WEBVTT 00:00:11.179 --> 00:00:13.939 Thanks for tuning in. Hamtalk Live will be on 00:00:13.939 --> 00:00:31.859 the air shortly. Please stand by. Thanks for 00:00:31.859 --> 00:00:34.619 tuning in. Hamtalk Live will be on the air shortly. 00:00:34.920 --> 00:00:40.009 Please stand by. This episode of HamTalk Live 00:00:40.009 --> 00:00:43.649 is brought to you by Tower Electronics. For connectors, 00:00:44.009 --> 00:00:49.469 cables, and more, call 920 -435 -2973 or visit 00:00:49.469 --> 00:00:55.329 pl -259 .com. And by ICOM, heard it, worked it, 00:00:55.590 --> 00:01:00.609 logged it. Visit www .icomamerica .com slash 00:01:00.609 --> 00:01:04.450 amateur for more information about ICOM radios. 00:01:25.199 --> 00:01:39.189 Hey good evening everyone! But it's time for 00:01:39.189 --> 00:01:45.370 HamTalk Live, episode number 249, VHF Contesting 00:01:45.370 --> 00:01:49.129 and Roving, recorded live on Thursday, March 00:01:49.129 --> 00:01:55.109 4th, 2021. I'm your host, Neil Rapp, WB9VPG. 00:01:55.129 --> 00:01:58.349 Thanks for tuning in to this episode of HamTalk 00:01:58.349 --> 00:02:01.969 Live. Tonight we're joined by Jim Wilson, K5ND. 00:02:02.519 --> 00:02:06.120 and we will take your calls live a little later 00:02:06.120 --> 00:02:11.120 in the show. Last week, John Portun, W6NBC was 00:02:11.120 --> 00:02:14.479 here to talk about building an ugly ballon. If 00:02:14.479 --> 00:02:16.919 you missed that show, you can listen anytime 00:02:16.919 --> 00:02:20.580 at HamTalkLive .com or on your favorite podcast 00:02:20.580 --> 00:02:24.800 app or on YouTube and you can catch the rebroadcast 00:02:24.800 --> 00:02:29.509 of HamTalk Live. Saturday afternoons at about 00:02:29.509 --> 00:02:34.490 3 .30 p .m. Eastern Time over on WTWW that's 00:02:34.490 --> 00:02:39.270 5 .085 a .m. again Saturday afternoons around 00:02:39.270 --> 00:02:45.090 3 .30 in the Eastern Time zone and we want to 00:02:45.090 --> 00:02:48.849 thank WTWW for carrying the show every week. 00:02:49.889 --> 00:02:53.729 Well a couple of announcements here before we 00:02:53.729 --> 00:03:01.020 talk to Jim One just came in this afternoon a 00:03:01.020 --> 00:03:05.280 note from Christian K zero STH who Appears on 00:03:05.280 --> 00:03:08.620 the show from time to time. He has the 100 watts 00:03:08.620 --> 00:03:16.259 and a wire show and They are teaming up with 00:03:16.259 --> 00:03:20.659 another ham with a YouTube channel And they're 00:03:20.659 --> 00:03:23.280 trying to raise some public awareness on behalf 00:03:23.280 --> 00:03:27.379 of a Detroit area ham That's been diagnosed with 00:03:27.379 --> 00:03:32.620 end -stage renal failure. Phil Ross AB8 PR Has 00:03:32.620 --> 00:03:35.120 been told that unless a matching kidney can be 00:03:35.120 --> 00:03:39.039 located from a living donor soon He will require 00:03:39.039 --> 00:03:42.259 dialysis and that's a time -consuming Intervention 00:03:42.259 --> 00:03:45.599 and it's not considered a cure. So Christian 00:03:45.599 --> 00:03:53.479 K0STH and Alexander Bayaderes, W7HU, are turning 00:03:53.479 --> 00:03:56.400 their respective channels on YouTube into some 00:03:56.400 --> 00:03:59.719 venues for the Papa Phil Challenge. They hope 00:03:59.719 --> 00:04:02.860 that a compatible donor can be found in time, 00:04:03.080 --> 00:04:06.539 so 100 watts at a wire is about the intersection 00:04:06.539 --> 00:04:11.949 of Life and Ham Radio and Alexander's... channel 00:04:11.949 --> 00:04:17.769 w7hualex Live streams the contacts that he makes 00:04:17.769 --> 00:04:21.769 many of those are international contacts weekdays 00:04:21.769 --> 00:04:28.110 from 3 to 6 p .m. So they have teamed up to try 00:04:28.110 --> 00:04:33.220 to get the word out on this and They've put together 00:04:33.220 --> 00:04:36.240 this weekly Wednesday program called the spirit 00:04:36.240 --> 00:04:40.720 of radio and nod to the prominent ham radio plays 00:04:40.720 --> 00:04:44.019 a prominent role ham radio plays in public service 00:04:44.019 --> 00:04:47.930 and Bayadere says, uh, the only thing we ask 00:04:47.930 --> 00:04:50.730 in return is those who watch the live streams, 00:04:50.949 --> 00:04:54.850 post the link to Papa Phil's video from his website 00:04:54.850 --> 00:04:58.129 on their social media pages. So they're trying 00:04:58.129 --> 00:05:00.949 to, uh, to get the word out here. So for more 00:05:00.949 --> 00:05:03.410 information, visit the Papa Phil website at Papa 00:05:03.410 --> 00:05:09.870 Phil can, can Papa Phil can .com. And, um, they're 00:05:09.870 --> 00:05:14.129 also going to do a special event. So they're 00:05:14.129 --> 00:05:17.230 gonna be on 17, 20, 40, and 80 meters from March 00:05:17.230 --> 00:05:20.949 13th through March 20th sharing Phil's story 00:05:20.949 --> 00:05:26.490 and using the call sign Kilo4Papa, K4P. So they'll 00:05:26.490 --> 00:05:30.350 be on sideband and FT8 special event QSL cards. 00:05:30.569 --> 00:05:35.430 If I could talk tonight, goodness. And a downloadable. 00:05:36.360 --> 00:05:39.779 I just need to slow down, I think. A downloadable 00:05:39.779 --> 00:05:43.759 digital certificate will be available, so check 00:05:43.759 --> 00:05:48.660 that out. The PapaPhilCan .com and the special 00:05:48.660 --> 00:05:52.879 event for Papa Phil, and hopefully he can find 00:05:52.879 --> 00:05:58.069 a match soon. Also to remind you about the QSO 00:05:58.069 --> 00:06:01.889 Today virtual ham expo returning here shortly 00:06:01.889 --> 00:06:06.329 in about nine days actually, March 13th and 14th. 00:06:06.430 --> 00:06:08.850 Early bird tickets are $10 as part of the speaker 00:06:08.850 --> 00:06:13.149 lineup. ARRL CEO David Minster and A2AA will 00:06:13.149 --> 00:06:15.810 deliver the keynote on Saturday, March 13th from 00:06:15.810 --> 00:06:19.670 12 to 1 Pacific time. And he'll be talking about 00:06:19.670 --> 00:06:23.410 advancing amateur radio and current ARRL initiatives. 00:06:24.110 --> 00:06:27.730 And also our guest tonight, Jim Wilson, K5ND, 00:06:27.949 --> 00:06:33.550 will be presenting at that expo about VHF contestings 00:06:33.550 --> 00:06:37.529 so you can see some of the things that we're 00:06:37.529 --> 00:06:41.149 talking about tonight so Get your questions ready 00:06:41.149 --> 00:06:43.389 to go for Jim if you're listening to us live 00:06:43.389 --> 00:06:45.769 on Thursday night You can give us a call after 00:06:45.769 --> 00:06:48.250 the interview Let me go ahead and give you the 00:06:48.250 --> 00:06:50.649 phone number so you can have it ready. We'll 00:06:50.649 --> 00:06:53.769 let you know when it's time But the telephone 00:06:53.769 --> 00:06:57.870 number when it's time will be eight five nine 00:06:57.870 --> 00:07:06.100 nine eight two seventy three 73 again, 859 -982 00:07:06.100 --> 00:07:09.879 -7373. And we also take questions via Twitter. 00:07:10.000 --> 00:07:12.220 The Twitter handle is at HamTalk Live. And if 00:07:12.220 --> 00:07:14.879 you're on Spreaker, you can type in the comments 00:07:14.879 --> 00:07:17.060 there, too. That acts kind of like a little chat 00:07:17.060 --> 00:07:20.300 room. So we'll check those throughout the evening 00:07:20.300 --> 00:07:22.420 as well. And I'll be back with Jim right after 00:07:22.420 --> 00:07:25.720 this word from Tower Electronics right here on 00:07:25.720 --> 00:07:29.180 HamTalk Live. Hey, honey, have you seen the PL 00:07:29.180 --> 00:07:33.850 259s? Anywhere? No, I haven't. Come on kids, 00:07:34.250 --> 00:07:39.420 let's go! There's just one place to go for all 00:07:39.420 --> 00:07:45.920 of your connector needs. A giant warehouse of 00:07:45.920 --> 00:07:49.060 connectors and adapters for every occasion. Thousands 00:07:49.060 --> 00:07:51.699 to choose from in every shape, size and color. 