I put the Wolf River Sporty Forty on the Air. Is it the best POTA antenna?

[@VMGIN]

Great combination of high quality production/content, story telling, scenic views and good ‘ol’ Americana. Love the videos !

[@0150r]

Might be worth it to add a one foot 3/8-24 threaded rod and a coupling to the kit. You could put it between the sporty 40 and the 17ft whip to give it extra length. Could probably put it below the coil as well.

[@KB9VBRAntennas]

Yeah, I think I'm going to start carrying a couple of extension rods in my antenna bag for that same reason.

[@thequarantinecatholic]

Yay another Ham radio video with the poetic description by Michael of your historical landscapes. With bonus Ms. KB9VBR!!!!!!!! Looking forward to the video!!! Love my Wolf River Coil with the FT-891! My fourth 10 meter contact {within the allowable band range} with the whip and 6 radials on my Technician's was Canada! Great production value as always with the video editing and footage!!!!

[@cornbread-KO5RN]

You guys are going to put us to shame in Louisiana with all that good cooking. That’s my kind of radioing

[@Pacmannion]

Nice video as always, Michael!

[@scottdunbar4898]

Your videos are thoroughly enjoyable as well as educational. I just love seeing you and your wife doing your own things but being together. A big thank you from your friend in Maine, K1NEO.

[@gray5627]

Hi Mr. Michael, thank you again for a lovely POTA weekend in a beautiful park! Aside from showing us the Sporty 40, I would like to compliment your wife on her cooking skills and on her very nice choice of colors for her weaving. Along with being a very new Ham, I am also a spinner, dyer, knitter, and (neophyte) weaver. Really enjoy the videos, and thanks for sharing! :-)

[@christinemartens922]

Oooo. Spinning and dying are areas I keep looking at to try more of in the future. So much fun. As for the cooking- I am definitely the sous chef. Michael is an amazing cook - especially at camp. KC9BME

[@TomSP9TL]

Everytime I watch your YT clips from your outdoors trip/activation, the first thing I do is click on the LIKE button! And then I watch it, as I know right from the start, that it will be some good stuff! Thank you for sharing!

[@hamradiowithkevin]

The work you do in your videos is inspiring Michael.

[@k4adz]

I like your rhythm in making the qso's .. Everything is there call signs, report, cordial and efficient. I'm still trying to dial in my dialogue may have to steal a bit of your appoch.

[@KB9VBRAntennas]

The best way to manage the pile up is consistency. I’ll dial up or down the banter depending on how busy it is. I try to be intentional with everything I say and do during the activation to keep things moving.

[@k4adz]

It's nice and smooth and personable which I try to do on the air as well, we are after all speaking to other human beings even for a very short time. Left a tip. Keep up the good work.

[@N6BFGAmateurRadio]

Thanks for the contact and the great video! Funny enough, I was fighting to hear you over a AM radio station in Asia.

[@KB9VBRAntennas]

Those international broadcasters roll into the 40m band just like clockwork and make the upper end unusable. It seems to be worse in the winter as the days get shorter.

[@rodmurrayVA3MZD]

Looks like a fine weekend for an activation! I saw your spot on the POTA app today, Nov 16, and was super excited to hear what I thought was you on the spotted frequency. Sadly, it was a station in TX that was on the same frequency. However, you may recall that last December you did a video based on my question on a live video about attic antennas. As of last week, my EFRW is installed in the attic and working well! Today, over 20 contacts, some POTA hunted stations, west to BC and all the way east to the Canary Islands and south to MS in the US. Thanks for the attic advice!

[@KB9VBRAntennas]

Evidently that Texas station popped up next to me as I was getting ready to wind down. I could hear noise off to the side, but I didn't attempt moving as I was going to finish soon.

[@ASCIITerminal]

Really enjoyed your video. Thanks! You've gained a subscriber.

[@brianfields4479]

Hi Michael, really enjoyed watching you both enjoy the weekend, just beautiful scenery and great radio, thank you so much for your time, best wishes to you both, zl3xdj.

[@lauriepalmeira7519]

Looks like a beautiful time! Supper looked wonderful! :)

[@KB9VBRAntennas]

I think mother nature saved the best camping weekend for the end of the season.

[@forgetyourlife]

One section of a BuddiStik or BPole extension should do nicely between the CHA whip and Sporty 40.

[@KB9VBRAntennas]

I think I'm going to keep an extension rod in my antenna bag, it won't take up much space or weight.

[@BradSnyder1]

That Sporty Forty seemed to do very well. Great video Michael! 73

[@KB9VBRAntennas]

I've been impressed so far, and after using it a few more times since, I've really come to like it.

