This RU-vid channel is a spinoff of the Sioux Scout backpacking & bushcraft channel. More focus on portable amateur radio, with videos gear reviews, how to's, SOTA (Summits On The Air) and POTA (Parks On The Air) Activations, and general field use of amateur radio.
The bulk of the content here will be related to Summits On The Air. With my experience with backpacking, SOTA has really become an obsession for me. From time to time there may be some random videos about general preparedness and self reliance, without going full "Doomsday Prepper" on you.
Shipping Address: West Marshland Group 2163 US Highway 8 Suite 100 Box 3151 St. Croix Falls, WI 54024
Less home stations & "Home to Home" contacts. I think club events are great and all but to really bring in the public who doesn't know about radio we could be doing better as a organization for public outreach. The local clubs I read about or visited were not in an area where the public might come across them. They may have invited anyone to join but none came without already knowing a licensed operator. Maybe some bonus for setting up at a State or City Park, Public Library, or the Town Hall. The GOTA station is supposed to be for this and even could be done with handhelds to log stations nearby (bonus VHF!) Or with the amateurs attending the event. The point is to get the people to experience a radio contact. My thought is to try setting up at a trailhead in a busy park or the library with a portable station.
Define “grid down or nuclear event” for the rest of us. Then take the 5 minutes to actually watch the video in its entirety. We all could use the laugh.
This is definitely a good idea! I am going to look at re-designing the toggle. The more people who use it are giving me the feedback I need to make this a betterererer product. Thank you!
Always great to see your Meshtastic videos. I got into this because of you, and now I'm part of a huge and growing mesh in the Sacramento Valley of California.
That is awesome, Dennis! Glad it's taking off in your area. I have plenty more in the works including some build videos and maybe trying to figure adding a BBS to one of my nodes.
In my opinion the spider beam 10m, is worthless. I do POTA, and SOTA activations. I used one of these fiberglass masts with a less than 1lb total weight wire EFHW antenna wire... and it broke. I called spiderbeam and they refused to back up their product , they said it was too much weight. Well if it is, then what are they made for??? if not a single wire??? So I bought a SOTA beams telescopic mast, and It has performed perfectly now for over 60 activations.... IMO, do not waste your money on the 10 meter spiderbeam.
@@Scout75PortableRadio Exactly. I know the wind has too play a role, but I still thought it would have done better. Maybe a one off defect... Im not sure.
I agree 100 watts max. I have operated from home the last few years. I try to be in the spirit of FD as i use temporary antennas. This year i added a generator. I operate from my shed no AC, no heat. N9TDE from South Dakota.
I took my son (26) to my club's Field Day. He had a great time. Talked on the GOTA station with someone in Colorado (from Florida), and he spent a long time at the CW station chatting with the club president and the two blind guys running the station. He seems very interested in voice DX and CW. We'll see where it goes.
@@Scout75PortableRadio We did. My 7-year old granddaughter wanted to come also (she wants to be a scientist and astronaut when she grows up). But she had a chance to go swimming and that beats out radios every time in sunny 90 degree weather.
Short answer is you don’t. Can’t see an ATAS as something anyone would steal. Most hams don’t have a use for one. Opportunist thieves are not going to steal something they can’t fence quickly. But, I can see it as a big target for spur of the moment vandalism.
Great video, Shane! I was over in the SW corner of the 'Cities activating two parks so I missed out on the rove. Was the Brown Creek's activation done at the end of the dirt road off of Hwy 96 with about 3 houses there? I always wondered if that was public property or not.
I have an ATAS-120A. I ordered it last summer. I've had to order replacement top element 3 TIMES! It doesn't hold in the bottom screwdriver part. All of a sudden, my radio had trouble tuning it. I get out of my truck to check the antenna, AND THE TOP METAL PART IS GONE! Who knows where? I DON'T! I think it's due to the 1/16 inch diameter of the element, making it ENTIRELY to flexible. I've now disassembled the antenna, drilled out the receptacle to 1/8 inch and reassembled the antenna. Yes the rubber seal that covers the receptacle was a bit tight, but it did go on. I put it back on the truck and tuned it up across all the bands it covers. It tuned very nicely. What I did was I took an old 80 meter ham stick I had and cut it to length. That was a chore, let me tell you! lol Those things are NOT easy to cut. I tried a hacksaw first, then I switched to a cutting wheel on my dremel. That went easier but very slow. I used the dome grinder on the dremel to round of the base where I cut it. My set screws make MUCH BETTER contact with the element now. I expect it'll hold much better.
You were lucky. My Signal Stick was defective and had bare wire showing. Also, could not remove antenna from adapter. Won't purchase from them again. Guess they don't check quality prior to shipping. Will look at Diamond another viewer mentioned. UPDATE: I was able to remove the antenna from BNC adapter. UPDATE 2: I will try again. I ordered two more antennas, adapters, and magnetic car mount. Most companies deserve a second chance. I did send pictures to them and am waiting for a response. Final Update: Signal Stick has been replaced by company at no charge! Excellent service! New antennas that I ordered came in and were in excellent condition, as well as the magnet mount for the car. Looking forward to trying it. Will continue to do business with them.
The first accessory bought was the Yaesu soft pouch and the Windcamp Powerpole-adaptor. This is a must to instal because the original little yellow plug is so sensibel for damaging, and the pouch to protect your expensive gear. This is an item every FT-817 / 818 owner should install immediately.
I tested my antenna, at home, with a 50' roll of RG-58, and it worked just fine! You do you! I was just thinking about making another jumper cable using some left over RG-174, because its also so small and light.
I got mine in yesterday, and like it! It is very well made, super light weight, rolls up into a SMALL roll. And the best part is that it is tunable! It seems to TX & RX very clearly on a local 147 MHZ repeater. look forward to more tests and use, but I have already noticed that it can twist up, into a spiral, on itself, which may mess with its function?
I brought this up at the WVRA (Wisconsin Valley Radio Association) meeting we had last evening and put the word out to the club members. Like I always say.....time to "Tune and Burn"
