Yaesu FTM-6000 Manpack - First Field Test

[@TheTechPrepper]

I have intel on the monument. It's called a "Peace Pole" and was erected by a local who was a consious objector during the Vietnam war. The group erected them around the world. He had messages inscribed in four languages including Navajo.

[@KI4ASK]

It’s amazing how different your terrain is compared to what we have here in the Appalachian mountains

[@TheTechPrepper]

Ditto. No water and everything wants to poke, prick and sting you (including the barbed wire fences). I'll need to checkout your neck of the woods. Thanks for checking in, Joe. I appreciate the constant support.

[@averageguysradio]

Nicely done Gaston and I'm glad to hear that you are going to keep the channel going. 73

[@TheTechPrepper]

That's the plan! Thanks, Jose. It will be nice to get back to working on EmComm Tools, too. I have a design for transferring files and tabular lists of information using the same simple interface in EmComm Tools. It will be good for your community service use cases. Take care, my friend.

[@KevinW8BRY]

When this radio came out I thought to myself I have no real use for the radio as I already have an 857d. The more I see it the more I think I may need to think about purchasing it. Keep up the great work.

[@TheTechPrepper]

Good morning, Kevin. That's the thing with radios, there's no perfect radio that does everything. I love the FT-857 and it is certainly a more cable rig, but the FTM-6000 has a place and lots of utility. If you're looking for a small footprint to handle FM voice and packet, this rig is a good tool for the job in my opinion.

[@ohiorivervalleyhomestead]

What a great contact!

[@TheTechPrepper]

Yep. I actually wasn't expecting to make four contacts on 446.000 simplex. Cool stuff.

[@begin_broadcast_5207]

Great video! Your one of my fav ham youtubers because I strictly work portable. Keep up the good work!

[@TheTechPrepper]

It's nice to meet another field/portable operator. If you're like me, I bet you don't have much of a shack at the home QTH? Isn't fun doing "Field Day" through the year? 73 de KT1RUN

[@johnydsmithson6834]

As a paramedic trying to expand community based emergency preparation this video has been amazing motivation seeing how wonderful of community y'all RATELOs are. Keep up the good work! My expertise is in medical, logistics, mapping, tactical environments so signal is basically rocketry to me despite limited knowledge with daily radio usage and ground-air communication. Just trying to get a real all encompassing framework for SHTF community network and dabbling in the parts I really don't get and don't know anyone in my area that are into. Thanks again

[@bullzy5490]

Excellent video. Love your stuff. 73's from Canada!

[@TheTechPrepper]

Excellent. Glad you enjoy the content. I appreciate the support.

[@granitebuilt5836]

Nice video on the FTM-6000! the audio of the rig sounds great and plenty of volume. Looking forward to seeing more videos on this rig. 👍

[@TheTechPrepper]

More to come! Thanks. I was impressed with the audio, especially considering the speaker's position in the bag, but I could not notice a drop in audio quality. Crisp and clear. ;-)

[@IndependentNewsMedia]

Nice video, looking forward to your Digi Link Nano video, keep up the good work.

[@TheTechPrepper]

Thanks, will do! I am not sure how I stumbled upon DigiLInk Nano, but glad I did via some Google searches. I did not want to use the SignaLink with the FTM-6000, so this looks like the perfect marriage.

[@TheNoCodeTech]

I'm very glad to hear you are sticking around. That brings me much joy. At the beginning of the video, you did a pan shot of your gear, what are tbe two BNC HT lookin antennas all black. Great video man, thanks.

[@TheTechPrepper]

Thanks for the channel support. Those are telescoping antennas that cover 2m and 440. George from PackTenna sent them to me to use with the PackTenna TrekMount, which was also shown in that pan shot. I never had good luck using them in the field as I had to bring an measuring tape to adjust the lengths to get the right SWR. I forgot to take those out months ago. I discovered that the BNC-24 antennas (the long whip on my HT while hiking) actually have a near perfect SWR with the TrekMount when run as horizontal dipole.

