[TenTec] SOTA RADIO: charge your batteries by hiking tothe summit?

[Jack Emerson]

Hey Rick,

I use different antennas depending on where I am going.
The LNR end fed antennas work well, esp on 40 and 20 where most sota 
activity seems to be.
N4EXA at my antennas.com has made me a couple really nice higher power end 
fed wires that cover 80 and 160, and several of us had a blast last autumn 
doing a nighttime activation on the low bands from Pt Lookout, VA using the 
kx-3 with the little amp and the 160/80 N4EXA end fed wire.

For wind swept summits with no trees, I use a buddipole. I prefer the end 
fed wires, but if you have nothing to hang it from, I'll take the buddipole 
and use that.
Last summer, NW4N and I activated Buck Mtn VA, and it is mostly windswept, 
and the buddipole was our antenna of choice for that activation.

All this sota talk is getting me restless to get back out there.

73 de Jack W4TJE

-----Original Message----- 
From: rick at dj0ip.de
Sent: Saturday, March 19, 2016 3:40 AM
To: 'Discussion of Ten-Tec Equipment'
Subject: Re: [TenTec] SOTA RADIO: charge your batteries by hiking tothe 
summit?

What antenna are you using?
I have never had any problem working lots of stations with QRP.
You just have to get your wire a bit higher!

73 - Rick, DJ0IP
(Nr. Frankfurt, Germany)



-----Original Message-----
From: TenTec [mailto:tentec-bounces at contesting.com] On Behalf Of Jack
Emerson
Sent: Saturday, March 19, 2016 12:10 AM
To: wb5jnc at centurytel.net; Discussion of Ten-Tec Equipment
Subject: Re: [TenTec] SOTA RADIO: charge your batteries by hiking to the
summit?

I've been busy with work this week and haven't had time for my 2 cents worth
on sota/radios/etc.
But generally speaking, anything N1EU says on the subject I would take as
gud as gold.
I was pulled kicking and screaming into sota 3 years or so ago, tnx to N4LA,
and now am really into it.
The gear I take has evolved to where I now usually use a kx-3 with the 100
watt amp that goes with it, and more often than not, I carry 2 of the little
batteries with me. Running the amp at around 50 watts, I can get about 4
hours of use from the 2 batteries.
For my paddle, I use the GHD mini paddle sold by Morse Express.
I use an amp because I grew tired of hiking to the top of some mountain and
only working a handful of stations.

As for the hiking, last summer I did maybe 10 activations, and had to hike
in to most of them. Some of the hikes were very long and tiring. Over the
course of last summer, I lost 45 pounds. Now I was doing other things to
lose weight in addition to the sota hikes, but those hikes played a big role
in my weight loss.

With Spring right on the cusp, I would urge anyone who is thinking about it
to give sota a try. If I can get hooked on it, anyone can. In my case,
before I tried it, I would beg off, saying that sota combined 2 of my least
favorite activities, qrp and foot marches. But one sota activation was all
it took to make me a believer. I'm still not into qrp, as evident by the
little amp and extra battery that I now carry with me, but it is an
extremely fun and challenging activity that will burn a few pounds off as
well.

73 de Jack W4TJE
Fancy Gap, VA

-----Original Message-----
From: Al Gulseth
Sent: Friday, March 18, 2016 6:49 PM
To: Discussion of Ten-Tec Equipment
Subject: [TenTec] SOTA RADIO: charge your batteries by hiking to the summit?

<snip> All that walking you're doing to meet your daily step-count goal
could soon start paying off -- and not necessarily in the way you expect.

Yes, it will it make you healthier, but it could power your activity
tracker, too, thanks to an insole that sits inside your shoe and harvests
energy from your footsteps.

Researchers at the University of Southampton, England, have designed the
removable insole to collect the kinetic energy generated by the movement of
your body and the pressure of your feet hitting the ground. This kinetic
energy is then transformed into electrical energy that can be used to power
small devices. <snip>

CNET: Battery-free wearables of the future could run off your footsteps
http://www.cnet.com/news/battery-free-wearables-of-the-future-could-be-power
ed-by-your-footsteps/

Wonder if this is worth keeping an eye on for possible SOTA/backpack
portable use if it proves to be a viable technology?

73, Al
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