Does QRP Portable Work During Solar Storm Conditions?

Рет қаралды 2,216

Күн бұрын

My annual spring camping trip took me to Ontario's most famous provincial park, Algonquin. While there I managed to carve out some time to play ham radio under difficult band conditions with my Icom IC-705. Join me to see how my 5 watt station fared.

Пікірлер: 52

@K6TAT 3 ай бұрын

I setup a station to participate in the arrl kid’s day for my son (9 at the time) and we couldn’t get anybody. Later that day we talked to a gentleman in Italy on 100 watts using a 17 foot vertical. Those surprise contacts make up for a day of no contacts. As always, thanks for the videos!

@aj2isotadxing 3 ай бұрын

Nice job being persistent and patient

@OutdoorsOnTheAir 3 ай бұрын

Very cool!

@m0aze611 2 ай бұрын

Stop the press - Tracy has bought a IC705! I am so pleased for you as you are responsible for all my outdoor activity spanning quite a few years now. You only live once so enjoy. Due to a house move I’ve been off the air for 2 years with the exception of working outdoors and thanks to you I love it. WX lately has been incredibly wet but still manage a few surprise contacts just when I thought the band was dead. I keep going. It’s all your fault 👍🏻🤣. Kindest regards Mike

@OutdoorsOnTheAir 2 ай бұрын

Hi Mike, glad to hear you are getting out! I get blamed for a lot of things, so one more is not going to be an issue 😀

@ingo423 3 ай бұрын

Thank you for the videos! Really helped me to get back into portable HF after taking a pause for a couple years 🙂

@OutdoorsOnTheAir 3 ай бұрын

Brings a smile to my face to hear that! Get out there and have fun.

@unclemikeyplays 3 ай бұрын

I think my most surprising contact to date was this: I had JUST set up my rig at Fort Snelling State Park (US-2482, the nearest POTA park to me). I was using a Chameleon Tactical Delta Loop for the second or third time. I turned on my radio, and BANG, on the last frequency I'd been on, in broad daylight on a day of only modest propagation forecasts, a Russian DXer booming in like he's sitting next to me.

@OutdoorsOnTheAir 3 ай бұрын

Awesome!

@DPTrainor1 3 ай бұрын

Thank You. Contacts or not, you are outdoors! So great!

@danielzdanowicz6899 3 ай бұрын

I like using my Alexloop with the FT-817 or a resonant EFHW if condition accommodate it. Get great results from both. My FT-817 is now 22 years old. It does everything. I like your go bag set up. Lot's of good ideas there. Best 73s. Dan K1YPB - On the air since 1962.

@OutdoorsOnTheAir 3 ай бұрын

Sounds like you've got a great system there, Dan! 73 from VE3TWM.

@MikeN2MAK 3 ай бұрын

Thanks for another shoutout! The Domke wraps really are great affordable, and multi-use. They 19" works on the ICOM 705, Xiegu G90, Yaesu 891, and many more radios, tuners, or other gear you want to protect.

@alzeNL Ай бұрын

Hi Tracy, Just want to thnk you so much for this and all your other videos. I was out POTA on Saturday and self-spotted via APRS on 17m, band's where really bad. I was on 17m for 20 minutes, no phone contacts at all, bounce to digital modes (FT8/FT4) and had a great time getting out with toybox whip and radials. Its great to see your own experience which helps me as I run QRP on the 705 and I really learn from your videos/experience. My most interesting POTA contact (and you hear it also briefly when spinning the wheel) was a SSTV contact from Upton Park in Dorset England into Hungary, with the now sadly SK HA1AD.

@OutdoorsOnTheAir 26 күн бұрын

Great stuff! Thank you for your comment.You've been having a lot of fun. PS Sorry to hear of HA1AD's passing.

@davidsradioroom9678 3 ай бұрын

Algonquin Park is my favorite park in Canada. One of my best vacations was spent there. I see you are making great use of those hamsticks. Good deal.

@DK5ONV 3 ай бұрын

You having a lot of Flies around. Nice portable Setup Tracy, you rock 💯🥁🎸🎙🎶🎧👍

@OutdoorsOnTheAir 3 ай бұрын

Thank you, UG!

@Philip-KA4KOE 3 ай бұрын

Glad to see you out in the field!