[@texasstealthcamper8139]

It’s about 70 miles from New River to Maricopa and probably a bit farther since Bob said he was south of Maricopa. Nice work! 👊🏽

[@TheTechPrepper]

Thanks, but the radio, antenna and elevation did most of the work. 🤛

[@kb6lcw99]

You are doing a great job at sharing info. Enjoy it so much.

[@TheTechPrepper]

Will do. Thank you! More good stuff to come.

[@hamradiotube]

Glad to see you’re sticking with it brother. I always enjoy your videos. Nice setup with the new radio too.

[@texasstealthcamper8139]

Mike, We have to go get some hogs! W5SWX! 😎

[@TheTechPrepper]

I appreciate you dropping by, Mike. I loved your last video on the IC-705 roll cage and TSA. I actually started an App business for iOS and Android in 2010 where we built an app called "Don't Touch My Junk" after one of our friends had some media coverage following a TSA fiasco. We should do a POTA/SOTA if you're ever in AZ. Take care, bud.

[@KenReynolds]

Hey man, great video, as always! I'm really loving these manpack kits. You're definitely giving me some ideas for my own ultra-portable kit. Keep it up!

[@TheTechPrepper]

Glad to hear. The rapid deployment of the manpacks are great for many applications. Let me know what you come up with.

[@cwo8771]

Glad you will be keeping the channel! Got my Tech. last Feb. after an unplanned retirement, then started a new job in June and busier than ever, too busy for the hobby. Am very interested in tactical Ecom and APRS. Also love AZ. Lived there years ago. So please keep it up. KI5NOG.

[@TheTechPrepper]

Thanks for the support, Cecil. There's so much you can do with your Technician license. There will be plenty more topics on both APRS and EmComm. Arizona is great, but I hear Texas is nice, too. Cheers!

[@collinke8rxn]

I just purchased the Yaesu 6000 as a mobile radio based on your videos, as well as the videos by Ham Radio Crash Course and Ham Radio 2.0. While I run a Yaesu 991A base station setup at home, your videos inspire me to do portable radio beyond simply carrying an HT outside the home...maybe someday I'll even try SOTA. Depending on how well I like the Yaesu 6000 as a mobile rig, I might just purchase another one for a portable manpack setup because of your videos! 73, KE8RXN

[@TheTechPrepper]

Glad to hear it, Collin. Portable work is a lot of fun. It's great to get of the shack and operate anywhere and everywhere. Enjoy your new FTM-6000. The audio is really crisp on this rig.

[@NathanYoko]

Love the format of this... Thanks for the content. Your man packs are awesome.

[@TheTechPrepper]

I appreciate the comment. I prefer the free-style videos as I get a chance to relax. I don't use scripts, but it's more fun than sitting in the shack with bad lighting. Check out the most recent video. I think you'll like that new manpack configuration. Take care!

[@owlcricker-k7ulm]

FB Gaston, had not considered this option for UHF/VHF rig. Extra power makes it a viable option. Huge performance leap. TNX keep up the great testing. Your format and content is spot on. Will pass this info on to questioning buddies.

[@TheTechPrepper]

You'll never know what works until you try it. Between the weight, size, power, audio quality and data port, I'm a fan. It all depends on your needs. Thanks for sharing the love.

[@slidewaze]

Thanks for continuing to post. I really enjoy living vicariously through your camera lense. 73 W7MAG

[@TheTechPrepper]

That's very kind. Thank you for the support. I like your call sign. 73

[@slidewaze]

@@TheTechPrepper Thank you. :^)

[@RESlusher]

Good stuff, TP. It's good to get out and enjoy the outdoors. Staying proficient with your gear is never a bad thing either. Let us know if you find out anything about that monument!

[@TheTechPrepper]

Still trying to find some info on that monument. I need to talk to the "Mayor" on our street. We have a neighbor that knows about everything in this area. This channel is all about practical training and preparation. It's so much fun. ;-) 73

[@TheTechPrepper]

I just posted the details as a pinned comment. It should be the first comment on the video.

