My search for the perfect POTA antenna

[@Overlanding4Fun]

If you have any questions, drop them in the comment section. 👇👇

[@RickM1953]

Good video, but scrub the noise aka music.

[@daveh9907]

Turn down/OFF the musik......

[@jimmieblue6262]

Please no music. My hearing is not good can't hardly distinguish between your voice and the music.

[@frankwc0o]

Best affordable POTA antenna might be the 1/4 wave ground plane antenna, you make it with some wire and a banana connector and you have basically an inexpensive antenna.

[@Philip-KA4KOE]

Yeah...no music

[@brianhendrix]

I've now used that antenna for the last 80-90 POTA activations with NO issue whatsoever. It's worked great. I also use the tripod and not the ground stake. However, I did replace the counterpoise wires with the Comet CGW-560 HF Antenna Ground Wire Kit. It's MUCH sturdier and better made. You just need a washer for the ring terminal as it's sized for an SO-239 connector.

[@KU9L]

I use the KB9VBR method of using a window screen or a portable Faraday sheild blanket, get the same or better performance & no long radials to deal with any more. It is light enough to be carried to the operating location also.

[@Overlanding4Fun]

I need to give the magic carpet a try. If you’re interested, I have started a ham radio dedicated KZbin channel, youtube.com/@graymanpota.

[@KU9L]

@@Overlanding4Fun Thomas K4SWL wants a report & YT video on your results trying the magic carpet. My wife is having orthopedic surgery tomorrow so my POTA & antenna testing days are on a temp hold while I care for her the next several months, but I sure enjoy everyone's videos.

[@radioman3229]

GRAYMAN! lets do a activation together... next time your going to hit Prophetstown ... NS9T

[@UABFWSS]

Have had a couple. They work great. Nice and portable.

[@DanielDeRudder]

Nice video ! You surely didn't carry all that equipment in a backpack. 😉Somehow it feels to me the tripod's footprint is a little short/small to provide a stable support for the antenna (for instance when it is windy)? Do you agree?

[@Overlanding4Fun]

I have used that tripod several times without fail, but I will admit that there are a couple of better tripod options that have a wider base and are lighter. The one from REZ Antennas comes to mind. If you are interested, I have another YT channel that focuses on amateur radio and electronics. youtube.com/@graymanpota

[@tommycheshire5508]

What a great camera. Clear, bright, no distortion, very nice.

[@Overlanding4Fun]

Thank you. I held on to my iPhone 11 when I upgraded my phone and I use it to shoot most of my videos. I wish Apple would get in to the action camera market and put out a camera that integrated in to the iOS ecosystem. When I am done shooting for the day, I plug in the phone and it syncs the videos and photos to iCloud.

[@N2NWK]

There is no best antenna for POTA. I use hamsticks, Hustler mobile antenna, a G5RV and an Endfed antenna. It is all about what works for you. 73 de N2NWK

[@Overlanding4Fun]

I hear you, there are no two activations that are the same so I agree with you. However, in the context of traveling out west and needing to have something that would fit in my suitcase and could be free standing that is not a bad choice. Since I am also running QRP on those trips, I might reconsider a tabletop antenna. Thank you for watching. I have started up another KZbin channel dedicated to amateur radio and other electronic projects. KZbin.com/@graymanpota

[@ricksoutdooradventures595]

You are absolutely right. The whole point of POTA, and ham radio in general, is to have fun! Great video, hopefully our paths might cross in person sometime! 73 de N9GSU

[@Overlanding4Fun]

I don't think we live to far apart, we will need to look at getting together and doing a POTA activation sometime. I also have started another KZbin channel that is dedicated to amateur radio and electronics projects. youtube.com/@graymanpota.

[@jeffb5781]

I have a question. How are you able to remember and repeat the call signs so fast? Enjoyed the video.

