Not sure how many people caught HRCC's after chat live stream, but he talks about trying a One pound POTA Pack challenge he starts talking about it at the 1:59:58 timestamp here:
https://www.youtube.com/live/2lRpOsjU-H ... v15819OQ_E
I know there are some 1lb packs out there. DL2MAN shows off his tiny tiny setup starting at timestamp 1:54 in this video and he does cw and SSB QSOs on that outing:
https://youtu.be/VVN6xxu69zg?si=lXBBqJR3ItC4Md3C
As Josh points out in the HRCC live stream the trusdx is probably the best option for going super light and still being able to get CW, SSB, and Data QSOs on one activation.
I am curious what other ultra light setups are out there. Also what are other thoughts on the challenge?
One Pound POTA Pack challenge
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QuantumRadio
- Posts: 19
- Joined: 08 Aug 2023, 01:40
Re: One Pound POTA Pack challenge
Hello,
Glad to hear about POTA using the (tr)uSDX. It's a fine radio for QRP ops on CW which is what I use now a days. So this is my current POTA kit. Also, I made this YouTube video of a recent POTA activation in a state park here in East Texas. I use the DX Commander Expedition pole so I don't have to put up my wire antenna on a tree. Just a personal preference.
https://youtu.be/TZbISS7UjbY?si=ug4WZ9g04vcKUUJr
Have a great one and POTA on!
73,
Stephen
Glad to hear about POTA using the (tr)uSDX. It's a fine radio for QRP ops on CW which is what I use now a days. So this is my current POTA kit. Also, I made this YouTube video of a recent POTA activation in a state park here in East Texas. I use the DX Commander Expedition pole so I don't have to put up my wire antenna on a tree. Just a personal preference.
https://youtu.be/TZbISS7UjbY?si=ug4WZ9g04vcKUUJr
Have a great one and POTA on!
73,
Stephen
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Nehem11e
- Posts: 20
- Joined: 04 Sep 2023, 16:12
Re: One Pound POTA Pack challenge
Being not dependent on trees is a good thing in situations where there are no trees, or attaching to the trees may ruffle some feathers.
I like your setup up and I am trying to work on my CW so you got yourself another sub!
If you could pull/exclude something from your kit what would it be? As I eluded to I am just learning CW and have been using the Trusdx to practice with its decoder and in practice mode with the internal PTT button as a simple key. Do you think a separate key is critical?
Abe
I like your setup up and I am trying to work on my CW so you got yourself another sub!
If you could pull/exclude something from your kit what would it be? As I eluded to I am just learning CW and have been using the Trusdx to practice with its decoder and in practice mode with the internal PTT button as a simple key. Do you think a separate key is critical?
Abe
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QuantumRadio
- Posts: 19
- Joined: 08 Aug 2023, 01:40
Re: One Pound POTA Pack challenge
Abe,
I'd say the headphones in my setup are bulky so maybe some earbuds would work better. In my case, I like headphones so I included them. The other item that would help save space/weight is the battery pack. In earlier versions of my pack I had two 3x18650 battery caddies glued back to back w/the black & red leads crimped in parallel into Anderson powerpoles. In the latest version of the pack I trimmed that down to one 3x18650 battery caddy. It has worked well for my activations since I usually activate a park in CW for about an hour.
Having said that, I've gone through 3 successive POTA activations each about an hour long without having to recharge my trimmed down battery pack (one caddy with 3x18650 batteries).
The other place to trim down space would be the DX Commander expedition pole. However, I really like not having to mess with lobbing weights over branches. That is if branches are available which is not the case in West Texas, the Gulf coast, and many other places. So just propping up the pole w/the wire attached at the end in one go is my preferred method. Once & done.
Lastly, the Iambic paddle is not critical but it's the same one I use in my LICW practice sessions so I am really used to it. I believe that in a crunch the built in keyer of the (tr)uSDX would work fine as a straight key, but again, personal preference on my part is to use the paddle.
Best of luck in your CW journey and your POTA work!
73,
Stephen (W2WF)
I'd say the headphones in my setup are bulky so maybe some earbuds would work better. In my case, I like headphones so I included them. The other item that would help save space/weight is the battery pack. In earlier versions of my pack I had two 3x18650 battery caddies glued back to back w/the black & red leads crimped in parallel into Anderson powerpoles. In the latest version of the pack I trimmed that down to one 3x18650 battery caddy. It has worked well for my activations since I usually activate a park in CW for about an hour.
Having said that, I've gone through 3 successive POTA activations each about an hour long without having to recharge my trimmed down battery pack (one caddy with 3x18650 batteries).
The other place to trim down space would be the DX Commander expedition pole. However, I really like not having to mess with lobbing weights over branches. That is if branches are available which is not the case in West Texas, the Gulf coast, and many other places. So just propping up the pole w/the wire attached at the end in one go is my preferred method. Once & done.
Lastly, the Iambic paddle is not critical but it's the same one I use in my LICW practice sessions so I am really used to it. I believe that in a crunch the built in keyer of the (tr)uSDX would work fine as a straight key, but again, personal preference on my part is to use the paddle.
Best of luck in your CW journey and your POTA work!
73,
Stephen (W2WF)
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