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Hi All
I made it onto 40m for the 1900 session using my QCX 40 driving my Juma PA100-D amp and running about 50 watts into an efhw.  There seemed to be a pile-up around 7024 to 7032 but I couldn't tell who they were calling.  I spotted Luc and Hans but could not hear them.  I called CQ on a few clear frequencies but only had two responses, neither running a QCX but it was nice to get a couple of contacts in.  I enjoyed the session but I think I prefer the purity of a QCX running barefoot.

73
Peter, GM0EUL
 

On Mon, Nov 16, 2020 at 02:47 PM, ajparent1/KB1GMX wrote:

For laughs I built a QRP power level wide band transformer using FT68-61
for about 1:49, in a very tiny plastic box with BNC and thumbscrew to attach
the wire.  That  added to 10ft of RG316 with BNC, and two pieces of wire
for 20 with knife disconnects for adding length for 40.  Plus a two coils of
0.050 paracord about 50ft each.  All in a small pouch that can hang from
a belt or velcro to the back of the FT817 the Mic is in a similar pouch
velcroed to the radio. all up weight is maybe 6 ounces, maybe less.  A
pocket sized 5AH lipo and its a portable radio system.  QCX and key plus
battery would be lighter.

Allison,
This is quite interesting. Did you build this for portable? Any chance of a quick sketch? I'd like to try it.
Michael

I made few portable mini dipole and w3dzz for portable use

Interesting and added effort.

Consider this you have a QCX and battery plus key aaand all the usual
stuff in you pack for a day maybe over night in the field, maybe a mountain.

What does you antenna have to be:

Small, light, and easy to set up minimal coax (or any feedline) needed
and matched the band of the radio.  And if all of the antenna, matching
unit, coax and some cord to hang it fit in an altoids tin that would be handy.

Allison
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Please reply on list so we can share.
No private email, it goes to a bit bucket due address harvesting

There are at least 3 or more vendors making that style of antenna these days.
Generally for field use 10 is like 6M right now, line of sight use mostly.

The big two is 40 and 20, and that is fairly easy.  30M is popular for data
and CW so for some that has appeal.

The wide band transformer with either a linked wires or several cut to band
wires is light and easy.  Traps do not work for voltage fed antennas (EFHW)
unless you get lucky and put them at a high current location.  Then you will
go nuts getting the lengths right.  Stubs and chokes are generally used.

At home the ideas are different.  My PAR/LNR EF-quad at 66ft long 
and larger box for a 100W transformer makes sense there.

For laughs I built a QRP power level wide band transformer using FT68-61
for about 1:49, in a very tiny plastic box with BNC and thumbscrew to attach
the wire.  That  added to 10ft of RG316 with BNC, and two pieces of wire
for 20 with knife disconnects for adding length for 40.  Plus a two coils of
0.050 paracord about 50ft each.  All in a small pouch that can hang from
a belt or velcro to the back of the FT817 the Mic is in a similar pouch
velcroed to the radio. all up weight is maybe 6 ounces, maybe less.  A
pocket sized 5AH lipo and its a portable radio system.  QCX and key plus
battery would be lighter.

IF you making it the various recipes are well known and some work
better than others.  Built is for the application as its easy to make
a bigger or smaller one.  One note the differnce between a big airdux coil
and a wideband ferrite transformer is near impossible to determine from
communications distances.  The losses can be measured but rarely is
it enough to make a difference.  The overall height of the wire however
does makea differnce.

The thing to keep in mind is all that makes little sense if the location is a hike
to it and high with a small QRP monoband CW radio and a tiny battery!

IT was never clear is the users application save for monoband.

Allison
-------------------------------
Please reply on list so we can share.
No private email, it goes to a bit bucket due address harvesting

Sorry, Paul, its already been sold, Carl, N6TVN.

On Mon, Nov 16, 2020 at 08:33 AM, VE3VXO wrote:

If you don't want the hassle of the up/dn-up/dn dealing with the links, then the autotransformer matching works well with traps also.  I built one for 20/30/40 and it was fairly painless.  More bands can be a pruning nightmare though.

I thought about it, but with this one I went with simplicity and 0dB insertion loss. 

I have 500m of SOTAbeams antenna wire waiting to be picked up at my Amazon Hub, so I'm sure this won't be my last foray into ultralight trail-friendly (SOTA) antenna building.  :)

SOTAbeams and QRPGuys sells trap kits.  Price varies depending on how much power you want them to handle.

I thought about this, but I went the simple route and did a 20/30/40 linked EFHW.  0dB insertion loss from traps.  It takes me about 30 seconds to change bands.  When you're running QRP, every little fraction of a dB helps.

