My Morse Code (CW) Ham Radio Go Bag

[@HamRadioCrashCourse]

​See you all in Orlando! I'll be at the ARRL Expo Thursday and everyday on the floor at Hamcation!

[@potaactivator]

Josh, I hope to meet you. I will be at Hamcation.

[@DonzLockz]

I hope to visit the East Coast later this year so I'll miss out. Hopefully there may be some other event at the time.🤔🇦🇺

[@ThomasK4SWL]

Thank you for the shout out! Yeah, I'm a bit of a Tom Bihn addict at this point. I think you'll be very pleased with the HLT2. Good on you for the CW path and content, too! Love it. Thomas (K4SWL)

[@arkorobotics]

Thanks for the shout out of the N6ARA TinyPaddle! Loving this CW content!

[@K6ARK]

That rattly black case was actually not my design, but I created a similar one that fits much more snugly and includes an integrated antenna winder and BNC clip. Which reminds me - I need to post those on Thingiverse...

[@Scout75PortableRadio]

The Osprey roll up pouches are awesome! I use them with all my radio kits, and backpacking gear. Great idea bringing QSL cards with to give to the ham curious you may meet during a POTA or SOTA.

[@BunnyMcHusky-cg1tj]

Hi Josh, you made a good call with the shaving bag. You can use the included mirror to flash Morse Code from the sun’s reflection. Pretty awesome yeah. Thanks for the great videos and all the guidance.

[@KU9L]

I am still building my setup, but am approaching it from another direction. I bought the Explorer battery box from Gigaparts and just ordered a couple 6Ah LIFEPO4 batteries to occupy the lower inside. Since I am a full-time RVer it will serve me for picnic table operating and POTA, etc. I am an old QRPer from the old days so this all has been exciting to learn about and to follow many recommendations of the YT posters. I feel like Rip Van Winkle after years of absence, but I see parks on the air as something to work with my rehabilitation of getting back healthy again post-career burnout in aerospace. I see HR as putting back the spark in electronics for me again. See you at Hancation 2023! -Dave -KU9L

[@yootoobjim1]

I use a lot of products that run on 9v batteries. I never thought to reuse the top off battery. Good tip.

[@phillyedhrj]

The black mat looks good. The radio is not washed out. Safe trip!

[@HamRadioCrashCourse]

Thank you!

[@TaylorLaub]

Well, since you asked, I EDC a 705 in a small camera bag with a small (but not quite pico small) paddle along with a tiny microphone, charging cable, and the mini Elecraft tuner, as well as a few other accessories. I mounted a signal stick (glow in the dark) to the side as well, which as it turns out is a great conversation starter. I’m quite proud of it tbh. I’m going to add the K6ARK antenna whenever I get around to building it. 73, KE8KWZ :)

[@dodger0101]

Great Video! Thanks Josh. I love those uni Kuru Toga mechanical pencils, they're my "go to" pencil

[@potaactivator]

I'm a single lever paddle CW op. I'm always looking for a better single lever paddle for POTA activations.

[@fdsman]

Hosh, would love to see you do a video on the Baofeng AR-152

[@DB-ml1ns]

Just a couple of additional notes on SW-3B vs Mountain Topper. The 3 band version of the MTR has a listed voltage range that only goes up to 12v so requires a stepdown or a lower voltage battery I have a 9v bienno I use with it. The SW-3B will take a full 13.8v no problem. However the 4 band MTR does not have this problem it will do the full voltage as well. Just something to note. Also a small point but the SW-3B will receive USB and LSB. You obviously can't transmit on sideband but can listen might be of limited utility but its there. A drawback is the receive current of the SW-3b is about 40mA with the backlight off while the MTR is about 27mA. Not a huge deal but all things to consider when carrying a small battery. All in all for the price the SW-3B is a nice little radio but MTR I think is a better quality product. It was hard to choose so I bought both hahaha.

[@K6ARK]

FWIW, I'm almost certain the 3B and 4B have the same finals and PA setup. There is no functional difference that justifies the updated voltage spec of the new 4B. The 3B runs fine with a fully charged 3s LiPo (12.4 ish volts). I've been doing it for years. Just make sure you've got a resonant antenna with decent SWR. Also worth noting - a 4s LiFePO4 puts out a higher fully charged voltage and likely does require some reduction of voltage to ensure safety of your MTR.

[@DB-ml1ns]

@@K6ARK Good to know thanks Adam! I was always scared to try it was just going off of what the manual states. Thanks for the insight.

[@dwatson4]

Lol your wife called, she wants her purse back… pretty bag Josh.

[@HamRadioCrashCourse]

Thanks.

[@odvernon2357]

Hi ! Nice video +++ What sort of battery do you use with CW-3B ? Thank's for your answer ?

[@doesstuffoutside]

Bruh, the MTR4b was OOS for months. I finally broke and bought the SW-3b. The MTR came back in stock for a limited run the next day. Now I have two new CW radios coming...

[@HamRadioCrashCourse]

Lol. Sometimes it’s like that.

[@elsuperpollo2273]

It's my primary goal when I get my ticket, and general. I'm hoping not to fail the technician exam again, which was over three years ago back. I been getting practice exams in the 80's and 90's. I like the ideal of QRP and minimal equipment for chewing the rag and cw. I been practicing with a CW oscillator as I been studying.