@OutdoorsOnTheAir 3 ай бұрын

Thanks Philip, great to be out there!

@vu3mes 3 ай бұрын

I am using my 705 as a base station radio and mobile qrp radio. Enjoy both, in base station it is driving a Sailor T2130 marine amplifier with 3 watts for 200 watts output. While mobile its in its built in battery and a backup power supply 😊

@OutdoorsOnTheAir 3 ай бұрын

A 200 watt 705, that's impressive!

@CharlesTersteeg 3 ай бұрын

Ten years ago, i took thr after noon off and hit island park in fargo nd. Worked Melbourne aus on cw 5 watts. That made my day! 16' vert with to counterpoise in a rough v pattern in the direction.

@OutdoorsOnTheAir 3 ай бұрын

Sweet!

@thelostiowan 3 ай бұрын

Same Saturday as ARK QSO Party on May 18th -- we had our local club picnic and the bands were yucky as well for me and my TDL with 100 watts, but we did work FRANCE OLYMPIC Special Event Station that day. 73's KC0QNA

@OutdoorsOnTheAir 3 ай бұрын

Nice transatlantic contact!! Always interested in how others fared during the same time period. 73 from VE3TWM.

@WTx1971 3 ай бұрын

I used one of the 20m MFJ hamsticks last week with a Xiegu G90. I made some contacts but very few people on phone at the time.

@kd5you1 3 ай бұрын

This reminds me of the complete HF outage on May 11th, and the only HF station I could connect to was on 10 meters. That was N5TRS which is somewhat local to me. 73 KD5YOU

@OutdoorsOnTheAir 3 ай бұрын

Thanks for sharing your experience! 73 from VE3TWM.

@mrice3274 3 ай бұрын

Hi Tracy, Maurice KA4NIV in SC. Yes wierd propagation lately. The closest I can to working outdoors is my sunroom with a KX3 and various antennas. Currently running the Elecraft AX1 on a mini tripod, with about 10 feet of coax. No contacts to report yet. My indoors station is Icom 7200 for digital out to a random wire hung as an inverted L. Struggled to make FT8 stateside contacts but bagged Fiji on the first call. Go figure! 72

@OutdoorsOnTheAir 3 ай бұрын

Awesome! 72 from VE3TWM.

@dangermandave67 3 ай бұрын

It sucked today on the HF bands after yesterday's solar flare. Came close to failing my SOTA activation but fortunately 20m came to life late in the day.

@kbjerke 3 ай бұрын

Some fun, eh? LOL I like working 2M and 6M SSB weak signal. Have had a lot of fun! 73 de Karl, VE3GUN Once worked Ireland on 6M SSB, from home, 5 watts into a vertical dipole, and once TEXAS from a 6M FM mobile! (From the Burlington hamfest in Milton.)

@OutdoorsOnTheAir 3 ай бұрын

Awesome stuff, Karl! 73 from VE3TWM.

@Philip-KA4KOE 3 ай бұрын

Tracy, using a Ham Stick on a car with a 10W radio in bad conditions via SSB is a recipe for frustration. Next time, I suggest you erect one of Tim's aerials.

@OutdoorsOnTheAir 3 ай бұрын

Some days I like fishing for bass, and on others I prefer to fly fish 😀

@larspregge6420 3 ай бұрын

wow. "nothing" in america but portugal. nice with this whip.

@radioastronomy2001 3 ай бұрын

Great video. The hamsticks are not particularly efficient especially on the lower bands. Pumping 5W on 40m (or even 20m) may not produce good results when you consider low efficiency and all other losses. Probably 10m long, NVIS configured, end fed antenna would produced much better results.

@OutdoorsOnTheAir 3 ай бұрын

Great points, Tom!

@barrykery1175 3 ай бұрын

Yet another interesting video. Question: The camera bag you protect your 705 in.....I'd love to get that same one. Make and model number? Where did you get it? That is the perfect size and exactly the size I am looking for. Tanks and keep up with these great videos. I check every day to see if posted a new one. Barry G. Kery, KU3X/QRP

@OutdoorsOnTheAir 3 ай бұрын

Hi Barry, the bag is a Roots Flannel Digital SLR Camera Bag. They seem to come in different sizes and there is no label on mine to indicate which model it is. It's a nice bag, though! I bought mine at a local camera shop.