I may still do a trapped dipole for QRO POTA ops.

End Fed half wave of the multiband flavor, my favorite is the PAR EF40/20/10.

Just in case anyone tries to look for the PAR EF40/20/10 antenna, they were sold to LNR Precision in 2010, who in turn sold them to Vibroplex in 2019. So you can now find them at http://www.vibroplex.com/contents/en-us/d9175.html 

73 Ian

If you still have it, I'll take it.

Thanks so much Hans!
But there is no hurry, so please don't spend too much time on it, and certainly not before those QCX Mini's are out of the door ... hi.
Luc ON7DQ

My 19:00Z report.

Not so much luck this time. 
I called CQ for a long time with QCX + amplifier at 50W output. NIL replies. 
I had seen Hans being spotted on 7026, so I switched to his QRG several times and could hear him every time, but could not get his attention.
My sigs seemed to go everywhere on the planet ... but not to Turkey ! (see  RBN map)
So halfway the hour, I switched to S&P and could catch 4 stations, but none were using a QCX.

To SOTA friend Colin M1BUU, don't despair, I have been QRV for a full hour in the past , gettting NIL (that is: ZERO) QSO's ... hi.
But it's always good keying practice I say ...

For those interested, all qso's today were made using my "One Piece Plastic Cootie" key ... see a short video here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4l2wlfOsd6s
It's made from the lid of a CD box, some pieces of self-adhesive copper foil, and a 3.5mm connector. I can't think of anything cheaper, and it keys very lightly, no fatigue at all, even after long sessions.

73,
Luc ON7DQ

Gosh, I feel utterly rubbish by my results!

I ordered a QCX -30 a couple of years ago and I didn't really warm to the rig if I'm brutally honest. I'm a SOTA activator and over the past couple of years activations have been harder work due to the lack of solar activity. I've been looking at amplifiers for a while but none of the kits available seemed suitable for me, then I saw the QCX amplifier kit and it's exactly what I've been looking for.

The  QCX amplifier needed a QCX to drive it, I didn't fancy hacking my beloved MTRs to provide the necessary PTT signal, so I took my QCX-30 out of storage and spent some time bringing it up to date and swapping the band to 20m. I updated to firmware 1.05 and did the circuit modifications including picking off the PTT signal. I obtained a cheap extruded aluminium case via Ebay and I've boxed the QCX.

I completed the QCX plus Amp system in time for the Transatlantic SOTA party and I was extremely impressed by the performance. I made 97 QSOs and there was still some life left in the 3Ah lipo after 2 hours of operating. 22 of my QSOs were transatlantic.

I saw Hans' email this morning about the QCX QRO party so I thought it would be fun to put up a dipole at home and get on the air. I strung up a 20m dipole from the house to the garden wall, around 6m above the ground.

I spent the morning charging my batteries and made it on air just after 1300 UTC. After a couple of CQs, I tired of the keying so I programmed a keyer memory! I was on the air until just after 1400utc. I saw that I was getting reasonable hits on the RBN but it took a while until I was called by IV3ZJJ. I'm used to the KD1JV keyer timing and with the QCX I did a fine job of mangling Angelo's call sign! Unfortunately I lost Angelo to QSB mid QSO. I continued with the auto CQ until I was called by Luc, ON7DQ at 1355utc. It took a couple of overs to exchange full details due to QSB but we did complete the QSO. I was again fighting with the keyer, I'm just hopeless unless I'm using an MTR!

So just one full QSO for me with the QCX and QCX amplifier in an hour of operating :-(

73, Colin

Attached please find two vidios that I found helpful for making a 1/2 wave end fed antenna so an  extra tuner is not required. 

Hope you like it.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s-_LyhdGapM
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-qfCQTZSIus
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KE4LJH
Steve, 
Florida

Not so much activity but the signals were a lot stronger! I used my QCX+ and QRP Labs 50w amp into a 3 element triband yagi at 10m. 14.055+/-

QRV from 1300-1400z

TA4/G0UPL...great to work you at last Hans...569

M3PMG Dave in Hull barefoot QCX at 4w into a long wire just a few feet above ground..remarkably 549 in Exeter

RN6LJU  Victor running 100w into a delta loop...came back to my CQ 599  

IZ3PZI   Giuliano came back to my CQ 599

DL9GRA Reiner, Barth on the Baltic 80w to a mag loop 599

HS2XH Waikoon, came back to my CQ...took me by surprise!

G4CZB 339/ESP right at the end.

Good! lets do it next month.

73 Steve G4EDG

Hi, have QCX+ 20 meter kit for sale. Never opened the package and have decided not to build this one. No enclosure. Asking $45. incl shpg Conus. Reply by email. Carl, N6TVN.

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