[@jamiefheim]

Have you thought about elevating the sporty 40 on a mast and using a couple of tuned radials? I use a buddipole tripod and mast with good results. Am going to add length to my 17ft whip using buddipole accessory arm, I have both 11 and 22 inch versions. I really enjoy your videos, keep up the good work. 73 de KW7WP

[@45auto]

The scones looked yummy! The note about the resonance is quite important. We all tend to worry about the SWR by itself. Unfortunately, I don't think I've been good enough for Santa to bring me a Rig Expert. U-rah-rah

[@KB9VBRAntennas]

Agreed. looking at SWR only, you miss the bigger picture. That's why I don't sweat it if I can't get SWR down below 1.7:1 with these vertical antennas.

[@bashcoder]

You're such a good operator 👍

[@K3JRZOnTheAir]

Very nice activation, Michael! You should put your recipes from your videos on your site (probably too long of YT description field), if you haven't already. Or a link to a site that they might be on. 73! Jeff K3JRZ

[@KB9VBRAntennas]

I've got a couple of recipe links in the video description. I'm also coming out with a cookbook this winter with a collection of my favorite camping recipes.

[@K3JRZOnTheAir]

@@KB9VBRAntennas AWESOME!

[@n5yiz]

The best video production of all YT "ham radio" videos. 👍

[@KB9VBRAntennas]

Thank you. My goal is to set the mark for others to follow.

[@RodMilligan7]

I ran into the same issue with the MFJ-1979 17' whip being too short with the use of my WRC "shorty forty". The MFJ whip is also 11" short like the Chameleon whip in comparison to the WRC OEM 17' whip, this put the resonance point just above the 40m band. With a tuner I could use it on 40m, but i felt that lengthening the whip to bring the resonance down would be a better option and not require a runer. My solution was to order a 3/8-24 whip extension off Amazon. There are several different sizes available on Amazon 12", 18" and 24" extensions. I purchased the 12" size that came with a coupling nut and it worked great to lower the resonance point on 40 meters to cover the 40m voice band. I used 50 ft of RG-8x coax with the 3 - 33 ft radials. I also had good results using 6 - 16.5 ft radials. SWR ranged from 1.5 to 1.7 on 40M. I love your video, very informative and very enjoyable to watch!

[@KB9VBRAntennas]

I think I'm going to keep an extension rod in my antenna bag for the same reasons. Interestingly, I've found that coax length and radials can affect the SWR a bit on the Sporty Forty, In testing I was able to reduce SWR by shortening the coax to 25 feet or using less radials. I didn't do an on-air test since it was just in my backyard, so I'm not sure if doing that would affect performance.

[@timmanwell2538]

Curious about the link from amazon. I'd be interested in this. 73.

[@patrickcarlberg8626]

Great video Michael. I’m curious what that first dish was? It looked like some kind of chocolate chip bread with cheese in it. I know how much you Wisconsonians love your cheese 😄. Thanks for putting this together. 73, KD9PWI.

[@KB9VBRAntennas]

Those are chocolate chip scones. The tops got a little brown, but still very tasty. the recipe link is in the video description. I'll be coming out with a cookbook this winter with more of my camping recipes.

[@BikingHikingRadio]

Hey Michael. I got my Sporty Forty as soon as they became available for sale on their website. I do not have the KZbin channel you do, but I did some tests with my Sporty Forty and I was able to get a near 1:1 SWR on 40 meters with mine and put them on my little KZbin channel. I was also using the MFJ 1979 17ft. whip. I found that using three 32 ft. ground radials was almost ideal. Try changing those 16 ft. ones into 3 or 4 32 footers and I'm thinking you'll see a better result. Very good video as always. Thanks for the great job you always do. 73 de KN3A.

[@KB9VBRAntennas]

In my testing, I have found that you SWR can be vary depending on coax length and the number and length of ground radials. But in dropping my SWR, my reactance goes up, so I don't know if I take a performance hit or not. For that reason I really don't sweat it if I can't get SWR below 1.7:1. I'll check out your channel and look at your results.

[@johnk23705]

Neat coil ! I do prefer the adjustable ones, but for quick up and down, this one would be hard to beat. Something I've noticed. I'm in S E Idaho. I've noticed that in the day time, I get almost zero signals from the mid west and south on 40 meters. Lots of contacts on 20 meters. Good contacts on 17 meters also. From the video, it appears that the skip is short on 40 meters. It was longer on 17 meters. I have a 7300 and a full size multi band vertical. Is it just my station and type of antenna or are others seeing the same thing. It's frustrating as I get the majority of my POTA contacts from the mid west and south. Having a vertical, I expect my contacts not to be local. Your thoughts on this. Thanks Michael !

