First POTA activation with the new Mountain Topper MTR-4B V2!

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Click here to read full details about this activation, including all equipment links, at QRPer.com:
qrper.com/2022/05/my-first-po...
Please note: The radio audio is a bit loud in this video, you might turn down the volume when I hit the air.
Chapters:
0:00:00 Introduction & MTR-4B Overview
0:10:49 Comparison with MTR-3B
0:14:42 Beginning of Activation
0:24:15 QSY to the 40M band
0:43:15 QRT and MTR-4B Initial Impressions
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SWLing Post and QRPer on Patreon:
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Coffee Fund:
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Thanks for watching!
73,
Thomas
K4SWL

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Опубликовано:

26 июл 2024

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Комментарии : 62

@w2msa 2 года назад

Thomas, I did my first two cw POTA activations unsupervised and I had blast. Thanks for all the videos, they helped me develop my ear for cw besides the other training programs I’ve been using. 73, Noel-W2MSA

@ThomasK4SWL 2 года назад

🥳 Woo hoo! Very well done and congratulations! Proud of you, OM! You'll love doing CW activations.

@bodacious2276 Год назад

I can't wait for a 17/20/30/40 version in a less absurd color.

@kurt53641 2 года назад

Nice. Still waiting to order mine and use my Bamakey tp-iii with it!

@JayN4GO 2 года назад

Remember when LNR made the EFQuad antenna. That was a Fb efhw way ahead of its time. Tnx Thomas. Wish everyone was as nice as you

@adventuresofbobandlana4939 2 года назад

Thanks! I’m on the road and there is one waiting for me at home. Was hoping to bring it with me but missed it by one day.

@ThomasK4SWL 2 года назад

You'll love it! :)

@kurt-kq7se 2 года назад

Hey , another great video, thanks for all your hard work on this channel!! I'm learning Morse now ( I just about have all 26 letters and 10 numbers down now, but in the context of a QSO it all escapes me still by quite a margin) with a view to POTA and SOTA in the UK. I will order either an MTR4B or TR35 if I can ever make my mind up!!! 72 NC 2E0CMN

@ThomasK4SWL 2 года назад

Nice work! You'll soon be activating summits and parks! Oh that is a tough decision. I plan to make a post about this on QRPer in the coming days. Cheers & 72, Thomas K4SWL/M0CYI

@maureenmax2245 2 года назад

We got the MTR-4B-v2 last year. Ours has very bad receive. It was sent back but was not fixed. LNR does not reply to email; so, it sits in a case on the shelf. Yours seems to be much better. Thanks for the great video.

@brian-k3es680 2 года назад

Thanks for another great activation video, and thanks for the kind words. It is always great to make your log. 73 de Brian - K3ES

@TridentMissileTech Год назад

I may have one of the last mtr3b’s. I have never used it because I always wanted to wait until I could decode in my head sufficiently enough. Same with my mtr4b and youkits. I am getting there. Trying to wing myself off the qcx with its fabulous decoder.

@catsump 2 года назад

Thanks for another great video! I’ve been enjoying my MTR4B. To work with my LifePO4 battery, I soldered 3x 1N4001 diodes in line with my DC plug to drop the voltage down to a more compatible ~11.5V at full charge. I activated the National Mall (K-0655) after work today with a 9V alkaline cell which was fun. Agree with the 80m band though, wish I could trade it for 17m or 15m.

@mdeberl5872 2 года назад

I am pretty confused by the voltage maximum. I am set to receive my radio this week. When I read the instructions it indicates 13 volt maximum but also says that 13.8 volts can be used. Is it just safer to lower the voltage below 13 volts with a couple of diodes?

@catsump 2 года назад

@@mdeberl5872 Yeah, that’s my interpretation of the manual. It’s able to handle 13.8V and will even push out 6-7W in that configuration, but it’s essentially at the maximum component tolerance of the HPA. Any significant impedance mismatch at the antenna and/or along the transmission line can introduce standing waves capable of pushing current levels beyond tolerance and potentially damage the device. Most of my portable work without a tuner is usually less than ideal in this sense and hence I try to introduce a margin of safety.

@ThomasK4SWL 2 года назад

You're 100% correct: as with the MTR-3B (which shouldn't be pushed beyond 12V) you really need an ideal match if pushing the voltage to 13.8 to keep from causing any lasting damage.

