WRYZ926

A lot of guys in my local club like to brag about how they saved money by purchasing Baofeng hand held radios. I have one guy that likes to call cheap chines radios "Hop Sing Specials' I always give him trouble when he makes a comment on how well my radios work/sound by telling him that I'm using a Hop Sing Special.

The ID10T's on 7.200 MHz is a prime example. I jokingly call 7.200 the official tune up frequency for the 40m band. Same here when I was in the Army from 1989 to 1996. having a CB in your POV came in handy when traveling. I stopped using CB around 2007-2008 when it went to hell and was full of cussing and crude conversations. I didn't want my kids to hear any of that. The import radios are way too easy to open up no matter if they are sold as a CB radio or an amateur radio. The XIegu G90 actually has a screen printed arrow on the main board pointing at the diode that needs to be removed to open the radio to transmit outside of the amateur HF bands. Even Yaesu HF radios are easy to mod, all you have to do is remove the top cover and then solder bridge two pads.

For me, it's nice to have as many different means of communication available. I ended up getting my GMRS license while waiting for my amateur license. Yes my VE snail mailed everything so it took 3 weeks to get my call sign. We had a few old timers in our club say no to putting up a GMRS repeater as they said it would be just as bad as CB. When a few of us decided that it was better to ask for forgiveness than to ask for permission. We setup a GMRS repeater and then tested it for about a month or two before telling the club what we did. And most of the naysayers ended up getting their GMRS licenses shortly after that. We don't do anything like Sky Warn nets on the GMRS repeater. But I have had guys with GMRS licenses only get a hold of me during our 2m Sky Warn nets so that I could pass on reports of storm damage to net control for them. Most of us with both licenses will monitor GMRS during bad weather/emergencies when we active a Sky Warn net. We also installed a GMRS radio in our EMCOM trailer to go along with the 2 dual band radios, 2 HF radios, and Public Safety radio. There is nothing wrong with having both licenses and it could be veery useful in an actual emergency. PS: There will always be sad hams and grumpy GMRS users that don't like each other. I have learned to ignore both.

I've heard good things about the XIegu keys. Like any brand, they will need some adjustments to suit you.

The extra $15 for the HF-009 is worth it. Radioddity has their bundle price of $149 https://www.radioddity.com/products/radioddity-hf-009

One thing to remember with the JPC12 and other antennas that use the same design for the coil is to make sure that it is only touching one coil at a time. It is easy to accidentally get it to touch two coils. I'm not saying that is what caused your problems, just that it is something to pay attention to. Hopefully the new antenna works for you. That is part of the reason I went with the REZ Recon as the coil is only used for the 40 meter band. It has an ON/OFF switch on the coil. To use 40 meters, you move the switch to ON and then adjust the whip. The coil switch is set to OFF and you make adjustments to the whip for 6 Meters through 20 meters. I like to keep things simple even if it costs a little more.

That's always a good feeling. One of my favorite 10m SSB contacts was to Ireland during a 10m contest using my 20 watt G90 and my home made 10m dipole. I couldn't bust through a pileup at 20 watts but it wa good enough to make the QSO.

We are having a heat wave today. It's currently 12 degrees with a predicted high temp of 17 for today. Thats a heat wave compared to highs around 1 to 4 degrees over the last couple of days. We will get above freezing on Wednesday but the temps will be back into the teens this weekend. We got around 6 inches of snow over the weekend. I won't even think about doing any POTA activations for a few months.

A few notes on 1/4 wave vertical telescoping whip antennas that use a coil for the different bands. An antenna with a 17 foot telescoping whip does not need a coil for the 20m band and higher. A coil is only needed for 30 meters and lower. If the antenna has a center loading coil then it must be used even for the higher HF bands. A 1/4 wave antenna with the coil in the middle, like the HF-009, will be more efficient that a base loading coil. An elevated 1/4 wave antenna with elevated radials must have the whip and radials tuned for each band. It is way easier to adjust/tune a telescoping 1/4 wave with an antenna analyzer, NanoVNA, or a radio with a good SWR sweep function. Having one of these will save time and headaches. This type of antenna is fast and generally easy to set up for portable use but are not the greatest for permanent installations since you have to adjust them for each band. The Radioddity HF-009 is well built and gets good reviews. You won't go wrong with getting one, especially when there is a bundle special. If you want to step up for a better quality antenna then look into the REZ antennas brand. They have the Ranger 80, Recon 40 and Scout. The Ranger covers 6-18 meters, the Recon covers 6-40 meters, and the Scout covers 6-20 meters. You can mix and match the coils/bases along with either their ground spike or small tripod. REZ also makes a delta loop kit that works well with the Scout base. The Scout can also be using as a dipole with two telescoping white or wires. The REZ system will get expensive if you buy everything. I bought the Recon 40 and Scout a part at a time so that I didn't put a big dent in the wallet. I would have considered the Radioddity HF-009 if it was available at the time I bought the REZ antenna.

