Join me for ham radio adventures, Morse code, and Parks on the Air fun!
Hi! My name is Jason and I'm an Extra Class Amateur Radio (Ham Radio) Operator from Kentucky. I love all things Ham Radio but especially Parks on the Air (POTA) and CW (Morse Code). I'm a software engineer by trade and enjoy all aspects of the Ham Radio hobby as well as 3d printing, designing 3d models, and designing and building electronics projects.
Come along on a journey with me as we talk about Ham Radio, build stuff, learn Morse Code, make mistakes and hopefully make some progress too!
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The noise is most likely from the charge controller, they are notorious for producing noise. Also putting the charge controller on the solar panel will reduce the solar output quite a bit, solar panels, especially small/single ones do not like any shade on them as it reduces the effective cell count causing a voltage drop across the panel. Enjoy your videos, hope to work one sometime! 73, Rudi de ZS6DX/ZS2M/ZS1BT/V51VE
What speaker are you using there? I agree the internal speaker sucks on the 891. 😂 I have a jbl that Forrest uses some but if I remember correctly, I tried it at fd with aaj and it sucked on the k3.
Great activation, Jason! Question, what is the blue light on the left side of the 891's screen? Does that have to do with detecting zero beat? What is the associated feature? I'll have a look at the manual as soon as I can and see if I have missed it somehow. 73 es tnx for getting out there!
Nothing better than those weak signals coming in from Utah! I’m pretty sure I filmed both these QSOs on my side QRP from my backyard. Haha yeah it’s funny I’ve had QSL cards thanking me for getting them Utah. Even had a dude ask me to confirm him in LOTW as Utah was his last state needed. I didn’t know Utah was “rare” but I do now. We’ve definitely got some solid CW dudes here though! Thanks for the QSOs OM!! And nice job bringing a friend. I freaking love that. I love that he commented a few times “I really struggle to copy that speed!” That’s exactly how we all felt at one point. If he hasn’t yet, hunting POTA is really how I learned CW and then started activating around 17WPM. POTA hunting scripts make it easy on new ops! Great work spreading the CW gospel. 73 de KI7QCF
Looking forward to seeing the other side of those QSO's on your shorts feed 😂. According to Wikipedia, UT has twice the hams that KY does, but I sure had a hard time getting QSO's there until you started your mission there! Agreed...POTA is such a great way to get hooked...I mean started on CW!
The charge controller on the solar panel is one of the General class license questions, I thought the correct answer was to ground a solar panel. 73 KE9BHN
The answer to the question I'm thinking about is related to using a panel with a Lithium Iron Phosphate battery. One option is ground the panel, another is use a charge controller. The correct answer is that you must use a charge controller. This is because a solar panel in full sunlight with generate too high a voltage for the battery. And if there is low light, current can flow backward into the panel from the battery. A charge controller prevents both scenarios.
Also: how are you capturing the audio from the radio as part of the recording? I'm still trying to figure out the best way to do that kind of thing for my own vids.
I have a Sony voice recorder. Depending on my setup, I either run the radio's audio directly into the recorder or use a lapel mic to pick up my voice and the radio's audio from an external speaker.
I'm continually (and pleasantly) surprised by how far one can get on low power. I brought my own QMX for my first serious operation (FT8 -- I'm still learning CW) a couple weeks ago, and it was for some reason only putting out 1.5W, tops, and I still was making plenty of contacts! I don't think I'll ever be a 100% QRP kinda guy, but a day like that makes me a lot less "scared" to do QRP at all.
I guarantee you were single lever to single lever with my buddy Steve WI5D. Nice activation dude. I found a friend that was willing to sell me a TR-35 kit he had new in box. Gets here early next week. I may reach out to you during the build process. 73 my friend! de KI7QCF
Nice find! You've built a QMX, the TR-35 will be a walk in the park, but feel free to reach out (or watch my build series). Take care and 73 de KO4TFE!
Slow start but great activation, OM.The dig on tuner uppers made me LOL! Single paddle is my personal preference. I find I make a lot fewer mistakes and prefer the simplicity. Thanks for taking us along. 73 es cul
Yeah, started slow but overall it came out pretty good. I'm a big squeeze keyer, so it was tough for me to use a single lever! Thanks for watching! 73!
Whew! I’m so glad your QMX is working! When I read the comments of your last video it seemed like you were going to have to open it up and fix it!! And I hope that never happens to mine!! :D Glad itsup and running like a champ!
I was really glad that it survived! Yes, the filters rock! I know some people are mad he hasn't released SSB yet but I'll take the improvements that he's done so far over SSB any day.
Yeah, I was blown away, BC on 2.5 watts! I'm a huge fan of the Long Island CW Club. There you can get real world practice with other people of your skill level. And the classes and comradery are a blast! But they have a saying "Get on the air to get good, don't get good to get on the air" and I believe that whole heartedly. Being on the air is the single best way to improve. Listening to perfectly generated computer code isn't realistic as everyone has a unique fist. It really helps to listen to all the different styles and key types in real world scenarios because you have to be uncomfortable to improve!
