PackTenna Linked Dipole - Field Testing

In this video, we're taking the PackTenna Linked Dipole for its first field test to Skyline Regional Park in Buckeye, AZ. We'll activate Pyrite Summit (W7A/MN-129) on 20m and 40m.
For more information on the PackTenna Linked Dipole, visit: www.packtenna.com
If you're new to the channel, welcome! I'm "The Tech Prepper" and I try to produce weekly videos on all topics related to preparedness. Thanks for supporting the channel! If you like the content, don't forget to hit the thumbs up icon, leave a comment, and subscribe to the channel. "Be strong, be safe and be prepared." -- The Tech Prepper
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[@VTjeepNoutdoors]

Great video and review!

[@TheTechPrepper]

Thank you. I’m glad you enjoyed the video and review!

[@go2douglasvamateurradioandmore]

I remember hiking skyline before it was a park. It's only been a park for about 5 years.

[@harrybolognese1408]

Excellent content as always!!

[@harrybolognese1408]

Hoping to get out for some SOTA this summer. Would be wild to work you!

[@TheTechPrepper]

That would be fun, Harry. I’m still trying to get the ear for transcribing calls, so I’ll likely need to ask for your call a second time as you saw in the video. ;-) What’s your home QTH?

[@leonardoelias22]

My portable antenna needs adjust every place I build it. Most of the time I need to reduce its lenght to get a 1:1 swr. Very easy to deploy/adjust. NVIS is magical.

[@TheTechPrepper]

NVIS is indeed magical. No infrastructure needed with great local coverage even if there are mountains or cityscapes in your way.

[@malenve6vid]

Great stuff. You are a man of your word regarding the challenge. Oh, it is Malen. I have the Sotabeams Carbon 6 as well that I sometimes use with a dipole fully extended. If you feedpoint weight and size is small it works great, with little bending. I too have been using an EFHW for over 2 years now for a simple reason, speed of setup / teardown. Cheers.

[@TheTechPrepper]

Malen, I was a bit delirious when I summited due to the heat. Sorry for mangling your name, but I did appreciate the challenge. It was great to get rehydrated. I think you're right, and that I can get this up a bit higher on the Carbon 6 mast. I'll try this out and report back. The dipole was great, but there's nothing like an EFHW for field expedient deployments.

[@malenve6vid]

@@TheTechPrepper No problems. You talked about the 10 essentials but what a lot of people miss is dehydration and its effects on your body and mind. By the time you identify it is happening to you, it is borderline too late.

[@tjs2909]

I’ve been on the fence about a carbon 6 mast for a while. I currently have a couple of those cheap crappie poles and a Sota beams tac mini. I like the tac mini a lot except the weight. Curious with packtennas dipole is there much sag with the carbon 6?

[@TheTechPrepper]

There was no sag in my test, but I was only at 12’. I need to run another test and see what’s the highest point I can suspend it before it starts to lean. I feel like 16’ might be the max, but don’t quote me on that.

[@forgetyourlife]

@@tjs2909 I have the tac mini and the C6. The C6 will sag alot more than the mini. The smallest part at the top of C6 made me laugh when I 1st saw it. Its so thin!

[@TangoOscarMikeN3WS]

I've actually been carrying both an endfed and a linked dipole. It just depends on the situation. Lately for me the linked dipole has been my go to. Of course, it's easy to put stakes in the ground and guy out the mast. Side by side the linked dipole does seem just slightly better in my opinion. Cheers!

[@TheTechPrepper]

Interesting points on your preference. Like everything in the desert, the ground is resilient. It takes a bit of work to get a stake in the ground. I’m going through at least one tent stake every couple of outings. The ground is ridiculously hard and bends the heck out of the stakes when I drive them in with a rock. 73, Tom

[@wildlandoutdoors51]

I love your videos and your setup has inspired me to get a FT-857D as my first radio so I can run a similar setup to yours. I was wondering what you would recommend I look at for antennas that can be setup at home and used in the field? I do live in Iowa so i do have trees in most places but when traveling and some random spots there may not be any trees. Thanks for all you do. KF0EEJ and 73

[@TheTechPrepper]

I'm glad you're enjoying the videos. I've only had my FT-857D for one week now. It's a great radio, but something I am not planning on taking with me into the field man-portable very often due to the weight, size and power requirements. I will be testing this out very soon, though. Everyone's operating goals are different, but for the work I like to do in the backcountry, my FT-818ND works pretty well. It is a low power rig (QRP) so there are issues when you only have 6 watts. If I could only have "one" radio for home and in the field, it would be the FT-857D even if it is a bit heavy and an older radio. It's great because it's all band and all mode. You basically have a shack in the box for HF/6m/VHF/UHF. Also note, the Yaesu FT-857D was discontinued and is incredibly difficult to find at a good price. It's more expensive now used than when it was being sold new in 2019. As for antennas, I am no expert, but I like simple EFHW antenna for their ease of deployment. In the field I use the PackTenna Mini EFHW on 20m. At home, I use the MFJ 1984MP EFHW. It covers 40m - 10m. Do your research as everyone's needs are different. Best of luck!

