I MADE A MASSIVE ANTENNA TO SEE HOW FAR I COULD GET!!!

[@RadioHamGuy]

Thanks, that was very interesting, enjoyed watching. Yes, people ask me why I get on the radio when I have a cell phone, I tell them you can't just pick up your phone and dial a random number and meet someone with similar interests in the hobby you enjoy.

[@pd9rd]

It's funny how people "communicate" through Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Whatsapp and what not, sharing as much as they can .. But if you try to communicate all over the world by talking to a fellow radio enthousiast through a transceiver and a mike sending out a signal, all of a sudden your some kind of nutcase 😂 Good video Andy! 73

[@2pi628]

And I hope it stays that way. Keep the krazies IN and the socially/politically correct OUT.. 😎

[@snakezdewiggle6084]

Are yeah, roger, 10-4 there good buddy, I got my ears on there go, back to ya... You would be talking about those, narcissistic sociopaths vs the aimless, mindless automatons ;)

[@2012ANONYMOUSA]

YOU SEEM LIKE SOME SORT OF NUT CASE JUST KIDDING

[@brian.7966]

you have a funny look at the hobby then, thats the way I don`t see it.

[@pd9rd]

@@brian.7966 Yes, I know. 😉

[@johnnorth9355]

Amateur Radio is a niche hobby that appeals to those who love a good experiment. I can see you are well and truly hooked Andy. 73 M7BLC

[@jamescollier3]

yeah that's $1300 to 1.4k

[@philj1975]

CB and Ham was a big part of my childhood, listen for hours to people around the world 🌎 was just amazing. Now I just use Websdr's around the world to listen people around the world, never of thought possible 40 years ago. Great vídeos Andy thanks 👍🏻👍🏻

[@andykirby]

Web sdrs are awesome. cheers.

[@Dorota-John]

Hello Andy, thank you for simplifying and democratizing the hobby. I've been following your videos for a while, it's simple, grounded and well done. 73 John + 88 Dorota & Eva from the Free Bands

[@andykirby]

Thanks John, appreciate it! 73🙏🏻

[@TheNoCodeTech]

Hey man, you came up in my recommendations, glad you did! Great video!

[@M7BCN]

Brilliant radio and ATU. Nice to see you making contacts too.👍

[@JoshColletta]

Ah! Good to see I'm not the only one who uses speaker wire for everything it shouldn't be used for! 😉 Nicely done!

[@l.a.2646]

I had a speaker wire antenna up for almost 10 years until an ice storm took it down for me. it really is good for antenna work, it's kinda stealthy as well. my setup was speaker wire, and a homemade 1:9 UnUn and fed it through an auto-coupler and up to 100 watts. the only thing I only use stranded wire the solid type isn't very stout.

[@JoshColletta]

@@l.a.2646 Yeah, stranded wire is easier to work with, too, especially if you need to make quick, on-the-fly connections without soldering. Wrap the splice with a little electrical tape and you're golden as long as it's not under too much tension.

[@Hamdalorian]

Instead of forcing it into the center pin, I’ve found that it’s really easy to put a banana plug on the end of the wire and it connects quite easily into the the center pin of the tuner.

[@BryanTorok]

He mentioned that, but also that he felt that he would need to add a strain relief so as that the banana plug would not pull out or over stress the connector.

[@MIKROWAVE1]

This is MASSIVE! When we were little Jonny Novices the old guys had us run down the Field Day Hill with a roll of 500 feet of wire and the Elmer in his pop-up (caravan) had an FT-101 and this roller tuner thing. All was wonderful until the lightning storm. Then all the sudden inside the tuner was this repetitive WHEEEEEEEEEEEEE-SNAP! WHEEEEEEEEEEE-SNAP! WHEEEEEEEEEE-SNAP. We ran like hell.

[@stevemumbling7720]

Good one Andy. That antenna is no less a CB antenna than it is an amateur radio antenna. Always put a ground wire on any tuner, it will always improve the antenna performance, especially on 160 and 80m. Good info on the power output for different voltages, certainly worth knowing for portable work. I maintain my G0 call but have been a VK6 for decades. How on earth do you keep everything so spotlessly clean?

[@TonyLing]

2:20 the PL-259 is essentially a 4mm 'banana' plug with a crude shield around it. You can shove a 4mm plug right up in there

[@danielgiraud2192]

Good job Andy on your QRP rig and tuner and long antenna. 73 de ZS5DG in South Africa.