[@Overlanding4Fun]

That is a good question. There are some people out there who have photographic memories, but unfortunately I am not one of them. I am typing in to my log as I hear them and repeating them back from what I copied to verify that I have them correct. Some times you will get a pileup and you can’t make out a complete callsign so you take what you did hear and throw it back out to see who responds. For example I might make out the last 2 letters of a callsign that ends in Echo Delta, so I will call out station ending in Echo Delta and someone will respond with their full callsign. Sometimes you might get more than one that ends in Echo Delta, but the more characters of the callsign you have the chance of that decreases. Are you an amateur radio operator? I have moved my ham radio specific content to a dedicated KZbin channel, youtube.com/@graymanpota.

[@jeffb5781]

Thank you for your excellent explanation! As a new Ham, I really appreciate the help. Thanks again. 73

[@scopehitmyeye2019]

I enjoyed this video but feel it didn't contain sufficient 'go aheads'.

[@SteveH-TN]

Appreciate sharing your POTA QSOs. Throughly enjoyed being a arm listen 🔉👍💫⚡️⚡️⚡️

[@thesuavemike]

What radials would be an upgrade? I just bought this antenna.

[@Overlanding4Fun]

The included radials will work, but you need to split them apart into individual lines to get the best performance. I ended up making my own set(s) of radials to have with me that seem to be easier to store and deploy. The BNTECHGO wire seems to be popular in the community and several people are using it for antenna making using it for both the radiating element and for radials. Most people are using between 20 (small) and 26 (smaller) AWG wire. Electrically, the size doesn't matter for portable operations, both will support up to 100 watts or power without any issues. For the radials, there are many schools of thoughts on how much wire should I use. I stick with at least 1/4 wave length of wire on the ground for the radials to match the radiating element length. The standard rule of thumb is more is better, but you need to balance that with time, weight and, money when it comes to portable operations. I run the KISS doctrine for portable operations, keep it simple. I want to focus my time on making contacts and spend less time futzing with equipment, so good enough is my montra in the field. If your SWR is under 2:1 and your noise floor is manageable, start calling CQ. For you fixed home station, take the time to squeeze every bit of performance out of it. So with all of that out of the way, I cut (8) 5 meter lengths of 20 AWG wire (geni.us/BNTECHGO20) and then bundled them in to groups of 4 wires and connected them together with a yellow ring terminal (geni.us/ringterminals). Make sure you use a ring size the fits between over the threads of the spike and connect the spike to the feed point. I use a set of winders from ETSY (creatoriq.cc/4bb3GHc) that a ham makes that I really like. With 2 sets of 4 radials, that gives me 80 meters of wire on the ground that has worked great for me. In reality, because of the KISS doctrine, I normally only deploy 1 bundle, but I have the second as a spare or if the noise floor is a bit high, I will deploy a second bundle to try to reduce the noise floor. I hope this helps. If you are interested, I also have a ham radio dedicated channel that can be found at youtube.com/@graymanpota.

[@BobBroeking]

I bought this antenna and returned it to DX Engineering... WRC coil does the same time and I have it marked for all the bands; can set it up in 5 minutes with a window screen.... :-) You take a lot of big stuff to the park! :-)

[@Overlanding4Fun]

Thank you for the feedback. If you are interested, I have moved the ham radio content over to its own channel. It can be found at youtube.com/@GraymanPOTA

[@LB0FI]

After testing this antenna for a couple of weeks now it was good to see that you have made it work.

[@Overlanding4Fun]

I am going to take the directions from your video and see how I do on the bands besides 20 and 40. Thank you for watching.

[@KI7JOM]

Can you post a linkfor the lunchbox please?

[@Overlanding4Fun]

geni.us/fire-engine-flynn

[@therandomwire1]

Recently some other videos creators have shown difficulties in tuning this antenna. Did you use an analyzer and what kind of readings were you getting?

