Thanks to Col at DX World for the image and to Bernie at the Daily DX - and to both of them for publicizing this holiday style operation that will begin in October.
I'd like to emphasize that this is a vacation, not a DXpedition. All radio ops will be a bit on the spur-of-the-moment but I will be able to pre-announce them on my blog and the POTA website a couple hours beforehand.
A few folks have asked about what I'm using on the road, particularly in regard to the antenna and how it is mounted.
I'm currently taking a day off the ride to wait out the heavy rains due here in central Arkansas which gave me time to put a short video together.
Back on the sure-to-be-muddy Trail tomorrow.
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I've now gone through six charge/discharge cycles of my KX2's internal battery using the new KXUSBC2 to charge it and I've used different sources and USB-C cables for each charge.
Regardless of the charging voltage used, the KX2 battery gets a complete charge, whether the charging source was 5V or 15V.
13 May: Updated info, including notes from its designer, Manuel HB9DQM.
I received my KXUSBC2 in the mail today and wasted no time installing it into my KX2.
No soldering or de-soldering was required. Other KX2's may or may not require a small amount of soldering, depending on when the it was manufactured.
Those contemplating the addition of the USB-C charger to their KX2 should read the instructions here.
If you're replacing Elecraft's built-in charger, the KXUSBC2 retains Real-Time Clock functionality.
The manual for the KX2's internal battery charger (KXIBC2) allows for a variety of input voltages, up to a maximum of 15V, to be used to charge the radio's 2.6AH lithium battery. The manual also mentions that lower voltages (down to 11V) can also be used although the battery will not be fully charged at these voltages.
I was curious to see how a lower charging voltage - ie, a partial charge - would correspond to capacity.
My main interests were:
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With the QMX+ being a kit, any published value of MDS would have to be a range of fluid values since receiver characteristics will depend, not only on component tolerance deviations, but of builder's methods in soldering and the winding of toroids & transformers.
I decided to compare my QMX+ receiver sensitivity with the KX2 and FT-891, using a TinySA Ultra and appropriate attenuation.
As can be seen in the video below, the QMX+ does quite well.
After the video, I "measured" (by ear) the point at which a signal becomes too weak to copy on the other bands. The CP1 directional coupler does not cover 6 meters but I measured -113 dBm on that band, which is probably inaccurate. I will sweep the coupler on 6m with my VNA and post a corrected value soon.
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The mic was initially offered by Dave M0JKS as a kit but they now are sold completely built.
I ordered one the next day.
A search of the mythical Ideal QRP Travel Rig For Vibration-Rich Environments has me, once again, pondering what's out there and coming to the same old conclusion:
That the Elecraft KX2 - manyyears (yes, one word) after its introduction - still has no peer. Eight years old now - a virtual eternity.
Like others, I watch the YouTube infomercials of the latest offerings, hoping to find my unicorn. But lately, rather than compelling me to open my wallet, they reaffirm the value of the radio released back in 2016.
Here's where I'm coming from vs. what's out there - a bit of a backstory (please bear with me):
Nine years ago, I rode most of the off-road motorcycle trail known as the TAT that stretched (at the time - it's longer now) from Tennessee to Oregon, on a single-cylinder Suzuki DR650. Single-cylinder bikes are often called "thumpers" for good reason. I made it to Utah before the obligations of still being employed called me home. That fact bugs me like you have no idea. I almost finished - but didn't.
I had two radios with me: an MTR-3 and an Elecraft KX2. Both performed admirably and survived single-cylinder vibration and the bike being dropped three times on Colorado's Ophir Pass.
I am amazed at the stunning scenery of Iceland - the trip was bucket-list incredible.
The video below is about 2/3 drone video (followed by 1/3 radio) of the places we saw as we drove around the country.
In all, we put 950 miles (1500km) on the car and I activated 4 parks. Each park was a first-activation for that park. I had no trouble making contacts but my time at each park was limited. The KX2 at ten watts into a roof-mounted vertical worked well and was portable enough to travel with easily.
Today's activation of IS-0092 Blábjörg Natural Monument was a lesson in Exceeded Expectations 101. Just when you think you can predict certain aspects of this radio stuff, the unexpected happens.
The park is located near the small town of Djúpivogur on Iceland's eastern coast. It's pretty much a straight shot into parts of Europe but many mountains block the path to the US...or so I thought.
I called CQ POTA on 15, 17 and 20 meters and worked both continents on all bands.
Many US stations were quite strong and I worked a number of familiar calls. The QRN that I worried about was non-existent - the bands are quite, propagation over salt water works like a charm and my 10 watts was doing the trick.
Tuesday mornings can offer slow POTA activity but I was pleased with the results anyway from a peaceful little park about half an hour from home.
The weather was perfect and this project served as the perfect excuse to be outside.
In the following video, I made 10 contacts in 20 minutes. Those 10 contacts included 7 DXCC entities - all with a short whip antenna and a single ground radial.
When the bands are hot, amazing things are possible. Earlier this week I was able to work 4W8X on 10m CW from home with the KX2.
This weekend I'll be building a short coil to supplement the CB whip's internal coil with the idea of using the whip on 17/20 meters.
Various online calculators say I'll need 30 turns on a 1-inch form.
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