00:07:51.899 --> 00:07:54.620 And they have antennas, soldering supplies, cables, 00:07:54.899 --> 00:07:57.639 meters and more. Where do you go if you want 00:07:57.639 --> 00:08:00.019 to buy a connector at a fraction of retail cost? 00:08:03.959 --> 00:08:06.660 And this weekend only, take advantage of our 00:08:06.639 --> 00:08:09.579 Special liquidation sale. Buy nine solder -type 00:08:09.579 --> 00:08:13.160 PL -259s. Get the tenth one for just one penny. 00:08:15.500 --> 00:08:20.779 They make great Christmas presents. And what 00:08:20.779 --> 00:08:23.319 better way to say I love you than with the gift 00:08:23.319 --> 00:08:28.029 of a PL -259. TOWER ELECTRONICS! TOWER ELECTRONICS! 00:08:28.089 --> 00:08:32.049 TOWER ELECTRONICS! I'm Scott, KB9AMM of TOWER 00:08:32.049 --> 00:08:36.090 ELECTRONICS. I like the PL259 connectors so much, 00:08:36.110 --> 00:08:38.909 I bought the company. TOWER ELECTRONICS, COMING 00:08:38.909 --> 00:08:43.250 TO A HAND FEST NEAR YOU, OR ONLINE AT PL -259 00:08:43.250 --> 00:08:46.370 .COM AND WE'RE ON THE YELLOW PAGES UNDER AMATURE 00:08:46.370 --> 00:08:49.309 RADIO CONNECTORS. My, where ever did you get 00:08:49.309 --> 00:08:54.210 that lovely PL259? TOWER ELECTRONICS, PL -259 00:08:54.210 --> 00:09:00.840 .COM or call 920 -435 -2973. Do we sell PL259 00:09:00.840 --> 00:09:04.840 connectors? HamTalk Live. The longer you listen, 00:09:05.360 --> 00:09:27.090 the later it gets. Welcome back to HamTalk Live. 00:09:27.250 --> 00:09:31.970 Tonight, Jim Wilson, K5ND joins us on the Orlando 00:09:31.970 --> 00:09:36.529 Amateur Radio Club and Hamcation Zoom line. Jim 00:09:36.529 --> 00:09:39.649 is retired from the Boy Scouts of America headquarters 00:09:39.649 --> 00:09:43.769 where he spent 21 years in publishing and communications. 00:09:43.950 --> 00:09:46.590 He's now a freelance writer and the past president 00:09:46.590 --> 00:09:50.769 of the K2BSA Amateur Radio Association. Check 00:09:50.769 --> 00:09:54.720 them out at k2bsa .net. And he is a well -known 00:09:54.720 --> 00:09:57.500 author, including some VHF contesting articles 00:09:57.500 --> 00:10:02.600 in the national contest journal, where we share 00:10:02.600 --> 00:10:06.799 some of the pages. So Jim, glad to have you back 00:10:06.799 --> 00:10:09.720 tonight. And, uh, there's been a lot of stir 00:10:09.720 --> 00:10:14.120 about, uh, hearing about your roving setup, especially. 00:10:14.519 --> 00:10:17.559 So thanks for being here. Well, thank you, Neil. 00:10:17.759 --> 00:10:21.330 Thanks for, uh, for inviting me and, uh, And 00:10:21.330 --> 00:10:24.889 really, before we get started, I want to congratulate 00:10:24.889 --> 00:10:29.750 you on being named the 2021 Carol Perry Educator 00:10:29.750 --> 00:10:34.529 of the Year, a well -deserved recognition of 00:10:34.529 --> 00:10:38.970 all that you're doing in education and ham radios. 00:10:39.450 --> 00:10:43.909 Congratulations. Well, thank you, Jim. I appreciate 00:10:43.909 --> 00:10:47.110 that. And that means a lot. I know you have worked 00:10:47.110 --> 00:10:52.309 with youth for a very long time and have opened 00:10:52.309 --> 00:10:56.409 a lot of doors into youth and amateur radio as 00:10:56.409 --> 00:11:02.309 well and You've done a fantastic job and I know 00:11:02.309 --> 00:11:07.049 Bill is is carrying that on and if we can get 00:11:07.049 --> 00:11:10.409 rid of this this COVID stuff, it would it would 00:11:10.409 --> 00:11:14.899 help tremendously and get some kids on the air. 00:11:15.580 --> 00:11:19.500 But tonight we're going to talk about VHF contesting 00:11:19.500 --> 00:11:24.100 and roving. And so for someone that's just getting 00:11:24.100 --> 00:11:29.179 into the VHF side of things, where should they 00:11:29.179 --> 00:11:33.460 look to operate and what modes, what bands, how 00:11:33.460 --> 00:11:39.840 much activity is really out there? Okay, well. 00:11:41.730 --> 00:11:45.950 That's a lot to answer, but actually before... 00:11:45.950 --> 00:11:50.909 In 50 woods or less, no. Exactly, and mail it 00:11:50.909 --> 00:11:55.129 in for a magic decoder ring. Yes, there you go. 00:11:55.909 --> 00:11:59.669 But actually, the phrase I want to use to describe 00:11:59.669 --> 00:12:07.289 VHF contesting, and I borrowed this from W5ZN. 00:12:08.049 --> 00:12:12.610 magic bands with super results from average stations. 00:12:13.669 --> 00:12:17.309 Okay, so that's the thing that I like about this. 00:12:17.429 --> 00:12:19.629 There's a lot of magic happening on these bands, 00:12:19.909 --> 00:12:22.570 particularly six meters. It's Joel Harrison, 00:12:22.789 --> 00:12:26.350 W5ZN, I've forgotten his name. He got me into 00:12:26.350 --> 00:12:29.529 VHF contesting. I'm not sure he knows that from 00:12:29.529 --> 00:12:33.149 his sessions at Contest University. He gradually 00:12:33.149 --> 00:12:37.220 roped me into this. They're small antennas, they're 00:12:37.220 --> 00:12:41.419 high gain antennas in a very small space. So, 00:12:41.580 --> 00:12:44.580 and actually right here now, I've got a six meter 00:12:44.580 --> 00:12:47.759 antenna up in my backyard on the top of a push 00:12:47.759 --> 00:12:51.259 -up mass, a fiberglass push -up mass. And that's 00:12:51.259 --> 00:12:54.559 what I operate on six meters. And just a few, 00:12:54.799 --> 00:12:59.019 well, in January, I worked North Cook Islands, 00:12:59.360 --> 00:13:07.220 E -51WL on FTA. And I copied LU5FF from Argentina 00:13:07.220 --> 00:13:11.720 just last week. I didn't manage to work him, 00:13:11.720 --> 00:13:15.559 but there's stuff happening on these bands. But 00:13:15.559 --> 00:13:20.379 the question was, well, for contesting, where's 00:13:20.379 --> 00:13:23.799 the action? And it's six meters, two meters, 00:13:24.299 --> 00:13:29.039 a little bit of action on 222, 432 is good, and 00:13:29.039 --> 00:13:31.200 all the way up from there. That's what covers 00:13:31.200 --> 00:13:36.090 VHF contesting. As far as the frequency goes, 00:13:36.529 --> 00:13:39.690 there's some national calling frequencies for 00:13:39.690 --> 00:13:47.009 single sideband. It's 50 .125, 144 .200, 432 00:13:47.009 --> 00:13:53.629 .100. FM is also used in VHF contesting. There's 00:13:53.629 --> 00:13:57.809 even a category called FM only. And it's getting 00:13:57.809 --> 00:14:01.960 a lot of attention. And there's some great guys 00:14:01.960 --> 00:14:05.799 working FM only in the contest. So get your handi 00:14:05.799 --> 00:14:11.919 -taki out and work it. But I'll also share that 00:14:11.919 --> 00:14:19.820 FTA is probably the majority of activity that's 00:14:19.820 --> 00:14:23.460 happening in VHF contesting these days. Some 00:14:23.460 --> 00:14:25.539 people are happy about that. Some people are 00:14:25.539 --> 00:14:29.019 not so happy about that. And that happiness and 00:14:29.019 --> 00:14:32.580 displeasure isn't restricted to VHF contesting 00:14:32.580 --> 00:14:41.120 by any means. But also as far as the amount of 00:14:41.120 --> 00:14:45.500 activity, VHF contesting is really a regional 00:14:46.640 --> 00:14:49.720 activity unless there's a big opening on six 00:14:49.720 --> 00:14:54.759 meters. And then it can be nationwide and even 00:14:54.759 --> 00:14:59.600 worldwide to a certain extent. So typically, 00:15:00.240 --> 00:15:03.879 well here in North Texas, after the first couple 00:15:03.879 --> 00:15:08.039 of hours of the contest, the activity dies down 00:15:08.039 --> 00:15:11.120 because you've already worked everybody that's 00:15:11.120 --> 00:15:14.879 here in the area. But if you're in the Northeast, 00:15:15.129 --> 00:15:19.470 or Chicago or Los Angeles, some of the bigger 00:15:19.470 --> 00:15:23.330 communities, the Atlanta area, et cetera, Florida, 00:15:23.970 --> 00:15:26.769 there's a lot more activity simply because there's 00:15:26.769 --> 00:15:32.769 a lot more stations out there. So that's the 00:15:32.769 --> 00:15:37.590 500 words or less answer to that question. Oh, 00:15:37.769 --> 00:15:43.240 very good. Can you give us some some tips on 00:15:43.240 --> 00:15:48.259 VHF contesting to have a better experience? You 00:15:48.259 --> 00:15:51.059 know, of course, you know, we always talk about 00:15:51.059 --> 00:15:56.659 antennas being like, you know the thing but What 00:15:56.659 --> 00:16:00.539 suggestions would you have for for getting your 00:16:00.539 --> 00:16:04.659 VHF? Contesting station the best experience you 00:16:04.659 --> 00:16:11.779 can have You know, the first key is one, turn 00:16:11.779 --> 00:16:15.399 the radio on with whatever antenna you happen 00:16:15.399 --> 00:16:19.019 to have. If you're typically working repeaters, 00:16:19.299 --> 00:16:22.500 fire up FM on literally on the calling channel. 