[@ve3sif]

Hope your code practice is going well. It's a lot of fun heading out to operating portable cw with a small set up. good luck and 73 Ron

[@elsuperpollo2273]

I finally got my ticket, I just need to take the general, and try to pass the extra as well,73 Kq4hcu

[@DoubleHaul]

The G90 has a steel case that works great for magnetically attached keys if you're looking for a pair for that ebay key.

[@HamRadioCrashCourse]

Indeed. But it’s huge.

[@d4rkd0s]

Curious what is similar to the Mtr4b V2.3 Mountain Topper as they no longer make them / have any in stock... 🤔

[@HamRadioCrashCourse]

SW-3B is similar. www.venus-itech.com/product/sw-3b-qrp-cw-transceiver/

[@KD2MIC]

Not meaning to split hairs but at almost half the price, do you consider it a cheap radio (as in quality) or just inexpensive?

[@jandersonemtp]

I have the palm pico with my KX2, and I love it.

[@HamRadioCrashCourse]

Agreed!

[@walshgeo]

Josh, can you hear the output of the radio through the recorder? Thanks. George KB3WAQ 73

[@HamRadioCrashCourse]

Yes

[@subarusensei3685]

I have the little brother to that voice recorder(PXW370) its pretty decent. the mic on my unit is mono but the input jack is stereo

[@kevinshumaker3753]

Anyone have a good recommendation for a software CW decoder/encoder for those of us with auditory or manual dexterity issues that could be used with a RTL-SDR or radio and a laptop or RPi? I have issues with hearing and a shaking of hands that prevent tapping a key (you should see the raw output typing...) and haven't found anything good yet...

[@raydavidsonm0ray.777]

Regards receiving CW, Can you make/Buy a small vibrating device that fits to your arm, and read the CW by its vibrations, Or simply use a CW to Text converter? Regards the Tremor in your hands, Your Dr SHOULD be able to help you which in turn should help you with your typing. Please Do not feel as if I am making you look or sound silly or small, , , , , , , , as I suffer with the same problems of bad tremors in my hands as well. I am on a medication that helps with my tremors as well, , , , which your Dr/GP should be able to help you with. Kind Regards , Ray, M0RAY, Sittingbourne, Kent, UK.

[@kevinshumaker3753]

@@raydavidsonm0ray.777 Thank you. My GP and friends have tried 3 meds for the trembling, none have been effective, due to diabetic neuropathy, but thanks for that thought. The CW to text converter is what I am looking for, but haven't found anything 'good', and am looking for suggestions to test. I have numerous radios, scanners, and RTL-SDRs along with multiple USB sound cards to put into the mix, to overcome my limitations.

[@marcinmichigan2772]

you dont use a fuse on your lithium batteries?

[@miltskelton556]

If Tom Hanks had your kit in "Castaway", could he have communicated with someone to let his wife know he was alive? Could his transmission be enough for someone to track his signal and locate him?

[@HamRadioCrashCourse]

Yea

[@schrodingerscat4769]

If I want to find a cheap alternative to these radios and wish to operate at an 80 meter band. Could you recommend some thing?

[@chuckles3079]

I like the mat. Are you able to solder on it? If so, do you have a name or link for it?

[@HamRadioCrashCourse]

Nah. I would t solder on it.

[@newdeathscope]

That's a cutting mat, normally used for fabric. You can solder on anything, just don't put the iron in it. Solder cools so fast that it doesn't really matter what the surface is.

[@enriqueenrique2222]

Do they make an Oculus Go Bag where google can watch you bug out?

[@MrDexxra]

If you're going exploring down the rabbit hole of the mechanical pencil universe...Unis are for sure the best bang for the buck, have a super cool design, and are probably the only mechanical I'd personally bring out for any serious field work (AKA be willing to lose). However, you'll probably end up using a rOtring for any serious work like most of us who fell into the same trap, I mean rabbit hole, once you learn to properly manually rotate a mechanical pencil. 😉

[@singletona082]

Hey is there something like the K1 for 10 or even 6 or 2 meters?

[@WilliamParmley]

That was superb!

[@HamRadioCrashCourse]

Thank you!

[@sm3ttz]

The black mat is super! keep

[@HamRadioCrashCourse]

Thank you!

[@Rich-ni2ol]

Maybe a giveaway if you don't learn CW? Except the KX1, you can make some coin off of that.

[@cchimozmin]

Sorry but what's an 'OX' cable?

[@HamRadioCrashCourse]

Aux

[@cchimozmin]

@@HamRadioCrashCourse Ha! So sorry. Of course. Feel like an idiot 🥺

[@0rb0d]

Paddle preference is subjective. You couldn't pay me to use a Palm.

[@HamRadioCrashCourse]

Cool.

[@DonzLockz]

I can't ever learn CW, I'd need to learn a software cheat or something. Lol

[@mattquince6508]

There isn't really a good decoder. You really just need to put in the time. It's all about practice. Check out the Long Island CW club.

[@izmazix2148]

Watch2End&Comment

[@pthithic]

His face looks like he lost weight