Best HF Portable for 2024?

In the northern hemisphere we are enjoying warmer weather. So an opportunity to take advantage of milder weather an d venture out and take in some fresh air. Combining this with ham radio means the chance to take part in some portable operation. Peter G3OJV, discusses his choice for 2024. He explains how this is often dictated by the combination of equip,emnt at your disposal amd the facilities at the selected location.
00:00 - Opening
00:55 - The Location
02:01 - My Portable Kit
03:03 - The Antenna
04:15 - The X6100 Transceiver
09:22 - Antenna Installation and support.
10:54 - VSWR at the Transceiver
12:50 - Why I chose tgis Antenna
15:46 - On- Air results
16:47 - Summary.
Xiegu X6100
www.hamradiostore.co.uk/xiegu...
Moonrtaker 9:1 UnUn
www.hamradiostore.co.uk/moonr...
LDG 9:1 UnUn
www.hamradiostore.co.uk/ldg-r...
M0CVO 400W UnUn
www.hamradiostore.co.uk/m0cvo...
Ready-to-Go Random Wire Antenna
www.hamradiostore.co.uk/lwhf-...

[@FranciscoFlores-qh7hw]

Estimado. Mr. Viendo. Su. Portátil. No. Lo. Conocía. Pero. Esta. Interesante. También. Me. Gusta. Como. Arma. Su. Antena. Siempre. Todo. Por. El. Amor. A. Las. Comunicaciones. Que. Nos. Apaciona. La. Radio. En. General. Saludos. Desde. Panamá. Veraguas.

[@J1mbo888]

Nice Video Peter. 🙂

[@watersstanton]

Thanks 👍

[@paulsengupta971]

I've contemplated getting a 6100, but then I remember I have a Xiegu X1M! I haven't used it that much but when I have it's astonished me somewhat. It cost less than £200 and I bought it just to play with, but I found that it's actually quite a nice piece of kit. I think it only works on 80/40/20/15/10 which means it fits perfectly with my EFHW, working as an inverted V. Needs an external battery though.

[@stahpit1971]

Thanks for the videos. i must say when i see the radio being featured is from that country I feel like the little boy who didn't get a bicycle for christmas

[@williambrooks6629]

Thanks for posting this video and sharing your experience Peter. Glad to see you are using very little power. That's my situation and I found this video very encouraging. VK5WB uBitx v2 , Chinese 10W autotuner (works well), EFHW and vertical 1/4 wave on f/g squid pole. Least expensive set up Cheers

[@watersstanton]

Nice to hear from you. Many thanks.

[@cozmozs]

Nice video, been following you for a while, using at the moment the x6100 and also the ic-705 , recently bought a small portable 50W amplifier to pair with them, as for antennas going from self built endfed to a modified PAC12. Just enjoying the hobby and using all i can find or build ! Thank you for the videos and cheers from Italy !

[@watersstanton]

Great to hear!

[@jasperjanus5630]

A good choice Peter. My choice is the Xiegu G90 and the PAC-12 portable antenna. Normally QRP, but 20W gets you out of jail!

[@watersstanton]

Yes popular choice.

[@jerryKB2GCG]

That’s my main setup for POTA

[@CamilleCullen-ow6qj]

Great video, many thanks!! Robert K5TPC

[@watersstanton]

Thanks for watching! 73 Robert.

[@stephanhersey1186]

Nice video as usual. Since I use an car to get out portable I can carry a bit more weight. My rig of choice is a Yaesu FT 891, LDG ATU, Bioenno 15AH battery and an EF 9:1 antenna. I carry wire for 29ft, 41ft and 71ft to fit what room I have at the location I choose. If no trees are available I have a 30' push-up fiberglass mast. The radio, tuner, antennas and battery all fit in a carry case but the push-up has to be carried separately. If I ever get up to speed with CW I would consider a lower wattage radio. Thanks for the great videos. Steve, K7OFG

[@watersstanton]

Thanks Steve. Sounds a great setup.

[@andyM7XTT]

Hi Peter,my go to portable gear is still my ftdx10,slidewinder coil with chameleon 17ft whip and a magic carpet.also my trusted 40-10m efhw on a cheap 7m pole strung out.

[@watersstanton]

Thanks for info.

[@robertallbright]

Thanks Peter very useful info I owned two X6100s but never got good ssb audio reports? CW and digital excellent 73 Robert G3RCE

[@watersstanton]

Never had a bad report yet.

[@nigelparr4994]

My portable is either Ziegu x6100 or ft891 with sotobeams bandspringer on sotobeams telescopic 7m mast or a buddistick antenna or moonraker dedicated 20,17,10m whips for magmount on car, all seem to work well love the x6100 everything in one small package

[@watersstanton]

Thanks for sharing

[@nr3rful]

Still use my trusty FT817 and the MFJ Super Q loop

[@watersstanton]

Nice combo.

[@rogerlafrance6355]

Regarding location. First a low noise location but as important a location with great conductivity. old metal bridges, concrete with rebar in it or anything of long metal. Testing can be done by driving or walking across the location and noting the increase in noise and signal. In places with low ground conductivity, Ive see as much as a 10Db increase driving over a bridge.

[@watersstanton]

Anothe reason fir using horizontal polarisation.