[@elektroqtus]

There's still NOTHING like the thrill of your equipment, antenna, battery, their all of the above and NOTHING but AIR in the middle! Best when sunspots hot. Not dependent on millions of people to get you across the long haul. Was an operator before, will be again. KC5SBF for amateur, (I can claim that back again) and SW797 for CB band. 27.375 was my home, 27.305 will become my new USB stomping ground. Yeah I know 30 is supposed to be AM. Sleepy's people basically owned 30 in the day. It will be OK. Looking forward to this next sunspot cycle.

[@NOWThatsRichy]

Worked quite well for a quick lash up & you got a contact too!

[@M7XCB]

It nice you've made long distance contact with low power that's where the fun and bonus. great video

[@paulleboeuf5258]

I am a radio amateur, and my call is N2JBI, and I really enjoyed your video, and this makes me want to get that tuner, and a HF tranceiver and work the world with QRP power.

[@Paddy_Roche]

Nice to get a qrp Italian in the log, only .5Kw. Nice tuner I got the mat-705 because I couldn’t wait for the Icom one and I’ve never used it yet, lol . Nice house btw.

[@andycampbell5416]

Brilliant fun Andy,,,,,, I love mucking about with bits of wire too 🤣🤣👍👍

[@gearlab734]

This is helpful Andy, I understand long wires better now. I'm an M7 call sign by the way.

[@andykirby]

Awesome glad to hear 😊👍🏻

[@DavidSmith-qd7fd]

Love it Andy good stuff

[@Dave64track]

Great content brilliant radio setup.

[@BillyNoMates1974]

ha, funny if odd timing of your location and this video. I was watching your playlist on the solar power setup for your shed (thinking about a setup for my man cave). I know things move on but I really liked the set up you had in the shed.

[@BananaJSSI]

That is awesome! Love that tuner. I use a MFJ Automatic IntelliTuner

[@DasIllu]

Reminds me some 20-25ish years ago, a ham showed off his new rig with an integrated antenna tuner. Just plugged in a random wire attached it to an old heater/radiator standing in the shop (not connected to the pipes obv.) pressed a button and started a QSO with a friend of him. It was short range, sure, but i was more impressed that the room didn't start to smell of dead mosfets :) The clicking of the relays sounds still the same apperantly.

[@irkedoff]

Nice bit of kit!

[@Patrickjdee66]

Thanks Andy , I typed Icom antenna tuner and you came up 👍🏽there is a new one coming out Icom AH-730, it’s quite a big beast and is around the £500 margin, knowing you I’m sure you’ll be doing a test on it 🙏best wishes mate, great videos as always 👍🏽

[@HamRadioDX]

Loving all the radio vids, nice work Andy thanks

[@andykirby]

Thanks man!

[@daveys]

I’ve used a similar setup for HF at home but mine knocked out our ADSL so my wife and kids banned use. Great little setup, quite simple and some great results by the look of it. As others have said in the comments, QRP is like fishing and the skill required is what makes it interesting.

[@brotherfiretribe9566]

Mfw some ppl still using adsl

[@daveys]

@@brotherfiretribe9566 - Yeah, all that’s available here. Speed not too bad, FTTC 75mbps down, 16mbps up. Will support multiple devices no problem.

[@lon3don]

Get them fibre!! And get them into Ham Radio.

[@RealWorldNLPAndHuna]

Hi Andy, I really enjoy your videos, thank you. I just got the Icom AH-730 fed with 10m of wire into my IC7300 and I'm really impressed with it. I've had QSOs on all bands from 160 to 10. Best Wishes David M7CZM

[@soulthatcreates]

I absolutely love the track at the end! I can't stop listening to it :)

[@slamshed]

Always fun with those big antennas, I had a 160m long loop with a MFJ tuner up for a couple of years before a wind storm took out one of the trees supporting it. It was a lot of wire to get up there in the first place, and quite a mess to roll up again :-)

[@bhamptonkc7]

I have and AH-4 tuner and use it for portable set up (drive there and set up to transmit) 135 ft is about as big as practical for me to deploy and take down each time. I have shorter lengths for areas with smaller usable space.

[@wingman1392]

Nice little video, definatly biasing my radio purchase to the 705. I play with ham radio, because I am interested in how, and dont want to be "just another dumb user.". 73

[@gbpauluk]

Cheers Andy for another no fuss upbeat informative video mate keep them coming.. Ringpiece Manchester love it, I like Lewis's content also 73 Paul.

[@RingwayManchester]

Thanks Paul!