[@Overlanding4Fun]

I have seen both of the videos this morning and I think they were both good. In the video, I was running 20 and 40 and had no issues with tuning those two bands. I was testing the SWR with a RigExpert Pro and on the two bands I got less than 1.5:1. The only issue I ran into was I needed to split apart the provided ribbon cable in to smaller segments to drop the SWR. I will be making new radials. Thank you for watching.

[@r111k]

@@Overlanding4FunMy Rigexpert SWR was 1.4 without separating the radials. My G90 tuner said 1.0 SWR. So I guess I can take my pick. But I’m not sure I’m going to separate the radials since these numbers are good enough. I’d much rather deal with one wire than multiple wires. I may be wrong, though. What difference did you notice by separating the ribbon? Also, you mentioned you were going to make some new radials. Does separating the ribbon wire not work well enough?

[@LambertMatias]

I'll have to check out this antenna! When I travel via airplane, i have been using my FX-4CR radio with the X-tenna wire antenna but I am also looking for a good travel whip vertical. This may be it. Thanks for sharing this video. Cheers, and 73! de W3LAM

[@Overlanding4Fun]

Thank you for the comment. I have moved my amateur radio content over to a new channel dedicated to amateur radio. youtube.com/@graymanpota

[@adamfunk5812]

Do you have a link for the fire engine Flynn lunch box?

[@Overlanding4Fun]

geni.us/fire-engine-flynn

[@DXJungle]

Hello from Houston Texas! 👋🏽

[@Overlanding4Fun]

Hello there!

[@W1ZY]

Very good review. Get more radials out and the signal will be even better. BTW, _Subscribed!_

[@Overlanding4Fun]

Thanks for the sub! If you are interested, I have spun the radio content out to a separate channel youtube.com/@graymanpota

[@marcelookunz-lu1fk]

Felicitaciones por el video y en canal. Tengo la misma antena, funciona perfectamente bien. Saludos desde Argentina. 73 Cordiales.

[@Overlanding4Fun]

Gracias por ver el vídeo. Si estás interesado, he abierto un nuevo canal de KZbin en el que hablaré más sobre radioaficionados y otros proyectos de electrónica. KZbin.com/@graymanpota.

[@stephenburgess5109]

iove this antenna high quality alloy rods have always used the ground spike use a rubber mallet to knock it in can fully assemble in three mins shack in a Backpack with FT857 & Tracer power pack keep mallet coax pen and paper safe in the roomy antenna bag worked VK from G land on 100 watts no more spending an hour getting tangled up in antenna wire in the dark you could take this antenna apart blind folded.

[@Overlanding4Fun]

I share your enthusiasm, I am really liking mine. I have used it several times since I recorded this video. You might like my other KZbin channel that is dedicated to Amateur Radio and electronics projects. youtube.com/@graymanpota

[@o2bnov0307]

Did the parks you visited have any problems with your using this antenna? How did the antenna perform with the Xiegu QRP radio?

[@Overlanding4Fun]

Unfortunately, hurricane Hilary got in the way. Because of all the rain and flash flooding in the Las Vegas area, I did not do any activations that week. If you are interested, I have shifted most of the technical ham radio and electronics projects to another channel. You can find it at KZbin.com/@graymanpota. I am starting to post videos from activations using the radio/antenna combo. I will have to admit that I am starting to look at some tabletop antennas, to cut down on weight, for QRP work. I still like the JPC12 as a field antenna.

