As you've probably heard, the Quansheng UV-K5 is the hot new HT. And there is a good reason it is so popular. I've been having a lot of fun with mine, and I would highly recommend getting one. 2m FM is fun, and 2m SSB or CW is even funner. And if you choose the same firmware to load as I did (uvk5cec), it will transmit APRS and SSTV.
I made a video going over how mine is setup. Hopefully it helps if you have one. And I'm sure there'll be more videos coming with it in use. The CQ VHF contest is just a week away....
Hopefully someone or some other business will buy them. Hate to see them go.
For POTA contacts I'd just fix it.
In a contest that would be cheating.
Some clubs meet in person and on zoom simultaneously, does your local one? I'd get in contact with them anyway, someone might have a loaner rig you can use to get on the air and see what interests you the most.
Parks on the Air and Summits on the Air are popular an a lot of fun, but you'd need a radio first.
With some basic tools you could build your own radio from a kit.
My reading of the state park map is that the park is on the ocean side of route 1, so that'll eliminate going up any real hills. I'm not really familiar with that section of the coast, though.
It also sounds like you want an excuse to expand your antenna collection. Go for it! Antenna experimenting is fun. Set up two, and try some A/B testing, or use WSPR or RBN.
Its an interesting problem you've found. As a frequent SOTA op, its not one I encounter :D
To get NVIS just use your regular 40m antenna, but set it up closer to the ground. Depending on your mast height, it might be NVIS already.
What park is it? Maybe there's a spot off the beach you could operate from?
I'd get an SSB capable radio unless you're only interested in FSK modes.
I made and tested a couple of capacity hats for my loaded whip antenna to see how they'd do in the real world. Could you use one instead of paying Elecraft for their 40m coil? Maybe. Could you get on 30m and 40m with your KH1 whip? Might be a stretch... https://youtu.be/uYH9yit8jEo
A j-pole is a half-wavelength vertical with a quarter-wavelength matching section on the bottom.
It turns out that the 70cm band is about 3x the frequency of the 2m band (150MHz * 3 = 450MHz, close enough to each band). So the 2m the long leg of the j-pole is 3/4 wavelength (1/2 + 1/4 matching section), and on 70cm the long leg is 2.25 wavelength (3/2 + 3/4 matching). Both are an odd number of quarter waves, as we expect. The ham who made that briefing probably discovered in their testing that the matching stub wasn't good for both bands, so they added a second one for 70cm.
This is not a novel design, Arrow Antennas has been selling one like it for years (https://www.arrowantennas.com/osj/j-pole.html)
I'm excited to see the new digital modes people bring to ham radio, or invent.
It's pretty easy to create it if you want it. I've made a few communities 🤷♂️
Do you really want to run JS8call? JS8Call and the Fundamental Problem with EmComm in Amateur Radio: Why I stopped using JS8 and why I think you should too.
The first weekend of the ARRL 10GHz and Up Contest starts tomorrow (August 19) at 0600 local. https://contests.arrl.org/10g/ There will be plenty of activity in California, and probably other regions. It's a fun contest, and everyone should get on the band!
I'll be on a SOTA summit (W6/NC-151) on Saturday, not sure if I'll be able to get out on Sunday.
The ARRL 222MHz and up contest is this weekend: http://www.arrl.org/222-mhz-and-up-distance-contest
I'm planning to get on from a summit with the lower four bands. Probably won't be as much activity as the regular VHF contest, but should be fun
MRHS (the group running KPH) has a newsletter you can sign up for. Check out https://www.radiomarine.org/
The KPH coastal station near San Francisco sent a special message this weekend. It was encrypted with an Enigma machine and sent for everyone to try and decode. If you missed it, and want to try I posted a video of it: https://youtu.be/IgbggcpxrC0
Have fun!
If you missed the broadcast, I got a recording: https://youtu.be/IgbggcpxrC0 The CW ends ~4:22 and I decode it after that, so stop there if you want to do it yourself.
If you're just looking to build stuff, there are plenty of circuits to find on the web.
And +1 on building being more fun than operating!
What do you want to do? Just build anything?
The CQ VHF contest starts soon. Sadly, I'm not able to get on the air, but if you have 6&2 meters you should give it a try. https://cqww-vhf.com/
Diz W8DIZ has retired from running kitsandparts.com, and KU4QO had taken over.
Good news if you need toroids and other small parts. And the 5watter is a great radio if you need a kit.
Finished cutting together some clips from my 10MHz reference box construction: https://youtu.be/aVKIIHGPXMA
I was inspired to copy W1GHZ's power meter from April QST (pg 52). Seemed like it would be nice to know if my 10GHz rig (or any of them!) was putting out power. Got some bargraph boards from him, the rest of the parts from the internet, and finally built it today.
I had a bit of trouble cutting a square hole with only a hand drill, but I can see the bars. (If anyone likes designing and printing cases, let me know!)
Turns out I don't have any 9v batteries, so testing will have to wait until I go to the store. I don't expect to have any problems though, since the bargraph circuit is pretty simple, and the AD8317 board had everyone on it already.
What's your best VHF DX?
For me, I've gotten QSOs 280km on both 2m FM and 1296 SSB.
On 10GHz my best so far is 213km, SSB.
All those contacts were from mountain tops, mostly to people on other mountains or ridges.
I make videos of my SOTA activations, but I still write trip reports for the summits for people who like to read.
For some reason (probably price!) the pixie is considered a good beginners kit. I would disagree. It is small and simple to the point of being practically useless. Get a Forty 9er instead. For a few bucks more you will have a decent radio when you're done.
But since it is popular, I made a few videos trying to explain how it works: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLxpKweJs4V-1uTGK2TqhsQXCAd6eJtPhp
I think the way the designer was able to use a single transistor as both a mixer and power amplifier is pretty clever. Maybe some day I'll think of something that neat :D