[@raymondmartin6737]

It's a great tuner, which I also bought recently to use with my new ICOM IC-705 😀. It matches everything, using 10 watts from the Mains power supply that I have for it. It does a better job than the built in tuner in my relatively new 100 watt Yaesu FT-991A, which can only handle about a 3:1 matching coverage on the bands. 73 de W2CH, Ray, Nashua NH USA 🇺🇸

[@johnspallen3132]

Great video as usual takes in cb and ham, I am amateur but I also like 11mtrs 👍good stuff Andy

[@Ei2iP]

Well done , Icom gear is tops..good experimenting..

[@2e0txe]

The "banana" plug thing is not supplied to the UK market. What I do tho, is mount a banana plug on the end of your random wire and plug it in the centre of the SO socket on the Tuner. You don't need an adaptor plug thing :)

[@djjojo1630]

I don’t understand. What did you do at 6:15 to start the tune process? You did not go into the function menu and hit the tune button like you did minutes earlier on the other band. Thanks.

[@Vietnam_Vet_67]

Andy I have almost the same problem with my 500 ft wire with a PL-259. So after I soldered I used a hot glue gun and filled it to the top. It also makes it waterproof. Good DXing Andy. W4DRA

[@TheBushfish]

They are so friendly aren’t they, the ham radio operators. I can see how difficult it is to actually say goodbye to them.😏

[@dieselbushcraft1299]

That’s a cracking radio and ATU, actually tempted myself. 73s. I always ask people what their hobbies or interests are and then liken their interests to mine, it’s just different because we are all different.

[@qrptedmac]

I have the AH-705. It is a great atu. I’ve used it on POTA activations. You are guaranteed to get on the air. Thanks for the vid.

[@davidgarrison1988]

Nice job buddy , enjoy watching you 👍

[@Ibsonlovesyou]

RingPiece Manchester 😂 I come for the patter as well as radio stuff haha. Another great video Andy, I’m really considering the 705 for myself soon.

[@ralphthebrick]

Me too, just working out how to get a 705 in the house past the wife...is it just me ??

[@Ibsonlovesyou]

1 year on and I finally bought a 705! came back for tips and tricks as I got the tuner as well. I just came across my comment so had to drop another one.

[@anthonyryan923]

Very informative, shows that a few watts can go a long way. Keep up the good work. Cheers, Tony G6XYZ

[@paulkazjack]

You gotta love wilko! I hope it doesn't close in future.

[@and7barton]

Try connecting up to a leg of an electricity pylon and use that as a giant antenna

[@lon3don]

It's earthed, so that wouldn't work.

[@dash8brj]

Those tuners can tune a wet noodle - they're very good. Nice work on the italian station. 73's VK2EMP :)

[@realcomsolucoes7403]

Nice test with the ant tuner best regards de Ct2kfq 73s 73s

[@Jay-M7CVO]

Thanks andy nice video .

[@Dallas-Rife-UDX-347-Tennessee]

Very good Andy . I recently upgraded to General class , I have some decent rigs , but a lot to learn. But this seems like a pretty easy way to get on the air 👍. I’m almost finished with my 60 foot tower , I have a tribander dipole for 80/40/20 meters I’m going to hang at about 45 foot , wish me luck . Happy DX’ing , 73’s from Tennessee, USA 🇺🇸

[@andykirby]

Jeez you guys over there go big!!! I'll hear ya! 😎 73!

[@T.M.G2014]

Hey Andy do you have the video up of the thunderpole wire antenna trial

[@homebrewham2786]

love it when andy hams harder👍 i may be swaying towards liking the poser lol, especially while i'm building my e-trike and powered push trailer, then all my research keeps fetching me to his channel and his sound advice

[@snakezdewiggle6084]

narcissistic sociopaths tend toward others. ;)

[@shaunallen7334]

Good one 👍

[@LITTLEEXPERIMENTCHANNEL1]

Could you use your drone to send the cable up even higher than expected.

[@andykirby]

Yeah thats coming 😅

[@LITTLEEXPERIMENTCHANNEL1]

@@andykirby give us a mention would you if it works andy 👌

[@transitiontelevision]

Great video. I have to ask though. Do ham radio operators use their radios anymore for anything other than testing how well the system performs? It seems like all the videos are on how to optimize them and radio checks. This is coming from an amateur CB user 30 years ago. Thanks.