[@Frisky0563]

Hello nice video 73s

[@Overlanding4Fun]

Hey, thanks. If you are interested in more in depth videos regarding amateur radio and electronics projects, I have started an amateur radio specific KZbin channel that can be found at youtube.com/@GraymanPOTA

[@samstlm]

Great review. New Ham from Tech to General. I've decided my interest is POTA. I do want the experience and equipment to be simple as I learn. This JPC-12 really seems like it would work for me. I did see there is a MC-750 that is portable for $50 more. Would that be worth stepping up? Also, I live in a 3rd floor apartment. Do you see any way to set this antenna up on the balcony to get some HF reception? Thanks, KF0LZR,

[@Overlanding4Fun]

Glad it was helpful! Both antennas are about the same height, so you might run in to an issue on a balcony if their is a balcony above you. To be honest, I think you would be swapping trade offs between the two antennas. I went with the JPC-12 due to the compact size to be able to pack it in a suitcase. I don't know if you saw, but I did spin up a new YT channel that will go more in depth with the ham radio stuff. youtube.com/@graymanpota

[@writermike2166]

Great video. I’m looking to get started in portable HF & have been concerned about finding the right antenna. I’m also in Indiana (Hancock county). This antenna might just be the answer. Just to confirm, you just leave the radials together & don’t worry about spreading them all over? Do you use a tuner as well or just the coil & antenna length to adjust?

[@Overlanding4Fun]

It can be a tricky antennas to get tuned, but this is not uncommon antennas in this style. I was looking at this antenna specifically for its size of the carrying case for air travel. I did have to split the wires to get the SWR down. I do not like the radial cable that came with the antenna, so I bought a spool on wire to make new radials. 2 of the 3 radios that I carry with me have internal tuners, but I try to get the lowest SWR for the segment of the band I am using.

[@TheAragonProduction]

Excellent video . Do you have the link for the tripod mount you show on your video?

[@jolebole-yt]

Lookup DX Engineering - Chelegance Lightweight Tripods CH0030002

[@tysonherzog8010]

I just got the MC 750 antenna Have not used it yet but i will soon I liked your video you did a good job 73 s

[@Overlanding4Fun]

Thank you for the feedback. If you are interested, I have moved the ham radio content over to its own channel. It can be found at youtube.com/@GraymanPOTA

[@kapapatence6423]

Awesome video with good info for me. A new General and I am looking forward to learning more about portable setups like this to keep it simple. It appears POTA is a fun exercise so I am excited to begin learning new skills. ..and I have a lot to learn. With this antenna, how do you stabilize it on windy days?

[@Overlanding4Fun]

Glad it was helpful! The antenna comes with a ground spike and I purchased the additional tripod. Both of those have limitations in heavy wind. I am spitballing, but I think you could rig up some guy lines with paracord to ground stakes to provide some additional stability in heavier wind. Are you a member of the Ham Radio Crash Course or TOADS Discord? If not, those are both good groups to belong to. Also if you are interested, I moved my technical ham radio and electronics projects over to a new KZbin channel youtube.com/@graymanpota.com.

[@kapapatence6423]

@@Overlanding4Fun I have seen HRCC ...will ck it out and also your new channel..Thanks for the reply.

[@bhgant813]

Looks like a knock-off Buddistick. Hope it works better than the Buddistick because mine has become a dust catcher! :)

[@Overlanding4Fun]

I don't have a Buddistick to compare it to, but all of the portable ground mounted verticals share common characteristics. If you are interested, I have moved the in-depth radio and electronics projects to a new channel at youtube.com/@graymanpota

[@stefanpaul9443]

My Buddipole/Buddistick also got sold again soon as the performance was quite poor especially for the price tag…. But my PAC-12 is now used quite often and with much better results!

[@gerrykavanagh]

Great video, man, cheers

[@TheHadgee]

Nice, thanks for the video. Ellis M5AEI

[@Overlanding4Fun]

Thanks for watching!

[@brickerhaus]

This is a good example of an antenna that I am looking for. I like the tripod. Looks like you swapped to the stake instead of the tripod at the end. Did that change anything? Good video.

[@Overlanding4Fun]

You are correct I did swap it out. This channel was geared more for overlanding and outdoor activities and I was using POTA as the outdoor activity. Since then, I have started an amateur radio specific KZbin channel that can be found at youtube.com/@GraymanPOTA. I was having a hard time getting the SWR in to a usable range and I swapped out the base to see if it made a difference, it did not. The included radial wire(s) is a multi-wire ribbon cable that when you separate the segments you can spread out. After seperating and spreading the wires out, the SWR dropped to a workable range.

