Partners sent gear, and one box he paid for himself. He is lining up reviews and builds, and he does not want to describe a test he has not confirmed.
Gable Antenna sent a CFP-2600. He fights the package back open. Carbon fiber, and the weight is the whole reaction. Light enough to live in a backpack and not announce itself. They have been talking about what to demonstrate. He is waiting until that is confirmed, so he does not put a wrong claim on camera. First impression is that he wants it in the series they are planning and out in the field on ordinary days.
The next antenna will not fit in the frame. BTECH sent it, with a cable, for a Winlink gateway. The video will be the build, step by step, and then the antenna stays. Dual band, 2 meters and 70 centimeters, no ground plane. He calls it a Nagoya. No ground plane is the requirement, which is why the next box matters.
Look North Designs sent a bag. A grounding strap is in it. He will not need the strap on the Nagoya. A later antenna on this mount might. Fifteen feet of cable. An instruction sheet. A cap he pretends is the product, then the suction cup. Two versions of the plate. A 3/8-24 stud for a whip, or NMO. The NMO plate is a swap: two bolts, off, on. They were out of NMO because of demand. His is on order. He looks at the board. December 15 through December 23, a couple of weeks. Other projects can use the mount before that. It goes on a window. The durability test is coming. The antenna he wants on it eventually is an ATAS-120, for the new studio radio.
That radio is the box from DX Engineering. They did not give it to him. They are not sponsoring it. He paid. Yaesu FT-710 Field. It stays. Antenna tests, FT8, FT4, phone, from the studio. He does not do CW. He says he will learn it and film that when he does.
A second suction cup is a flag-pole holder he is going to use as an antenna mount. It does not feel as solid as the Look North one. The handle folds down and locks. Look North is a button you keep pressing until it is seated. Straps on the flag-pole version hold PVC, so the pipe becomes the mast. Holding both, he likes Look North. The prices in his head are a buck and a half against maybe $10. He will check the Amazon receipt in the comparison video, and he will include what Syracuse does to plastic: snow, cold, freeze. If the one he likes holds, he will buy more.
The studio is a commercial office. The building will let him put an antenna on the roof. He does not want a maintenance call every time he changes a wire. A stand on the ground, or coax from the truck through a cracked window, is the temporary version. He wants the mount on the outside of the glass, strong enough for the gateway antenna. Mike, visiting Syracuse, complained there was no Winlink gateway. Kevin told him the next visit would have one. The 710 is how they want to run HF in the room, with the ATAS moving when the band changes. The board is full of step-by-step projects.
POTA Trip stickers came in the same mail. The site has the wait list. Beta testers can email hamradioplayground@gmail.com. He is aiming the first version at the weeks just before Christmas. Crazy Neon sent a light-up sign with the logo, and he thanks them for the speed. He knows he is forgetting other projects. They will show up. The subscriber count he ties to a radio giveaway is 500.
Transcript
Mail from the last couple of days, and the projects those boxes are for. Gable Antenna sent a CFP-2600. Carbon fiber, and he is surprised how light it is. Demos are being discussed. He will not describe them until they are confirmed. Backpack weight is nothing. He wants it in the upcoming series and in the field.
BTECH sent an antenna that will not fit on camera, plus a cable. It is for a Winlink gateway build, step by step, then it stays mounted. 2 meters and 70 centimeters, no ground plane. He calls it a Nagoya. The ground strap in the next bag is not for this antenna. A later antenna on the same mount might need it.
Look North Designs sent the bag. Ground strap, 15 feet of cable, a sheet, and a suction mount. He fakes the protective cap as the product. The plate is either 3/8-24 or NMO. NMO was out of stock. Two bolts and the plate swaps. His estimate on the board is December 15 to December 23. Other projects can happen first. The mount goes on a window. Strength and durability are the test. The later antenna is an ATAS-120, for the studio rig.
DX Engineering did not give him the radio. Not a sponsor. He paid. Yaesu FT-710 Field. Permanent HF in the studio: other antennas, FT8, FT4, phone. Not CW, until he learns it. A second suction cup is a flag-pole holder. Less solid in the hand than Look North. The handle folds and locks. Look North is a button you press until it seats. PVC straps turn the flag-pole version into a mast. He likes the Look North one. He thinks one was about a buck and a half and the other about $10, and the comparison video will have the receipt. Syracuse snow and cold are part of the test. He will buy more if they hold.
The office is commercial. Roof antennas are allowed. He does not want to call maintenance for every wire change. Not a temporary stand, and not coax from the truck through the window. The mount has to hold the gateway antenna. Mike, in Syracuse, complained there was no Winlink gateway. Kevin said the next visit would have one. The 710 is so the ATAS can tune with the radio. POTA Trip stickers are in the mail. Wait list on the site. Beta testers email hamradioplayground@gmail.com. First version, he hopes, just before Christmas. Crazy Neon sent a lit logo sign, quickly. Other projects he is forgetting will be soon. Giveaway at 500 subscribers.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the suction mount missing?
The NMO plate. You can order it as a 3/8-24 whip mount or as NMO. Demand had them out of the NMO plate, which is the piece that unscrews, two bolts, and swaps. He ordered one. The board says about December 15 to December 23. The mount can still do other projects. It goes on a window. The ATAS-120 is the later antenna, for the studio rig.
Did anyone give him the FT-710?
No. DX Engineering sold it. He says they are not a sponsor on this radio. FT-710 Field. It stays in the studio so antenna tests, FT8, FT4, and phone do not require the truck. He is not a CW operator yet. He plans to learn and film that later. The ATAS is why this radio is the one. It can move the antenna when he changes bands. They already have a 7300. He does not say he is retiring it.
Why a window instead of the roof?
The studio is a commercial office. Management already said an antenna on the roof is allowed. He does not want to call maintenance every time a wire changes. A temporary stand, or coax from the truck through the window, is the setup he does not want as the permanent one. The mount has to be strong enough for the gateway antenna. A second suction cup, sold as a flag-pole holder, uses a handle that folds and locks, and straps for PVC. The Look North one uses a button you press until it seats. In his hand he likes Look North. He thinks that one was about a buck and a half and the other about $10. The comparison video will have the real prices, including Syracuse snow and cold. He will buy more of the one that holds.