00:16:22.740 --> 00:16:28.279 146 .52 is open for contesting. Another way to 00:16:28.279 --> 00:16:31.440 make the experience better is to reach out to 00:16:31.440 --> 00:16:34.659 your fellow club members. Reach out to the club 00:16:34.659 --> 00:16:37.679 and say, Let's all get on the air. Let's all 00:16:37.679 --> 00:16:40.559 make something happening. Let's make some noise 00:16:40.559 --> 00:16:45.360 and have some fun with this. You don't have to 00:16:45.360 --> 00:16:48.799 be a competitor at the national level. You can 00:16:48.799 --> 00:16:51.740 be a competitor at the club level. And you can 00:16:51.740 --> 00:16:56.919 also bundle the activity from your club to enter 00:16:56.919 --> 00:17:00.779 the club portion of these contests. And let me 00:17:00.779 --> 00:17:04.529 give you that overview too. There's four major 00:17:04.529 --> 00:17:08.430 VHF contests during the course of the year. There's 00:17:08.430 --> 00:17:12.519 one in January. There's one in June. That's typically 00:17:12.519 --> 00:17:16.299 very good for six meter activity. There's one 00:17:16.299 --> 00:17:19.940 in July. That's the CQ contest. That's got some 00:17:19.940 --> 00:17:22.740 different rules. That's only six and two meters. 00:17:23.099 --> 00:17:26.319 But it's also good for the six meter activity 00:17:26.319 --> 00:17:29.400 because that's when sporadic E is happening during 00:17:29.400 --> 00:17:32.339 the summer. And then there's the September contest. 00:17:34.269 --> 00:17:37.190 That's how I'd make it a better experience, is 00:17:37.190 --> 00:17:40.829 find more people to work, encourage your club 00:17:40.829 --> 00:17:46.029 to participate, not only as individuals, but 00:17:46.029 --> 00:17:51.730 I got it down here somewhere. I've been doing 00:17:51.730 --> 00:17:56.130 presentations to clubs on VHF contesting in six 00:17:56.130 --> 00:18:00.109 meters, and in talking to, and the questions 00:18:00.109 --> 00:18:04.549 have offered more insight than probably my presentation, 00:18:04.730 --> 00:18:10.099 but. The ARRL club categories, a local club is 00:18:10.099 --> 00:18:13.980 10 or fewer members submit their logs and then 00:18:13.980 --> 00:18:16.920 you're in the club competition. The CQ contest, 00:18:17.079 --> 00:18:20.220 it's only three entries to get you into the club 00:18:20.220 --> 00:18:24.180 competition. But don't stop there. Have the competition 00:18:24.180 --> 00:18:27.779 within your club. Who gets the more points? Who 00:18:27.779 --> 00:18:33.039 gets the more QSOs? The more grids as multipliers. 00:18:33.700 --> 00:18:38.180 So I think activity and participation, it will 00:18:38.180 --> 00:18:40.960 make your experience better. And then of course, 00:18:41.660 --> 00:18:46.859 you can always, what us fanatics do is we buy 00:18:46.859 --> 00:18:51.200 more antennas, we buy more amplifiers and radios. 00:18:51.619 --> 00:18:57.559 You can always do that. That would be it. A lot 00:18:57.559 --> 00:19:01.420 of the stir on social media and everything this 00:19:01.420 --> 00:19:05.490 week with the show. was concerning a couple of 00:19:05.490 --> 00:19:11.009 pictures of yours that I posted with your roving 00:19:11.009 --> 00:19:15.650 setup. So let's talk about that because I know 00:19:15.650 --> 00:19:19.170 there's a lot of people interested in that. If 00:19:19.170 --> 00:19:24.289 you're like me and you've spent most of your 00:19:24.289 --> 00:19:29.859 time in very unpopulated areas, You may have 00:19:29.859 --> 00:19:33.940 to go to the activity. So let's talk about that 00:19:33.940 --> 00:19:39.099 for a little bit. Well, you know, that my rover 00:19:39.099 --> 00:19:44.099 operation ties into what I was just expressing 00:19:44.099 --> 00:19:48.019 is that making contacts is what it's all about. 00:19:48.380 --> 00:19:51.420 And what I was experiencing VHF contest here 00:19:51.420 --> 00:19:54.960 in North Texas was literally after the first 00:19:54.960 --> 00:19:59.569 hour or two, that was it. Now, Sunday mornings 00:19:59.569 --> 00:20:01.930 there would be some tropospheric opening and 00:20:01.930 --> 00:20:04.910 so some things will happen there. Maybe six meters 00:20:04.910 --> 00:20:08.890 will open up. But the excitement that was happening, 00:20:08.930 --> 00:20:11.250 if you were still in the chair, was whenever 00:20:11.250 --> 00:20:13.890 a rover would happen to drive through the area. 00:20:14.190 --> 00:20:16.849 And you'd work them and whatever grids they activated 00:20:16.849 --> 00:20:19.970 and whatever bands they had. And finally I said, 00:20:20.849 --> 00:20:24.269 well heck, why don't I do that? Let's set up 00:20:24.269 --> 00:20:29.640 a rover. Let's go out and fire up in one grid 00:20:29.640 --> 00:20:32.400 and work all those stations, go to the next grid 00:20:32.400 --> 00:20:35.880 and work all the same stations. And then the 00:20:35.880 --> 00:20:38.059 next one and the next one after that. So that's 00:20:38.059 --> 00:20:41.559 what I decided to do. And I really went through 00:20:41.559 --> 00:20:45.740 three phases of my rover operation. And the photos 00:20:45.740 --> 00:20:50.059 that you're showing is phase three. But my first 00:20:50.059 --> 00:20:54.509 phase, I literally had a painter pole, the things 00:20:54.509 --> 00:20:58.650 that you attach to a roller when you're painting 00:20:58.650 --> 00:21:03.650 a wall. A painter pole, I put a couple of diamond 00:21:03.650 --> 00:21:07.730 yaggies on it, one for two, one for 432, because 00:21:07.730 --> 00:21:11.829 that's all I had. And I had an ICOM IC910, which 00:21:11.829 --> 00:21:15.369 it had just two bands. And I drove out, fired 00:21:15.369 --> 00:21:17.809 it up, set the pole up, and worked a bunch of 00:21:17.809 --> 00:21:20.279 stations. worked him here in Dallas, worked him 00:21:20.279 --> 00:21:23.099 in Austin, San Antonio, et cetera. And I had 00:21:23.099 --> 00:21:26.759 a blast. And so that comes back to my point as 00:21:26.759 --> 00:21:29.839 well. Turn the radio on, start participating, 00:21:29.839 --> 00:21:32.819 and then start making improvements. So phase 00:21:32.819 --> 00:21:39.839 two, I got a fiberglass push -up mast, some better 00:21:39.839 --> 00:21:45.019 antennas, put a 9100 in there so I had the six 00:21:45.019 --> 00:21:48.319 meters on the air as well. And then phase three, 00:21:49.199 --> 00:21:53.180 My problem with the Phase 2 was I had a stand 00:21:53.180 --> 00:21:56.480 -up operation with the radios in the back of 00:21:56.480 --> 00:22:03.279 my SUV. It was 115 degrees during the CQ contest. 00:22:03.460 --> 00:22:06.440 That wasn't pleasant. And then it was raining 00:22:06.440 --> 00:22:09.680 during the September contest. That wasn't pleasant. 00:22:09.839 --> 00:22:12.640 So I said, I need to, and then it was also, I 00:22:12.640 --> 00:22:15.220 just set everything up every time I stopped at 00:22:15.220 --> 00:22:17.960 a grid. So I said, I need to get over this. Let's 00:22:17.960 --> 00:22:21.160 set it up inside the car and mount the antennas 00:22:21.160 --> 00:22:24.440 on top of the car. And so that's basically what 00:22:24.440 --> 00:22:29.849 I, I modeled it after a, a tower, a three -legged 00:22:29.849 --> 00:22:34.369 tower, put the rotator on there and a mast and 00:22:34.369 --> 00:22:36.430 mounted the antennas. You can mount the antennas 00:22:36.430 --> 00:22:39.690 very close together without a lot of problem. 