[@brickerhaus]

@@Overlanding4Fun I went out and bought that from your video. Thanks. I found that separating the wires into pairs so that it becomes 5 wires essentially. Worked great. I found I was getting out pretty easily. I needed something for wintertime and for POTA. This works great. I want to redo the radials though. I want to do something similar to the Chameleon Cha Puck Hub so that radials connect with banana plugs. Or make a magic carpet that has a wire bonded to it in the middle with a grommet for the spike to go through when that is needed. Good video @GraymanPOTA.

[@nickl3872]

Thank you sir! Im just getting into this.

[@Overlanding4Fun]

I am glad that I could help. There is plenty of great ham radio content creators on KZbin. Speaking of which, I also have a channel dedicated to ham radio and electronics. youtube.com/@graymanpota

[@yazanalsolaimi416]

I just found out about this channel. Awesome content!

[@Overlanding4Fun]

Welcome aboard! I am glad you enjoyed it.

[@billgoodson47]

I am a newbie. I would like to understand how you were reporting the signal quality. It looked like you were ONLY looking at your computer. Was your radio connected to the computer. If so how was it connected. I did not see a computer connection from the back of the 991A. I understand the format RST or RS, I just could not see where you were getting the signal strength from.. Maybe you could see the S-meter on the radio, and you were not getting anything from the computer other than logging the contact.

[@Overlanding4Fun]

Those are good questions. The digital report is a subjective report based on a couple of factors of Readability and Strength (RS) for voice or Readability, Strength and Tone (RST) for CW. This link takes you to a good chart that has a breakdown of the scale. www.acsu.buffalo.edu/~maxwell/RSTInfo.html In my case and most others, without looking at the signal meter, if I can hear you and understand everything it is a 5/9 and it starts going down from there. In that video, I was using a iPad for logging with a program called HAMRS. So there was no computer control of the radio in this activation. I also carry a Windows tablet that will allow me to run FT8 and other digital modes. When running voice, rig control does not provide much benefit so I don’t worry about adding complexity in the field. I try to adhere to the KISS method as much as possible when operating remote. If you are interested, I have started a second KZbin channel dedicated to amateur radio and other electronic projects. HTTPS://KZbin.com/@GraymanPOTA

[@billgoodson47]

@@Overlanding4Fun thank you for your response. That is what I guessed but I was not sure that the s-meter reading was a subjective number in your case, and I could not see you looking at the radio and I could not see any connection to the 991A. Thanks again.

[@Overlanding4Fun]

@@billgoodson47 it boils down to how well I can hear you and how easy you are to understand. You will find in most contesting and activations like POTA that most, if not all, are going to be 5/9, because it is about the contact with the other station. When you are running a pileup it is about speed and efficiency. If I am not busy, I will slow down and spend more time with the other station, but if people are waiting to make contact with you, you will lose them if they have to wait to long.

[@billgoodson47]

@@Overlanding4Fun Good point. That is helpful.

[@suavefpv1247]

@@billgoodson47 Thanks for asking this! I have noticed many people doing this, and was unsure as well! 73's

[@DK5ONV]

Excellent Job. 73 de Uncle Günter 💯👌🙋‍♂

[@Overlanding4Fun]

Thank you for watching...

[@hpbear101]

LB0FI recently did a "short" video on tuning method for this antenna.

[@Overlanding4Fun]

It easy enough for 20 and 40, but the rest of the bands get a little complicated. I primarily stick with 20 and 40, but plan on exploring the supported bands in the future. Thank you for watching both channels. -Tim

[@Downeastwaves]

Thanks for the invite to your FB page. I subbed you here too.

[@Overlanding4Fun]

Awesome thank you!