[@texasstealthcamper8139]

Gaston! Bravo! Excellent video! The contacts validate everything you train for. Keep up the great work. I now have my FT-818’s and FT-857 in the Armoloq TPA frames. Glad you decided to keep the videos going. Let’s get that Patreon going! 73, W5SWX, EL29cr 😎

[@TheTechPrepper]

Right on! Congrats on your frame. I hope you enjoy using them as much as I do. The "right" bag is everything when using the ARMOLOQ frames. Let me know if you have any questions or comments. My email is on QRZ or on the about page on KZbin. It's a matter of finding time to get on Patreon, as I would like to provide value to the subscribers and need to be able produce more content. Maybe in 2022. I am on "Buy Me a Coffee" where I have primarily have been making short videos and posts on my "EmComm Tools" software project. www.buymeacoffee.com/thetechprepper

[@N7CX]

Fantastic video. It is great to get out into nature . Didn’t see that you had a firearm but am sure you did. Working on getting packet radio working using a signal link and WL express. Have been under the weather and my attention span is limited. 73 de N7CX dm42

[@TheTechPrepper]

Glad you enjoyed it. I carry 365 days per year with an exception here and there depending on where I travel. As always, I had my Glock G43 under my base layer in an IWB summer carry leather holster. It's like carrying a wallet, a pocket knife and a flashlight...they're tools that I always have on my person. Thanks for stopping by. Occasionally, I bring a 1911 in .45 ACP if I open carry.

[@harrybolognese1408]

The manpack content is great. I wish the FTM6000 did 2m SSB...

[@TheTechPrepper]

You and me both. I wish some could explain to me "technically" why SSB is so hard or expensive to implement? I love that mode...in fact, I need to get ready for our 2m SSB net. There will be several more videos on this manpack. The next video will be all about using digital modes when the DigiLink Nano arrives. I am very interested in writing some software on top of the fldigi suite. Happy Sunday!

[@VK9TOM]

Good to see you using 70 cm 70 cm is my favourite band Good to see you guys in America are very active on 440 as well 73 Tom VK3FTOM

[@TheTechPrepper]

Good morning for the, US. I am quite new to 440 and I am loving it. Out hear in the desert, it is much more effective than 2m FM simplex. Cheers!

[@VK9TOM]

@@TheTechPrepper Good to see it’s working well for you I use the 70 cm band most days there is a lot more 2m activity around here good to see you’re enjoying 440 73

[@FotografiaFernandoMartins]

hello from Brazil

[@abboudbedro5657]

Good job on the video

[@TheTechPrepper]

Thanks for the view. ;-)

[@564Fire]

Great stuff!

[@TheTechPrepper]

Thanks! 😊

[@markdupuis879]

Awesome setup! I really like that radio, I'm just not a fan of the price lol... Glad to see you out having fun doing some field work. Anyway, till next time 73 de KI5NGT.

[@TheTechPrepper]

You and me both! The price is a bit high. If it was $200 - $250 USD, I think they would flying off the shelve. Take it easy, Mark.

[@DK5ONV]

To be honest, Uncle Guenter would have already failured @ tStage # 1, crawling thru underneath the Wire Fences as quick as you did, Gaston. Make sure to keep you back and disk safe. Hey but I tell you what, I still know to use a wire cutter so I don't have to duck and crawl...meep meep 😎 Happy sunday to you 💯🎸🙋‍♂️

[@TheTechPrepper]

I appreciate the concern. You're right, I should have gone slower. I normally take it slower, but this was more room than I typically have. A wire cutter would work, too. Take care, Uncle Guenter. My wife and I are considering a trip to DE next September. Maybe we'll be able to connect. 73

[@DK5ONV]

@@TheTechPrepper Good morning Gaston. I shoud have doen so many things in my life a way slower or simply first thinking and then taking action but when I was still younger there was no time to waste for thinking things over and figuring them out first. We just wanted things to frikken getting be done. And we been so on to it that we just did it without asking how or when. 4 years ago I still did all the crazy things humping, jumpning, bumping and acting like a young boy. Then life slowed me down to mellow out "OMMMMM" I am glad and grateful to able to ride my mountainbike again hauling my radio trailer. My way of living from this Moment on is learned & understood. Uncle Guenter the Unbreakable finally digged it the hard way. I am looking forward for coming up Sept. to come. Til then I am trying to survive and not doing any stupid shit except of going HAM Radio Portable, cuz that ain't no stupid shit at all. It keeps me alive and kicking. 73's buddy...