00:22:40.250 --> 00:22:43.569 And so I drive, I park, and I point the antenna 00:22:43.569 --> 00:22:46.740 at the stations that I'm trying to work. That 00:22:46.740 --> 00:22:49.480 is one difference with my rover operation. I 00:22:49.480 --> 00:22:52.839 don't operate while I'm in motion. Now, that 00:22:52.839 --> 00:22:59.119 is not a winning strategy, but I do not do multitasking 00:22:59.119 --> 00:23:03.319 and driving and trying to work stations would 00:23:03.319 --> 00:23:06.619 not work for me at all. But this is what I've 00:23:06.619 --> 00:23:09.259 chosen to do and I have a lot of fun with it. 00:23:09.819 --> 00:23:14.359 And I can set up the station that I want. Uh, 00:23:14.559 --> 00:23:17.180 because I can't put up a tower here at my house 00:23:17.180 --> 00:23:21.779 or, or permanent antennas. So that's my, my way. 00:23:21.880 --> 00:23:25.920 I don't, I don't really have Reese, um, homeowners 00:23:25.920 --> 00:23:30.480 association restrictions. I have, uh, uh, financial 00:23:30.480 --> 00:23:36.740 and wife lead types of restrictions. Yes, those, 00:23:36.859 --> 00:23:39.880 those can be just as powerful if not more. So 00:23:40.410 --> 00:23:46.630 Yes, definitely well your your latest phase You 00:23:46.630 --> 00:23:51.029 know inside of the vehicle is just fabulous you 00:23:51.029 --> 00:23:54.819 know seeing the tower and rotor on top and And 00:23:54.819 --> 00:23:58.700 then the, you know, computer screen and the rig 00:23:58.700 --> 00:24:02.599 inside of the car. It looks great. And when I 00:24:02.599 --> 00:24:06.700 was trying to figure out a roving satellite operation, 00:24:06.700 --> 00:24:10.240 I was like, okay, Jim, tell me what your ideas 00:24:10.240 --> 00:24:15.079 are because I can't do that tower and rotator 00:24:15.079 --> 00:24:18.559 and everything that you did. And so, uh, started 00:24:18.559 --> 00:24:21.220 looking at a couple of different directions and 00:24:21.220 --> 00:24:24.019 found something that was a decent compromise, 00:24:24.319 --> 00:24:27.640 but, uh, still trying to improve on that, but, 00:24:28.099 --> 00:24:31.859 uh, Uh, so far I've kept it to, uh, to satellite 00:24:31.859 --> 00:24:35.500 roving, but, uh, it's been a lot of fun. So, 00:24:35.720 --> 00:24:38.660 um, I know we have some questions about, uh, 00:24:38.700 --> 00:24:41.039 about the roving, so we'll, uh, we'll tackle 00:24:41.039 --> 00:24:45.240 those here in just a little bit. Um, but, um, 00:24:46.619 --> 00:24:50.880 tell me a little bit about this, this, uh, rotor 00:24:50.880 --> 00:24:53.960 setup. How do you, how do you make all that work 00:24:53.960 --> 00:24:59.069 on the car? Well, yeah, actually I encourage 00:24:59.069 --> 00:25:02.750 You and the listeners I have a video on the website 00:25:02.750 --> 00:25:06.230 that that shows me setting it up for I think 00:25:06.230 --> 00:25:09.470 it was the June 2020 contest where I lift the 00:25:09.470 --> 00:25:12.049 whole thing and put it up on top of the car, 00:25:12.369 --> 00:25:18.230 but I my Building skills are restricted to two 00:25:18.230 --> 00:25:20.789 by fours in plywood. And so that's what it's 00:25:20.789 --> 00:25:27.660 made out of screwed and glued together in a fashion 00:25:27.660 --> 00:25:34.619 to exactly fit on the rooftop rack. It's an Equinox 00:25:34.619 --> 00:25:39.660 that I have there. Then I use some ratchet straps 00:25:39.660 --> 00:25:47.619 to strap it onto the top of the car. After that, 00:25:47.660 --> 00:25:50.759 I call it my flight test. I take it out and drive 00:25:50.759 --> 00:25:53.799 70 miles an hour. If it flies off, then it didn't 00:25:53.799 --> 00:26:03.519 pass. If it stays on, it passes. It's a Yesu 00:26:03.519 --> 00:26:07.259 450 rotator. That's their smallest one. That's 00:26:07.259 --> 00:26:11.859 mounted on the plywood. I have a DX engineering 00:26:11.859 --> 00:26:15.380 mast. It's an aluminum two -inch mast that's 00:26:15.380 --> 00:26:22.640 going up from there. I used a DX engineering 00:26:22.640 --> 00:26:27.099 thrust bearing and then a tower tray, I guess 00:26:27.099 --> 00:26:32.200 it's called, or such. So that basically established 00:26:32.200 --> 00:26:35.900 the dimensions that I needed. And then Lowe's 00:26:35.900 --> 00:26:42.279 hardware has this, it's called SteelTech. It's 00:26:42.279 --> 00:26:45.420 SteelTech that manufactures it. I buy it at Lowe's, 00:26:45.460 --> 00:26:48.299 but SteelTech... has these things that are normally 00:26:48.299 --> 00:26:55.339 set up to do shelving. So they've got some connections 00:26:55.339 --> 00:27:00.180 for the shelves and pipes and things like that. 00:27:00.420 --> 00:27:04.740 And so I use three of those as the legs, put 00:27:04.740 --> 00:27:10.180 the thrust bearing and such on that. And it's 00:27:10.180 --> 00:27:15.859 all bolted in place. comes to a total height 00:27:15.859 --> 00:27:19.259 of twelve feet uh... so i put by literally put 00:27:19.259 --> 00:27:22.200 a sign on top of on the windshield of my car 00:27:22.200 --> 00:27:26.140 that says your twelve feet high do not forget 00:27:26.140 --> 00:27:31.359 this trees trees have a tendency to uh... to 00:27:31.359 --> 00:27:35.740 bite you and i don't ask me how i know that but 00:27:35.740 --> 00:27:39.619 uh... uh... so at the top is a moccasin for six 00:27:39.619 --> 00:27:42.799 meters uh... then uh... at present time i have 00:27:42.799 --> 00:27:48.240 a I use Directive Systems Rover Yagis. They're 00:27:48.240 --> 00:27:52.579 Yagis that are all eight foot boom lengths. So 00:27:52.579 --> 00:27:57.480 the two meter Yagi is, I think it's five elements. 00:27:58.019 --> 00:28:00.559 Am I thinking that right? Might be five or six, 00:28:00.559 --> 00:28:06.180 I've forgotten. The 222 is I think 10 elements 00:28:06.180 --> 00:28:10.859 and the 432 is 15 elements. And so they all have 00:28:10.859 --> 00:28:13.299 the same boom length except that moxin that's 00:28:13.299 --> 00:28:20.039 up there. Mount those, route the cables. And 00:28:20.039 --> 00:28:24.220 then, yeah, route the cable from the rotator 00:28:24.220 --> 00:28:27.279 into the car as well. And pretty much all set. 00:28:28.900 --> 00:28:33.359 The other challenge is RFI. You're sitting in 00:28:33.359 --> 00:28:36.660 a metal box. Oops, sorry. No, go right ahead. 00:28:36.900 --> 00:28:42.500 Yeah. I'm sure you have a lot of a lot of RFI 00:28:42.500 --> 00:28:45.980 running around, especially with all the the electronics 00:28:45.980 --> 00:28:49.819 in the cars these days. Yeah, electronics in 00:28:49.819 --> 00:28:53.359 the car, but mostly it's those antennas and and 00:28:53.359 --> 00:28:55.640 you're sitting in a metal box just a few feet 00:28:55.640 --> 00:28:59.079 away from them. But ferrites are your friend. 00:28:59.559 --> 00:29:05.380 And so I've been able to by and large eliminate 00:29:05.380 --> 00:29:13.400 the the RFI. So, yeah, it works. And your story 00:29:13.400 --> 00:29:18.420 about the 12 -foot restriction also reminds me 00:29:18.420 --> 00:29:23.980 of the good old days back at Hamvention when 00:29:23.980 --> 00:29:27.180 people would drive down Main Street in Dayton 00:29:27.180 --> 00:29:31.019 and the electric trolley lines were right above 00:29:31.019 --> 00:29:37.640 the street. I've heard there were a few incidents 00:29:37.640 --> 00:29:46.779 with antennas Wow, I had not heard that one So 00:29:46.779 --> 00:29:49.740 yes, you have to remember that and and I relate 00:29:49.740 --> 00:29:52.680 to your your driving test because I did that 00:29:52.680 --> 00:29:56.799 with my My satellite setup that I did. I said, 00:29:56.819 --> 00:30:00.500 okay, but today's the day I'm gonna drive highway 00:30:00.500 --> 00:30:04.859 speed and let's see if it falls off. So thank 00:30:04.859 --> 00:30:09.140 goodness. So I've been there and done that. All 00:30:09.140 --> 00:30:11.700 right. Well, let's take a break right now. And 00:30:11.700 --> 00:30:13.539 then we're going to come back and