[@andykirby]

Thanks, I think the hobby for a lot of HAMS these days is about the technical aspects and practicing communications techniques rather than just chatting. I mean let's face it, we can easily talk online these days so you don't NEED ham radio for talking! That being said there's still a lot of chatter on the airwaves and it's always nice to have a real conversation with another HAM on the other side of the world or just down the road! I still find it almost magical who can just pop up from nowhere, there's a LOT of people listening!

[@dfmayes]

The KZbin videos lean toward technical help, product reviews, etc. There are other things hams do that don't show up as much on KZbin such as contesting or DXing (long distance communication).

[@theafro]

Great results for such a lash-up (literally!) reckon you'd get out relatively well on just about anything! or at the very least, not blow your rig up when you try for top-band on a coathanger! Thanks mate!

[@christophermarshall5765]

Works well Andy!! De VK5FCHM Port Pirie South Australia. My home base is an Icom IC-718, with an LDG IT-100 auto tuner, RG213 coax, & a Hy-Gain VA-6160 antenna. My portable system is a Yaesu FT-891 radio, LMR-400 coax, & an ATAS-120 auto tune antenna, which is controlled from the radio. The unit I have in my car is a Yaesu FT-7900R, connected to a Supergainer SG7900 antenna using RG58 coax. My hand held is a Yaesu VX-6R dual band unit (my first radio).

[@andykirby]

Love it! You have some nice gear there! 73!

[@DK5ONV]

Sweet that AH-705 💯👍🙋‍♂️

[@johnedwards4176]

Bugger the electric bill ,get the solder out and do it right

[@andyboy189]

Why is that your old house... How come you still have access?

[@aazv23]

Very good video... Thank You

[@RHauto]

I genuinely thought you installed a tower in your garden from that thumbnail lol

[@andykirby]

Pretty proud of that photoshop lol!!

[@knoxlogic82]

Hey Andy - I am somewhat new to HAM and follow your videos. Where in the world are you located? I currently have 2 simple handhelds, the ICOM ID-51 and picked up the discontinued Yaesu VX-8DR.

[@tonypino2858]

Cool Antenne Werkt Goed zo te zien.

[@M0JHN]

Same tuner here it’s a best

[@ncc1701zzz]

Thanks for the video! Did you try to tune in 160m? Just to see if it can tune.

[@mikepowell5488]

You might want to check with where you bought that Ah705. When I bought mine I did get the banana pl259 connector you talked about and didn't get.

[@andykirby]

Are you UK or somewhere else?

[@mikepowell5488]

Usa

[@johnelt3278]

Hi Andy, how long would it take to do the basic ham course for a total begginer. I have just got the basic beginners book and have been watching your vlog

[@andykirby]

I would say however long it takes you to read the foundation book and take it all in! For me it was a week or so.

[@snakezdewiggle6084]

4:02 yep ! Cool beatz to finish the vid', cheerz from VK3-land

[@subramanianr7206]

Hi, I really admire your passion for Radio and the lovely music 🎶🎵 you make for your videos. De VU2RZA ❤️

[@barrykery1175]

Nice video. Neat setup. Quick and simple. Barry, KU3X

[@fotografm]

What SWR values did you get on the various bands ?

[@paulfoconnor]

Hi Andy I have always wondered what CB would be like on a wire antenna horizontal - Any chance you could test that setup for DX CB - I have always used verticals for CB but not Horizontal wire. All my SWL is dont on a G5RV but never really had much luck on CB because its not tuned obviously but wonder if its more people are vertical polarized ?

[@andykirby]

It'll work for DX mate, horizontal dipole will work very well. A long wire will work too if tuned like in this video, you might need to chuck some power at it though depending on how much work the tuner is doing.👍🏻 I was using a dipole for CB diagonally strung diagonally down the garden from the upstairs window and I had local contacts 30-40 miles away plus DX.

[@jasongreene303]

Paul the cross polarization for this antenna on local CB won't work as well as a vertical since 99% use verticals for both mobile and base, but for DX the polarization is random and either will work fine. The only difference is the radiation pattern of each antenna which will have a large effect on where your signal goes.

[@jasongreene303]

Hey, Andy, thank you for the video and creating a learning atmosphere here. I would like to suggest a more proper use of a PL-259. Soldering is one of the simplest skills and one of the first that a ham should learn since it is used in almost every corner of our hobby. By folding the strands over the center pin and forcing it into the SO-239 on that gorgeous new tuner, it's possible that the fingers are now bent and won't make a great connection without the strands. It's really bad practice unless it was a priority to be on the air, and not a good message to propagate. Calling this a huge antenna is of course subjective, but I believe most would consider a 40m beam (especially when combined with a tri-bander on the same boom) a huge antenna such as Force 12 does with their products. I did enjoy learning about the 705 and the tuner, and I am happy that Icom keeps up the great work. I have a 756Pro, two 706's, and an AH-4 and that tuner will handle anything you throw at it. Be well, Mr. Andy!

