Hi! I'm Mike, K8MRD. On Ham Radio Tube, we focus on Portable Amateur Radio, along with Gear Reviews, Antennas, Batteries, Solar, and so much more. Thanks for watching. I hope you stick around and give us a Subscribe!
I really like your video. Great explanations. I must have missed this but what mode do you set your radio, sideband? I'm really new to FT8. Today is my first day with FT8. I know this video is a year old. I hope you will see this. Thank you very much for this information which I will use as a reference.
I picked up their 10 meter mast last week. I did a dumb dumb move and I ended up breaking the top section clean off. Now I have 30ft instead of 32 ft. 😂 Still works like a champ though.
@@Philip-KA4KOE unless I didn’t look close enough I didn’t see a top replacement section for the 10 meter mast on the vibroplex web site. Unless all of the top sections are the same length.
Best to run that chameleon as a shallow L Shape (connect the feed point about 3 or 4 segments down and then run the wire up and out of the top) good looking mast though. Always wanted one but never knew where to get one domestically
I've had the 12m spiderbeam mast up as my primary EFHW antenna for 3 years now without any issues. Yes, it bends at the top due to the weight of 135 feet of wire but it has held up to some awesome storms without any worries.
I own 3 of these, and had to order a few replacement sections due to some stupid human tricks on my part (not the mast's!) They hold up my two end feds and one dipole. Two of them are now in service 3 years, the other 2. I complemented Scott from Vibroplex while at Hamvention on the quality of them.
I've had mine many years now, and the end caps have a tendency to deteriorate. The bottom cap has had the bottom separate in a neat circle. The top cap has vertical splits. Over time the bottom cap loses it grip, and you can play pickup poles if your not careful. I've mended the caps with the judicious use of electric tape. Great Pole, though, best I've seen. Waitin' for vibroplex to see if they have replacement caps, factory has all manner of spares for this pole... thanks for the video and guying ideas for the pole... 73s
I have the 40 foot model also that I bought about a year ago use it in a variety of different configurations with the EFHW. Also used it as a 41ft vertical by coiling the wire around the mast as I rose it up and connected to a 9 to 1 Balun. Good stuff!
I really liked your video!! After getting my technician license, I also initially wondered the reason you can run 50w UHF on GMRS without an exam/license whereas another portions of the UHF band requires an exam. Then I started looking at the radio equipment itself and immediately realized the difference. Basically with GMRS the available frequencies are locked down to comply with the GMRS specs. But there's no lock down to specific channels with amateur radio. You have to know what frequencies you can talk on and those you can't. If you locked down Amateur radio to only specific channels, you'd basically have GMRS. Also, GMRS is just UHF, so your transmissions distances will be less than VHF freqs. No need to really get into understanding antennas, propagation, etc. So you are correct, if a person just wants to reach out on radio, GMRS is available, and it should be expanded as demand requires. If you want to communicate longer distances, than you should really understand radio technology and antennas, hence the exam requirement.
I've had one for about 4 years now that I use at home. I bought another for portable about two years ago. I got the second one caught in some branches and the very top section broke off. I'm still using it. So what if its three feet shorter. I also have the 10m pole. It's not as heavy duty but it is easier to carry.
BFM - Big Fiberglass Mast. Speak softly and carry a big mast. BME - Big Mast Energy. Sidenote: Mirror glasses. The man with no eyes. What we have here, is a "success" to communicate. Cool Ham Luke.
You are right, the antenna is sma. It pisses me off when a "newby" jumps on youtube and talks about something that they dont know crap about. Theres a newby telling people to buy this USB power supply to charge their portable, but it puts out 12 volts not 7.5 or 8 volts so be awere! Just because you have a ham license it doesnt mean you know anything and you definately are not an expert! You know the definition of an expert.... Ex is a has-ben Spert is a drip under pressure. The worst thing that the FCC ever did was putting hams incharge of writing the question pool.
Have you monitored the Tx frequency on another receiver? Also do you have the CTCSS TONE SET PROPERLY MOST REPEATERS REQUIRE A CTCSS TONE TO OPEN THE REPEATER.
Mike. Thanks for this information. I am a Mac user since the early 80's. After a hiatus since 1996, I am back into Ham radio. My TS 440 gettting a new memory battery and the IC -10 chip set installed so ready for computer controlled operation. Interested in a few of these mentioned apps. especially **Rumlog**. I have the IF-232 box but that technology is too old now. Do I invest in a Signal Link and go that route? Also buying a new iMac or Mac Book Pro, and these have fewer connectivity options. to ham gear. What do you think?
Great mast, I have one. I've contemplated getting a second one to use with the feed point of a center fed dipole in a tree and the ends on each of these.
Enough of the arrow antennas. Or at the very minimum, you need to be able to hear yourself. The sats hear you better than you hear them. So when people constantly key up, thinking they are not hitting it, they actually are. So it makes the ISS an unbearable kurchunking nightmare. Thankfully there are some good lin sats.
I have both. My efhw is so versatile from 10 - 160. My DX Commander is better for DX because of its 360 degree radiation pattern at low angle. It's close between them though. That's why I have both:)
Nice Les Paul Mike! What year? I just knew you were a guitar player and that is one of the reasons I subscribed to your channel when you were just starting out. I was one of your first subscribers. 73 and Rock on!
He keeps plugging in with all of the options and features that you get with this radio that you can not with other radios, Including FM radio, flashlight, UHF, VHF, Air.....for less than $30. I don't see a downside! Yet he blasts it and calls it junk? 🤔🤷🏼