[@rpestess]

Very interesting! I am new to SOTA and would like to see a video on how you report and get credit for each summit. What role do the chasers have and what is "self spotting". Thanks.

[@TheTechPrepper]

Great questions. I’ll add a video on this topic to the backlog. Self spotting is a mechanism where you alert other hams (chasers) that you’re on a summit. It includes the summit designator, your call, frequency and mode. In the field I use an application on my phone called SOTA Goat to spot myself if I have cell access. If I don’t, I use another technique with APRS via APRS2SOTA. SOTA is an award system based on points that includes two types of operators: activators and chasers. I’ll try to get a video out within a couple of months. I hoe you’ll join our little community and hit a peak. 73

[@rpestess]

@@TheTechPrepper Sounds good, thanks for the info.

[@DK5ONV]

Hello Gas & afterwards happy easter to you! That's a cute lil pocket size EFHW Antenna (PackTenna) you got there. Thx for another exciting episode sharing with us from outsdoors somewhere on the Peaks. Keep up good work. I am sooo looking forward to make contact with you from europeanside. I know this is quite a tough mile to make but that a be so special if we make this work out. Watch the Rattlers and Mountain Leos and the Wholes in the unmaintained Trails too. 73's from SW-Germany de DK5ONV, Uncle Günter

[@TheTechPrepper]

Happy belated Easter from the US. If you take a look at the majority of my other SOTA videos, I use that PackTenna Mini EFHW. I am really glad you enjoyed the video and I appreciate the channel support. I hope that propagation is kind and we're able to make a contact. I have great luck getting into France on 20m around 1600 UTC when I have been on peaks. I'll try to send alert sooner in hopes of us making a QSO. 73

[@DK5ONV]

@@TheTechPrepper Ok, cool. you made already over to France. Was that a base station near the Britanni Coast or somewhre up in the Mountains...? WX got colder here again. From 70°F down to 43°F cold winds from NNE up to 30mph and snowfall, rain and ice rain where I live. Humidity is up on 83%. I am a son of arthritis that's why I stood home the last 3 days. We have to deal with this weather for another 6 more days, if we can trust the words of iphone wx forecast app...? I am gonna jump 8ft. high if we make this contact happen on 20,17 or 15m Band. i doubt it this will happen on 40m. But who really knows...? 73's & stay safe.

[@patm5165]

Nice setup, great vid, too bad no antennas available, can you ask when these will be available on the website?

[@TheTechPrepper]

Check out the PackTenna group on Groups.io. George is constantly updating inventory on that mail group.

[@ksb2112]

No coffee? Screw that.... Really nice video!

[@TheTechPrepper]

Haha. I'm not making that mistake again. Coffee is a must on every trip.

[@KM4ACK]

I like my Packtenna linked dipole but prefer EFHW for ease of setup.

[@TheTechPrepper]

I’m with you on both accounts, Jason.

[@davidsradioroom9678]

I have a Wolf Rivers TIA 1000 for my portable antenna. It is a vertical, so no staking needed. It is larger than the Pack Tennas, but it suite me. I am unable to go backpacking. Still, it is lightweight and goes anywhere. Might be worth looking into. 73

[@TheTechPrepper]

You may be on to something. If memory serves, you're at least the second or third ham that has recommended the Silver Built TIA 1000 from Wolf River Coils. I'll check it out after work. It looks like a great field day antenna. 73

[@davidsradioroom9678]

@@TheTechPrepper I don't think you will be disappointed. I bought it for NVIS, but have hit British Columbia from my GA QTH.

[@kd5you1]

Great video on the PackTenna linked dipole. I do have a question about the Sotabeams Carbon 6. Is it sturdy enough to hold a roll up J pole antenna with RG8X coax? I figure the J pole would drop down 5 feet or so from the top, and then about 14 feet of coax would run from the antenna to the ground.

[@TheTechPrepper]

Thank you and great question. I cover the Slim Jim roll up antenna and the Carbon 6 at 8:55 on this video: kzbin.info/www/bejne/aqrJqYSmacRjgJY Spoiler alert: it works great. I even show a DiY mount I made for the j-pole. 73

[@kd5you1]

@@TheTechPrepper ok thanks for the info. I'll definitely check out your video! 73 KD5YOU

[@go2douglasvamateurradioandmore]

I may do this in december to February. I will do deem hill and hedgepeth north of 101 about 47th avenue

[@TheTechPrepper]

Skyline park gets a bit crowded, so start early. I'll take a look at those other summits.

[@go2douglasvamateurradioandmore]

@@TheTechPrepper thanks. They are relatively easy. At deem hill (mn142) it's only a little bush wacking. The last two times, the peak had bees. Hedgepeth hills (mn 147) looks pretty easy, but a bit more bushwacking.

[@go2douglasvamateurradioandmore]

@@TheTechPrepper let me know when you plan to activate, and i will join you up there. I will have to look at ruins and skyline.