Yes using an elevated 1/3 wave is the new hotness in the last year. The first guy to do it sells his own elevated 1/4 wave antenna called the POTA Performer. The only downside to using an elevate 1/4 wave antenna is the fact that you do have to tune the radials too. And they are directional if you only use two radials. Using a 1/4 wave antenna on a large roof such as a SUV or van is like using window screen or faraday cloth sheets as the ground radials. They will work better than using just a few ground radial wires. Using more ground radials will also help with a ground mounted 1/4 wave antenna. 24 radials works well for me. It was hard to pass up the Radioddity HF-008 bundle for $99. I bought one too. The downsides to the triple magnet mount is the rubber covers are paper thin and there is no easy way to change out the SO239 connector. But it was hard to pass up for the price. The antenna works well once it is tuned for the portion of each band you want to use. But it is extremely narrow banded on the lower HF bands. Thats the nature of the beast with these types of antennas. I bought the HF-008 to use on my 201 F-150 but I am getting way too much electrical noise from the injectors to use a HF radio on any band while the engine is running. I've talked to mechanics and other amateur radio operators and there is not much I can do other than turn the engine off when I want to use the HF bands. I'm glad that I could point you in the right direction to find the PL-259 to 3/8" adapter and that it is working well for you. It is always good to have options. I plan on getting a SO-239 to NMO adapter for my mag mount. If you haven't noticed, you can take the very bottom portion of the HF-008 antenna off and use it with standard 3/8" female mounts.

The reason you don't need to use radials is the fact that your vehicle's roof is acting as the ground plane/ A SUV or van roof will work much better than a single cab truck roof. If setting up an elevated 1/4 wave vertical as described in the KB9VBR video you linked above, then one absolutely needs to tune the elevated radials.

Yes elevating a 1/4 wave antenna has its advantages and it will work better. The down side is that you absolutely need to tune not only the whip but you also need to tune the elevated radials also. Yes that is one advantage to using a 1/4 wave telescoping whip antenna, They are generally quicker to setup. I find that a bunch of shorter ground radials work better than 3-4 long radials. Plus the shorter ones are easier to deploy and pack away when done.

@Northcutt114 you made the right decision to send the antenna back after all of your testing. I only suggested double checking things incase there was a change in ground conditions that would throw off the antenna resonant point. And yes if the whip length is off by a few inches, the G90 should still tune it.

I have to agree with Steve. adjust and check the antenna across 10m through 20m to see what each band is like. It also possible that you need to adjust the length of the whip to get a better match on each band. Ground conditions are going to change depending on the location and can also change depending on the soil moisture content. That is why I only will use my measurements as a guide to get the whip adjusted close to where I want it resonate at . I then always check it with my analyzer and adjust as needed.

Most clubs that were planning on participating have canceled due to the weather. Current temps are 1 degree and it's suppose to snow all day and night here in Missouri. For those venturing out today, stay safe and warm.

Steve is spot on. Anytime you use a coil, the antenna will be narrow banded. Same goes for multi band antennas that use traps (inclosed non adjustable coils). These type of antennas with adjustable coils will be more narrow banded as the frequencies get lower. IE they will be more narrow on 20m - 40m compare to 10m - 12m. Now for radials. The HF-009 only comes with 3 radials and the base only has 3 holes for the 3mm banana plugs. The more ground radials you have the more efficient, and easier to tune, the antenna will be, My suggestion would be to get some 3mm banana plugs and some 18 gauge silicon wire to make Y splitters. That way you can add more ground radials. I did the same for my REZ Recon antenna and it does improve the performance of the antenna. Radial length doesn't really matter when it comes to ground radials. If you decide to elevate the antenna and radials then you will have to cut/tune the radials for the bands you are using. I will echo what Steve said about needing an antenna analyzer, NanaVNA, or a radio with a good SWR sweep function when using a telescoping whip antenna. You can't go strictly by measurements of the whip as it will change depending on location and soil conditions. This is a must when using these antennas. The Radioddity HF-009 does seem to be a poplar portable antenna that works well. I would not hesitate to get one if I did not already have the REZ antenna system.

A dipole, loop, or EFHW hung close to the ground will work good for NVIS which is what you want for close in stations on HF. @TNFrank your dipole hung as a horizontal flat top at 6-8 feet should work fine for NVIS. Then you can get it up 16 feet or higher to work the far away stations. My friend that lives in town always tries to work me when I do a POTA activation. I activated a park 20 miles away for the last couple of activations using a 1/4 wave vertical. My signal was skipping right over top of my friend. He could not hear me at all but was hearing every station that was working me.

I haven't heard of anyone having an issue with the remote cable either. Though that issue does not surprise me as the cable is probably not shielded. I've never used my G90's with the head units removed so I have not noticed your issue. It does make me want to try in the shack and portable to see if I notice any noise. It's a bit cold to go outside for the next few days. It's currently a balmy 4 degrees here in the state of Misery.

I installed to shelf brackets on the side of my house and set the cookie sheet on them. I did hold the cookie sheet to the shelf brackets with some calking and that held up just fine. The antenna was a bit directional since it was right up against the side of my house, otherwise it worked well for me.

Either you have a defective remote cable or you are getting RF into the radio through that cable. Try again with a ferrite bead on each end of the remote cable.

Even 20m and 40m bands are bad this morning.

Sometimes walking away for a bit then going back to trouble shoot is best. And it could be the remote cable for the G90 that is letting RFI in. I say that since you said you reconnected the head to the main unit and didn't have any RFI issues. If you decide to run it with the head separated then try putting a ferrite bead on each end of the remote cable.

Yes location definitely plays a part.

Yes 10, 12, 15, and 17 meter bands were pretty dead all day.

I would not wrap a battery with faraday cloth. It would be too easy to short the battery out. Is there a way you can add a sheet metal shield to your box? Something that will block the battery and not short it out? Have you put ferrite beads on the radio's power leads? Xiegu states in the G90 manual to do so. They suggest a toroid near the radio end of the power wires. I get it that you want to keep everything in the box as most of us do. But sometimes you have to make compromises.