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Portable 4 element 2m (145 MHz) DL6WU Yagi for SOTA weighing 460 grams (1 lb) Materials: 4 metre length of 3.1 mm aluminium rod 1 metre length of 27 mm water pipe 2 * plastic end caps 5 * 25 mm PPR plastic pipe clamps 3 metres of RG58CU Mil Spec Coax 2 brass terminal…
This morning I assembled a SOTABeams 4-Way 12 volt PowerPole connector box. This little beauty will form part of my SOTA kit. The SOTABeams kit includes all parts, plastic case and a lazer-cut front panel. Assembly time is approximately 30 minutes including time to make a mug of tea. Until now I have used a…
For the VK1 SOTA birthday event I activated Mt Stromlo VK1/AC-043 on 2m simplex 146.5 FM. Due to a previous commitment I hadn’t made any serious plans to activate multiple bands (HF and VHF), so I went with the option of a simple activation on 2m FM. I joined enthusiastic VK activators, Bill VK1FWBK at…
My ever-reliable ‘hasn’t missed a beat in 5 years’ SOTA workhorse is retiring in the next two weeks. 😦 With 106,000 km on the dial and 5 years of SOTA travels under the bonnet, it’s time to say farewell to the 2012 Skoda 4×4 2-litre diesel Yeti. Wow what a wonderful car the Skoda…
Summary of SOTA activity in VK by Radio Frequency Band for 2017 Below is an extract of the SOTA database report showing the 2017 Top 10 All Mode VK SOTA activator results by radio frequency band. Last year I published the 2016 results by the default report output ‘Activator Points’. Rather than focus on…
I’m enjoying the challenge of 23cm 1296 MHz homebrew antenna construction for SOTA purposes. My 23cm portable antenna collection includes: 12el DL6WU Yagi 12dB gain – lightweight boom construction using a folded dipole; 6el DL6WU Yagi 9 dB gain – ruggedised all brass construction gamma matched, ideal for the Australian scrub bash; and 2el HB9CV…
I placed a bulk order with Jon N0WL for his nifty 3D printed FT-817 PowerPole adpater. The bulk order was made for members of the VK1 SOTA group. Today, Wednesday 29 Nov 17 the parcel arrived from the US, 7 days after placing the order, that’s great service. 🙂 As most FT-817 owners know the…
VK1AD 23cm (1.296 GHz) 6el Yagi – Construction of a rugged solid brass DL6WU yagi ready for the SOTA backpack! My collection of 23cm SOTA antennas includes two DL6WU homebrew folded dipole yagis, 6 and 12 elements. While both antennas offer excellent gain, their lightweight design means they are limited to summits with limited scrub bashing,…