@the_mad_swimbaiter455 Год назад

Just getting into cw found this pleasant

@ardilla8651 2 года назад

I owned the previuos 3 LCD and works fantastic, I made a lot of sotas with It. Tnx fer show us the new model. Suscribed!! 73 de EA3BV

@stewpot3971 2 года назад

Great video Thomas as usual! A mountain topper is on my wish list...just need to put my case to the station manager 🤣🤣 73 DE 2E0HIA

@ThomasK4SWL 2 года назад

Ha ha! Station manager approval is often required in this QTH too!

@rodneylamay5926 Год назад

Great video . Ever use a hamstick on a stand with ground wires.

@ThomasK4SWL Год назад

Not yet, but someday I might!

@larrytaylor7753 2 года назад

For the long road trip, take the KX2.

@sagebrother 9 месяцев назад

I think Steve W likes 80m!! He also has an 80m SSB only rig...the Survivor. I've done a handful of 80m SOTA in the UK using a ridiculously long SOTABeams 80/60/40/20 dipole. I wonder if all the cool kids will be buying/building QMX rigs and if LNR will fade into history.

@gliderpilot8882 Год назад

Love the videos. What paddle are you using?

@ThomasK4SWL Год назад

CW Morse Pocket Paddles: cwmorse.us/products/outdoor-pocket-double-paddle-morse-code-key?ref=pHGSYqNC

@miketaylor253 2 года назад

Hello Thomas, another excellent video... I was confused by what you were sending at the end of the over, it sounded like TVA, but I believe it's the BK prosign, would be grateful if you can confirm ?

@ThomasK4SWL 2 года назад

Hi, Mike, I almost always send BK at the start of my final after listening to the other op's report. I'm guessing that's what you're hearing. Sometimes, I'll send RR instead of BK.

@MichaelLloyd 2 года назад

Ordering is paused for the MTR-4B (I think that was smart) or I'd have one on order. I have an MTR3B-LCD and MTR3B (I think, it only has a single digit display). I could never catch the MTR5B when it was available.

@owlcricker-k7ulm 2 года назад

Please test it head to head with the MTR3B! It would be great to hear the improved noise floor and compare. I love the MTR3B but would enjoy seeing Steve's improvements. He's a Rockstar designer.

@JonathanAdami 3 месяца назад

Gotta be honest, I do feel the pull to these tiny radios, but I don't understand the Mountain Topper. Why 3 buttons for the same thing? it wasn't possible to make just one? Why no menu instead of a weird screw? I mean the cool thing about it, nothings juts out, so you're not worried if it's loose in a bag, but I'd go for a QMX over this any day I reckon! Of course you don't have to worry about this since you have them all, but since I have to choose hahaha Thanks for the video yet again!

@ThomasK4SWL 2 месяца назад

I hear you. No doubt it is a quirky design in the modern radio world, but it all stems from keeping the cost, battery efficiency, and size in-check. It's actually a very considered design. Check out this post on QRPer and also read the comment by Dave (K1SWL): qrper.com/2022/10/why-does-the-mountain-topper-mtr-4b-3b-have-three-separate-band-switches/

@walshgeo 11 месяцев назад

Thomas, I like the idea of using the recorder to adjust the output volume of the radio. Is it required to have a earbud or headphone connected to the recorder output or can you hear the sound from the recorder speaker directly. I enjoy your videos. Thanks. George KB3WAQ. 73

@ThomasK4SWL 11 месяцев назад

I've never tried to listen through a recorder speaker--only via an earphone. I don't think my Sony recorder would allow the speaker to be used for monitoring. It's a very small and limited speaker, too. Great question.

@walshgeo 11 месяцев назад

Thomas Thanks. I enjoy your videos. I am trying to learn CW and your advice and techniques help me a lot. Maybe I’ll be one of your contacts someday! 73 George KB3WAQ @@ThomasK4SWL

@DAVIDGREGORYKERR 2 года назад

I wonder if it would be possible to make a portable version of W5JGV's Treetanna tuner to allow the use of any tall tree as an Antenna for POTA so you don't need to pack an EFLW antenna.

@ThomasK4SWL 2 года назад

I'm not sure. I'm not familiar with the concept of the treetenna.

@ThomasK4SWL 2 года назад

@@DAVIDGREGORYKERR I see now Very interesting concept for sure, but I'm not sure it would be practical for SOTA on HF frequencies (seems he's inductively coupling on the 600 meter band). It's just so much easier and efficient to bring a wire antenna and hang it in a tree branch for me. Still--a love the idea of this on those VLF frquencies!

@TridentMissileTech 2 года назад

Do you plan the direction you run your antenna wire. Say like East west, north south?