[@KB9VBRAntennas]

I also like the ability to tweak things with the adjustable coil, but I can see this as being a great winter antenna as if I have one less thing to worry about in setup, that means I have less time that I need to be out in the cold fiddling with things. As for 40 meters, I find it tough to make contact further west during the day. Usually my limit is Colorado, Wyoming, and Montana. But I do get Utah, Idaho, and Washington during late shift activations. Last summer I worked the same station on both 20m and 40m during a late shift. His 40m contact actually sounded better later in the evening than the 20m one early on.

[@johnk23705]

@@KB9VBRAntennas I've also found that 40 meters comes in later in the afternoon to evening to the west. I think it's great that you worked both 40 and 17 meters. Gives us out west people a chance to make a contact with you and others who are in the mid west and south during the day. What type of day time coverage are you getting with 20 meters from your area ? Daytime activators in the mid west and south, work 17 and 20 meters during the day in addition to 40. Twenty meters is getting west of the Rockies in the day time.

[@scubasky]

I wonder if more groups d radials would have helped, I calculated you had less than 1 wavelength of radial elements on the ground which is what I hear is what you should aim for at minimum

[@KB9VBRAntennas]

More ground radials would certainly help minimize losses and make your antenna system more efficient. Although there is a practical limitation to how many radials you may want to spread out for a portable antenna. In Rudy Severns article about ground networks, the sweet spot is 16, with diminishing returns after that: rudys.typepad.com/files/qst-march-2010-ground-systems.pdf But there are also couple of things going on here. First, the whip was indeed too short for the coil. After this video aired, Wolf River added another turn of wire to their coils, giving them a little more range and better performance with the Chameleon whip. The second, is that ground conductivity matters. In the two years since this video was produced, I've seen SWR all over the place with this sporty forty setup. The difference is location. I'll get better matches in areas with soft, swampy, ground and higher matches in areas with hard rocky soil. I've somewhat mitigated the ground vagaries by switching to Faraday cloth/Window screen ground. The greater surface area the screen covers really makes a difference. Also switching to an elevated counterpoise, like on the POTA PERformer, totally eliminates ground conductivity effects, providing better performance with less wire.

[@scubasky]

@@KB9VBRAntennas excellent points! Thank you for all your hard work I’m on a mission to watch all of them!

[@Dap8998]

The next time you go to that park make sure you get the sentinels call sign 😁

[@JosephVE3GKT]

Michael, why don't you use your autonotch filter to block the jammers? It saves your ears and your frustration. I use mine on nearly every activation. 73 de VE3GKT

[@KB9VBRAntennas]

I use the notch all the time, it's one of my front buttons on the FT-891. The intentional interference on 17m that day could not be notched out, though. It was broad band noise that blocked out everything.

[@truckinguy92]

What are you using for radials Mike. Thank you for another great and educational video.

[@KB9VBRAntennas]

I'm using 8 16 foot radials. They are in two bundles of four with a large spring clip on the end. Here's a video I did last summer on my radial network: kzbin.info/www/bejne/Z5m9gGCLjtqdo5I

[@truckinguy92]

@@KB9VBRAntennas thanks Mike I’ve watched that video already. The reason I ask is because I’ve been using 8 16’ 6” radials trying 2 coil setups (Super Antenna & BuddiCoil) both with appx 2 11” shafts below the coil and I can’t get the SWR below 2.5-3.0:1 anywhere on or near the 40m band. Using the same stainless steel jaw mount you are, Chameleon 17’ SS whip and an 18” SS tent stake as far into the ground as I can. This is in average ground, not particularly dry. I added 4 more (12 total) 16’ 6” wires and it made very little change. I’m stumped & getting pretty frustrated. The next thing I was gonna try was cutting them in half. Thanks for all your help.

[@truckinguy92]

@@KB9VBRAntennas I forgot to add I’m using 20 ga BNTECHGO silicon sheath wire. Super flexible and is easy to untangle.

[@KB9VBRAntennas]

I wonder if the issue isn't so much the radials but the coax? Have you tried different coax or a different length of coax? Are you using an RF choke on your coax? I've found that when using a 25 foot piece of RG-8x I sometimes have similar SWR issues, and adding another 25 feet fixes it.

[@truckinguy92]

@@KB9VBRAntennas I was using 50’ of RG8X coax, no RF choke. Also tried 25’ of RG-316 with a built in choke. Neither of these coax cables create issues on 20-10m. I did fold all of the radials in half and it brought the SWR down slightly. I removed 8 of the radials, still folded in half (so basically 33’ total) and was able to obtain an SWR of 1.4:1 across the entire General voice portion of 40m. I’m stumped to say the least.

