Parks On The Air (POTA) Ham Radio HF QRP Setup

[@JohnThielepape]

Thanks for the video on the simple setup. I'm just getting back into working POTA with my FT-857D after taking several years off, and I enjoy watching how other people set up. I'm looking forward to going through your videos. W5JDT

[@twooldmeninthewoods]

Thanks John … glad you enjoyed it … plenty of SOTA/POTA episodes you may enjoy!

[@genemcphee8053]

Outstanding presentation. Giving me a lot of ideas.

[@twooldmeninthewoods]

Thanks Gene. It is amazing what you can do with 5 watts and the right antenna. I ended up making 37 contacts that day from all over the country.

[@genemcphee8053]

@@twooldmeninthewoods Thanks. I have the 817nd model. I hope I can report the same.

[@twooldmeninthewoods]

@@genemcphee8053 I know there are newer QRP rigs with much fancier options, but you can't beat an 817/818 for shear ruggedness and capability.

[@genemcphee8053]

@@twooldmeninthewoods Thanks for the support.

[@TheSmokinApe]

Nice setup 👍

[@twooldmeninthewoods]

Thanks … trying to get as much as I can out of 5W!

[@k2cjbradio]

N9SAB antennas for the win! I have his 20/40m linked dipole and have had many successful outings with it and an 817. 73 de K2CJB

[@twooldmeninthewoods]

Tim is a great guy ... builds quality stuff and willing to answer questions.

[@thequarantinecatholic]

I just received two of his antennas and excited to try them out. Your carry bags are cool!!!

[@twooldmeninthewoods]

@thequarantinecatholic thanks … i can guarantee Tim’s antennas won’t disappoint

[@alvarogaitan2529]

great setup terrific thanks 73 from kb2uew

[@twooldmeninthewoods]

Thanks ... modifying and improving the 818 has been a lot of fun.

[@gmdavisphotography3422]

Nice to find some local fellas on here! I'm from the Chesnee/Gaffney area about 1 mile from Cowpens Battlefield! If I heard you correctly when you said your camera man's name he was actually one of the VEs when I got Licensed...LOL! Hope to meet you guys sometime! 73! -KQ4JOC

[@twooldmeninthewoods]

Although Stokes was not the cameraman, he was instrumental in setting up the whole event. He is a great ambassador for our hobby and the park service.

[@gmdavisphotography3422]

@@twooldmeninthewoods couldn’t agree more. He’s a great guy.

[@janiceemery2008]

Excellent video and great explanation. Love it and keep them coming. KO4UWU

[@twooldmeninthewoods]

Thanks for the kind words Janice; we are glad you enjoyed. I am working on a longer video with more in-depth explanations of each part of the system - stay tuned!

[@bayaread24]

Great video. Love seeing the detail steps in your set up. I was wondering what stand you used to prop up the FT-818nd. Thank you

[@twooldmeninthewoods]

They came off eBay as a package deal with the bag that I use to hold the radio. Do a eBay search for FT-817 side rails and it will pop up. About $70 for both the rails and the bag.

[@sxswutah-ww6dr]

Nice radio and setup, I would think at some point I would be better off with a icom 705 or kx2/3 for about the same $$ and smaller form factor

[@twooldmeninthewoods]

You may be right ... I am a Yaesu guy and liked the tried and true units ... if the FT-817/818 had an internal tuner, I think it would be hard to beat.

[@bowbreaker1]

Km4oia here, just has a QSO on 2M with ya on field day.73, good to meet ya. Edit: our qrp setups are quite similar. Shoot me a message sometime if you ever want to collaborat

[@twooldmeninthewoods]

Great to talk to you as well … definitely on a future collaboration!

[@nine7295]

"HF style connector"? You mean SO-239/PL-259? This connector is used on VHF and UHF radios as well, although it's not ideal for higher frequencies like UHF.

[@twooldmeninthewoods]

Thanks for the feedback. Although you are correct in the specfic name for that style connector, it is also not uncommon to refer to that male/female pair as HF style connectors. My struggle is I can never remember which one is which (is the 239 male or female) so I just call them HF connectors. Isn't it interesting that we don't use different general numbers when we describe BNCs, SMAs or N-Types (obviously they have different part numbers) but we do when we descirbe what I call HF connectors.

[@bwillan]

What's the wattage of that Yeti power bank you are using? That is a different setup using a powerbank. Most use a LiFePO4 battery.

[@twooldmeninthewoods]

It is a 200W unit called the 200X. I happened to have it at home and carried it with me that day since I wouldn't be hiking to the activation site like we normally do. I have considered getting a stand-alone lipo battery like you mentioned, but so far the upgraded internal battery for the FT-818 has served me well.

[@sk8erdude872]

did you have to build the speech compressor? I can only find the kit and not the completed compressor

[@jeromeGrzelak]

Do the vk3ye mike mod and save money kg6mn

[@twooldmeninthewoods]

You can buy the completed ones from DX Engineering but it costs a little extra ... I built this one ... pretty easy if you have done some soldering before.

[@twooldmeninthewoods]

I have seen that mod ... it would be cool to do a side-by-side comparison between the two.

[@wheeler7973]

The pack looks great. Where do you source it?

[@twooldmeninthewoods]

Do a search on eBay for "Brown bag + Side plate Rails Bracket Stand yaesu FT-817ND yaesu ft-818nd ft818" and it it will pop up ... Only $69 and it comes with the side rails which I forgot to mention in the video.

[@ronmagliacane]

What is your call sign. I do POTA in the Lowcountry and I'd like to hunt for you. KD4YXM

[@twooldmeninthewoods]

I will look you up on QRZ and shoot you an email.

[@99Victor]

How would I be able to get a pack like you carry?

[@twooldmeninthewoods]

I got the pack off ebay ... if you search ebay for ft-817 side-rails ... there is one seller who sells the side-rails with the bag for about $70

[@mr.miniaturesmodels8465]

Wait- Yeti makes a battery bank?!! I must check this out…

[@mr.miniaturesmodels8465]

Okay, answered my own questions: I’m 3 years late to this party. I was just astonished at its compact size. This sogen uses the older Lithium Ion battery chemistry. Made by Goal Zero (not Yeti the cooler maker) . 120W inverter and as the name suggests, it’s a 200W system.

[@twooldmeninthewoods]

Yeah … I think “Yeti” is the name of that line of power stations by Goal Zero … nice little unit.