Xiegu X6200 & Poor POTA Propagation: When SSB Struggles, CW Saves the Day!

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-- Xiegu X6200 via Radioddity (radioddity.refr.cc/qrpercom -- Save 5% off X6200 purchase amount when you shop with our affiliate link) and via Amazon.com (amzn.to/3VHtkyx)
-- Packtenna 9:1 UNUN Random Wire Antenna (www.packtenna.com/store/p1/Pa...)
-- ABR Industries 25’ RG-316 cable assembly with three in-line ferrites (Use Coupon Code ABR10QRPER for 10% Discount!) (abrind.com/shop/qrp-pota-port...)
-- Key cable: Cable Matters 2-Pack Gold-Plated Retractable Aux Cable - 2.5 Feet (amzn.to/3OUUNri)
-- Begali Traveler (www.i2rtf.com/traveler.html)
-- GoRuck GR1 USA (www.goruck.com/products/gr1)
-- HEROCLIP Carabiner Clip (attached to my backpack amzn.to/3SYfOpj)
-- Weaver arborist throw line/weight (amzn.to/3e6xKb3) and storage bag (amzn.to/3ggKO0q)
-- GraphGear 0.9mm 1000 Automatic Drafting Pencil (amzn.to/3Ntf1pV)
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-- Camera: DJI OSMO 4 action camera (amzn.to/3Tf89TH) with Joby Tripod (amzn.to/3JouYNm)
-- DJI Wireless Microphones (amzn.to/3TEtXYy)
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Thanks for watching!
72,
Thomas
K4SWL
Chapters
Intro: 0:00:00
Antenna Deployment: 0:04:56
Radio Setup: 0:11:19
SSB Attempt on 20 Meters: 0:20:47
SSB Attempt on 17 Meters: 0:32:35
17 Meters CW: 0:39:12
20 Meters CW: 0:55:00
QRT & Chatting with Bob: 1:20:44
Summary and packing up: 1:26:38

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Опубликовано:

29 июн 2024

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Комментарии : 46

@ThomasK4SWL 12 дней назад

qrper.com/2024/06/xiegu-x6200-second-pota-activation-rough-propagation-but-cw-saves-the-day/?swcfpc=1 Click the link above to read full details about this activation, including all equipment links, at QRPer.com.

@cwqrpportable 12 дней назад

I gave up on phone years ago….CW for the win

@sfechtel 12 дней назад

CW saves the day, your video saves my day.👍

@nathanhersey6885 12 дней назад

Bears! Deer! Hazel! POTA party animals!

@ve2zdx 12 дней назад

Hi Thomas! One curiosity you may find interesting. The sun in North America during spring looks very different from South America. Back in Brazil where I lived it was always about 25c all year long and the sun is always yellowish … here in NA the sun at spring has a white tone to it. It’s beautiful, I was not aware of this difference until I saw it for myself. Commenting this because this video shows how “white” the sun is in here. 73!

@ThomasK4SWL 3 дня назад

Huh! I never thought of that. Fascinating! Thank you, OM!

@pkvalsvik 11 дней назад

Your videos are always great, and i love it when you do SSB as well! But one thing i did not know i needed was just to hear you talk to a random person, giving them a quick overview of the hobby. You have given a quick talk with random persons before but I always find it so hard to know what to say and how to explain the hobby without dragging it out to be a hour long monolog, so this was great😂 thank you for all your videos and inspiration! Hope to one day manage to work you from Norway! 73!

@ThomasK4SWL 3 дня назад

It would be brilliant to work you in Norway--even better if we manage a P2P! Thank you for the kind comment!

@haiduc32 12 дней назад

just a hack I found somewhere. my knees are killing me on SOTA activations, so I pack as lite as possible. instead of a weight, I use a plastic water bottle. usually I start it full but drink just enough out of it before throwing :) and of course the rest of it when need it. no dead weight there. works pretty well even through thick canopies.

@pablod6872 12 дней назад

I've done the same thing, usually with an 8 or 16 oz bottle. I also have knee problems, so I gave in and bought some nice carbon fiber walking poles. Yes, I look like even more of a dork, but at least at the end of the day I'm not in agony (downhill is the worst for me).

@ThomasK4SWL 3 дня назад

Oh, hiking poles have become an essential part of my radio kit for SOTA activations!

@N4GW 12 дней назад

Thanks for giving SSB a try.

@toybuns775 11 дней назад

Since I don't know CW, I would have to go FT8. Thanks for the park!

@JonathanAdami 12 дней назад

I love SSB, I'm so keen for it, but this video cemented my commitment to CW. I have a QMX on the way, let's go! As always, thanks for the video ;)

@ralphnunn3 12 дней назад

Way to be the Ham Radio / POTA Evangelist!

@Frank_K4FMH 9 дней назад

Still got the Jumping for Joy stroke down! If there’s ever a national marketing campaign for a product with that tag line, you are golden. Now, the elite pota connoisseur will use only Biltmore brand sheets for table cloths…it is de rigueur to have the accompanying Grey Poupon available on the table for an acceptable activation. Having been in England, you are already educated in these social skills… 73, Frank K4FMH

@ThomasK4SWL 3 дня назад

😂 I love your comment, Frank!

