400 to 0900 UTC). The reasons include long-path is mostly over salt water and it passes through nighttime with potential chordal skip along the combined F layer. Some hunters will reply “LP” or spot “beaming long-path” when they have directional antennas. Given my position with take-off over saltwater to the east, I am assuming long-path. Hope this helps, 73

@@vk2ter super! I hope one day to qso in cw with you and change our qsl. My best 73 dr James

@robertochiuderoli898 It would be great to have a CW QSO some day. I put up spots on the WWFF DX cluster when I am out operating portable. Good DX, 73

Yes I do have a small collection of radios! Glad you enjoyed the video, thanks for watching, 73

I don’t find the TP-II too heavy for portable activations. The magnetic base can be detached to reduce weight. But the TP-II works best sitting on a flat surface such as a picnic table. The key was a little wobbly sitting on the plastic case but worked ok, 73

@@vk2ter Ok thanks James , it's good to get your feedback. I will go for the TP-III, the idea that the TP-II is better when used on a flat surface is giving the smaller key my vote.

My current favourite setup is the TP-III with the leg strap (also from BaMaTech, called knee strap on the website). I show this combination is a few of my recent videos. I am sure you will enjoy the key, 73

Thank you Alex. I am glad the CW captions are helpful. Good luck with your CW practice, 73

@@vk2ter just for reference, there are some of us that doesnt know what everything means. So a bit of explanation on each thing would be good, even when there is direct translation. Anyways, way to go mate, i love your videos! 73

@chipsgarage2518 Thank you for the feedback, I will include more detail in future videos. I can show the meaning of the abbreviations below the captions or include them in the video description, 73

Thanks Dennis. I enjoyed the activation, nice weather, great view and good band conditions, 73