we're going 00:30:13.539 --> 00:30:16.119 to take some questions and phone calls at nine 00:30:16.119 --> 00:30:19.980 or eight, five, nine, nine, eight, two, 73 73 00:30:19.980 --> 00:30:22.799 and on Twitter. And we'll have the joke of the 00:30:22.799 --> 00:30:25.039 week and all that. When we come back right after 00:30:25.039 --> 00:30:28.539 this word from icon America right here on ham 00:30:28.539 --> 00:30:31.809 talk live. The great outdoors is calling. Get 00:30:31.809 --> 00:30:34.710 outside and under the stars with one of ICOM's 00:30:34.710 --> 00:30:38.230 ultimate SDR transceivers. Stay connected while 00:30:38.230 --> 00:30:41.650 off the grid. The IC -705 is the perfect transceiver 00:30:41.650 --> 00:30:44.750 for hams who enjoy both the great indoors and 00:30:44.750 --> 00:30:47.910 outdoors. It's the perfect QRP companion. The 00:30:47.910 --> 00:30:49.789 space station has features and functionality 00:30:49.789 --> 00:30:52.190 at the tip of your fingers in a portable package 00:30:52.190 --> 00:30:55.289 covering HF 6 meters, 2 meters, 70 centimeters 00:30:55.289 --> 00:30:59.390 and just under 2 pounds. It has a 4 .3 inch color 00:30:59.390 --> 00:31:01.569 touchscreen with live band scope and waterfall, 00:31:01.910 --> 00:31:04.309 5 watts with a battery, 10 watts with a power 00:31:04.309 --> 00:31:07.890 supply, it runs AM, FM, CW, sideband, full D 00:31:07.890 --> 00:31:10.930 -star functions and has integrated GPS, micro 00:31:10.930 --> 00:31:14.049 USB connector, Bluetooth, wireless LAN and micro 00:31:14.049 --> 00:31:16.630 SD card slot, and the speaker mic comes standard. 00:31:16.829 --> 00:31:20.150 The perfect accessory for the IC705 is the optional 00:31:20.150 --> 00:31:22.670 backpack with a special compartment for your 00:31:22.670 --> 00:31:26.630 705 and room for accessories. Visit the IC705 00:31:26.630 --> 00:31:28.480 webpage to view those accessories. accessories, 00:31:28.700 --> 00:31:31.619 and free software available for download. Or 00:31:31.619 --> 00:31:35.119 create your own band opening with the IC9700. 00:31:35.400 --> 00:31:37.759 This transceiver brings direct sampling to the 00:31:37.759 --> 00:31:41.180 UHF -VHF week signal world. This all -mode transceiver 00:31:41.180 --> 00:31:43.400 is loaded with innovative features that are sure 00:31:43.400 --> 00:31:46.359 to keep you busy. With a 4 .3 inch color touch 00:31:46.359 --> 00:31:48.660 screen with real -time spectrum scope and waterfall, 00:31:48.980 --> 00:31:51.579 smooth satellite operation with 99 satellite 00:31:51.579 --> 00:31:54.180 channels, dual watch operation, and full duplex 00:31:54.180 --> 00:31:59.279 operation in satellite mode. VHF UHF World with 00:31:59.279 --> 00:32:03.609 ICOM's IC9700. Heard it, worked it, logged it. 00:32:03.750 --> 00:32:07.309 ICOM's IC7300 is a high -performance, innovative 00:32:07.309 --> 00:32:09.910 HF transceiver with a compact design that will 00:32:09.910 --> 00:32:12.809 far exceed your expectations. This innovative 00:32:12.809 --> 00:32:16.490 HF transceiver digitizes RF before various receiver 00:32:16.490 --> 00:32:19.230 stages to reduce the generated inherent noise 00:32:19.230 --> 00:32:23.089 in different IF stages. The IC7300 is the radio 00:32:23.089 --> 00:32:25.789 that changed the way entry -level HF is designed. 00:32:25.910 --> 00:32:28.730 With RF direct sampling, 15 discrete bandpass 00:32:28.730 --> 00:32:31.329 filters, a large 4 .3 -inch color touch screen, 00:32:31.240 --> 00:32:34.299 real -time spectrum scope and SD memory card 00:32:34.299 --> 00:32:39.140 slot. The real HF fun starts here. Visit icomamerica 00:32:39.140 --> 00:32:42.839 .com slash amateur for more information on ICOM 00:32:42.839 --> 00:32:46.740 radios. If you're a fan of Tim Allen's TV series 00:32:46.740 --> 00:32:49.880 Last Man Standing, you'll have a final chance 00:32:49.880 --> 00:32:52.960 to contact the show's amateur radio club station 00:32:52.960 --> 00:33:00.400 before it goes QRT. The week -long KA -6 LMS 00:33:00.400 --> 00:33:05.720 radio special event starts on March 24th at 0000 00:33:05.720 --> 00:33:10.940 UTC and runs through 2359 UTC on March 30th. 00:33:11.000 --> 00:33:14.359 This will be an all -mode, all -band event. KA 00:33:14.359 --> 00:33:18.160 -6 LMS QSL cards will be available for stations 00:33:18.160 --> 00:33:21.220 who contact the stage directly or through relay 00:33:21.220 --> 00:33:24.339 stations. Special event certificates, including 00:33:24.339 --> 00:33:27.259 clean sweep endorsements, will be available via 00:33:27.259 --> 00:33:34.339 download. For more information, go to www .gsbarc 00:33:34.339 --> 00:33:42.079 .org. Join the conversation. Give us a call at 00:33:42.079 --> 00:33:48.039 859 -982 -7373. Again, the number to call is 00:33:48.039 --> 00:33:54.400 859 -982 -7373. Or, if you'd rather type than 00:33:54.400 --> 00:33:58.119 talk, tweet us at HamTalk Live. Now, here's Neil 00:33:58.119 --> 00:34:02.529 Rapp with more HamTalk Live. You're listening 00:34:02.529 --> 00:34:05.789 to ham talk live the most popular podcast with 00:34:05.789 --> 00:34:09.030 the words ham talk and live in the title Here's 00:34:09.030 --> 00:34:22.949 your host Neil rap Welcome back to ham talk live. 00:34:23.090 --> 00:34:25.730 Thanks to icon America for sponsoring the show 00:34:25.730 --> 00:34:28.860 they Bring HamTalk Live your way every Thursday 00:34:28.860 --> 00:34:33.019 night at 9 p .m. Eastern Time right here at HamTalkLive 00:34:33.019 --> 00:34:35.280 .com. And be sure to check us out on Facebook, 00:34:35.820 --> 00:34:39.699 Twitter, and Instagram. And I forgot to mention 00:34:39.699 --> 00:34:42.500 Tower Electronics HamFest schedule. They're in 00:34:42.500 --> 00:34:45.139 Fort Walton Beach, Florida on March 19th and 00:34:45.139 --> 00:34:49.260 20th, Fort Payne, Alabama on March 27th, and 00:34:49.260 --> 00:34:52.699 some more coming up. But you can visit them anytime 00:34:52.699 --> 00:34:57.880 at PL -259 .com and you can get your connectors 00:34:57.880 --> 00:35:04.059 and more for your ICOM rig. So let's see here. 00:35:04.280 --> 00:35:08.840 Oh yes, it is time once again for the joke of 00:35:08.840 --> 00:35:13.809 the week from N9GSU. So take it away, Rick. Now 00:35:13.809 --> 00:35:17.329 it's time for the HamTalk Live Ham Radio Joke 00:35:17.329 --> 00:35:19.309 of the Week, the part of the show where Rick 00:35:19.309 --> 00:35:22.829 tells us a ham radio joke. The HamTalk Live Ham 00:35:22.829 --> 00:35:26.070 Radio Joke of the Week is brought to you by QRM 00:35:26.070 --> 00:35:30.710 Labs. Now, here's Rick Garrett in 9GSU with today's 00:35:30.710 --> 00:35:38.789 HamTalk Live Joke of the Week. All the computers 00:35:38.789 --> 00:35:41.190 on the International Space Station are Linux 00:35:41.190 --> 00:36:02.420 because You can't open windows in space. Find 00:36:02.420 --> 00:36:04.860 out what's up with that feed line up there at 00:36:04.860 --> 00:36:07.639 the International Space Station right now. Well, 00:36:07.699 --> 00:36:09.940 thank you, Rick, and he'll be back with another 00:36:09.940 --> 00:36:15.340 joke of the week next week. And now it is time 00:36:15.340 --> 00:36:17.300 for your phone call. So if you have a question, 00:36:17.460 --> 00:36:23.820 give us call 859 -982 -7373 or tweet us. It's 00:36:23.820 --> 00:36:26.420 at HamTalk Live. And if you're listening to us 00:36:26.420 --> 00:36:29.739 on WTWW or the podcast edition, you won't be 00:36:29.739 --> 00:36:33.079 able to reach us. We're recording this live on 00:36:33.079 --> 00:36:37.389 Thursday night. Okay, well we actually have a 00:36:37.389 --> 00:36:40.769 caller on the line waiting, so good evening. 00:36:40.789 --> 00:36:45.329 Welcome to HamTalk Live. Who's this? Good evening. 