[@geoffchadwick3253]

All very good, very difficult to repair these black boxes and expensive I stay with home-brew.

[@watersstanton]

Not everybody has the capability, some with physical restrictions.

[@toddhowell2299]

I often use a Xiegu x5105 with a 35' random wire w/17' counterpoise stretched out on the ground. I like to put a BNC to banana jack coupler directly onto the transceiver's BNC connector. This way I don't have any coax losses, and as long as the tuner can match it, I figure I don't need a balun. That's what makes sense to me, anyway. The Xiegu tuners really are remarkable. And the battery lasts a good long while, although recharging it also takes a good long while.

[@watersstanton]

Just be careful of RF burns as the transceiver chassis is not isolated from the antenna.

[@toddhowell2299]

@@watersstanton I haven't noticed anything, but I've considered a 1:1 choke that would replace the banana jack coupler. It'd be easy enough to make.

[@paulsengupta971]

@@toddhowell2299 Maybe put 6 or 7 clip on ferrites towards the transceiver end.

[@wshanney]

I generally use a vertical EFHW and work lots of East Coast USA and EU stations running 50W with an FT-710 on the beach in So California....73, W6QR

[@watersstanton]

Yes a nice arrangement. 40m may be a problem as regards mast height but inverted L would be one solution. .

[@wshanney]

@@watersstanton for 40M I use a full size EFHW in an inverted V configuration. During daytime there is very little activity on 40 here on the West coast so I seldom try it. I did use it on Field day last weekend and it worked great for a club QRP effort.

[@robertallbright]

Have you monitored in a separate receiver?

[@ROBByJONEs-2]

question please Peter. is the feedpoint of a longwire with coax braid counterpoise same as dipole as in the feed point is current maxima please..and if so its in my best interrest to get 9:1 high as please ?

[@watersstanton]

No feed point is medium impedance which is why you need 9:1 UnUn.

[@bobr6555]

Wondering why you were using those slightly odd frequencies?

[@watersstanton]

Odd? Ham radio is not channelised.

[@medo123345]

👍

[@W4BIN]

I always identify with a "slant P" (or M) on the end of my call. Ron W4BIN

[@johnharrison373]

You need to trim the cable ties either with some flush cutting side cutters or a knife. You'll end up with some nasty cuts without doing this.

[@watersstanton]

Yep one day!

[@johnratcliffe6438]

Why aren't you using the Elecraft KX3?

[@watersstanton]

Tell me why you think I should.

[@johnratcliffe6438]

@@watersstanton You were an Elecraft fan weren't you? Sure I remember seeing you with the K3. The KX3 is an awesome rig, and that little telescopic whip is amazing. Seconds to set up no antenna to string and works beautifully.

[@stevewheatstone1856]

Nice video Peter, which portable paddle are you getting in?

[@watersstanton]

I think ARA but not yet got full info.

[@vu3mes]

Icom ic705🎉

[@Rag3Again]

The two last videos looks shouted in a wrong gamma or/and colorspace. Standart is REC709. Here I bet special gamma curve or/and HDR mode is used. Without putting it in BT709 somwhere in post prod you'll have whashed colors grey low lights, bad skins tones...

[@watersstanton]

REC709 and no changes made.

[@Rag3Again]

@@watersstanton I think a wrong setting in the camera, what is the model (the outdoor one) ? And what is the software used in postprod ?

[@rjy8960]

"Best HF portable" is a bit like "Best car" - it depends on what you want to achieve, weight, whether you have a car with you etc. My lightweight is a TX-500 with the BP500 battery pack and either a Palm key or for digimodes a Raspberry Pi-W and digirig and a Chelegance 750 antenna and the radio fits in a custom small case from Windcamp. I can carry that easily and if I need I can take 60W solar panel with me and plug that directly into the radio (it can charge with up to 50v) If I need a tuner I have a MAT-10 ATU in the same case. I've built my own cables. That is a low quiescent power system and if I want to I can add on a 50W PA but that is more weight plus either a 7Ah or 18Ah LifePo battery. I need the car - you can't carry that. If I want I can take 10m of wire on a SOTAbeams winder and a 64:1 Spark Gap Unun rather than the 750. If I'm in the car I use a drive-on mount with a 12m Spiderpole and a MAT-40 ATU end fed random wire for the higher bands or an inverted Vee for 40m and an FT-857 and a 3 element 2m beam or 6ele 70cm beam. If I want it really compact I have the 817 with a Wonderwand and speech compressor. Or I can use a QDX with a Pi for small digimodes setup. If I had an RV I could have a kW and all sorts of antenna stashed away. SOTA guys are running kits that weigh almost grammes ... It really comes down to what you can carry and what you want to achieve.

[@watersstanton]

Nicely said and nice station.

[@brianfields4479]

Great video mate, and always interesting to see how others are enjoying the hobby. 73 zl3xdj

[@watersstanton]

Thanks Brian.

[@chris_debian5368]

Hi, Peter. Thanks for the video. I really should invest in some ferrite. Can you post a link to the one you use? Whilst I'm at it, i could do with something for the house TV aerial lead :-). Cheers, Chris 2E0FRU

[@watersstanton]

Chris just search 240-43 ferrite rings. They are available in UK.. 🇬🇧

[@chris_debian5368]

@@watersstanton Thank you, Peter.