@ThomasK4SWL 2 года назад

I have, but it's rare. Usually when I give this thought, it's when I'm standing on a summit and feel like it could have meaningful impact on the NA west coast and EU where so many chasers are.

@ashtont.griffin5717 2 года назад

Thomas, what cw device would you recommend for pota beginners?

@ThomasK4SWL 2 года назад

Tough one to answer. That said, check out my latest post on QRPer.com because it compares two of the ones I'd recommend. I would also recommend the MTR-4B and QCX-Mini (if mono band is okay).

@The3DPrintingWarrant 10 месяцев назад

What kind of coax cable are you running to your antenna?

@ThomasK4SWL 10 месяцев назад

It's RG-316. :)

@dwatson4 2 года назад

You can use 18650 lithium in a 3p1c config for 11.32v

@n8telyons 2 года назад

I use 8 NiMh AA’s in a flat battery case. Gives me 11.0 V after full charge. Works great.

@rodneylamay5926 7 месяцев назад

hello thomas love ur channel . do you prefere the penntek tr35 or the mt topper better .if i could have onl 1 .tnx foe ur great channer .73s ki6pxv.

@ThomasK4SWL 7 месяцев назад

Thank you. That's a really tough call. I like the controls and ease of use of the TR-35. I like the super tiny form-factor of the MTR-3B/MTR-4B. :) I like both. You really can't go wrong. The good thing about the TR-35 is it's actually available. The MTR-4B (new) is only released in small production batches.

@PendejoRyan 2 года назад

I bought a 5 band Mountain Topper while waiting for the 4 band to come available. I was going to buy the 4 band too, but I would never use 80m. Is there any other real advantage of the 4 band vs the 5 band?

@ThomasK4SWL 2 года назад

Good question. I know the 4B has some added things like an SWR meter and can handle more voltage than its predecessors.

@PendejoRyan 2 года назад

@@ThomasK4SWL thanks for responding. I think I'm just going to stick it out with my 5 bander. I use a resonant antentenna when I POTA so the SWR meter is nice to have, but not terribly important in my situation. Keep up the great work with the videos 👍

@ThomasK4SWL 2 года назад

@@PendejoRyan Absolutely. I can say that if I even find a 5 bander used, I'm grabbing it! :)

@dwatson4 2 года назад

Ho is it compared to the Venus SW-3C?

@ThomasK4SWL 2 года назад

That's too complicated for me to answer in a comment. But I might publish a direct comparison on QRPer in the coming weeks.

@NamasenITN Год назад

CW beginner here: I had troubles understanding your "UR". May I respectfully ask you whether you are indeed missing a more generous pause between letters? No judgment here, only desire to dissect my own hard time (and presumed undeveloped flexible). TU

@ThomasK4SWL Год назад

So many common two letter abbreviations are often shortened and the space between them effectively removed by operators. I have to assume the reason for this is they're used so much that they have their own distinctive sound when combined. UR is one of them, but also BK, AS, AR, for example. Some ops always include a space between them. Others, like me, do both I believe. If I'm sending at a slower speed, I separate. If I'm sending at a higher speed, I tend to combine these. Keep up the progress with CW! If you're already hearing nuances like this in CW, you're doing very well indeed!

@NamasenITN Год назад

@@ThomasK4SWL A ah! Ah prosign. Then it makes sense and will adopt it. Thanks for the precious answer.

@kq6up 2 года назад

Folks need to space out their characters. When you do, you don't get AGN, AGN, AGN or ?, ?, ? -- just a quick copy and turn around.

@kedmark 2 года назад

Thank you Thomas always appreciated and enjoyed de Karl KE3KWE

@kedmark 2 года назад

Thanks Thomas always appreciated and enjoyed, de Karl KE3KWE

@ellisc.foleyjr9778 2 года назад

Well unfortunately I did not get to work you on this one. I was listening but twas not meant to be. was chasing you all week and see that you went over to the Dark side few days!! (FT8) both my buddy Pete and I kept looking for you on air and online and all we saw were the FT8 postings. so went away dejected. So here's hoping the digital Pill has been swallowed and you get back to pounding brass on the air! ha ha. nice little rig here in this one. and ok on the Rat's nest in the orange cord. Que Sera Sera! as the saying goes Ok Tom will keep looking and listening for you 72 gud dx. de Ellis WA1RKS.

@ThomasK4SWL 2 года назад

Ha ha! I'm not a digi mode guy. I've been playing with some new SDR software that connects to the IC-705, so have hit a bit of digital from home. If I did FT8 in the field, it would just be to give it a go. Digi modes are fascinating, but I'm more of an CW/SSB kind of op. :)