[@TheTechPrepper]

@@DK5ONV Glad to see that you're still activate. Life is full of little lessons. How does the expression go, "youth is wasted on the young"? Take care.

[@DK5ONV]

@@TheTechPrepper 💯🎸👍🙋‍♂️

[@jjyoung7650]

Have you done any swr testing with the signal stick and short coax jumper on your manpack. I'm getting high swr with my signal stick and a short jumper. I don't have an armoloq or relocation mount . I'm wondering if the mount provides some sort of grounding that helps the swr?

[@TheTechPrepper]

I have not tested the SWR in that configuration as I do not have an inline SWR meter. Any recommendations on a decent, inexpensive meter? I found the MFJ-844.

[@jjyoung7650]

@@TheTechPrepper I have a surecom digital swr meter works well as far as I can tell. I wish I got something a little more like an analyzer but for swr it does the trick. I did some more testing and found when I short the outer part of the connector to a metal screw on the rig just under the antenna. The swr comes down nicely.

[@milwman1958]

Good stuff is right, Have you ever gotten to the top of the cinder cone north side of Flagstaff ?

[@TheTechPrepper]

No, but I have done some peaks in that area with Charlie, NJ7V, near Sunset Crater. It's beautiful up there. We activated Sunset Sumit: kzbin.info/www/bejne/hmfYoKqBjNmKmLs

[@WestForkWoodsman]

Yeah, great video alright. Thanks for taking the time to show the details of your rig. Just getting started, and interested in sota. Does your 6000 do 5W?

[@TheTechPrepper]

Thank you. Yes, it does 5, 25 and 50 watts. Good luck with SOTA. You'll have a blast.

[@yuriys.6352]

👍

[@CW-le8wc]

Just found your channel the other day and am loving all of the amateur radio related content. Keep up the good work! Did you ever pick up the digilink-nano?

[@TheTechPrepper]

Yes, I did. I have three of them, but I'm holding off on the video as I'm still performing lots of tests. I've seen a couple of issues that I'm still working through. There will be a video soon.

[@CW-le8wc]

@@TheTechPrepper Great! I was thinking about picking one up and now I'm looking forward to the video. Cheers.

[@CW-le8wc]

@@TheTechPrepper One follow-up. Do your moblinkd cables work with your diginlink-nano? Seems to be the same TRRS connection. Just curious if they used the same pin-out.

[@TheTechPrepper]

@@CW-le8wc That's a great question. I recall running this experiment, but can't be 100% sure. I don't think they have the same pin out.

[@CW-le8wc]

@@TheTechPrepper cheers, thanks!

[@cp300blackout4]

Do you carry any gun for self protection on these SOTA expeditions?

[@TheTechPrepper]

As a general rule, I carry every day. It's no different than carrying my wallet, keys and pocket knife. Respectfully, The activity has little do with whether I carry. Bad stuff can happen to anyone and anywhere. Have a good one.

[@cp300blackout4]

@@TheTechPrepper I agree with you. Thanks for the video!

[@cp300blackout4]

@@TheTechPrepper One more subscriber! Best regards from Brazil 🗼 🇧🇷

[@JoshMann-m1s]

Why such a long antenna? Thought you only needed the small antenna for those frequencies.

[@TheTechPrepper]

You need a proper antenna to run higher power on a pack.

[@JoshMann-m1s]

What kind of antenna should I get? I’m about to get a 6000r.

[@TheTechPrepper]

@@JoshMann-m1s Get yourself the Ed Fong roll-up J-Pole. Do not run a whip antenna on this setup at more than 5 watts. With a whip antenna make sure that you have a 19" counterpoise attached.

[@JoshMann-m1s]

Im checking those antennas out. I have a wolf river coil tia, how would that do?

[@JoshMann-m1s]

Id love to transmit outta the backpack on gmrs frequency while walking.