[@ReedAB8AS]

I also now have this antenna from PackTenna. I ordered mine after watching this video. What type/brand coax do you prefer when deploying this antenna? thanks & 73 de AB8AS here in WV.

[@ReedAB8AS]

RG-316 Thanks for including that in the video :)

[@TheTechPrepper]

Enjoy your new linked dipole. I use mine primarily at home as a NVIS antenna for regional communications on 40m and 80m. At home I use RG8X, but take RG-316 when I take it into the field. The wire is incredibly strong. I've had mine up in the backyard for about 4 months. It's still standing even with our recent storm. Enjoy!

[@alanfielder280]

Forgive what may be a stupid question but if you had the full length of the antenna wires connected giving you the quarter wave 40 meter dipole, why wouldn't you leave it connected to give you a half wave 20 meter dipole versus disconnecting it to give you the quarter wave 20 meter dipole?

[@TheTechPrepper]

Good question. It’s a half wave dipole. Each leg for a particular band is a quarter wavelength. So for 20m, the dipole consists of two 1/4 wave elements making a half wave. To make it a 40m halfway dipole we need to double the length on each side.

[@alvarogaitan2529]

thanks great video and good review 73 from kb2uew

[@TheTechPrepper]

Thanks, Alvaro. It's a great little antenna.

[@joeblow8593]

15:06 How much are the wire winders? I went to their site and didn't see it there. I already have a 9 to 1 balun and the wire and could build my own PackTenna. Thanks

[@TheTechPrepper]

I don’t believe the winders are sold separately. I’d recommend sending an email through the PackTenna site.

[@TheNoCodeTech]

Cool, Hey you still use that ATAS-25 st all?

[@TheTechPrepper]

I do occasionally, but only in the shack these days. I mostly use it for 10m, 6m, 2m and 440. It was too much of a pain in the field.

[@TheNoCodeTech]

@@TheTechPrepper No yeah, agree. I've been using it for the last few POTA attempts. Seems like there are better options. Good antenna, need an analyzer to tune her.

[@wild-radio7373]

Nice!♡♡♡ 🤜🏻👍🤛🏻

[@wild-radio7373]

that phrase: I just noticed... again. Wierd. I have been a prepper for many years now, and I dont think I have ever heard "the 10 essentials" before. And now, just today, I have heard three people referring to it specifically... life is funny like that sometimes, I guess. ;) apparently I enjoy the small things♡ haha♡ be well #hamFam

[@wild-radio7373]

I was raised on 3s and Cs♡♡♡

[@TheTechPrepper]

Another prepper, Yes! The 10 Essentials are more of a hiking/backpacking thing, so I’m not surprised. I don’t see you as the type that would hit the trail with flip flops and no water, so you probably already carry most of the items and just don’t realize it. I guess we’re entering the hiking season, so the 10 essentials is likely to make the rounds. Take care.

[@wild-radio7373]

@@TheTechPrepper wonderful video! And I appreciate the chat as well♡ have a great day today :)

[@garytedlock7533]

What antenna would you recommend for a manpack for a ft891 ,I really don't want to carry a turner if I don't have too. I just got my technician license about a month ago .Going for my general in 2 months ,I'm a prepper too. And weight means a lot to me. Thanks for any recommendations KD9WTH 73

[@TheTechPrepper]

Congrats. It depends on what your operating goals are. EFHW's are great in the field. Check out the PackTenna Mini 20/40m EFHW. I'm actually in the process of designing a 5-band linked dipole for 20/40/60/75/80m with Tim N9SAB. It should be out within a couple of months.

[@garytedlock7533]

Thanks for info

[@dennisschultz1175]

What radio are you using?

[@TheTechPrepper]

The Yaesu FT-818ND. 6 watts!

[@JohnTarbox]

Very interesting video, thanks. DE WA1KLI

[@TheTechPrepper]

Thanks, John. More contacts would have been nice on HF, but that’s how it goes some times with band conditions, antenna placement, QRM, QSB, etc. 73

[@brentjohnson6654]

New sub here. I am new to ham and interested in portable. thanks for your video and review of the packetenna. All the best, 73 de KI5HXM

[@TheTechPrepper]

Welcome to the channel and the hobbt, Brent. Portable is a lot of run. Most of my portable videos include "SOTA" in the title. I can't recall if put all of the portable videos in the SOTA playlist.

[@brentjohnson6654]

@@TheTechPrepper I will watch POTA or SOTA. SOTA does intrigue me and getting out and walking is definitely a desire. But my 62 year old body are not always in sync with my 28 year old mind. Haha. Last month we went hiking in Hot Springs Arkansas and it was a surprise that I couldn’t make the mild climb. But not to worry, I can work into that. I had a heart valve replacement followed by a stroke in 2017 that affect my health but my mind doesn’t always factor in those details. Haha. Anyway, long explanation into I enjoy watching a good SOTA experience. Thanks for your videos. I do so enjoy learning the science of the hobby. All the best! 73 de KI5HXM