00:36:45.750 --> 00:36:50.389 My name is Joe Durnow. My amateur call is NE3R, 00:36:50.449 --> 00:36:55.110 November Echo 3 Romeo. I know Jim a little bit 00:36:55.110 --> 00:36:57.250 through Scouts, and I've heard him on the satellite, 00:36:57.349 --> 00:36:58.869 so I don't think I've ever worked him on the 00:36:58.869 --> 00:37:03.469 air. So I had a question about the 23 centimeter 00:37:03.469 --> 00:37:07.289 band. And if Jim, do you expect more activity 00:37:07.289 --> 00:37:12.030 on the band since the ICOM IC -9700 has been 00:37:12.030 --> 00:37:16.050 such a hot seller lately? Yeah. Hi, Joe. Thanks 00:37:16.050 --> 00:37:21.829 for calling in. And Joe is... There was the on 00:37:21.829 --> 00:37:27.050 our staff at I think a couple of Jamborees and 00:37:27.050 --> 00:37:31.389 including most serving as a QSL manager for the 00:37:31.389 --> 00:37:35.170 K -2 BSA operations. So it's good to hear from 00:37:35.170 --> 00:37:38.510 you and thanks for calling in. 23 centimeters. 00:37:39.920 --> 00:37:42.500 I would expect there'd be some more activity. 00:37:43.300 --> 00:37:47.219 The challenge there, of course, is the 9700, 00:37:47.820 --> 00:37:54.719 it's 10 watts out, which is fine and a good starting 00:37:54.719 --> 00:38:02.800 point. I also have the IC9100 with the 1296. 00:38:04.460 --> 00:38:07.280 plug in or however it goes. So it's 10 watts 00:38:07.280 --> 00:38:10.760 out as well. And I've been giving some consideration 00:38:10.760 --> 00:38:16.320 to the the ARRL 22 megahertz and up distance 00:38:16.320 --> 00:38:19.619 challenge that happens in August and thinking 00:38:19.619 --> 00:38:25.900 a little bit about putting a maybe tying an amplifier 00:38:25.900 --> 00:38:29.659 into that and a loop yaggy and getting out roving 00:38:29.659 --> 00:38:36.260 for 23 centimeters. For my own VHF contesting 00:38:36.260 --> 00:38:40.659 activities, I enter limited rover. So that's 00:38:40.659 --> 00:38:44.940 just the bottom four bands, six, two meters, 00:38:45.119 --> 00:38:50.940 222 and 432. And I do that to simplify my station, 00:38:51.280 --> 00:38:55.440 but that's always the temptation in VHF contesting, 00:38:55.980 --> 00:38:58.619 adding more bands, getting up into the microwaves. 00:38:59.719 --> 00:39:04.079 and their categories for that operation. I will 00:39:04.079 --> 00:39:10.380 say also that one of the discussions that's going 00:39:10.380 --> 00:39:13.280 on and probably has been going on for quite some 00:39:13.280 --> 00:39:19.300 time is the participation levels in contesting 00:39:19.300 --> 00:39:22.800 at those bands. that you're talking about, 23 00:39:22.800 --> 00:39:27.260 centimeters, 900 megahertz is another one, and 00:39:27.260 --> 00:39:32.199 so on. The normal routine in VHF contesting is 00:39:32.199 --> 00:39:35.019 to find somebody typically on two meters and 00:39:35.019 --> 00:39:38.219 say, let's work the bands. And you go up right 00:39:38.219 --> 00:39:40.579 up to 10 gigahertz if you've got it, and you 00:39:40.579 --> 00:39:43.800 work them in each band. If you're operating FT8, 00:39:43.840 --> 00:39:47.460 that's really hard to do to even send the message, 00:39:47.579 --> 00:39:50.800 hey, let's go to the next band. So that's a real 00:39:50.800 --> 00:39:53.579 discussion. So I would hope there's more activity 00:39:53.579 --> 00:39:58.099 on 23 centimeters, but I don't have any experience 00:39:58.099 --> 00:40:04.000 there myself. All right. Thank you, Tim. Yeah. 00:40:04.159 --> 00:40:12.039 Thanks, Joe. Thank you for calling in. Okay, 00:40:12.099 --> 00:40:14.400 Joe. Thank you for calling and we appreciate 00:40:14.400 --> 00:40:19.619 you Taking the time to ask a question here with 00:40:19.619 --> 00:40:26.340 Jim k5 nd. So thanks a lot and seven three All 00:40:26.340 --> 00:40:28.860 right, eight five nine nine eight two seventy 00:40:28.860 --> 00:40:31.679 three seventy three is the phone number if you 00:40:31.679 --> 00:40:35.260 would like to call in Give us a call right now 00:40:35.530 --> 00:40:39.969 And we do have a couple that came in ahead of 00:40:39.969 --> 00:40:46.469 the show. So let's take those. Pete, N1QDQ is 00:40:46.469 --> 00:40:50.630 looking at some support and rotor solutions for 00:40:50.630 --> 00:40:54.789 6 meters, 2 meters, and 70 centimeters. So you 00:40:54.789 --> 00:40:58.929 want to take that one, Jim? You betcha. Well, 00:40:59.050 --> 00:41:04.260 you can. You can see quite a few photos on my 00:41:04.260 --> 00:41:10.739 website, k5nd .net, on how I've approached it. 00:41:11.099 --> 00:41:16.000 But I'll tell you, the thing about rovers is 00:41:16.000 --> 00:41:20.400 every rover installation is different. I've seen 00:41:20.400 --> 00:41:26.119 a lot of guys with pickup trucks and tripod -type 00:41:26.119 --> 00:41:31.289 of towers out of the truck bed. Guys like myself 00:41:31.289 --> 00:41:36.050 where I'm pushing the mast up next to the car. 00:41:37.110 --> 00:41:43.829 Check out Andrea N2 or K2EZ. Do I have that right? 00:41:44.250 --> 00:41:49.030 Is it N2EZ? Well, one of those, she's got this 00:41:49.030 --> 00:41:52.389 huge setup on her car for quite a few bands. 00:41:53.530 --> 00:41:58.570 I know they're 85, oh, not thinking of the KA5D. 00:41:59.289 --> 00:42:05.469 He has a Volkswagen, a Vanagon or a mini bus 00:42:05.469 --> 00:42:08.989 type of thing with antennas on top of it. A lot 00:42:08.989 --> 00:42:12.590 of guys use their trailer hitches and they've 00:42:12.590 --> 00:42:15.829 got a set up there that they just slide into 00:42:15.829 --> 00:42:18.909 the trailer hitch and the mass comes up off of 00:42:18.909 --> 00:42:22.050 that. Sometimes it'll fold down for travel and 00:42:22.050 --> 00:42:26.309 fold back up for operation. You name it, they 00:42:26.309 --> 00:42:30.380 got it. One of the fun things for me has been 00:42:30.380 --> 00:42:38.079 the Central States VHF Society has for their 00:42:38.079 --> 00:42:41.699 annual conference a Rover Bowl. And the rovers 00:42:41.699 --> 00:42:44.559 drive their rovers there, set them up and let 00:42:44.559 --> 00:42:48.519 you tour them and they answer questions. And 00:42:48.519 --> 00:42:53.000 every single one is different. I'm having a video 00:42:53.000 --> 00:42:56.300 playback. One guy at the last one I attended 00:42:56.300 --> 00:43:00.440 in, which was in Wichita, had made a six meter 00:43:00.440 --> 00:43:06.480 yaggy out of a walker. Oh, wow. Took the tubes 00:43:06.480 --> 00:43:09.059 apart and all that sort of stuff and put the 00:43:09.059 --> 00:43:12.079 thing up. So you name it, people are doing it 00:43:12.079 --> 00:43:14.780 in a good place. You know, check out websites. 00:43:15.460 --> 00:43:19.219 Look at the rover listings in the contest results. 00:43:19.550 --> 00:43:24.130 check out their QRZ pages. There's a rover group 00:43:24.130 --> 00:43:28.969 on Facebook where there's a lot of pictures and 00:43:28.969 --> 00:43:31.849 they're trading what they're doing. That's another 00:43:31.849 --> 00:43:38.289 good place to look for ideas in what you want 00:43:38.289 --> 00:43:43.130 to do for your situation. Okay, well, thank you 00:43:43.130 --> 00:43:47.090 for writing in Pete and hope that Answers your 00:43:47.090 --> 00:43:49.409 question. We've got another one. We'll get to 00:43:49.409 --> 00:43:51.130 here in a second, but we have another caller 00:43:51.130 --> 00:43:54.210 on the line So let's see who we have here. Good 00:43:54.210 --> 00:44:01.369 evening. Welcome to ham talk live Hello, hey 00:44:01.369 --> 00:44:03.710 good evening, this is Aaron in Virginia whiskey 00:44:03.710 --> 00:44:08.820 for Juliet Sierra tango Hey nice to hear you 00:44:08.820 --> 00:44:13.320 on you have a question here for Jim tonight Yeah, 00:44:13.320 --> 00:44:16.139 I've got two questions if I can and I thank you 00:44:16.139 --> 00:44:19.360 for taking my call and First time listener on 00:44:19.360 --> 00:44:22.380 the program. So real interested. Thanks for having 00:44:22.380 --> 00:44:27.340 it One question just curious if during the contest 00:44:27.340 --> 00:44:30.739 when you're roving if you keep an ear out on 00:44:30.739 --> 00:44:35.139 any FM such as 1 4 6 5 2 or anything like that 00:44:35.139 --> 00:44:40.019 and Also curious, as you're out rovin' or maybe 00:44:40.019 --> 00:44:42.699 ahead of time, how do you go about picking good 00:44:42.699 --> 00:44:49.500 locations to stop? Okay. Well, great. Well, Aaron, 00:44:50.880 --> 00:44:56.679 I will say that it's best practice to listen 00:44:56.679 --> 00:45:03.539 to those FMN channels. I don't do that. But the 00:45:03.539 --> 00:45:06.599 guys that win the contest, that's what they do. 00:45:07.460 --> 00:45:10.760 And I know I've worked with, they're the OK Rovers. 