I am learning by listening to guys doing POTA and SOTA activations live on the air. And jumping in with my own callsign too! Fun fun and scary the first 100 times! Haha Mike - KK7MMN
It would be possible yes, but would add cost and complexity. They make 12V to USB adapters with flying leads that you could put powerpoles on and plug into one of the outlets on the box.
Glad to see you’re doing so well with code man! I was at Boonesboro park one day and kept feeling bee 🐝 stings. It was the dang screws on the side of the key. 😂 I choked the coax below me and it took mr ruffy away. Now that’s the first thing I check for.
Thanks man! I need to improve my ragchew skills and have been jumping into the LICW intermediate courses as I have time. It's weird, I only ever have that happen with that SP-4 key. I do need to get into the habit of choking the feedline though. I carry my choke with me but just never use it 🤷♂️
Lil (not) naked bro is alive! After seeing your printables page and listening to your TR-35 build videos, I’ll be looking forward to seeing what KFH Enterprises comes up with. I listened for you on this activation, couldn’t hear you😢
Great activation, Jason. Glad the QMX is still going! 2.5 watts. That's so cool :) Looking forward to seeing what kind of gadgets you come up with next. Thanks for sharing. 73 es cul
Yes, the QMX does not like more than 12V. It also does not like USB-C PD. Instead, I use a LiFePo4 battery and a low-drop step-down converter (Pololu item #: 4874) adjusted to 11.5V, which gives me 4 to 5 watts (depends on the chosen band). Pololu products are quite expensive (compared to Chinese stuff on Ebay or Amazon), but for your money you get top quality from USA.
I'm familiar with Pololu, the do make great stuff. I usually use my Talentcell 3Ah LiPo battery which outputs just below 12V when fully charged and it works great but this was an exception as I was out of town and unprepared...I knew I was probably playing with fire, but I knew I had a stock of BS170's at home!
Ah rats. That LiFePo might have been putting out more than 12V if fully charged. If the SWR jumped up when the antenna fell, you may have had a voltage spike at the final transistors and burned on or more of them out. I did that to mine. I got 10 on Amazon for a few dollars and did the replacement in an hour or so, and the rig is back running. Wish this rig were a bit more robust.
Yeah, that's what I suspected. I usually use a 12V Talentcell, but I couldn't find the charger. The LiFePO4 was not fully charged and was running around 13V so I knew I was pushing it. I guess that's what happens when you play with fire. I have 100 of the output FETs from a QCX Mini failure a while back. You're right, it isn't very robust, but at least it's cheap and easy to fix.
@@Andrew-dg7qm The 891 is a great receiver with great filtering and noise reduction, and 100W. Some CW decoders are better than others. I've never had much luck with them though because they are typically based on your keyer speed, so faster or slower stations than you are sending won't be decoded properly. Also, they tend to think noise is CW characters.
You had a great activation for not being spotted. It is always nice to take to people at parks and hopefully get some new young people involved in the hobby. 73s
Thanks for fitting in an activation despite the chaos, Jason! I'm jealous of your TR-35. I should've grabbed a kit when those were still available. How do you like the Onn Rugged Bluetooth Speaker? I've been wanting a new field speaker.
I really enjoy the TR-35. I've seen several pop up on the used market lately for decent prices. The jury is still out on the little Onn. It sounds great and it's very light, but I'm thinking maybe that RF noise that I was hearing in this activation may be from that speaker. More investigation is necessary.
Hi Jason. Could you remind me of the make and model of your digital microscope? You might have already said that in the first video; but I can't find it if so. Also, is the picture on the scope's built-in screen useful, or does it have to be piped through your computer? Thanks.
K6ARK 3D prints are the GOAT. I pulled the conductor out of a BNTECHGO wire and used that for the first key I made, which also worked. Ended up splurging on the nichrome wire he recommends because I made so many of them. I also stick the wire through the hole and trim from the outside. We can be wrong together.
I saw some other people who doubled it over and ran it back through the hole, so I figured I was wrong. Must just be a Jason thing. I love his winders. The way the wire almost falls off when you want it to makes them so easy to deploy. Also FYI, I've gotten quite a few VA stations on my recent activations on 20M, so there is hope! 73s de Jason Part Deux
I've been wanting to get a single lever but was never good at using them, so I thought this would be a cheap and fun way to practice! Thanks for watching buddy!
I built one of these last year.. neat, but I didn't like the 'squishiness', I would prefer something on a pivot with springs or magnetic returns, instead of flexing plastic... I'm waiting on a American Morse Equipment mini-b paddle. Next might be a Bushwacker Sideswiper if I like the mini-b
I agree, the feel is very squishy. The dual paddle are even squishier. I kind of like it although it definitely won't be my #1 paddle. I have the Portapaddle II and KK1B from American Morse. Very fun keys to use. They both have a very unique "snappiness" to them that none of my other keys have.
@@KYFriedHam I only have the ultra portable paddle from AME, it’s Okay, but I have to use a 3d printed shroud to cover the screws until I can find the right sized set screws. He doesn’t use metric on his keys, and all I have is metric screws.