[@larrynorris8775]

you must have hit the lottery buying all this ham radio equipment

[@andykirby]

Some is bought, some is sent to me.👍🏻

[@TheMrDrMs]

705 is +/-15% 13.8V as per specs and I have tested 10w out at 12.4v.

[@andykirby]

Which band?

[@RixtronixLAB]

Nice video, keep it up, thank you :)

[@gm5aug]

Great video thanks - does anyone know whether this is compatible with the icon IC-7100?

[@Brenda-jf2pe]

Doddgydd I would use h bombs to make contacts 500 watts ok but all you really need is 600 not 1500watts legal limit . if you know the decibel math 600 watts is perfect qrp is fun but you need conditions ! Great video Andy , John Boy Utah, bought sigma comm. 360 that's all I have room for wish me luck I,have been hearing mixed reviews! Chow 🇺🇸🇺🇸from across the pond.

[@paulfrankcom8953]

Keep faffing Andy ..I'll order that tuner for my icom 705. Need a decent battery for my rig so why don't u market one and we'll buy them. Good vid as ever 73

[@andykirby]

Funnily enough I made a nice little 5Ah battery this afternoon, defo could do something...

[@cheesedoff-with4410]

Thanks for the frequent videos. I find I'm really liking the amateur radio ones. With your call sign, M6JKA you frequently say Mexico and on other occassions Mike. Is Mexico replacing Mike in the international phonetic alphabet? As for your solar powered trailer, can we expect any radio expeditions? I'm hoping you're going to do some slow scan TV at some point. (If you do you're going to need a M6JKA test card!)

[@MarkPentler]

I typically TRY the official NATO alphabet first, and then switch if someone is having issues hearing me. I don't think there's anything wrong with this, but some crusty fuckers really hate it.

[@Chestusvestus]

Who are calling a crusty old fucker?

[@RCDUDEFPV]

Nice one

[@m3hnl]

good stuff andy enjoying your vids 73 m3hnl

[@skysurferboy]

The credits at the end gave me nightmares.

[@MENSA.lady2]

Probably the largest antenna ever used for amateur radio purposes consisted of 43 masts between 100 and 300 metres tall holding stacked rhombic antennas. obviously not rotatable. Located where ? Sorry official secrets act, but it was also used by the RAF as part of an over-the-horizon radar system. I often tested the backup system using CW. Never mentioned that I also had a 500KW transmitter. That is not a typo.

[@thecocopopscroc]

My dad had a 52 foot silver rod cb airial and got to iceland from north east england on a good day his mates hated him for bleed though different classes i know but i thought it to be impressive

[@silversurfer1790]

Need it for if phones n internet if they go down👍

[@nimrodquimbus912]

I bet a Peltier heater would be the way to go on the Twizzy

[@welshbikepackingadventures]

enjoyed that, better than ringway lol..

[@RingwayManchester]

Oi!!

[@andykirby]

Rude!

[@welshbikepackingadventures]

@@RingwayManchester hahaha.. nly kidding, love you really

[@nicholaseudall6333]

I've heard that Lewis talks further on a bean can standing on one leg is the trick 🤣

[@stuart0604]

Lol at lewis at the end there:)

[@RingwayManchester]

Hey!

[@eastvillepark6037]

Andy why not try using a kite with a wire aerial ?

[@andyrussell916]

Or you could put a banana plug on the end of the wire and it fits in an SO239.

[@1OFGODSOWN]

MASSIVE ANTENNA? 🤣😂 now that’s Funny right there.Only one Half of my G5RV is longer than that and my 160 meter Half Sloper is longer and it’s not very long.😱🤪

[@michael-pw9cz]

I look at radio this way yes you can pick up a phone and chat straight away or use social media but with radio it's not that easy as Andy tried to take to someone in the states its more of a challenge some days the bands can be dead and on the other hand it can be mental

[@plasmar1]

if you just want to try temporary for shits and giggles; helium balloon to raise the antenna(sky is the limit:P)

[@jemnearey6988]

andy have a look at helium mining with antennas

[@ianmangham4570]

Amazing