00:45:11.179 --> 00:45:13.199 Actually, you might check that. I think it's 00:45:13.199 --> 00:45:17.639 okrovers .com or something like that. But you 00:45:17.639 --> 00:45:19.960 might check out their website. It's a group of 00:45:19.960 --> 00:45:24.280 rovers. And they circle, they go to different 00:45:24.280 --> 00:45:26.920 grids and work each other and make a lot of contacts 00:45:26.920 --> 00:45:29.860 that way. But I know they do a lot of FM work. 00:45:31.030 --> 00:45:34.489 Typically, I think what they're doing is, one 00:45:34.489 --> 00:45:37.389 of the reasons that I don't do that is all my 00:45:37.389 --> 00:45:39.730 antennas are tuned for the single sideband portion 00:45:39.730 --> 00:45:43.670 of the bands and they're also horizontally polarized. 00:45:44.869 --> 00:45:48.570 But what they do is they do that and they have 00:45:48.570 --> 00:45:50.969 whip antennas and things like that up there, 00:45:51.230 --> 00:45:54.050 omnidirectional antennas, specifically for FM. 00:45:54.989 --> 00:45:57.989 They also do a lot of work with local clubs and 00:45:57.989 --> 00:46:00.500 let them know, hey, I'm coming through. I'm coming 00:46:00.500 --> 00:46:04.119 through on this day at this time, get on the 00:46:04.119 --> 00:46:07.619 air and give me a lot of contacts. So that does 00:46:07.619 --> 00:46:10.519 happen. It doesn't happen from the Wilson Rover, 00:46:10.860 --> 00:46:15.139 but it does happen. It's absolutely best practice. 00:46:15.739 --> 00:46:25.110 Now as to route, what I do, is I go out and look 00:46:25.110 --> 00:46:28.989 at them beforehand. And then over the last few 00:46:28.989 --> 00:46:34.210 years, I found some favorites that I focus on. 00:46:35.949 --> 00:46:40.690 Mostly you can use Google Maps and there's some 00:46:40.690 --> 00:46:45.469 other summit location maps and things like that. 00:46:45.650 --> 00:46:48.670 But you can analyze those maps really closely 00:46:48.670 --> 00:46:52.650 and figure out where a good place might be. Um, 00:46:53.269 --> 00:46:59.130 the, um, one where I've done that, uh, a fair 00:46:59.130 --> 00:47:03.030 bit is, uh, typically for one of the summer contests, 00:47:03.030 --> 00:47:06.449 I go out to the Texas panhandle and I roll from 00:47:06.449 --> 00:47:10.849 out there and, and I try, I've set up a route 00:47:10.849 --> 00:47:15.730 around. where four grids come together. So around 00:47:15.730 --> 00:47:19.030 a grid corner so that I can move very quickly 00:47:19.030 --> 00:47:21.949 from one grid to the next grid to the next grid 00:47:21.949 --> 00:47:27.710 and so on. And then take off and drive. So that's 00:47:27.710 --> 00:47:31.210 how I do that out in a panhandle. Here in North 00:47:31.210 --> 00:47:39.949 Texas, there's similar places where I've found 00:47:40.250 --> 00:47:43.869 What I try to do is find high places, places 00:47:43.869 --> 00:47:47.909 without trees. That's very easy to do in the 00:47:47.909 --> 00:47:50.909 Texas Panhandle, where there are very few trees. 00:47:51.670 --> 00:47:55.389 Here in North Texas, west of Dallas, it's pretty 00:47:55.389 --> 00:47:58.130 easy to do. There's some ridges and things like 00:47:58.130 --> 00:48:01.630 that out there that I operate from. East Texas, 00:48:01.710 --> 00:48:05.030 where I also operate, it's a little bit more 00:48:05.030 --> 00:48:08.150 challenging with the trees and the ups and downs, 00:48:08.210 --> 00:48:12.630 but I found some places that work. And the other 00:48:12.630 --> 00:48:18.030 trick is to plan your route so you're driving 00:48:18.030 --> 00:48:21.670 north and south, unless you're circling a grid 00:48:21.670 --> 00:48:25.630 square, you know, the four corner thing. North 00:48:25.630 --> 00:48:29.130 and South, if my memory's serving me right, is 00:48:29.130 --> 00:48:33.329 about 70 miles grid line to grid line. East and 00:48:33.329 --> 00:48:37.389 West, it's about 100 miles. So, you know, optimally 00:48:37.389 --> 00:48:42.150 you want... your travel time to be the smallest 00:48:42.150 --> 00:48:44.829 amount of time, particularly for my operation, 00:48:45.309 --> 00:48:48.389 since I don't operate when I'm driving, operate 00:48:48.389 --> 00:48:51.289 when I stop, and I get in the back seat and start 00:48:51.289 --> 00:48:55.469 pointing the antenna. So that's what I look for. 00:48:56.010 --> 00:49:00.489 And then my, adding still more to that, my route 00:49:00.489 --> 00:49:06.860 typically starts west of Dallas. move south so 00:49:06.860 --> 00:49:09.880 that I'm south of Dallas, pointing closer into 00:49:09.880 --> 00:49:13.559 Austin, San Antonio, and Houston. And then I 00:49:13.559 --> 00:49:20.119 go back up the east side of Dallas, doing the 00:49:20.119 --> 00:49:23.199 same sort of thing, ending up in Oklahoma, actually. 00:49:24.460 --> 00:49:29.139 So hope that answered your question, Aaron. Yeah, 00:49:29.159 --> 00:49:31.760 absolutely. That's a lot of good info. I really 00:49:31.760 --> 00:49:35.420 appreciate it. Thanks for taking my call. and 00:49:35.420 --> 00:49:38.340 answering both questions so well. Thanks again. 00:49:38.380 --> 00:49:42.940 Have a good night. All right. Thank you 73. All 00:49:42.940 --> 00:49:45.920 right, Aaron. Thank you for calling. And thank 00:49:45.920 --> 00:49:48.559 you for listening. Thank you. Bye bye. I thought 00:49:48.559 --> 00:49:50.579 we were going to have the long time caller first 00:49:50.579 --> 00:49:53.820 time listener thing there, but it's supposed 00:49:53.820 --> 00:49:59.539 to be the other way around. Yeah. All right. 00:49:59.539 --> 00:50:01.940 Well, we've got another one here. We're actually 00:50:01.940 --> 00:50:06.800 over time here. So We'll see if we get another 00:50:06.800 --> 00:50:11.699 call but let me get this one in because this 00:50:11.699 --> 00:50:19.800 came in early. Chris, AD4ZU in Tampa has four 00:50:19.800 --> 00:50:24.880 questions. Batteries, serial or parallel? External 00:50:24.880 --> 00:50:28.019 portable power source, what would you recommend? 00:50:30.210 --> 00:50:34.349 Typical location route, you know, and how far 00:50:34.349 --> 00:50:40.429 do you go on a contest? And then ideas on custom 00:50:40.429 --> 00:50:44.230 mount fabrication. So there's a lot there. So 00:50:44.230 --> 00:50:48.670 I'll let you do that. Well, and that's what I'm 00:50:48.670 --> 00:50:53.099 the DC DC power thing. That's kind of where I'm 00:50:53.099 --> 00:50:55.500 focusing in a lot of attention right now and 00:50:55.500 --> 00:50:57.880 I'll just mention one of the things I like about 00:50:57.880 --> 00:51:01.539 contesting is that from one contest to the next, 00:51:01.820 --> 00:51:05.059 you always have something you can improve to 00:51:05.059 --> 00:51:07.619 help increase your score, to improve operating, 00:51:07.679 --> 00:51:11.739 et cetera. And where I've done the rotor, I've 00:51:11.739 --> 00:51:15.119 done the antennas, I got the rigs, the computer, 00:51:15.400 --> 00:51:20.539 now it's more about DC power. But I've been using 00:51:20.539 --> 00:51:23.980 the power from the car, so I don't... and that's 00:51:23.980 --> 00:51:27.260 12 volts DC. I don't connect them in series or 00:51:27.260 --> 00:51:29.320 parallel, I just use the power from the car. 00:51:29.699 --> 00:51:33.559 I'm also starting to play around with using supplemental 00:51:33.559 --> 00:51:36.159 batteries, but I haven't quite figured that out 00:51:36.159 --> 00:51:39.980 yet. As far as external portable power sources, 00:51:40.099 --> 00:51:42.920 I know a lot of people use generators. That's 00:51:42.920 --> 00:51:45.619 typically when they're going someplace and stopping, 00:51:46.039 --> 00:51:51.000 firing up the generator. But I've not done that, 00:51:51.460 --> 00:51:55.960 but that is something that's on my list. On location 00:51:55.960 --> 00:51:59.320 routes during the contest, in the routes that 00:51:59.320 --> 00:52:01.800 I've chosen here around the Dallas -Fort Worth 00:52:01.800 --> 00:52:07.320 area, I'm typically putting in 750 miles over 00:52:07.320 --> 00:52:11.199 the course of a contest weekend. It's been a 00:52:11.199 --> 00:52:14.800 little different with the COVID restrictions. 