@jameski5oeb668 12 дней назад

I did a POTA in the dark last night 17June2024UTC. Setup and take down with 20 total contacts SSB IC-703+ CaHR EFHW 40m and 20m. Only heard coyotes and saw an owl pretty close… @US-2783. Last call caught four extra contacts! Fun activation!

@ThomasK4SWL 3 дня назад

Sounds wonderful.

@DaveW6OOD 12 дней назад

I think Hazel was just trying to tell you “Give him the radio bug !!”

@stevekj5t 9 дней назад

That relay click would drive me bonkers. Maybe less noticable with headphones. Saw you spotted but conditions were poor here in Texas 73 de KJ5T

@Mikek2bn 5 дней назад

Thank you for a fine video. I believe that the sub failure was due to the fact that the mike gain was still set at 0 the rig did not appear to generate an rf signal.My 6200m has a very visible trace on the screen when I transmit usb

@ThomasK4SWL 3 дня назад

I thought I'd changed the gain, but perhaps I didn't during this activation? I need to check.

@jameski5oeb668 12 дней назад

@LiveFree-ij3hn 12 дней назад

This was a stellar video and I think Thomas this is the first time I have watched a POTA activation of yours on SSB. I have so many questions, one thing you normally use CW and was under the impression propagation is terrible however your POTA activations are during the day so does CW work even with poorer propagation as shown on this video? As well, when you were keying did the x6200 decode and display your output, it looked like it was, unlike the x6100 being able to do that. Again awesome video, I would love to see a walkthrough how you would adjust the settings on a x6200 to set it up since you have so much radio knowledge. Did you adjust anything or just use it as it came out of the box? What was your furthest QSO that day using that Packtenna. Thanks again.

@ThomasK4SWL 3 дня назад

CW is a much more efficient mode than SSB. I would say that 5 watts CW, is roughly the equivalent of 85 watts SSB. It's so narrow a mode and so efficient, it's better at punching through. Someday I'll try to remember to do a quick run through of my settings on the X6200. Currently waiting on the next firmware update.

@jstoltenburg 12 дней назад

Hazel needs her own channel. You could put a camera on her collar. "POTA Activations according to Hazel." Is Hazel affected by the poison ivy?

@Bugkiller991 7 дней назад

Had a friend’s dog into poison ivy. Dog was fine. Owner, not so much. She handled the dog and poison ivy all over.

@jstoltenburg 7 дней назад

@@Bugkiller991 crickey!

@ThomasK4SWL 3 дня назад

Ha ha! I love that. Hazel isn't affected by poison ivy, but she has gotten into it, then I petted her and have gotten it myself.

@jstoltenburg 2 дня назад

@@ThomasK4SWL Oh, Hazel!

@billcosgrave6232 12 дней назад

I have been finding SSB difficult at this time this year. I could be mistaken, but I don't remember it being this difficult last year at this same time. I have been using my KX2 with the CHA 4010 EFHW antenna, at 10 - 12 watts and I have been getting relatively week signal reports. I have also noticed quite a bit of fading. I do live about 30 miles or so north of Chicago. I recently switched to my KX3 with the KXPA100 amp at 50 - 80 watts, same antenna, and have been getting much better signal reports at least.

@ThomasK4SWL 3 дня назад

Propagation has been very unstable since about April or so. It's a shame, too. Otherwise, we'd be enjoying some amazing, solid DX!

@scottkralph 12 дней назад

Hi Thomas, I was shocked at how strong my signal was but the QSB killed the return. Sorry about that! VA3EKR

@ThomasK4SWL 3 дня назад

QSB was very deep that day. So great to work you!

@robertallbright 11 дней назад

CW at such low power is a waste of time. CW every time😊👍

@robertallbright 10 дней назад

I meant ssb at such low power 😊

@davidryeburn6446 12 дней назад

Have you purposely set the recovery time after the end of your transmission fairly long, or is that just the way the 6200 is? It seems to take a good fraction of a second before the receiver comes to life. Tastes differ but I like fast break-in and even when I don't have the receiver portion opening up between letters (I rarely have it opening up between dots and dashes within letters) I certainly want it to open up quickly between words. You can miss something important when it takes its own sweet time to come to life again. I listened for a while at normal speed to check (I often listen at 1.5x or 1.75x) and it was really annoying when heard in real time. David VE7EZM and AF7BZ

@ThomasK4SWL 12 дней назад

I personally prefer full break-in (QSK) when I operate CW. Unfortunately, the X6200 just can't do that. You can lower the t/r recovery time to as low as 10 ms, but it doesn't really recover that quickly. In fact, I can't tell the difference between a 100ms recover time in t/r switching, and a 10ms recovery time. Part of that may be due to the AGC recovery time. For this reason, I have the ms delay set to 200 or so ms. This is less interruptive as I key at 20WPM.

@alainzen7262 5 дней назад

not desire to have a Xiegu radio, tks for this video I am not fan of this 6200

@rabbit6914 11 дней назад

Still wondering what happened to SSB. Propagation? but CW was good. Rig? worked fine on CW. Settings? Seems unlikely. ??

@ThomasK4SWL 3 дня назад

It's possible my SSB settings weren't adjusted properly, but conditions that day were really poor. CW is so much more efficient, so it can get through when SSB struggles.