[@darylcheshire1618]

I’d like to buy the Sporty 40 but the Wolf River Coils website is not taking new orders in July 2024: hope they open soon.

[@KB9VBRAntennas]

They will be. I heard they are dealing with a family medical issue and had to pause orders a bit.

[@darylcheshire1618]

@@KB9VBRAntennas Thanks, it is reassuring, I have an outstanding order for a SB1000, the 17’ telescopic and a tripod mount. Looking forward to getting them.

[@KB9VBRAntennas]

Larry and Gary often will shut down the store if they are traveling to a show or have a family issue to deal with. Then they don’t end up with a big backlog of orders.

[@N4GW]

Great video. What software are you logging with?

[@KB9VBRAntennas]

I use Hamrs for logging. www.hamrs.app

[@daveedwards5951]

Curious, what is the camper??

[@KB9VBRAntennas]

It's a TC Teardrops 5x8 trailer. www.tcteardrops.com

[@RobertDeMartino-s3j]

What are some of the numbers that you say when you get in contact with someone

[@brianfields4479]

Just wondering if you had the question, which is the best 100w cw radio, or if you have a past video on this subject.

[@KB9VBRAntennas]

I don't think that question can be answered. All the modern 100 watt transceivers do an excellent job with CW and have the same basic features and capabilities. The key difference is their ergonomics; where the buttons are placed and how the features are activated. That's a subjective decision and not based on objective performance.

[@brianfields4479]

@@KB9VBRAntennas thanks Michael, and keep up the good work.

[@steventatum9327]

Mike do you log the signal reportas when doing pota or only calls time and date?

[@KB9VBRAntennas]

I log the signal report of the incoming station. I've found that 80% of the time their signal usually matches what my signal is perceived by them.

[@steventatum9327]

@@KB9VBRAntennas thanks just got my ft-891 yesterday and been watching your video and setting it up thanks.

[@YouTubeProfileName]

Unrelated, but this reminds me of that ambulance show towards the end. Anyway I was wondering if most people like you on KZbin can be trusted and I why we can trust those numbers. My current condition prevents me from doing what you’ve set out to do so I’m going to keep living through you each day and send you some more gear if god wills it. It’s not that I don’t trust you at all! Also, these locations you go to hopefully have been cleared

[@ab0ez]

Hey Michael, we’re getting setup with an a-frame pop up camper and the wife wants to know how many quarts is your Dutch oven. 73 de AB0EZ.

[@KB9VBRAntennas]

My Dutch oven is a 12 inch size (not the deep 12 inch), so it would hold 6 quarts.

[@ab0ez]

@@KB9VBRAntennas Thanks!

[@davewhite7679]

One more turn on that "shorty 40" coil would have given users a little wiggle room with the various telescopic whips that we're all using. 😏 With the whip tuned for resonance, sometimes a radial or feedline cable adjustment can help bring that impedence up a little closer to 50 ohms. I usually carry a couple short coax cables (10 - 15 ft.) and a few clip-on ferrite chokes. Black magic 🎩 😁 KZ9V

[@mrbriancnc]

Just curious as to what all you're running off of that 12v battery, and how much run time do you get with 20 aH?

[@KB9VBRAntennas]

The battery just supplies power for the radio. The logging computer runs off the battery and I use a 500wh power station to keep it charged. I keep my transmit power at 50 watts for efficiency. I try to keep an eye on power consumption with a power meter, for that weekend I was on the air for combined 2 1/2 hours and consumed approximately 8 amp-hours of power. That means the 20 ah battery should give me about 5-6 hours of total run time if I take it down to depletion.

[@ve2zdx]

Did you find the gold, or not? 73's =]

[@KB9VBRAntennas]

Didn't find the gold, yet.

[@RandomWire107]

They should make one for the folding military whips

[@KB9VBRAntennas]

That would be an interesting concept. I've been playing with a folding military whip and find the Silver Bullet Mini works really well with it.

[@chrisazure1624]

A shortened ground rod might work better than copper pipe. It would take more pounding.

[@KB9VBRAntennas]

It probably would. I've got a bunch of scrap copper available to me from making antennas, so when one gets beat up, I just throw it back in the scrap bucket and grab another.

[@chrisazure1624]

@@KB9VBRAntennas Ah, yes. I have one of your j-poles.

[@stephenrichendefer8782]

Your mix of radio along with some history of the areas you are in is great. Also love the new intro and outro. de KF3BH

[@KB9VBRAntennas]

Thanks for the comments, I'm glad you enjoy the new intro.

[@sighlous]

Thanks for the P2P.

[@miker7962]

Awesome video. de WE0H ..