00:52:15.820 --> 00:52:19.579 In the past, I've stayed overnight at a hotel. 00:52:20.000 --> 00:52:25.639 I'm driving home now between my west route and 00:52:25.639 --> 00:52:30.500 my east route. But the answers I had for Aaron 00:52:30.500 --> 00:52:36.119 would apply to selecting a rover route. And custom 00:52:36.119 --> 00:52:39.579 mount fabrication, you betcha, that's what Pretty 00:52:39.579 --> 00:52:41.860 much all of them are, but we don't have them 00:52:41.860 --> 00:52:46.059 to buy off the shelf, but you can see ideas off 00:52:46.059 --> 00:52:52.519 my website and the OK Rovers site and the Facebook 00:52:52.519 --> 00:52:57.019 group on Rovers. It's a private group, but all 00:52:57.019 --> 00:53:01.360 you need to do is ask to join that. Now, I think 00:53:01.360 --> 00:53:03.940 I've clicked off those questions there, Neil. 00:53:04.269 --> 00:53:09.250 Yep, I believe you have and that's K5 ND K Kilo 00:53:09.250 --> 00:53:13.809 5 November Delta net so you can check that out 00:53:13.809 --> 00:53:17.630 and then also you've got the The ham expo coming 00:53:17.630 --> 00:53:20.829 up and there'll be some video along with that. 00:53:20.829 --> 00:53:23.429 So you might mention that here real quick before 00:53:23.429 --> 00:53:30.059 we go Yeah, I'm It's the VHF contesting Session 00:53:30.059 --> 00:53:33.559 that that I'm doing at the QSO today virtual 00:53:33.559 --> 00:53:39.329 ham expo and actually I'm I'm one of the last 00:53:39.329 --> 00:53:43.570 presentations in the last hour of the Ham Expo. 00:53:43.869 --> 00:53:48.210 I like to think of it as batting cleanup, but 00:53:48.210 --> 00:53:50.769 it's more likely they're going to hand me a virtual 00:53:50.769 --> 00:53:53.590 broom to clean up the place after my presentation. 00:53:53.590 --> 00:53:57.230 I thought we were saving the best for last. Oh, 00:53:57.230 --> 00:53:59.409 that's it. That's it. Yeah, let's go with that 00:53:59.409 --> 00:54:06.949 one. So that's, yeah, there you go. Good. Okay, 00:54:07.269 --> 00:54:12.590 well you can check that out and check out Jim's 00:54:12.590 --> 00:54:18.670 website k5nd .net and Chris, thank you for sending 00:54:18.670 --> 00:54:22.329 in those questions. So we're going to finish 00:54:22.329 --> 00:54:26.630 this up here, Jim. So any final comments before 00:54:26.630 --> 00:54:32.170 we go? Turn your radio on and get on the air 00:54:32.170 --> 00:54:39.329 for these VHF contest January June July and September 00:54:39.329 --> 00:54:42.489 they can be a blast get your bring your friends 00:54:42.489 --> 00:54:48.150 along and and make it happen Yeah, I was going 00:54:48.150 --> 00:54:51.030 to mention earlier when you said that that we 00:54:51.030 --> 00:54:53.829 will guarantee that you will make more contacts 00:54:53.829 --> 00:54:57.340 if you turn the radio on Yeah, oh, you know Neil 00:54:57.340 --> 00:55:00.059 I have a quick quick story there and it's a guy 00:55:00.059 --> 00:55:05.320 that you know Gabe who does a lot of satellite 00:55:05.320 --> 00:55:08.579 or used to do a lot of satellite rover operations. 00:55:09.900 --> 00:55:13.699 But during one of the contests, Gabe was on Mount 00:55:13.699 --> 00:55:18.980 Scott in Oklahoma, working satellites. And I 00:55:18.980 --> 00:55:22.059 sent a tweet to him and I said, Gabe, point your 00:55:22.059 --> 00:55:25.000 antenna at me here in North Texas and let's work. 00:55:25.280 --> 00:55:28.559 And we worked two meters and 432. And I said, 00:55:28.699 --> 00:55:32.730 Gabe, turn your log in. And, and he, and if he 00:55:32.730 --> 00:55:35.429 did, I think he worked a couple of other guys, 00:55:35.469 --> 00:55:39.869 but he won the section for portable, uh, operation 00:55:39.869 --> 00:55:43.869 in the contest in Oklahoma. So get on the air. 00:55:43.869 --> 00:55:47.130 You can actually win in some of these categories. 00:55:48.070 --> 00:55:52.349 Yep. Absolutely. I know, uh, Val in V9L is always, 00:55:52.349 --> 00:55:55.449 uh, you know, uh, commenting on that as like, 00:55:55.449 --> 00:55:58.489 you know, enter, you may be the only one. So, 00:55:58.849 --> 00:56:04.500 uh, you can win. Exactly. All right, Jim. Well, 00:56:04.619 --> 00:56:07.599 thank you so much for being here, and I hope 00:56:07.599 --> 00:56:13.539 you're recovering from those 20 -degree temperatures 00:56:13.539 --> 00:56:19.079 down there in Texas that is a blast back to your 00:56:19.079 --> 00:56:24.559 past up north, and hope everything is going well, 00:56:24.559 --> 00:56:27.199 and we'll be talking with you again soon, I'm 00:56:27.199 --> 00:56:30.639 sure. Thank you very much Neil. It's been it's 00:56:30.639 --> 00:56:34.719 been a pleasure and We'll be saying seven three 00:56:34.719 --> 00:56:39.719 All right. Well, that is a wrap for this week's 00:56:39.719 --> 00:56:42.619 episode of ham talk live Thanks to my guest Jim 00:56:42.619 --> 00:56:46.559 Wilson k5 in and D and everybody in cyberspace 00:56:46.559 --> 00:56:49.739 for listening and calling in and typing in And 00:56:49.739 --> 00:56:52.280 I invite you back next Thursday night 9 p .m. 00:56:52.280 --> 00:56:57.360 Eastern time When Lou Maggio, NO2C, Sally Rosato, 00:56:57.519 --> 00:57:03.239 K2RYD and John Amadeo AA6JA will be here to talk 00:57:03.239 --> 00:57:08.000 about the last man standing QRT special event 00:57:08.000 --> 00:57:11.820 and I will be operating on that so hope to hear 00:57:11.820 --> 00:57:15.199 you all on that toward the end of the month and 00:57:15.199 --> 00:57:18.440 we'll be here next week to talk all about it 00:57:18.440 --> 00:57:20.579 and for a list of all of our upcoming guests 00:57:20.579 --> 00:57:24.239 visit HamTalkLive .com And if you like the show, 00:57:24.280 --> 00:57:27.519 please leave us a review on Apple podcasts or 00:57:27.519 --> 00:57:30.539 wherever you listen that helps others find us 00:57:30.539 --> 00:57:33.699 faster and want to congratulate our Winners, 00:57:33.699 --> 00:57:37.619 we had a contest in February from those Apple 00:57:37.619 --> 00:57:44.880 podcast reviews and Josh wv4o Jacob kg7 EQ in 00:57:44.880 --> 00:57:50.139 and Brian w7 jet are winners of ham talk live 00:57:50.519 --> 00:57:54.659 t -shirts for leaving a review so thank you all 00:57:54.659 --> 00:57:59.639 and and congratulations on winning those t -shirts 00:57:59.639 --> 00:58:03.380 and sent some emails a little while ago so check 00:58:03.380 --> 00:58:06.320 those send me your sizes and we'll get those 00:58:06.320 --> 00:58:09.980 sent out to you all right and also ham talk live 00:58:09.980 --> 00:58:12.300 wants you to know with your generous help and 00:58:12.300 --> 00:58:16.559 support ham talk live is now climbed to 70th 00:58:16.559 --> 00:58:20.619 most popular technology podcast in Guatemala, 00:58:22.000 --> 00:58:24.679 according to chartable .com. So you, the listener 00:58:24.679 --> 00:58:28.380 has made us what we are today. So thank you very 00:58:28.380 --> 00:58:32.460 much. And I actually didn't make that up. It's 00:58:32.460 --> 00:58:35.159 actually true. All right. So for now, this is 00:58:35.159 --> 00:58:40.519 Neil Rapp, WB9VPG saying 7375 and may the good 00:58:40.519 --> 00:58:43.840 DX be yours. Thank you.